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Zeng WX, Liu H, Hao Y, Qian KY, Tian FM, Li L, Yu B, Zeng XT, Gao S, Hu Z, Tong XJ. CaMKII mediates sexually dimorphic synaptic transmission at neuromuscular junctions in C. elegans. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:e202301117. [PMID: 37624117 PMCID: PMC10457463 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202301117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexually dimorphic behaviors are ubiquitous throughout the animal kingdom. Although both sex-specific and sex-shared neurons have been functionally implicated in these diverse behaviors, less is known about the roles of sex-shared neurons. Here, we discovered sexually dimorphic cholinergic synaptic transmission in C. elegans occurring at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), with males exhibiting increased release frequencies, which result in sexually dimorphic locomotion behaviors. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that males have significantly more synaptic vesicles (SVs) at their cholinergic synapses than hermaphrodites. Analysis of previously published transcriptome identified the male-enriched transcripts and focused our attention on UNC-43/CaMKII. We ultimately show that differential accumulation of UNC-43 at cholinergic neurons controls axonal SV abundance and synaptic transmission. Finally, we demonstrate that sex reversal of all neurons in hermaphrodites generates male-like cholinergic transmission and locomotion behaviors. Thus, beyond demonstrating UNC-43/CaMKII as an essential mediator of sex-specific synaptic transmission, our study provides molecular and cellular insights into how sex-shared neurons can generate sexually dimorphic locomotion behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Xin Zeng
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haowen Liu
- Queensland Brain Institute, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Yue Hao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kang-Ying Qian
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fu-Min Tian
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Li
- Queensland Brain Institute, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Bin Yu
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xian-Ting Zeng
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shangbang Gao
- College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhitao Hu
- Queensland Brain Institute, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, China
| | - Xia-Jing Tong
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
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2
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Abdullahi A, Wong TWL, Ng SSM. Effects and safety of vagus nerve stimulation on upper limb function in patients with stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15415. [PMID: 37723225 PMCID: PMC10507009 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42077-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is used to deliver electric current to stimulate the vagus nerve. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine its effects on motor function in patients with stroke. PubMED, Embase, Web of Science (WoS), and Scopus were searched. Data on time since stroke, and mean scores and standard deviation on outcomes such as level of impairment and motor function were extracted. The results showed that invasive (MD 2.66, 95% CI 1.19-4.13, P = 0.0004) and non-invasive (MD 24.16, 95% CI 23.56-24.75, P = 0.00001) VNS are superior at improving level of motor impairment than the control post intervention and at follow-up respectively. Similarly, VNS improved motor function post intervention (MD 0.28, 95% CI 0.15-0.41, P < 0.0001); and there was no significant difference in adverse events between invasive VNS and control (OR 2.15, 95% CI 0.97-4.74, P = 0.06), and between non-invasive VNS and control (OR 4.54, 95% CI 0.48-42.97, P = 0.19). VNS can be used to improve motor function in patients with stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auwal Abdullahi
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Thomson W L Wong
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Shamay S M Ng
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China.
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3
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Gamage R, Zaborszky L, Münch G, Gyengesi E. Evaluation of eGFP expression in the ChAT-eGFP transgenic mouse brain. BMC Neurosci 2023; 24:4. [PMID: 36650430 PMCID: PMC9847127 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-023-00773-9] [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: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A historically definitive marker for cholinergic neurons is choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), a synthesizing enzyme for acetylcholine, (ACh), which can be found in high concentrations in cholinergic neurons, both in the central and peripheral nervous systems. ChAT, is produced in the body of the neuron, transported to the nerve terminal (where its concentration is highest), and catalyzes the transfer of an acetyl group from the coenzyme acetyl-CoA to choline, yielding ACh. The creation of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice that express promoter-specific fluorescent reporter proteins (green fluorescent protein-[GFP]) provided an enormous advantage for neuroscience. Both in vivo and in vitro experimental methods benefited from the transgenic visualization of cholinergic neurons. Mice were created by adding a BAC clone into the ChAT locus, in which enhanced GFP (eGFP) is inserted into exon 3 at the ChAT initiation codon, robustly and supposedly selectively expressing eGFP in all cholinergic neurons and fibers in the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as in non-neuronal cells. METHODS This project systematically compared the exact distribution of the ChAT-eGFP expressing neurons in the brain with the expression of ChAT by immunohistochemistry using mapping and also made comparisons with in situ hybridization (ISH). RESULTS We qualitatively described the distribution of ChAT-eGFP neurons in the mouse brain by comparing it with the distribution of immunoreactive neurons and ISH data, paying special attention to areas where the expression did not overlap, such as the cortex, striatum, thalamus and hypothalamus. We found a complete overlap between the transgenic expression of eGFP and the immunohistochemical staining in the areas of the cholinergic basal forebrain. However, in the cortex and hippocampus, we found small neurons that were only labeled with the antibody and not expressed eGFP or vice versa. Most importantly, we found no transgenic expression of eGFP in the lateral dorsal, ventral and dorsomedial tegmental nuclei cholinergic cells. CONCLUSION While the majority of the forebrain ChAT expression was aligned in the transgenic animals with immunohistochemistry, other areas of interest, such as the brainstem should be considered before choosing this particular transgenic mouse line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashmi Gamage
- grid.1029.a0000 0000 9939 5719Pharmacology Unit, Group of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751 Australia
| | - Laszlo Zaborszky
- grid.430387.b0000 0004 1936 8796Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07102 USA
| | - Gerald Münch
- grid.1029.a0000 0000 9939 5719Pharmacology Unit, Group of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751 Australia
| | - Erika Gyengesi
- grid.1029.a0000 0000 9939 5719Pharmacology Unit, Group of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751 Australia
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4
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Cholinergic Internal and Projection Systems of Hippocampus and Neocortex Critical for Early Spatial Memory Consolidation in Normal and Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion Conditions in Rats with Different Abilities to Consolidation: The Role of Cholinergic Interneurons of the Hippocampus. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10071532. [PMID: 35884837 PMCID: PMC9313465 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10071532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of cholinergic projection systems of the neocortex and hippocampus in memory consolidation in healthy and neuropathological conditions has been subject to intensive research. On the contrary, the significance of cholinergic cortical and hippocampal interneurons in learning has hardly been studied. We aimed to evaluate the role of both cholinergic projection neurons and interneurons of the neocortex and hippocampus at an early stage of spatial memory consolidation (2s1) in normal and chronic brain hypoperfusion conditions. Control rats and rats subjected to permanent two-vessel occlusion were trained with the Morris water maze, and the activity of membrane-bound and water-soluble choline acetyltransferase was evaluated in the sub-fractions of ‘light’ and ‘heavy’ synaptosomes of the neocortex and hippocampus, in which the presynapses of cholinergic projections and interneurons, respectively, are concentrated. Animals were ranked into quartiles according to their performance on stage 2s1. We found: (1) quartile-dependent cholinergic composition of 2s1 function and dynamics of cholinergic synaptic plasticity under cerebral hypoperfusion; (2) cholinergic hippocampal interneurons are necessary for successful 2s1 consolidation; (3) cholinergic neocortical interneurons and projections can be critical for 2s1 consolidation in less learning rats. We conclude that targeted modulation of cholinergic synaptic activity in the hippocampus and neocortex can be effective in reversing the cognitive disturbance of cerebral hypoperfusion. We discuss the possible ways to restore the impaired spatial memory 2s1 in the presence of cerebral hypoperfusion.
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Garzón M, Chan J, Mackie K, Pickel VM. Prefrontal cortical distribution of muscarinic M2 and cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptors in adult male mice with or without chronic adolescent exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5420-5437. [PMID: 35151230 PMCID: PMC9712711 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic adolescent administration of marijuana's major psychoactive compound, ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), produces adaptive changes in adult social and cognitive functions sustained by prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL-PFC). Memory and learning processes in PL-PFC neurons can be regulated through cholinergic muscarinic-2 receptors (M2R) and modulated by activation of cannabinoid-1 receptors (CB1Rs) targeted by Δ9-THC. Thus, chronic exposure to Δ9-THC during adolescence may alter the expression and/or distribution of M2Rs in PL-PFC neurons receiving CB1R terminals. We tested this hypothesis by using electron microscopic dual CB1R and M2R immunolabeling in adult C57BL/6 J male mice that had received vehicle or escalating dose of Δ9-THC through adolescence. In vehicle controls, CB1R immunolabeling was mainly localized to axonal profiles virtually devoid of M2R but often apposing M2R-immunoreactive dendrites and dendritic spines. The dendrites received inputs from CB1R-labeled or unlabeled terminals, whereas spines received asymmetric synapses exclusively from axon terminals lacking CB1Rs. Adolescent Δ9-THC significantly increased plasmalemmal M2R-immunogold density exclusively in large dendrites receiving input from CB1R-labeled terminals. In contrast, cytoplasmic M2R-immunogold density decreased in small spines of the Δ9-THC-treated adult mice. We conclude that Δ9-THC engagement of CB1Rs during adolescence increases M2R plasmalemmal accumulation in large proximal dendrites and decreases M2R cytoplasmic expression in small spines of PL-PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Garzón
- Corresponding author: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Medical School, Autónoma University of Madrid, Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
| | - June Chan
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, 407 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ken Mackie
- Linda and Jack Gill Center for Biomolecular Science, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Virginia M Pickel
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, 407 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065, USA
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6
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Nayeri T, Sarvi S, Daryani A. Toxoplasmosis: Targeting neurotransmitter systems in psychiatric disorders. Metab Brain Dis 2022; 37:123-146. [PMID: 34476718 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-021-00824-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The most common form of the disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is latent toxoplasmosis due to the formation of tissue cysts in various organs, such as the brain. Latent toxoplasmosis is probably a risk factor in the development of some neuropsychiatric disorders. Behavioral changes after infection are caused by the host immune response, manipulation by the parasite, central nervous system (CNS) inflammation, as well as changes in hormonal and neuromodulator relationships. The present review focused on the exact mechanisms of T. gondii effect on the alteration of behavior and neurotransmitter levels, their catabolites and metabolites, as well as the interaction between immune responses and this parasite in the etiopathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. The dysfunction of neurotransmitters in the neural transmission is associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, further intensive studies are required to determine the effect of this parasite on altering the level of neurotransmitters and the role of neurotransmitters in the etiology of host behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tooran Nayeri
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Shahabeddin Sarvi
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Ahmad Daryani
- Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
- Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
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7
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Hwang JS, Shin YJ. Role of Choline in Ocular Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:4733. [PMID: 33946979 PMCID: PMC8124599 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Choline is essential for maintaining the structure and function of cells in humans. Choline plays an important role in eye health and disease. It is a precursor of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system, and it is involved in the production and secretion of tears by the lacrimal glands. It also contributes to the stability of the cells and tears on the ocular surface and is involved in retinal development and differentiation. Choline deficiency is associated with retinal hemorrhage, glaucoma, and dry eye syndrome. Choline supplementation may be effective for treating these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Young-Joo Shin
- Department of Ophthalmology, Hallym University Medical Center, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul 07442, Korea;
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8
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Veith VK, Quigley C, Treue S. Cholinergic manipulations affect sensory responses but not attentional enhancement in macaque MT. BMC Biol 2021; 19:49. [PMID: 33726757 PMCID: PMC7967954 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-00993-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attentional modulation in the visual cortex of primates is characterized by multiplicative changes of sensory responses with changes in the attentional state of the animal. The cholinergic system has been linked to such gain changes in V1. Here, we aim to determine if a similar link exists in macaque area MT. While rhesus monkeys performed a top-down spatial attention task, we locally injected a cholinergic agonist or antagonist and recorded single-cell activity. RESULTS Although we confirmed cholinergic influences on sensory responses, there was no additional cholinergic effect on the attentional gain changes. Neither a muscarinic blockage nor a local increase in acetylcholine led to a significant change in the magnitude of spatial attention effects on firing rates. CONCLUSIONS This suggests that the cellular mechanisms of attentional modulation in the extrastriate cortex cannot be directly inferred from those in the primary visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Katharina Veith
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Cliodhna Quigley
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany.,Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Treue
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany. .,Faculty for Biology and Psychology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany. .,Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Goettingen, Germany.
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9
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Dudai A, Yayon N, Soreq H, London M. Cortical VIP
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/ChAT
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interneurons: From genetics to function. J Neurochem 2021; 158:1320-1333. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amir Dudai
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) The Department of Neurobiology The Life Sciences Institute The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Nadav Yayon
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) The Department of Biological Chemistry The Life Sciences Institute The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Hermona Soreq
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) The Department of Biological Chemistry The Life Sciences Institute The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
| | - Michael London
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) The Department of Neurobiology The Life Sciences Institute The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Jerusalem Israel
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10
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Tukker JJ, Beed P, Schmitz D, Larkum ME, Sachdev RNS. Up and Down States and Memory Consolidation Across Somatosensory, Entorhinal, and Hippocampal Cortices. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:22. [PMID: 32457582 PMCID: PMC7227438 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the course of a day, brain states fluctuate, from conscious awake information-acquiring states to sleep states, during which previously acquired information is further processed and stored as memories. One hypothesis is that memories are consolidated and stored during "offline" states such as sleep, a process thought to involve transfer of information from the hippocampus to other cortical areas. Up and Down states (UDS), patterns of activity that occur under anesthesia and sleep states, are likely to play a role in this process, although the nature of this role remains unclear. Here we review what is currently known about these mechanisms in three anatomically distinct but interconnected cortical areas: somatosensory cortex, entorhinal cortex, and the hippocampus. In doing so, we consider the role of this activity in the coordination of "replay" during sleep states, particularly during hippocampal sharp-wave ripples. We conclude that understanding the generation and propagation of UDS may provide key insights into the cortico-hippocampal dialogue linking archi- and neocortical areas during memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Tukker
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Berlin, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
| | - Prateep Beed
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dietmar Schmitz
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Neuroscience Research Center, Berlin, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Berlin, Germany.,Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew E Larkum
- Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Berlin, Germany.,Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institut für Biologie, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany
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11
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McDonald AJ. Functional neuroanatomy of the basolateral amygdala: Neurons, neurotransmitters, and circuits. HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 26:1-38. [PMID: 34220399 PMCID: PMC8248694 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-815134-1.00001-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, United States
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12
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Dudai A, Yayon N, Lerner V, Tasaka GI, Deitcher Y, Gorfine K, Niederhoffer N, Mizrahi A, Soreq H, London M. Barrel cortex VIP/ChAT interneurons suppress sensory responses in vivo. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000613. [PMID: 32027647 PMCID: PMC7029879 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cortical interneurons expressing vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) are sparsely distributed throughout the neocortex, constituting only 0.5% of its neuronal population. The co-expression of VIP and ChAT suggests that these VIP/ChAT interneurons (VChIs) can release both γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acetylcholine (ACh). In vitro physiological studies quantified the response properties and local connectivity patterns of the VChIs; however, the function of VChIs has not been explored in vivo. To study the role of VChIs in cortical network dynamics and their long-range connectivity pattern, we used in vivo electrophysiology and rabies virus tracing in the barrel cortex of mice. We found that VChIs have a low spontaneous spiking rate (approximately 1 spike/s) in the barrel cortex of anesthetized mice; nevertheless, they responded with higher fidelity to whisker stimulation than the neighboring layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons (Pyrs). Analysis of long-range inputs to VChIs with monosynaptic rabies virus tracing revealed that direct thalamic projections are a significant input source to these cells. Optogenetic activation of VChIs in the barrel cortex of awake mice suppresses the sensory responses of excitatory neurons in intermediate amplitudes of whisker deflections while increasing the evoked spike latency. The effect of VChI activation on the response was similar for both high-whisking (HW) and low-whisking (LW) conditions. Our findings demonstrate that, despite their sparsity, VChIs can effectively modulate sensory processing in the cortical microcircuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Dudai
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Neurobiology, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Nadav Yayon
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Biological Chemistry, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Vitaly Lerner
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Neurobiology, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gen-ichi Tasaka
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Neurobiology, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yair Deitcher
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Neurobiology, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Karin Gorfine
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Neurobiology, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Naomi Niederhoffer
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Biological Chemistry, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Adi Mizrahi
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Neurobiology, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hermona Soreq
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Biological Chemistry, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Michael London
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) and The Department of Neurobiology, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail:
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13
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Laque A, L De Ness G, Wagner GE, Nedelescu H, Carroll A, Watry D, M Kerr T, Koya E, Hope BT, Weiss F, Elmer GI, Suto N. Anti-relapse neurons in the infralimbic cortex of rats drive relapse-suppression by drug omission cues. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3934. [PMID: 31477694 PMCID: PMC6718661 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11799-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder of compulsive drug use. Studies of the neurobehavioral factors that promote drug relapse have yet to produce an effective treatment. Here we take a different approach and examine the factors that suppress-rather than promote-relapse. Adapting Pavlovian procedures to suppress operant drug response, we determined the anti-relapse action of environmental cues that signal drug omission (unavailability) in rats. Under laboratory conditions linked to compulsive drug use and heightened relapse risk, drug omission cues suppressed three major modes of relapse-promotion (drug-predictive cues, stress, and drug exposure) for cocaine and alcohol. This relapse-suppression is, in part, driven by omission cue-reactive neurons, which constitute small subsets of glutamatergic and GABAergic cells, in the infralimbic cortex. Future studies of such neural activity-based cellular units (neuronal ensembles/memory engram cells) for relapse-suppression can be used to identify alternate targets for addiction medicine through functional characterization of anti-relapse mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Laque
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Genna L De Ness
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Grant E Wagner
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Hermina Nedelescu
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Ayla Carroll
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Debbie Watry
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Tony M Kerr
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Eisuke Koya
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK
| | - Bruce T Hope
- Behavioral Neuroscience Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/DHHS, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Friedbert Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
| | - Greg I Elmer
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21228, USA.
| | - Nobuyoshi Suto
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
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14
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Faiq MA, Wollstein G, Schuman JS, Chan KC. Cholinergic nervous system and glaucoma: From basic science to clinical applications. Prog Retin Eye Res 2019; 72:100767. [PMID: 31242454 PMCID: PMC6739176 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The cholinergic system has a crucial role to play in visual function. Although cholinergic drugs have been a focus of attention as glaucoma medications for reducing eye pressure, little is known about the potential modality for neuronal survival and/or enhancement in visual impairments. Citicoline, a naturally occurring compound and FDA approved dietary supplement, is a nootropic agent that is recently demonstrated to be effective in ameliorating ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular diseases, memory disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in both humans and animal models. The mechanisms of its action appear to be multifarious including (i) preservation of cardiolipin, sphingomyelin, and arachidonic acid contents of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, (ii) restoration of phosphatidylcholine, (iii) stimulation of glutathione synthesis, (iv) lowering glutamate concentrations and preventing glutamate excitotoxicity, (v) rescuing mitochondrial function thereby preventing oxidative damage and onset of neuronal apoptosis, (vi) synthesis of myelin leading to improvement in neuronal membrane integrity, (vii) improving acetylcholine synthesis and thereby reducing the effects of mental stress and (viii) preventing endothelial dysfunction. Such effects have vouched for citicoline as a neuroprotective, neurorestorative and neuroregenerative agent. Retinal ganglion cells are neurons with long myelinated axons which provide a strong rationale for citicoline use in visual pathway disorders. Since glaucoma is a form of neurodegeneration involving retinal ganglion cells, citicoline may help ameliorate glaucomatous damages in multiple facets. Additionally, trans-synaptic degeneration has been identified in humans and experimental models of glaucoma suggesting the cholinergic system as a new brain target for glaucoma management and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muneeb A Faiq
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Gadi Wollstein
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joel S Schuman
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kevin C Chan
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States; Department of Radiology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States; Center for Neural Science, Faculty of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States.
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15
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Central cholinergic neuronal degeneration promotes the development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction. J Transl Med 2019; 99:1078-1088. [PMID: 30626892 DOI: 10.1038/s41374-018-0174-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is consistently associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, its mechanism remains poorly understood. We hypothesized that central cholinergic neuronal degeneration facilitates the development of POCD. The impact of anesthesia/surgery (appendectomy) on learning and memory and the levels of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), and choline transporter (CHT) in adult and aged mice were measured. Separate cohorts were analyzed after pretreatment with donepezil, an AChE inhibitor, in aged mice or with murine-p75-saporin (mu-p75-sap), a cholinergic-specific immunotoxin, in adult mice. Morris Water Maze was used to measure the learning and memory changes after anesthesia/surgery. Western blot was used to measure the changes in the protein levels of the biomarkers of the central cholinergic system. We found that anesthesia/surgery-induced memory decline and attenuation of central cholinergic biomarkers (ChAT and VAChT) in aged mice but not in adult mice. Donepezil pretreatment reduced central cholinergic impairment in the aged mice and prevented learning and memory declines after anesthesia/surgery. In contrast, when central cholinergic neurons were pre-injured with mu-p75-sap, cognitive dysfunction developed in the adult mice after anesthesia/surgery. These data suggest that central cholinergic neuronal degeneration facilitates the development of POCD.
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16
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How reliable is cerebral blood flow to map changes in neuronal activity? Auton Neurosci 2019; 217:71-79. [PMID: 30744905 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2019.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging techniques, such as functional MRI, map brain activity through hemodynamic-based signals, and are invaluable diagnostic tools in several neurological disorders such as stroke and dementia. Hemodynamic signals are normally precisely related to the underlying neuronal activity through neurovascular coupling mechanisms that ensure the supply of blood, glucose and oxygen to neurons at work. The knowledge of neurovascular coupling has greatly advanced over the last 30 years, it involves multifaceted interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neurons, astrocytes, and the microvessels. While the tight relationship between blood flow and neuronal activity forms a fundamental brain function, whether neurovascular coupling mechanisms are reliable across physiological and pathological conditions has been questioned. In this review, we interrogate the relationship between blood flow and neuronal activity during activation of different brain pathways: a sensory stimulation driven by glutamate, and stimulation of neuromodulatory pathways driven by acetylcholine or noradrenaline, and we compare the underlying neurovascular coupling mechanisms. We further question if neurovascular coupling mechanisms are affected by changing brain states, as seen in behavioral conditions of sleep, wakefulness, attention and in pathological conditions. Finally, we provide a short overview of how alterations of the brain vasculature could compromise the reliability of neurovascular coupling. Overall, while neurovascular coupling requires activation of common signalling pathways, alternate unique cascades exist depending on the activated pathways. Further studies are needed to fully elucidate the alterations in neurovascular coupling across brain states and pathological conditions.
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17
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Resende NR, Soares Filho PL, Peixoto PPA, Silva AM, Silva SF, Soares JG, do Nascimento ES, Cavalcante JC, Cavalcante JS, Costa MSMO. Nuclear organization and morphology of cholinergic neurons in the brain of the rock cavy (Kerodon rupestris) (Wied, 1820). J Chem Neuroanat 2018; 94:63-74. [PMID: 30293055 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2018.09.001] [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: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to conduct cytoarchitectonic studies and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunohistochemical analysis to delimit the cholinergic groups in the encephalon of the rock cavy (Kerodon rupestris), a crepuscular Caviidae rodent native to the Brazilian Northeast. Three young adult animals were anesthetized and transcardially perfused. The encephala were cut in the coronal plane using a cryostat. We obtained 6 series of 30-μm-thick sections. The sections from one series were subjected to Nissl staining. Those from another series were subjected to immunohistochemistry for the enzyme ChAT, which is used in acetylcholine synthesis, to visualize the different cholinergic neural centers of the rock cavy. The slides were analyzed using a light microscope and the results were documented by description and digital photomicrographs. ChAT-immunoreactive neurons were identified in the telencephalon (nucleus accumbens, caudate-putamen, globus pallidus, entopeduncular nucleus and ventral globus pallidus, olfactory tubercle and islands of Calleja, diagonal band of Broca nucleus, nucleus basalis, and medial septal nucleus), diencephalon (ventrolateral preoptic, hypothalamic ventrolateral, and medial habenular nuclei), and brainstem (parabigeminal, laterodorsal tegmental, and pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei). These findings are discussed through both a functional and phylogenetic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- N R Resende
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - P L Soares Filho
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - P P A Peixoto
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - A M Silva
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - S F Silva
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - J G Soares
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - E S do Nascimento
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - J C Cavalcante
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - J S Cavalcante
- Department of Physiology, Laboratory of Neurochemical Studies, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - M S M O Costa
- Department of Morphology, Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, Biosciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
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18
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Chaves-Coira I, Martín-Cortecero J, Nuñez A, Rodrigo-Angulo ML. Basal Forebrain Nuclei Display Distinct Projecting Pathways and Functional Circuits to Sensory Primary and Prefrontal Cortices in the Rat. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:69. [PMID: 30158859 PMCID: PMC6104178 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence supports that specific projections between different basal forebrain (BF) nuclei and their cortical targets are necessary to modulate cognitive functions in the cortex. We tested the hypothesis of the existence of specific neuronal populations in the BF linking with specific sensory, motor, and prefrontal cortices in rats. Neuronal tracing techniques were performed using retrograde tracers injected in the primary somatosensory (S1), auditory (A1), and visual (V1) cortical areas, in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as well as in BF nuclei. Results indicate that the vertical and horizontal diagonal band of Broca (VDB/HDB) nuclei target specific sensory cortical areas and maintains reciprocal projections with the prelimbic/infralimbic (PL/IL) area of the mPFC. The basal magnocellular nucleus (B nucleus) has more widespread targets in the sensory-motor cortex and does not project to the PL/IL cortex. Optogenetic stimulation was used to establish if BF neurons modulate whisker responses recorded in S1 and PL/IL cortices. We drove the expression of high levels of channelrhodopsin-2, tagged with a fluorescent protein (ChR2-eYFP) by injection of a virus in HDB or B nuclei. Blue-light pulses were delivered to the BF through a thin optic fiber to stimulate these neurons. Blue-light stimulation directed toward the HDB facilitated whisker responses in S1 cortex through activation of muscarinic receptors. The same optogenetic stimulation of HDB induced an inhibition of whisker responses in mPFC by activation of nicotinic receptors. Blue-light stimulation directed toward the B nucleus had lower effects than HDB stimulation. Our findings pointed the presence of specific neuronal networks between the BF and the cortex that may play different roles in the control of cortical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Chaves-Coira
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Martín-Cortecero
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angel Nuñez
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Margarita L Rodrigo-Angulo
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Generation of a whole-brain atlas for the cholinergic system and mesoscopic projectome analysis of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 115:415-420. [PMID: 29259118 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1703601115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The cholinergic system in the brain plays crucial roles in regulating sensory and motor functions as well as cognitive behaviors by modulating neuronal activity. Understanding the organization of the cholinergic system requires a complete map of cholinergic neurons and their axon arborizations throughout the entire brain at the level of single neurons. Here, we report a comprehensive whole-brain atlas of the cholinergic system originating from various cortical and subcortical regions of the mouse brain. Using genetically labeled cholinergic neurons together with whole-brain reconstruction of optical images at 2-μm resolution, we obtained quantification of the number and soma volume of cholinergic neurons in 22 brain areas. Furthermore, by reconstructing the complete axonal arbors of fluorescently labeled single neurons from a subregion of the basal forebrain at 1-μm resolution, we found that their projections to the forebrain and midbrain showed neuronal subgroups with distinct projection specificity and diverse arbor distribution within the same projection area. These results suggest the existence of distinct subtypes of cholinergic neurons that serve different regulatory functions in the brain and illustrate the usefulness of complete reconstruction of neuronal distribution and axon projections at the mesoscopic level.
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20
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Petralia RS, Wang YX, Mattson MP, Yao PJ. The Diversity of Spine Synapses in Animals. Neuromolecular Med 2016; 18:497-539. [PMID: 27230661 PMCID: PMC5158183 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-016-8405-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Here we examine the structure of the various types of spine synapses throughout the animal kingdom. Based on available evidence, we suggest that there are two major categories of spine synapses: invaginating and non-invaginating, with distributions that vary among different groups of animals. In the simplest living animals with definitive nerve cells and synapses, the cnidarians and ctenophores, most chemical synapses do not form spine synapses. But some cnidarians have invaginating spine synapses, especially in photoreceptor terminals of motile cnidarians with highly complex visual organs, and also in some mainly sessile cnidarians with rapid prey capture reflexes. This association of invaginating spine synapses with complex sensory inputs is retained in the evolution of higher animals in photoreceptor terminals and some mechanoreceptor synapses. In contrast to invaginating spine synapse, non-invaginating spine synapses have been described only in animals with bilateral symmetry, heads and brains, associated with greater complexity in neural connections. This is apparent already in the simplest bilaterians, the flatworms, which can have well-developed non-invaginating spine synapses in some cases. Non-invaginating spine synapses diversify in higher animal groups. We also discuss the functional advantages of having synapses on spines and more specifically, on invaginating spines. And finally we discuss pathologies associated with spine synapses, concentrating on those systems and diseases where invaginating spine synapses are involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald S Petralia
- Advanced Imaging Core, NIDCD/NIH, 35A Center Drive, Room 1E614, Bethesda, MD, 20892-3729, USA.
| | - Ya-Xian Wang
- Advanced Imaging Core, NIDCD/NIH, 35A Center Drive, Room 1E614, Bethesda, MD, 20892-3729, USA
| | - Mark P Mattson
- Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Pamela J Yao
- Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
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21
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Lecrux C, Hamel E. Neuronal networks and mediators of cortical neurovascular coupling responses in normal and altered brain states. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150350. [PMID: 27574304 PMCID: PMC5003852 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain imaging techniques that use vascular signals to map changes in neuronal activity, such as blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging, rely on the spatial and temporal coupling between changes in neurophysiology and haemodynamics, known as 'neurovascular coupling (NVC)'. Accordingly, NVC responses, mapped by changes in brain haemodynamics, have been validated for different stimuli under physiological conditions. In the cerebral cortex, the networks of excitatory pyramidal cells and inhibitory interneurons generating the changes in neural activity and the key mediators that signal to the vascular unit have been identified for some incoming afferent pathways. The neural circuits recruited by whisker glutamatergic-, basal forebrain cholinergic- or locus coeruleus noradrenergic pathway stimulation were found to be highly specific and discriminative, particularly when comparing the two modulatory systems to the sensory response. However, it is largely unknown whether or not NVC is still reliable when brain states are altered or in disease conditions. This lack of knowledge is surprising since brain imaging is broadly used in humans and, ultimately, in conditions that deviate from baseline brain function. Using the whisker-to-barrel pathway as a model of NVC, we can interrogate the reliability of NVC under enhanced cholinergic or noradrenergic modulation of cortical circuits that alters brain states.This article is part of the themed issue 'Interpreting BOLD: a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience'.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Lecrux
- Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4
| | - E Hamel
- Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4
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22
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Ramos RL, Toia AR, Pasternack DM, Dotzler TP, Cuoco JA, Esposito AW, Le MM, Parker AK, Goodman JH, Sarkisian MR. Neuroanatomical characterization of the cellular and axonal architecture of subcortical band heterotopia in the BXD29-Tlr4 lps-2J/J mouse cortex. Neuroscience 2016; 337:48-65. [PMID: 27595889 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.08.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/28/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) are malformations of the human cerebral cortex typically associated with epilepsy and cognitive delay/disability. Rodent models of SBH have demonstrated strong face validity as they are accompanied by both cognitive deficits and spontaneous seizures or reduced seizure threshold. BXD29-Tlr4lps-2J/J recombinant inbred mice display striking bilateral SBH, partial callosal agenesis, morphological changes in subcortical structures of the auditory pathway, and display sensory deficits in behavioral tests (Rosen et al., 2013; Truong et al., 2013, 2015). Surprisingly, these mice show no cognitive deficits and have a higher seizure threshold to chemi-convulsive treatment (Gabel et al., 2013) making them different than other rodent SBH models described previously. In the present report, we perform a detailed characterization of the cellular and axonal constituents of SBH in BXD29-Tlr4lps-2J/J mice and demonstrate that various types of interneurons and glia as well as cortical and subcortical projections are found in SBH. In addition, the length of neuronal cilia was reduced in SBH compared to neurons in the overlying and adjacent normotopic cortex. Finally, we describe additional and novel malformations of the hippocampus and neocortex present in BXD29-Tlr4lps-2J/J mice. Together, our findings in BXD29-Tlr4lps-2J/J mice are discussed in the context of the known neuroanatomy and phenotype of other SBH rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raddy L Ramos
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA.
| | - Alyssa R Toia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Daniel M Pasternack
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Timothy P Dotzler
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Joshua A Cuoco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Anthony W Esposito
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Megan M Le
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0244, USA
| | - Alexander K Parker
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0244, USA
| | - Jeffrey H Goodman
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, NY State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA; Department of Physiology & Pharmacology and Department of Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Matthew R Sarkisian
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0244, USA.
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23
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Petrova ES. Neurons with different neurotransmitters in embryonic neocortical allografts in the rat sciatic nerve. BIOL BULL+ 2016. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359016020059] [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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24
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Martin HGS, Bernabeu A, Lassalle O, Bouille C, Beurrier C, Pelissier-Alicot AL, Manzoni OJ. Endocannabinoids Mediate Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor-Dependent Long-Term Depression in the Adult Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:457. [PMID: 26648844 PMCID: PMC4664641 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic inputs into the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are associated with attention and cognition; however there is evidence that acetylcholine also has a role in PFC dependent learning and memory. Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) in the PFC can induce synaptic plasticity, but the underlying mechanisms remain either opaque or unresolved. We have characterized a form of mAChR mediated long-term depression (LTD) at glutamatergic synapses of layer 5 principal neurons in the adult medial PFC. This mAChR LTD is induced with the mAChR agonist carbachol and inhibited by selective M1 mAChR antagonists. In contrast to other cortical regions, we find that this M1 mAChR mediated LTD is coupled to endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) signaling. Inhibition of the principal eCB CB1 receptor blocked carbachol induced LTD in both rats and mice. Furthermore, when challenged with a sub-threshold carbachol application, LTD was induced in slices pretreated with the monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitor JZL184, suggesting that the eCB 2-arachidonylglyerol (2-AG) mediates M1 mAChR LTD. Yet, when endogenous acetylcholine was released from local cholinergic afferents in the PFC using optogenetics, it failed to trigger eCB-LTD. However coupling patterned optical and electrical stimulation to generate local synaptic signaling allowed the reliable induction of LTD. The light—electrical pairing induced LTD was M1 mAChR and CB1 receptor mediated. This shows for the first time that connecting excitatory synaptic activity with coincident endogenously released acetylcholine controls synaptic gain via eCB signaling. Together these results shed new light on the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in the adult PFC and expand on the actions of endogenous cholinergic signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry G S Martin
- Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France ; Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; INMED UMR_S 901 Marseille, France
| | - Axel Bernabeu
- Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France ; Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; INMED UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; APHM, CHU Conception, Service de Psychiatrie Marseille, France
| | - Olivier Lassalle
- Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France ; Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; INMED UMR_S 901 Marseille, France
| | - Clément Bouille
- Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France ; Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; INMED UMR_S 901 Marseille, France
| | - Corinne Beurrier
- Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille UMR 7288 Marseille, France
| | - Anne-Laure Pelissier-Alicot
- Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France ; Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; INMED UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; APHM, CHU Timone Adultes, Service de Médecine Légale Marseille, France
| | - Olivier J Manzoni
- Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France ; Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée UMR_S 901 Marseille, France ; INMED UMR_S 901 Marseille, France
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25
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play an important role in the modulation of many cognitive functions but their role in integrated network activity remains unclear. This is at least partly because of the complexity of the cholinergic circuitry and the difficulty in comparing results from in vivo studies obtained under diverse experimental conditions and types of anesthetics. Hence the role of nAChRs in the synchronization of cortical activity during slow-wave sleep is still controversial, with some studies showing they are involved in ACh-dependent EEG desynchronization, and others suggesting that this effect is mediated exclusively by muscarinic receptors. Here we use an in vitro model of endogenous network activity, in the form of recurring self-maintained depolarized states (Up states), which allows us to examine the role of high-affinity nAChRs on network dynamics in a simpler form of the cortical microcircuit. We find that mice lacking nAChRs containing the β2-subunit (β2-nAChRs) have longer and more frequent Up states, and that this difference is eliminated when β2-nAChRs in wild-type mice are blocked. We further show that endogenously released ACh can modulate Up/Down states through the activation of both β2- and α7-containing nAChRs, but through distinct mechanisms: α7-nAChRs affect only the termination of spontaneous Up states, while β2-nAChRs also regulate their generation. Finally we provide evidence that the effects of β2-subunit-containing, but not α7-subunit-containing nAChRs, are mediated through GABAB receptors. To our knowledge this is the first study documenting direct nicotinic modulation of Up/Down state activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Through our experiments we were able to uncover a clear and previously disputed effect of nicotinic signaling in synchronized activity of neuronal networks of the cortex. We show that both high-affinity receptors (containing the β2-subunit, β2-nAChRs) and low-affinity receptors (containing the α7-subunit, α7-nAChRs) can regulate cortical network function exhibited in the form of Up/Down states. We further show that the effects of β2-nAChRs, but not α7-nAChRs, are mediated through the activation of GABAB receptors. These results suggest a possible synthesis of seemingly contradictory results in the literature and could be valuable for informing computational models of cortical function and for guiding the search for therapeutic interventions.
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Developmental alterations of the septohippocampal cholinergic projection in a lissencephalic mouse model. Exp Neurol 2015; 271:215-27. [PMID: 26079645 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2015.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Revised: 05/19/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
LIS1 is one of principal genes related with Type I lissencephaly, a severe human brain malformation characterized by abnormal neuronal migration in the cortex. The LIS1 gene encodes a brain-specific 45kDa non-catalytic subunit of platelet-activating factor (PAF) acetylhydrolase-1b (PAFAH1b), an enzyme that inactivates the PAF. We have studied the role of Lis1 using a Lis1/sLis1 murine model, which has deleted the first coding exon from Lis1 gene. Homozygous mice are not viable but heterozygous have shown a delayed corticogenesis and neuronal dysplasia, with enhanced cortical excitability. Lis1/sLis1 embryos also exhibited a delay of cortical innervation by the thalamocortical fibers. We have explored in Lis1/sLis1 mice anomalies in forebrain cholinergic neuron development, which migrate from pallium to subpallium, and functionally represent the main cholinergic input to the cerebral cortex, modulating cortical activity and facilitating attention, learning, and memory. We hypothesized that primary migration anomalies and/or disorganized cortex could affect cholinergic projections from the basal forebrain and septum in Lis1/sLis1 mouse. To accomplish our objective we have first studied basal forebrain neurons in Lis1/sLis1 mice during development, and described structural and hodological differences between wild-type and Lis1/sLis1 embryos. In addition, septohippocampal projections showed altered development in mutant embryos. Basal forebrain abnormalities could contribute to hippocampal excitability anomalies secondary to Lis1 mutations and may explain the cognitive symptoms associated to cortical displasia-related mental diseases and epileptogenic syndromes.
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Topographic mapping between basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and the medial prefrontal cortex in mice. J Neurosci 2015; 34:16234-46. [PMID: 25471564 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3011-14.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The basal forebrain cholinergic innervation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is crucial for cognitive performance. However, little is known about the organization of connectivity between the basal forebrain and the mPFC in the mouse. Using focal virus injections inducing Cre-dependent enhanced yellow fluorescent protein expression in ChAT-IRES-Cre mice, we tested the hypothesis that there is a topographic mapping between the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and their axonal projections to the mPFC. We found that ascending cholinergic fibers to the mPFC follow four pathways and that cholinergic neurons take these routes depending on their location in the basal forebrain. In addition, a general mapping pattern was observed in which the position of cholinergic neurons measured along a rostral to caudal extent in the basal forebrain correlated with a ventral to dorsal and a rostral to caudal shift of cholinergic fiber distribution in mPFC. Finally, we found that neurons in the rostral and caudal parts of the basal forebrain differentially innervate the superficial and deep layers of the ventral regions of the mPFC. Thus, a frontocaudal organization of the cholinergic system exists in which distinct mPFC areas and cortical layers are targeted depending on the location of the cholinergic neuron in the basal forebrain.
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Abstract
In optical microscopy, fine structural details are resolved by using refraction to magnify images of a specimen. We discovered that by synthesizing a swellable polymer network within a specimen, it can be physically expanded, resulting in physical magnification. By covalently anchoring specific labels located within the specimen directly to the polymer network, labels spaced closer than the optical diffraction limit can be isotropically separated and optically resolved, a process we call expansion microscopy (ExM). Thus, this process can be used to perform scalable superresolution microscopy with diffraction-limited microscopes. We demonstrate ExM with apparent ~70-nanometer lateral resolution in both cultured cells and brain tissue, performing three-color superresolution imaging of ~10(7) cubic micrometers of the mouse hippocampus with a conventional confocal microscope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chen
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Paul W Tillberg
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Edward S Boyden
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA. Media Lab, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. McGovern Institute, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. Center for Neurobiological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Martin-Cortecero J, Nuñez A. Tactile response adaptation to whisker stimulation in the lemniscal somatosensory pathway of rats. Brain Res 2014; 1591:27-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Revised: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Early stress prevents the potentiation of muscarinic excitation by calcium release in adult prefrontal cortex. Biol Psychiatry 2014; 76:315-23. [PMID: 24315552 PMCID: PMC4640900 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2013] [Revised: 10/02/2013] [Accepted: 10/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The experience of early stress contributes to the etiology of several psychiatric disorders and can lead to lasting deficits in working memory and attention. These executive functions require activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) by muscarinic M1 acetylcholine (ACh) receptors. Such Gαq-protein coupled receptors trigger the release of calcium (Ca(2+)) from internal stores and elicit prolonged neuronal excitation. METHODS In brain slices of rat PFC, we employed multiphoton imaging simultaneously with whole-cell electrophysiological recordings to examine potential interactions between ACh-induced Ca(2+) release and excitatory currents in adulthood, across postnatal development, and following the early stress of repeated maternal separation, a rodent model for depression. We also investigated developmental changes in related genes in these groups. RESULTS Acetylcholine-induced Ca(2+) release potentiates ACh-elicited excitatory currents. In the healthy PFC, this potentiation of muscarinic excitation emerges in young adulthood, when executive function typically reaches maturity. However, the developmental consolidation of muscarinic ACh signaling is abolished in adults with a history of early stress, where ACh responses retain an adolescent phenotype. In prefrontal cortex, these rats show a disruption in the expression of multiple developmentally regulated genes associated with Gαq and Ca(2+) signaling. Pharmacologic and ionic manipulations reveal that the enhancement of muscarinic excitation in the healthy adult PFC arises via the electrogenic process of sodium/Ca(2+) exchange. CONCLUSIONS This work illustrates a long-lasting disruption in ACh-mediated cortical excitation following early stress and raises the possibility that such cellular mechanisms may disrupt the maturation of executive function.
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Wouterlood FG, Bloem B, Mansvelder HD, Luchicchi A, Deisseroth K. A fourth generation of neuroanatomical tracing techniques: exploiting the offspring of genetic engineering. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 235:331-48. [PMID: 25107853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Revised: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The first three generations of neuroanatomical tract-tracing methods include, respectively, techniques exploiting degeneration, retrograde cellular transport and anterograde cellular transport. This paper reviews the most recent development in third-generation tracing, i.e., neurochemical fingerprinting based on BDA tracing, and continues with an emerging tracing technique called here 'selective fluorescent protein expression' that in our view belongs to an entirely new 'fourth-generation' class. Tracing techniques in this class lean on gene expression technology designed to 'label' projections exclusively originating from neurons expressing a very specific molecular phenotype. Genetically engineered mice that express cre-recombinase in a neurochemically specific neuronal population receive into a brain locus of interest an injection of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying a double-floxed promoter-eYFP DNA sequence. After transfection this sequence is expressed only in neurons metabolizing recombinase protein. These particular neurons promptly start manufacturing the fluorescent protein which then accumulates and labels to full detail all the neuronal processes, including fibers and terminal arborizations. All other neurons remain optically 'dark'. The AAV is not replicated by the neurons, prohibiting intracerebral spread of 'infection'. The essence is that the fiber projections of discrete subpopulations of neurochemically specific neurons can be traced in full detail. One condition is that the transgenic mouse strain is recombinase-perfect. We illustrate selective fluorescent protein expression in parvalbumin-cre (PV-cre) mice and choline acetyltransferase-cre (ChAT-cre) mice. In addition we compare this novel tracing technique with observations in brains of native PV mice and ChAT-GFP mice. We include a note on tracing techniques using viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floris G Wouterlood
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Bernard Bloem
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Huibert D Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Antonio Luchicchi
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Bioengineering Department, James E. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in attention circuitry: the role of layer VI neurons of prefrontal cortex. Cell Mol Life Sci 2014; 71:1225-44. [PMID: 24122021 PMCID: PMC3949016 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1481-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2013] [Revised: 09/03/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cholinergic modulation of prefrontal cortex is essential for attention. In essence, it focuses the mind on relevant, transient stimuli in support of goal-directed behavior. The excitation of prefrontal layer VI neurons through nicotinic acetylcholine receptors optimizes local and top-down control of attention. Layer VI of prefrontal cortex is the origin of a dense feedback projection to the thalamus and is one of only a handful of brain regions that express the α5 nicotinic receptor subunit, encoded by the gene chrna5. This accessory nicotinic receptor subunit alters the properties of high-affinity nicotinic receptors in layer VI pyramidal neurons in both development and adulthood. Studies investigating the consequences of genetic deletion of α5, as well as other disruptions to nicotinic receptors, find attention deficits together with altered cholinergic excitation of layer VI neurons and aberrant neuronal morphology. Nicotinic receptors in prefrontal layer VI neurons play an essential role in focusing attention under challenging circumstances. In this regard, they do not act in isolation, but rather in concert with cholinergic receptors in other parts of prefrontal circuitry. This review urges an intensification of focus on the cellular mechanisms and plasticity of prefrontal attention circuitry. Disruptions in attention are one of the greatest contributing factors to disease burden in psychiatric and neurological disorders, and enhancing attention may require different approaches in the normal and disordered prefrontal cortex.
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Zhang Y, Kaneko R, Yanagawa Y, Saito Y. The vestibulo- and preposito-cerebellar cholinergic neurons of a ChAT-tdTomato transgenic rat exhibit heterogeneous firing properties and the expression of various neurotransmitter receptors. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 39:1294-313. [PMID: 24593297 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2013] [Revised: 12/11/2013] [Accepted: 01/10/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Cerebellar function is regulated by cholinergic mossy fiber inputs that are primarily derived from the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) and prepositus hypoglossi nucleus (PHN). In contrast to the growing evidence surrounding cholinergic transmission and its functional significance in the cerebellum, the intrinsic and synaptic properties of cholinergic projection neurons (ChPNs) have not been clarified. In this study, we generated choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-tdTomato transgenic rats, which specifically express the fluorescent protein tdTomato in cholinergic neurons, and used them to investigate the response properties of ChPNs identified via retrograde labeling using whole-cell recordings in brainstem slices. In response to current pulses, ChPNs exhibited two afterhyperpolarisation (AHP) profiles and three firing patterns; the predominant AHP and firing properties differed between the MVN and PHN. Morphologically, the ChPNs were separated into two types based on their soma size and dendritic extensions. Analyses of the firing responses to time-varying sinusoidal current stimuli revealed that ChPNs exhibited different firing modes depending on the input frequencies. The maximum frequencies in which each firing mode was observed were different between the neurons that exhibited distinct firing patterns. Analyses of the current responses to the application of neurotransmitter receptor agonists revealed that the ChPNs expressed (i) AMPA- and NMDA-type glutamate receptors, (ii) GABAA and glycine receptors, and (iii) muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The current responses mediated by these receptors of MVN ChPNs were not different from those of PHN ChPNs. These findings suggest that ChPNs receive various synaptic inputs and encode those inputs appropriately across different frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Zhang
- Department of Genetic and Behavioral Neuroscience, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
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Konsolaki E, Skaliora I. Premature Aging Phenotype in Mice Lacking High-Affinity Nicotinic Receptors: Region-Specific Changes in Layer V Pyramidal Cell Morphology. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:2138-48. [PMID: 24554727 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms by which aging leads to alterations in brain structure and cognitive deficits are unclear. Α deficient cholinergic system has been implicated as one of the main factors that could confer a heightened vulnerability to the aging process, and mice lacking high-affinity nicotinic receptors (β2(-/-)) have been proposed as an animal model of accelerated cognitive aging. To date, however, age-related changes in neuronal microanatomy have not been studied in these mice. In the present study, we examine the neuronal structure of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP(+)) layer V neurons in 2 cytoarchitectonically distinct cortical regions in wild-type (WT) and β2(-/-) animals. We find that (1) substantial morphological differences exist between YFP(+) cells of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and primary visual cortex (V1), in both genotypes; (2) in WT animals, ACC cells are more susceptible to aging compared with cells in V1; and (3) β2 deletion is associated with a regionally and temporally specific increase in vulnerability to aging. ACC cells exhibit a prematurely aged phenotype already at 4-6 months, whereas V1 cells are spared in adulthood but strongly affected in old animals. Collectively, our data reveal region-specific synergistic effects of aging and genotype and suggest distinct vulnerabilities in V1 and ACC neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Konsolaki
- Neurophysiology Laboratory, Division of Developmental Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens 115 27, Greece
| | - Irini Skaliora
- Neurophysiology Laboratory, Division of Developmental Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens 115 27, Greece
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Differential modulation of spontaneous and evoked thalamocortical network activity by acetylcholine level in vitro. J Neurosci 2013; 33:17951-66. [PMID: 24198382 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1644-13.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Different levels of cholinergic neuromodulatory tone have been hypothesized to set the state of cortical circuits either to one dominated by local cortical recurrent activity (low ACh) or to one dependent on thalamic input (high ACh). High ACh levels depress intracortical but facilitate thalamocortical synapses, whereas low levels potentiate intracortical synapses. Furthermore, recent work has implicated the thalamus in controlling cortical network state during waking and attention, when ACh levels are highest. To test this hypothesis, we used rat thalamocortical slices maintained in medium to generate spontaneous up- and down-states and applied different ACh concentrations to slices in which thalamocortical connections were either maintained or severed. The effects on spontaneous and evoked up-states were measured using voltage-sensitive dye imaging, intracellular recordings, local field potentials, and single/multiunit activity. We found that high ACh can increase the frequency of spontaneous up-states, but reduces their duration in slices with intact thalamocortical connections. Strikingly, when thalamic connections are severed, high ACh instead greatly reduces or abolishes spontaneous up-states. Furthermore, high ACh reduces the spatial propagation, velocity, and depolarization amplitude of evoked up-states. In contrast, low ACh dramatically increases up-state frequency regardless of the presence or absence of intact thalamocortical connections and does not reduce the duration, spatial propagation, or velocity of evoked up-states. Therefore, our data support the hypothesis that strong cholinergic modulation increases the influence, and thus the signal-to-noise ratio, of afferent input over local cortical activity and that lower cholinergic tone enhances recurrent cortical activity regardless of thalamic input.
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Feldmeyer D, Brecht M, Helmchen F, Petersen CC, Poulet JF, Staiger JF, Luhmann HJ, Schwarz C. Barrel cortex function. Prog Neurobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2012.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 257] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Endogenous cholinergic tone modulates spontaneous network level neuronal activity in primary cortical cultures grown on multi-electrode arrays. BMC Neurosci 2013; 14:38. [PMID: 23530974 PMCID: PMC3644495 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-14-38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2012] [Accepted: 03/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cortical cultures grown long-term on multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) are frequently and extensively used as models of cortical networks in studies of neuronal firing activity, neuropharmacology, toxicology and mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity. However, in contrast to the predominantly asynchronous neuronal firing activity exhibited by intact cortex, electrophysiological activity of mature cortical cultures is dominated by spontaneous epileptiform-like global burst events which hinders their effective use in network-level studies, particularly for neurally-controlled animat ('artificial animal') applications. Thus, the identification of culture features that can be exploited to produce neuronal activity more representative of that seen in vivo could increase the utility and relevance of studies that employ these preparations. Acetylcholine has a recognised neuromodulatory role affecting excitability, rhythmicity, plasticity and information flow in vivo although its endogenous production by cortical cultures and subsequent functional influence upon neuronal excitability remains unknown. RESULTS Consequently, using MEA electrophysiological recording supported by immunohistochemical and RT-qPCR methods, we demonstrate for the first time, the presence of intrinsic cholinergic neurons and significant, endogenous cholinergic tone in cortical cultures with a characterisation of the muscarinic and nicotinic components that underlie modulation of spontaneous neuronal activity. We found that tonic muscarinic ACh receptor (mAChR) activation affects global excitability and burst event regularity in a culture age-dependent manner whilst, in contrast, tonic nicotinic ACh receptor (nAChR) activation can modulate burst duration and the proportion of spikes occurring within bursts in a spatio-temporal fashion. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that the presence of significant endogenous cholinergic tone in cortical cultures and the comparability of its modulatory effects to those seen in intact brain tissues support emerging, exploitable commonalities between in vivo and in vitro preparations. We conclude that experimental manipulation of endogenous cholinergic tone could offer a novel opportunity to improve the use of cortical cultures for studies of network-level mechanisms in a manner that remains largely consistent with its functional role.
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López JM, Perlado J, Morona R, Northcutt RG, González A. Neuroanatomical organization of the cholinergic system in the central nervous system of a basal actinopterygian fish, the senegal bichir Polypterus senegalus. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:24-49. [PMID: 22628072 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Revised: 05/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Polypterid bony fishes are believed to be basal to other living ray-finned fishes, and their brain organization is therefore critical in providing information as to primitive neural characters that existed in the earliest ray-finned fishes. The cholinergic system has been characterized in more advanced ray-finned fishes, but not in polypterids. In order to establish which cholinergic neural centers characterized the earliest ray-finned fishes, the distribution of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) is described in Polypterus and compared with the distribution of this molecule in other ray-finned fishes. Cell groups immunoreactive for ChAT were observed in the hypothalamus, the habenula, the optic tectum, the isthmus, the cranial motor nuclei, and the spinal motor column. Cholinergic fibers were observed in both the telencephalic pallium and the subpallium, in the thalamus and pretectum, in the optic tectum and torus semicircularis, in the mesencephalic tegmentum, in the cerebellar crest, in the solitary nucleus, and in the dorsal column nuclei. Comparison of the data within a segmental neuromeric context indicates that the cholinergic system in polypterid fishes is generally similar to that in other ray-finned fishes, but cholinergic-positive neurons in the pallium and subpallium, and in the thalamus and cerebellum, of teleosts appear to have evolved following the separation of polypterids and other ray-finned fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús M López
- Department of Cell Biology, University Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Morona R, López JM, Northcutt RG, González A. Comparative Analysis of the Organization of the Cholinergic System in the Brains of Two Holostean Fishes, the Florida GarLepisosteus platyrhincusand the BowfinAmia calva. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2013; 81:109-42. [DOI: 10.1159/000347111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Nuñez A, Domínguez S, Buño W, Fernández de Sevilla D. Cholinergic-mediated response enhancement in barrel cortex layer V pyramidal neurons. J Neurophysiol 2012; 108:1656-68. [PMID: 22723675 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00156.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neocortical cholinergic activity plays a fundamental role in sensory processing and cognitive functions, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are largely unknown. We analyzed the effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on synaptic transmission and cell excitability in rat "barrel cortex" layer V (L5) pyramidal neurons in vitro. ACh through nicotinic and M1 muscarinic receptors enhanced excitatory postsynaptic currents and through nicotinic and M2 muscarinic receptors reduced inhibitory postsynaptic currents. These effects increased excitability and contributed to the generation of Ca(2+) spikes and bursts of action potentials (APs) when inputs in basal dendrites were stimulated. Ca(2+) spikes were mediated by activation of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels. Additionally, we demonstrate in vivo that basal forebrain stimulation induced an atropine-sensitive increase of L5 AP responses evoked by vibrissa deflection, an effect mainly due to the enhancement of an NMDAR component. Therefore, ACh modified the excitatory/inhibitory balance and switched L5 pyramidal neurons to a bursting mode that caused a potent and sustained response enhancement with possible fundamental consequences for the function of the barrel cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Nuñez
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Pyramidal cells and cytochrome P450 epoxygenase products in the neurovascular coupling response to basal forebrain cholinergic input. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2012; 32:896-906. [PMID: 22293985 PMCID: PMC3345917 DOI: 10.1038/jcbfm.2012.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Activation of the basal forebrain (BF), the primary source of acetylcholine (ACh) in the cortex, broadly increases cortical cerebral blood flow (CBF), a response downstream to ACh release. Although endothelial nitric oxide and cholinoceptive GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) interneurons have been implicated, little is known about the role of pyramidal cells in this response and their possible interaction with astrocytes. Using c-Fos immunohistochemistry as a marker of neuronal activation and laser-Doppler flowmetry, we measured changes in CBF evoked by BF stimulation following pharmacological blockade of c-Fos-identified excitatory pathways, astroglial metabolism, or vasoactive mediators. Pyramidal cells including those that express cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) displayed c-Fos upregulation. Glutamate acting via NMDA, AMPA, and mGlu receptors was involved in the evoked CBF response, NMDA receptors having the highest contribution (~33%). In contrast, nonselective and selective COX-2 inhibition did not affect the evoked CBF response (+0.4% to 6.9%, ns). The metabolic gliotoxins fluorocitrate and fluoroacetate, the cytochrome P450 epoxygenase inhibitor MS-PPOH and the selective epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) antagonist 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(Z)-enoic acid (14,15-EEZE) all blocked the evoked CBF response by ~50%. Together, the data demonstrate that the hyperemic response to BF stimulation is largely mediated by glutamate released from activated pyramidal cells and by vasoactive EETs, likely originating from activated astrocytes.
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Ostroff LE, Cain CK, Jindal N, Dar N, Ledoux JE. Stability of presynaptic vesicle pools and changes in synapse morphology in the amygdala following fear learning in adult rats. J Comp Neurol 2012; 520:295-314. [PMID: 21674493 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Changes in synaptic strength in the lateral amygdala (LA) that occur with fear learning are believed to mediate memory storage, and both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms have been proposed to contribute. In a previous study we used serial section transmission electron microscopy (ssTEM) to observe differences in dendritic spine morphology in the adult rat LA after fear conditioning, conditioned inhibition (safety conditioning), or naïve control handling (Ostroff et al. [2010] Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107:9418-9423). We have now reconstructed axons from the same dataset and compared their morphology and relationship to the postsynaptic spines between the three training groups. Relative to the naïve control and conditioned inhibition groups, the ratio of postsynaptic density (PSD) area to docked vesicles at synapses was greater in the fear-conditioned group, while the size of the synaptic vesicle pools was unchanged. There was significant coherence in synapse size between neighboring boutons on the same axon in the naïve control and conditioned inhibition groups, but not in the fear-conditioned group. Within multiple-synapse boutons, both synapse size and the PSD-to-docked vesicle ratio were variable between individual synapses. Our results confirm that synaptic connectivity increases in the LA with fear conditioning. In addition, we provide evidence that boutons along the same axon and even synapses on the same bouton are independent in their structure and learning-related morphological plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linnaea E Ostroff
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA.
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Tonic and phasic release of glutamate and acetylcholine neurotransmission in sub-regions of the rat prefrontal cortex using enzyme-based microelectrode arrays. J Neurosci Methods 2011; 202:199-208. [PMID: 21896284 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2011.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2011] [Revised: 08/10/2011] [Accepted: 08/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is an area of the brain critical for higher cognitive processes and implicated in disorders of the CNS such as drug addiction, depression and schizophrenia. Glutamate and acetylcholine are neurotransmitters that are essential for cortical functioning, yet little is known about the dynamic function of these neurotransmitters in subregions of the mPFC. In these studies we used a novel microelectrode array technology to measure resting levels (tonic release) of glutamate and acetylcholine as well as KCl-evoked release (stimulated phasic release) in the mPFC of the anesthetized rat to further our understanding of both tonic and phasic neurotransmission in the cingulate cortex, prelimbic cortex, and infralimbic cortex of the mPFC. Studies revealed homogeneity of tonic and phasic signaling among brain subregions for each neurotransmitter. However, resting levels of glutamate were significantly higher as compared to acetylcholine levels in all subregions. Additionally, KCl-evoked acetylcholine release in the cingulate cortex (7.1 μM) was significantly greater than KCl-evoked glutamate release in any of the three subregions (Cg1, 2.9 μM; PrL, 2.0 μM; IL, 1.8 μM). Interestingly, the time for signal decay following KCl-evoked acetylcholine release was significantly longer by an average of 240% as compared to KCL-evoked glutamate release for all three brain subregions. Finally, we observed a negative relationship between acetylcholine resting levels and KCl-evoked release in the Cg1. These data suggest a homogenous distribution of both glutamatergic and acetylcholinergic innervation in the mPFC, with alterations in tonic and phasic release regulation accounting for differences between these neurotransmitters.
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López JM, Domínguez L, Morona R, Northcutt RG, González A. Organization of the cholinergic systems in the brain of two lungfishes, Protopterus dolloi and Neoceratodus forsteri. Brain Struct Funct 2011; 217:549-76. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-011-0341-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 07/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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Grybko MJ, Hahm ET, Perrine W, Parnes JA, Chick WS, Sharma G, Finger TE, Vijayaraghavan S. A transgenic mouse model reveals fast nicotinic transmission in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Eur J Neurosci 2011; 33:1786-98. [PMID: 21501254 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07671.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The relative contribution to brain cholinergic signaling by synaptic- and diffusion-based mechanisms remains to be elucidated. In this study, we examined the prevalence of fast nicotinic signaling in the hippocampus. We describe a mouse model where cholinergic axons are labeled with the tauGFP fusion protein driven by the choline acetyltransferase promoter. The model provides for the visualization of individual cholinergic axons at greater resolution than other available models and techniques, even in thick, live, slices. Combining calcium imaging and electrophysiology, we demonstrate that local stimulation of visualized cholinergic fibers results in rapid excitatory postsynaptic currents mediated by the activation of α7-subunit-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) on CA3 pyramidal neurons. These responses were blocked by the α7-nAChR antagonist methyllycaconitine and potentiated by the receptor-specific allosteric modulator 1-(5-chloro-2,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-3-(5-methyl-isoxanol-3-yl)-urea (PNU-120596). Our results suggest, for the first time, that synaptic nAChRs can modulate pyramidal cell plasticity and development. Fast nicotinic transmission might play a greater role in cholinergic signaling than previously assumed. We provide a model for the examination of synaptic properties of basal forebrain cholinergic innervation in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Grybko
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
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Muller JF, Mascagni F, McDonald AJ. Cholinergic innervation of pyramidal cells and parvalbumin-immunoreactive interneurons in the rat basolateral amygdala. J Comp Neurol 2011; 519:790-805. [PMID: 21246555 PMCID: PMC4586025 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala receives an extremely dense cholinergic innervation from the basal forebrain that is critical for memory consolidation. Although previous electron microscopic studies determined some of the postsynaptic targets of cholinergic afferents, the majority of postsynaptic structures were dendritic shafts whose neurons of origin were not identified. To make this determination, the present study analyzed the cholinergic innervation of the anterior subdivision of the basolateral amygdalar nucleus (BLa) of the rat using electron microscopic dual-labeling immunocytochemistry. The vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) was used as a marker for cholinergic terminals; calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMK) was used as a marker for pyramidal cells, the principal neurons of the BLa; and parvalbumin (PV) was used as a marker for the predominant interneuronal subpopulation in this nucleus. VAChT(+) terminals were visualized by using diaminobenzidine as a chromogen, whereas CAMK(+) or PV(+) neurons were visualized with Vector very intense purple (VIP) as a chromogen. Quantitative analyses revealed that the great majority of dendritic shafts receiving cholinergic inputs were CAMK(+) , indicating that they were of pyramidal cell origin. In fact, 89% of the postsynaptic targets of cholinergic terminals in the BLa were pyramidal cells, including perikarya (3%), dendritic shafts (47%), and dendritic spines (39%). PV(+) structures, including perikarya and dendrites, constituted 7% of the postsynaptic targets of cholinergic axon terminals. The cholinergic innervation of both pyramidal cells and PV(+) interneurons may constitute an anatomical substrate for the generation of oscillatory activity involved in memory consolidation by the BLa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay F. Muller
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Franco Mascagni
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Alexander J. McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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Asmus SE, Cocanougher BT, Allen DL, Boone JB, Brooks EA, Hawkins SM, Hench LA, Ijaz T, Mayfield MN. Increasing proportions of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive interneurons colocalize with choline acetyltransferase or vasoactive intestinal peptide in the developing rat cerebral cortex. Brain Res 2011; 1383:108-19. [PMID: 21295554 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.01.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2010] [Revised: 01/26/2011] [Accepted: 01/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cortical interneurons are critical for information processing, and their dysfunction has been implicated in neurological disorders. One subset of this diverse cell population expresses tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) during postnatal rat development. Cortical TH-immunoreactive neurons appear at postnatal day (P) 16. The number of TH cells sharply increases between P16 and P20 and subsequently decreases to adult values. The absence of apoptotic markers in these cells suggests that the reduction in cell number is not due to cell death but is due to a decline in TH production. Cortical TH cells lack all additional catecholaminergic enzymes, and many coexpress GABA and calretinin, but little else is known about their phenotype or function. Because interneurons containing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) or vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) share characteristics with cortical TH neurons, the coexpression of TH with ChAT or VIP was examined throughout the neocortex at P16, P20, and P30. The proportions of TH cell profiles double-labeled for ChAT or VIP significantly increased between P16 and P30. Based on their proximity to blood vessels, intrinsic cholinergic and VIPergic cells have been hypothesized to regulate cortical microcirculation. Labeling with the gliovascular marker aquaporin-4 revealed that at least half of the TH cells were apposed to microvessels at these ages, and many of these cells contained ChAT or VIP. Cortical TH neurons did not coproduce nitric oxide synthase. These results suggest that increasing proportions of cortical TH neurons express ChAT or VIP developmentally and that a subset of these TH neurons may regulate local blood flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen E Asmus
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biology Programs, Centre College, Danville, KY 40422, USA.
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Abstract
Brain stimulation and imaging studies in humans have highlighted a key role for the prefrontal cortex in clinical depression; however, it remains unknown whether excitation or inhibition of prefrontal cortical neuronal activity is associated with antidepressant responses. Here, we examined cellular indicators of functional activity, including the immediate early genes (IEGs) zif268 (egr1), c-fos, and arc, in the prefrontal cortex of clinically depressed humans obtained postmortem. We also examined these genes in the ventral portion of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of mice after chronic social defeat stress, a mouse model of depression. In addition, we used viral vectors to overexpress channel rhodopsin 2 (a light-activated cation channel) in mouse mPFC to optogenetically drive "burst" patterns of cortical firing in vivo and examine the behavioral consequences. Prefrontal cortical tissue derived from clinically depressed humans displayed significant reductions in IEG expression, consistent with a deficit in neuronal activity within this brain region. Mice subjected to chronic social defeat stress exhibited similar reductions in levels of IEG expression in mPFC. Interestingly, some of these changes were not observed in defeated mice that escape the deleterious consequences of the stress, i.e., resilient animals. In those mice that expressed a strong depressive-like phenotype, i.e., susceptible animals, optogenetic stimulation of mPFC exerted potent antidepressant-like effects, without affecting general locomotor activity, anxiety-like behaviors, or social memory. These results indicate that the activity of the mPFC is a key determinant of depression-like behavior, as well as antidepressant responses.
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Zakharova EI, Storozheva ZI, Dudchenko AM, Kubatiev AA. Chronic cerebral ischaemia forms new cholinergic mechanisms of learning and memory. Int J Alzheimers Dis 2010; 2010:954589. [PMID: 21197444 PMCID: PMC3010649 DOI: 10.4061/2010/954589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2010] [Revised: 08/10/2010] [Accepted: 11/02/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this research was a comparative analysis of cholinergic synaptic organization following learning and memory in normal and chronic cerebral ischaemic rats in the Morris water maze model. Choline acetyltransferase and protein content were determined in subpopulations of presynapses of “light” and “heavy” synaptosomal fractions of the cortex and the hippocampus, and the cholinergic projective and intrinsic systems of the brain structures were taken into consideration. We found a strong involvement of cholinergic systems, both projective and intrinsic, in all forms of cognition. Each form of cognition had an individual cholinergic molecular profile and the cholinergic synaptic compositions in the ischaemic rat brains differed significantly from normal ones. Our data demonstrated that under ischaemic conditions, instead of damaged connections new key synaptic relationships, which were stable against pathological influences and able to restore damaged cognitive functions, arose. The plasticity of neurochemical links in the individual organization of certain types of cognition gave a new input into brain pathology and can be used in the future for alternative corrections of vascular and other degenerative dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- E I Zakharova
- Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, RAMS, Baltic street 8, Moscow 125315, Russia
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Localization of pre- and postsynaptic cholinergic markers in rodent forebrain: a brief history and comparison of rat and mouse. Behav Brain Res 2010; 221:356-66. [PMID: 21129407 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.11.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Rat and mouse models are widely used for studies in cognition and pathophysiology, among others. Here, we sought to determine to what extent these two model species differ for cholinergic and cholinoceptive features. For this purpose, we focused on cholinergic innervation patterns based on choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunostaining, and the expression of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) detected immunocytochemically. In this brief review we first place cholinergic and cholinoceptive markers in a historic perspective, and then provide an overview of recent publications on cholinergic studies and techniques to provide a literature survey of current research. Next, we compare mouse (C57Bl/J6) and rat (Wistar) cholinergic and cholinoceptive systems simultaneously stained, respectively, for ChAT (analyzed qualitatively) and mAChRs (analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively). In general, the topographic cholinergic innervation patterns of both rodent species are highly comparable, with only considerable (but region specific) differences in number of detectable cholinergic interneurons, which are more numerous in rat. In contrast, immunolabeling for mAChRs, detected by the monoclonal antibody M35, differs markedly in the forebrain between the two species. In mouse brain, basal levels of activated and/or internalized mAChRs (as a consequence of cholinergic neurotransmission) are significantly higher. This suggests a higher cholinergic tone in mouse than rat, and hence the animal model of choice may have consequences for cholinergic drug testing experiments.
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