Realistic modeling of astrocyte-axon interaction sites

Experimental studies unequivocally confirm the fundamental role of astrocytes in a spectrum of brain functions, which has sparked the need for the development of mathematical and computational models of neuron-glia interactions. Because astrocytes are characterized by complex morphology and spatial scale hierarchy, it is important to develop physiologically realistic spatial model templates of interaction sites between astrocytes and neurons. Such templates can be used for theoretical insights into astrocyte contribution to synaptic plasticity and information processing. Here we present an algorithm for the generation of a realistic 2D astrocyte template, where locations of synapses are sampled from a distribution conditional on astrocyte branching morphology and the morphology of the corresponding axon, in accordance with experimental data.