Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-8644
Authors: | Becker, Sophia Nold, Andreas Tchumatchenko, Tatjana |
Title: | Modulation of working memory duration by synaptic and astrocytic mechanisms |
Online publication date: | 25-Jan-2023 |
Year of first publication: | 2022 |
Language: | english |
Abstract: | Short-term synaptic plasticity and modulations of the presynaptic vesicle release rate are key components of many working memory models. At the same time, an increasing number of studies suggests a potential role of astrocytes in modulating higher cognitive function such as WM through their influence on synaptic transmission. Which influence astrocytic signaling could have on the stability and duration of WM representations, however, is still unclear. Here, we introduce a slow, activity-dependent astrocytic regulation of the presynaptic release probability in a synaptic attractor model of WM. We compare and analyze simulations of a simple WM protocol in firing rate and spiking networks with and without astrocytic regulation, and underpin our observations with analyses of the phase space dynamics in the rate network. We find that the duration and stability of working memory representations are altered by astrocytic signaling and by noise. We show that astrocytic signaling modulates the mean duration of WM representations. Moreover, if the astrocytic regulation is strong, a slow presynaptic timescale introduces a ‘window of vulnerability’, during which WM representations are easily disruptable by noise before being stabilized. We identify two mechanisms through which noise from different sources in the network can either stabilize or destabilize WM representations. Our findings suggest that (i) astrocytic regulation can act as a crucial determinant for the duration of WM representations in synaptic attractor models of WM, and (ii) that astrocytic signaling could facilitate different mechanisms for volitional top-down control of WM representations and their duration. |
DDC: | 610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences |
Institution: | Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz |
Department: | FB 04 Medizin |
Place: | Mainz |
ROR: | https://ror.org/023b0x485 |
DOI: | http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-8644 |
Version: | Published version |
Publication type: | Zeitschriftenaufsatz |
Document type specification: | Scientific article |
License: | CC BY |
Information on rights of use: | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Journal: | PLoS Computational Biology 18 10 |
Pages or article number: | e1010543 |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science |
Publisher place: | San Francisco, Calif. |
Issue date: | 2022 |
ISSN: | 1553-734X 1553-7358 |
Publisher DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010543 |
Appears in collections: | DFG-491381577-G |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | ||
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modulation_of_working_memory_-20230124123548765.pdf | 10.49 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |