The National Science Foundation Division of Information and Intelligent Systems awarded the University of California Irvine $225,000 on October 1, 2025, to support collaborative research integrating astrocytes as contextual multiplexers of neural dynamics and computation under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program.
The project combines experimental work with computational modeling and mathematical analysis to study how astrocytes—a type of brain cell distinct from neurons—contribute to brain function and information processing. Experiments will observe and manipulate astrocytes in living brains to validate hypotheses about their roles in neural circuits. The computational modeling will explore the contextual guidance hypothesis, which proposes that astrocytes act as switchboards transmitting information about the environment and physiological state to neurons and neuronal networks, thereby modulating neuronal dynamics in response to context-specific circumstances. Results are intended to inform understanding of astrocyte-neuron interactions and suggest principles for integration into artificial intelligence systems.
The project is performance-based at the University of California Irvine in Irvine, California, with a period of performance extending through June 30, 2028. This is a collaborative research award; the source indicates U.S.-France research partnership structure, though specific international sub-recipient details are not provided in the available documentation.