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Pardo-Valencia J, Moreno-Gomez M, Mercado N, Pro B, Ammann C, Humanes-Valera D, Foffani G. Local wakefulness-like activity of layer 5 cortex under general anaesthesia. J Physiol 2024. [PMID: 39316039 DOI: 10.1113/jp286417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Consciousness, defined as being aware of and responsive to one's surroundings, is characteristic of normal waking life and typically is lost during sleep and general anaesthesia. The traditional view of consciousness as a global brain state has evolved toward a more sophisticated interplay between global and local states, with the presence of local sleep in the awake brain and local wakefulness in the sleeping brain. However, this interplay is not clear for general anaesthesia, where loss of consciousness was recently suggested to be associated with a global state of brain-wide synchrony that selectively involves layer 5 cortical pyramidal neurons across sensory, motor and associative areas. According to this global view, local wakefulness of layer 5 cortex should be incompatible with deep anaesthesia, a hypothesis that deserves to be scrutinised with causal manipulations. Here, we show that unilateral chemogenetic activation of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the sensorimotor cortex of isoflurane-anaesthetised mice induces a local state transition from slow-wave activity to tonic firing in the transfected hemisphere. This wakefulness-like activity dramatically disrupts layer 5 interhemispheric synchrony with mirror-image locations in the contralateral hemisphere, but does not reduce the level of unconsciousness under deep anaesthesia, nor in the transitions to/from anaesthesia. Global layer 5 synchrony may thus be a sufficient condition for anaesthesia-induced unconsciousness, but is not a necessary one, at least under isoflurane anaesthesia. Local wakefulness-like activity of layer 5 cortex can be induced and maintained under deep anaesthesia, encouraging further investigation into the local vs. global aspects of anaesthesia-induced unconsciousness. KEY POINTS: The neural correlates of consciousness have evolved from global brain states to a nuanced interplay between global and local states, evident in terms of local sleep in awake brains and local wakefulness in sleeping brains. The concept of local wakefulness remains unclear for general anaesthesia, where the loss of consciousness has been recently suggested to involve brain-wide synchrony of layer 5 cortical neurons. We found that local wakefulness-like activity of layer 5 cortical can be chemogenetically induced in anaesthetised mice without affecting the depth of anaesthesia or the transitions to and from unconsciousness. Global layer 5 synchrony may thus be a sufficient but not necessary feature for the unconsciousness induced by general anaesthesia. Local wakefulness-like activity of layer 5 neurons is compatible with general anaesthesia, thus promoting further investigation into the local vs. global aspects of anaesthesia-induced unconsciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Pardo-Valencia
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Spain
| | - Miryam Moreno-Gomez
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Spain
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid-Cajal Institute, Madrid, Spain
| | - Noelia Mercado
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Spain
| | - Beatriz Pro
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Spain
| | - Claudia Ammann
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Spain
- Facultad HM de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
| | - Desire Humanes-Valera
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Spain
| | - Guglielmo Foffani
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria HM Hospitales, Spain
- Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, Toledo, Spain
- CIBERNED, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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2
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Duarte JMN. Concentrations of glutamate and N-acetylaspartate detected by magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the rat hippocampus correlate with hippocampal-dependent spatial memory performance. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1458070. [PMID: 39219740 PMCID: PMC11362093 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1458070] [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: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been employed to investigate brain metabolite concentrations in vivo, and they vary during neuronal activation, across brain activity states, or upon disease with neurological impact. Whether resting brain metabolites correlate with functioning in behavioral tasks remains to be demonstrated in any of the widely used rodent models. This study tested the hypothesis that, in the absence of neurological disease or injury, the performance in a hippocampal-dependent memory task is correlated with the hippocampal levels of metabolites that are mainly synthesized in neurons, namely N-acetylaspartate (NAA), glutamate and GABA. Experimentally naïve rats were tested for hippocampal-dependent spatial memory performance by measuring spontaneous alternation in the Y-maze, followed by anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the hippocampus and cortex. Memory performance correlated with hippocampal concentrations of NAA (p = 0.024) and glutamate (p = 0.014) but not GABA. Concentrations of glutamate in the cortex also correlated with spatial memory (p = 0.035). In addition, memory performance was also correlated with the relative volume of the hippocampus (p = 0.041). Altogether, this exploratory study suggests that levels of the neuronal maker NAA and the main excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate are associated with physiological functional capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- João M. N. Duarte
- Diabetes and Brain Function Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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3
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Menezes EC, Geiger H, Abreu FF, Rachmany L, Wilson DA, Alldred MJ, Castellanos FX, Fu R, Sargin D, Corvelo A, Teixeira CM. Early-life prefrontal cortex inhibition and early-life stress lead to long-lasting behavioral, transcriptional, and physiological impairments. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:2359-2371. [PMID: 38486048 PMCID: PMC11399324 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02499-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
Early-life stress has been linked to multiple neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric deficits. Our previous studies have linked maternal presence/absence from the nest in developing rat pups to changes in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. Furthermore, we have shown that these changes are modulated by serotonergic signaling. Here we test whether changes in PFC activity during early life affect the developing cortex leading to behavioral alterations in the adult. We show that inhibiting the PFC of mouse pups leads to cognitive deficits in the adult comparable to those seen following maternal separation. Moreover, we show that activating the PFC during maternal separation can prevent these behavioral deficits. To test how maternal separation affects the transcriptional profile of the PFC we performed single-nucleus RNA-sequencing. Maternal separation led to differential gene expression almost exclusively in inhibitory neurons. Among others, we found changes in GABAergic and serotonergic pathways in these interneurons. Interestingly, both maternal separation and early-life PFC inhibition led to changes in physiological responses in prefrontal activity to GABAergic and serotonergic antagonists that were similar to the responses of more immature brains. Prefrontal activation during maternal separation prevented these changes. These data point to a crucial role of PFC activity during early life in behavioral expression in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edênia C Menezes
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | | | - Fabiula F Abreu
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Lital Rachmany
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Donald A Wilson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Melissa J Alldred
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Francisco X Castellanos
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Rui Fu
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, 10013, USA
| | - Derya Sargin
- Department of Psychology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | | | - Cátia M Teixeira
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA.
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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4
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Grønbæk-Thygesen M, Hartmann-Petersen R. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of aspartoacylase and its role in Canavan disease. Cell Biosci 2024; 14:45. [PMID: 38582917 PMCID: PMC10998430 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-024-01224-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Canavan disease is an autosomal recessive and lethal neurological disorder, characterized by the spongy degeneration of the white matter in the brain. The disease is caused by a deficiency of the cytosolic aspartoacylase (ASPA) enzyme, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), an abundant brain metabolite, into aspartate and acetate. On the physiological level, the mechanism of pathogenicity remains somewhat obscure, with multiple, not mutually exclusive, suggested hypotheses. At the molecular level, recent studies have shown that most disease linked ASPA gene variants lead to a structural destabilization and subsequent proteasomal degradation of the ASPA protein variants, and accordingly Canavan disease should in general be considered a protein misfolding disorder. Here, we comprehensively summarize the molecular and cell biology of ASPA, with a particular focus on disease-linked gene variants and the pathophysiology of Canavan disease. We highlight the importance of high-throughput technologies and computational prediction tools for making genotype-phenotype predictions as we await the results of ongoing trials with gene therapy for Canavan disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Grønbæk-Thygesen
- The Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200N, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Rasmus Hartmann-Petersen
- The Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200N, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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5
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Koolschijn RS, Clarke WT, Ip IB, Emir UE, Barron HC. Event-related functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Neuroimage 2023; 276:120194. [PMID: 37244321 PMCID: PMC7614684 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Proton-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive brain imaging technique used to measure the concentration of different neurochemicals. "Single-voxel" MRS data is typically acquired across several minutes, before individual transients are averaged through time to give a measurement of neurochemical concentrations. However, this approach is not sensitive to more rapid temporal dynamics of neurochemicals, including those that reflect functional changes in neural computation relevant to perception, cognition, motor control and ultimately behaviour. In this review we discuss recent advances in functional MRS (fMRS) that now allow us to obtain event-related measures of neurochemicals. Event-related fMRS involves presenting different experimental conditions as a series of trials that are intermixed. Critically, this approach allows spectra to be acquired at a time resolution in the order of seconds. Here we provide a comprehensive user guide for event-related task designs, choice of MRS sequence, analysis pipelines, and appropriate interpretation of event-related fMRS data. We raise various technical considerations by examining protocols used to quantify dynamic changes in GABA, the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Overall, we propose that although more data is needed, event-related fMRS can be used to measure dynamic changes in neurochemicals at a temporal resolution relevant to computations that support human cognition and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renée S Koolschijn
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, FMRIB, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - William T Clarke
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, FMRIB, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - I Betina Ip
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, FMRIB, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Uzay E Emir
- School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, United States
| | - Helen C Barron
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, FMRIB, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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6
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Pasanta D, He JL, Ford T, Oeltzschner G, Lythgoe DJ, Puts NA. Functional MRS studies of GABA and glutamate/Glx - A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104940. [PMID: 36332780 PMCID: PMC9846867 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) can be used to investigate neurometabolic responses to external stimuli in-vivo, but findings are inconsistent. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on fMRS studies of the primary neurotransmitters Glutamate (Glu), Glx (Glutamate + Glutamine), and GABA. Data were extracted, grouped by metabolite, stimulus domain, and brain region, and analysed by determining standardized effect sizes. The quality of individual studies was rated. When results were analysed by metabolite type small to moderate effect sizes of 0.29-0.47 (p < 0.05) were observed for changes in Glu and Glx regardless of stimulus domain and brain region, but no significant effects were observed for GABA. Further analysis suggests that Glu, Glx and GABA responses differ by stimulus domain or task and vary depending on the time course of stimulation and data acquisition. Here, we establish effect sizes and directionality of GABA, Glu and Glx response in fMRS. This work highlights the importance of standardised reporting and minimal best practice for fMRS research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duanghathai Pasanta
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, London SE5 8AB, United Kingdom; Department of Radiologic Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Jason L He
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, London SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Talitha Ford
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia; Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Georg Oeltzschner
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 700. N. Broadway, 21207 Baltimore, United States; Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N. Wolfe Street, 21205 Baltimore, United States
| | - David J Lythgoe
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, London SE5 8AB, United Kingdom
| | - Nicolaas A Puts
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, London SE5 8AB, United Kingdom; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL London, United Kingdom.
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7
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Kosten L, Emmi SA, Missault S, Keliris GA. Combining magnetic resonance imaging with readout and/or perturbation of neural activity in animal models: Advantages and pitfalls. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:938665. [PMID: 35911983 PMCID: PMC9334914 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.938665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the main challenges in brain research is to link all aspects of brain function: on a cellular, systemic, and functional level. Multimodal neuroimaging methodology provides a continuously evolving platform. Being able to combine calcium imaging, optogenetics, electrophysiology, chemogenetics, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as part of the numerous efforts on brain functional mapping, we have a unique opportunity to better understand brain function. This review will focus on the developments in application of these tools within fMRI studies and highlight the challenges and choices neurosciences face when designing multimodal experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Kosten
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Serena Alexa Emmi
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Stephan Missault
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Georgios A. Keliris
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Foundation for Research & Technology – Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
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8
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Just N. Proton functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy in rodents. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 34:e4254. [PMID: 31967711 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Proton functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1 H-fMRS) in the human brain is able to assess and quantify the metabolic response due to localized brain activity. Currently, 1 H-fMRS of the human brain is complementary to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a recommended technique at high field strengths (>7 T) for the investigation of neurometabolic couplings, thereby providing insight into the mechanisms underlying brain activity and brain connectivity. Understanding typical healthy brain metabolism during a task is expected to provide a baseline from which to detect and characterize neurochemical alterations associated with various neurological or psychiatric disorders and diseases. It is of paramount importance to resolve fundamental questions related to the regulation of neurometabolic processes. New techniques such as optogenetics may be coupled to fMRI and fMRS to bring more specificity to investigations of brain cell populations during cerebral activation thus enabling a higher link to molecular changes and therapeutic advances. These rather novel techniques are mainly available for rodent applications and trigger renewed interest in animal fMRS. However, rodent fMRS remains fairly confidential due to its inherent low signal-to-noise ratio and its dependence on anesthesia. For instance, the accurate determination of metabolic concentration changes during stimulation requires robust knowledge of the physiological environment of the measured region of interest linked to anesthesia in most cases. These factors may also have a strong influence on B0 homogeneity. Therefore, a degree of calibration of the stimulus strength and duration may be needed for increased knowledge of the underpinnings of cerebral activity. Here, we propose an early review of the current status of 1 H-fMRS in rodents and summarize current difficulties and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Just
- Department of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital Münster, Germany
- INRAE, Centre, Tours Val de Loire, France
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9
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White TL, Gonsalves MA, Cohen RA, Harris AD, Monnig MA, Walsh EG, Nitenson AZ, Porges EC, Lamb DG, Woods AJ, Borja CB. The neurobiology of wellness: 1H-MRS correlates of agency, flexibility and neuroaffective reserves in healthy young adults. Neuroimage 2020; 225:117509. [PMID: 33127477 PMCID: PMC7869459 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is a noninvasive imaging technique that measures the concentration of metabolites in defined areas of the human brain in vivo. The underlying structure of natural metabolism-emotion relationships is unknown. Further, there is a wide range of between-person differences in metabolite concentration in healthy individuals, but the significance of this variation for understanding emotion in healthy humans is unclear. Here we investigated the relationship of two emotional constructs, agency and flexibility, with the metabolites glutamate and glutamine (Glx), N-acetylaspartate (tNAA), choline (Cho), creatine (tCr), and myo-inositol (Ins) in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) in medically and psychiatrically healthy volunteers (N = 20, 9 female; mean age = 22.8 years, SD = 3.40). The dACC was selected because this region is an integrative hub involved in multiple brain networks of emotion, cognition and behavior. Emotional traits were assessed using the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Brief Form (MPQ-BF), an empirically derived self-report instrument with an orthogonal factor structure. Phenotypes evaluated were positive and negative agency (MPQ-BF Social Potency, Aggression), emotional and behavioral flexibility (MPQ-BF Absorption, Control-reversed), and positive and negative affect (MPQ-BF Social Closeness; Stress Reaction, Alienation). The resting concentration of tNAA in the dACC was robustly positively correlated with Absorption (r = +0.56, unadjusted p = .005), moderately positively correlated with Social Potency (r = +0.42, unadjusted p = .03), and robustly negatively correlated with Aggression (r = −0.59, unadjusted p = .003). Absorption and Aggression accounted for substantial variance in tNAA (R2 = 0.31, 0.35; combined R2 = 0.50), and survived correction for multiple comparisons (Holm-Bonferroni adjusted p = .032, 0.021, respectively). dACC Glx and Cho had modest relationships with behavioral flexibility and social affiliation that did not survive this multiple correction, providing effect sizes for future work. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed a three-factor orthogonal solution indicating specific relationships between: 1) Glx and behavioral engagement; 2) Cho and affiliative bonding; and 3) tNAA and a novel dimension that we term neuroaffective reserves. Our results inform the neurobiology of agency and flexibility and lay the groundwork for understanding mechanisms of natural emotion using 1H-MRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara L White
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Box G-S121-4, 121 South Main St., Providence, RI 02912, USA; Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
| | | | - Ronald A Cohen
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, and McKnight Brain Research Foundation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ashley D Harris
- Department of Radiology, CAIR Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Mollie A Monnig
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Box G-S121-4, 121 South Main St., Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Edward G Walsh
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Adam Z Nitenson
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Eric C Porges
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, and McKnight Brain Research Foundation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Damon G Lamb
- Department of Psychiatry, and Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Research Foundation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Center for Neuropsychological Studies, Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA; Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Adam J Woods
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, and McKnight Brain Research Foundation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Cara B Borja
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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10
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Abstract
Proton magnetic spectroscopy (1H-MRS) is a noninvasive imaging technique that allows for the quantification of neurometabolic compounds at millimolar concentrations in the living human brain. This technique has been most often used to assess long-term changes in human brain metabolism in psychiatric disorders, pharmacological treatment, chronic drug use, and alcohol dependence. In contrast, the capacity of 1H-MRS to evaluate the biochemical changes in the minutes to hours following drug consumption, which contribute to fast-acting drug-induced changes in perception, mood, cognition, and behavior, is largely unexplored. This Viewpoint highlights the utility of 1H-MRS imaging for revealing neural mechanisms of rapid drug action in the human brain, with implications for phasic, in vivo changes in biosynthetic and catabolic pathways after drug exposure. Drawing from examples of psychostimulant drug effects, neuromodulatory input and drug-induced mood, we present strategies to optimize 1H-MRS for noninvasively imaging fast-acting drug effects and other rapid phenomena within the living human brain. These approaches could provide powerful tools for both basic research and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara L. White
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
- Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Meghan A. Gonsalves
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
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11
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APOE4 is Associated with Differential Regional Vulnerability to Bioenergetic Deficits in Aged APOE Mice. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4277. [PMID: 32152337 PMCID: PMC7062695 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61142-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the dominant genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the reason for the association between APOE4 and AD remains unclear. While much of the research has focused on the ability of the apoE4 protein to increase the aggregation and decrease the clearance of Aβ, there is also an abundance of data showing that APOE4 negatively impacts many additional processes in the brain, including bioenergetics. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of APOE4′s role in AD pathogenesis, we performed a transcriptomics analysis of APOE4 vs. APOE3 expression in the entorhinal cortex (EC) and primary visual cortex (PVC) of aged APOE mice. This study revealed EC-specific upregulation of genes related to oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos). Follow-up analysis utilizing the Seahorse platform showed decreased mitochondrial respiration with age in the hippocampus and cortex of APOE4 vs. APOE3 mice, but not in the EC of these mice. Additional studies, as well as the original transcriptomics data, suggest that multiple bioenergetic pathways are differentially regulated by APOE4 expression in the EC of aged APOE mice in order to increase the mitochondrial coupling efficiency in this region. Given the importance of the EC as one of the first regions to be affected by AD pathology in humans, the observation that the EC is susceptible to differential bioenergetic regulation in response to a metabolic stressor such as APOE4 may point to a causative factor in the pathogenesis of AD.
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Peeters LM, Missault S, Keliris AJ, Keliris GA. Combining designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs and neuroimaging in experimental models: A powerful approach towards neurotheranostic applications. Br J Pharmacol 2020; 177:992-1002. [PMID: 31658365 PMCID: PMC7042113 DOI: 10.1111/bph.14885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The combination of chemogenetics targeting specific brain cell populations with in vivo imaging techniques provides scientists with a powerful new tool to study functional neural networks at the whole-brain scale. A number of recent studies indicate the potential of this approach to increase our understanding of brain function in health and disease. In this review, we discuss the employment of a specific chemogenetic tool, designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs, in conjunction with non-invasive neuroimaging techniques such as PET and MRI. We highlight the utility of using this multiscale approach in longitudinal studies and its ability to identify novel brain circuits relevant to behaviour that can be monitored in parallel. In addition, some identified shortcomings in this technique and more recent efforts to overcome them are also presented. Finally, we discuss the translational potential of designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs in neuroimaging and the promise it holds for future neurotheranostic applications.
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fMRI and MR-spectroscopy in research on triggering and autostabilization of N-acetylaspartate. Chem Phys Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2019.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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14
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Bærentzen S, Casado-Sainz A, Lange D, Shalgunov V, Tejada IM, Xiong M, L'Estrade ET, Edgar FG, Lee H, Herth MM, Palner M. The Chemogenetic Receptor Ligand Clozapine N-Oxide Induces in vivo Neuroreceptor Occupancy and Reduces Striatal Glutamate Levels. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:187. [PMID: 31001069 PMCID: PMC6456655 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemogenetic studies with the ligand clozapine N-oxide (CNO) are predicated upon the assumption that CNO is devoid of actions at natural neuroreceptors. However, recent evidence shows that CNO may be converted back to clozapine (CLZ) in vivo, which could yield plasma concentrations that may be sufficient to occupy inter alia dopamine D2/3 and serotonin 5HT2A receptors in living brain. To test this phenomenon, we measured striatal dopamine D2/3 receptor occupancy with [18F]fallypride PET and serotonin 5HT2A occupancy ex vivo using [18F]MH.MZ. We found a CNO dose-dependent effect on the availability of both neuroreceptor sites. In parallel MR spectroscopy experiments, we found that CNO reduced creatine + phosphcreatine (Cr+PCr) and increased N-acetylaspartate + N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAA+NAAG) signals in the prefrontal cortex, and also reduced the glutamate signal in dorsal striatum, with peak effect at 2 mg/kg. Thus, our findings suggest that conversion of CNO to CLZ in living rats imparts significant occupancy at endogenous neuroreceptors and significant changes to neurometabolite levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Bærentzen
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Agata Casado-Sainz
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Denise Lange
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Vladimir Shalgunov
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Mengfei Xiong
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Elina T L'Estrade
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Radiation Physics, Nuclear Medicine Physics Unit, Skånes University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Fraser G Edgar
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hedok Lee
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pediatric Anesthesiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Matthias M Herth
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine and PET, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mikael Palner
- Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Costigan AG, Umla-Runge K, Evans CJ, Hodgetts CJ, Lawrence AD, Graham KS. Neurochemical correlates of scene processing in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex: A multimodal fMRI and 1 H-MRS study. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:2884-2898. [PMID: 30865358 PMCID: PMC6563468 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCu/PCC) are key components of a midline network, activated during rest but also in tasks that involve construction of scene or situation models. Despite growing interest in PCu/PCC functional alterations in disease and disease risk, the underlying neurochemical modulators of PCu/PCC's task‐evoked activity are largely unstudied. Here, a multimodal imaging approach was applied to investigate whether interindividual differences in PCu/PCC fMRI activity, elicited during perceptual discrimination of scene stimuli, were correlated with local brain metabolite levels, measured during resting‐state 1H‐MRS. Forty healthy young adult participants completed an fMRI perceptual odd‐one‐out task for scenes, objects and faces. 1H‐MRS metabolites N‐acetyl‐aspartate (tNAA), glutamate (Glx) and γ‐amino‐butyric acid (GABA+) were quantified via PRESS and MEGA‐PRESS scans in a PCu/PCC voxel and an occipital (OCC) control voxel. Whole brain fMRI revealed a cluster in right dorsal PCu/PCC that showed a greater BOLD response to scenes versus faces and objects. When extracted from an independently defined PCu/PCC region of interest, scene activity (vs. faces and objects and also vs. baseline) was positively correlated with PCu/PCC, but not OCC, tNAA. A voxel‐wise regression analysis restricted to the PCu/PCC 1H‐MRS voxel area identified a significant PCu/PCC cluster, confirming the positive correlation between scene‐related BOLD activity and PCu/PCC tNAA. There were no correlations between PCu/PCC activity and Glx or GABA+ levels. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that scene activity in PCu/PCC is linked to local tNAA levels, identifying a neurochemical influence on interindividual differences in the task‐driven activity of a key brain hub.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison G Costigan
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
| | - Katja Umla-Runge
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
| | - C John Evans
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
| | - Carl J Hodgetts
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
| | - Andrew D Lawrence
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
| | - Kim S Graham
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
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16
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de Matos NM, Hock A, Wyss M, Ettlin DA, Brügger M. Neurochemical dynamics of acute orofacial pain in the human trigeminal brainstem nuclear complex. Neuroimage 2017; 162:162-172. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.08.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
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17
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Elevated Choline-Containing Compound Levels in Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:2252-2258. [PMID: 28220797 PMCID: PMC5603812 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have found increased levels of choline-containing compounds (ie, glycerophosphocholine plus phosphocholine (GPC+PC)) in bipolar disorder using in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS), especially in bipolar I disorder (BD-I). Increased levels of GPC+PC suggest alterations in the membrane phospholipids metabolism in bipolar disorder. Rapid cycling (RC) bipolar disorder is considered as a severe course of bipolar disorder, but it is unclear whether rapid cycling bipolar disorder is linked to highly altered membrane phospholipid metabolism. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the regional extent of elevated GPC+PC were greater in BD-I patients with rapid cycling compared to BD-I patients without rapid cycling and healthy controls. Using a multi-voxel 1H MRS approach at 3 Tesla with high spatial resolution and absolute quantification, GPC+PC levels from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate and putamen of 16 RC BD-I, 34 non-RC BD-I and 44 healthy controls were assessed. We found significantly elevated GPC+PC levels in ACC, putamen and caudate of RC BD-I patients compared to healthy controls (P<0.005) and in ACC compared to non-RC BD-I patients (P<0.05). These results suggest greater alteration of membrane phospholipid metabolisms in rapid cycling BD-I compared to non-rapid-cycling BD-I.
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Roelofs TJM, Verharen JPH, van Tilborg GAF, Boekhoudt L, van der Toorn A, de Jong JW, Luijendijk MCM, Otte WM, Adan RAH, Dijkhuizen RM. A novel approach to map induced activation of neuronal networks using chemogenetics and functional neuroimaging in rats: A proof-of-concept study on the mesocorticolimbic system. Neuroimage 2017; 156:109-118. [PMID: 28502844 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Revised: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Linking neural circuit activation at whole-brain level to neuronal activity at cellular level remains one of the major challenges in neuroscience research. We set up a novel functional neuroimaging approach to map global effects of locally induced activation of specific midbrain projection neurons using chemogenetics (Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD)-technology) combined with pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (phMRI) in the rat mesocorticolimbic system. Chemogenetic activation of DREADD-targeted mesolimbic or mesocortical pathways, i.e. projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) or medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), respectively, induced significant blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses in areas with DREADD expression, but also in remote defined neural circuitry without DREADD expression. The time-course of brain activation corresponded with the behavioral output measure, i.e. locomotor (hyper)activity, in the mesolimbic pathway-targeted group. Chemogenetic activation specifically increased neuronal activity, whereas functional connectivity assessed with resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) remained stable. Positive and negative BOLD responses distinctively reflected simultaneous ventral pallidum activation and substantia nigra pars reticulata deactivation, respectively, demonstrating the concept of mesocorticolimbic network activity with concurrent activation of the direct and indirect pathways following stimulation of specific midbrain projection neurons. The presented methodology provides straightforward and widely applicable opportunities to elucidate relationships between local neuronal activity and global network activity in a controllable manner, which will increase our understanding of the functioning and dysfunctioning of large-scale neuronal networks in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresia J M Roelofs
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Bolognalaan 50, 3584 CJ Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen P H Verharen
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Geralda A F van Tilborg
- Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Bolognalaan 50, 3584 CJ Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Linde Boekhoudt
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Annette van der Toorn
- Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Bolognalaan 50, 3584 CJ Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes W de Jong
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mieneke C M Luijendijk
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Willem M Otte
- Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Bolognalaan 50, 3584 CJ Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatric Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Roger A H Adan
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rick M Dijkhuizen
- Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Bolognalaan 50, 3584 CJ Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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