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Cao T, He S, Wang L, Chai X, He Q, Liu D, Wang D, Wang N, He J, Wang S, Yang Y, Zhao J, Tan H. Clinical neuromodulatory effects of deep brain stimulation in disorder of consciousness: A literature review. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14559. [PMID: 38115730 PMCID: PMC11163193 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The management of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) presents substantial challenges in clinical practice. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach, but the lack of standardized regulatory parameters for DBS in DOC hinders definitive conclusions. OBJECTIVE This comprehensive review aims to provide a detailed summary of the current issues concerning patient selection, target setting, and modulation parameters in clinical studies investigating the application of DBS for DOC patients. METHODS A meticulous systematic analysis of the literatures was conducted, encompassing articles published from 1968 to April 2023, retrieved from reputable databases (PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science). RESULTS The systematic analysis of 21 eligible articles, involving 146 patients with DOC resulting from acquired brain injury or other disorders, revealed significant insights. The most frequently targeted regions were the Centromedian-parafascicular complex (CM-pf) nuclei and central thalamus (CT), both recognized for their role in regulating consciousness. However, other targets have also been explored in different studies. The stimulation frequency was predominantly set at 25 or 100 Hz, with pulse width of 120 μs, and voltages ranged from 0 to 4 V. These parameters were customized based on individual patient responses and evaluations. The overall clinical efficacy rate in all included studies was 39.7%, indicating a positive effect of DBS in a subset of DOC patients. Nonetheless, the assessment methods, follow-up durations, and outcome measures varied across studies, potentially contributing to the variability in reported efficacy rates. CONCLUSION Despite the challenges arising from the lack of standardized parameters, DBS shows promising potential as a therapeutic option for patients with DOC. However, there still remains the need for standardized protocols and assessment methods, which are crucial to deepen the understanding and optimizing the therapeutic potential of DBS in this specific patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqing Cao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Shenghong He
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Luchen Wang
- School of Information Science and TechnologyFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xiaoke Chai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Qiheng He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Dongsheng Liu
- Department of NeurosurgeryAviation General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of NeurosurgeryGanzhou People's HospitalGanzhouJiangxi ProvinceChina
| | - Nan Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Jianghong He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Shouyang Wang
- School of Information Science and TechnologyFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Chinese Institute for Brain ResearchBeijingChina
- Beijing Institute of Brain DisordersBeijingChina
| | - Jizong Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Huiling Tan
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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2
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Wang Z, Wang Z, Zhou Q. Modulation of learning safety signals by acute stress: paraventricular thalamus and prefrontal inhibition. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:961-973. [PMID: 38182776 PMCID: PMC11039638 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01790-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Distinguishing between cues predicting safety and danger is crucial for survival. Impaired learning of safety cues is a central characteristic of anxiety-related disorders. Despite recent advances in dissecting the neural circuitry underlying the formation and extinction of conditioned fear, the neuronal basis mediating safety learning remains elusive. Here, we showed that safety learning reduces the responses of paraventricular thalamus (PVT) neurons to safety cues, while activation of these neurons controls both the formation and expression of safety memory. Additionally, the PVT preferentially activates prefrontal cortex somatostatin interneurons (SOM-INs), which subsequently inhibit parvalbumin interneurons (PV-INs) to modulate safety memory. Importantly, we demonstrate that acute stress impairs the expression of safety learning, and this impairment can be mitigated when the PVT is inhibited, indicating PVT mediates the stress effect. Altogether, our findings provide insights into the mechanism by which acute stress modulates safety learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongliang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zeyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qiang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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3
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Lubejko ST, Livrizzi G, Buczynski SA, Patel J, Yung JC, Yaksh TL, Banghart MR. Inputs to the locus coeruleus from the periaqueductal gray and rostroventral medulla shape opioid-mediated descending pain modulation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj9581. [PMID: 38669335 PMCID: PMC11051679 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj9581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The supraspinal descending pain modulatory system (DPMS) shapes pain perception via monoaminergic modulation of sensory information in the spinal cord. However, the role and synaptic mechanisms of descending noradrenergic signaling remain unclear. Here, we establish that noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) are essential for supraspinal opioid antinociception. While much previous work has emphasized the role of descending serotonergic pathways, we find that opioid antinociception is primarily driven by excitatory output from the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) to the LC. Furthermore, we identify a previously unknown opioid-sensitive inhibitory input from the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM), the suppression of which disinhibits LC neurons to drive spinal noradrenergic antinociception. We describe pain-related activity throughout this circuit and report the presence of prominent bifurcating outputs from the vlPAG to the LC and the RVM. Our findings substantially revise current models of the DPMS and establish a supraspinal antinociceptive pathway that may contribute to multiple forms of descending pain modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan T. Lubejko
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Giulia Livrizzi
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Stanley A. Buczynski
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Janki Patel
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jean C. Yung
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Tony L. Yaksh
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Matthew R. Banghart
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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4
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Morais PLAG, Rubio-Garrido P, de Lima RM, Córdoba-Claros A, de Nascimento ES, Cavalcante JS, Clascá F. The Arousal-Related "Central Thalamus" Stimulation Site Simultaneously Innervates Multiple High-Level Frontal and Parietal Areas. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7812-7821. [PMID: 37758474 PMCID: PMC10648518 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1216-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In human and nonhuman primates, deep brain stimulation applied at or near the internal medullary lamina of the thalamus [a region referred to as "central thalamus," (CT)], but not at nearby thalamic sites, elicits major changes in the level of consciousness, even in some minimally conscious brain-damaged patients. The mechanisms behind these effects remain mysterious, as the connections of CT had not been specifically mapped in primates. In marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) of both sexes, we labeled the axons originating from each of the various CT neuronal populations and analyzed their arborization patterns in the cerebral cortex and striatum. We report that, together, these CT populations innervate an array of high-level frontal, posterior parietal, and cingulate cortical areas. Some populations simultaneously target the frontal, parietal, and cingulate cortices, while others predominantly target the dorsal striatum. Our data indicate that CT stimulation can simultaneously engage a heterogeneous set of projection systems that, together, target the key nodes of the attention, executive control, and working-memory networks of the brain. Increased functional connectivity in these networks has been previously described as a signature of consciousness.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In human and nonhuman primates, deep brain stimulation at a specific site near the internal medullary lamina of the thalamus ["central thalamus," (CT)] had been shown to restore arousal and awareness in anesthetized animals, as well as in some brain-damaged patients. The mechanisms behind these effects remain mysterious, as CT connections remain poorly defined in primates. In marmoset monkeys, we mapped with sensitive axon-labeling methods the pathways originated from CT. Our data indicate that stimulation applied in CT can simultaneously engage a heterogeneous set of projection systems that, together, target several key nodes of the attention, executive control, and working-memory networks of the brain. Increased functional connectivity in these networks has been previously described as a signature of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo L A G Morais
- Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, RN CEP 59078-900, Natal, Brazil
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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5
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Lubejko ST, Livrizzi G, Patel J, Yung JC, Yaksh TL, Banghart MR. Inputs to the locus coeruleus from the periaqueductal gray and rostroventral medulla shape opioid-mediated descending pain modulation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.10.561768. [PMID: 37873091 PMCID: PMC10592708 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.10.561768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
The supraspinal descending pain modulatory system (DPMS) shapes pain perception via monoaminergic modulation of sensory information in the spinal cord. However, the role and synaptic mechanisms of descending noradrenergic signaling remain unclear. Here, we establish that noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC) are essential for supraspinal opioid antinociception. Unexpectedly, given prior emphasis on descending serotonergic pathways, we find that opioid antinociception is primarily driven by excitatory output from the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) to the LC. Furthermore, we identify a previously unknown opioid-sensitive inhibitory input from the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM), the suppression of which disinhibits LC neurons to drive spinal noradrenergic antinociception. We also report the presence of prominent bifurcating outputs from the vlPAG to the LC and the RVM. Our findings significantly revise current models of the DPMS and establish a novel supraspinal antinociceptive pathway that may contribute to multiple forms of descending pain modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan T. Lubejko
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Giulia Livrizzi
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Janki Patel
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jean C. Yung
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Tony L. Yaksh
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Matthew R. Banghart
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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6
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Lindquist BE, Timbie C, Voskobiynyk Y, Paz JT. Thalamocortical circuits in generalized epilepsy: Pathophysiologic mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 181:106094. [PMID: 36990364 PMCID: PMC10192143 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Generalized epilepsy affects 24 million people globally; at least 25% of cases remain medically refractory. The thalamus, with widespread connections throughout the brain, plays a critical role in generalized epilepsy. The intrinsic properties of thalamic neurons and the synaptic connections between populations of neurons in the nucleus reticularis thalami and thalamocortical relay nuclei help generate different firing patterns that influence brain states. In particular, transitions from tonic firing to highly synchronized burst firing mode in thalamic neurons can cause seizures that rapidly generalize and cause altered awareness and unconsciousness. Here, we review the most recent advances in our understanding of how thalamic activity is regulated and discuss the gaps in our understanding of the mechanisms of generalized epilepsy syndromes. Elucidating the role of the thalamus in generalized epilepsy syndromes may lead to new opportunities to better treat pharmaco-resistant generalized epilepsy by thalamic modulation and dietary therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britta E Lindquist
- UCSF Department of Neurology, Division of Neurocritical Care, United States of America; UCSF Department of Neurology, Division of Pediatric Epilepsy, United States of America; UCSF Department of Neurology, United States of America
| | - Clare Timbie
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, United States of America; UCSF Department of Neurology, Division of Pediatric Epilepsy, United States of America; UCSF Department of Neurology, United States of America
| | - Yuliya Voskobiynyk
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, United States of America; UCSF Department of Neurology, United States of America
| | - Jeanne T Paz
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, United States of America; UCSF Department of Neurology, United States of America; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, UCSF, United States of America.
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7
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Pérez-Santos I, García-Cabezas MÁ, Cavada C. Mapping the primate thalamus: systematic approach to analyze the distribution of subcortical neuromodulatory afferents. Brain Struct Funct 2023:10.1007/s00429-023-02619-w. [PMID: 36890350 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02619-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Neuromodulatory afferents to thalamic nuclei are key for information transmission and thus play critical roles in sensory, motor, and limbic processes. Over the course of the last decades, diverse attempts have been made to map and describe subcortical neuromodulatory afferents to the primate thalamus, including axons using acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, and histamine. Our group has been actively involved in this endeavor. The published descriptions on neuromodulatory afferents to the primate thalamus have been made in different laboratories and are not fully comparable due to methodological divergences (for example, fixation procedures, planes of cutting, techniques used to detect the afferents, different criteria for identification of thalamic nuclei…). Such variation affects the results obtained. Therefore, systematic methodological and analytical approaches are much needed. The present article proposes reproducible methodological and terminological frameworks for primate thalamic mapping. We suggest the use of standard stereotaxic planes to produce and present maps of the primate thalamus, as well as the use of the Anglo-American school terminology (vs. the German school terminology) for identification of thalamic nuclei. Finally, a public repository of the data collected under agreed-on frameworks would be a useful tool for looking up and comparing data on the structure and connections of primate thalamic nuclei. Important and agreed-on efforts are required to create, manage, and fund a unified and homogeneous resource of data on the primate thalamus. Likewise, a firm commitment of the institutions to preserve experimental brain material is much needed because neuroscience work with non-human primates is becoming increasingly rare, making earlier material still more valuable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Pérez-Santos
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029, Madrid, Spain.,PhD Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel García-Cabezas
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029, Madrid, Spain.,PhD Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-Cajal, Madrid, Spain.,Neural Systems Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carmen Cavada
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029, Madrid, Spain. .,PhD Program in Neuroscience, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
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8
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Tasserie J, Uhrig L, Sitt JD, Manasova D, Dupont M, Dehaene S, Jarraya B. Deep brain stimulation of the thalamus restores signatures of consciousness in a nonhuman primate model. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl5547. [PMID: 35302854 PMCID: PMC8932660 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl5547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Loss of consciousness is associated with the disruption of long-range thalamocortical and corticocortical brain communication. We tested the hypothesis that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of central thalamus might restore both arousal and awareness following consciousness loss. We applied anesthesia to suppress consciousness in nonhuman primates. During anesthesia, central thalamic stimulation induced arousal in an on-off manner and increased functional magnetic resonance imaging activity in prefrontal, parietal, and cingulate cortices. Moreover, DBS restored a broad dynamic repertoire of spontaneous resting-state activity, previously described as a signature of consciousness. None of these effects were obtained during the stimulation of a control site in the ventrolateral thalamus. Last, DBS restored a broad hierarchical response to auditory violations that was disrupted under anesthesia. Thus, DBS restored the two dimensions of consciousness, arousal and conscious access, following consciousness loss, paving the way to its therapeutical translation in patients with disorders of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordy Tasserie
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Lynn Uhrig
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Necker Hospital, AP-HP, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Jacobo D. Sitt
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Dragana Manasova
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, APHP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Morgan Dupont
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
- Collège de France, Université Paris-Sciences-Lettres (PSL), Paris, France
| | - Béchir Jarraya
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France
- University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Université Paris-Saclay, Versailles, France
- Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France
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9
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Pérez-Santos I, Palomero-Gallagher N, Zilles K, Cavada C. Distribution of the Noradrenaline Innervation and Adrenoceptors in the Macaque Monkey Thalamus. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:4115-4139. [PMID: 34003210 PMCID: PMC8328208 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Noradrenaline (NA) in the thalamus has important roles in physiological, pharmacological, and pathological neuromodulation. In this work, a complete characterization of NA axons and Alpha adrenoceptors distributions is provided. NA axons, revealed by immunohistochemistry against the synthesizing enzyme and the NA transporter, are present in all thalamic nuclei. The most densely innervated ones are the midline nuclei, intralaminar nuclei (paracentral and parafascicular), and the medial sector of the mediodorsal nucleus (MDm). The ventral motor nuclei and most somatosensory relay nuclei receive a moderate NA innervation. The pulvinar complex receives a heterogeneous innervation. The lateral geniculate nucleus (GL) has the lowest NA innervation. Alpha adrenoceptors were analyzed by in vitro quantitative autoradiography. Alpha-1 receptor densities are higher than Alpha-2 densities. Overall, axonal densities and Alpha adrenoceptor densities coincide; although some mismatches were identified. The nuclei with the highest Alpha-1 values are MDm, the parvocellular part of the ventral posterior medial nucleus, medial pulvinar, and midline nuclei. The nucleus with the lowest Alpha-1 receptor density is GL. Alpha-2 receptor densities are highest in the lateral dorsal, centromedian, medial and inferior pulvinar, and midline nuclei. These results suggest a role for NA in modulating thalamic involvement in consciousness, limbic, cognitive, and executive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Pérez-Santos
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Karl Zilles
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.,JARA-BRAIN, Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Carmen Cavada
- Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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10
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Iglesias AG, Flagel SB. The Paraventricular Thalamus as a Critical Node of Motivated Behavior via the Hypothalamic-Thalamic-Striatal Circuit. Front Integr Neurosci 2021; 15:706713. [PMID: 34220458 PMCID: PMC8250420 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2021.706713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we highlight evidence that supports a role for the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) in motivated behavior. We include a neuroanatomical and neurochemical overview, outlining what is known of the cellular makeup of the region and its most prominent afferent and efferent connections. We discuss how these connections and distinctions across the anterior-posterior axis correspond to the perceived function of the PVT. We then focus on the hypothalamic-thalamic-striatal circuit and the neuroanatomical and functional placement of the PVT within this circuit. In this regard, the PVT is ideally positioned to integrate information regarding internal states and the external environment and translate it into motivated actions. Based on data that has emerged in recent years, including that from our laboratory, we posit that orexinergic (OX) innervation from the lateral hypothalamus (LH) to the PVT encodes the incentive motivational value of reward cues and thereby alters the signaling of the glutamatergic neurons projecting from the PVT to the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcSh). The PVT-NAcSh pathway then modulates dopamine activity and resultant cue-motivated behaviors. As we and others apply novel tools and approaches to studying the PVT we will continue to refine the anatomical, cellular, and functional definitions currently ascribed to this nucleus and further elucidate its role in motivated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda G. Iglesias
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Shelly B. Flagel
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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11
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The lateral hypothalamus and orexinergic transmission in the paraventricular thalamus promote the attribution of incentive salience to reward-associated cues. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:3741-3758. [PMID: 32852601 PMCID: PMC7960144 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05651-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Prior research suggests that the neural pathway from the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) mediates the attribution of incentive salience to Pavlovian reward cues. However, a causal role for the LHA and the neurotransmitters involved have not been demonstrated in this regard. OBJECTIVES To examine (1) the role of LHA in the acquisition of Pavlovian conditioned approach (PavCA) behaviors, and (2) the role of PVT orexin 1 receptors (OX1r) and orexin 2 receptors (OX2r) in the expression of PavCA behaviors and conditioned reinforcement. METHODS Rats received excitotoxic lesions of the LHA prior to Pavlovian training. A separate cohort of rats characterized as sign-trackers (STs) or goal-trackers (GTs) received the OX1r antagonist SB-334867, or the OX2r antagonist TCS-OX2-29, into the PVT, to assess their effects on the expression of PavCA behavior and on the conditioned reinforcing properties of a Pavlovian reward cue. RESULTS LHA lesions attenuated the development of sign-tracking behavior. Administration of either the OX1r or OX2r antagonist into the PVT reduced sign-tracking behavior in STs. Further, OX2r antagonism reduced the conditioned reinforcing properties of a Pavlovian reward cue in STs. CONCLUSIONS The LHA is necessary for the development of sign-tracking behavior; and blockade of orexin signaling in the PVT attenuates the expression of sign-tracking behavior and the conditioned reinforcing properties of a Pavlovian reward cue. Together, these data suggest that LHA orexin inputs to the PVT are a key component of the circuitry that encodes the incentive motivational value of reward cues.
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Kelberman M, Keilholz S, Weinshenker D. What's That (Blue) Spot on my MRI? Multimodal Neuroimaging of the Locus Coeruleus in Neurodegenerative Disease. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:583421. [PMID: 33122996 PMCID: PMC7573566 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.583421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) has long been underappreciated for its role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and other neurodegenerative disorders. While AD and PD are distinct in clinical presentation, both are characterized by prodromal protein aggregation in the LC, late-stage degeneration of the LC, and comorbid conditions indicative of LC dysfunction. Many of these early studies were limited to post-mortem histological techniques due to the LC’s small size and location deep in the brainstem. Thus, there is a growing interest in utilizing in vivo imaging of the LC as a predictor of preclinical neurodegenerative processes and biomarker of disease progression. Simultaneously, neuroimaging in animal models of neurodegenerative disease holds promise for identifying early alterations to LC circuits, but has thus far been underutilized. While still in its infancy, a handful of studies have reported effects of single gene mutations and pathology on LC function in disease using various neuroimaging techniques. Furthermore, combining imaging and optogenetics or chemogenetics allows for interrogation of network connectivity in response to changes in LC activity. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to review what magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) have revealed about LC dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease and its potential as a biomarker in humans, and (2) to explore how animal models can be used to test hypotheses derived from clinical data and establish a mechanistic framework to inform LC-focused therapeutic interventions to alleviate symptoms and impede disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kelberman
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Shella Keilholz
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Reimann HM, Niendorf T. The (Un)Conscious Mouse as a Model for Human Brain Functions: Key Principles of Anesthesia and Their Impact on Translational Neuroimaging. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:8. [PMID: 32508601 PMCID: PMC7248373 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, technical and procedural advances have brought functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to the field of murine neuroscience. Due to its unique capacity to measure functional activity non-invasively, across the entire brain, fMRI allows for the direct comparison of large-scale murine and human brain functions. This opens an avenue for bidirectional translational strategies to address fundamental questions ranging from neurological disorders to the nature of consciousness. The key challenges of murine fMRI are: (1) to generate and maintain functional brain states that approximate those of calm and relaxed human volunteers, while (2) preserving neurovascular coupling and physiological baseline conditions. Low-dose anesthetic protocols are commonly applied in murine functional brain studies to prevent stress and facilitate a calm and relaxed condition among animals. Yet, current mono-anesthesia has been shown to impair neural transmission and hemodynamic integrity. By linking the current state of murine electrophysiology, Ca2+ imaging and fMRI of anesthetic effects to findings from human studies, this systematic review proposes general principles to design, apply and monitor anesthetic protocols in a more sophisticated way. The further development of balanced multimodal anesthesia, combining two or more drugs with complementary modes of action helps to shape and maintain specific brain states and relevant aspects of murine physiology. Functional connectivity and its dynamic repertoire as assessed by fMRI can be used to make inferences about cortical states and provide additional information about whole-brain functional dynamics. Based on this, a simple and comprehensive functional neurosignature pattern can be determined for use in defining brain states and anesthetic depth in rest and in response to stimuli. Such a signature can be evaluated and shared between labs to indicate the brain state of a mouse during experiments, an important step toward translating findings across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henning M. Reimann
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HZ), Berlin, Germany
| | - Thoralf Niendorf
- Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HZ), Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, A Joint Cooperation Between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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Shin KJ, Lee HJ, Park KM. Alterations of individual thalamic nuclei volumes in patients with migraine. J Headache Pain 2019; 20:112. [PMID: 31818256 PMCID: PMC6902536 DOI: 10.1186/s10194-019-1063-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The aim of this study is to investigate the alterations of thalamic nuclei volumes and the intrinsic thalamic network in patients with migraine. Methods We enrolled 35 patients with migraine without aura and 40 healthy controls. All subjects underwent three-dimensional T1-weighted imaging. The thalamic nuclei were segmented using the FreeSurfer program. We investigated volume changes of individual thalamic nuclei and analyzed the alterations of the intrinsic thalamic network based on volumes in the patients with migraine. Results Right and left thalamic volumes as a whole were not different between the patients with migraine and healthy controls. However, we found that right anteroventral and right and left medial geniculate nuclei volumes were significantly increased (0.00985% vs. 0.00864%, p = 0.0002; 0.00929% vs. 0.00823%, p = 0.0005; 0.00939% vs. 0.00769%, p < 0.0001; respectively) whereas right and left parafascicular nuclei volumes were decreased in the patients with migraine (0.00359% vs. 0.00435%, p < 0.0001; 0.00360% vs. 0.00438%, p < 0.0001; respectively) compared with healthy controls. The network measures of the intrinsic thalamic network were not different between the groups. Conclusions We found significant alterations of thalamic nuclei volumes in patients with migraine compared with healthy controls. These findings might contribute to the underlying pathogenesis of the migraine. Trial registration None.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyong Jin Shin
- Department of Neurology, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Haeundae-ro 875, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea
| | - Ho-Joon Lee
- Department of Radiology, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea
| | - Kang Min Park
- Department of Neurology, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Haeundae-ro 875, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea.
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Quantification of thalamic nuclei in patients diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy and hippocampal sclerosis. Neuroradiology 2019; 62:185-195. [DOI: 10.1007/s00234-019-02299-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Wang W, Zhornitsky S, Le TM, Dhingra I, Zhang S, Krystal JH, Li CSR. Cue-elicited craving, thalamic activity, and physiological arousal in adult non-dependent drinkers. J Psychiatr Res 2019; 116:74-82. [PMID: 31202048 PMCID: PMC6606341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Changes in physiological arousal frequently accompany cognitive and affective challenges. Many studies employed cue exposure paradigms to investigate the neural processes underlying cue-elicited drug and alcohol craving. However, whether cue-elicited craving relates to changes in physiological arousal and the neural bases underlying the potential relationship remain unclear. Here we examined cerebral cue-related activations in relation to differences in skin conductance responses (SCR) recorded during alcohol vs. neutral cue blocks in 61 non-dependent alcohol drinkers (30 men). Imaging and skin conductance data were collected and processed with published routines. Mediation analyses were conducted to examine the inter-relationship between regional activities, cue-elicited craving, and SCR. The results showed higher SCR during alcohol than during neutral cue exposure. Despite no differences in drinking characteristics, men as compared to women demonstrated higher craving rating, and men but not women demonstrated a positive correlation between alcohol (vs. neutral) cue-evoked craving and SCR. Further, across subjects, thalamic cue activity was positively correlated with differences in SCR between alcohol and neutral cue blocks in men but not in women. Mediation analyses suggested that thalamic activity mediated the correlation between craving and SCR across men and women, and in men but not women alone. These findings substantiate physiological and neural correlates of alcohol cue response and suggest important sex differences in the physiological and neural processes of cue evoked craving. Centered on the intralaminar and mediodorsal subregions, the thalamic correlate may represent a neural target for behavioral or pharmacological therapy to decrease cue-elicited arousal and craving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuyi Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Simon Zhornitsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Thang M. Le
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Isha Dhingra
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - John H. Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Chiang-shan R. Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
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Pupil-Linked Arousal Responds to Unconscious Surprisal. J Neurosci 2019; 39:5369-5376. [PMID: 31061089 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3010-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pupil size under constant illumination reflects brain arousal state, and dilates in response to novel information, or surprisal. Whether this response can be observed regardless of conscious perception is still unknown. In the present study, male and female adult humans performed an implicit learning task across a series of three experiments. We measured pupil and brain-evoked potentials to stimuli that violated transition statistics but were not relevant to the task. We found that pupil size dilated following these surprising events, in the absence of awareness of transition statistics, and only when attention was allocated to the stimulus. These pupil responses correlated with central potentials, evoking an anterior cingulate origin. Arousal response to surprisal outside the scope of conscious perception points to the fundamental relationship between arousal and information processing and indicates that pupil size can be used to track the progression of implicit learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pupil size dilates following increase in mental effort, surprise, or more generally global arousal. However, whether this response arises as a conscious response or reflects a more fundamental mechanism outside the scrutiny of awareness is still unknown. Here, we demonstrate that unexpected changes in the environment, even when processed unconsciously and without being relevant to the task, lead to an increase in arousal levels as reflected by the pupillary response. Further, we show that the concurrent electrophysiological response shares similarities with mismatch negativity, suggesting the involvement of anterior cingulate cortex. All in all, our results establish novel insights about the mechanisms driving global arousal levels, and it provides new possibilities for reliably measuring unconscious processes.
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Wang L, Ma S, Hu Z, McGuire TF, Xie XQ(S. Chemogenomics Systems Pharmacology Mapping of Potential Drug Targets for Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2019; 36:565-575. [PMID: 30014763 PMCID: PMC6354609 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.5757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Though the death rate of initial trauma has dramatically decreased, no drug has been developed to effectively limit the progression of the secondary injury caused by TBI. TBI appears to be a predisposing risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), whereas the molecular mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we have conducted a research investigation of computational chemogenomics systems pharmacology (CSP) to identify potential drug targets for TBI treatment. TBI-induced transcriptional profiles were compared with those induced by genetic or chemical perturbations, including drugs in clinical trials for TBI treatment. The protein-protein interaction network of these predicted targets were then generated for further analyses. Some protein targets when perturbed, exhibit inverse transcriptional profiles in comparison with the profiles induced by TBI, and they were recognized as potential therapeutic targets for TBI. Drugs acting on these targets are predicted to have the potential for TBI treatment if they can reverse the TBI-induced transcriptional profiles that lead to secondary injury. In particular, our results indicated that TRPV4, NEUROD1, and HPRT1 were among the top therapeutic target candidates for TBI, which are congruent with literature reports. Our analyses also suggested the strong associations between TBI and AD, as perturbations on AD-related genes, such as APOE, APP, PSEN1, and MAPT, can induce similar gene expression patterns as those of TBI. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first CSP-based gene expression profile analyses for predicting TBI-related drug targets, and the findings could be used to guide the design of new drugs targeting the secondary injury caused by TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lirong Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- NIH National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Shifan Ma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- NIH National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Ziheng Hu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- NIH National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Terence Francis McGuire
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- NIH National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Xiang-Qun (Sean) Xie
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Computational Chemical Genomics Screening Center, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- NIH National Center of Excellence for Computational Drug Abuse Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Drug Discovery Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Departments of Computational Biology and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Pharmacological Modulation of Noradrenergic Arousal Circuitry Disrupts Functional Connectivity of the Locus Ceruleus in Humans. J Neurosci 2017. [PMID: 28626012 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0446-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
State-dependent activity of locus ceruleus (LC) neurons has long suggested a role for noradrenergic modulation of arousal. However, in vivo insights into noradrenergic arousal circuitry have been constrained by the fundamental inaccessibility of the human brain for invasive studies. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies performed during site-specific pharmacological manipulations of arousal levels may be used to study brain arousal circuitry. Dexmedetomidine is an anesthetic that alters the level of arousal by selectively targeting α2 adrenergic receptors on LC neurons, resulting in reduced firing rate and norepinephrine release. Thus, we hypothesized that dexmedetomidine-induced altered arousal would manifest with reduced functional connectivity between the LC and key brain regions involved in the regulation of arousal. To test this hypothesis, we acquired resting-state fMRI data in right-handed healthy volunteers 18-36 years of age (n = 15, 6 males) at baseline, during dexmedetomidine-induced altered arousal, and recovery states. As previously reported, seed-based resting-state fMRI analyses revealed that the LC was functionally connected to a broad network of regions including the reticular formation, basal ganglia, thalamus, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), precuneus, and cerebellum. Functional connectivity of the LC to only a subset of these regions (PCC, thalamus, and caudate nucleus) covaried with the level of arousal. Functional connectivity of the PCC to the ventral tegmental area/pontine reticular formation and thalamus, in addition to the LC, also covaried with the level of arousal. We propose a framework in which the LC, PCC, thalamus, and basal ganglia comprise a functional arousal circuitry.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Electrophysiological studies of locus ceruleus (LC) neurons have long suggested a role for noradrenergic mechanisms in mediating arousal. However, the fundamental inaccessibility of the human brain for invasive studies has limited a precise understanding of putative brain regions that integrate with the LC to regulate arousal. Our results suggest that the PCC, thalamus, and basal ganglia are key components of a LC-noradrenergic arousal circuit.
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Fu B, Yu T, Yuan J, Gong X, Zhang M. Noradrenergic transmission in the central medial thalamic nucleus modulates the electroencephalographic activity and emergence from propofol anesthesia in rats. J Neurochem 2017; 140:862-873. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Revised: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bao Fu
- Department of Anesthesiology; Shanghai Children's Medical Center; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai China
| | - Tian Yu
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Organ Protection; Zunyi Medical University; Zunyi Guizhou China
| | - Jie Yuan
- Department of Anesthesiology; Shanghai Children's Medical Center; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai China
| | - Xingrui Gong
- Department of Anesthesiology; Shanghai Children's Medical Center; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai China
| | - Mazhong Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology; Shanghai Children's Medical Center; Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; Shanghai China
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Masilamoni GJ, Groover O, Smith Y. Reduced noradrenergic innervation of ventral midbrain dopaminergic cell groups and the subthalamic nucleus in MPTP-treated parkinsonian monkeys. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 100:9-18. [PMID: 28042095 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Revised: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
There is anatomical and functional evidence that ventral midbrain dopaminergic (DA) cell groups and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) receive noradrenergic innervation in rodents, but much less is known about these interactions in primates. Degeneration of NE neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) and related brainstem NE cell groups is a well-established pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD), but the development of such pathology in animal models of PD has been inconsistent across species and laboratories. We recently demonstrated 30-40% neuronal loss in the LC, A5 and A6 NE cell groups of rhesus monkeys rendered parkinsonian by chronic administration of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). In this study, we used dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DβH) immunocytochemistry to assess the impact of this neuronal loss on the number of NE terminal-like varicosities in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC), ventral tegmental area (VTA), retrorubral field (RRF) and STN of MPTP-treated parkinsonian monkeys. Our findings reveal that the NE innervation of the ventral midbrain and STN of normal monkeys is heterogeneously distributed being far more extensive in the VTA, RRF and dorsal tier of the SNC than in the ventral SNC and STN. In parkinsonian monkeys, all regions underwent a significant (~50-70%) decrease in NE innervation. At the electron microscopic level, some DβH-positive terminals formed asymmetric axo-dendritic synapses in VTA and STN. These findings demonstrate that the VTA, RRF and SNCd are the main ventral midbrain targets of ascending NE inputs, and that these connections undergo a major break-down in chronically MPTP-treated parkinsonian monkeys. This severe degeneration of the ascending NE system may contribute to the pathophysiology of ventral midbrain and STN neurons in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunasingh Jeyaraj Masilamoni
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954, Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease, Emory University, 954, Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | - Olivia Groover
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954, Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Neurology, Emory University, 954, Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | - Yoland Smith
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954, Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Neurology, Emory University, 954, Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease, Emory University, 954, Gatewood Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Haight JL, Fuller ZL, Fraser KM, Flagel SB. A food-predictive cue attributed with incentive salience engages subcortical afferents and efferents of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. Neuroscience 2016; 340:135-152. [PMID: 27793779 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Revised: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been implicated in behavioral responses to reward-associated cues. However, the precise role of the PVT in these behaviors has been difficult to ascertain since Pavlovian-conditioned cues can act as both predictive and incentive stimuli. The "sign-tracker/goal-tracker" rat model has allowed us to further elucidate the role of the PVT in cue-motivated behaviors, identifying this structure as a critical component of the neural circuitry underlying individual variation in the propensity to attribute incentive salience to reward cues. The current study assessed differences in the engagement of specific PVT afferents and efferents in response to presentation of a food-cue that had been attributed with only predictive value or with both predictive and incentive value. The retrograde tracer fluorogold (FG) was injected into the PVT or the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats, and cue-induced c-Fos in FG-labeled cells was quantified. Presentation of a predictive stimulus that had been attributed with incentive value elicited c-Fos in PVT afferents from the lateral hypothalamus, medial amygdala (MeA), and the prelimbic cortex (PrL), as well as posterior PVT efferents to the NAc. PVT afferents from the PrL also showed elevated c-Fos levels following presentation of a predictive stimulus alone. Thus, presentation of an incentive stimulus results in engagement of subcortical brain regions; supporting a role for the hypothalamic-thalamic-striatal axis, as well as the MeA, in mediating responses to incentive stimuli; whereas activity in the PrL to PVT pathway appears to play a role in processing the predictive qualities of reward-paired stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Haight
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Zachary L Fuller
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Kurt M Fraser
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Psychiatry, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
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Transient Pupil Dilation after Subsaccadic Microstimulation of Primate Frontal Eye Fields. J Neurosci 2016; 36:3765-76. [PMID: 27030761 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4264-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Pupillometry provides a simple and noninvasive index for a variety of cognitive processes, including perception, attention, task consolidation, learning, and memory. The neural substrates by which such cognitive processes influence pupil diameter remain somewhat unclear, although cortical inputs to the locus coeruleus mediating arousal are likely involved. Changes in pupil diameter also accompany covert orienting; hence the oculomotor system may provide an alternative substrate for cognitive influences on pupil diameter. Here, we show that low-level electrical microstimulation of the primate frontal eye fields (FEFs), a cortical component of the oculomotor system strongly connected to the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (SCi), evoked robust pupil dilation even in the absence of evoked saccades. The magnitude of such dilation scaled with increases in stimulation parameters, depending strongly on the intensity and number of pulses. Although there are multiple pathways by which FEF stimulation could cause pupil dilation, the timing and profile of dilation closely resembled that evoked by SCi stimulation. Moreover, pupil dilation evoked from the FEFs increased when presumed oculomotor activity was higher at the time of stimulation. Our findings implicate the oculomotor system as a potential substrate for how cognitive processes can influence pupil diameter. We suggest that a pathway from the frontal cortex through the SCi operates in parallel with frontal inputs to arousal circuits to regulate task-dependent modulation of pupil diameter, perhaps indicative of an organization wherein one pathway assumes primacy for a given cognitive process. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pupillometry (the measurement of pupil diameter) provides a simple and noninvasive index for a variety of cognitive processes, offering a biomarker that has value in both health and disease. But how do cognitive processes influence pupil diameter? Here, we show that low-level stimulation of the primate frontal eye fields can induce robust pupil dilation without saccades. Pupil dilation scaled with the number and intensity of stimulation pulses and varied with endogenous oculomotor activity at the time of stimulation. The oculomotor system therefore provides a plausible pathway by which cognitive processes may influence pupil diameter, perhaps operating in conjunction with systems regulating arousal.
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Joshi S, Li Y, Kalwani RM, Gold JI. Relationships between Pupil Diameter and Neuronal Activity in the Locus Coeruleus, Colliculi, and Cingulate Cortex. Neuron 2015; 89:221-34. [PMID: 26711118 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 780] [Impact Index Per Article: 86.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Revised: 10/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Changes in pupil diameter that reflect effort and other cognitive factors are often interpreted in terms of the activity of norepinephrine-containing neurons in the brainstem nucleus locus coeruleus (LC), but there is little direct evidence for such a relationship. Here, we show that LC activation reliably anticipates changes in pupil diameter that either fluctuate naturally or are driven by external events during near fixation, as in many psychophysical tasks. This relationship occurs on as fine a temporal and spatial scale as single spikes from single units. However, this relationship is not specific to the LC. Similar relationships, albeit with delayed timing and different reliabilities across sites, are evident in the inferior and superior colliculus and anterior and posterior cingulate cortex. Because these regions are interconnected with the LC, the results suggest that non-luminance-mediated changes in pupil diameter might reflect LC-mediated coordination of neuronal activity throughout some parts of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhartha Joshi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Yin Li
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Rishi M Kalwani
- Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - Joshua I Gold
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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26
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Liu J, Lee HJ, Weitz AJ, Fang Z, Lin P, Choy M, Fisher R, Pinskiy V, Tolpygo A, Mitra P, Schiff N, Lee JH. Frequency-selective control of cortical and subcortical networks by central thalamus. eLife 2015; 4:e09215. [PMID: 26652162 PMCID: PMC4721962 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Central thalamus plays a critical role in forebrain arousal and organized behavior. However, network-level mechanisms that link its activity to brain state remain enigmatic. Here, we combined optogenetics, fMRI, electrophysiology, and video-EEG monitoring to characterize the central thalamus-driven global brain networks responsible for switching brain state. 40 and 100 Hz stimulations of central thalamus caused widespread activation of forebrain, including frontal cortex, sensorimotor cortex, and striatum, and transitioned the brain to a state of arousal in asleep rats. In contrast, 10 Hz stimulation evoked significantly less activation of forebrain, inhibition of sensory cortex, and behavioral arrest. To investigate possible mechanisms underlying the frequency-dependent cortical inhibition, we performed recordings in zona incerta, where 10, but not 40, Hz stimulation evoked spindle-like oscillations. Importantly, suppressing incertal activity during 10 Hz central thalamus stimulation reduced the evoked cortical inhibition. These findings identify key brain-wide dynamics underlying central thalamus arousal regulation. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09215.001 The ability to wake up every morning and to fall asleep at night is something that most people take for granted. However, damage to a brain region called the central thalamus can cause a range of consciousness-related disorders, including memory problems, excessive sleeping, and even comas. For example, cell death within the central thalamus has been associated with severely disabled patients following traumatic brain injury. Previous studies have found that electrically stimulating the neurons in the central thalamus can change whether an animal is drowsy or awake and alert. However, it was not clear whether a single group of neurons in the central thalamus was responsible for switching the brain’s state between sleep and wakefulness, or how this would work. Liu, Lee, Weitz, Fang et al. have now used a technique called optogenetics to stimulate specific neurons in the central thalamus of rats, by using flashes of light. Stimulation was combined with several techniques to monitor the response of other brain regions, including fMRI imaging that shows the activity of the entire brain. The results showed that rapidly stimulating the neurons in the central thalamus – 40 or 100 times a second – led to widespread brain activity and caused sleeping rats to wake up. In contrast, stimulating the neurons of the central thalamus more slowly – around 10 times a second – suppressed the activity of part of the brain called the sensory cortex and caused rats to enter a seizure-like state of unconsciousness. Further investigation identified a group of inhibitory neurons that the central thalamus interacts with to carry out this suppression. The results suggest that the central thalamus can either power the brain to an “awake” state or promote a state of unconsciousness, depending on how rapidly its neurons are stimulated. Future work will seek to translate these results to the clinic and investigate how stimulation of the central thalamus can be optimized to reduce cognitive deficits in animal models of traumatic brain injury. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09215.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Liu
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Hyun Joo Lee
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Andrew J Weitz
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Zhongnan Fang
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Peter Lin
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - ManKin Choy
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Robert Fisher
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
| | - Vadim Pinskiy
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, United States
| | | | - Partha Mitra
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, United States
| | - Nicholas Schiff
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, United States
| | - Jin Hyung Lee
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
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27
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Lehto J, Scheinin A, Johansson J, Marjamäki P, Arponen E, Scheinin H, Scheinin M. Detecting a dexmedetomidine-evoked reduction of noradrenaline release in the human brain with the alpha2C-adrenoceptor PET ligand [11C]ORM-13070. Synapse 2015; 70:57-65. [DOI: 10.1002/syn.21872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Revised: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jussi Lehto
- Department of Pharmacology; Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku; Turku Finland
- Clinical Research Services Turku CRST; Turku Finland
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Turku University Hospital; Turku Finland
| | - Annalotta Scheinin
- Turku PET Centre; University of Turku, Turku University Hospital; Turku Finland
| | - Jarkko Johansson
- Turku PET Centre; University of Turku, Turku University Hospital; Turku Finland
| | - Päivi Marjamäki
- Turku PET Centre; University of Turku, Turku University Hospital; Turku Finland
| | - Eveliina Arponen
- Turku PET Centre; University of Turku, Turku University Hospital; Turku Finland
| | - Harry Scheinin
- Department of Pharmacology; Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku; Turku Finland
- Turku PET Centre; University of Turku, Turku University Hospital; Turku Finland
| | - Mika Scheinin
- Department of Pharmacology; Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku; Turku Finland
- Clinical Research Services Turku CRST; Turku Finland
- Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Turku University Hospital; Turku Finland
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28
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Limbic thalamus and state-dependent behavior: The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamic midline as a node in circadian timing and sleep/wake-regulatory networks. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 54:3-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2014] [Revised: 11/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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29
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Akeju O, Loggia ML, Catana C, Pavone KJ, Vazquez R, Rhee J, Contreras Ramirez V, Chonde DB, Izquierdo-Garcia D, Arabasz G, Hsu S, Habeeb K, Hooker JM, Napadow V, Brown EN, Purdon PL. Disruption of thalamic functional connectivity is a neural correlate of dexmedetomidine-induced unconsciousness. eLife 2014; 3:e04499. [PMID: 25432022 PMCID: PMC4280551 DOI: 10.7554/elife.04499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the neural basis of consciousness is fundamental to neuroscience research. Disruptions in cortico-cortical connectivity have been suggested as a primary mechanism of unconsciousness. By using a novel combination of positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we studied anesthesia-induced unconsciousness and recovery using the α2-agonist dexmedetomidine. During unconsciousness, cerebral metabolic rate of glucose and cerebral blood flow were preferentially decreased in the thalamus, the Default Mode Network (DMN), and the bilateral Frontoparietal Networks (FPNs). Cortico-cortical functional connectivity within the DMN and FPNs was preserved. However, DMN thalamo-cortical functional connectivity was disrupted. Recovery from this state was associated with sustained reduction in cerebral blood flow and restored DMN thalamo-cortical functional connectivity. We report that loss of thalamo-cortical functional connectivity is sufficient to produce unconsciousness. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04499.001 Although we are all familiar with the experience of being conscious, explaining precisely what consciousness is and how it arises from activity in the brain remains extremely challenging. Indeed, explaining consciousness is so challenging that it is sometimes referred to as ‘the hard question’ of neuroscience. One way to obtain insights into the neural basis of consciousness is to compare patterns of activity in the brains of conscious subjects with patterns of brain activity in the same subjects under anesthesia. The results of some experiments of this kind suggest that loss of consciousness occurs when the communication between specific regions within the outer layer of the brain, the cortex, is disrupted. However, other studies seem to contradict these findings by showing that this communication can sometimes remain intact in unconscious subjects. Akeju, Loggia et al. have now resolved this issue by using brain imaging to examine the changes that occur as healthy volunteers enter and emerge from a light form of anesthesia roughly equivalent to non-REM sleep. An imaging technique called PET revealed that the loss of consciousness in the subjects was accompanied by reduced activity in a structure deep within the brain called the thalamus. Reduced activity was also seen in areas of cortex at the front and back of the brain. A technique called fMRI showed in turn that communication between the cortex and the thalamus was disrupted as subjects drifted into unconsciousness, whereas communication between cortical regions was spared. As subjects awakened from the anesthesia, communication between the thalamus and the cortex was restored. These results suggest that changes within distinct brain regions give rise to different depths of unconsciousness. Loss of communication between the thalamus and the cortex generates the unconsciousness of sleep or light anesthesia, while the additional loss of communication between cortical regions generates the unconsciousness of general anesthesia or coma. In addition to explaining the mixed results seen in previous experiments, this distinction could lead to advances in the diagnosis of patients with disorders of consciousness, and even to the development of therapies that target the thalamus and its connections with cortex. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04499.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwaseun Akeju
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Marco L Loggia
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - Ciprian Catana
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - Kara J Pavone
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Rafael Vazquez
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - James Rhee
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Violeta Contreras Ramirez
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Daniel B Chonde
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - David Izquierdo-Garcia
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - Grae Arabasz
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - Shirley Hsu
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - Kathleen Habeeb
- Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States
| | - Jacob M Hooker
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - Vitaly Napadow
- MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, United States
| | - Emery N Brown
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Patrick L Purdon
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
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30
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Varela C. Thalamic neuromodulation and its implications for executive networks. Front Neural Circuits 2014; 8:69. [PMID: 25009467 PMCID: PMC4068295 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2014.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/07/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The thalamus is a key structure that controls the routing of information in the brain. Understanding modulation at the thalamic level is critical to understanding the flow of information to brain regions involved in cognitive functions, such as the neocortex, the hippocampus, and the basal ganglia. Modulators contribute the majority of synapses that thalamic cells receive, and the highest fraction of modulator synapses is found in thalamic nuclei interconnected with higher order cortical regions. In addition, disruption of modulators often translates into disabling disorders of executive behavior. However, modulation in thalamic nuclei such as the midline and intralaminar groups, which are interconnected with forebrain executive regions, has received little attention compared to sensory nuclei. Thalamic modulators are heterogeneous in regards to their origin, the neurotransmitter they use, and the effect on thalamic cells. Modulators also share some features, such as having small terminal boutons and activating metabotropic receptors on the cells they contact. I will review anatomical and physiological data on thalamic modulators with these goals: first, determine to what extent the evidence supports similar modulator functions across thalamic nuclei; and second, discuss the current evidence on modulation in the midline and intralaminar nuclei in relation to their role in executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Varela
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, USA
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31
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Haight JL, Flagel SB. A potential role for the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus in mediating individual variation in Pavlovian conditioned responses. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:79. [PMID: 24672443 PMCID: PMC3953953 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
There is ample evidence to suggest that the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) mediates cue-reward learning, especially as it relates to drug-seeking behavior. However, its exact role in these complex processes remains unknown. Here we will present and discuss data from our own laboratory which suggests that the PVT plays a role in multiple forms of stimulus-reward learning, and does so via distinct neurobiological systems. Using an animal model that captures individual variation in response to reward-associated cues, we are able to parse the incentive from the predictive properties of reward cues and to elucidate the neural circuitry underlying these different forms of cue-reward learning. When rats are exposed to a classical Pavlovian conditioning paradigm, wherein a cue predicts food reward, some rats, termed sign-trackers, approach and manipulate the cue upon its presentation. This behavior is indicative of attributing incentive salience to the cue. That is, the cue gains excessive control over behavior for sign-trackers. In contrast, other rats, termed goal-trackers, treat the cue as a mere predictor, and upon its presentation go to the location of reward delivery. Based on our own data utilizing this model, we hypothesize that the PVT represents a common node, but differentially regulates the sign- vs. goal-tracking response. We postulate that the PVT regulates sign-tracking behavior, or the attribution of incentive salience, via subcortical, dopamine-dependent mechanisms. In contrast, we propose that goal-tracking behavior, or the attribution of predictive value, is the product of “top-down” glutamatergic processing between the prelimbic cortex (PrL) and the PVT. Together, data from our laboratory and others support a role for the PVT in cue-motivated behaviors and suggest that it may be an important locus within the neural circuitry that goes awry in addiction and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Haight
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA ; Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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32
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Hsu DT, Kirouac GJ, Zubieta JK, Bhatnagar S. Contributions of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus in the regulation of stress, motivation, and mood. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:73. [PMID: 24653686 PMCID: PMC3949320 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to describe how the function and connections of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (Pa) may play a role in the regulation of stress and negative emotional behavior. Located in the dorsal midline thalamus, the Pa is heavily innervated by serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine (DA), corticotropin-releasing hormone, and orexins (ORX), and is the only thalamic nucleus connected to the group of structures comprising the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and infralimbic/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). These neurotransmitter systems and structures are involved in regulating motivation and mood, and display abnormal functioning in several psychiatric disorders including anxiety, substance use, and major depressive disorders (MDD). Furthermore, rodent studies show that the Pa is consistently and potently activated following a variety of stressors and has a unique role in regulating responses to chronic stressors. These observations provide a compelling rationale for investigating the Pa in the link between stress and negative emotional behavior, and for including the Pa in the neural pathways of stress-related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T Hsu
- Department of Psychiatry and the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gilbert J Kirouac
- Departments of Oral Biology and Psychiatry, Faculties of Dentistry and Medicine, University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jon-Kar Zubieta
- Department of Psychiatry and the Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Seema Bhatnagar
- Department of Anesthesiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA, USA
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33
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Pergola G, Suchan B. Associative learning beyond the medial temporal lobe: many actors on the memory stage. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:162. [PMID: 24312029 PMCID: PMC3832901 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2013] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Decades of research have established a model that includes the medial temporal lobe, and particularly the hippocampus, as a critical node for episodic memory. Neuroimaging and clinical studies have shown the involvement of additional cortical and subcortical regions. Among these areas, the thalamus, the retrosplenial cortex, and the prefrontal cortices have been consistently related to episodic memory performance. This article provides evidences that these areas are in different forms and degrees critical for human memory function rather than playing only an ancillary role. First we briefly summarize the functional architecture of the medial temporal lobe with respect to recognition memory and recall. We then focus on the clinical and neuroimaging evidence available on thalamo-prefrontal and thalamo-retrosplenial networks. The role of these networks in episodic memory has been considered secondary, partly because disruption of these areas does not always lead to severe impairments; to account for this evidence, we discuss methodological issues related to the investigation of these regions. We propose that these networks contribute differently to recognition memory and recall, and also that the memory stage of their contribution shows specificity to encoding or retrieval in recall tasks. We note that the same mechanisms may be in force when humans perform non-episodic tasks, e.g., semantic retrieval and mental time travel. Functional disturbance of these networks is related to cognitive impairments not only in neurological disorders, but also in psychiatric medical conditions, such as schizophrenia. Finally we discuss possible mechanisms for the contribution of these areas to memory, including regulation of oscillatory rhythms and long-term potentiation. We conclude that integrity of the thalamo-frontal and the thalamo-retrosplenial networks is necessary for the manifold features of episodic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Pergola
- Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Bari, Italy
- Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Boris Suchan
- Department of Neuropsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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34
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Höfle M, Pomper U, Hauck M, Engel AK, Senkowski D. Spectral signatures of viewing a needle approaching one's body when anticipating pain. Eur J Neurosci 2013; 38:3089-98. [PMID: 23859421 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2013] [Revised: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
When viewing the needle of a syringe approaching your skin, anticipation of a painful prick may lead to increased arousal. How this anticipation is reflected in neural oscillatory activity and how it relates to activity within the autonomic nervous system is thus far unknown. Recently, we found that viewing needle pricks compared with Q-tip touches increases the pupil dilation response (PDR) and perceived unpleasantness of electrical stimuli. Here, we used high-density electroencephalography to investigate whether anticipatory oscillatory activity predicts the unpleasantness of electrical stimuli and PDR while viewing a needle approaching a hand that is perceived as one's own. We presented video clips of needle pricks and Q-tip touches, and delivered spatiotemporally aligned painful and nonpainful intracutaneous electrical stimuli. The perceived unpleasantness of electrical stimuli and the PDR were enhanced when participants viewed needle pricks compared with Q-tip touches. Source reconstruction using linear beamforming revealed reduced alpha-band activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and fusiform gyrus before the onset of electrical stimuli when participants viewed needle pricks compared with Q-tip touches. Moreover, alpha-band activity in the PCC predicted PDR on a single trial level. The anticipatory reduction of alpha-band activity in the PCC may reflect a neural mechanism that serves to protect the body from forthcoming harm by facilitating the preparation of adequate defense responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Höfle
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. ,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, St. Hedwig Hospital, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, St Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrich Pomper
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, St. Hedwig Hospital, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, St Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Hauck
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas K Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Senkowski
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, St. Hedwig Hospital, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, St Hedwig Hospital, Berlin, Germany
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35
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Schiff ND, Shah SA, Hudson AE, Nauvel T, Kalik SF, Purpura KP. Gating of attentional effort through the central thalamus. J Neurophysiol 2012; 109:1152-63. [PMID: 23221415 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00317.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The central thalamus plays an important role in the regulation of arousal and allocation of attentional resources in the performance of even simple tasks. To assess the contribution of central thalamic neurons to short-term adjustments of attentional effort, we analyzed 166 microelectrode recordings obtained from two rhesus monkeys performing a visuomotor simple reaction time task with a variable foreperiod. Multiunit responses showed maintained firing rate elevations during the variable delay period of the task in ∼24% of recording sites. Simultaneously recorded local field potentials demonstrated significant decreases in power at ∼10-20 Hz and increases in power at 30-100 Hz during the delay period when compared against precue baselines. Comparison of the spectral power of local field potentials during the delay period of correct and incorrect trials showed that, during incorrect trials, similar, but reduced, shifts of spectral power occurred within the same frequency bands. Sustained performance of even simple tasks requires regulation of arousal and attention that combine in the concept of "attentional effort". Our findings suggest that central thalamic neurons regulate task performance through brief changes in firing rates and spectral power changes during task-relevant short-term shifts of attentional effort. Increases in attentional effort may be reflected in changes within the central thalamic local populations, where correct task performance associates with more robust maintenance of firing rates during the delay period. Such ongoing fluctuations of central thalamic activity likely reflect a mix of influences, including variations in moment-to-moment levels of motivation, arousal, and availability of cognitive resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- N D Schiff
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, USA.
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36
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Identification of neuronal loci involved with displays of affective aggression in NC900 mice. Brain Struct Funct 2012; 218:1033-49. [PMID: 22847115 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-012-0445-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Accepted: 07/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Aggression is a complex behavior that is essential for survival. Of the various forms of aggression, impulsive violent displays without prior planning or deliberation are referred to as affective aggression. Affective aggression is thought to be caused by aberrant perceptions of, and consequent responses to, threat. Understanding the neuronal networks that regulate affective aggression is pivotal to development of novel approaches to treat chronic affective aggression. Here, we provide a detailed anatomical map of neuronal activity in the forebrain of two inbred lines of mice that were selected for low (NC100) and high (NC900) affective aggression. Attack behavior was induced in male NC900 mice by exposure to an unfamiliar male in a novel environment. Forebrain maps of c-Fos+ nuclei, which are surrogates for neuronal activity during behavior, were then generated and analyzed. NC100 males rarely exhibited affective aggression in response to the same stimulus, thus their forebrain c-Fos maps were utilized to identify unique patterns of neuronal activity in NC900s. Quantitative results indicated robust differences in the distribution patterns and densities of c-Fos+ nuclei in distinct thalamic, subthalamic, and amygdaloid nuclei, together with unique patterns of neuronal activity in the nucleus accumbens and the frontal cortices. Our findings implicate these areas as foci regulating differential behavioral responses to an unfamiliar male in NC900 mice when expressing affective aggression. Based on the highly conserved patterns of connections and organization of neuronal limbic structures from mice to humans, we speculate that neuronal activities in analogous networks may be disrupted in humans prone to maladaptive affective aggression.
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37
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Neuroanatomic connectivity of the human ascending arousal system critical to consciousness and its disorders. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2012; 71:531-46. [PMID: 22592840 DOI: 10.1097/nen.0b013e3182588293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 290] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ascending reticular activating system (ARAS) mediates arousal, an essential component of human consciousness. Lesions of the ARAS cause coma, the most severe disorder of consciousness. Because of current methodological limitations, including of postmortem tissue analysis, the neuroanatomic connectivity of the human ARAS is poorly understood. We applied the advanced imaging technique of high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) to elucidate the structural connectivity of the ARAS in 3 adult human brains, 2 of which were imaged postmortem. High angular resolution diffusion imaging tractography identified the ARAS connectivity previously described in animals and also revealed novel human pathways connecting the brainstem to the thalamus, the hypothalamus, and the basal forebrain. Each pathway contained different distributions of fiber tracts from known neurotransmitter-specific ARAS nuclei in the brainstem. The histologically guided tractography findings reported here provide initial evidence for human-specific pathways of the ARAS. The unique composition of neurotransmitter-specific fiber tracts within each ARAS pathway suggests structural specializations that subserve the different functional characteristics of human arousal. This ARAS connectivity analysis provides proof of principle that HARDI tractography may affect the study of human consciousness and its disorders, including in neuropathologic studies of patients dying in coma and the persistent vegetative state.
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What is the role of brain mechanisms underlying arousal in recovery of motor function after structural brain injuries? Curr Opin Neurol 2012; 24:564-9. [PMID: 22002078 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0b013e32834cd4f5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Standard neurorehabilitation approaches have limited impact on motor recovery in patients with severe brain injuries. Consideration of the contributions of impaired arousal offers a novel approach to understand and enhance recovery. RECENT FINDINGS Animal and human neuroimaging studies are elucidating the neuroanatomical bases of arousal and of arousal regulation, the process by which the cerebrum mobilizes resources. Studies of patients with disorders of consciousness have revealed that recovery of these processes is associated with marked improvements in motor performance. Recent studies have also demonstrated that patients with less severe brain injuries also have impaired arousal, manifesting as diminished sustained attention, fatigue, and apathy. In these less severely injured patients, it is difficult to connect disorders of arousal with motor recovery because of a lack of measures of arousal that are independent of motor function. SUMMARY Arousal impairment is common after brain injury and likely plays a significant role in recovery of motor function. A more detailed understanding of this connection will help to develop new therapeutic strategies applicable for a wide range of patients. This requires new tools that continuously and objectively measure arousal in patients with brain injury, to correlate with detailed measures of motor performance and recovery.
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Eckert U, Metzger CD, Buchmann JE, Kaufmann J, Osoba A, Li M, Safron A, Liao W, Steiner J, Bogerts B, Walter M. Preferential networks of the mediodorsal nucleus and centromedian-parafascicular complex of the thalamus--a DTI tractography study. Hum Brain Mapp 2011; 33:2627-37. [PMID: 21932264 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.21389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2010] [Revised: 04/14/2011] [Accepted: 05/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Distinct thalamic nuclei, like the mediodorsal (MD) nucleus and the centromedian/parafascicular complex (CM/Pf), are embedded in different basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops, which were shown to integrate cognitive and emotional aspects of human behavior. Despite well described connections on a microscopic scale, derived from tracing studies in animals, little is known about the intrinsic anatomical connections of these nuclei in humans. This lack of knowledge limits not only interpretation of functional imaging studies but also estimation of direct effects of deep brain stimulation which treats diseases as different as epilepsy or major depression. Therefore, non-invasive diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies are key to analyzing connectivity patterns and elaborate approaches to close this gap. For our study, we explored the structural connectivity of the MD thalamic nuclei and the CM/Pf complex towards five cortical and six subcortical regions by using a preferential fiber calculation. We found both thalamic nuclei to be preferentially associated to distinct networks: whereas the MD is preferentially connected to prefrontal and limbic cortical regions, the CM is linked to subcortical regions. The anterior insula was the only cortical region associated with the subcortical network of the CM and the cortical network of the MD comprised one subcortical hub, the caudate nucleus, suggesting an integrative role of these two regions. Adding to predescribed anatomical tract tracing connectivities in animal studies, our finding lends support to the existence of similar basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in humans and we could show a robust distinction of preferential connectivity for both thalamic nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf Eckert
- Department of Psychiatry, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
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Contribution of the parafascicular nucleus in the spontaneous object recognition task. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2011; 96:272-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2011.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2011] [Revised: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 05/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Iravani MM, Jenner P. Mechanisms underlying the onset and expression of levodopa-induced dyskinesia and their pharmacological manipulation. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2011; 118:1661-90. [DOI: 10.1007/s00702-011-0698-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2011] [Accepted: 08/06/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Brown HD, Baker PM, Ragozzino ME. The parafascicular thalamic nucleus concomitantly influences behavioral flexibility and dorsomedial striatal acetylcholine output in rats. J Neurosci 2010; 30:14390-8. [PMID: 20980596 PMCID: PMC3096060 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2167-10.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2010] [Revised: 07/20/2010] [Accepted: 08/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that a circuit involving the centromedian-parafascicular (Pf) thalamus and basal ganglia is critical for a shift away from biased actions. In particular, excitatory input from the Pf onto striatal cholinergic neurons may facilitate behavioral flexibility. Accumulating evidence indicates that an endogenous increase in dorsomedial striatal acetylcholine (ACh) output enhances behavioral flexibility. The present experiments investigated whether the rat (Rattus norvegicus) Pf supports flexibility during reversal learning, in part, by modifying dorsomedial striatal ACh output. This was determined first by examining the effects of Pf inactivation, through infusion of the GABA agonists baclofen and muscimol, on place acquisition and reversal learning. Additional experiments examined Pf inactivation on dorsomedial striatal ACh output during reversal learning and a resting condition. Behavioral testing was performed in a cross-maze. In vivo microdialysis combined with HPLC/electrochemical detection was used to sample ACh from the dorsomedial striatum. Pf inactivation selectively impaired reversal learning in a dose-dependent manner. A subsequent study showed that an increase in dorsomedial striatal ACh efflux (∼30% above basal levels) during reversal learning was blocked by Pf inactivation, which concomitantly impaired reversal learning. In the resting condition, a dose of baclofen and muscimol that blocked a behaviorally induced increase in dorsomedial striatal ACh output did not reduce basal ACh efflux. Together, the present findings indicate that the Pf is an intralaminar thalamic nucleus critical for behavioral flexibility, in part, by directly affecting striatal ACh output under conditions that require a shift in choice patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holden D. Brown
- Program in Neuroscience
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607
| | - Phillip M. Baker
- Program in Neuroscience
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607
| | - Michael E. Ragozzino
- Program in Neuroscience
- Department of Psychology, and
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607
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Hulme OJ, Whiteley L, Shipp S. Spatially distributed encoding of covert attentional shifts in human thalamus. J Neurophysiol 2010; 104:3644-56. [PMID: 20844113 PMCID: PMC3007633 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00303.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention modulates signal processing within visual nuclei of the thalamus—but do other nuclei govern the locus of attention in top-down mode? We examined functional MRI (fMRI) data from three subjects performing a task requiring covert attention to 1 of 16 positions in a circular array. Target position was cued after stimulus offset, requiring subjects to perform target detection from iconic visual memory. We found positionally specific responses at multiple thalamic sites, with individual voxels activating at more than one direction of attentional shift. Voxel clusters at anatomically equivalent sites across subjects revealed a broad range of directional tuning at each site, with little sign of contralateral bias. By reference to a thalamic atlas, we identified the nuclear correspondence of the four most reliably activated sites across subjects: mediodorsal/central-intralaminar (oculomotor thalamus), caudal intralaminar/parafascicular, suprageniculate/limitans, and medial pulvinar/lateral posterior. Hence, the cortical network generating a top-down control signal for relocating attention acts in concert with a spatially selective thalamic apparatus—the set of active nuclei mirroring the thalamic territory of cortical “eye-field” areas, thus supporting theories which propose the visuomotor origins of covert attentional selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J Hulme
- Department of Vision Science, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
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Plasticity changes of neuronal activities in central lateral nucleus by stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex in rat. Brain Res Bull 2009; 81:574-8. [PMID: 20038445 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2009.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2009] [Revised: 12/17/2009] [Accepted: 12/18/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The medial thalamus (MT) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are essential components in mediating the affective emotional-aspect of pain. Whether ACC modulates the neuron activity in MT has not been elucidated and clarifying this point will further reveal the neurobiological mechanism underlying pain related emotions. In the present study, we used in vivo single unit recording and retrograde tracing technique to demonstrate that the majority of examined neurons in the central lateral nucleus (CL), an important nucleus of MT, responded to noxious stimulation. Tetanic stimulation in the ACC increased spike activities of nociceptive-responding neurons in the CL; retrograde tracing by fluorogold in the CL showed the positive neurons are distributed bilaterally in the ACC. Taken together, we demonstrated descending modulation to nociceptive responses of CL neurons by direct projections from the ACC, which may underlie the neuronal mechanism of negative pain emotions.
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Hsu DT, Price JL. Paraventricular thalamic nucleus: subcortical connections and innervation by serotonin, orexin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone in macaque monkeys. J Comp Neurol 2009; 512:825-48. [PMID: 19085970 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The present study examines subcortical connections of paraventricular thalamic nucleus (Pa) following small anterograde and retrograde tracer injections in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). An anterograde tracer injection into the dorsal midline thalamus revealed strong projections to the accumbens nucleus, basal amygdala, lateral septum, and hypothalamus. Retrograde tracer injections into these areas labeled neurons specifically in Pa. Following a retrograde tracer injection into Pa, labeled neurons were found in the hypothalamus, dorsal raphe, and periaqueductal gray. Pa contained a remarkably high density of axons and axonal varicosities immunoreactive for serotonin (5-HT) and orexin/hypocretin (ORX), as well as a moderate density of fibers immunoreactive for corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). A retrograde tracer injection into Pa combined with immunohistochemistry demonstrated that ORX and 5-HT axons originate from neurons in the hypothalamus and midbrain. Pa-projecting neurons were localized in the same nuclei of the hypothalamus, amygdala, and midbrain as CRH neurons, although no double labeling was found. The connections of Pa and its innervation by 5-HT, ORX, and CRH suggest that it may relay stress signals between the midbrain and hypothalamus with the accumbens nucleus, basal amygdala, and subgenual cortex as part of a circuit that manages stress and possibly stress-related psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T Hsu
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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