The Multi-Scale Impact of the Alzheimer's Disease in the Topology Diversity of Astrocytes Molecular Communications Nanonetworks

TL;DR

This paper models the impact of Alzheimer's disease on astrocyte networks within the brain, analyzing how disease-induced changes affect molecular communication and network topology, with implications for early neurodegenerative detection.

Contribution

It introduces a multi-scale stochastic computational model of astrocyte networks affected by Alzheimer's, incorporating intracellular pathways and various network topologies.

Findings

Alzheimer's astrocyte networks exhibit lower oscillation stability and increased molecular delay.

Network topology influences communication disruptions, especially in Erdös Rényi and link radius networks.

The model provides insights for bio-nano sensing techniques in early disease detection.

Abstract

The Internet of Bio-Nano-Things is a new paradigm that can bring novel remotely controlled actuation and sensing techniques inside the human body. Towards precise bionano sensing techniques in the brain, we investigate the challenges of modelling spatial distribution of astrocyte networks in developing a mathematical framework that lay the groundwork for future early-detection techniques of neurodegenerative disease. In this paper, we investigate the effect of the $\beta$-amyloid plaques in astrocytes with the Alzheimer's disease. We developed a computation model of healthy and Alzheimer's diseases astrocytes networks from the state of the art models and results that account for the intracellular pathways, IP$_3$ dynamics, gap junctions, voltage-gated calcium channels and astrocytes volumes. We also implemented different types of astrocytes network topologies including shortcut networks, regular degree networks, Erd\"os R\'enyi networks and link radius networks. A proposed multi-scale stochastic computational model captures the relationship between the intracellular and intercellular scales. Lastly, we designed and evaluated a single-hop communication system with frequency modulation using metrics such as propagation extend, molecular delay and channel gain. The results show that the more unstable but at the same time lower level oscillations of Alzheimer's astrocyte networks can create a multi-scale effect on communication between astrocytes with increased molecular delay and lower channel gain compared to healthy astrocytes, with an elevated impact on Erd\"os R\'enyi networks and link radius networks topologies.