  We propose a new mean-field model of brain rhythms governed by astrocytes.
This theoretical framework describes how astrocytes can regulate neuronal
activity and contribute to the generation of brain rhythms. The model describes
at the population level the interactions between two large groups of excitatory
and inhibitory neurons. The excitatory population is governed by astrocytes via
a so-called tripartite synapse. This approach allows us to describe how the
interactions between different groups of neurons and astrocytes can give rise
to various patterns of synchronized activity and transitions between them.
Using methods of nonlinear analysis we show that astrocytic modulation can lead
to a change in the period and amplitude of oscillations in the populations of
neurons.
