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Muthuraju S, Talbot T, Brandão ML. Dopamine D2 receptors regulate unconditioned fear in deep layers of the superior colliculus and dorsal periaqueductal gray. Behav Brain Res 2015; 297:116-23. [PMID: 26455877 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Revised: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Electrical and chemical stimulation of the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), deep layers of the superior colliculus (dlSC), and inferior colliculus (IC) causes freezing and escape behavior in rodents. Systemic injections of the selective dopamine D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride increased the number of switch-off responses (SORs) to light and auditory evoked potentials in response to loud sounds. Dopamine D2 receptor inhibition in the IC was shown to enhance unconditioned fear. Nevertheless, the role of dopamine receptors in the dlSC and dPAG in the mediation of unconditioned fear has not yet been demonstrated. OBJECTIVES The purpose of the present study was to characterize the effects of sulpiride injections (4 and 8 μg/0.2 μl) in the dlSC and dPAG in rats that were subjected to unconditioned fear paradigms. METHODS Switch-off responses to light and exploratory behavior in the elevated plus maze were used to evaluate unconditioned fear in rats. RESULTS Intra-dlSC microinjections of sulpiride increased the number of SORs to light. Intra-dlSC and intra-dPAG injections of sulpiride reduced the number of entries into and time spent on the open arms and decreased end-arm exploration and head dipping in the elevated plus maze. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that dopamine, through D2 receptors in the dlSC and dPAG, is involved in defense reactions that are organized in the midbrain tectum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangu Muthuraju
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Campus USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-901, Brazil; Instituto de Neurociencias e Comportamento, Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14050-000, Brazil
| | - Teddy Talbot
- Instituto de Neurociencias e Comportamento, Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14050-000, Brazil; Department of Neurosciences and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcus Lira Brandão
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Campus USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-901, Brazil; Instituto de Neurociencias e Comportamento, Avenida do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14050-000, Brazil.
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152
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Pickard GE, So KF, Pu M. Dorsal raphe nucleus projecting retinal ganglion cells: Why Y cells? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 57:118-31. [PMID: 26363667 PMCID: PMC4646079 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2014] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/01/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Retinal ganglion Y (alpha) cells are found in retinas ranging from frogs to mice to primates. The highly conserved nature of the large, fast conducting retinal Y cell is a testament to its fundamental task, although precisely what this task is remained ill-defined. The recent discovery that Y-alpha retinal ganglion cells send axon collaterals to the serotonergic dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) in addition to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), medial interlaminar nucleus (MIN), pretectum and the superior colliculus (SC) has offered new insights into the important survival tasks performed by these cells with highly branched axons. We propose that in addition to its role in visual perception, the Y-alpha retinal ganglion cell provides concurrent signals via axon collaterals to the DRN, the major source of serotonergic afferents to the forebrain, to dramatically inhibit 5-HT activity during orientation or alerting/escape responses, which dis-facilitates ongoing tonic motor activity while dis-inhibiting sensory information processing throughout the visual system. The new data provide a fresh view of these evolutionarily old retinal ganglion cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary E Pickard
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, 68583, United States; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, United States; GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kwok-Fai So
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China; Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Mingliang Pu
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory on Machine Perception (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory for Visual Impairment and Restoration (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, China.
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153
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Svirskis G, Baranauskas G, Svirskiene N, Tkatch T. Visual Stimuli Evoked Action Potentials Trigger Rapidly Propagating Dendritic Calcium Transients in the Frog Optic Tectum Layer 6 Neurons. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139472. [PMID: 26414356 PMCID: PMC4586134 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus in mammals or the optic tectum in amphibians is a major visual information processing center responsible for generation of orientating responses such as saccades in monkeys or prey catching avoidance behavior in frogs. The conserved structure function of the superior colliculus the optic tectum across distant species such as frogs, birds monkeys permits to draw rather general conclusions after studying a single species. We chose the frog optic tectum because we are able to perform whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings fluorescence imaging of tectal neurons while they respond to a visual stimulus. In the optic tectum of amphibians most visual information is processed by pear-shaped neurons possessing long dendritic branches, which receive the majority of synapses originating from the retinal ganglion cells. Since the first step of the retinal input integration is performed on these dendrites, it is important to know whether this integration is enhanced by active dendritic properties. We demonstrate that rapid calcium transients coinciding with the visual stimulus evoked action potentials in the somatic recordings can be readily detected up to the fine branches of these dendrites. These transients were blocked by calcium channel blockers nifedipine CdCl2 indicating that calcium entered dendrites via voltage-activated L-type calcium channels. The high speed of calcium transient propagation, >300 μm in <10 ms, is consistent with the notion that action potentials, actively propagating along dendrites, open voltage-gated L-type calcium channels causing rapid calcium concentration transients in the dendrites. We conclude that such activation by somatic action potentials of the dendritic voltage gated calcium channels in the close vicinity to the synapses formed by axons of the retinal ganglion cells may facilitate visual information processing in the principal neurons of the frog optic tectum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gytis Svirskis
- Neurophysiology laboratory, Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Gytis Baranauskas
- Neurophysiology laboratory, Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
- * E-mail:
| | - Natasa Svirskiene
- Neurophysiology laboratory, Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Tatiana Tkatch
- Neurophysiology laboratory, Neuroscience Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania
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154
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Altered visual processing in a rodent model of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Neuroscience 2015; 303:364-77. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2015] [Revised: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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155
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Dampney RAL. Central mechanisms regulating coordinated cardiovascular and respiratory function during stress and arousal. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2015; 309:R429-43. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00051.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Actual or potentially threatening stimuli in the external environment (i.e., psychological stressors) trigger highly coordinated defensive behavioral responses that are accompanied by appropriate autonomic and respiratory changes. As discussed in this review, several brain regions and pathways have major roles in subserving the cardiovascular and respiratory responses to threatening stimuli, which may vary from relatively mild acute arousing stimuli to more prolonged life-threatening stimuli. One key region is the dorsomedial hypothalamus, which receives inputs from the cortex, amygdala, and other forebrain regions and which is critical for generating autonomic, respiratory, and neuroendocrine responses to psychological stressors. Recent studies suggest that the dorsomedial hypothalamus also receives an input from the dorsolateral column in the midbrain periaqueductal gray, which is another key region involved in the integration of stress-evoked cardiorespiratory responses. In addition, it has recently been shown that neurons in the midbrain colliculi can generate highly synchronized autonomic, respiratory, and somatomotor responses to visual, auditory, and somatosensory inputs. These collicular neurons may be part of a subcortical defense system that also includes the basal ganglia and which is well adapted to responding to threats that require an immediate stereotyped response that does not involve the cortex. The basal ganglia/colliculi system is phylogenetically ancient. In contrast, the defense system that includes the dorsomedial hypothalamus and cortex evolved at a later time, and appears to be better adapted to generating appropriate responses to more sustained threatening stimuli that involve cognitive appraisal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger A. L. Dampney
- School of Medical Sciences (Physiology) and Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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156
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Tipper CM, Signorini G, Grafton ST. Body language in the brain: constructing meaning from expressive movement. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:450. [PMID: 26347635 PMCID: PMC4543892 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This fMRI study investigated neural systems that interpret body language-the meaningful emotive expressions conveyed by body movement. Participants watched videos of performers engaged in modern dance or pantomime that conveyed specific themes such as hope, agony, lust, or exhaustion. We tested whether the meaning of an affectively laden performance was decoded in localized brain substrates as a distinct property of action separable from other superficial features, such as choreography, kinematics, performer, and low-level visual stimuli. A repetition suppression (RS) procedure was used to identify brain regions that decoded the meaningful affective state of a performer, as evidenced by decreased activity when emotive themes were repeated in successive performances. Because the theme was the only feature repeated across video clips that were otherwise entirely different, the occurrence of RS identified brain substrates that differentially coded the specific meaning of expressive performances. RS was observed bilaterally, extending anteriorly along middle and superior temporal gyri into temporal pole, medially into insula, rostrally into inferior orbitofrontal cortex, and caudally into hippocampus and amygdala. Behavioral data on a separate task indicated that interpreting themes from modern dance was more difficult than interpreting pantomime; a result that was also reflected in the fMRI data. There was greater RS in left hemisphere, suggesting that the more abstract metaphors used to express themes in dance compared to pantomime posed a greater challenge to brain substrates directly involved in decoding those themes. We propose that the meaning-sensitive temporal-orbitofrontal regions observed here comprise a superordinate functional module of a known hierarchical action observation network (AON), which is critical to the construction of meaning from expressive movement. The findings are discussed with respect to a predictive coding model of action understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Tipper
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC, Canada
- Mental Health and Integrated Neurobehavioral Development Research Core, Child and Family Research InstituteVancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Giulia Signorini
- Psychiatric Epidemiology and Evaluation Unit, Saint John of God Clinical Research CenterBrescia, Italy
| | - Scott T. Grafton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of CaliforniaSanta Barbara, CA, USA
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157
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Perusini JN, Fanselow MS. Neurobehavioral perspectives on the distinction between fear and anxiety. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 22:417-25. [PMID: 26286652 PMCID: PMC4561408 DOI: 10.1101/lm.039180.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
In this review, we discuss the usefulness of the distinction between fear and anxiety. The clinical use of the labels is ambiguous, often defining one in terms of the other. We first consider what a useful, objective, and scientifically valid definition would entail and then evaluate several fear/anxiety distinctions that have been made in the neurobiological literature. A strong distinction should specify the difference in conditions that lead to fear versus anxiety. Additionally, fear and anxiety should generate distinct sets of behaviors. Ideally, the two states should be supported by distinguishable neuroanatomical circuits. Such a conceptualization would be consistent with the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoc). The majority of neurobiological approaches to the fear versus anxiety distinction fail to differentiate the two states in terms of behavior, often using the exact same behavioral measures as indicators. Of the two that do, only Predatory Imminence Theory provides a distinction both in terms of cause and effect. Indeed, that approach provides a ready distinction of anxiety, fear, and panic in terms of both antecedent conditions and response selection rules. Additionally, it appeals to distinct neural circuits to generate these modes of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Perusini
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA Division of Integrative Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI)/Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. (RFMH), New York, New York 10032, USA
| | - Michael S Fanselow
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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158
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Wang CA, Munoz DP. A circuit for pupil orienting responses: implications for cognitive modulation of pupil size. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 33:134-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2015.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Revised: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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159
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Wolf AB, Lintz MJ, Costabile JD, Thompson JA, Stubblefield EA, Felsen G. An integrative role for the superior colliculus in selecting targets for movements. J Neurophysiol 2015. [PMID: 26203103 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00262.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental goal of systems neuroscience is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying decision making. The midbrain superior colliculus (SC) is known to be central to the selection of one among many potential spatial targets for movements, which represents an important form of decision making that is tractable to rigorous experimental investigation. In this review, we first discuss data from mammalian models-including primates, cats, and rodents-that inform our understanding of how neural activity in the SC underlies the selection of targets for movements. We then examine the anatomy and physiology of inputs to the SC from three key regions that are themselves implicated in motor decisions-the basal ganglia, parabrachial region, and neocortex-and discuss how they may influence SC activity related to target selection. Finally, we discuss the potential for methodological advances to further our understanding of the neural bases of target selection. Our overarching goal is to synthesize what is known about how the SC and its inputs act together to mediate the selection of targets for movements, to highlight open questions about this process, and to spur future studies addressing these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B Wolf
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; and
| | - Mario J Lintz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; and
| | - Jamie D Costabile
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - John A Thompson
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Elizabeth A Stubblefield
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Gidon Felsen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado; and
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160
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Li S, Joshee S, Vasudevan A. Mesencephalic GABA neuronal development: no more on the other side of oblivion. Biomol Concepts 2015; 5:371-82. [PMID: 25367618 DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2014-0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Midbrain GABA neurons, endowed with multiple morphological, physiological and molecular characteristics as well as projection patterns are key players interacting with diverse regions of the brain and capable of modulating several aspects of behavior. The diversity of these GABA neuronal populations based on their location and function in the dorsal, medial or ventral midbrain has challenged efforts to rapidly uncover their developmental regulation. Here we review recent developments that are beginning to illuminate transcriptional control of GABA neurons in the embryonic midbrain (mesencephalon) and discuss its implications for understanding and treatment of neurological and psychiatric illnesses.
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161
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Wood DK, Gu C, Corneil BD, Gribble PL, Goodale MA. Transient visual responses reset the phase of low-frequency oscillations in the skeletomotor periphery. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 42:1919-32. [PMID: 26061189 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We recorded muscle activity from an upper limb muscle while human subjects reached towards peripheral targets. We tested the hypothesis that the transient visual response sweeps not only through the central nervous system, but also through the peripheral nervous system. Like the transient visual response in the central nervous system, stimulus-locked muscle responses (< 100 ms) were sensitive to stimulus contrast, and were temporally and spatially dissociable from voluntary orienting activity. Also, the arrival of visual responses reduced the variability of muscle activity by resetting the phase of ongoing low-frequency oscillations. This latter finding critically extends the emerging evidence that the feedforward visual sweep reduces neural variability via phase resetting. We conclude that, when sensory information is relevant to a particular effector, detailed information about the sensorimotor transformation, even from the earliest stages, is found in the peripheral nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Wood
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Dr., Hogan 2-160, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Chao Gu
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
| | - Brian D Corneil
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.,Departments of Psychology, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Paul L Gribble
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Departments of Psychology, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Melvyn A Goodale
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.,Departments of Psychology, Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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162
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Shang C, Liu Z, Chen Z, Shi Y, Wang Q, Liu S, Li D, Cao P. A parvalbumin-positive excitatory visual pathway to trigger fear responses in mice. Science 2015; 348:1472-7. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa8694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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163
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Koelsch S, Jacobs AM, Menninghaus W, Liebal K, Klann-Delius G, von Scheve C, Gebauer G. The quartet theory of human emotions: An integrative and neurofunctional model. Phys Life Rev 2015; 13:1-27. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2015] [Revised: 03/15/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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164
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Hahn JD, Swanson LW. Connections of the juxtaventromedial region of the lateral hypothalamic area in the male rat. Front Syst Neurosci 2015; 9:66. [PMID: 26074786 PMCID: PMC4445319 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary conservation of the hypothalamus attests to its critical role in the control of fundamental behaviors. However, our knowledge of hypothalamic connections is incomplete, particularly for the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). Here we present the results of neuronal pathway-tracing experiments to investigate connections of the LHA juxtaventromedial region, which is parceled into dorsal (LHAjvd) and ventral (LHAjvv) zones. Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHAL, for outputs) and cholera toxin B subunit (CTB, for inputs) coinjections were targeted stereotaxically to the LHAjvd/v. Results: LHAjvd/v connections overlapped highly but not uniformly. Major joint outputs included: Bed nuc. stria terminalis (BST), interfascicular nuc. (BSTif) and BST anteromedial area, rostral lateral septal (LSr)- and ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) nuc., and periaqueductal gray. Prominent joint LHAjvd/v input sources included: BSTif, BST principal nuc., LSr, VMH, anterior hypothalamic-, ventral premammillary-, and medial amygdalar nuc., and hippocampal formation (HPF) field CA1. However, LHAjvd HPF retrograde labeling was markedly more abundant than from the LHAjvv; in the LSr this was reversed. Furthermore, robust LHAjvv (but not LHAjvd) targets included posterior- and basomedial amygdalar nuc., whereas the midbrain reticular nuc. received a dense input from the LHAjvd alone. Our analyses indicate the existence of about 500 LHAjvd and LHAjvv connections with about 200 distinct regions of the cerebral cortex, cerebral nuclei, and cerebrospinal trunk. Several highly LHAjvd/v-connected regions have a prominent role in reproductive behavior. These findings contrast with those from our previous pathway-tracing studies of other LHA medial and perifornical tier regions, with different connectional behavioral relations. The emerging picture is of a highly differentiated LHA with extensive and far-reaching connections that point to a role as a central coordinator of behavioral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Hahn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Larry W Swanson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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165
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Kardamakis AA, Saitoh K, Grillner S. Tectal microcircuit generating visual selection commands on gaze-controlling neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E1956-65. [PMID: 25825743 PMCID: PMC4403191 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1504866112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The optic tectum (called superior colliculus in mammals) is critical for eye-head gaze shifts as we navigate in the terrain and need to adapt our movements to the visual scene. The neuronal mechanisms underlying the tectal contribution to stimulus selection and gaze reorientation remains, however, unclear at the microcircuit level. To analyze this complex--yet phylogenetically conserved--sensorimotor system, we developed a novel in vitro preparation in the lamprey that maintains the eye and midbrain intact and allows for whole-cell recordings from prelabeled tectal gaze-controlling cells in the deep layer, while visual stimuli are delivered. We found that receptive field activation of these cells provide monosynaptic retinal excitation followed by local GABAergic inhibition (feedforward). The entire remaining retina, on the other hand, elicits only inhibition (surround inhibition). If two stimuli are delivered simultaneously, one inside and one outside the receptive field, the former excitatory response is suppressed. When local inhibition is pharmacologically blocked, the suppression induced by competing stimuli is canceled. We suggest that this rivalry between visual areas across the tectal map is triggered through long-range inhibitory tectal connections. Selection commands conveyed via gaze-controlling neurons in the optic tectum are, thus, formed through synaptic integration of local retinotopic excitation and global tectal inhibition. We anticipate that this mechanism not only exists in lamprey but is also conserved throughout vertebrate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas A Kardamakis
- Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden; and
| | - Kazuya Saitoh
- Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden; and Faculty of Education, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
| | - Sten Grillner
- Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden; and
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166
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Processing of visually evoked innate fear by a non-canonical thalamic pathway. Nat Commun 2015; 6:6756. [PMID: 25854147 PMCID: PMC4403372 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 199] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of animals to respond to life-threatening stimuli is essential for survival. Although vision provides one of the major sensory inputs for detecting threats across animal species, the circuitry underlying defensive responses to visual stimuli remains poorly defined. Here, we investigate the circuitry underlying innate defensive behaviours elicited by predator-like visual stimuli in mice. Our results demonstrate that neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) are essential for a variety of acute and persistent defensive responses to overhead looming stimuli. Optogenetic mapping revealed that SC projections to the lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of the thalamus, a non-canonical polymodal sensory relay, are sufficient to mimic visually evoked fear responses. In vivo electrophysiology experiments identified a di-synaptic circuit from SC through LP to the lateral amygdale (Amg), and lesions of the Amg blocked the full range of visually evoked defensive responses. Our results reveal a novel collicular-thalamic-Amg circuit important for innate defensive responses to visual threats.
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167
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Ahmadlou M, Heimel JA. Preference for concentric orientations in the mouse superior colliculus. Nat Commun 2015; 6:6773. [PMID: 25832803 PMCID: PMC4396361 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus is a layered structure important for body- and gaze-orienting responses. Its superficial layer is, next to the lateral geniculate nucleus, the second major target of retinal ganglion axons and is retinotopically organized. Here we show that in the mouse there is also a precise organization of orientation preference. In columns perpendicular to the tectal surface, neurons respond to the same visual location and prefer gratings of the same orientation. Calcium imaging and extracellular recording revealed that the preferred grating varies with retinotopic location, and is oriented parallel to the concentric circle around the centre of vision through the receptive field. This implies that not all orientations are equally represented across the visual field. This makes the superior colliculus different from visual cortex and unsuitable for translation-invariant object recognition and suggests that visual stimuli might have different behavioural consequences depending on their retinotopic location. The mammalian superior colliculus (SC) processes visual stimuli but little is known about the spatial organization of the response preferences for specific visual features. Here the authors show that the mouse SC contains a map for orientation preference such that preferred grating orientation is aligned to concentric circles around the centre of the visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehran Ahmadlou
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an institute of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cortical Structure &Function group, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J Alexander Heimel
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an institute of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cortical Structure &Function group, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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168
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Corrigan FM, Hull AM. Recognition of the neurobiological insults imposed by complex trauma and the implications for psychotherapeutic interventions. BJPsych Bull 2015; 39:79-86. [PMID: 26191438 PMCID: PMC4478907 DOI: 10.1192/pb.bp.114.047134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2014] [Revised: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable research has been conducted on particular approaches to the psychotherapy of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the evidence indicates that modalities tested in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are far from 100% applicable and effective and the RCT model itself is inadequate for evaluating treatments of conditions with complex presentations and frequently multiple comorbidities. Evidence at levels 2 and 3 cannot be ignored. Expert-led interventions consistent with the emerging understanding of affective neuroscience are needed and not the unthinking application of a dominant therapeutic paradigm with evidence for PTSD but not complex PTSD. The over-optimistic claims for the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and misrepresentation of other approaches do not best serve a group of patients greatly in need of help; excluding individuals with such disorders as untreatable or treatment-resistant when viable alternatives exist is not acceptable.
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169
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Lee AM, Tai LH, Zador A, Wilbrecht L. Between the primate and 'reptilian' brain: Rodent models demonstrate the role of corticostriatal circuits in decision making. Neuroscience 2015; 296:66-74. [PMID: 25575943 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2014] [Revised: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 12/26/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Decision making can be defined as the flexible integration and transformation of information from the external world into action. Recently, the development of novel genetic tools and new behavioral paradigms has made it attractive to study behavior of all kinds in rodents. By some perspectives, rodents are not an acceptable model for the study of decision making due to their simpler behavior often attributed to their less extensive cortical development when compared to non-human primates. We argue that decision making can be approached with a common framework across species. We review insights from comparative anatomy that suggest the expansion of cortical-striatal connectivity is a key development in evolutionary increases in behavioral flexibility. We briefly review studies that establish a role for corticostriatal circuits in integrative decision making. Finally, we provide an overview of a few recent, highly complementary rodent decision making studies using genetic tools, revealing with new cellular and temporal resolution how, when and where information can be integrated and compared in striatal circuits to influence choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Moses Lee
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Lung-Hao Tai
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Anthony Zador
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
| | - Linda Wilbrecht
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
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170
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171
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Müller-Ribeiro FCF, Dampney RAL, McMullan S, Fontes MAP, Goodchild AK. Disinhibition of the midbrain colliculi unmasks coordinated autonomic, respiratory, and somatomotor responses to auditory and visual stimuli. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2014; 307:R1025-35. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00165.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The midbrain superior and inferior colliculi have critical roles in generating coordinated orienting or defensive behavioral responses to environmental stimuli, and it has been proposed that neurons within the colliculi can also generate appropriate cardiovascular and respiratory responses to support such behavioral responses. We have previously shown that activation of neurons within a circumscribed region in the deep layers of the superior colliculus and in the central and external nuclei of the inferior colliculus can evoke a response characterized by intense and highly synchronized bursts of renal sympathetic nerve activity and phrenic nerve activity. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that, under conditions in which collicular neurons are disinhibited, coordinated cardiovascular, somatomotor, and respiratory responses can be evoked by natural environmental stimuli. In response to natural auditory, visual, or somatosensory stimuli, powerful synchronized increases in sympathetic, respiratory, and somatomotor activity were generated following blockade of GABAA receptors in a specific region in the midbrain colliculi of anesthetized rats, but not under control conditions. Such responses still occurred after removal of most of the forebrain, including the amygdala and hypothalamus, indicating that the essential pathways mediating these coordinated responses were located within the brain stem. The temporal relationships between the different outputs suggest that they are driven by a common population of “command neurons” within the colliculi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávia C. F. Müller-Ribeiro
- Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia; and
- Laboratório de Hipertensão, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; and
| | - Roger A. L. Dampney
- School of Medical Sciences (Physiology) and Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Simon McMullan
- Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia; and
| | - Marco A. P. Fontes
- Laboratório de Hipertensão, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; and
| | - Ann K. Goodchild
- Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia; and
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172
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Classification of Object Size in Retinotectal Microcircuits. Curr Biol 2014; 24:2376-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Revised: 08/31/2014] [Accepted: 09/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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173
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Zhao X, Liu M, Cang J. Visual cortex modulates the magnitude but not the selectivity of looming-evoked responses in the superior colliculus of awake mice. Neuron 2014; 84:202-213. [PMID: 25220812 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Neural circuits in the brain often receive inputs from multiple sources, such as the bottom-up input from early processing stages and the top-down input from higher-order areas. Here we study the function of top-down input in the mouse superior colliculus (SC), which receives convergent inputs from the retina and visual cortex. Neurons in the superficial SC display robust responses and speed tuning to looming stimuli that mimic approaching objects. The looming-evoked responses are reduced by almost half when the visual cortex is optogenetically silenced in awake, but not in anesthetized, mice. Silencing the cortex does not change the looming speed tuning of SC neurons, or the response time course, except at the lowest tested speed. Furthermore, the regulation of SC responses by the corticotectal input is organized retinotopically. This effect we revealed may thus provide a potential substrate for the cortex, an evolutionarily new structure, to modulate SC-mediated visual behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Zhao
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Mingna Liu
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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174
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Clements KM, Devonshire IM, Reynolds JNJ, Overton PG. Enhanced visual responses in the superior colliculus in an animal model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and their suppression by D-amphetamine. Neuroscience 2014; 274:289-98. [PMID: 24905438 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.05.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2014] [Revised: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by overactivity, impulsiveness and attentional problems, including an increase in distractibility. A structure that is intimately linked with distractibility is the superior colliculus (SC), a midbrain sensory structure which plays a particular role in the production of eye and head movements. Although others have proposed the involvement of such diverse elements as the frontal cortex and forebrain noradrenaline in ADHD, given the role of the colliculus in distractibility and the increased distractibility in ADHD, we have proposed that distractibility in ADHD arises due to collicular sensory hyper-responsiveness. To further investigate this possibility, we recorded the extracellular activity (multi-unit (MUA) and local field potential (LFP)) in the superficial visual layers of the SC in an animal model of ADHD, the New Zealand genetically hypertensive (GH) rat, in response to wholefield light flashes. The MUA and LFP peak amplitude and summed activity within a one-second time window post-stimulus were both significantly greater in GH rats than in Wistar controls, across the full range of stimulus intensities. Given that baseline firing rate did not differ between the strains, this suggests that the signal-to-noise ratio is elevated in GH animals. D-Amphetamine reduced the peak amplitude and summed activity of the multi-unit response in Wistar animals. It also reduced the peak amplitude and summed activity of the multi-unit response in GH animals, at higher doses bringing it down to levels that were equivalent to those of Wistar animals at baseline. The present results provide convergent evidence that a collicular dysfunction (sensory hyper-responsiveness) is present in ADHD, and that it may underlie the enhanced distractibility. In addition, D-amphetamine - a widely used treatment in ADHD - may have one of its loci of therapeutic action at the level of the colliculus.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Clements
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - I M Devonshire
- Laboratory of Developmental Nociception, Nottingham University Medical School, School of Life Sciences, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - J N J Reynolds
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - P G Overton
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
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175
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176
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Fisher SD, Reynolds JNJ. The intralaminar thalamus-an expressway linking visual stimuli to circuits determining agency and action selection. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:115. [PMID: 24765070 PMCID: PMC3980097 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Anatomical investigations have revealed connections between the intralaminar thalamic nuclei and areas such as the superior colliculus (SC) that receive short latency input from visual and auditory primary sensory areas. The intralaminar nuclei in turn project to the major input nucleus of the basal ganglia, the striatum, providing this nucleus with a source of subcortical excitatory input. Together with a converging input from the cerebral cortex, and a neuromodulatory dopaminergic input from the midbrain, the components previously found necessary for reinforcement learning in the basal ganglia are present. With this intralaminar sensory input, the basal ganglia are thought to play a primary role in determining what aspect of an organism's own behavior has caused salient environmental changes. Additionally, subcortical loops through thalamic and basal ganglia nuclei are proposed to play a critical role in action selection. In this mini review we will consider the anatomical and physiological evidence underlying the existence of these circuits. We will propose how the circuits interact to modulate basal ganglia output and solve common behavioral learning problems of agency determination and action selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon D Fisher
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
| | - John N J Reynolds
- Department of Anatomy, Brain Health Research Centre, School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
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177
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Abstract
The sudden appearance of a novel stimulus in the environment initiates a series of orienting responses that include coordinated shifts of gaze and attention, and also transient changes in pupil size. Although numerous studies have identified a significant effect of stimulus saliency on shifts of gaze and attention, saliency effects on pupil size are less understood. To examine salience-evoked pupil responses, we presented visual, auditory, or audiovisual stimuli while monkeys fixated a central visual spot. Transient pupil dilation was elicited after visual stimulus presentation regardless of target luminance relative to background, and auditory stimuli also evoked similar pupil responses. Importantly, the evoked pupil response was modulated by contrast-based saliency, with faster and larger pupil responses following the presentation of more salient stimuli. The initial transient component of pupil dilation was qualitatively similar to that evoked by weak microstimulation of the midbrain superior colliculus. The pupil responses elicited by audiovisual stimuli were well predicted by a linear summation of each modality response. Together, the results suggest that the transient pupil response, as one component of orienting, is modulated by contrast-based saliency, and the superior colliculus is likely involved in its coordination.
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178
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Dutta A, Gutfreund Y. Saliency mapping in the optic tectum and its relationship to habituation. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:1. [PMID: 24474908 PMCID: PMC3893637 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2013] [Accepted: 01/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Habituation of the orienting response has long served as a model system for studying fundamental psychological phenomena such as learning, attention, decisions, and surprise. In this article, we review an emerging hypothesis that the evolutionary role of the superior colliculus (SC) in mammals or its homolog in birds, the optic tectum (OT), is to select the most salient target and send this information to the appropriate brain regions to control the body and brain orienting responses. Recent studies have begun to reveal mechanisms of how saliency is computed in the OT/SC, demonstrating a striking similarity between mammals and birds. The saliency of a target can be determined by how different it is from the surrounding objects, by how different it is from its history (that is habituation) and by how relevant it is for the task at hand. Here, we will first review evidence, mostly from primates and barn owls, that all three types of saliency computations are linked in the OT/SC. We will then focus more on neural adaptation in the OT and its possible link to temporal saliency and habituation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkadeb Dutta
- Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoram Gutfreund
- Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel
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179
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Sooksawate T, Isa K, Matsui R, Kato S, Kinoshita M, Kobayashi K, Watanabe D, Kobayashi K, Isa T. Viral vector-mediated selective and reversible blockade of the pathway for visual orienting in mice. Front Neural Circuits 2013; 7:162. [PMID: 24130520 PMCID: PMC3795302 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2013] [Accepted: 09/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, by using a combination of two viral vectors, we developed a technique for pathway-selective and reversible synaptic transmission blockade, and successfully induced a behavioral deficit of dexterous hand movements in macaque monkeys by affecting a population of spinal interneurons. To explore the capacity of this technique to work in other pathways and species, and to obtain fundamental methodological information, we tried to block the crossed tecto-reticular pathway, which is known to control orienting responses to visual targets, in mice. A neuron-specific retrograde gene transfer vector with the gene encoding enhanced tetanus neurotoxin (eTeNT) tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of a tetracycline responsive element was injected into the left medial pontine reticular formation. 7-17 days later, an adeno-associated viral vector with a highly efficient Tet-ON sequence, rtTAV16, was injected into the right superior colliculus. 5-9 weeks later, the daily administration of doxycycline (Dox) was initiated. Visual orienting responses toward the left side were impaired 1-4 days after Dox administration. Anti-GFP immunohistochemistry revealed that a number of neurons in the intermediate and deep layers of the right superior colliculus were positively stained, indicating eTeNT expression. After the termination of Dox administration, the anti-GFP staining returned to the baseline level within 28 days. A second round of Dox administration, starting from 28 days after the termination of the first Dox administration, resulted in the reappearance of the behavioral impairment. These findings showed that pathway-selective and reversible blockade of synaptic transmission also causes behavioral effects in rodents, and that the crossed tecto-reticular pathway clearly controls visual orienting behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thongchai Sooksawate
- Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences Okazaki, Japan ; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok, Thailand
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180
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Mitchinson B, Prescott TJ. Whisker movements reveal spatial attention: a unified computational model of active sensing control in the rat. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1003236. [PMID: 24086120 PMCID: PMC3784505 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention is most often investigated in the visual modality through measurement of eye movements, with primates, including humans, a widely-studied model. Its study in laboratory rodents, such as mice and rats, requires different techniques, owing to the lack of a visual fovea and the particular ethological relevance of orienting movements of the snout and the whiskers in these animals. In recent years, several reliable relationships have been observed between environmental and behavioural variables and movements of the whiskers, but the function of these responses, as well as how they integrate, remains unclear. Here, we propose a unifying abstract model of whisker movement control that has as its key variable the region of space that is the animal's current focus of attention, and demonstrate, using computer-simulated behavioral experiments, that the model is consistent with a broad range of experimental observations. A core hypothesis is that the rat explicitly decodes the location in space of whisker contacts and that this representation is used to regulate whisker drive signals. This proposition stands in contrast to earlier proposals that the modulation of whisker movement during exploration is mediated primarily by reflex loops. We go on to argue that the superior colliculus is a candidate neural substrate for the siting of a head-centred map guiding whisker movement, in analogy to current models of visual attention. The proposed model has the potential to offer a more complete understanding of whisker control as well as to highlight the potential of the rodent and its whiskers as a tool for the study of mammalian attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Mitchinson
- Department Of Psychology, The University Of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Tony J. Prescott
- Department Of Psychology, The University Of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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181
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Merker B. The efference cascade, consciousness, and its self: naturalizing the first person pivot of action control. Front Psychol 2013; 4:501. [PMID: 23950750 PMCID: PMC3738861 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The 20 billion neurons of the neocortex have a mere hundred thousand motor neurons by which to express cortical contents in overt behavior. Implemented through a staggered cortical "efference cascade" originating in the descending axons of layer five pyramidal cells throughout the neocortical expanse, this steep convergence accomplishes final integration for action of cortical information through a system of interconnected subcortical way stations. Coherent and effective action control requires the inclusion of a continually updated joint "global best estimate" of current sensory, motivational, and motor circumstances in this process. I have previously proposed that this running best estimate is extracted from cortical probabilistic preliminaries by a subcortical neural "reality model" implementing our conscious sensory phenomenology. As such it must exhibit first person perspectival organization, suggested to derive from formating requirements of the brain's subsystem for gaze control, with the superior colliculus at its base. Gaze movements provide the leading edge of behavior by capturing targets of engagement prior to contact. The rotation-based geometry of directional gaze movements places their implicit origin inside the head, a location recoverable by cortical probabilistic source reconstruction from the rampant primary sensory variance generated by the incessant play of collicularly triggered gaze movements. At the interface between cortex and colliculus lies the dorsal pulvinar. Its unique long-range inhibitory circuitry may precipitate the brain's global best estimate of its momentary circumstances through multiple constraint satisfaction across its afferents from numerous cortical areas and colliculus. As phenomenal content of our sensory awareness, such a global best estimate would exhibit perspectival organization centered on a purely implicit first person origin, inherently incapable of appearing as a phenomenal content of the sensory space it serves.
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182
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Landwehr K, Brendel E, Hecht H. Luminance and contrast in visual perception of time to collision. Vision Res 2013; 89:18-23. [PMID: 23851263 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2013.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2012] [Revised: 04/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/27/2013] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Many animals avoid dark, approaching objects seen against a lighter background but show no or weaker reactions to stimuli with inverted contrast. We investigated whether human observers would respond differently to such stimuli in terms of estimated time-to-arrival. We varied luminances of an approaching, light or dark disk and a plain, grey background, and for several conditions, continuously adjusted calibrations so as to keep contrast and/or overall lightness constant. Since no effects were found, we conclude that humans are able to discard luminance and contrast for the task at hand. Generally, however, performance was affected by different, consecutive regimes of feedback: Initially, without feedback, observers responded inconsistently and much too late; they improved after correct feedback, and in a third block of trials with pseudo-random feedback, they responded increasingly early without reverting to the initial level of uncertainty. We discuss our findings with regard to implications for neural mechanisms, put them in the context of evolutionary considerations, and propose continuative animal behavioral studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Landwehr
- Psychologisches Institut, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Wallstraße 3, 55122 Mainz, Germany.
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183
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Giassi ACC, Duarte TT, Ellis W, Maler L. Organization of the gymnotiform fish pallium in relation to learning and memory: II. Extrinsic connections. J Comp Neurol 2013; 520:3338-68. [PMID: 22430442 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study describes the extrinsic connections of the dorsal telencephalon (pallium) of gymnotiform fish. We show that the afferents to the dorsolateral and dorsomedial pallial subdivisions of gymnotiform fish arise from the preglomerular complex. The preglomerular complex receives input from four clearly distinct regions: (1) descending input from the pallium itself (dorsomedial and dorsocentral subdivisions and nucleus taenia); (2) other diencephalic nuclei (centroposterior, glomerular, and anterior tuberal nuclei and nucleus of the posterior tuberculum); (3) mesencephalic sensory structures (optic tectum, dorsal and ventral torus semicircularis); and (4) basal forebrain, preoptic area, and hypothalamic nuclei. Previous studies have implicated the majority of the diencephalic and mesencephalic nuclei in electrosensory, visual, and acousticolateral functions. Here we discuss the implications of preglomerular/pallial electrosensory-associated afferents with respect to a major functional dichotomy of the electric sense. The results allow us to hypothesize that a functional distinction between electrocommunication vs. electrolocation is maintained within the input and output pathways of the gymnotiform pallium. Electrocommunication information is conveyed to the pallium through complex indirect pathways that originate in the nucleus electrosensorius, whereas electrolocation processing follows a conservative pathway inherent to all vertebrates, through the optic tectum. We hypothesize that cells responsive to communication signals do not converge onto the same targets in the preglomerular complex as cells responsive to moving objects. We also hypothesize that efferents from the dorsocentral (DC) telencephalon project to the dorsal torus semicircularis to regulate processing of electrocommunication signals, whereas DC efferents to the tectum modulate sensory control of movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana C C Giassi
- Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
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184
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Rubelowski JM, Menge M, Distler C, Rothermel M, Hoffmann KP. Connections of the superior colliculus to shoulder muscles of the rat: a dual tracing study. Front Neuroanat 2013; 7:17. [PMID: 23760726 PMCID: PMC3675767 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2013.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2012] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous investigations indicate that the superior colliculus (SC) is involved in the initiation and execution of forelimb movements. In the present study we investigated the tectofugal, in particular the tecto-reticulo-spinal projections to the shoulder and arm muscles in the rat. We simultaneously retrogradely labeled the premotor neurons in the brainstem by injection of the pseudorabies virus PrV Bartha 614 into the m. rhomboideus minor and m. acromiodeltoideus, and anterogradely visualized the tectofugal projections by intracollicular injection of the tracer FITC dextrane. Our results demonstrate that the connection of the SC to the skeletal muscles of the forelimb is at least trisynaptic. This was confirmed by long survival times after virus injections into the muscles (98-101 h) after which numerous neurons in the deep layers of the SC were labeled. Transsynaptically retrogradely labeled brainstem neurons connected disynaptically to the injected muscles with adjacent tectal terminals were predominantly located in the gigantocellular nuclear complex of the reticular formation. In addition, putative relay neurons were found in the caudal part of the pontine reticular nucleus. Both tectal projections to the nucleus gigantocellularis and the pontine reticular nucleus were bilateral but ipsilaterally biased. We suggest this projection to be involved in more global functions in motivated behavior like general arousal allowing fast voluntary motor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. M. Rubelowski
- Allgemeine Zoologie and Neurobiologie, Ruhr-University BochumBochum, Germany
| | - M. Menge
- Allgemeine Zoologie and Neurobiologie, Ruhr-University BochumBochum, Germany
| | - C. Distler
- Allgemeine Zoologie and Neurobiologie, Ruhr-University BochumBochum, Germany
| | - M. Rothermel
- Brain Institute and Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT, USA
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185
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Corrigan F, Grand D. Brainspotting: Recruiting the midbrain for accessing and healing sensorimotor memories of traumatic activation. Med Hypotheses 2013; 80:759-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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186
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Optogenetic investigation of the role of the superior colliculus in orienting movements. Behav Brain Res 2013; 255:55-63. [PMID: 23643689 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.04.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2012] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 04/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In vivo studies have demonstrated that the superior colliculus (SC) integrates sensory information and plays a role in controlling orienting motor output. However, how the complex microcircuitry within the SC, as documented by slice studies, subserves these functions is unclear. Optogenetics affords the potential to examine, in behaving animals, the functional roles of specific neuron types that comprise heterogeneous nuclei. As a first step toward understanding how SC microcircuitry underlies motor output, we applied optogenetics to mice performing an odor discrimination task in which sensory decisions are reported by either a leftward or rightward SC-dependent orienting movement. We unilaterally expressed either channelrhodopsin-2 or halorhodopsin in the SC and delivered light in order to excite or inhibit motor-related SC activity as the movement was planned. We found that manipulating SC activity predictably affected the direction of the selected movement in a manner that depended on the difficulty of the odor discrimination. This study demonstrates that the SC plays a similar role in directional orienting movements in mice as it does in other species, and provides a framework for future investigations into how specific SC cell types contribute to motor control.
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187
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Role of dorsolateral periaqueductal grey in the coordinated regulation of cardiovascular and respiratory function. Auton Neurosci 2013; 175:17-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2012.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2012] [Revised: 12/18/2012] [Accepted: 12/26/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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188
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Bolado-Gomez R, Gurney K. A biologically plausible embodied model of action discovery. Front Neurorobot 2013; 7:4. [PMID: 23487577 PMCID: PMC3594743 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2013.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, animals can spontaneously discover action-outcome pairings enabling subsequent achievement of their goals. We present a biologically plausible embodied model addressing key aspects of this process. The biomimetic model core comprises the basal ganglia and its loops through cortex and thalamus. We incorporate reinforcement learning (RL) with phasic dopamine supplying a sensory prediction error, signalling "surprising" outcomes. Phasic dopamine is used in a cortico-striatal learning rule which is consistent with recent data. We also hypothesized that objects associated with surprising outcomes acquire "novelty salience" contingent on the predicability of the outcome. To test this idea we used a simple model of prediction governing the dynamics of novelty salience and phasic dopamine. The task of the virtual robotic agent mimicked an in vivo counterpart (Gancarz et al., 2011) and involved interaction with a target object which caused a light flash, or a control object which did not. Learning took place according to two schedules. In one, the phasic outcome was delivered after interaction with the target in an unpredictable way which emulated the in vivo protocol. Without novelty salience, the model was unable to account for the experimental data. In the other schedule, the phasic outcome was reliably delivered and the agent showed a rapid increase in the number of interactions with the target which then decreased over subsequent sessions. We argue this is precisely the kind of change in behavior required to repeatedly present representations of context, action and outcome, to neural networks responsible for learning action-outcome contingency. The model also showed cortico-striatal plasticity consistent with learning a new action in basal ganglia. We conclude that action learning is underpinned by a complex interplay of plasticity and stimulus salience, and that our model contains many of the elements for biological action discovery to take place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rufino Bolado-Gomez
- Department of Psychology, Adaptive Behaviour Research Group, University of Sheffield Sheffield, UK
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189
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Defense-like behaviors evoked by pharmacological disinhibition of the superior colliculus in the primate. J Neurosci 2013; 33:150-5. [PMID: 23283329 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2924-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimulation of the intermediate and deep layers of superior colliculus (DLSC) in rodents evokes both orienting/pursuit (approach) and avoidance/flight (defense) responses (Dean et al., 1989). These two classes of response are subserved by distinct output projections associated with lateral (approach) and medial (defense) DLSC (Comoli et al., 2012). In non-human primates, DLSC has been examined only with respect to orienting/approach behaviors, especially eye movements, and defense-like behaviors have not been reported. Here we examined the profile of behavioral responses evoked by activation of DLSC by unilateral intracerebral infusions of the GABA(A) receptor antagonist, bicuculline methiodide (BIC), in nine freely moving macaques. Across animals, the most consistently evoked behavior was cowering (all animals), followed by increased vocalization and escape-like behaviors (seven animals), and attack of objects (three animals). The effects of BIC were dose-dependent within the range 2.5-14 nmol (threshold dose of 4.6 nmol). The behaviors and their latencies to onset did not vary across different infusion sites within DLSC. Cowering and escape-like behaviors resembled the defense-like responses reported after DLSC stimulation in rats, but in the macaques these responses were evoked from both medial and lateral sites within DLSC. Our findings are unexpected in the context of an earlier theoretical perspective (Dean et al., 1989) that emphasized a preferential role of the primate DLSC for approach rather than defensive responses. Our data provide the first evidence for induction of defense-like behaviors by activation of DLSC in monkeys, suggesting that the role of DLSC in responding to threats is conserved across species.
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190
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Enjin A, Suh GSB. Neural mechanisms of alarm pheromone signaling. Mol Cells 2013; 35:177-81. [PMID: 23471444 PMCID: PMC3887916 DOI: 10.1007/s10059-013-0056-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2013] [Accepted: 02/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Alarm pheromones are important semiochemicals used by many animal species to alert conspecifics or other related species of impending danger. In this review, we describe recent developments in our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the ability of fruit flies, zebrafish and mice to mediate the detection of alarm pheromones. Specifically, alarm pheromones are detected in these species through specialized olfactory subsystems that are unique to the chemosensitive receptors, second messenger-signaling and physiology. Thus, the alarm pheromones appears to be detected by signaling mechanisms that are distinct from those seen in the canonical olfactory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Enjin
- Molecular Neurobiology Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016,
USA
| | - Greg Seong-Bae Suh
- Molecular Neurobiology Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016,
USA
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191
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Abstract
The ability to estimate the time remaining until collision occurs with an approaching object (time-to-collision, TTC) is crucial for any mobile animal. In the present study, we report three experiments examining whether higher level cognitive factors, represented by affective value of approaching objects, could affect judgments of TTC. A theory of TTC estimates based purely on the optical variable tau does not predict an influence of the affective value of an approaching object. In Experiments 1 and 2, we compared TTC estimates of threatening and neutral pictures that approached our participants on a screen and disappeared from view before a collision would have occurred. Images were taken from the International Affective Picture System. Threatening pictures-in particular, the picture of a frontal attack-were judged to collide earlier than neutral pictures. In Experiment 3, the approaching stimuli were faces with different emotional expressions. TTC tended to be underestimated for angry faces. We discuss these results, considering the roles of affective and cognitive mechanisms modulating TTC estimation and general time perception.
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192
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Iigaya K, Müller-Ribeiro FCDF, Horiuchi J, McDowall LM, Nalivaiko E, Fontes MAP, Dampney RAL. Synchronized activation of sympathetic vasomotor, cardiac, and respiratory outputs by neurons in the midbrain colliculi. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2012; 303:R599-610. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00205.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The superior and inferior colliculi are believed to generate immediate and highly coordinated defensive behavioral responses to threatening visual and auditory stimuli. Activation of neurons in the superior and inferior colliculi have been shown to evoke increases in cardiovascular and respiratory activity, which may be components of more generalized stereotyped behavioral responses. In this study, we examined the possibility that there are “command neurons” within the colliculi that can simultaneously drive sympathetic and respiratory outputs. In anesthetized rats, microinjections of bicuculline (a GABAA receptor antagonist) into sites within a circumscribed region in the deep layers of the superior colliculus and in the central and external nuclei of the inferior colliculus evoked a response characterized by intense and highly synchronized bursts of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and phrenic nerve activity (PNA). Each burst of RSNA had a duration of ∼300–400 ms and occurred slightly later (peak to peak latency of 41 ± 8 ms) than the corresponding burst of PNA. The bursts of RSNA and PNA were also accompanied by transient increases in arterial pressure and, in most cases, heart rate. Synchronized bursts of RSNA and PNA were also evoked after neuromuscular blockade, artificial ventilation, and vagotomy and so were not dependent on afferent feedback from the lungs. We propose that the synchronized sympathetic-respiratory responses are driven by a common population of neurons, which may normally be activated by an acute threatening stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamon Iigaya
- School of Medical Sciences (Physiology) and Bosch Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Flávia Camargos de Figueirêdo Müller-Ribeiro
- School of Medical Sciences (Physiology) and Bosch Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Sydney, Australia
- Laboratório de Hipertensão, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jouji Horiuchi
- School of Medical Sciences (Physiology) and Bosch Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Sydney, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Toyo University, Saitama, Japan; and
| | - Lachlan M. McDowall
- School of Medical Sciences (Physiology) and Bosch Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Sydney, Australia
| | - Eugene Nalivaiko
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
| | - Marco A. P. Fontes
- Laboratório de Hipertensão, Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Roger A. L. Dampney
- School of Medical Sciences (Physiology) and Bosch Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Sydney, Australia
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193
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Abstract
Background Contemporary theories of motor control propose that motor planning involves the prediction of the consequences of actions. These predictions include the associated costs as well as the rewarding nature of movements’ outcomes. Within the estimation of these costs and rewards would lie the valence, that is, the pleasantness or unpleasantness of a given stimulus with which one is about to interact. The aim of this study was to test if motor preparation encompasses valence. Methodology/Principal Findings The readiness potential, an electrophysiological marker of motor preparation, was recorded before the grasping of pleasant, neutral and unpleasant stimuli. Items used were balanced in weight and placed inside transparent cylinders to prompt a similar grip among trials. Compared with neutral stimuli, the grasping of pleasant stimuli was preceded by a readiness potential of lower amplitude, whereas that of unpleasant stimuli was associated with a readiness potential of higher amplitude. Conclusions/Significance We show for the first time that the sensorimotor cortex activity preceding the grasping of a stimulus is affected by its valence. Smaller readiness potential amplitudes found for pleasant stimuli could imply in the recruitment of pre-set motor repertoires, whereas higher amplitudes found for unpleasant stimuli would emerge from a discrepancy between the required action and their aversiveness. Our results indicate that the prediction of action outcomes encompasses an estimate of the valence of a stimulus with which one is about to interact.
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194
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An internal model architecture for novelty detection: implications for cerebellar and collicular roles in sensory processing. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44560. [PMID: 22957083 PMCID: PMC3434152 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 08/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebellum is thought to implement internal models for sensory prediction, but details of the underlying circuitry are currently obscure. We therefore investigated a specific example of internal-model based sensory prediction, namely detection of whisker contacts during whisking. Inputs from the vibrissae in rats can be affected by signals generated by whisker movement, a phenomenon also observable in whisking robots. Robot novelty-detection can be improved by adaptive noise-cancellation, in which an adaptive filter learns a forward model of the whisker plant that allows the sensory effects of whisking to be predicted and thus subtracted from the noisy sensory input. However, the forward model only uses information from an efference copy of the whisking commands. Here we show that the addition of sensory information from the whiskers allows the adaptive filter to learn a more complex internal model that performs more robustly than the forward model, particularly when the whisking-induced interference has a periodic structure. We then propose a neural equivalent of the circuitry required for adaptive novelty-detection in the robot, in which the role of the adaptive filter is carried out by the cerebellum, with the comparison of its output (an estimate of the self-induced interference) and the original vibrissal signal occurring in the superior colliculus, a structure noted for its central role in novelty detection. This proposal makes a specific prediction concerning the whisker-related functions of a region in cerebellar cortical zone A2 that in rats receives climbing fibre input from the superior colliculus (via the inferior olive). This region has not been observed in non-whisking animals such as cats and primates, and its functional role in vibrissal processing has hitherto remained mysterious. Further investigation of this system may throw light on how cerebellar-based internal models could be used in broader sensory, motor and cognitive contexts.
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195
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Abstract
Fear is an emotion that has powerful effects on behaviour and physiology across animal species. It is accepted that the amygdala has a central role in processing fear. However, it is less widely appreciated that distinct amygdala outputs and downstream circuits are involved in different types of fear. Data show that fear of painful stimuli, predators and aggressive members of the same species are processed in independent neural circuits that involve the amygdala and downstream hypothalamic and brainstem circuits. Here, we discuss data supporting multiple fear pathways and the implications of this distributed system for understanding and treating fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy.
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196
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Willette AA, Coe CL, Colman RJ, Bendlin BB, Kastman EK, Field AS, Alexander AL, Allison DB, Weindruch RH, Johnson SC. Calorie restriction reduces psychological stress reactivity and its association with brain volume and microstructure in aged rhesus monkeys. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2012; 37:903-16. [PMID: 22119476 PMCID: PMC3311744 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2011] [Revised: 10/18/2011] [Accepted: 10/19/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heightened stress reactivity is associated with hippocampal atrophy, age-related cognitive deficits, and increased risk for Alzheimer's disease. This temperament predisposition may aggravate age-associated brain pathology or be reflective of it. This association may be mediated through repeated activation of the stress hormone axis over time. Dietary interventions, such as calorie restriction (CR), affect stress biology and may moderate the pathogenic relationship between stress reactivity and brain in limbic and prefrontal regions. METHODS Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) aged 19-31 years consumed either a standard diet (N=18) or were maintained on 30% CR relative to baseline intake (N=26) for 13-19 years. Behavior was rated in both normative and aversive contexts. Urinary cortisol was collected. Animals underwent magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to acquire volumetric and tissue microstructure data respectively. Voxel-wise statistics regressed a global stress reactivity factor, cortisol, and their interaction on brain indices across and between dietary groups. RESULTS CR significantly reduced stress reactivity during aversive contexts without affecting activity, orientation, or attention behavior. Stress reactivity was associated with less volume and tissue density in areas important for emotional regulation and the endocrine axis including prefrontal cortices, hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus. CR reduced these relationships. A Cortisol by Stress Reactivity voxel-wise interaction indicated that only monkeys with high stress reactivity and high basal cortisol demonstrated lower brain volume and tissue density in prefrontal cortices, hippocampus, and amygdala. CONCLUSIONS High stress reactivity predicted lower volume and microstructural tissue density in regions involved in emotional processing and modulation. A CR diet reduced stress reactivity and regional associations with neural modalities. High levels of cortisol appear to mediate some of these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auriel A. Willette
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Wm. S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI 53705, USA,Wisconsin Alheimer s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53705 USA,Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705 USA
| | - Christopher L. Coe
- Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705 USA,Harlow Primate Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Ricki J. Colman
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, 53715 USA
| | - Barbara B Bendlin
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Wm. S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI 53705, USA,Wisconsin Alheimer s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53705 USA
| | - Erik K Kastman
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Wm. S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI 53705, USA,Wisconsin Alheimer s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53705 USA
| | - Aaron S. Field
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53792 USA
| | - Andrew L. Alexander
- Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705 USA
| | - David B. Allison
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA
| | - Richard H. Weindruch
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Wm. S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI 53705, USA,Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, 53715 USA
| | - Sterling C. Johnson
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Wm. S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI 53705, USA,Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, 53715 USA,Wisconsin Alheimer s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53705 USA,Send Correspondence to: Sterling C. Johnson, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, D-4225 Veterans Administration Hospital, 2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705, USA, Telephone Number: (608) 256-1901, Facsimile Number: (608) 265-3091
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197
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Sooksawate T, Yanagawa Y, Isa T. Cholinergic responses in GABAergic and non-GABAergic neurons in the intermediate gray layer of mouse superior colliculus. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 36:2440-51. [PMID: 22712760 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08169.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in the intermediate gray layer (SGI) of the mammalian superior colliculus (SC) receive dense cholinergic innervations from the brainstem parabrachial region. Such cholinergic inputs may influence execution of orienting behaviors. To obtain deeper insights into how the cholinergic inputs modulate the SC local circuits, we analysed the cholinergic responses in identified γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic and non-GABAergic neurons using SC slices obtained from GAD67-GFP knock-in mice. The responses of SGI neurons to cholinergic agonists were various combinations of fast inward currents mediated mainly via α4β2 and partly by α7 nicotinic receptors (nIN), slow inward currents caused by activation of M1 plus M3 muscarinic receptors (mIN), and slow outward currents caused by activation of M2 muscarinic receptors (mOUT). The most common cholinergic responses in non-GABAergic neurons was nIN + mIN + mOUT (38/68), followed by nIN + mIN (16/68), nIN + mOUT (11/68), nIN only (2/68), and no response (1/68). On the other hand, the major response pattern in GABAergic neurons was either nIN only (26/54) or nIN + mIN (21/54), followed by nIN + mOUT (4/54), mOUT only (2/54), and no response (1/54). Thus, major effects of cholinergic inputs to both SGI GABAergic and non-GABAergic neurons are excitatory, but the response patterns in these two types of SGI neurons are different. Thus, actions of the cholinergic inputs to non-GABAergic and GABAergic SGI neurons are not simple push-pull mechanisms, like excitation vs inhibition, but might cooperate to balance the level of excitation and inhibition for setting the state of the response property of the local circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thongchai Sooksawate
- Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan.
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198
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Periaqueductal gray matter modulates the hypercapnic ventilatory response. Pflugers Arch 2012; 464:155-66. [PMID: 22665049 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-012-1119-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2012] [Revised: 05/16/2012] [Accepted: 05/22/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a midbrain structure directly involved in the modulation of defensive behaviors. It has direct projections to several central nuclei that are involved in cardiorespiratory control. Although PAG stimulation is known to elicit respiratory responses, the role of the PAG in the CO(2)-drive to breathe is still unknown. The present study assessed the effect of chemical lesion of the dorsolateral and dorsomedial and ventrolateral/lateral PAG (dlPAG, dmPAG, and vPAG, respectively) on cardiorespiratory and thermal responses to hypercapnia. Ibotenic acid (IBO) or vehicle (PBS, Sham group) was injected into the dlPAG, dmPAG, or vPAG of male Wistar rats. Rats with lesions outside the dlPAG, dmPAG, or vPAG were considered as negative controls (NC). Pulmonary ventilation (VE: ), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and body temperature (Tb) were measured in unanesthetized rats during normocapnia and hypercapnic exposure (5, 15, 30 min, 7 % CO(2)). IBO lesioning of the dlPAG/dmPAG caused 31 % and 26.5 % reductions of the respiratory response to CO(2) (1,094.3 ± 115 mL/kg/min) compared with Sham (1,589.5 ± 88.1 mL/kg/min) and NC groups (1,488.2 ± 47.7 mL/kg/min), respectively. IBO lesioning of the vPAG caused 26.6 % and 21 % reductions of CO(2) hyperpnea (1,215.3 ± 108.6 mL/kg/min) compared with Sham (1,657.3 ± 173.9 mL/kg/min) and NC groups (1,537.6 ± 59.3). Basal VE: , MAP, HR, and Tb were not affected by dlPAG, dmPAG, or vPAG lesioning. The results suggest that dlPAG, dmPAG, and vPAG modulate hypercapnic ventilatory responses in rats but do not affect MAP, HR, or Tb regulation in resting conditions or during hypercapnia.
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199
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Microstimulation of the monkey superior colliculus induces pupil dilation without evoking saccades. J Neurosci 2012; 32:3629-36. [PMID: 22423086 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5512-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The orienting reflex is initiated by a salient stimulus and facilitates quick, appropriate action. It involves a rapid shift of the eyes, head, and attention and other physiological responses such as changes in heart rate and transient pupil dilation. The SC is a critical structure in the midbrain that selects incoming stimuli based on saliency and relevance to coordinate orienting behaviors, particularly gaze shifts, but its causal role in pupil dilation remains poorly understood in mammals. Here, we examined the role of the primate SC in the control of pupil dynamics. While requiring monkeys to keep their gaze fixed, we delivered weak electrical microstimulation to the SC, so that saccadic eye movements were not evoked. Pupil size increased transiently after microstimulation of the intermediate SC layers (SCi) and the size of evoked pupil dilation was larger on a dim versus bright background. In contrast, microstimulation of the superficial SC layers did not cause pupil dilation. Thus, the SCi is directly involved not only in shifts of gaze and attention, but also in pupil dilation as part of the orienting reflex, and the function of pupil dilation may be related to increasing visual sensitivity. The shared neural mechanisms suggest that pupil dilation may be associated with covert attention.
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200
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Comoli E, Das Neves Favaro P, Vautrelle N, Leriche M, Overton PG, Redgrave P. Segregated anatomical input to sub-regions of the rodent superior colliculus associated with approach and defense. Front Neuroanat 2012; 6:9. [PMID: 22514521 PMCID: PMC3324116 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2012.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2012] [Accepted: 03/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is responsible for sensorimotor transformations required to direct gaze toward or away from unexpected, biologically salient events. Significant changes in the external world are signaled to SC through primary multisensory afferents, spatially organized according to a retinotopic topography. For animals, where an unexpected event could indicate the presence of either predator or prey, early decisions to approach or avoid are particularly important. Rodents’ ecology dictates predators are most often detected initially as movements in upper visual field (mapped in medial SC), while appetitive stimuli are normally found in lower visual field (mapped in lateral SC). Our purpose was to exploit this functional segregation to reveal neural sites that can bias or modulate initial approach or avoidance responses. Small injections of Fluoro-Gold were made into medial or lateral sub-regions of intermediate and deep layers of SC (SCm/SCl). A remarkable segregation of input to these two functionally defined areas was found. (i) There were structures that projected only to SCm (e.g., specific cortical areas, lateral geniculate and suprageniculate thalamic nuclei, ventromedial and premammillary hypothalamic nuclei, and several brainstem areas) or SCl (e.g., primary somatosensory cortex representing upper body parts and vibrissae and parvicellular reticular nucleus in the brainstem). (ii) Other structures projected to both SCm and SCl but from topographically segregated populations of neurons (e.g., zona incerta and substantia nigra pars reticulata). (iii) There were a few brainstem areas in which retrogradely labeled neurons were spatially overlapping (e.g., pedunculopontine nucleus and locus coeruleus). These results indicate significantly more structures across the rat neuraxis are in a position to modulate defense responses evoked from SCm, and that neural mechanisms modulating SC-mediated defense or appetitive behavior are almost entirely segregated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliane Comoli
- Laboratory of Functional Neuroanatomy, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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