{"ID":2896096,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.07693","arxiv_id":"2507.07693","title":"Astrocyte-Mediated Higher-Order Control of Synaptic Plasticity","abstract":"The dynamics of higher-order topological signals are increasingly recognized as a key aspect of the activity of complex systems. A paradigmatic example are synaptic dynamics: synaptic efficacy changes over time driven by different mechanisms. Beyond traditional node-driven short-term plasticity mechanisms, the role of astrocyte modulation through higher-order interactions, in the so-called tripartite synapse, is increasingly recognized. However, the competition and interplay between node-driven and higher-order mechanisms have yet to be considered. Here, we introduce a simple higher-order model of the tripartite synapse accounting for astrocyte-synapse-neuron interactions in short-term plasticity. In the model, astrocyte gliotransmission and pre-synaptic intrinsic facilitation mechanisms jointly modulate the probability of neurotransmitter release at the synapse, generalizing previous short-term plasticity models. We investigate the implications of such mechanisms in a minimal recurrent motif -- a directed ring of three excitatory leaky integrate-and-fire neurons -- where one neuron receives external stimulation that propagates through the circuit. Due to its strong recurrence, the circuit is highly prone to self-sustained activity, which can make it insensitive to external input. By introducing higher-order interactions among different synapses through astrocyte modulation, we show that higher-order modulation robustly stabilizes circuit dynamics and expands the parameter space that supports stimulus-driven activity. Our findings highlight a plausible mechanism by which astrocytes can reshape effective connectivity and enhance information processing through higher-order structural interactions -- even in the simplest recurrent circuits.","short_abstract":"The dynamics of higher-order topological signals are increasingly recognized as a key aspect of the activity of complex systems. A paradigmatic example are synaptic dynamics: synaptic efficacy changes over time driven by different mechanisms. Beyond traditional node-driven short-term plasticity mechanisms, the role of...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.07693","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.07693v1","authors":"[\"Gustavo Menesse\",\"Ana P. Millán\",\"Joaquín J. Torres\"]","published":"2025-07-10T12:14:52Z","proceeding":"q-bio.NC","tasks":"[\"q-bio.NC\",\"cond-mat.dis-nn\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}