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Yáñez J, Eguiguren MH, Anadón R. Neural connections of the torus semicircularis in the adult Zebrafish. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25586. [PMID: 38289191 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25586] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
The torus semicircularis (TS) of teleosts is a key midbrain center of the lateral line and acoustic sensory systems. To characterize the TS in adult zebrafish, we studied their connections using the carbocyanine tracers applied to the TS and to other related nuclei and tracts. Two main TS nuclei, central and ventrolateral, were differentiable by their afferent connections. From central TS, (TSc) numerous toropetal cells were labeled bilaterally in several primary octaval nuclei (anterior, magnocellular, descending, and posterior octaval nuclei), in the secondary octaval nucleus, in the caudal octavolateralis nucleus, and in the perilemniscular region. In the midbrain, numerous toropetal cells were labeled in the contralateral TSc. In the diencephalon, toropetal cells labeled from the TSc were observed ipsilaterally in the medial prethalamic nucleus and the periventricular posterior tubercle nucleus. TSc toropetal neurons were also labeled bilaterally in the hypothalamic anterior tuberal nucleus (ATN) and ipsilaterally in the parvicellular preoptic nucleus but not in the telencephalon. Tracer application to the medial octavolateralis nucleus revealed contralateral projections to the ventrolateral TS (TSvl), whereas tracer application to the secondary octaval nucleus labeled fibers bilaterally in TSc and neurons in rostral TSc. The TSc sends ascending fibers to the ipsilateral lateral preglomerular region that, in turn, projects to the pallium. Application of DiI to the optic tectum labeled cells and fibers in the TSvl, whereas application of DiI to the ATN labeled cells and fibers in the TSc. These results reveal that the TSvl and TSc are mainly related with the mechanosensory lateral line and acoustic centers, respectively, and that they show different higher order connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julián Yáñez
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of A Coruña, Coruña, Spain
- Interdisciplinary Center for Chemistry and Biology (CICA), University of A Coruña, Coruña, Spain
| | | | - Ramón Anadón
- Department of Functional Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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2
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Rogers LS, Van Wert JC, Mensinger AF. Response of toadfish ( Opsanus tau) utricular afferents to multimodal inputs. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:364-377. [PMID: 35830608 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00483.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The inner ear of teleost fishes is composed of three paired multimodal otolithic end organs (saccule, utricle, and lagena), which encode auditory and vestibular inputs via the deflection of hair cells contained within the sensory epithelia of each organ. However, it remains unclear how the multimodal otolithic end organs of the teleost inner ear simultaneously integrate vestibular and auditory inputs. Therefore, microwire electrodes were chronically implanted using a 3D printed micromanipulator into the utricular nerve of oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) to determine how utricular afferents respond to conspecific mate vocalizations termed boatwhistles (180 Hz fundamental frequency) during movement. Utricular afferents were recorded while fish were passively moved using a sled system along an underwater track at variable speeds (velocity: 4.0 - 12.5 cm/s; acceleration: 0.2 - 2.6 cm/s2) and while fish freely swam (velocity: 3.5 - 18.6 cm/s; acceleration: 0.8 - 29.8 cm/s2). Afferent fiber activities (spikes/s) increased in response to the onset of passive and active movements; however, afferent fibers differentially adapted to sustained movements. Additionally, utricular afferent fibers remained sensitive to playbacks of conspecific male boatwhistle vocalizations during both passive and active movements. Here, we demonstrate in alert toadfish that utricular afferents exhibit enhanced activity levels (spikes/s) in response to behaviorally-relevant acoustic stimuli during swimming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loranzie S Rogers
- Biology Department, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN, United States.,Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | | | - Allen F Mensinger
- Biology Department, University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN, United States.,Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, United States
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3
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Howell KJ, Beston SM, Stearns S, Walsh MR. Coordinated evolution of brain size, structure, and eye size in Trinidadian killifish. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:365-375. [PMID: 33437435 PMCID: PMC7790632 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain size, brain architecture, and eye size vary extensively in vertebrates. However, the extent to which the evolution of these components is intricately connected remains unclear. Trinidadian killifish, Anablepsoides hartii, are found in sites that differ in the presence and absence of large predatory fish. Decreased rates of predation are associated with evolutionary shifts in brain size; males from sites without predators have evolved a relatively larger brain and eye size than males from sites with predators. Here, we evaluated the extent to which the evolution of brain size, brain structure, and eye size covary in male killifish. We utilized wild-caught and common garden-reared specimens to determine whether specific components of the brain have evolved in response to differences in predation and to determine if there is covariation between the evolution of brain size, brain structure, and eye size. We observed consistent shifts in brain architecture in second generation common garden reared, but not wild caught preserved fish. Male killifish from sites that lack predators exhibited a significantly larger telencephalon, optic tectum, cerebellum, and dorsal medulla when compared with fish from sites with predators. We also found positive connections between the evolution of brain structure and eye size but not between overall brain size and eye size. These results provide evidence for evolutionary covariation between the components of the brain and eye size. Such results suggest that selection, directly or indirectly, acts upon specific regions of the brain, rather than overall brain size, to enhance visual capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sara Stearns
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonTXUSA
| | - Matthew R. Walsh
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonArlingtonTXUSA
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Hawkins AD, Popper AN. Directional hearing and sound source localization by fishes. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 144:3329. [PMID: 30599653 DOI: 10.1121/1.5082306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Directional hearing may enable fishes to seek out prey, avoid predators, find mates, and detect important spatial cues. Early sound localization experiments gave negative results, and it was thought unlikely that fishes utilized the same direction-finding mechanisms as terrestrial vertebrates. However, fishes swim towards underwater sound sources, and some can discriminate between sounds from different directions and distances. The otolith organs of the inner ear detect the particle motion components of sound, acting as vector detectors through the presence of sensory hair cells with differing orientation. However, many questions remain on inner ear functioning. There are problems in understanding the actual mechanisms involved in determining sound direction and distance. Moreover, very little is still known about the ability of fishes to locate sound sources in three-dimensional space. Do fishes swim directly towards a source, or instead "sample" sound levels while moving towards the source? To what extent do fishes utilize other senses and especially vision in locating the source? Further behavioral studies of free-swimming fishes are required to provide better understanding of how fishes might actually locate sound sources. In addition, more experiments are required on the auditory mechanism that fishes may utilize.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arthur N Popper
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
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Walton PL, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Carr C. Evolution of Sound Source Localization Circuits in the Nonmammalian Vertebrate Brainstem. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2017; 90:131-153. [PMID: 28988244 PMCID: PMC5691234 DOI: 10.1159/000476028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The earliest vertebrate ears likely subserved a gravistatic function for orientation in the aquatic environment. However, in addition to detecting acceleration created by the animal's own movements, the otolithic end organs that detect linear acceleration would have responded to particle movement created by external sources. The potential to identify and localize these external sources may have been a major selection force in the evolution of the early vertebrate ear and in the processing of sound in the central nervous system. The intrinsic physiological polarization of sensory hair cells on the otolith organs confers sensitivity to the direction of stimulation, including the direction of particle motion at auditory frequencies. In extant fishes, afferents from otolithic end organs encode the axis of particle motion, which is conveyed to the dorsal regions of first-order octaval nuclei. This directional information is further enhanced by bilateral computations in the medulla and the auditory midbrain. We propose that similar direction-sensitive neurons were present in the early aquatic tetrapods and that selection for sound localization in air acted upon preexisting brain stem circuits like those in fishes. With movement onto land, the early tetrapods may have retained some sensitivity to particle motion, transduced by bone conduction, and later acquired new auditory papillae and tympanic hearing. Tympanic hearing arose in parallel within each of the major tetrapod lineages and would have led to increased sensitivity to a broader frequency range and to modification of the preexisting circuitry for sound source localization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Catherine Carr
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park MD, 20742-4415, USA
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6
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Jaggard J, Robinson BG, Stahl BA, Oh I, Masek P, Yoshizawa M, Keene AC. The lateral line confers evolutionarily derived sleep loss in the Mexican cavefish. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:284-293. [PMID: 28100806 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.145128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Sleep is an essential behavior exhibited by nearly all animals, and disruption of this process is associated with an array of physiological and behavioral deficits. Sleep is defined by changes in sensory gating that reduce sensory input to the brain, but little is known about the neural basis for interactions between sleep and sensory processing. Blind Mexican cavefish comprise an extant surface dwelling form and 29 cave morphs that have independently evolved increased numbers of mechanoreceptive lateral line neuromasts and convergent evolution of sleep loss. Ablation of the lateral line enhanced sleep in the Pachón cavefish population, suggesting that heightened sensory input underlies evolutionarily derived sleep loss. Targeted lateral line ablation and behavioral analysis localized the wake-promoting neuromasts in Pachón cavefish to superficial neuromasts of the trunk and cranial regions. Strikingly, lateral line ablation did not affect sleep in four other cavefish populations, suggesting that distinct neural mechanisms regulate the evolution of sleep loss in independently derived cavefish populations. Cavefish are subject to seasonal changes in food availability, raising the possibility that sensory modulation of sleep is influenced by metabolic state. We found that starvation promotes sleep in Pachón cavefish, and is not enhanced by lateral line ablation, suggesting that functional interactions occur between sensory and metabolic regulation of sleep. Taken together, these findings support a model where sensory processing contributes to evolutionarily derived changes in sleep that are modulated in accordance with food availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Jaggard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Beatriz G Robinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Bethany A Stahl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Ian Oh
- Davidson Academy of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Pavel Masek
- Department of Biology, SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
| | - Masato Yoshizawa
- Department of Biology, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
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McCormick CA, Gallagher S, Cantu-Hertzler E, Woodrick S. Mechanosensory Lateral Line Nerve Projections to Auditory Neurons in the Dorsal Descending Octaval Nucleus in the Goldfish, Carassius auratus. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2016; 88:68-80. [PMID: 27532270 DOI: 10.1159/000447943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus medialis is the main first-order target of the mechanosensory lateral line (LL) system. This report definitively demonstrates that mechanosensory LL inputs also terminate in the ipsilateral dorsal portion of the descending octaval nucleus (dDO) in the goldfish. The dDO, which is the main first-order auditory nucleus in bony fishes, includes neurons that receive direct input from the otolithic end organs of the inner ear and project to the auditory midbrain. There are two groups of such auditory projection neurons: medial and lateral. The medial and the lateral groups in turn contain several neuronal populations, each of which includes one or more morphological cell types. In goldfish, the exclusively mechanosensory anterior and posterior LL nerves terminate only on specific cell types of auditory projection neurons in the lateral dDO group. Single neurons in the lateral dDO group may receive input from both anterior and posterior LL nerves. It is possible that some of the lateral dDO neurons that receive LL input also receive input from one or more of the otolithic end organs. These results are consistent with functional studies demonstrating low frequency acoustic sensitivity of the mechanosensory LL in teleosts, and they reveal that the anatomical substrate for sensory integration of otolithic and LL inputs is present at the origin of the central ascending auditory pathway in an otophysine fish.
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What the Toadfish Ear Tells the Toadfish Brain About Sound. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 877:197-226. [PMID: 26515316 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-21059-9_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Of the three, paired otolithic endorgans in the ear of teleost fishes, the saccule is the one most often demonstrated to have a major role in encoding frequencies of biologically relevant sounds. The toadfish saccule also encodes sound level and sound source direction in the phase-locked activity conveyed via auditory afferents to nuclei of the ipsilateral octaval column in the medulla. Although paired auditory receptors are present in teleost fishes, binaural processes were believed to be unimportant due to the speed of sound in water and the acoustic transparency of the tissues in water. In contrast, there are behavioral and anatomical data that support binaural processing in fishes. Studies in the toadfish combined anatomical tract-tracing and physiological recordings from identified sites along the ascending auditory pathway to document response characteristics at each level. Binaural computations in the medulla and midbrain sharpen the directional information provided by the saccule. Furthermore, physiological studies in the central nervous system indicated that encoding frequency, sound level, temporal pattern, and sound source direction are important components of what the toadfish ear tells the toadfish brain about sound.
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9
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Forlano PM, Maruska KP, Sisneros JA, Bass AH. Hormone-Dependent Plasticity of Auditory Systems in Fishes. HEARING AND HORMONES 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-26597-1_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Forlano PM, Kim SD, Krzyminska ZM, Sisneros JA. Catecholaminergic connectivity to the inner ear, central auditory, and vocal motor circuitry in the plainfin midshipman fish porichthys notatus. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:2887-927. [PMID: 24715479 PMCID: PMC4107124 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Revised: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Although the neuroanatomical distribution of catecholaminergic (CA) neurons has been well documented across all vertebrate classes, few studies have examined CA connectivity to physiologically and anatomically identified neural circuitry that controls behavior. The goal of this study was to characterize CA distribution in the brain and inner ear of the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) with particular emphasis on their relationship with anatomically labeled circuitry that both produces and encodes social acoustic signals in this species. Neurobiotin labeling of the main auditory end organ, the saccule, combined with tyrosine hydroxylase immunofluorescence (TH-ir) revealed a strong CA innervation of both the peripheral and central auditory system. Diencephalic TH-ir neurons in the periventricular posterior tuberculum, known to be dopaminergic, send ascending projections to the ventral telencephalon and prominent descending projections to vocal-acoustic integration sites, notably the hindbrain octavolateralis efferent nucleus, as well as onto the base of hair cells in the saccule via nerve VIII. Neurobiotin backfills of the vocal nerve in combination with TH-ir revealed CA terminals on all components of the vocal pattern generator, which appears to largely originate from local TH-ir neurons but may include input from diencephalic projections as well. This study provides strong neuroanatomical evidence that catecholamines are important modulators of both auditory and vocal circuitry and acoustic-driven social behavior in midshipman fish. This demonstration of TH-ir terminals in the main end organ of hearing in a nonmammalian vertebrate suggests a conserved and important anatomical and functional role for dopamine in normal audition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Forlano
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210
- Programs in Neuroscience, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, and Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210
- Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543
| | - Spencer D. Kim
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210
| | - Zuzanna M. Krzyminska
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210
| | - Joseph A. Sisneros
- Departments of Psychology and Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195
- Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, Seattle
- Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543
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11
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Mahmoud A, Reed C, Maklad A. Central projections of lagenar primary neurons in the chick. J Comp Neurol 2014; 521:3524-40. [PMID: 23749554 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2013] [Revised: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Perception of linear acceleration and head position is the function of the utricle and saccule in mammals. Nonmammalian vertebrates possess a third otolith endorgan, the macula lagena. Different functions have been ascribed to the lagena in arboreal birds, including hearing, equilibrium, homing behavior, and magnetoreception. However, no conclusive evidence on the function of the lagena in birds is currently available. The present study is aimed at providing a neuroanatomical substrate for the function of the lagena in the chicken as an example of terrestrial birds. The afferents from the lagena of chick embryos (E19) to the brainstem and cerebellum were investigated by the sensitive lipophilic tracer Neuro Vue Red in postfixed ears. The results revealed that all the main vestibular nuclei, including the tangential nucleus, received lagenar projections. No lagenar terminals were found in auditory centers, including the cochlear nuclei. In the cerebellum, the labeled terminals were found variably in all of the cerebellar nuclei. In the cerebellar cortex, the labeled fibers were found mostly in the uvula, with fewer afferents in the flocculus and paraflocculus. None was seen in the nodulus. The absence of lagenar afferent projections in auditory nuclei and the presence of a projection pattern in the vestibular nuclei and cerebellum similar to that of the utricle and saccule suggest that the primary role of the lagena in the chick lies in the processing of vestibular information related to linear acceleration and static head position.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amany Mahmoud
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, 39216
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12
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Babin PJ, Goizet C, Raldúa D. Zebrafish models of human motor neuron diseases: advantages and limitations. Prog Neurobiol 2014; 118:36-58. [PMID: 24705136 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2014.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are an etiologically heterogeneous group of disorders of neurodegenerative origin, which result in degeneration of lower (LMNs) and/or upper motor neurons (UMNs). Neurodegenerative MNDs include pure hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), which involves specific degeneration of UMNs, leading to progressive spasticity of the lower limbs. In contrast, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) involves the specific degeneration of LMNs, with symmetrical muscle weakness and atrophy. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common adult-onset MND, is characterized by the degeneration of both UMNs and LMNs, leading to progressive muscle weakness, atrophy, and spasticity. A review of the comparative neuroanatomy of the human and zebrafish motor systems showed that, while the zebrafish was a homologous model for LMN disorders, such as SMA, it was only partially relevant in the case of UMN disorders, due to the absence of corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts in its central nervous system. Even considering the limitation of this model to fully reproduce the human UMN disorders, zebrafish offer an excellent alternative vertebrate model for the molecular and genetic dissection of MND mechanisms. Its advantages include the conservation of genome and physiological processes and applicable in vivo tools, including easy imaging, loss or gain of function methods, behavioral tests to examine changes in motor activity, and the ease of simultaneous chemical/drug testing on large numbers of animals. This facilitates the assessment of the environmental origin of MNDs, alone or in combination with genetic traits and putative modifier genes. Positive hits obtained by phenotype-based small-molecule screening using zebrafish may potentially be effective drugs for treatment of human MNDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Babin
- Univ. Bordeaux, Maladies Rares: Génétique et Métabolisme (MRGM), EA 4576, Talence, France.
| | - Cyril Goizet
- Univ. Bordeaux, Maladies Rares: Génétique et Métabolisme (MRGM), EA 4576, Talence, France; CHU Bordeaux, Hôpital Pellegrin, Service de Génétique Médicale, Bordeaux, France
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Straka H, Baker R. Vestibular blueprint in early vertebrates. Front Neural Circuits 2013; 7:182. [PMID: 24312016 PMCID: PMC3833255 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Central vestibular neurons form identifiable subgroups within the boundaries of classically outlined octavolateral nuclei in primitive vertebrates that are distinct from those processing lateral line, electrosensory, and auditory signals. Each vestibular subgroup exhibits a particular morpho-physiological property that receives origin-specific sensory inputs from semicircular canal and otolith organs. Behaviorally characterized phenotypes send discrete axonal projections to extraocular, spinal, and cerebellar targets including other ipsi- and contralateral vestibular nuclei. The anatomical locations of vestibuloocular and vestibulospinal neurons correlate with genetically defined hindbrain compartments that are well conserved throughout vertebrate evolution though some variability exists in fossil and extant vertebrate species. The different vestibular subgroups exhibit a robust sensorimotor signal processing complemented with a high degree of vestibular and visual adaptive plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Straka
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Planegg, Germany
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14
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The role of ear stone size in hair cell acoustic sensory transduction. Sci Rep 2013; 3:2114. [PMID: 23817603 PMCID: PMC3698489 DOI: 10.1038/srep02114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Hearing and bodily balance are different sensations initiated by a common mechanism. Both sound- and head movement-dependent mechanical displacement are converted into electrical signals by the sensory hair cells. The saccule and utricle inner ear organs, in combination with their central projections to the hindbrain, are considered essential in fish for separating auditory and vestibular stimuli. Here, we established an in vivo method in larval zebrafish to manipulate otolith growth. We found that the saccule containing a large otolith is necessary to detect sound, whereas the utricle containing a small otolith is not sufficient. Otolith removal and relocation altered otolith growth such that utricles with experimentally enlarged otoliths acquired the sense of sound. These results show that otolith biomineralization occurs in a region-specific manner, and suggest that regulation of otolith size in the larval zebrafish ear is crucial to differentially sense auditory and vestibular information.
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15
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Kittelberger JM, Bass AH. Vocal-motor and auditory connectivity of the midbrain periaqueductal gray in a teleost fish. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:791-812. [PMID: 22826153 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2012] [Revised: 06/03/2012] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a central role in the descending control of vocalization across vertebrates. The PAG has also been implicated in auditory-vocal integration, although its precise role in such integration remains largely unexplored. Courtship and territorial interactions in plainfin midshipman fish depend on vocal communication, and the PAG is a central component of the midshipman vocal-motor system. We made focal neurobiotin injections into the midshipman PAG to both map its auditory-vocal circuitry and allow evolutionary comparisons with tetrapod vertebrates. These injections revealed an extensive bidirectional pattern of connectivity between the PAG and known sites in both the descending vocal-motor and the ascending auditory systems, including portions of the telencephalon, dorsal thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior tuberculum, midbrain, and hindbrain. Injections in the medial PAG produced dense label within hindbrain auditory nuclei, whereas those confined to the lateral PAG preferentially labeled hypothalamic and midbrain auditory areas. Thus, the teleost PAG may have functional subdivisions playing different roles in vocal-auditory integration. Together the results confirm several pathways previously identified by injections into known auditory or vocal areas and provide strong support for the hypothesis that the teleost PAG is centrally involved in auditory-vocal integration.
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16
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Petersen CL, Timothy M, Kim DS, Bhandiwad AA, Mohr RA, Sisneros JA, Forlano PM. Exposure to advertisement calls of reproductive competitors activates vocal-acoustic and catecholaminergic neurons in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70474. [PMID: 23936438 PMCID: PMC3735598 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While the neural circuitry and physiology of the auditory system is well studied among vertebrates, far less is known about how the auditory system interacts with other neural substrates to mediate behavioral responses to social acoustic signals. One species that has been the subject of intensive neuroethological investigation with regard to the production and perception of social acoustic signals is the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus, in part because acoustic communication is essential to their reproductive behavior. Nesting male midshipman vocally court females by producing a long duration advertisement call. Females localize males by their advertisement call, spawn and deposit all their eggs in their mate’s nest. As multiple courting males establish nests in close proximity to one another, the perception of another male’s call may modulate individual calling behavior in competition for females. We tested the hypothesis that nesting males exposed to advertisement calls of other males would show elevated neural activity in auditory and vocal-acoustic brain centers as well as differential activation of catecholaminergic neurons compared to males exposed only to ambient noise. Experimental brains were then double labeled by immunofluorescence (-ir) for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), an enzyme necessary for catecholamine synthesis, and cFos, an immediate-early gene product used as a marker for neural activation. Males exposed to other advertisement calls showed a significantly greater percentage of TH-ir cells colocalized with cFos-ir in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus and the dopaminergic periventricular posterior tuberculum, as well as increased numbers of cFos-ir neurons in several levels of the auditory and vocal-acoustic pathway. Increased activation of catecholaminergic neurons may serve to coordinate appropriate behavioral responses to male competitors. Additionally, these results implicate a role for specific catecholaminergic neuronal groups in auditory-driven social behavior in fishes, consistent with a conserved function in social acoustic behavior across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L. Petersen
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Miky Timothy
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - D. Spencer Kim
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Ashwin A. Bhandiwad
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Robert A. Mohr
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Joseph A. Sisneros
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Virginia Bloedel Hearing Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Paul M. Forlano
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
- Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
- Programs in Neuroscience, and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Zamora LY, Lu Z. Alcohol-induced morphological deficits in the development of octavolateral organs of the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish 2013; 10:52-61. [PMID: 23461415 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2012.0830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure is known to have many profound detrimental effects on human fetal development (fetal alcohol spectrum disorders), which may manifest as lifelong disabilities. However, how alcohol affects the auditory/vestibular system is still largely unknown. This is the first study to investigate morphological effects of alcohol on the developing octavolateral system (the inner ear and lateral line) using the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Zebrafish embryos of 2 hours post fertilization (hpf) were treated in 2% alcohol for 48 hours and screened at 72 hpf for morphological defects of the inner ear and lateral line. Octavolateral organs from both alcohol-treated and control zebrafish were examined using light, confocal, and scanning electron microscopy. We observed several otolith phenotypes for alcohol-treated zebrafish including zero, one, two abnormal, two normal, and multiple otoliths. Results of this study show that alcohol treatment during early development impairs the inner ear (smaller ear, abnormal otoliths, and fewer sensory hair cells) and the lateral line (smaller neuromasts, fewer neuromasts and hair cells per neuromast, and shorter kinocilia of hair cells). Early embryonic alcohol exposure may also result in defects in hearing, balance, and hydrodynamic function of zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilliann Y Zamora
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
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Functional Overlap and Nonoverlap Between Lateral Line and Auditory Systems. SPRINGER HANDBOOK OF AUDITORY RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/2506_2013_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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McCormick CA, Wallace AC. Otolith end organ projections to auditory neurons in the descending octaval nucleus of the goldfish, Carassius auratus: a confocal analysis. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2012; 80:41-63. [PMID: 22846681 DOI: 10.1159/000339746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2011] [Accepted: 05/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The distribution of axons from the saccule, lagena, and utricle to descending octaval nucleus neurons that project to the auditory midbrain in the goldfish is reported. We have divided these auditory projection neurons, located in the dorsal portion of the descending octaval nucleus (dDO), into two groups, medial and lateral, each of which contains several neuronal populations based on morphology and location. At most levels of the dDO, there are three medial and three lateral populations; the rostral dDO contains an additional lateral population. The saccule provides input to each of the seven medial and lateral populations but appears to be the exclusive/nearly exclusive source of primary input to the most dorsal cell group of the medial population. Along with the saccule, the lagena and utricle each supply the remaining six medial and lateral populations. Neurons in each of these populations receive input from more than one end organ. One medial and one lateral population include neurons that receive remarkably large contacts from utricular afferents. Overall, the results reveal a more substantial input from the lagena and utricle to the main first-order auditory nucleus in the goldfish than was previously recognized, suggest this nucleus is composed of functionally distinct populations, and relate to functional and evolutionary issues about hearing in early vertebrates.
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Bianco IH, Ma LH, Schoppik D, Robson DN, Orger MB, Beck JC, Li JM, Schier AF, Engert F, Baker R. The tangential nucleus controls a gravito-inertial vestibulo-ocular reflex. Curr Biol 2012; 22:1285-95. [PMID: 22704987 PMCID: PMC3647252 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2012] [Revised: 03/30/2012] [Accepted: 05/11/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although adult vertebrates sense changes in head position by using two classes of accelerometer, at larval stages zebrafish lack functional semicircular canals and rely exclusively on their otolithic organs to transduce vestibular information. RESULTS Despite this limitation, we find that larval zebrafish perform an effective vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) that serves to stabilize gaze in response to pitch and roll tilts. By using single-cell electroporations and targeted laser ablations, we identified a specific class of central vestibular neurons, located in the tangential nucleus, that are essential for the utricle-dependent VOR. Tangential nucleus neurons project contralaterally to extraocular motoneurons and in addition to multiple sites within the reticulospinal complex. CONCLUSIONS We propose that tangential neurons function as a broadband inertial accelerometer, processing utricular acceleration signals to control the activity of extraocular and postural neurons, thus completing a fundamental three-neuron circuit responsible for gaze stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac H Bianco
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Ontogeny of auditory saccular sensitivity in the plainfin midshipman fish, Porichthys notatus. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2011; 197:387-98. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-010-0623-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2010] [Revised: 12/23/2010] [Accepted: 12/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Khorevin VI. Cerebellar Projections of the Lagena (the Third Inner Ear Otolith Endorgan) in the Pigeon. NEUROPHYSIOLOGY+ 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s11062-010-9127-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Maruska KP, Tricas TC. Encoding properties of auditory neurons in the brain of a soniferous damselfish: response to simple tones and complex conspecific signals. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2009; 195:1071-88. [PMID: 19784842 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-009-0480-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2009] [Revised: 09/10/2009] [Accepted: 09/13/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The fish auditory system encodes important acoustic stimuli used in social communication, but few studies have examined response properties of central auditory neurons to natural signals. We determined the features and responses of single hindbrain and midbrain auditory neurons to tone bursts and playbacks of conspecific sounds in the soniferous damselfish, Abudefduf abdominalis. Most auditory neurons were either silent or had slow irregular resting discharge rates <20 spikes s(-1). Average best frequency for neurons to tone stimuli was approximately 130 Hz but ranged from 80 to 400 Hz with strong phase-locking. This low-frequency sensitivity matches the frequency band of natural sounds. Auditory neurons were also modulated by playbacks of conspecific sounds with thresholds similar to 100 Hz tones, but these thresholds were lower than that of tones at other test frequencies. Thresholds of neurons to natural sounds were lower in the midbrain than the hindbrain. This is the first study to compare response properties of auditory neurons to both simple tones and complex stimuli in the brain of a recently derived soniferous perciform that lacks accessory auditory structures. These data demonstrate that the auditory fish brain is most sensitive to the frequency and temporal components of natural pulsed sounds that provide important signals for conspecific communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen P Maruska
- Department of Zoology and Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2538 The Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
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Maruska KP, Tricas TC. Central projections of octavolateralis nerves in the brain of a soniferous damselfish (Abudefduf abdominalis). J Comp Neurol 2009; 512:628-50. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.21923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Peripheral and central processing of lateral line information. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2008; 194:145-58. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-007-0282-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2007] [Accepted: 10/18/2007] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Abstract
One of the primary challenges that sensory systems face is extracting relevant information from background noise. In the auditory system, the ear receives efferent feedback, which may help it extract signals from noise. Here we directly test the hypothesis that efferent activity increases the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the ear, using the relatively simple teleost ear. Tone-evoked saccular potentials were recorded before and after efferent stimulation, and the SNR of the responses was calculated. In quiet conditions, efferent stimulation suppressed saccular responses to a tone, reducing the SNR. However, when masking noise was added, efferent stimulation increased the SNR of the saccular responses within a range of stimulus combinations. These data demonstrate that auditory efferent feedback can increase SNR in conditions where a signal is masked by noise, thereby enhancing the encoding of signals in noise. Efferent feedback thus performs a fundamental signal processing function, helping the animal to hear sounds in difficult listening conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth M Tomchik
- University of Miami, Department of Biology, 1301 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables, Florida 33146, USA.
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Tomchik SM, Lu Z. Auditory physiology and anatomy of octavolateral efferent neurons in a teleost fish. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2005; 192:51-67. [PMID: 16180037 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-005-0050-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2005] [Revised: 08/05/2005] [Accepted: 08/07/2005] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Vertebrate hair cell systems receive innervation from efferent neurons in the brain. Here we report the responses of octavolateral efferent neurons that innervate the inner ear and lateral lines in a teleost fish, Dormitator latifrons, to directional linear accelerations, and compare them with the afferent responses from the saccule, the main auditory organ in the inner ear of this species. Efferent neurons responded to acoustic stimuli, but had significantly different response properties than saccular afferents. The efferents produced uniform, omnidirectional responses with no phase-locking. Evoked spike rates increased monotonically with stimulus intensity. Efferents were more broadly tuned and responsive to lower frequencies than saccular afferents, and efferent modulation of the otolithic organs and lateral lines is likely more pronounced at lower frequencies. The efferents had wide dynamic ranges, shallow rate-level function slopes, and low maximum discharge rates. These findings support the role of the efferent innervation of the otolithic organs as part of a general arousal system that modulates overall sensitivity of the peripheral octavolateral organs. In addition, efferent feedback may help unmask biologically relevant directional stimuli, such as those emitted by a predator, prey, or conspecific, by reducing sensitivity of the auditory system to omnidirectional ambient noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth M Tomchik
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.
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