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McQuail JA, Dunn AR, Stern Y, Barnes CA, Kempermann G, Rapp PR, Kaczorowski CC, Foster TC. Cognitive Reserve in Model Systems for Mechanistic Discovery: The Importance of Longitudinal Studies. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 12:607685. [PMID: 33551788 PMCID: PMC7859530 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.607685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this review article is to provide a resource for longitudinal studies, using animal models, directed at understanding and modifying the relationship between cognition and brain structure and function throughout life. We propose that forthcoming longitudinal studies will build upon a wealth of knowledge gleaned from prior cross-sectional designs to identify early predictors of variability in cognitive function during aging, and characterize fundamental neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the vulnerability to, and the trajectory of, cognitive decline. Finally, we present examples of biological measures that may differentiate mechanisms of the cognitive reserve at the molecular, cellular, and network level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. McQuail
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Amy R. Dunn
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, United States
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Carol A. Barnes
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Gerd Kempermann
- CRTD—Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HZ), Dresden, Germany
| | - Peter R. Rapp
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurocognitive Aging Section, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Thomas C. Foster
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Genetics and Genomics Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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102
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Schmidtke D. Age affects procedural paired-associates learning in the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Sci Rep 2021; 11:1252. [PMID: 33442034 PMCID: PMC7806666 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-80960-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to associate memorized objects with their location in space gradually declines during normal aging and can drastically be affected by neurodegenerative diseases. This study investigates object-location paired-associates learning (PAL) in the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), a nonhuman primate model of brain aging. Touchscreen-based testing of 6 young adults (1–5 years) and 6 old adults (> 7 years) in the procedural rodent dPAL-task revealed significant age-related performance decline, evident in group differences in the percentage of correct decision during learning and the number of sessions needed to reach a predefined criterion. Response pattern analyses suggest decreased susceptibility to relative stimulus-position biases in young animals, facilitating PAL. Additional data from a subset of “overtrained” individuals (n = 7) and challenge sessions using a modified protocol (sPAL) further suggest that learning criteria routinely used in animal studies on PAL can underestimate the endpoint at which a stable performance is reached and that more conservative criteria are needed to improve construct validity of the task. To conclude, this is the first report of an age effect on dPAL and corroborates the role of mouse lemurs as valuable natural nonhuman primate models in aging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schmidtke
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
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103
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Guo CCG, He T, Grandjean J, Homberg J. Knockout serotonin transporter in rats moderates outcome and stimulus generalization. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:25. [PMID: 33414390 PMCID: PMC7791109 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01162-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the common dimension of mental disorders (such as anxiety, depression, and drug addiction) might contribute to the construction of biological frameworks (Research Domain Criteria, RDoC) for novel ways of treatment. One common dimension at the behavioral level observed across these disorders is a generalization. Testing generalization in serotonin transporter (5-HTT) knockout (KO) rats, an animal model showing depression/anxiety-like behaviors and drug addiction-like behaviors, could therefore provide more insights into this framework. We tested the outcome and stimulus generalization in wild-type (WT) and 5-HTT KO rats. Using a newly established touchscreen-based task, subjects directly responded to visual stimuli (Gabor patch images). We measured the response time and outcome in a precise manner. We found that 5-HTT KO rats processed visual information faster than WT rats during outcome generalization. Interestingly, during stimulus generalization, WT rats gradually responded faster to the stimuli as the sessions progressed, while 5-HTT KO rats responded faster than WT in the initial sessions and did not change significantly as the sessions progressed. This observation suggests that KO rats, compared to WT rats, may be less able to update changes in information. Taken together, KO 5-HTT modulates information processing when the environment changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Ciu-Gwok Guo
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Tao He
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Joanes Grandjean
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands ,grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Judith Homberg
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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104
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Rainbow trout discriminate 2-D photographs of conspecifics from distracting stimuli using an innovative operant conditioning device. Learn Behav 2021; 49:292-306. [PMID: 33409895 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-020-00453-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive abilities were studied in rainbow trout, the first continental fish production in Europe. Increasing public concern for the welfare of farmed-fish species highlighted the need for better knowledge of the cognitive status of fish. We trained and tested 15 rainbow trout with an operant conditioning device composed of self-feeders positioned in front of visual stimuli displayed on a screen. The device was coupled with a two-alternative forced-choice (2-AFC) paradigm to test whether rainbow trout can discriminate 2-D photographs of conspecifics (S+) from different visual stimuli (S-). The S- were applied in four stages, the last three stages representing increasing discrimination difficulty: (1) blue shapes; (2) black shape (star); (3) photograph of an object (among a pool of 60); (4) photograph of another fish species (among a pool of 60). Nine fish (out of 15) correctly managed to activate the conditioning device after 30-150 trials. The rainbow trout were able to discriminate images of conspecifics from an abstract shape (five individuals out of five) or objects (four out of five) but not from other fish species. Their ability to learn the category "fish shape" rather than distinguishing between conspecifics and heterospecifics is discussed. The successful visual discrimination task using this complex operant conditioning device is particularly remarkable and novel for this farmed-fish species, and could be exploited to develop cognitive enrichments in future farming systems. This device can also be added to the existing repertoire of testing devices suitable for investigating cognitive abilities in fish.
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105
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Li S, May C, Hannan AJ, Johnson KA, Burrows EL. Assessing attention orienting in mice: a novel touchscreen adaptation of the Posner-style cueing task. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:432-441. [PMID: 33007776 PMCID: PMC7853131 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-00873-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Atypical attention orienting has been found to be impaired in many neuropsychological disorders, but the underlying neural mechanism remains unclear. Attention can be oriented exogenously (i.e., driven by salient stimuli) or endogenously (i.e., driven by one's goals or intentions). Genetic mouse models are useful tools to investigate the neurobiology of cognition, but a well-established assessment of attention orienting in mice is missing. This study aimed to adapt the Posner task, a widely used attention orienting task in humans, for use in mice using touchscreen technology and to test the effects of two attention-modulating drugs, methylphenidate (MPH) and atomoxetine (ATX), on the performance of mice during this task. In accordance with human performance, mice responded more quickly and more accurately to validly cued targets compared to invalidly cued targets, thus supporting mice as a valid animal model to study the neural mechanisms of attention orienting. This is the first evidence that mice can be trained to voluntarily maintain their nose-poke on a touchscreen and to complete attention orienting tasks using exogenous peripheral cues and endogenous symbolic cues. The results also showed no significant effects of MPH and ATX on attention orienting, although MPH improved overall response times in mice during the exogenous orienting task. In summary, the current study provides a critical translational task for assessing attention orienting in mice and to investigate the effects of attention-modulating drugs on attention orienting.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Li
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XMelbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - C. May
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XFlorey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - A. J. Hannan
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XFlorey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia ,grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XDepartment of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - K. A. Johnson
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XMelbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
| | - E. L. Burrows
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XFlorey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
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106
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Goltstein PM, Reinert S, Bonhoeffer T, Hübener M. Mouse visual cortex areas represent perceptual and semantic features of learned visual categories. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:1441-1451. [PMID: 34545249 PMCID: PMC8481127 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00914-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Associative memories are stored in distributed networks extending across multiple brain regions. However, it is unclear to what extent sensory cortical areas are part of these networks. Using a paradigm for visual category learning in mice, we investigated whether perceptual and semantic features of learned category associations are already represented at the first stages of visual information processing in the neocortex. Mice learned categorizing visual stimuli, discriminating between categories and generalizing within categories. Inactivation experiments showed that categorization performance was contingent on neuronal activity in the visual cortex. Long-term calcium imaging in nine areas of the visual cortex identified changes in feature tuning and category tuning that occurred during this learning process, most prominently in the postrhinal area (POR). These results provide evidence for the view that associative memories form a brain-wide distributed network, with learning in early stages shaping perceptual representations and supporting semantic content downstream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter M. Goltstein
- grid.429510.b0000 0004 0491 8548Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sandra Reinert
- grid.429510.b0000 0004 0491 8548Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany ,grid.5252.00000 0004 1936 973XGraduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Tobias Bonhoeffer
- grid.429510.b0000 0004 0491 8548Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Mark Hübener
- grid.429510.b0000 0004 0491 8548Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
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107
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Horner AE, Norris RH, McLaren-Jones R, Alexander L, Komiyama NH, Grant SGN, Nithianantharajah J, Kopanitsa MV. Learning and reaction times in mouse touchscreen tests are differentially impacted by mutations in genes encoding postsynaptic interacting proteins SYNGAP1, NLGN3, DLGAP1, DLGAP2 and SHANK2. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2021; 20:e12723. [PMID: 33347690 PMCID: PMC7615670 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The postsynaptic terminal of vertebrate excitatory synapses contains a highly conserved multiprotein complex that comprises neurotransmitter receptors, cell-adhesion molecules, scaffold proteins and enzymes, which are essential for brain signalling and plasticity underlying behaviour. Increasingly, mutations in genes that encode postsynaptic proteins belonging to the PSD-95 protein complex, continue to be identified in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability and epilepsy. These disorders are highly heterogeneous, sharing genetic aetiology and comorbid cognitive and behavioural symptoms. Here, by using genetically engineered mice and innovative touchscreen-based cognitive testing, we sought to investigate whether loss-of-function mutations in genes encoding key interactors of the PSD-95 protein complex display shared phenotypes in associative learning, updating of learned associations and reaction times. Our genetic dissection of mice with loss-of-function mutations in Syngap1, Nlgn3, Dlgap1, Dlgap2 and Shank2 showed that distinct components of the PSD-95 protein complex differentially regulate learning, cognitive flexibility and reaction times in cognitive processing. These data provide insights for understanding how human mutations in these genes lead to the manifestation of diverse and complex phenotypes in NDDs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rebecca H Norris
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - Noboru H Komiyama
- Genes to Cognition Programme, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB), Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Seth G N Grant
- Genes to Cognition Programme, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB), Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maksym V Kopanitsa
- Synome Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute and Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK
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108
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Nakamura JP, Gillespie B, Gibbons A, Jaehne EJ, Du X, Chan A, Schroeder A, van den Buuse M, Sundram S, Hill RA. Maternal immune activation targeted to a window of parvalbumin interneuron development improves spatial working memory: Implications for autism. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 91:339-349. [PMID: 33096253 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) increases risk for neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring later in life through unknown causal mechanisms. Growing evidence implicates parvalbumin-containing GABAergic interneurons as a key target in rodent MIA models. We targeted a specific neurodevelopmental window of parvalbumin interneurons in a mouse MIA model to examine effects on spatial working memory, a key domain in ASD that can manifest as either impairments or improvements both clinically and in animal models. Pregnant dams received three consecutive intraperitoneal injections of Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C), 5 mg/kg) at gestational days 13, 14 and 15. Spatial working memory was assessed in young adult offspring using touchscreen operant chambers and the Trial-Unique Non-matching to Location (TUNL) task. Anxiety, novelty seeking and short-term memory were assessed using Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Y-maze novelty preference tasks. Fluorescent immunohistochemistry was used to assess hippocampal parvalbumin cell density, intensity and co-expression with perineuronal nets. qPCR was used to assess the expression of putatively implicated gene pathways. MIA targeting a window of parvalbumin interneuron development increased spatial working memory performance on the TUNL touchscreen task which was not influenced by anxiety or novelty seeking behaviour. The model reduced fetal mRNA levels of Gad1 and adult hippocampal mRNA levels of Pvalb and the distribution of low intensity parvalbumin interneurons was altered. We speculate a specific timing window for parvalbumin interneuron development underpins the apparently paradoxical improved spatial working memory phenotype found both across several rodent models of autism and clinically in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay P Nakamura
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Brendan Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Andrew Gibbons
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Emily J Jaehne
- School of Psychology and Public Health, Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia
| | - Xin Du
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Aaron Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Anna Schroeder
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Maarten van den Buuse
- School of Psychology and Public Health, Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia; Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; The College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
| | - Suresh Sundram
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - Rachel A Hill
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia.
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109
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Krakenberg V, Wewer M, Palme R, Kaiser S, Sachser N, Richter SH. Regular touchscreen training affects faecal corticosterone metabolites and anxiety-like behaviour in mice. Behav Brain Res 2020; 401:113080. [PMID: 33358914 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Automated touchscreen techniques find increasing application for the assessment of cognitive function in rodents. However, hardly anything is known about the potential impact of touchscreen-based training and testing procedures on the animals under investigation. Addressing this question appears particularly important in light of the long and intensive training phases required for most of the operant tasks. Against this background, we here investigated the influence of regular touchscreen training on hormones and behaviour of mice. Faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCMs), reflecting corticosterone levels around the time of treatment, were significantly increased in touchscreen-trained mice, even one week after the training phase was already terminated. Such an effect was not detected on baseline FCMs. Thus, regular touchscreen training can be assumed to cause long-term effects on hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. Furthermore, anxiety-like behaviour was increased in touchscreen-trained mice two weeks after the end of the training phase. Traditionally, this would be interpreted as a negative influence of the training procedure on the animals' affective state. Yet, we also provide two alternative explanations, taking the possibility into account that touchscreen training might have enriching properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Krakenberg
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany.
| | - Maximilian Wewer
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
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110
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Roth RH, Ding JB. From Neurons to Cognition: Technologies for Precise Recording of Neural Activity Underlying Behavior. BME FRONTIERS 2020; 2020:7190517. [PMID: 37849967 PMCID: PMC10521756 DOI: 10.34133/2020/7190517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how brain activity encodes information and controls behavior is a long-standing question in neuroscience. This complex problem requires converging efforts from neuroscience and engineering, including technological solutions to perform high-precision and large-scale recordings of neuronal activity in vivo as well as unbiased methods to reliably measure and quantify behavior. Thanks to advances in genetics, molecular biology, engineering, and neuroscience, in recent decades, a variety of optical imaging and electrophysiological approaches for recording neuronal activity in awake animals have been developed and widely applied in the field. Moreover, sophisticated computer vision and machine learning algorithms have been developed to analyze animal behavior. In this review, we provide an overview of the current state of technology for neuronal recordings with a focus on optical and electrophysiological methods in rodents. In addition, we discuss areas that future technological development will need to cover in order to further our understanding of the neural activity underlying behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard H Roth
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jun B Ding
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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111
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Wulaer B, Hada K, Sobue A, Itoh N, Nabeshima T, Nagai T, Yamada K. Overexpression of astroglial major histocompatibility complex class I in the medial prefrontal cortex impairs visual discrimination learning in mice. Mol Brain 2020; 13:170. [PMID: 33317605 PMCID: PMC7734728 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-00710-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Immune molecules, such as cytokines, complement, and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, in the central nervous system are often associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuronal MHC class I (MHCI), such as H-2D, regulate neurite outgrowth, the establishment and function of cortical connections, and activity-dependent refinement in mice. We previously established mice expressing MHCI specifically in astrocytes of the media prefrontal cortex (mPFC) using the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector under the control of the GfaABC1D promoter. Mice expressing the soluble form of H-2D (sH-2D) in the mPFC (sH-2D-expressing mice) showed abnormal behaviors, including social interaction deficits and cognitive dysfunctions. However, the pathophysiological significance of astroglial MHCI on higher brain functions, such as learning, memory, and behavioral flexibility, remains unclear. Therefore, cognitive function in mice expressing sH-2D in astrocytes of the mPFC was tested using the visual discrimination (VD) task. Methods sH-2D-expressing mice were subjected to the VD and reversal learning tasks, and morphological analysis. Results In the pretraining, sH-2D-expressing mice required significantly more trials to reach the learning criterion than control mice. The total number of sessions, trials, normal trials, and correction trials to reach the VD criterion were also significantly higher in sH-2D-expressing mice than in control mice. A morphological study showed that dendritic complexity and spine density were significantly reduced in the dorsal striatum of sH-2D-expressing mice. Conclusion Collectively, the present results suggest that the overexpression of astroglial MHCI in the mPFC results in impaired VD learning, which may be accompanied by decreased dendritic complexity in the dorsal striatum and mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bolati Wulaer
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan.,Advanced Diagnostic System Research Laboratory, Fujita Health University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Hada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Akira Sobue
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Norimichi Itoh
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Toshitaka Nabeshima
- Advanced Diagnostic System Research Laboratory, Fujita Health University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Toyoake, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Taku Nagai
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Kiyofumi Yamada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan.
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112
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Phencyclidine-induced cognitive impairments in repeated touchscreen visual reversal learning tests in rats. Behav Brain Res 2020; 404:113057. [PMID: 33316322 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Reversal learning, a component of executive functioning, is commonly impaired among schizophrenia patients and is lacking effective treatment. N-methyl-ᴅ-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, such as phencyclidine (PCP), impair reversal learning of rodents. Touchscreen-based pairwise visual discrimination and reversal test is a translational tool to assess reversal learning in rodents. However, to fully exploit this task in testing of novel compounds, it is necessary to perform several reversal learning experiments with trained animals. Firstly, we assessed whether PCP-induced deficits in visual reversal learning in rats would be detectable with a short (5 sessions) reversal learning phase, and whether the short reversal phases could be repeated with novel stimulus pairs. Secondly, we assessed whether the PCP-induced deficits in reversal learning could be seen upon repeated PCP challenges with the same animals. Finally, we tested the effect of a novel compound, a selective α2C adrenoceptor antagonist, ORM-13070, to reverse PCP-induced cognitive deficits in this model. A 4-day PCP treatment at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg/day impaired early reversal learning in male Lister Hooded rats without inducing non-specific behavioral effects. We repeated the reversal learning experiment four times using different stimulus pairs with the same animals, and the PCP-induced impairment was evident in every single experiment. The α2C adrenoceptor antagonist ameliorated the PCP-induced cognitive deficits. Our results suggest that repeated PCP challenges in the touchscreen set-up induce schizophrenia-like cognitive deficits in visual reversal learning, improve throughput of the test and provide a protocol for testing novel drugs.
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Hatzipantelis C, Langiu M, Vandekolk TH, Pierce TL, Nithianantharajah J, Stewart GD, Langmead CJ. Translation-Focused Approaches to GPCR Drug Discovery for Cognitive Impairments Associated with Schizophrenia. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:1042-1062. [PMID: 33344888 PMCID: PMC7737210 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
There are no effective therapeutics for cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), which includes deficits in executive functions (working memory and cognitive flexibility) and episodic memory. Compounds that have entered clinical trials are inadequate in terms of efficacy and/or tolerability, highlighting a clear translational bottleneck and a need for a cohesive preclinical drug development strategy. In this review we propose hippocampal-prefrontal-cortical (HPC-PFC) circuitry underlying CIAS-relevant cognitive processes across mammalian species as a target source to guide the translation-focused discovery and development of novel, procognitive agents. We highlight several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) enriched within HPC-PFC circuitry as therapeutic targets of interest, including noncanonical approaches (biased agonism and allosteric modulation) to conventional clinical targets, such as dopamine and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, along with prospective novel targets, including the orphan receptors GPR52 and GPR139. We also describe the translational limitations of popular preclinical cognition tests and suggest touchscreen-based assays that probe cognitive functions reliant on HPC-PFC circuitry and reflect tests used in the clinic, as tests of greater translational relevance. Combining pharmacological and behavioral testing strategies based in HPC-PFC circuit function creates a cohesive, translation-focused approach to preclinical drug development that may improve the translational bottleneck currently hindering the development of treatments for CIAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra
J. Hatzipantelis
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Monica Langiu
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Teresa H. Vandekolk
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Tracie L. Pierce
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- Florey
Institute of Neuroscience
and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Gregory D. Stewart
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Christopher J. Langmead
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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114
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Houlton J, Barwick D, Clarkson AN. Frontal cortex stroke-induced impairment in spatial working memory on the trial-unique nonmatching-to-location task in mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 177:107355. [PMID: 33276070 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Stroke-induced cognitive impairments are of significant concern, however mechanisms that underpin these impairments remain poorly understood and researched. To further characterise cognitive impairments in our frontal cortex stroke model, and to align our assessments with what is used clinically, we tested young C57BL/6J mice trained in operant touchscreen chambers to complete the trial-unique nonmatched-to-location (TUNL) task. Based on baseline performance, animals were given either stroke (n = 12) or sham (n = 12) surgery using a photothrombosis model, bilaterally targeting the frontal cortex. Upon recovery, post-stroke spatial working memory was assessed by varying the degree of separation and delay within TUNL trials. Seven weeks after surgery, animals received a prelimbic injection of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B (CTB) to access thalamo-PFC connectivity. Tissue was then processed histologically and immunohistochemically to assess infarct volume, astrogliosis and thalamocortical connectivity. Assessment of TUNL probes revealed sensitivity to a frontal cortex stroke (separation: p = 0.0003, delay: p < 0.0001), with stroke animals taking significantly longer (p = 0.0170) during reacquisition of the TUNL task, relative to shams. CTB-positive cell counts revealed a stroke-induced loss of thalamo-PFC connectivity. In addition, quantification of reactive astrogliosis revealed a positive correlation between the degree of astrogliosis expanding into white matter tracts and the development of cognitive impairments. This study reveals a stroke-induced impairment in mice completing the TUNL task. Our findings also demonstrate a significant loss of thalamo-PFC connections and a correlation between white matter reactive astrogliosis and cognitive impairment. Future experiments will investigate therapeutic interventions in the hope of promoting functional improvement in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh Houlton
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Deanna Barwick
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Andrew N Clarkson
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre and Brain Research New Zealand, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
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115
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Johnson NP, Gregorich SM, Passaglia CL. Spatiotemporal Contrast Sensitivity of Brown-Norway Rats under Scotopic and Photopic Illumination. Neuroscience 2020; 449:63-73. [PMID: 33035619 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.09.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rats are a popular animal model for vision research and for investigating disorders of the visual system. The study aimed to quantify the spatiotemporal contrast sensitivity function (CSF) of healthy adult Brown-Norway rats under scotopic and photopic illumination. Animals were trained to jump onto the one of two adjacent platforms behind which was displayed a sinewave grating pattern. Contrast thresholds of light- and dark-adapted rats were determined using a staircase method of adjustment for gratings that varied in spatial frequency (sf) and temporal frequency (tf) and ranged several log-units in mean luminance. Photopic CSFs showed strong bandpass spatial tuning, consistent with prior measurements, and weak bandpass temporal tuning. CSFs were parameterized by a truncated log-parabola model, yielding a peak contrast sensitivity of 52 ± 9, peak sf of 0.17 ± 0.05 cycles/degree, sf limit of 1.6 ± 0.3 cycles/degree, low sf attenuation of 85 ± 9%, peak tf of 1.7 ± 1.1 Hz, extrapolated tf limit of 166 ± 44 Hz, and low tf attenuation of 55 ± 12%. CSFs became more lowpass and decreased systematically in contrast sensitivity and spatiotemporal acuity as mean luminance was reduced. CSFs were also measured via the visual head-tracking reflex. Photopic contrast sensitivity, spatial acuity, and temporal acuity were all markedly below that of the grating detection task and optomotor findings for other rat strains. The CSF data provide a comprehensive and quantitative description of rat spatial and temporal vision and a benchmark for evaluating effects of ocular diseases on their ability to see.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P Johnson
- University of South Florida, Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology Department, 12901 Bruce B Downs Boulevard MDC 40, Tampa, FL 33612, United States
| | - Sarah M Gregorich
- University of South Florida, Medical Engineering Department, 4202 E Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, United States
| | - Christopher L Passaglia
- University of South Florida, Molecular Pharmacology & Physiology Department, 12901 Bruce B Downs Boulevard MDC 40, Tampa, FL 33612, United States; University of South Florida, Medical Engineering Department, 4202 E Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, United States; University of South Florida, Ophthalmology Department, 12901 Bruce B Downs Boulevard MDC21, Tampa, FL 33612, United States.
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116
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Shultz SR, McDonald SJ, Corrigan F, Semple BD, Salberg S, Zamani A, Jones NC, Mychasiuk R. Clinical Relevance of Behavior Testing in Animal Models of Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2020; 37:2381-2400. [DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sandy R. Shultz
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stuart J. McDonald
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Frances Corrigan
- Department of Anatomy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Bridgette D. Semple
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sabrina Salberg
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Akram Zamani
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nigel C. Jones
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richelle Mychasiuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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117
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Saifullah MAB, Komine O, Dong Y, Fukumoto K, Sobue A, Endo F, Saito T, Saido TC, Yamanaka K, Mizoguchi H. Touchscreen-based location discrimination and paired associate learning tasks detect cognitive impairment at an early stage in an App knock-in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Mol Brain 2020; 13:147. [PMID: 33183323 PMCID: PMC7664057 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-020-00690-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive decline with accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles that usually begins 15–30 years before clinical diagnosis. Rodent models that recapitulate aggressive Aβ and/or the pathology of neurofibrillary tangles are essential for AD research. Accordingly, non-invasive early detection systems in these animal models are required to evaluate the phenotypic changes, elucidate the mechanism of disease progression, and facilitate development of novel therapeutic approaches. Although many behavioral tests efficiently reveal cognitive impairments at the later stage of the disease in AD models, it has been challenging to detect such impairments at the early stage. To address this issue, we subjected 4–6-month-old male AppNL−G−F/NL−G−F knock-in (App-KI) mice to touchscreen-based location discrimination (LD), different object–location paired-associate learning (dPAL), and reversal learning tests, and compared the results with those of the classical Morris water maze test. These tests are mainly dependent on the brain regions prone to Aβ accumulation at the earliest stages of the disease. At 4–6 months, considered to represent the early stage of disease when mice exhibit initial deposition of Aβ and slight gliosis, the classical Morris water maze test revealed no difference between groups, whereas touchscreen-based LD and dPAL tasks revealed significant impairments in task performance. Our report is the first to confirm that a systematic touchscreen-based behavioral test battery can sensitively detect the early stage of cognitive decline in an AD-linked App-KI mouse model. This system could be applied in future translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Ali Bin Saifullah
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Okiru Komine
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yutao Dong
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan
| | - Kazuya Fukumoto
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Akira Sobue
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Fumito Endo
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Takashi Saito
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan.,Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan.,Department of Neurocognitive Science, Institute of Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Koji Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience and Pathobiology, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mizoguchi
- Research Center for Next-Generation Drug Development, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan. .,Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8560, Japan.
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118
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Sullivan JA, Dumont JR, Memar S, Skirzewski M, Wan J, Mofrad MH, Ansari HZ, Li Y, Muller L, Prado VF, Prado MAM, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. New frontiers in translational research: Touchscreens, open science, and the mouse translational research accelerator platform. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12705. [PMID: 33009724 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases and other brain disorders are accompanied by impairments in high-level cognitive functions including memory, attention, motivation, and decision-making. Despite several decades of extensive research, neuroscience is little closer to discovering new treatments. Key impediments include the absence of validated and robust cognitive assessment tools for facilitating translation from animal models to humans. In this review, we describe a state-of-the-art platform poised to overcome these impediments and improve the success of translational research, the Mouse Translational Research Accelerator Platform (MouseTRAP), which is centered on the touchscreen cognitive testing system for rodents. It integrates touchscreen-based tests of high-level cognitive assessment with state-of-the art neurotechnology to record and manipulate molecular and circuit level activity in vivo in animal models during human-relevant cognitive performance. The platform also is integrated with two Open Science platforms designed to facilitate knowledge and data-sharing practices within the rodent touchscreen community, touchscreencognition.org and mousebytes.ca. Touchscreencognition.org includes the Wall, showcasing touchscreen news and publications, the Forum, for community discussion, and Training, which includes courses, videos, SOPs, and symposia. To get started, interested researchers simply create user accounts. We describe the origins of the touchscreen testing system, the novel lines of research it has facilitated, and its increasingly widespread use in translational research, which is attributable in part to knowledge-sharing efforts over the past decade. We then identify the unique features of MouseTRAP that stand to potentially revolutionize translational research, and describe new initiatives to partner with similar platforms such as McGill's M3 platform (m3platform.org).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A Sullivan
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Institute of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie R Dumont
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sara Memar
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miguel Skirzewski
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jinxia Wan
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Maryam H Mofrad
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Yulong Li
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lyle Muller
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
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119
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Abstract
The ability to visually search, quickly and accurately, for designated items in cluttered environments is crucial for many species to ensure survival. Feature integration theory, one of the most influential theories of attention, suggests that certain visual features that facilitate this search are extracted pre-attentively in a parallel fashion across the visual field during early visual processing. Hence, if some objects of interest possess such a feature uniquely, it will pop out from the background during the integration stage and draw visual attention immediately and effortlessly. For years, visual search research has explored these ideas by investigating the conditions (and visual features) that characterize efficient versus inefficient visual searches. The bulk of research has focused on human vision, though ecologically there are many reasons to believe that feature integration theory is applicable to other species as well. Here we review the main findings regarding the relevance of feature integration theory to non-human species and expand it to new research on one particular animal model - the archerfish. Specifically, we study both archerfish and humans in an extensive and comparative set of visual-search experiments. The findings indicate that both species exhibit similar behavior in basic feature searches and in conjunction search tasks. In contrast, performance differed in searches defined by shape. These results suggest that evolution pressured many visual features to pop out for both species despite cardinal differences in brain anatomy and living environment, and strengthens the argument that aspects of feature integration theory may be generalizable across the animal kingdom.
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120
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Van den Broeck L, Sierksma A, Hansquine P, Thonnard D, Callaerts-Vegh Z, D'Hooge R. Comparison between touchscreen operant chambers and water maze to detect early prefrontal dysfunction in mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12695. [PMID: 32812350 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The relative lack of sensitive and clinically valid tests of rodent behavior might be one of the reasons for the limited success of the clinical translation of preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) research findings. There is a general interest in innovative behavioral methodology, and protocols have been proposed for touchscreen operant chambers that might be superior to existing cognitive assessment methods. We assessed and analyzed touchscreen performance in several novel ways to examine the possible occurrence of early signs of prefrontal (PFC) functional decline in the APP/PS1 mouse model of AD. Touchscreen learning performance was compared between APP/PS1-21 mice and wildtype littermates on a C57BL/6J background at 3, 6 and 12 months of age in parallel to the assessment of spatial learning, memory and cognitive flexibility in the Morris water maze (MWM). We found that older mice generally needed more training sessions to complete the touchscreen protocol than younger ones. Older mice also displayed defects in MWM working memory performance, but touchscreen protocols detected functional changes beginning at 3 months of age. Histological changes in PFC of APP/PS1 mice indeed occurred as early as 3 months. Our results suggest that touchscreen operant protocols are more sensitive to PFC dysfunction, which is of relevance to the use of these tasks and devices in preclinical AD research and experimental pharmacology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lore Van den Broeck
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annerieke Sierksma
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases, VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pierre Hansquine
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - David Thonnard
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Rudi D'Hooge
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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121
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Pinkowski NJ, Guerin J, Zhang H, Carpentier ST, McCurdy KE, Pacheco JM, Mehos CJ, Brigman JL, Morton RA. Repeated mild traumatic brain injuries impair visual discrimination learning in adolescent mice. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 175:107315. [PMID: 32980477 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive deficits following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are common and are associated with learning deficits in school-age children. Some of these deficits include problems with long-term memory, working memory, processing speeds, attention, mental fatigue, and executive function. Processing speed deficits have been associated with alterations in white matter, but the underlying mechanisms of many of the other deficits are unclear. Without a clear understanding of the underlying mechanisms we cannot effectively treat these injuries. The goal of these studies is to validate a translatable touchscreen discrimination/reversal task to identify deficits in executive function following a single or repeated mTBIs. Using a mild closed skull injury model in adolescent mice we were able to identify clear deficits in discrimination learning following repeated injuries that were not present from a single mTBI. The repeated injuries were not associated with any deficits in motor-based behavior but did induce a robust increase in astrocyte activation. These studies provide an essential platform to interrogate the underlying neurological dysfunction associated with these injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie J Pinkowski
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Juliana Guerin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Haikun Zhang
- Center for Brain Recovery and Repair, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Sydney T Carpentier
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Kathryn E McCurdy
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Johann M Pacheco
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Carissa J Mehos
- Center for Brain Recovery and Repair, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States; Center for Brain Recovery and Repair, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
| | - Russell A Morton
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States; Center for Brain Recovery and Repair, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States.
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122
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Luo J, Tan JM, Nithianantharajah J. A molecular insight into the dissociable regulation of associative learning and motivation by the synaptic protein neuroligin-1. BMC Biol 2020; 18:118. [PMID: 32921313 PMCID: PMC7646379 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00848-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In a changing environment, a challenge for the brain is to flexibly guide adaptive behavior towards survival. Complex behavior and the underlying neural computations emerge from the structural components of the brain across many levels: circuits, cells, and ultimately the signaling complex of proteins at synapses. In line with this logic, dynamic modification of synaptic strength or synaptic plasticity is widely considered the cellular level implementation for adaptive behavior such as learning and memory. Predominantly expressed at excitatory synapses, the postsynaptic cell-adhesion molecule neuroligin-1 (Nlgn1) forms trans-synaptic complexes with presynaptic neurexins. Extensive evidence supports that Nlgn1 is essential for NMDA receptor transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP), both of which are putative synaptic mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Here, employing a comprehensive battery of touchscreen-based cognitive assays, we asked whether impaired NMDA receptor transmission and LTP in mice lacking Nlgn1 does in fact disrupt decision-making. To this end, we addressed two key decision problems: (i) the ability to learn and exploit the associative structure of the environment and (ii) balancing the trade-off between potential rewards and costs, or positive and negative utilities of available actions. Results We found that the capacity to acquire complex associative structures and adjust learned associations was intact. However, loss of Nlgn1 alters motivation leading to a reduced willingness to overcome effort cost for reward and an increased willingness to exert effort to escape an aversive situation. We suggest Nlgn1 may be important for balancing the weighting on positive and negative utilities in reward-cost trade-off. Conclusions Our findings update canonical views of this key synaptic molecule in behavior and suggest Nlgn1 may be essential for regulating distinct cognitive processes underlying action selection. Our data demonstrate that learning and motivational computations can be dissociated within the same animal model, from a detailed behavioral dissection. Further, these results highlight the complexities in mapping synaptic mechanisms to their behavioral consequences, and the future challenge to elucidate how complex behavior emerges through different levels of neural hardware.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Luo
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Florey Department of Neuroscience, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Jessica M Tan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Florey Department of Neuroscience, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Florey Department of Neuroscience, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
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123
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Broschard MB, Kim J, Love BC, Freeman JH. Category learning in rodents using touchscreen‐based tasks. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12665. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B. Broschard
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa USA
| | - Jangjin Kim
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa USA
| | - Bradley C. Love
- Department of Experimental Psychology and The Alan Turing Institute University College London London UK
| | - John H. Freeman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa USA
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124
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Mosser CA, Haqqee Z, Nieto-Posadas A, Murai KK, Stifani S, Williams S, Brandon MP. The McGill-Mouse-Miniscope platform: A standardized approach for high-throughput imaging of neuronal dynamics during behavior. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12686. [PMID: 32691490 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the rules that govern neuronal dynamics throughout the brain to subserve behavior and cognition remains one of the biggest challenges in neuroscience research. Recent technical advances enable the recording of increasingly larger neuronal populations to produce increasingly more sophisticated datasets. Despite bold and important open-science and data-sharing policies, these datasets tend to include unique data acquisition methods, behaviors, and file structures. Discrepancies between experimental protocols present key challenges in comparing data between laboratories and across different brain regions and species. Here, we discuss our recent efforts to create a standardized and high-throughput research platform to address these issues. The McGill-Mouse-Miniscope (M3) platform is an initiative to combine miniscope calcium imaging with standardized touchscreen-based animal behavioral testing. The goal is to curate an open-source and standardized framework for acquiring, analyzing, and accessing high-quality data of the neuronal dynamics that underly cognition throughout the brain in mice, marmosets, and models of disease. We end with a discussion of future developments and a call for users to adopt this standardized approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coralie-Anne Mosser
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zeeshan Haqqee
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrés Nieto-Posadas
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Keith K Murai
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Stefano Stifani
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sylvain Williams
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mark P Brandon
- Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Douglas Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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125
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Devecioğlu İ, Güçlü B. Psychophysical detection and learning in freely behaving rats: a probabilistic dynamical model for operant conditioning. J Comput Neurosci 2020; 48:333-353. [PMID: 32643083 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-020-00751-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We present a stochastic learning model that combines the essential elements of Hebbian and Rescorla-Wagner theories for operant conditioning. The model was used to predict the behavioral data of rats performing a vibrotactile yes/no detection task. Probabilistic nature of learning was implemented by trial-by-trial variability in the random distributions of associative strengths between the sensory and the response representations. By using measures derived from log-likelihoods (corrected Akaike and Bayesian information criteria), the proposed model and its subtypes were compared with each other, and with previous models in the literature, including reinforcement learning model with softmax rule and drift diffusion model. The main difference between these models was the level of stochasticity which was implemented as associative variation or response selection. The proposed model with subject-dependent variance coefficient (SVC) and with trial-dependent variance coefficient (TVC) resulted in better trial-by-trial fits to experimental data than the other tested models based on information criteria. Additionally, surrogate data were simulated with estimated parameters and the performance of the models were compared based on psychophysical measures (A': non-parametric sensitivity index, hits and false alarms on receiver operating characteristics). Especially the TVC model could produce psychophysical measures closer to those of the experimental data than the alternative models. The presented approach is novel for linking psychophysical response measures with learning in a yes/no detection task, and may be used in neural engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- İsmail Devecioğlu
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University, 59030, Tekirdağ, Turkey
| | - Burak Güçlü
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Boğaziçi University, Kandilli Campus, Çengelköy, 34684, Istanbul, Turkey.
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126
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Sokolenko E, Nithianantharajah J, Jones NC. MK-801 impairs working memory on the Trial-Unique Nonmatch-to-Location test in mice, but this is not exclusively mediated by NMDA receptors on PV+ interneurons or forebrain pyramidal cells. Neuropharmacology 2020; 171:108103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Growth Hormone Treatment Promotes Remote Hippocampal Plasticity after Experimental Cortical Stroke. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21124563. [PMID: 32604953 PMCID: PMC7349868 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is common after stroke, and disturbances in hippocampal function are often involved, even in remote non-hippocampal injuries. In terms of hippocampal function, growth hormone (GH) is known to affects plasticity and cognition. We aimed to investigate whether GH treatment after an experimental cortical stroke could enhance remote hippocampal plasticity and the hippocampal-dependent visual discrimination task. C57BL6 male mice were subjected to cortical photothrombotic stroke. Stroke mice were then treated with either saline or GH at 48 h after occlusion for 28 days. We assessed learning and memory using mouse touchscreen platform for the visual discrimination task. We also evaluated markers of neural progenitor cells, synaptic plasticity and cerebrovascular remodelling in the hippocampal formation. GH treatment significantly improved the performance on visual discrimination task after stroke. We observed a concomitant increased number of bromodeoxyuridine-positive cells in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. We also detected increased protein levels and density of doublecortin, a neuronal precursor cells marker, as well as glutamate receptor 1 (GLuR1), a synaptic marker. These findings provide further neurobiological evidence for how GH treatment could be used to promote hippocampal plasticity in a remote region from the initial cortical injury, and thus enhance cognitive recovery after stroke.
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128
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Meyer AF, O'Keefe J, Poort J. Two Distinct Types of Eye-Head Coupling in Freely Moving Mice. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2116-2130.e6. [PMID: 32413309 PMCID: PMC7284311 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.04.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Animals actively interact with their environment to gather sensory information. There is conflicting evidence about how mice use vision to sample their environment. During head restraint, mice make rapid eye movements coupled between the eyes, similar to conjugate saccadic eye movements in humans. However, when mice are free to move their heads, eye movements are more complex and often non-conjugate, with the eyes moving in opposite directions. We combined head and eye tracking in freely moving mice and found both observations are explained by two eye-head coupling types, associated with vestibular mechanisms. The first type comprised non-conjugate eye movements, which compensate for head tilt changes to maintain a similar visual field relative to the horizontal ground plane. The second type of eye movements was conjugate and coupled to head yaw rotation to produce a "saccade and fixate" gaze pattern. During head-initiated saccades, the eyes moved together in the head direction but during subsequent fixation moved in the opposite direction to the head to compensate for head rotation. This saccade and fixate pattern is similar to humans who use eye movements (with or without head movement) to rapidly shift gaze but in mice relies on combined head and eye movements. Both couplings were maintained during social interactions and visually guided object tracking. Even in head-restrained mice, eye movements were invariably associated with attempted head motion. Our results reveal that mice combine head and eye movements to sample their environment and highlight similarities and differences between eye movements in mice and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne F Meyer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525, the Netherlands; Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London (UCL), London W1T 4JG, UK.
| | - John O'Keefe
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London (UCL), London W1T 4JG, UK; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jasper Poort
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London (UCL), London W1T 4JG, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
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Maxwell JR, Zimmerman AJ, Pavlik N, Newville JC, Carlin K, Robinson S, Brigman JL, Northington FJ, Jantzie LL. Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Yields Permanent Deficits in Learning Acquisition: A Preclinical Touchscreen Assessment. Front Pediatr 2020; 8:289. [PMID: 32582593 PMCID: PMC7291343 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2020.00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) remains a common problem world-wide for infants born at term. The impact of HIE on long-term outcomes, especially into adulthood, is not well-described. To facilitate identification of biobehavioral biomarkers utilizing a translational platform, we sought to investigate the impact of HIE on executive function and cognitive outcomes into adulthood utilizing a murine model of HIE. HIE mice (unilateral common carotid artery occlusion to induce ischemia, followed by hypoxia with a FiO2 of 0.08 for 45 min) and control mice were tested on discrimination and reversal touchscreen tasks (using their noses) shown to be sensitive to loss of basal ganglia or cortical function, respectively. We hypothesized that the HIE injury would result in deficits in reversal learning, revealing complex cognitive and executive functioning impairments. Following HIE, mice had a mild discrimination impairment as measured by incorrect responses but were able to learn the paradigm to similar levels as controls. During reversal, HIE mice required significantly more total trials, errors and correction trials across the paradigm. Analysis of specific stages showed that reversal impairments in HIE were driven by significant increases in all measured parameters during the late learning, striatal-mediated portion of the task. Together, these results support the concept that HIE occurring during the neonatal period results in abnormal neurodevelopment that persists into adulthood, which can impact efficient associated learning. Further, these data show that utilization of an established model of HIE coupled with touchscreen learning provides valuable information for screening therapeutic interventions that could mitigate these deficits to improve the long-term outcomes of this vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie R. Maxwell
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Amber J. Zimmerman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Nathaniel Pavlik
- Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jessie C. Newville
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Katherine Carlin
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Shenandoah Robinson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jonathan L. Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Frances J. Northington
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lauren L. Jantzie
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
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130
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Buscher N, Ojeda A, Francoeur M, Hulyalkar S, Claros C, Tang T, Terry A, Gupta A, Fakhraei L, Ramanathan DS. Open-source raspberry Pi-based operant box for translational behavioral testing in rodents. J Neurosci Methods 2020; 342:108761. [PMID: 32479970 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rodents have been used for decades to probe neural circuits involved in behavior. Increasingly, attempts have been developed to standardize training paradigms across labs; and to use visual/auditory paradigms that can be also tested in humans. Commercially available systems are expensive and thus do not scale easily, and are not optimized for electrophysiology. NEW METHOD Using the rich open-source technology built around Raspberry Pi, we were able to develop an inexpensive (<$1000) visual-screen based operant chamber with electrophysiological and optogenetic compatibility. The chamber is operated within MATLAB/Simulink, a commonly used scientific programming language allowing for rapid customization. RESULTS Here, we describe and provide all relevant details needed to develop and produce these chambers, and show examples of behavior and electrophysiology data collected using these chambers. We also include all of the tools needed to allow readers to build and develop their own boxes (CAD models for 3D printing and laser-cutting; PCB-board design; all bill of materials for required parts and supplies, and some examples of Simulink models to operate the boxes). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS The new boxes are far more cost-effective than commercially available environments and allow for the combination of automated behavioral testing with electrophysiological read-outs with high temporal precision. CONCLUSION These open-source boxes can be used for labs interested in developing high-throughput visual/auditory behavioral assays for ∼ 10th the cost of commercial systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Buscher
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - A Ojeda
- Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engin., UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - M Francoeur
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - S Hulyalkar
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - C Claros
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - T Tang
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - A Terry
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - A Gupta
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - L Fakhraei
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - D S Ramanathan
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare Syst., San Diego, CA 92161, United States; Dept. of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
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131
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Caballero-Puntiverio M, Prichardt S, Klem L, Bundesen C, Vangkilde S, Andreasen JT. Gabor patterns as stimuli in a rodent visual attention task. Neurosci Lett 2020; 728:134970. [PMID: 32302700 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gabor patterns are defined as the product of a sinusoid function and a Gaussian envelope and are commonly used in visual and attentional research due to their ability to selectively stimulate the primary visual cortex. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Gabor patterns can be used as visual stimuli in the rodent continuous performance test (rCPT), a newly developed task to study attentional function and impulsivity. METHODS Sixteen male C57BL/6 J mice were trained in the rCPT using Gabor patterns as visual stimuli and their performance was compared to sixteen mice that were trained using traditional high-contrast pattern stimuli. Mice were compared during training, baseline, and a variable stimulus duration probe. RESULTS The Gabor pattern group required more training sessions to reach criteria than the group with high-contrast patterns. At baseline, the Gabor pattern group showed a higher false alarm rate and a lower discriminability index. As task difficulty increased during the variable stimulus duration probe, differences between groups became more pronounced. Specifically, the Gabor pattern group showed decreased hit rate and discriminability index, as well as increased false alarm rate and premature responses compared to the high-contrast pattern group. CONCLUSION This feasibility study showed that it is possible to use Gabor patterns as visual stimuli in the rCPT, although it increases task demands. We discuss the differences between Gabor patterns and high-contrast patterns in the context of translatability of animal models in visual and cognitive research and give two examples of applicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Caballero-Puntiverio
- Dept. of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark; Symptoms Biology, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, 2500, Valby, Denmark
| | - S Prichardt
- Dept. of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark; Symptoms Biology, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, 2500, Valby, Denmark
| | - L Klem
- Dept. of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - C Bundesen
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - S Vangkilde
- Dept. of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - J T Andreasen
- Dept. of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Prevention of age-associated neuronal hyperexcitability with improved learning and attention upon knockout or antagonism of LPAR2. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 78:1029-1050. [PMID: 32468095 PMCID: PMC7897625 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03553-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that synaptic lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) augment glutamate-dependent cortical excitability and sensory information processing in mice and humans via presynaptic LPAR2 activation. Here, we studied the consequences of LPAR2 deletion or antagonism on various aspects of cognition using a set of behavioral and electrophysiological analyses. Hippocampal neuronal network activity was decreased in middle-aged LPAR2−/− mice, whereas hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) was increased suggesting cognitive advantages of LPAR2−/− mice. In line with the lower excitability, RNAseq studies revealed reduced transcription of neuronal activity markers in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in naïve LPAR2−/− mice, including ARC, FOS, FOSB, NR4A, NPAS4 and EGR2. LPAR2−/− mice behaved similarly to wild-type controls in maze tests of spatial or social learning and memory but showed faster and accurate responses in a 5-choice serial reaction touchscreen task requiring high attention and fast spatial discrimination. In IntelliCage learning experiments, LPAR2−/− were less active during daytime but normally active at night, and showed higher accuracy and attention to LED cues during active times. Overall, they maintained equal or superior licking success with fewer trials. Pharmacological block of the LPAR2 receptor recapitulated the LPAR2−/− phenotype, which was characterized by economic corner usage, stronger daytime resting behavior and higher proportions of correct trials. We conclude that LPAR2 stabilizes neuronal network excitability upon aging and allows for more efficient use of resting periods, better memory consolidation and better performance in tasks requiring high selective attention. Therapeutic LPAR2 antagonism may alleviate aging-associated cognitive dysfunctions.
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SAK3 Administration Improves Spine Abnormalities and Cognitive Deficits in App NL-G-F/NL-G-F Knock-in Mice by Increasing Proteasome Activity through CaMKII/Rpt6 Signaling. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21113833. [PMID: 32481611 PMCID: PMC7312612 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21113833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by neuropathological hallmarks consisting of accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). Recently, we have identified a new AD therapeutic candidate, ethyl-8'-methyl-2',4-dioxo-2-(piperidin-1-yl)-2'H-spiro[cyclopentane-1,3'-imidazo [1,2-a] pyridin]-2-ene-3-carboxylate (SAK3), which ameliorates the AD-like pathology in AppNL-F/NL-F knock-in mice. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of SAK3 remains unclear. In this study, we found that SAK3 administration improved the reduced proteasome activity through the activation of CaMKII/Rpt6 signaling in AppNL-F/NL-F knock-in (NL-G-F) mice. Moreover, spine abnormalities observed in NL-G-F mice were significantly reversed by SAK3 administration. Along with this, cognitive impairments found in NL-G-F mice were markedly ameliorated by SAK3. In summary, our data suggest that SAK3 administration increases the activity of the proteasome via activation of the CaMKII/Rpt6 signaling pathway, contributing to improvements in spine abnormalities and cognitive deficits in NL-G-F mice. Overall, our findings suggest that SAK3 might be a new attractive drug candidate, representing a new mechanism for the treatment of AD pathology.
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Sex Differences in Cognitive Impairment Induced by Cerebral Microhemorrhage. Transl Stroke Res 2020; 12:316-330. [PMID: 32440818 DOI: 10.1007/s12975-020-00820-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that cerebral microhemorrhages (CMHs) could be involved in cognitive decline. However, little is known about the sex-dependency of this effect. Using a multimodal approach combining behavioral tests, in vivo imaging, biochemistry, and molecular biology, we studied the cortical and hippocampal impact of a CMH in male and female mice (C57BL/6J) 6 weeks post-induction using a collagenase-induced model. Our work shows for the first time that a single cortical CMH exerts sex-specific effects on cognition. It notably induced visuospatial memory impairment in males only. This sex difference might be explained by cortical changes secondary to the lesion. In fact, the CMH induced an upregulation of ERα mRNA only in the female cortex. Besides, in male mice, we observed an impairment of pathways associated to neuronal, glial, or vascular functions: decrease in the P-GSK3β/GSK3β ratio, in BDNF and VEGF levels, and in microvascular water mobility. The CMH also exerted spatial remote effects in the hippocampus by increasing the number of astrocytes in both sexes, increasing the mean area occupied by each astrocyte in males, and decreasing hippocampal BDNF in females suggesting a cortical-hippocampal network impairment. This work demonstrates that a CMH could directly affect cognition in a sex-specific manner and highlights the need to study both sexes in preclinical models.
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135
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Lee JH, Cho SY, Kim E. Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia with touchscreen operant chambers. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12664. [PMID: 32374080 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Translational cognitive neuroscience of dementia involves mainly two areas: the validation of newly developed dementia animal models and the preclinical assessment of novel drug candidates in such model animals. To validate new animal models, a multidomain panel (battery) approach is essential in that dementia is, by definition, not merely a memory disorder but rather a multidomain cognitive/behavior disorder: animal modeling with a certain type of dementia would develop cognitive impairments in multiple (two at minimum) domains in a specific order according to unique spreading patterns of its neuropathology. In new drug development, the availability of highly sensitive tools assessing animal cognition is crucial to the detection of cognitive decline at the earliest stage of the disease, which may be an optimal time point to test a drug candidate. Using interspecies translatable (analogous) cognitive tasks would also be necessary to successfully predict the efficacy of drug candidates in subsequent clinical trials. Currently, this translational prediction is seriously limited given discrepancies in behavioral assessment methods between animals and humans in the preclinical and clinical trials, respectively. Since neurodegenerative diseases are often accompanied by not only cognitive but also affective and movement disorders, simultaneous assessment of task-relevant locomotor behavior and motivation is also important to rule out the effects of potential confounders. The touchscreen operant platform may satisfy these needs by offering several advantages over conventional methodology. In this review, we discuss the touchscreen operant chamber system and highlight some of its qualities as a promising and desirable tool for translational research of dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Han Lee
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - So Yeon Cho
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eosu Kim
- Department of Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Kopanitsa MV, Lehtimäki KK, Forsman M, Suhonen A, Koponen J, Piiponniemi TO, Kärkkäinen AM, Pavlidi P, Shatillo A, Sweeney PJ, Merenlender-Wagner A, Kaye J, Orbach A, Nurmi A. Cognitive disturbances in the cuprizone model of multiple sclerosis. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12663. [PMID: 32372528 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive problems frequently accompany neurological manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, during screening of preclinical candidates, assessments of behaviour in mouse models of MS typically focus on locomotor activity. In the present study, we analysed cognitive behaviour of 9 to 10-week-old female C57Bl/6J mice orally administered with the toxin cuprizone that induces demyelination, a characteristic feature of MS. Animals received 400 mg/kg cuprizone daily for 2 or 4 weeks, and their performance was compared with that of vehicle-treated mice. Cuprizone-treated animals showed multiple deficits in short touchscreen-based operant tasks: they responded more slowly to visual stimuli, rewards and made more errors in a simple rule-learning task. In contextual/cued fear conditioning experiments, cuprizone-treated mice showed significantly lower levels of contextual freezing than vehicle-treated mice. Diffusion tensor imaging showed treatment-dependent changes in fractional anisotropy as well as in axial and mean diffusivities in different white matter areas. Lower values of fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity in cuprizone-treated mice indicated developing demyelination and/or axonal damage. Several diffusion tensor imaging measurements correlated with learning parameters. Our results show that translational touchscreen operant tests and fear conditioning paradigms can reliably detect cognitive consequences of cuprizone treatment. The suggested experimental approach enables screening novel MS drug candidates in longitudinal experiments for their ability to improve pathological changes in brain structure and reverse cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maksym V Kopanitsa
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland.,UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | | | - Ari Suhonen
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Juho Koponen
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland
| | | | | | - Pavlina Pavlidi
- MSc Programme in Translational Neuroscience, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Joel Kaye
- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Netanya, Israel
| | - Aric Orbach
- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Netanya, Israel
| | - Antti Nurmi
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland
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137
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Richter SH. Automated Home-Cage Testing as a Tool to Improve Reproducibility of Behavioral Research? Front Neurosci 2020; 14:383. [PMID: 32390795 PMCID: PMC7193758 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
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138
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Caballero-Puntiverio M, Lerdrup LS, Arvastson L, Aznar S, Andreasen JT. ADHD medication and the inverted U-shaped curve: A pharmacological study in female mice performing the rodent Continuous Performance Test (rCPT). Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 99:109823. [PMID: 31765714 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The rodent Continuous Performance Test (rCPT) is an analogue of human CPTs where mice have to discriminate between target and non-target stimuli. The rCPT offers a readout of attentional performance and impulsive behaviour. This study aimed to determine if female C57BL/6 J mice could be trained in the rCPT since previously published rCPT studies have only used male mice and to study whether the effects of methylphenidate (MPH), atomoxetine (ATX), and dexamphetamine (AMPH) on attention and impulsivity depend on baseline (reference) levels of performance. METHODS 48 female mice underwent rCPT training. Effects of MPH (1, 2, and 3 mg/kg), ATX (1, 3, and 5 mg/kg) and AMPH (0.3, 0.6, and 1 mg/kg) were assessed in a variable stimulus duration probe. Drugs were administered intraperitoneally and sequentially tested following a Latin-square design. Data were analysed using a repeated measurements mixed effect model and reference-dependent effects were studied. RESULTS ATX and AMPH improved performance as seen by increases in discriminability. These improvements were a result of a decreased false-alarm rate. AMPH showed a reference-dependent effect, improving the task performance of low-performing mice and decreasing the performance of high-performing mice. MPH also showed this reference-dependent effects, albeit to a lesser extent. ATX and AMPH decreased premature responses and increased response criterion, but no reference-dependent effects were observed for these parameters. CONCLUSION This study presents a novel method to analyse baseline-dependent effects. It shows that the rCPT can be successfully used in pharmacological studies in female mice and demonstrates that the effect of ADHD medication is in line with the inverted U-shape theory of performance-arousal relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Caballero-Puntiverio
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark; Symptoms Biology, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, Valby 2500, Denmark
| | - L S Lerdrup
- Symptoms Biology, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, Valby 2500, Denmark
| | - L Arvastson
- Bioinformatics, H. Lundbeck A/S, Ottiliavej 9, Valby 2500, Denmark
| | - S Aznar
- Molecular Biology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Bispebjerg Bakke 23, Copenhagen 2400, Denmark
| | - J T Andreasen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark.
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139
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Dumont JR, Salewski R, Beraldo F. Critical mass: The rise of a touchscreen technology community for rodent cognitive testing. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12650. [PMID: 32141694 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The rise in the number of users and institutions utilizing the rodent touchscreen technology for cognitive testing over the past decade has prompted the need for knowledge mobilization and community building. To address the needs of the growing touchscreen community, the first international touchscreen symposium was hosted at Western University. Attendees from around the world attended talks from expert neuroscientists using touchscreens to examine a vast array of questions regarding cognition and the nervous system. In addition to the symposium, a subset of attendees was invited to partake in a hands-on training course where they received touchscreen training covering both hardware and software components. Beyond the two touchscreen events, virtual platforms have been developed to further support touchscreen users: (a) Mousebytes.ca, which includes a data repository of rodent touchscreen tasks, and (b) Touchscreencognition.org, an online community with numerous training and community resources, perhaps most notably a forum where members can ask and answer questions. The advantages of the rodent touchscreen technology for cognitive neuroscience research has allowed neuroscientists from diverse backgrounds to test specific cognitive processes using well-validated and standardized apparatus, contributing to its rise in popularity and its relevance to modern neuroscience research. The commitment of the touchscreen community to data, task development and information sharing not only ensures an expansive future of the use of rodent touchscreen technology but additionally, quality research that will increase translation from preclinical studies to clinical successes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie R Dumont
- BrainsCAN, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ryan Salewski
- BrainsCAN, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Flavio Beraldo
- BrainsCAN, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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140
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Roebuck AJ, An L, Marks WN, Sun N, Snutch TP, Howland JG. Cognitive Impairments in Touchscreen-based Visual Discrimination and Reversal Learning in Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg. Neuroscience 2020; 430:105-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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141
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Whoolery CW, Yun S, Reynolds RP, Lucero MJ, Soler I, Tran FH, Ito N, Redfield RL, Richardson DR, Shih HY, Rivera PD, Chen BPC, Birnbaum SG, Stowe AM, Eisch AJ. Multi-domain cognitive assessment of male mice shows space radiation is not harmful to high-level cognition and actually improves pattern separation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2737. [PMID: 32066765 PMCID: PMC7026431 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59419-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Astronauts on interplanetary missions - such as to Mars - will be exposed to space radiation, a spectrum of highly-charged, fast-moving particles that includes 56Fe and 28Si. Earth-based preclinical studies show space radiation decreases rodent performance in low- and some high-level cognitive tasks. Given astronaut use of touchscreen platforms during training and space flight and given the ability of rodent touchscreen tasks to assess functional integrity of brain circuits and multiple cognitive domains in a non-aversive way, here we exposed 6-month-old C57BL/6J male mice to whole-body space radiation and subsequently assessed them on a touchscreen battery. Relative to Sham treatment, 56Fe irradiation did not overtly change performance on tasks of visual discrimination, reversal learning, rule-based, or object-spatial paired associates learning, suggesting preserved functional integrity of supporting brain circuits. Surprisingly, 56Fe irradiation improved performance on a dentate gyrus-reliant pattern separation task; irradiated mice learned faster and were more accurate than controls. Improved pattern separation performance did not appear to be touchscreen-, radiation particle-, or neurogenesis-dependent, as 56Fe and 28Si irradiation led to faster context discrimination in a non-touchscreen task and 56Fe decreased new dentate gyrus neurons relative to Sham. These data urge revisitation of the broadly-held view that space radiation is detrimental to cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody W Whoolery
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Sanghee Yun
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan P Reynolds
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Melanie J Lucero
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ivan Soler
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fionya H Tran
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Naoki Ito
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Oriental Medicine Research Center, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rachel L Redfield
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Devon R Richardson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Hung-Ying Shih
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Phillip D Rivera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biology, Hope College, Holland, MI, USA
| | - Benjamin P C Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shari G Birnbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ann M Stowe
- Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Amelia J Eisch
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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142
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Jager A, Dam SA, Van Der Mierden S, Oomen CA, Arias-Vasquez A, Buitelaar JK, Kozicz T, Glennon JC. Modulation of cognitive flexibility by reward and punishment in BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice. Behav Brain Res 2020; 378:112294. [PMID: 31626850 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Learning from feedback is one of the key mechanisms within cognitive flexibility, which is needed to react swiftly to constantly changing environments. The motivation to change behavior is highly dependent on the expectancy of positive (reward) or negative (punishment) feedback. Individuals with conduct disorder (CD) with high callous unemotional traits show decreased sensitivity to negative feedback and increased reward seeking. Previous studies have modeled traits associated with CD (i.e. heightened aggression and anti-social behavior) in BALB/cJ mice (compared to the BALB/cByJ mouse as controls). Based on these findings, we hypothesized reduced negative feedback-related cognitive flexibility to be present in BALB/cJ mice. The effect of negative feedback and reward sensitivity on cognitive flexibility in BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ mice was examined in a reversal learning paradigm. BALB/cJ mice were more flexible in the acquisition of new contingencies under rewarding conditions compared to BALB/cByJ mice, while the presence of an aversive punishing stimulus decreased their learning performance. Additionally, BALB/cJ mice needed more correction trials to reach the reversal learning criterion. This was accompanied by a higher rate of perseverance, which could represent impaired error detection. The addition of a second punishment enhanced punishment sensitivity in BALB/cJ mice. In contrast, the performance of the BALB/cByJ mice was not affected by additional negative feedback. Taken together, the BALB/cJ can be considered to be less sensitive to learn from negative feedback and therefore may be a useful model to further characterize molecular and neural underpinnings of callous unemotional traits in CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Jager
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sarita A Dam
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Stevie Van Der Mierden
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Charlotte A Oomen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alejandro Arias-Vasquez
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tamas Kozicz
- Department of Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Geert Grooteplein 27, 6525 EZ Nijmegen Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genomics, Mayo Clinic, 299-79 Woodlake Dr, Rochester, MN 55904, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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143
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Berg EL, Pride MC, Petkova SP, Lee RD, Copping NA, Shen Y, Adhikari A, Fenton TA, Pedersen LR, Noakes LS, Nieman BJ, Lerch JP, Harris S, Born HA, Peters MM, Deng P, Cameron DL, Fink KD, Beitnere U, O'Geen H, Anderson AE, Dindot SV, Nash KR, Weeber EJ, Wöhr M, Ellegood J, Segal DJ, Silverman JL. Translational outcomes in a full gene deletion of ubiquitin protein ligase E3A rat model of Angelman syndrome. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:39. [PMID: 32066685 PMCID: PMC7026078 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0720-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by developmental delay, impaired communication, motor deficits and ataxia, intellectual disabilities, microcephaly, and seizures. The genetic cause of AS is the loss of expression of UBE3A (ubiquitin protein ligase E6-AP) in the brain, typically due to a deletion of the maternal 15q11-q13 region. Previous studies have been performed using a mouse model with a deletion of a single exon of Ube3a. Since three splice variants of Ube3a exist, this has led to a lack of consistent reports and the theory that perhaps not all mouse studies were assessing the effects of an absence of all functional UBE3A. Herein, we report the generation and functional characterization of a novel model of Angelman syndrome by deleting the entire Ube3a gene in the rat. We validated that this resulted in the first comprehensive gene deletion rodent model. Ultrasonic vocalizations from newborn Ube3am-/p+ were reduced in the maternal inherited deletion group with no observable change in the Ube3am+/p- paternal transmission cohort. We also discovered Ube3am-/p+ exhibited delayed reflex development, motor deficits in rearing and fine motor skills, aberrant social communication, and impaired touchscreen learning and memory in young adults. These behavioral deficits were large in effect size and easily apparent in the larger rodent species. Low social communication was detected using a playback task that is unique to rats. Structural imaging illustrated decreased brain volume in Ube3am-/p+ and a variety of intriguing neuroanatomical phenotypes while Ube3am+/p- did not exhibit altered neuroanatomy. Our report identifies, for the first time, unique AS relevant functional phenotypes and anatomical markers as preclinical outcomes to test various strategies for gene and molecular therapies in AS.
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Affiliation(s)
- E L Berg
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - M C Pride
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - S P Petkova
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - R D Lee
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - N A Copping
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Y Shen
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - A Adhikari
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - T A Fenton
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - L R Pedersen
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - L S Noakes
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - B J Nieman
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - J P Lerch
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - S Harris
- Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - H A Born
- Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - M M Peters
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - P Deng
- Stem Cell Program, Institute for Regenerative Cures, and Department of Neurology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - D L Cameron
- Stem Cell Program, Institute for Regenerative Cures, and Department of Neurology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - K D Fink
- Stem Cell Program, Institute for Regenerative Cures, and Department of Neurology, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - U Beitnere
- MIND Institute, Genome Center, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - H O'Geen
- MIND Institute, Genome Center, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - A E Anderson
- Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - S V Dindot
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - K R Nash
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - E J Weeber
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - M Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - J Ellegood
- Mouse Imaging Centre, Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - D J Segal
- MIND Institute, Genome Center, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - J L Silverman
- MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA.
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144
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Wilkinson MP, Grogan JP, Mellor JR, Robinson ESJ. Comparison of conventional and rapid-acting antidepressants in a rodent probabilistic reversal learning task. Brain Neurosci Adv 2020; 4:2398212820907177. [PMID: 32219179 PMCID: PMC7085917 DOI: 10.1177/2398212820907177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in reward processing are a central feature of major depressive disorder with patients exhibiting decreased reward learning and altered feedback sensitivity in probabilistic reversal learning tasks. Methods to quantify probabilistic learning in both rodents and humans have been developed, providing translational paradigms for depression research. We have utilised a probabilistic reversal learning task to investigate potential differences between conventional and rapid-acting antidepressants on reward learning and feedback sensitivity. We trained 12 rats in a touchscreen probabilistic reversal learning task before investigating the effect of acute administration of citalopram, venlafaxine, reboxetine, ketamine or scopolamine. Data were also analysed using a Q-learning reinforcement learning model to understand the effects of antidepressant treatment on underlying reward processing parameters. Citalopram administration decreased trials taken to learn the first rule and increased win-stay probability. Reboxetine decreased win-stay behaviour while also decreasing the number of rule changes animals performed in a session. Venlafaxine had no effect. Ketamine and scopolamine both decreased win-stay probability, number of rule changes performed and motivation in the task. Insights from the reinforcement learning model suggested that reboxetine led animals to choose a less optimal strategy, while ketamine decreased the model-free learning rate. These results suggest that reward learning and feedback sensitivity are not differentially modulated by conventional and rapid-acting antidepressant treatment in the probabilistic reversal learning task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P. Wilkinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - John P. Grogan
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jack R. Mellor
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Emma S. J. Robinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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145
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Crijns E, Op de Beeck H. The Visual Acuity of Rats in Touchscreen Setups. Vision (Basel) 2019; 4:vision4010004. [PMID: 31906140 PMCID: PMC7157561 DOI: 10.3390/vision4010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Touchscreen setups are increasingly used in rodents for a wide range of cognitive tasks, including visual discrimination. The greater automation and high throughput of this platform could greatly facilitate future vision research. However, little information is available regarding decision distance and on the limitations of stimulus size. Especially when studying visual functions, the lack of control of basic visual properties is a drawback. Therefore, we determined the maximal number of cycles per screen gratings can have so that Long Evans rats can reliably perform orientation discrimination. To relate our results to literature on visual acuity we tried to make an estimate of the decision distance in the touchscreen platform. The rats can discriminate between orientations with 70% accuracy up to 44 cycles per screen. This could roughly translates to the previously reported visual acuity of 1 c/degree assuming a viewing distance of 12.5 cm. This could be useful when designing new stimuli based on published results in c/degree. One could assume a viewing distance of 12.5 cm and expect similar discrimination performance in the touchscreen setup as in other tasks with a predefined viewing distance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Els Crijns
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 box 3714, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hans Op de Beeck
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 box 3714, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence:
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146
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Beraldo FH, Palmer D, Memar S, Wasserman DI, Lee WJV, Liang S, Creighton SD, Kolisnyk B, Cowan MF, Mels J, Masood TS, Fodor C, Al-Onaizi MA, Bartha R, Gee T, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Strother SS, Prado VF, Winters BD, Prado MA. MouseBytes, an open-access high-throughput pipeline and database for rodent touchscreen-based cognitive assessment. eLife 2019; 8:49630. [PMID: 31825307 PMCID: PMC6934379 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Open Science has changed research by making data accessible and shareable, contributing to replicability to accelerate and disseminate knowledge. However, for rodent cognitive studies the availability of tools to share and disseminate data is scarce. Automated touchscreen-based tests enable systematic cognitive assessment with easily standardised outputs that can facilitate data dissemination. Here we present an integration of touchscreen cognitive testing with an open-access database public repository (mousebytes.ca), as well as a Web platform for knowledge dissemination (https://touchscreencognition.org). We complement these resources with the largest dataset of age-dependent high-level cognitive assessment of mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, expanding knowledge of affected cognitive domains from male and female mice of three strains. We envision that these new platforms will enhance sharing of protocols, data availability and transparency, allowing meta-analysis and reuse of mouse cognitive data to increase the replicability/reproducibility of datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio H Beraldo
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Palmer
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Sara Memar
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - David I Wasserman
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Wai-Jane V Lee
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shuai Liang
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Samantha D Creighton
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Benjamin Kolisnyk
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Matthew F Cowan
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Justin Mels
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Talal S Masood
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chris Fodor
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mohammed A Al-Onaizi
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert Bartha
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Tom Gee
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen S Strother
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Boyer D Winters
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
| | - Marco Am Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
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147
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Charlton AJ, May C, Luikinga SJ, Burrows EL, Hyun Kim J, Lawrence AJ, Perry CJ. Chronic voluntary alcohol consumption causes persistent cognitive deficits and cortical cell loss in a rodent model. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18651. [PMID: 31819151 PMCID: PMC6901469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55095-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic alcohol use is associated with cognitive decline that impedes behavioral change during rehabilitation. Despite this, addiction therapy does not address cognitive deficits, and there is poor understanding regarding the mechanisms that underlie this decline. We established a rodent model of chronic voluntary alcohol use to measure ensuing cognitive effects and underlying pathology. Rats had intermittent access to alcohol or an isocaloric solution in their home cage under voluntary 2-bottle choice conditions. In Experiments 1 and 2 cognition was assessed using operant touchscreen chambers. We examined performance in a visual discrimination and reversal task (Experiment 1), and a 5-choice serial reaction time task (Experiment 2). For Experiment 3, rats were perfused immediately after cessation of alcohol access period, and volume, cell density and microglial populations were assessed in the prefrontal cortex and striatum. Volume was assessed using the Cavalieri probe, while cell and microglial counts were estimated using unbiased stereology with an optical fractionator. Alcohol-exposed and control rats showed comparable acquisition of pairwise discrimination; however, performance was impaired when contingencies were reversed indicating reduced behavioral flexibility. When tested in a 5-choice serial reaction time task alcohol-exposed rats showed increased compulsivity and increased attentional bias towards a reward associated cue. Consistent with these changes, we observed decreased cell density in the prefrontal cortex. These findings confirm a detrimental effect of chronic alcohol and establish a model of alcohol-induced cognitive decline following long-term voluntary intake that may be used for future intervention studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annai J Charlton
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Carlos May
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Sophia J Luikinga
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Emma L Burrows
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Jee Hyun Kim
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Christina J Perry
- Mental Health Theme, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
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148
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Krakenberg V, von Kortzfleisch VT, Kaiser S, Sachser N, Richter SH. Differential Effects of Serotonin Transporter Genotype on Anxiety-Like Behavior and Cognitive Judgment Bias in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:263. [PMID: 31849623 PMCID: PMC6902087 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, the short allele of a common polymorphism in the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene is associated with a higher risk to develop depression and anxiety disorders. Furthermore, individuals carrying this allele are characterized by negative judgment biases, as they tend to interpret ambiguous information in a more pessimistic way. 5-HTT knockout mice, lacking the 5-HTT gene either homo- or heterozygously, provide a widely used model organism for the study of symptoms related to human anxiety disorders. In the present study, we aimed to prove the anxiety-like phenotype of the 5-HTT mouse model, and to investigate whether 5-HTT genotype also causes differences in judgment bias. While our results confirm that homozygous 5-HTT knockout mice display highest levels of anxiety-like behavior, it was decreased in heterozygous mice. Against our expectations, we did not detect differences in the animals’ judgment bias. These results indicate that at least in mice the association between 5-HTT genotype and judgment bias is not straightforward and that other factors, including multiple genes as well as environmental influences, are implicated in the modulation of judgment biases. More research is needed to gain further insights into their function as potential endophenotypes for psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Krakenberg
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Vanessa Tabea von Kortzfleisch
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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149
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Top-Down Feedback Controls the Cortical Representation of Illusory Contours in Mouse Primary Visual Cortex. J Neurosci 2019; 40:648-660. [PMID: 31792152 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1998-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual systems have evolved to recognize and extract features from complex scenes using limited sensory information. Contour perception is essential to this process and can occur despite breaks in the continuity of neighboring features. Such robustness of the animal visual system to degraded or occluded shapes may also give rise to an interesting phenomenon of optical illusions. These illusions provide a great opportunity to decipher neural computations underlying contour integration and object detection. Kanizsa illusory contours have been shown to evoke responses in the early visual cortex despite the lack of direct receptive field activation. Recurrent processing between visual areas has been proposed to be involved in this process. However, it is unclear whether higher visual areas directly contribute to the generation of illusory responses in the early visual cortex. Using behavior, in vivo electrophysiology, and optogenetics, we first show that the primary visual cortex (V1) of male mice responds to Kanizsa illusory contours. Responses to Kanizsa illusions emerge later than the responses to the contrast-defined real contours in V1. Second, we demonstrate that illusory responses are orientation-selective. Finally, we show that top-down feedback controls the neural correlates of illusory contour perception in V1. Our results suggest that higher-order visual areas may fill in the missing information in the early visual cortex necessary for illusory contour perception.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Perception of the Kanizsa illusory contours is impaired in neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, autism, and Williams syndrome. However, the mechanism of the illusory contour perception is poorly understood. Here we describe the behavioral and neural correlates of Kanizsa illusory contours perception in mice, a genetically tractable model system. We show that top-down feedback controls the neural responses to Kanizsa illusion in V1. To our knowledge, this is the first description of the neural correlates of the Kanizsa illusion in mice and the first causal demonstration of their regulation by top-down feedback.
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150
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Norris RHC, Churilov L, Hannan AJ, Nithianantharajah J. Mutations in neuroligin-3 in male mice impact behavioral flexibility but not relational memory in a touchscreen test of visual transitive inference. Mol Autism 2019; 10:42. [PMID: 31827744 PMCID: PMC6889473 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-019-0292-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive dysfunction including disrupted behavioral flexibility is central to neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A cognitive measure that assesses relational memory, and the ability to flexibly assimilate and transfer learned information is transitive inference. Transitive inference is highly conserved across vertebrates and disrupted in cognitive disorders. Here, we examined how mutations in the synaptic cell-adhesion molecule neuroligin-3 (Nlgn3) that have been documented in ASD impact relational memory and behavioral flexibility. We first refined a rodent touchscreen assay to measure visual transitive inference, then assessed two mouse models of Nlgn3 dysfunction (Nlgn3−/y and Nlgn3R451C). Deep analysis of touchscreen behavioral data at a trial level established we could measure trajectories in flexible responding and changes in processing speed as cognitive load increased. We show that gene mutations in Nlgn3 do not disrupt relational memory, but significantly impact flexible responding. Our study presents the first analysis of reaction times in a rodent transitive inference test, highlighting response latencies from the touchscreen system are useful indicators of processing demands or decision-making processes. These findings expand our understanding of how dysfunction of key components of synaptic signaling complexes impact distinct cognitive processes disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders, and advance our approaches for dissecting rodent behavioral assays to provide greater insights into clinically relevant cognitive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca H C Norris
- 1Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Leonid Churilov
- 2Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, 245 Burgundy St, Heidelberg, Victoria Australia.,3Department of Medicine - Austin Health, Melbourne Medical School, University of Melbourne, 245 Burgundy St, Heidelberg, Victoria Australia
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- 1Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria Australia.,4Florey Department of Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia.,5Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- 1Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria Australia.,4Florey Department of Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
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