A CMOS circuit implementation of retrograde signaling in astrocyte-neuron networks

摘要

Astrocytes, a type of glial cell, have been shown to actively modulate neural activity in the central nervous system. One way in which astrocytes can be stimulated is through receptors of retrograde messengers that are located on the astrocyte processes. Retrograde messengers are released by a neuron's postsynaptic dendrite in response to neural activity, and retrograde signaling can potentiate heteroneuronal synapses by communicating through astrocytes. Retrograde messengers can also depress homoneuronal synapses by activating receptors on the presynaptic axon terminal. Here we present a CMOS neuro-morphic circuit that models the first-order effects of retrograde signaling between neurons and astrocytes and shows their use in self-repair of damaged neural circuits.