https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-026-02211-3
Regular Article
Arachidonic acid metabolites modulate neuronal activity via vasomodulatory pathways
Department of Theoretical Physics, Kursk State University, Radishcheva st., 33, 305000, Kursk, Russia
a
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Received:
31
December
2025
Accepted:
16
February
2026
Published online:
5
March
2026
Abstract
Recent experimental studies characterize the central nervous system not as a collection of independent cells, but as a closely integrated system of neurons, astrocytes, and blood vessel. According to this paradigm, there is a clear tendency to combine all these three components into a single system, and hence the concept of the neuroglyovascular unit. The primary task of such a module is neurogliovascular coupling, which instantaneously and locally adjusts blood flow to match current neuronal activity, thereby providing the cells with energy. According to this, the interactions of individual elements determine the processes of brain functioning. It is known that astrocytes can release arachidonic acid and synthesize its derivatives—metabolites, which, in turn, can have vasoconstrictive and vasodilating effects, affecting synaptic activity. In this study, we propose a model of the neurogliovascular unit that includes 
-dependent calcium dynamics in the astrocyte, neuronal activity, and vascular dynamics, taking into account the synthesis of arachidonic acid and its metabolites. Extension of the single unit model to a 2D domain illustrates that arachidonic acid-mediated metabolic signaling fundamentally modulates the propagation of large-scale pathological phenomena such as cortical spreading depression. The results of numerical solutions of the model suggest that vascular dynamics acts by stimulating arahidonic acid metabolites, which directly affects synaptic activity. Elucidating the internal processes of the neurogliovascular unit and its multi-unit network is an essential prerequisite for advancing the diagnosis and treatment of neuropathologies.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
