Working memory depends on the excitatory–inhibitory balance in neuron–astrocyte network

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that astrocytes are involved in information processing and working memory (WM) in the central nervous system. Here, the neuron–astrocyte network model with biological properties is built to study the effects of excitatory–inhibitory balance and neural network structures on WM tasks. It is found that the performance metrics of WM tasks under the scale-free network are higher than other network structures, and the WM task can be successfully completed when the proportion of excitatory neurons in the network exceeds 30%. There exists an optimal region for the proportion of excitatory neurons and synaptic weight that the memory performance metrics of the WM tasks are higher. The multi-item WM task shows that the spatial calcium patterns for different items overlap significantly in the astrocyte network, which is consistent with the formation of cognitive memory in the brain. Moreover, complex image tasks show that cued recall can significantly reduce systematic noise and maintain the stability of the WM tasks. The results may contribute to understand the mechanisms of WM formation and provide some inspirations into the dynamic storage and recall of memory.

Aperiodic EEG and 7T MRSI evidence for maturation of E/I balance supporting the development of working memory through adolescence

“…These results suggest that the age-related decrease in neural population spiking, reflected by the decreased offset and decreased glutamate, may contribute to decreased response latency, suggesting adults may need less excitatory neuronal activity in order to perform the task quickly. Similarly, the association between spatial span and decreases in exponent suggest that age related improvement in working memory capacity are supported by the optimization of the balance of excitation and inhibition 73–75 .…”

Aperiodic EEG and 7T MRSI evidence for maturation of E/I balance supporting the development of working memory through adolescence

“…These results suggest that the age-related decrease in neural population spiking, reflected by the decreased offset and decreased glutamate, may contribute to decreased response latency, suggesting adults may need less excitatory neuronal activity in order to perform the task quickly. Similarly, the association between spatial span and decreases in exponent suggest that age related improvement in working memory capacity are supported by the optimization of the balance of excitation and inhibition ( Lu et al, 2023 , Barak and Tsodyks, 2014 , Edin et al, 2009 ).…”