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Rojas AKP, Linley SB, Vertes RP. Chemogenetic inactivation of the nucleus reuniens and its projections to the orbital cortex produce deficits on discrete measures of behavioral flexibility in the attentional set-shifting task. Behav Brain Res 2024; 470:115066. [PMID: 38801950 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The nucleus reuniens (RE) of the ventral midline thalamus is a critical node in the communication between the orbitomedial prefrontal cortex (OFC) and the hippocampus (HF). While RE has been shown to directly participate in memory-associated functions through its connections with the medial prefrontal cortex and HF, less is known regarding the role of RE in executive functioning. Here, we examined the involvement of RE and its projections to the orbital cortex (ORB) in attention and behavioral flexibility in male rats using the attentional set shifting task (AST). Rats expressing the hM4Di DREADD receptor in RE were implanted with indwelling cannulas in either RE or the ventromedial ORB to pharmacologically inhibit RE or its projections to the ORB with intracranial infusions of clozapine-N-oxide hydrochloride (CNO). Chemogenetic-induced suppression of RE resulted in impairments in reversal learning and set-shifting. This supports a vital role for RE in behavioral flexibility - or the ability to adapt behavior to changing reward or rule contingencies. Interestingly, CNO suppression of RE projections to the ventromedial ORB produced impairments in rule abstraction - or dissociable effects elicited with direct RE suppression. In summary, the present findings indicate that RE, mediated in part by actions on the ORB, serves a critical role in the flexible use of rules to drive goal directed behavior. The cognitive deficits of various neurological disorders with impaired communication between the HF and OFC, may be partly attributed to alterations of RE -- as an established intermediary between these cortical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K P Rojas
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Stephanie B Linley
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA; Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Robert P Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA; Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA.
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Velazquez-Hernandez G, Miller NW, Curtis VR, Rivera-Pacheco CM, Lowe SM, Moy SS, Zannas AS, Pégard NC, Burgos-Robles A, Rodriguez-Romaguera J. Social threat alters the behavioral structure of social motivation and reshapes functional brain connectivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.17.599379. [PMID: 38948883 PMCID: PMC11212885 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.17.599379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic social experiences redefine socially motivated behaviors to enhance safety and survival. Although many brain regions have been implicated in signaling a social threat, the mechanisms by which global neural networks regulate such motivated behaviors remain unclear. To address this issue, we first combined traditional and modern behavioral tracking techniques in mice to assess both approach and avoidance, as well as sub-second behavioral changes, during a social threat learning task. We were able to identify previously undescribed body and tail movements during social threat learning and recognition that demonstrate unique alterations into the behavioral structure of social motivation. We then utilized inter-regional correlation analysis of brain activity after a mouse recognizes a social threat to explore functional communication amongst brain regions implicated in social motivation. Broad brain activity changes were observed within the nucleus accumbens, the paraventricular thalamus, the ventromedial hypothalamus, and the nucleus of reuniens. Inter-regional correlation analysis revealed a reshaping of the functional connectivity across the brain when mice recognize a social threat. Altogether, these findings suggest that reshaping of functional brain connectivity may be necessary to alter the behavioral structure of social motivation when a social threat is encountered.
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3
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Panzer E, Guimares-Olmo I, Pereira de Vasconcelos A, Stéphan A, Cassel JC. In relentless pursuit of the white whale: A role for the ventral midline thalamus in behavioral flexibility and adaption? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105762. [PMID: 38857666 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
The reuniens (Re) nucleus is located in the ventral midline thalamus. It has fostered increasing interest, not only for its participation in a variety of cognitive functions (e.g., spatial working memory, systemic consolidation, reconsolidation, extinction of fear or generalization), but also for its neuroanatomical positioning as a bidirectional relay between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampus (HIP). In this review we compile and discuss recent studies having tackled a possible implication of the Re nucleus in behavioral flexibility, a major PFC-dependent executive function controlling goal-directed behaviors. Experiments considered explored a possible role for the Re nucleus in perseveration, reversal learning, fear extinction, and set-shifting. They point to a contribution of this nucleus to behavioral flexibility, mainly by its connections with the PFC, but possibly also by those with the hippocampus, and even with the amygdala, at least for fear-related behavior. As such, the Re nucleus could be a crucial crossroad supporting a PFC-orchestrated ability to cope with new, potentially unpredictable environmental contingencies, and thus behavioral flexibility and adaption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Panzer
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Isabella Guimares-Olmo
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Aline Stéphan
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg F-67000, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, Strasbourg F-67000, France.
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Han X, Cramer SR, Chan DCY, Zhang N. Exploring memory-related network via dorsal hippocampus suppression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.03.597201. [PMID: 38895299 PMCID: PMC11185736 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.03.597201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Memory is a complex brain process that requires coordinated activities in a large-scale brain network. However, the relationship between coordinated brain network activities and memory-related behavior is not well understood. In this study, we investigated this issue by suppressing the activity in the dorsal hippocampus (dHP) using chemogenetics and measuring the corresponding changes in brain-wide resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and memory behavior in awake rats. We identified an extended brain network contributing to the performance in a spatial-memory related task. Our results were cross-validated using two different chemogenetic actuators, clozapine (CLZ) and clozapine-N-oxide (CNO). This study provides a brain network interpretation of memory performance, indicating that memory is associated with coordinated brain-wide neural activities. Significance Statement Successful memory processes require coordinated activity in a large-scale brain network, extending beyond a few key, well-known brain regions like the hippocampus. However, the specific brain regions involved and how they orchestrate their activity that is pertinent to memory processing remain unclear. Our study, using a chemogenetics-rsfMRI- behavior approach in awake rats, elucidates a comprehensive framework of the extended memory-associated network. This knowledge offers a broader interpretation of memory processes, enhancing our understanding of the neural mechanisms behind memory function, particularly from a network perspective.
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Diehl MM, Moscarello JM, Trask S. Behavioral outputs and overlapping circuits between conditional fear and active avoidance. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2024; 213:107943. [PMID: 38821256 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2024.107943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 05/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Aversive learning can produce a wide variety of defensive behavioral responses depending on the circumstances, ranging from reactive responses like freezing to proactive avoidance responses. While most of this initial learning is behaviorally supported by an expectancy of an aversive outcome and neurally supported by activity within the basolateral amygdala, activity in other brain regions become necessary for the execution of defensive strategies that emerge in other aversive learning paradigms such as active avoidance. Here, we review the neural circuits that support both reactive and proactive defensive behaviors that are motivated by aversive learning, and identify commonalities between the neural substrates of these distinct (and often exclusive) behavioral strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Diehl
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | | | - Sydney Trask
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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6
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Hinova-Palova D, Landzhov B, Edelstein L, Fakih K, Alexandrov A, Kiriakova T, Radeva E, Gaydarski L, Denaro F, Paloff A. Identification of degenerated synaptic boutons in the dorsal claustrum of the cat after electrolytic lesions of the intralaminar thalamic nuclei. J Histotechnol 2024:1-9. [PMID: 38564246 DOI: 10.1080/01478885.2024.2335827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate whether the dorsal claustrum receives afferent input from the intralaminar thalamic nuclei - centromedian nucleus, central lateral nucleus and paracentral nucleus. The intralaminar thalamic nuclei of eight cats were electrolytically lesioned. We obtained samples from the dorsal claustrum for electron microscopic analysis from the second to the seventh post-procedural day. Two types of degenerated synaptic boutons were observed: electron-dense which formed the majority of boutons, and electron-lucent comprising the remaining samples. Between the second and seventh post-procedural day, we observed a steady increase in the number of electron-dense boutons which were diffusely distributed throughout the dorsal claustrum. Electron-dense degenerated boutons formed asymmetrical contacts with dendritic spines as well as with small and medium-sized dendrites. In contrast, electron-lucent degenerated boutons were observed in earlier post-procedural periods and formed symmetrical axodendritic contacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimka Hinova-Palova
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Boycho Landzhov
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Lawrence Edelstein
- Department of Experimental Neuroanatomy, Medimark Corporation, Del Mar, CA, USA
| | - Khodor Fakih
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Alexandar Alexandrov
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Deontology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Teodora Kiriakova
- Department of Forensic Medicine and Deontology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Elka Radeva
- Department of Conservative Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Medical University Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Lyubomir Gaydarski
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Frank Denaro
- Department of Biology, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Adrian Paloff
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
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7
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Greiner EM, Witt ME, Moran SJ, Petrovich GD. Activation patterns in male and female forebrain circuitries during food consumption under novelty. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:403-429. [PMID: 38193917 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02742-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
The influence of novelty on feeding behavior is significant and can override both homeostatic and hedonic drives due to the uncertainty of potential danger. Previous work found that novel food hypophagia is enhanced in a novel environment and that males habituate faster than females. The current study's aim was to identify the neural substrates of separate effects of food and context novelty. Adult male and female rats were tested for consumption of a novel or familiar food in either a familiar or in a novel context. Test-induced Fos expression was measured in the amygdalar, thalamic, striatal, and prefrontal cortex regions that are important for appetitive responding, contextual processing, and reward motivation. Food and context novelty induced strikingly different activation patterns. Novel context induced Fos robustly in almost every region analyzed, including the central (CEA) and basolateral complex nuclei of the amygdala, the thalamic paraventricular (PVT) and reuniens nuclei, the nucleus accumbens (ACB), the medial prefrontal cortex prelimbic and infralimbic areas, and the dorsal agranular insular cortex (AI). Novel food induced Fos in a few select regions: the CEA, anterior basomedial nucleus of the amygdala, anterior PVT, and posterior AI. There were also sex differences in activation patterns. The capsular and lateral CEA had greater activation for male groups and the anterior PVT, ACB ventral core and shell had greater activation for female groups. These activation patterns and correlations between regions, suggest that distinct functional circuitries control feeding behavior when food is novel and when eating occurs in a novel environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza M Greiner
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Mary E Witt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Stephanie J Moran
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
| | - Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
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8
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Chen Z, Han Y, Ma Z, Wang X, Xu S, Tang Y, Vyssotski AL, Si B, Zhan Y. A prefrontal-thalamic circuit encodes social information for social recognition. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1036. [PMID: 38310109 PMCID: PMC10838311 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45376-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Social recognition encompasses encoding social information and distinguishing unfamiliar from familiar individuals to form social relationships. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play a role in social behavior, how identity information is processed and by which route it is communicated in the brain remains unclear. Here we report that a ventral midline thalamic area, nucleus reuniens (Re) that has reciprocal connections with the mPFC, is critical for social recognition in male mice. In vivo single-unit recordings and decoding analysis reveal that neural populations in both mPFC and Re represent different social stimuli, however, mPFC coding capacity is stronger. We demonstrate that chemogenetic inhibitions of Re impair the mPFC-Re neural synchronization and the mPFC social coding. Projection pathway-specific inhibitions by optogenetics reveal that the reciprocal connectivity between the mPFC and the Re is necessary for social recognition. These results reveal an mPFC-thalamic circuit for social information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihao Chen
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yechao Han
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zheng Ma
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xinnian Wang
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Surui Xu
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong Tang
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Alexei L Vyssotski
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bailu Si
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhan
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
- CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
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9
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Stout JJ, George AE, Kim S, Hallock HL, Griffin AL. Using synchronized brain rhythms to bias memory-guided decisions. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.04.02.535279. [PMID: 37034665 PMCID: PMC10081324 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.02.535279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Functional interactions between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, as revealed by strong oscillatory synchronization in the theta (6-11 Hz) frequency range, correlate with memory-guided decision-making. However, the degree to which this form of long-range synchronization influences memory-guided choice remains unclear. We developed a brain machine interface that initiated task trials based on the magnitude of prefrontal hippocampal theta synchronization, then measured choice outcomes. Trials initiated based on strong prefrontal-hippocampal theta synchrony were more likely to be correct compared to control trials on both working memory-dependent and -independent tasks. Prefrontal-thalamic neural interactions increased with prefrontal-hippocampal synchrony and optogenetic activation of the ventral midline thalamus primarily entrained prefrontal theta rhythms, but dynamically modulated synchrony. Together, our results show that prefrontal-hippocampal theta synchronization leads to a higher probability of a correct choice and strengthens prefrontal-thalamic dialogue. Our findings reveal new insights into the neural circuit dynamics underlying memory-guided choices and highlight a promising technique to potentiate cognitive processes or behavior via brain machine interfacing.
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Plas SL, Tuna T, Bayer H, Juliano VAL, Sweck SO, Arellano Perez AD, Hassell JE, Maren S. Neural circuits for the adaptive regulation of fear and extinction memory. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1352797. [PMID: 38370858 PMCID: PMC10869525 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1352797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The regulation of fear memories is critical for adaptive behaviors and dysregulation of these processes is implicated in trauma- and stress-related disorders. Treatments for these disorders include pharmacological interventions as well as exposure-based therapies, which rely upon extinction learning. Considerable attention has been directed toward elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying fear and extinction learning. In this review, we will discuss historic discoveries and emerging evidence on the neural mechanisms of the adaptive regulation of fear and extinction memories. We will focus on neural circuits regulating the acquisition and extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning in rodent models, particularly the role of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in the contextual control of extinguished fear memories. We will also consider new work revealing an important role for the thalamic nucleus reuniens in the modulation of prefrontal-hippocampal interactions in extinction learning and memory. Finally, we will explore the effects of stress on this circuit and the clinical implications of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L. Plas
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Tuğçe Tuna
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Hugo Bayer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Vitor A. L. Juliano
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Samantha O. Sweck
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Angel D. Arellano Perez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - James E. Hassell
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Stephen Maren
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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11
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Melleu FF, Canteras NS. Pathways from the Superior Colliculus to the Basal Ganglia. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:1431-1453. [PMID: 37702174 PMCID: PMC11097988 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230911102118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The present work aims to review the structural organization of the mammalian superior colliculus (SC), the putative pathways connecting the SC and the basal ganglia, and their role in organizing complex behavioral output. First, we review how the complex intrinsic connections between the SC's laminae projections allow for the construction of spatially aligned, visual-multisensory maps of the surrounding environment. Moreover, we present a summary of the sensory-motor inputs of the SC, including a description of the integration of multi-sensory inputs relevant to behavioral control. We further examine the major descending outputs toward the brainstem and spinal cord. As the central piece of this review, we provide a thorough analysis covering the putative interactions between the SC and the basal ganglia. To this end, we explore the diverse thalamic routes by which information from the SC may reach the striatum, including the pathways through the lateral posterior, parafascicular, and rostral intralaminar thalamic nuclei. We also examine the interactions between the SC and subthalamic nucleus, representing an additional pathway for the tectal modulation of the basal ganglia. Moreover, we discuss how information from the SC might also be relayed to the basal ganglia through midbrain tectonigral and tectotegmental projections directed at the substantia nigra compacta and ventrotegmental area, respectively, influencing the dopaminergic outflow to the dorsal and ventral striatum. We highlight the vast interplay between the SC and the basal ganglia and raise several missing points that warrant being addressed in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Newton Sabino Canteras
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
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12
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Park S, Cho J, Huh Y. Distinct Role of Parvalbumin Expressing Neurons in the Reticular Thalamic Nucleus in Nociception. Exp Neurobiol 2023; 32:387-394. [PMID: 38196134 PMCID: PMC10789177 DOI: 10.5607/en23018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Loss of inhibition is suggested to cause pathological pain symptoms. Indeed, some human case reports suggest that lesions including the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) which provides major inhibitory inputs to other thalamic nuclei, may induce thalamic pain, a type of neuropathic pain. In support, recent studies demonstrated that activation of GABAergic neurons in the TRN reduces nociceptive responses in mice, reiterating the importance of the TRN in gating nociception. However, whether biochemically distinct neuronal types in the TRN differentially contribute to gating nociception has not been investigated. We, therefore, investigated whether the activity of parvalbumin (PV) and somatostatin (SOM) expressing neurons in the somatosensory TRN differentially modulate nociceptive behaviors using optogenetics and immunostaining techniques. We found that activation of PV neurons in the somatosensory TRN significantly reduced nociceptive behaviors, while activation of SOM neurons in the TRN had no such effect. Also, selective activation of PV neurons, but not SOM neurons, in the TRN activated relatively more PV neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex, which delivers inhibitory effect in the cortex, when measured with cFos and PV double staining. Results of our study suggest that PV neurons in the somatosensory TRN have a stronger influence in regulating nociception and that their activations may provide further inhibition in the somatosensory cortex by activating cortical PV neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanggeon Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Scranton College, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
- Brain Disease Research Institute, Ewha Brain Institute, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Jeiwon Cho
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Scranton College, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
- Brain Disease Research Institute, Ewha Brain Institute, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea
| | - Yeowool Huh
- Department of Medical Science, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung 25601, Korea
- Translational Brain Research Center, International St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon 22711, Korea
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Rivera Núñez MV, McMakin D, Mattfeld AT. Nucleus Reuniens: Modulating Negative Overgeneralization in Periadolescents with Anxiety. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.14.567068. [PMID: 38014058 PMCID: PMC10680726 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.14.567068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Background Anxiety affects 4.4-million children in the United States with an onset between childhood and adolescence, a period marked by neural changes that impact emotions and memory. Negative overgeneralization - or responding similarly to innocuous events that share features with past aversive experiences - is common in anxiety but remains mechanistically underspecified. The nucleus reuniens (RE) has been considered a crucial candidate in the modulation of memory specificity. Our study investigated its activation and functional connectivity with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus (HPC) as neurobiological mechanisms of negative overgeneralization in anxious youth. Methods As part of a secondary data analysis, we examined data from 34 participants between 9-14 years (mean age ± SD, 11.4 ± 2.0 years, 16 females) with varying degrees of anxiety severity. During the Study session participants rated images as negative, neutral, and positive. After 12-hours, participants returned for a Test session, where they performed a memory recognition test with repeated (targets) and similar (lures) images. Labeling negative relative to neutral lures as "old" (false alarms) was our operational definition of negative overgeneralization. Results Negative relative to neutral false alarmed stimuli displayed elevated RE activation (at Study and Test) and increased functional connectivity with the CA1 (at Test only). Elevated anxiety severity was associated with reductions in the RE-mPFC functional coupling for neutral relative to negative stimuli. Exploratory analyses revealed similar patterns in activation and functional connectivity with positive stimuli. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the importance of the RE in the overgeneralization of memories in anxious youth.
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14
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Reeders PC, Rivera Núñez MV, Vertes RP, Mattfeld AT, Allen TA. Identifying the midline thalamus in humans in vivo. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1835-1847. [PMID: 36598561 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02607-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The midline thalamus is critical for flexible cognition, memory, and stress regulation in humans and its dysfunction is associated with several neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and depression. Despite the pervasive role of the midline thalamus in cognition and disease, there is a limited understanding of its function in humans, likely due to the absence of a rigorous noninvasive neuroimaging methodology to identify its location. Here, we introduce a new method for identifying the midline thalamus in vivo using probabilistic tractography and k-means clustering with diffusion weighted imaging data. This approach clusters thalamic voxels based on data-driven cortical and subcortical connectivity profiles and then segments the midline thalamus according to anatomical connectivity tracer studies in rodents and macaques. Results from two different diffusion weighted imaging sets, including adult data (22-35 years) from the Human Connectome Project (n = 127) and adolescent data (9-14 years) collected at Florida International University (n = 34) showed that this approach reliably classifies midline thalamic clusters. As expected, these clusters were most evident along the dorsal/ventral extent of the third ventricle and were primarily connected to the agranular medial prefrontal cortex (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex), nucleus accumbens, and medial temporal lobe regions. The midline thalamus was then bisected based on a human brain atlas into a dorsal midline thalamic cluster (paraventricular and paratenial nuclei) and a ventral midline thalamic cluster (rhomboid and reuniens nuclei). This anatomical connectivity-based identification of the midline thalamus offers the opportunity for necessary investigation of this region in vivo in the human brain and how it relates to cognitive functions in humans, and to psychiatric and neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puck C Reeders
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Brain Institute, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, 33155, USA
| | - M Vanessa Rivera Núñez
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Robert P Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 33231, USA
| | - Aaron T Mattfeld
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Timothy A Allen
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
- Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA.
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15
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Ratigan HC, Krishnan S, Smith S, Sheffield MEJ. A thalamic-hippocampal CA1 signal for contextual fear memory suppression, extinction, and discrimination. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6758. [PMID: 37875465 PMCID: PMC10598272 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42429-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The adaptive regulation of fear memories is a crucial neural function that prevents inappropriate fear expression. Fear memories can be acquired through contextual fear conditioning (CFC) which relies on the hippocampus. The thalamic nucleus reuniens (NR) is necessary to extinguish contextual fear and innervates hippocampal CA1. However, the role of the NR-CA1 pathway in contextual fear is unknown. We developed a head-restrained virtual reality CFC paradigm, and demonstrate that mice can acquire and extinguish context-dependent fear responses. We found that inhibiting the NR-CA1 pathway following CFC lengthens the duration of fearful freezing epochs, increases fear generalization, and delays fear extinction. Using in vivo imaging, we recorded NR-axons innervating CA1 and found that NR-axons become tuned to fearful freezing following CFC. We conclude that the NR-CA1 pathway actively suppresses fear by disrupting contextual fear memory retrieval in CA1 during fearful freezing behavior, a process that also reduces fear generalization and accelerates extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather C Ratigan
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Seetha Krishnan
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Shai Smith
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA
| | - Mark E J Sheffield
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60615, USA.
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16
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de Mooij-van Malsen JG, Röhrdanz N, Buschhoff AS, Schiffelholz T, Sigurdsson T, Wulff P. Task-specific oscillatory synchronization of prefrontal cortex, nucleus reuniens, and hippocampus during working memory. iScience 2023; 26:107532. [PMID: 37636046 PMCID: PMC10450413 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Working memory requires maintenance of and executive control over task-relevant information on a timescale of seconds. Spatial working memory depends on interactions between hippocampus, for the representation of space, and prefrontal cortex, for executive control. A monosynaptic hippocampal projection to the prefrontal cortex has been proposed to serve this interaction. However, connectivity and inactivation experiments indicate a critical role of the nucleus reuniens in hippocampal-prefrontal communication. We have investigated the dynamics of oscillatory coherence throughout the prefrontal-hippocampal-reuniens network in a touchscreen-based working memory task. We found that coherence at distinct frequencies evolved depending on phase and difficulty of the task. During choice, the reuniens did not participate in enhanced prefrontal-hippocampal theta but in gamma coherence. Strikingly, the reuniens was strongly embedded in performance-related increases in beta coherence, suggesting the execution of top-down control. In addition, we show that during working memory maintenance the prefrontal-hippocampal-reuniens network displays performance-related delay activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Niels Röhrdanz
- Institute of Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Schiffelholz
- Center of Integrative Psychiatry, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Torfi Sigurdsson
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Peer Wulff
- Institute of Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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17
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Basha D, Chauvette S, Sheroziya M, Timofeev I. Respiration organizes gamma synchrony in the prefronto-thalamic network. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8529. [PMID: 37237017 PMCID: PMC10219931 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35516-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple cognitive operations are associated with the emergence of gamma oscillations in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) although little is known about the mechanisms that control this rhythm. Using local field potential recordings from cats, we show that periodic bursts of gamma recur with 1 Hz regularity in the wake mPFC and are locked to the exhalation phase of the respiratory cycle. Respiration organizes long-range coherence in the gamma band between the mPFC and the nucleus reuniens the thalamus (Reu), linking the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. In vivo intracellular recordings of the mouse thalamus reveal that respiration timing is propagated by synaptic activity in Reu and likely underlies the emergence of gamma bursts in the prefrontal cortex. Our findings highlight breathing as an important substrate for long-range neuronal synchronization across the prefrontal circuit, a key network for cognitive operations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diellor Basha
- Département de Psychiatrie Et de Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
- CERVO Centre de Recherche, Université Laval, 2301 Av. D'Estimauville, Québec, QC, G1E 1T2, Canada
| | - Sylvain Chauvette
- CERVO Centre de Recherche, Université Laval, 2301 Av. D'Estimauville, Québec, QC, G1E 1T2, Canada
| | - Maxim Sheroziya
- Département de Psychiatrie Et de Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
- CERVO Centre de Recherche, Université Laval, 2301 Av. D'Estimauville, Québec, QC, G1E 1T2, Canada
| | - Igor Timofeev
- Département de Psychiatrie Et de Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
- CERVO Centre de Recherche, Université Laval, 2301 Av. D'Estimauville, Québec, QC, G1E 1T2, Canada.
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18
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Bolívar-Baquero O, Troncoso J. Facial nerve axotomy induces morphological changes in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:663-680. [PMID: 36629001 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Facial nerve injury in rats have been widely used to study functional and structural changes that occur in the injured motoneurons and other central nervous system structures related with sensorimotor processing. A decrease in long-term potentiation of hippocampal CA3-to-CA1 commissural synapse has recently been reported related to this peripheral injury. Additionally, it has been found increased corticosterone plasmatic levels, impairment in spatial memory consolidation, and hippocampal microglial activation in animals with facial nerve axotomy. In this work, we analyzed the neuronal morphology of hippocampal CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons in animals with either reversible or irreversible facial nerve injury. For this purpose, brain tissues of injured animals sacrificed at different postlesion times, were stained with the Golgi-Cox method and compared with control brains. It was found that both reversible and irreversible facial nerve injury-induced significant decreases in dendritic tree complexity, dendritic length, branch points, and spine density of hippocampal neurons. However, such changes' timing varied according to hippocampal area (CA1 vs. CA3), dendritic area (apical vs. basal), and lesion type (reversible vs. irreversible). In general, the observed changes were transient when animals had the possibility of motor recovery (reversible injury), but perdurable if the recovery from the lesion was impeded (irreversible injury). CA1 apical and CA3 basal dendritic tree morphology were more sensible to irreversible injury. It is concluded that facial nerve injury induced significant changes in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 pyramidal neurons morphology, which could be related to LTP impairments and microglial activation in the hippocampal formation, previously described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Bolívar-Baquero
- Behavioral Neurophysiology Laboratory, Physiological Sciences Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Julieta Troncoso
- Behavioral Neurophysiology Laboratory, Physiological Sciences Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.,Biology Department, School of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
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19
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Ratigan HC, Krishnan S, Smith S, Sheffield MEJ. Direct Thalamic Inputs to Hippocampal CA1 Transmit a Signal That Suppresses Ongoing Contextual Fear Memory Retrieval. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.27.534420. [PMID: 37034812 PMCID: PMC10081195 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.27.534420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Memory retrieval of fearful experiences is essential for survival but can be maladaptive if not appropriately suppressed. Fear memories can be acquired through contextual fear conditioning (CFC) which relies on the hippocampus. The thalamic subregion Nucleus Reuniens (NR) is necessary for contextual fear extinction and strongly projects to hippocampal subregion CA1. However, the NR-CA1 pathway has not been investigated during behavior, leaving unknown its role in contextual fear memory retrieval. We implement a novel head-restrained virtual reality CFC paradigm and show that inactivation of the NR-CA1 pathway prolongs fearful freezing epochs, induces fear generalization, and delays extinction. We use in vivo sub-cellular imaging to specifically record NR-axons innervating CA1 before and after CFC. We find NR-axons become selectively tuned to freezing only after CFC, and this activity is well-predicted by an encoding model. We conclude that the NR-CA1 pathway actively suppresses fear responses by disrupting ongoing hippocampal-dependent contextual fear memory retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather C. Ratigan
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
| | - Seetha Krishnan
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
| | - Shai Smith
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
| | - Mark E. J. Sheffield
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615, USA
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20
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Vertes RP, Hoover WB, Witter MP, Yanik MF, Rojas AKP, Linley SB. Projections from the five divisions of the orbital cortex to the thalamus in the rat. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:217-237. [PMID: 36226328 PMCID: PMC9772129 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The orbital cortex (ORB) of the rat consists of five divisions: the medial (MO), ventral (VO), ventrolateral (VLO), lateral (LO), and dorsolateral (DLO) orbital cortices. No previous report has comprehensively examined and compared projections from each division of the ORB to the thalamus. Using the anterograde anatomical tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin, we describe the efferent projections from the five divisions of the ORB to the thalamus in the rat. We demonstrated that, with some overlap, each division of the ORB distributed in a distinct (and unique) manner to nuclei of the thalamus. Overall, ORB projected to a relatively restricted number of sites in the thalamus, and strikingly distributed entirely to structures of the medial/midline thalamus, while completely avoiding lateral regions or principal nuclei of the thalamus. The main termination sites in the thalamus were the paratenial nucleus (PT) and nucleus reuniens (RE) of the midline thalamus, the medial (MDm) and central (MDc) divisions of the mediodorsal nucleus, the intermediodorsal nucleus, the central lateral, paracentral, and central medial nuclei of the rostral intralaminar complex and the submedial nucleus (SM). With some exceptions, medial divisions of the ORB (MO, VO) mainly targeted "limbic-associated" nuclei such as PT, RE, and MDm, whereas lateral division (VLO, LO, DLO) primarily distributed to "sensorimotor-associated" nuclei including MDc, SM, and the rostral intralaminar complex. As discussed herein, the medial/midline thalamus may represent an important link (or bridge) between the orbital cortex and the hippocampus and between the ORB and medial prefrontal cortex. In summary, the present results demonstrate that each division of the orbital cortex projects in a distinct manner to nuclei of the thalamus which suggests unique functions for each division of the orbital cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert P Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | - Walter B Hoover
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | - Menno P Witter
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Mehmet Fatih Yanik
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, D-ITET, ETH, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Amanda K P Rojas
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | - Stephanie B Linley
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
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21
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Smith IF, Gursky ZH, Klintsova AY. Representation of prefrontal axonal efferents in the thalamic nucleus reuniens in a rodent model of fetal alcohol exposure during third trimester. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:993601. [PMID: 36160686 PMCID: PMC9493097 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.993601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol exposure (AE) during the prenatal period could result in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), one of many deficits of which is impaired executive functioning (EF). EF relies on the coordination of activity between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus (HPC) by the thalamic nucleus reuniens (Re), a structure that has been shown to be damaged following high-dose AE in a rodent model of third trimester exposure. Notably, mPFC neurons do not project directly to HPC, but rather communicate with it via a disynaptic pathway where the first cortical axons synapse on neurons in Re, which in turn send axons to make contacts with hippocampal cells. This experiment investigated the effect of binge AE (5.25 g/kg/day, two doses 2 h apart) during postnatal days 4–9 on the length of medial prefrontal axonal projections within Re in Long Evans rat. AE reduced the cumulative length of mPFC-originating axon terminals in Re in female rats, with male rats exhibiting shorter cumulative lengths when compared to female procedural control animals. Additionally, Re volume was decreased in AE animals, a finding that reproduced previously reported data. This experiment helps us better understand how early life AE affects prefrontal-thalamic-hippocampal connectivity that could underlie subsequent EF deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian F. Smith
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Zachary H. Gursky
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Anna Y. Klintsova
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
- *Correspondence: Anna Y. Klintsova,
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22
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Vertes RP, Linley SB, Rojas AKP. Structural and functional organization of the midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:964644. [PMID: 36082310 PMCID: PMC9445584 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.964644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus form a major part of the "limbic thalamus;" that is, thalamic structures anatomically and functionally linked with the limbic forebrain. The midline nuclei consist of the paraventricular (PV) and paratenial nuclei, dorsally and the rhomboid and nucleus reuniens (RE), ventrally. The rostral intralaminar nuclei (ILt) consist of the central medial (CM), paracentral (PC) and central lateral (CL) nuclei. We presently concentrate on RE, PV, CM and CL nuclei of the thalamus. The nucleus reuniens receives a diverse array of input from limbic-related sites, and predominantly projects to the hippocampus and to "limbic" cortices. The RE participates in various cognitive functions including spatial working memory, executive functions (attention, behavioral flexibility) and affect/fear behavior. The PV receives significant limbic-related afferents, particularly the hypothalamus, and mainly distributes to "affective" structures of the forebrain including the bed nucleus of stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens and the amygdala. Accordingly, PV serves a critical role in "motivated behaviors" such as arousal, feeding/consummatory behavior and drug addiction. The rostral ILt receives both limbic and sensorimotor-related input and distributes widely over limbic and motor regions of the frontal cortex-and throughout the dorsal striatum. The intralaminar thalamus is critical for maintaining consciousness and directly participates in various sensorimotor functions (visuospatial or reaction time tasks) and cognitive tasks involving striatal-cortical interactions. As discussed herein, while each of the midline and intralaminar nuclei are anatomically and functionally distinct, they collectively serve a vital role in several affective, cognitive and executive behaviors - as major components of a brainstem-diencephalic-thalamocortical circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert P. Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
| | - Stephanie B. Linley
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychological Science, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA, United States
| | - Amanda K. P. Rojas
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
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23
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Jhuang YC, Chang CH. Differential roles of nucleus reuniens and perirhinal cortex in Pavlovian trace fear conditioning in rats. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:3498-3510. [PMID: 35952337 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus reuniens (RE) and the perirhinal cortex (PRC) are two major relay stations that interconnect the hippocampus (HPC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Previous studies have shown that both the RE and the PRC are involved in the acquisition of trace fear conditioning. However, the respective contribution of the two regions is unclear. In this study, we used pharmacological approach to compare their roles. Our data suggested that inactivation of the RE or the PRC during conditioning partially impaired, whereas inactivation of both areas totally abolished, the encoding of trace fear. We next examined whether the impaired encoding of trace fear under RE inactivation can be rescued with enhanced cholinergic tone in the PRC, and vice versa. Against our hypothesis, regardless of whether the RE was on-line or not, animals failed to encode trace fear when further engaging cholinergic activities in the PRC. Conversely, depending on PRC activation level during conditioning, further recruiting cholinergic activities in the RE led to a down-shift of fear response during retrieval. Our results revealed that the RE and the PRC were necessary for the encoding of trace fear. Moreover, there was differential importance of cholinergic modulation during the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ci Jhuang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hui Chang
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.,Brain Research Center, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
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24
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Katz CN, Schjetnan AGP, Patel K, Barkley V, Hoffman KL, Kalia SK, Duncan KD, Valiante TA. A corollary discharge mediates saccade-related inhibition of single units in mnemonic structures of the human brain. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3082-3094.e4. [PMID: 35779529 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the critical link between visual exploration and memory, little is known about how neuronal activity in the human mesial temporal lobe (MTL) is modulated by saccades. Here, we characterize saccade-associated neuronal modulations, unit-by-unit, and contrast them to image onset and to occipital lobe neurons. We reveal evidence for a corollary discharge (CD)-like modulatory signal that accompanies saccades, inhibiting/exciting a unique population of broad-/narrow-spiking units, respectively, before and during saccades and with directional selectivity. These findings comport well with the timing, directional nature, and inhibitory circuit implementation of a CD. Additionally, by linking neuronal activity to event-related potentials (ERPs), which are directionally modulated following saccades, we recontextualize the ERP associated with saccades as a proxy for both the strength of inhibition and saccade direction, providing a mechanistic underpinning for the more commonly recorded saccade-related ERP in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaim N Katz
- Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; CRANIA, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Andrea G P Schjetnan
- Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; CRANIA, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
| | - Kramay Patel
- Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; CRANIA, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
| | - Victoria Barkley
- Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; CRANIA, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
| | - Kari L Hoffman
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Suneil K Kalia
- Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada; CRANIA, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; The KITE Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada
| | - Katherine D Duncan
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
| | - Taufik A Valiante
- Krembil Brain Institute, Toronto Western Hospital (TWH), Toronto, ON M5T 1M8, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada; Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G4, Canada; CRANIA, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; The KITE Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2A2, Canada; Max Planck-University of Toronto Center for Neural Science and Technology, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Liang M, Zhu L, Wang R, Su H, Ma D, Wang H, Chen T. Methamphetamine Exposure in Adolescent Impairs Memory of Mice in Adulthood Accompanied by Changes in Neuroplasticity in the Dorsal Hippocampus. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:892757. [PMID: 35656409 PMCID: PMC9152172 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.892757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) has been shown to alter learning and memory by affecting the neuroplasticity of the dorsal hippocampus, a key structure that undergoes extensive remodeling during adolescence. In this study, we investigated whether mid-to-late adolescent exposure to METH leads to long-lasting memory impairment. To do this, adolescents (35–48 postnatal days) were exposed to different doses of METH for 14 days and then evaluated by the Morris water maze (MWM), new object recognition test (NORT), and the Y-maze, to investigate the learning and memory abilities of mice in their adolescence and adulthood, respectively. We also detected the mRNA levels of genes associated with neuroplasticity in the dorsal hippocampus. The synaptic ultrastructure and the number of neurons and astrocytes in the dorsal hippocampus were also determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunofluorescence (IF). Exposure to METH in mid-to-late adolescence impaired spatial memory retrieval ability and the long-term recognition memory of mice in their adulthood, but not in their adolescence. Of note, the impairment of memory capacity in adulthood was accompanied by molecular and structural changes in synapses in the dorsal hippocampus. Our results indicate that mice exposed to METH in mid-to-late adolescence have impaired memory ability in their adulthood; this may be the result of abnormal changes in the structural plasticity of the dorsal hippocampus; the causal relationship between changes in synaptic structural plasticity and memory impairment needs to be further confirmed. In summary, our study provides evidence for the detrimental consequences of adolescent addiction and the prevention of adolescent drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Liang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, China
- The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Li Zhu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, China
- The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Rui Wang
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, China
- The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Hang Su
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, China
- The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Dongliang Ma
- Programme in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hongyan Wang
- Programme in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Teng Chen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, China
- The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Teng Chen,
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Hauer BE, Pagliardini S, Dickson CT. Tonic excitation of nucleus reuniens decreases prefrontal-hippocampal coordination during slow-wave states. Hippocampus 2022; 32:466-477. [PMID: 35522233 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus reuniens of the thalamus (RE) is an important node between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus (HPC). Previously, we have shown that its mode of activity and its influence in mPFC-HPC communication is dependent upon brain state. During slow-wave states, RE units are closely and rhythmically coupled to the ongoing mPFC-slow oscillation (SO), while during activated (theta) states, RE neurons fire in an arrhythmic and tonically active manner. Inactivating the RE selectively impoverishes coordination of the SO between mPFC and HPC and interestingly, both mPFC and RE stimulation during the SO cause larger responses in the HPC than during theta. It is unclear if the activity patterns within the RE across states may play a role in both phenomena. Here, we optogenetically excited RE neurons in a tonic fashion to assess the impact on mPFC-HPC coupling. This stimulation decreased the influence of mPFC stimulation in the HPC during SO states, in a manner similar to what is observed across state changes into theta. Importantly, this type of stimulation had no effect on evoked responses during theta. Perhaps more interestingly, tonic optogenetic excitation of the RE also decreased mPFC-HPC SO coherence. Thus, it may not be the integrity of the RE per se that is responsible for efficient communication between mPFC and HPC, but rather the particular state in which RE neurons find themselves. Our results have direct implications for how distant brain regions can communicate most effectively, an issue that is ultimately important for activity-dependent processes occurring during slow-wave sleep-dependent memory consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon E Hauer
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Silvia Pagliardini
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Clayton T Dickson
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Liu X, Huang H, Snutch TP, Cao P, Wang L, Wang F. The Superior Colliculus: Cell Types, Connectivity, and Behavior. Neurosci Bull 2022; 38:1519-1540. [PMID: 35484472 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00858-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC), one of the most well-characterized midbrain sensorimotor structures where visual, auditory, and somatosensory information are integrated to initiate motor commands, is highly conserved across vertebrate evolution. Moreover, cell-type-specific SC neurons integrate afferent signals within local networks to generate defined output related to innate and cognitive behaviors. This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding of phenotypic diversity amongst SC neurons and their intrinsic circuits and long-projection targets. We further describe relevant neural circuits and specific cell types in relation to behavioral outputs and cognitive functions. The systematic delineation of SC organization, cell types, and neural connections is further put into context across species as these depend upon laminar architecture. Moreover, we focus on SC neural circuitry involving saccadic eye movement, and cognitive and innate behaviors. Overall, the review provides insight into SC functioning and represents a basis for further understanding of the pathology associated with SC dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongren Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Terrance P Snutch
- Michael Smith Laboratories and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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28
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The anterior thalamic nuclei: core components of a tripartite episodic memory system. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:505-516. [PMID: 35478245 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00591-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Standard models of episodic memory focus on hippocampal-parahippocampal interactions, with the neocortex supplying sensory information and providing a final repository of mnemonic representations. However, recent advances have shown that other regions make distinct and equally critical contributions to memory. In particular, there is growing evidence that the anterior thalamic nuclei have a number of key cognitive functions that support episodic memory. In this article, we describe these findings and argue for a core, tripartite memory system, comprising a 'temporal lobe' stream (centred on the hippocampus) and a 'medial diencephalic' stream (centred on the anterior thalamic nuclei) that together act on shared cortical areas. We demonstrate how these distributed brain regions form complementary and necessary partnerships in episodic memory formation.
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Posner MI, Weible AP, Voelker P, Rothbart MK, Niell CM. Decision Making as a Learned Skill in Mice and Humans. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:834701. [PMID: 35360159 PMCID: PMC8963179 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.834701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention is a necessary component in many forms of human and animal learning. Numerous studies have described how attention and memory interact when confronted with a choice point during skill learning. In both animal and human studies, pathways have been found that connect the executive and orienting networks of attention to the hippocampus. The anterior cingulate cortex, part of the executive attention network, is linked to the hippocampus via the nucleus reuniens of the thalamus. The parietal cortex, part of the orienting attention network, accesses the hippocampus via the entorhinal cortex. These studies have led to specific predictions concerning the functional role of each pathway in connecting the cortex to the hippocampus. Here, we review some of the predictions arising from these studies. We then discuss potential methods for manipulating the two pathways and assessing the directionality of their functional connection using viral expression techniques in mice. New studies may allow testing of a behavioral model specifying how the two pathways work together during skill learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael I. Posner
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
- *Correspondence: Michael I. Posner,
| | - Aldis P. Weible
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Pascale Voelker
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Mary K. Rothbart
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Cristopher M. Niell
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
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30
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Activación de la microglía en el hipocampo asociada con lesión del nervio facial. BIOMÉDICA 2022; 42:109-206. [PMID: 35471181 PMCID: PMC9048578 DOI: 10.7705/biomedica.6216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Introducción. Las lesiones del nervio facial afectan la plasticidad a largo plazo en el hipocampo, así como la memoria de reconocimiento de objetos y la memoria espacial, dos procesos dependientes de esta estructura. Objetivo. Caracterizar en ratas el efecto de la lesión unilateral del nervio facial sobre la activación de células de la microglía en el hipocampo contralateral.Materiales y métodos. Se hicieron experimentos de inmunohistoquímica para detectar células de la microglía en el hipocampo de ratas sometidas a lesión irreversible del nervio facial. Los animales se sacrificaron en distintos momentos después de la lesión, para evaluar la evolución de la proliferación (densidad de células) y la activación (área celular) de la microglía en el tejido del hipocampo. Los tejidos cerebrales de los animales de control se compararon con los de animales lesionados sacrificados en los días 1, 3, 7, 21 y 35 después de la lesión.Resultados. Las células de la microglía en el hipocampo de animales con lesión del nervio facial mostraron signos de proliferación y activación a los 3, 7 y 21 días después de la lesión. Sin embargo, al cabo de cinco semanas, estas modificaciones se revirtieron, a pesar de que no hubo recuperación funcional de la parálisis facial.Conclusiones. La lesión irreversible del nervio facial produce proliferación y activación temprana y transitoria de las células de la microglía en el hipocampo. Estos cambios podrían estar asociados con las modificaciones electrofisiológicas y las alteraciones comportamentales dependientes del hipocampo descritas recientemente.
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Schlecht M, Jayachandran M, Rasch GE, Allen TA. Dual projecting cells linking thalamic and cortical communication routes between the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 188:107586. [PMID: 35045320 PMCID: PMC8851867 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus (HC) are critical for memory and decision making and have been specifically implicated in several neurological disorders including schizophrenia, epilepsy, frontotemporal dementia, and Alzheimer's disease. The ventral midline thalamus (vmThal), and lateral entorhinal cortex and perirhinal cortex (LEC/PER) constitute major communication pathways that facilitate mPFC-HC interactions in memory. Although vmThal and LEC/PER circuits have been delineated separately we sought to determine whether these two regions share cell-specific inputs that could influence both routes simultaneously. To do this we used a dual fluorescent retrograde tracing approach using cholera toxin subunit-B (CTB-488 and CTB-594) with injections targeting vmThal and the LEC/PER in rats. Retrograde cell body labeling was examined in key regions of interest within the mPFC-HC system including: (1) mPFC, specifically anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorsal and ventral prelimbic cortex (dPL, vPL), and infralimbic cortex (IL); (2) medial and lateral septum (MS, LS); (3) subiculum (Sub) along the dorsal-ventral and proximal-distal axes; and (4) LEC and medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). Results showed that dual vmThal-LEC/PER-projecting cell populations are found in MS, vSub, and the shallow layers II/III of LEC and MEC. We did not find any dual projecting cells in mPFC or in the cornu ammonis (CA) subfields of the HC. Thus, mPFC and HC activity is sent to vmThal and LEC/PER via non-overlapping projection cell populations. Importantly, the dual projecting cell populations in MS, vSub, and EC are in a unique position to simultaneously influence both cortical and thalamic mPFC-HC pathways critical to memory. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The interactions between mPFC and HC are critical for learning and memory, and dysfunction within this circuit is implicated in various neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. mPFC-HC interactions are mediated through multiple communication pathways including a thalamic hub through the vmThal and a cortical hub through lateral entorhinal cortex and perirhinal cortex. Our data highlight newly identified dual projecting cell populations in the septum, Sub, and EC of the rat brain. These dual projecting cells may have the ability to modify the information flow within the mPFC-HC circuit through synchronous activity, and thus offer new cell-specific circuit targets for basic and translational studies in memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Schlecht
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Maanasa Jayachandran
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Gabriela E Rasch
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Timothy A Allen
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
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Thalamic reticular nucleus impairments and abnormal prefrontal control of dopamine system in a developmental model of schizophrenia: prevention by N-acetylcysteine. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:7679-7689. [PMID: 34193975 PMCID: PMC8716611 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01198-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence showed thalamic abnormalities in schizophrenia involving disruptions to the parvalbumin neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). However, their functional consequences, as well as a potential linkage to oxidative stress, are unclear. The TRN is posited to gate prefrontal control of dopamine neuron activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Thus, we hypothesized that schizophrenia-related TRN abnormalities might contribute to dopamine dysregulation, a well-known feature of the disorder. To test this, in adult rats exposed prenatally to methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM rats), oxidative impairments to the parvalbumin neurons in the anterior TRN were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Using in vivo electrophysiology, we investigated whether inactivation of the prefrontal cortex would produce differential effects on VTA dopamine neurons in MAM rats. We show that MAM rats displayed reduced markers of parvalbumin and wisteria floribunda agglutinin-labeled perineuronal nets, correlating with increased markers of oxidative stress (8-oxo-7, 8-dihydro-20-deoxyguanosine, and 3-nitrotyrosine). Moreover, MAM rats displayed heightened baseline and abnormal prefrontal control of VTA dopamine neuron activity, as tetrodotoxin-induced inactivation of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex decreased the dopamine population activity, contrary to the normal increase in controls. Such dopamine neuron dysregulation was recapitulated by enzymatic perineuronal net digestion in the TRN of normal rats. Furthermore, juvenile (postnatal day 11-25) antioxidant treatment (N-acetyl-cysteine, 900 mg/L drinking water) prevented all these impairments in MAM rats. Our findings suggest that early accumulation of oxidative stress in the TRN may shape the later onset of schizophrenia pathophysiology, highlighting redox regulation as a potential target for early intervention.
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Torrado-Arévalo R, Troncoso J, Múnera A. Facial Nerve Axotomy Induces Changes on Hippocampal CA3-to-CA1 Long-term Synaptic Plasticity. Neuroscience 2021; 475:197-205. [PMID: 34464664 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral facial axotomy induces functional and structural central nervous system changes beyond facial motoneurons, causing, among others, changes in sensorimotor cortex and impairment in hippocampal-dependent memory tasks. Here, we explored facial nerve axotomy effects on basal transmission and long-term plasticity of commissural CA3-to-CA1 synapses. Adult, male rats were submitted to unilateral axotomy of the buccal and mandibular branches of facial nerve and allowed 1, 3, 7, or 21 days of recovery before performing electrophysiological recordings of contralateral CA3 (cCA3) stimulation-evoked CA1 field postsynaptic potential in basal conditions and after high frequency stimulation (HFS) (six, one-second length, 100 Hz stimuli trains). Facial nerve axotomy induced transient release probability enhancement during the first week after surgery, without significant changes in basal synaptic strength. In addition, peripheral axotomy caused persistent long-term potentiation (LTP) induction impairment, affecting mainly its presynaptic component. Such synaptic changes may underlie previously reported impairments in hippocampal-dependent memory tasks and suggest a direct hippocampal implication in sensorimotor integration in whisking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julieta Troncoso
- Behavioral Neurophysiology Laboratory, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Biology Department, School of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Alejandro Múnera
- Behavioral Neurophysiology Laboratory, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Physiological Sciences Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
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Robinson JC, Brandon MP. Skipping ahead: A circuit for representing the past, present, and future. eLife 2021; 10:e68795. [PMID: 34647521 PMCID: PMC8516414 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Envisioning the future is intuitively linked to our ability to remember the past. Within the memory system, substantial work has demonstrated the involvement of the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus in representing the past and present. Recent data shows that both the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus encode future trajectories, which are segregated in time by alternating cycles of the theta rhythm. Here, we discuss how information is temporally organized by these brain regions supported by the medial septum, nucleus reuniens, and parahippocampal regions. Finally, we highlight a brain circuit that we predict is essential for the temporal segregation of future scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C Robinson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering, Boston UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Mark P Brandon
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
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Boelens Keun JT, van Heese EM, Laansma MA, Weeland CJ, de Joode NT, van den Heuvel OA, Gool JK, Kasprzak S, Bright JK, Vriend C, van der Werf YD. Structural assessment of thalamus morphology in brain disorders: A review and recommendation of thalamic nucleus segmentation and shape analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:466-478. [PMID: 34587501 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The thalamus is a central brain structure crucially involved in cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor functions and is often reported to be involved in the pathophysiology of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The functional subdivision of the thalamus warrants morphological investigation on the level of individual subnuclei. In addition to volumetric measures, the investigation of other morphological features may give additional insights into thalamic morphology. For instance, shape features offer a higher spatial resolution by revealing small, regional differences that are left undetected in volumetric analyses. In this review, we discuss the benefits and limitations of recent advances in neuroimaging techniques to investigate thalamic morphology in vivo, leading to our proposed methodology. This methodology consists of available pipelines for volume and shape analysis, focussing on the morphological features of volume, thickness, and surface area. We demonstrate this combined approach in a Parkinson's disease cohort to illustrate their complementarity. Considering our findings, we recommend a combined methodology as it allows for more sensitive investigation of thalamic morphology in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikke T Boelens Keun
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Eva M van Heese
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Max A Laansma
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Cees J Weeland
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Niels T de Joode
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Odile A van den Heuvel
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jari K Gool
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; SEIN, Heemstede, the Netherlands; Department of Neurology, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Selina Kasprzak
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Joanna K Bright
- Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Chris Vriend
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ysbrand D van der Werf
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam Neuroscience, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Peng X, Burwell RD. Beyond the hippocampus: The role of parahippocampal-prefrontal communication in context-modulated behavior. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 185:107520. [PMID: 34537379 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Multiple paradigms indicate that the physical environment can influence spontaneous and learned behavior. In rodents, context-dependent behavior is putatively supported by the prefrontal cortex and the medial temporal lobe. A preponderance of the literature has targeted the role of the hippocampus. In addition to the hippocampus proper, the medial temporal lobe also comprises parahippocampal areas, including the perirhinal and postrhinal cortices. These parahippocampal areas directly connect with multiple regions in the prefrontal cortex. The function of these connections, however, is not well understood. This article first reviews the involvement of the perirhinal, postrhinal, and prefrontal cortices in context-dependent behavior in rodents. Then, based on functional and anatomical evidence, we suggest that perirhinal and postrhinal contributions to context-dependent behavior go beyond supporting context representation in the hippocampus. Specifically, we propose that the perirhinal and postrhinal cortices act as a contextual-support network that directly provides contextual and spatial information to the prefrontal cortex. In turn, the perirhinal and postrhinal cortices modulate prefrontal input to the hippocampus in the service of context-guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyuan Peng
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Rebecca D Burwell
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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Savage LM, Nunes PT, Gursky ZH, Milbocker KA, Klintsova AY. Midline Thalamic Damage Associated with Alcohol-Use Disorders: Disruption of Distinct Thalamocortical Pathways and Function. Neuropsychol Rev 2021; 31:447-471. [PMID: 32789537 PMCID: PMC7878584 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-020-09450-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The thalamus, a significant part of the diencephalon, is a symmetrical and bilateral central brain structure. The thalamus is subdivided into three major groups of nuclei based on their function: sensorimotor nuclei (or principal/relay nuclei), limbic nuclei and nuclei bridging these two domains. Anatomically, nuclei within the thalamus are described by their location, such as anterior, medial, lateral, ventral, and posterior. In this review, we summarize the role of medial and midline thalamus in cognition, ranging from learning and memory to flexible adaptation. We focus on the discoveries in animal models of alcohol-related brain damage, which identify the loss of neurons in the medial and midline thalamus as drivers of cognitive dysfunction associated with alcohol use disorders. Models of developmental ethanol exposure and models of adult alcohol-related brain damage and are compared and contrasted, and it was revealed that there are similar (anterior thalamus) and different (intralaminar [adult exposure] versus ventral midline [developmental exposure]) thalamic pathology, as well as disruptions of thalamo-hippocampal and thalamo-cortical circuits. The final part of the review summarizes approaches to recover alcohol-related brain damage and cognitive and behavioral outcomes. These approaches include pharmacological, nutritional and behavioral interventions that demonstrated the potential to mitigate alcohol-related damage. In summary, the medial/midline thalamus is a significant contributor to cognition function, which is also sensitive to alcohol-related brain damage across the life span, and plays a role in alcohol-related cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Savage
- Developmental Ethanol Alcohol Research Center, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA.
| | - Polliana T Nunes
- Developmental Ethanol Alcohol Research Center, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Zachary H Gursky
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Katrina A Milbocker
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Anna Y Klintsova
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
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38
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Han MJ, Park CU, Kang S, Kim B, Nikolaidis A, Milham MP, Hong SJ, Kim SG, Baeg E. Mapping functional gradients of the striatal circuit using simultaneous microelectric stimulation and ultrahigh-field fMRI in non-human primates. Neuroimage 2021; 236:118077. [PMID: 33878384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have significantly enhanced our understanding of the striatal system of both humans and non-human primates (NHP) over the last few decades. However, its circuit-level functional anatomy remains poorly understood, partly because in-vivo fMRI cannot directly perturb a brain system and map its casual input-output relationship. Also, routine 3T fMRI has an insufficient spatial resolution. We performed electrical microstimulation (EM) of the striatum in lightly-anesthetized NHPs while simultaneously mapping whole-brain activation, using contrast-enhanced fMRI at ultra-high-field 7T. By stimulating multiple positions along the striatum's main (dorsal-to-ventral) axis, we revealed its complex functional circuit concerning mutually connected subsystems in both cortical and subcortical areas. Indeed, within the striatum, there were distinct brain activation patterns across different stimulation sites. Specifically, dorsal stimulation revealed a medial-to-lateral elongated shape of activation in upper caudate and putamen areas, whereas ventral stimulation evoked areas confined to the medial and lower caudate. Such dorsoventral gradients also appeared in neocortical and thalamic activations, indicating consistent embedding profiles of the striatal system across the whole brain. These findings reflect different forms of within-circuit and inter-regional neuronal connectivity between the dorsal and ventromedial striatum. These patterns both shared and contrasted with previous anatomical tract-tracing and in-vivo resting-state fMRI studies. Our approach of combining microstimulation and whole-brain fMRI mapping in NHPs provides a unique opportunity to integrate our understanding of a targeted brain area's meso- and macro-scale functional systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Jun Han
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Chan-Ung Park
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangyun Kang
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Byounghoon Kim
- Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Aki Nikolaidis
- Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Michael P Milham
- Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, United States; Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Seok Jun Hong
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea,; Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY, United States
| | - Seong-Gi Kim
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea,.
| | - Eunha Baeg
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea,.
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39
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Silkis IG. The Role of Hypothalamus in the Formation of Neural Representations of Object–Place Associations in the Hippocampus during Wakefulness and Paradoxical Sleep. NEUROCHEM J+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s1819712421020148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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40
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A thalamo-amygdalar circuit underlying the extinction of remote fear memories. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:964-974. [PMID: 34017129 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00856-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fear and trauma generate some of the longest-lived memories. Despite the corresponding need to understand how such memories can be attenuated, the underlying brain circuits remain unknown. Here, combining viral tracing, neuronal activity mapping, fiber photometry, chemogenetic and closed-loop optogenetic manipulations in mice, we show that the extinction of remote (30-day-old) fear memories depends on thalamic nucleus reuniens (NRe) inputs to the basolateral amygdala (BLA). We found that remote, but not recent (1-day-old), fear extinction activates NRe-to-BLA inputs, which become potentiated upon fear reduction. Furthermore, both monosynaptic NRe-to-BLA and total NRe activity increase shortly before freezing cessation, suggesting that the NRe registers and transmits safety signals to the BLA. Accordingly, pan-NRe and pathway-specific NRe-to-BLA inhibition impairs, whereas their activation facilitates, remote fear extinction. These findings identify the NRe as a crucial BLA regulator for extinction and provide the first functional description of the circuits underlying the attenuation of consolidated fear memories.
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41
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Discharge characteristics of neurons of nucleus reuniens across sleep-wake states in the behaving rat. Behav Brain Res 2021; 410:113325. [PMID: 33910030 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus reuniens (RE) of the ventral midline thalamus is strongly reciprocally connected with the hippocampus (HF) and medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), serving a critical role in affective and cognitive functioning. While midline thalamic nuclei have been implicated in the modulation of states of arousal and consciousness, few studies have addressed RE's role in behavioral state control. Accordingly, as a first line of investigation, we examined the discharge properties of RE neurons in behaving rats throughout the sleep-wake cycle. We analyzed 153 units in RE which demonstrated heterogeneity in discharge rates and pattern of activity across sleep wake states. Using a rate ratio of activity in wake vs. REM, we found that the majority of cells displayed state-related changes and were classified into distinct cell types, exhibiting their highest discharge rates during active waking (AW), REM sleep, or maintaining equivalent activity across AW/REM. We further distinguished cells as either slow firing (SF = < 10 Hz) or fast firing (FF =>10 Hz) cells. The majority of cells, independent of state-related preference, were SF. FF RE cells were primarily wake active and wake/REM cell types. This diverse set of RE neurons are likely modulated by key brainstem and hypothalamic nuclei, which in turn, drive RE to exert strong effects on its cortical targets during waking and REM sleep. RE may not only act as a node in HF-PFC circuitry, but also as a critical thalamic link in ascending arousal and attentional networks.
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Cassel JC, Ferraris M, Quilichini P, Cholvin T, Boch L, Stephan A, Pereira de Vasconcelos A. The reuniens and rhomboid nuclei of the thalamus: A crossroads for cognition-relevant information processing? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:338-360. [PMID: 33766671 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Over the past twenty years, the reuniens and rhomboid (ReRh) nuclei, which constitute the ventral midline thalamus, have received constantly growing attention. Since our first review article about the functional contributions of ReRh nuclei (Cassel et al., 2013), numerous (>80) important papers have extended anatomical knowledge, including at a developmental level, introduced new and very original electrophysiological insights on ReRh functions, and brought novel results on cognitive and non-cognitive implications of the ReRh. The current review will cover these recent articles, more on Re than on Rh, and their contribution will be approached according to their affiliation with work before 2013. These neuroanatomical, electrophysiological or behavioral findings appear coherent and point to the ReRh nuclei as two major components of a multistructural system supporting numerous cognitive (and non-cognitive) functions. They gate the flow of information, perhaps especially from the medial prefrontal cortex to the hippocampus and back, and coordinate activity and processing across these two (and possibly other) brain regions of major cognitive relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.
| | - Maëva Ferraris
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Pascale Quilichini
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Thibault Cholvin
- Institute for Physiology I, University Clinics Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Laurine Boch
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Aline Stephan
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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43
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Intact Behavioral Expression of Contextual Fear, Context Discrimination, and Object Discrimination Memories Acquired in the Absence of the Hippocampus. J Neurosci 2021; 41:2437-2446. [PMID: 33303680 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0546-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We test the hypothesis that the stability and precision of context and visual discrimination memories depend on interactions between the hippocampus (HPC) and other memory storage networks. In four experiments we tested the properties of memories acquired in the absence of the HPC. Long-Evans male rats were exclusively used in all experiments. Experiment 1 evaluated acquisition and retention of context fear memories in rats with prior partial or complete HPC damage. Confirming an earlier report (Zelikowsky et al., 2012) a very small but statistically reliable slowing in a single session of context fear conditioning was found after HPC damage. In contrast, retention of context fear memory was normal after HPC damage up to 30 d after learning. In experiment 2, we found that discrimination between a context paired with foot shocks and a different context never paired with foot shock was retained normally for 15 d. In experiment 3, we replicated the finding of intact context discrimination for at least 15 d in rats who display a significant impairment in acquisition of place learning in the Morris water task (MWT). In final experiment using an appetitive object discrimination task, we showed normal retention of the discrimination for at least 30 d after training in rats with complete HPC damage. These finding score against the idea that non HPC memory storage requires a period of interaction with HPC to establish a stable, precise memory.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Contrary to expectations from systems memory consolidation, we find that in the absence of a functional hippocampus (HPC) context and visual memories are formed rapidly and exhibit normal persistence and precision. The findings suggest that the HPC is not obligatory for these features of long-term memories.
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44
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Ferraris M, Cassel JC, Pereira de Vasconcelos A, Stephan A, Quilichini PP. The nucleus reuniens, a thalamic relay for cortico-hippocampal interaction in recent and remote memory consolidation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:339-354. [PMID: 33631314 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The consolidation of declarative memories is believed to occur mostly during sleep and involves a dialogue between two brain regions, the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex. The information encoded during experience by neuronal assemblies is replayed during sleep leading to the progressive strengthening and integration of the memory trace in the prefrontal cortex. The gradual transfer of information from the hippocampus to the medial prefrontal cortex for long-term storage requires the synchronization of cortico-hippocampal networks by different oscillations, like ripples, spindles, and slow oscillations. Recent studies suggest the involvement of a third partner, the nucleus reuniens, in memory consolidation. Its bidirectional connections with the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex place the reuniens in a key position to relay information between the two structures. Indeed, many topical works reveal the original role that the nucleus reuniens occupies in different recent and remote memories consolidation. This review aimed to examine these contributions, as well as its functional embedment in this complex memory network, and provide some insights on the possible mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëva Ferraris
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, INS, Inst Neurosci Syst, Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Laboratoire De Neurosciences Cognitives Et Adaptatives, Université De Strasbourg, F-67000, Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
- Laboratoire De Neurosciences Cognitives Et Adaptatives, Université De Strasbourg, F-67000, Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Aline Stephan
- Laboratoire De Neurosciences Cognitives Et Adaptatives, Université De Strasbourg, F-67000, Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000, Strasbourg, France
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45
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Linley SB, Athanason AC, Rojas AK, Vertes RP. Role of the reuniens and rhomboid thalamic nuclei in anxiety‐like avoidance behavior in the rat. Hippocampus 2021; 31:756-769. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie B. Linley
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Florida USA
- Department of Psychology Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Florida USA
| | | | - Amanda K.P. Rojas
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Florida USA
| | - Robert P. Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Florida USA
- Department of Psychology Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton Florida USA
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46
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Zhang L, Hernandez VS, Gerfen CR, Jiang SZ, Zavala L, Barrio RA, Eiden LE. Behavioral role of PACAP signaling reflects its selective distribution in glutamatergic and GABAergic neuronal subpopulations. eLife 2021; 10:61718. [PMID: 33463524 PMCID: PMC7875564 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide PACAP, acting as a co-transmitter, increases neuronal excitability, which may enhance anxiety and arousal associated with threat conveyed by multiple sensory modalities. The distribution of neurons expressing PACAP and its receptor, PAC1, throughout the mouse nervous system was determined, in register with expression of glutamatergic and GABAergic neuronal markers, to develop a coherent chemoanatomical picture of PACAP role in brain motor responses to sensory input. A circuit role for PACAP was tested by observing Fos activation of brain neurons after olfactory threat cue in wild-type and PACAP knockout mice. Neuronal activation and behavioral response, were blunted in PACAP knock-out mice, accompanied by sharply downregulated vesicular transporter expression in both GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons expressing PACAP and its receptor. This report signals a new perspective on the role of neuropeptide signaling in supporting excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the nervous system within functionally coherent polysynaptic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limei Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.,Section on Molecular Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, United States
| | - Vito S Hernandez
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Charles R Gerfen
- Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, United States
| | - Sunny Z Jiang
- Section on Molecular Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, United States
| | - Lilian Zavala
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rafael A Barrio
- Section on Molecular Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, United States.,Department of Complex Systems, Institute of Physics, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico, Mexico
| | - Lee E Eiden
- Section on Molecular Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program, Bethesda, United States
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47
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Hatzipantelis C, Langiu M, Vandekolk TH, Pierce TL, Nithianantharajah J, Stewart GD, Langmead CJ. Translation-Focused Approaches to GPCR Drug Discovery for Cognitive Impairments Associated with Schizophrenia. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:1042-1062. [PMID: 33344888 PMCID: PMC7737210 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
There are no effective therapeutics for cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS), which includes deficits in executive functions (working memory and cognitive flexibility) and episodic memory. Compounds that have entered clinical trials are inadequate in terms of efficacy and/or tolerability, highlighting a clear translational bottleneck and a need for a cohesive preclinical drug development strategy. In this review we propose hippocampal-prefrontal-cortical (HPC-PFC) circuitry underlying CIAS-relevant cognitive processes across mammalian species as a target source to guide the translation-focused discovery and development of novel, procognitive agents. We highlight several G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) enriched within HPC-PFC circuitry as therapeutic targets of interest, including noncanonical approaches (biased agonism and allosteric modulation) to conventional clinical targets, such as dopamine and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, along with prospective novel targets, including the orphan receptors GPR52 and GPR139. We also describe the translational limitations of popular preclinical cognition tests and suggest touchscreen-based assays that probe cognitive functions reliant on HPC-PFC circuitry and reflect tests used in the clinic, as tests of greater translational relevance. Combining pharmacological and behavioral testing strategies based in HPC-PFC circuit function creates a cohesive, translation-focused approach to preclinical drug development that may improve the translational bottleneck currently hindering the development of treatments for CIAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra
J. Hatzipantelis
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Monica Langiu
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Teresa H. Vandekolk
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Tracie L. Pierce
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Jess Nithianantharajah
- Florey
Institute of Neuroscience
and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Gregory D. Stewart
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Christopher J. Langmead
- Drug
Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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48
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Hansen PN, Krøigård T, Nguyen N, Frandsen RV, Jennum PJ, Beier CP. Severe hypersomnia after unilateral infarction in the pulvinar nucleus- a case report. BMC Neurol 2020; 20:442. [PMID: 33287737 PMCID: PMC7720584 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-020-02018-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although a central role of the thalamus for sleep regulation is undisputed, the exact localization of the crucial structures within the thalamus remains controversial. Case presentation Here we report a 35 year old woman with no prior comorbidities who developed severe and persistent hypersomnia with long sleep time after a small right-sided MRI-verified thalamic stroke affecting the dorsal part of the pulvinar and the dorsolateral boarders of the dorsomedial nuclei. Conclusion The observed symptoms suggest a crucial role of posterior thalamus but not the midline parts of the thalamus in sleep-wake control. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12883-020-02018-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Nørregaard Hansen
- Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense, Denmark
| | - Thomas Krøigård
- Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Neurophysiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Nina Nguyen
- Department of Radiology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Rune Vestergaard Frandsen
- Danish Center for Sleep Medicine, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Poul Jørgen Jennum
- Danish Center for Sleep Medicine, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christoph P Beier
- Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense, Denmark. .,Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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49
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Mathiasen ML, O'Mara SM, Aggleton JP. The anterior thalamic nuclei and nucleus reuniens: So similar but so different. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 119:268-280. [PMID: 33069688 PMCID: PMC7738755 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Two thalamic sites are of especial significance for understanding hippocampal - diencephalic interactions: the anterior thalamic nuclei and nucleus reuniens. Both nuclei have dense, direct interconnections with the hippocampal formation, and both are directly connected with many of the same cortical and subcortical areas. These two thalamic sites also contain neurons responsive to spatial stimuli while lesions within these two same areas can disrupt spatial learning tasks that are hippocampal dependent. Despite these many similarities, closer analysis reveals important differences in the details of their connectivity and the behavioural impact of lesions in these two thalamic sites. These nuclei play qualitatively different roles that largely reflect the contrasting relative importance of their medial frontal cortex interactions (nucleus reuniens) compared with their retrosplenial, cingulate, and mammillary body interactions (anterior thalamic nuclei). While the anterior thalamic nuclei are critical for multiple aspects of hippocampal spatial encoding and performance, nucleus reuniens contributes, as required, to aid cognitive control and help select correct from competing memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias L Mathiasen
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, UK
| | - Shane M O'Mara
- School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - John P Aggleton
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, UK.
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50
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A Visual Circuit Related to the Nucleus Reuniens for the Spatial-Memory-Promoting Effects of Light Treatment. Neuron 2020; 109:347-362.e7. [PMID: 33171117 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Light exerts profound effects on cognitive functions across species, including humans. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying the effects of light on cognitive functions are poorly understood. In this study, we show that long-term exposure to bright-light treatment promotes spatial memory through a di-synaptic visual circuit related to the nucleus reuniens (Re). Specifically, a subset of SMI-32-expressing ON-type retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) innervate CaMKIIα neurons in the thalamic ventral lateral geniculate nucleus and intergeniculate leaflet (vLGN/IGL), which in turn activate CaMKIIα neurons in the Re. Specific activation of vLGN/IGL-projecting RGCs, activation of Re-projecting vLGN/IGL neurons, or activation of postsynaptic Re neurons is sufficient to promote spatial memory. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the spatial-memory-promoting effects of light treatment are dependent on the activation of vLGN/IGL-projecting RGCs, Re-projecting vLGN/IGL neurons, and Re neurons. Our results reveal a dedicated subcortical visual circuit that mediates the spatial-memory-promoting effects of light treatment.
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