Synchrony dynamics and synaptic plasticity in E-I networks modulated by prolonged astrocytic BDNF

Long-timescale cortical activation has demonstrated significant effect on the neuronal plasticity through both non-invasive visual and auditory stimulations. Experimental studies demonstrated that astrocytes could participate in this process by releasing BDNF. Although neuronal BDNF dynamics in different time-scales have been investigated, how astrocytic BDNF affects the neural plasticity remains obscure. This study innovatively develops a large-scale excitatory-inhibitory neuronal network model integrating synaptic plasticity from long-timescale astrocytic BDNF dynamics. Computational simulations reveal that accumulated astrocytic BDNF over minutes triggers neural synchrony transitions, which shows crucial for the implementation of long-timescale cortical activation. Further analysis of a 2D large - scale cortical network shows the long-timescale cortical activation restorative effects are mainly governed by inter-cluster connection strength and density. Specifically, sites with stronger directional global connectivity are more likely to induce global cortical activation from a localized stimulus. This suggests they are promising targets for achieving long-timescale whole-brain activation.