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Valjent E, Gangarossa G. The Tail of the Striatum: From Anatomy to Connectivity and Function. Trends Neurosci 2020; 44:203-214. [PMID: 33243489 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2020.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The dorsal striatum, the largest subcortical structure of the basal ganglia, is critical in controlling motor, procedural, and reinforcement-based behaviors. Although in mammals the striatum extends widely along the rostro-caudal axis, current knowledge and derived theories about its anatomo-functional organization largely rely on results obtained from studies of its rostral sectors, leading to potentially oversimplified working models of the striatum as a whole. Recent findings indicate that the extreme caudal part of the striatum, also referred to as the tail of striatum (TS), represents an additional functional domain. Here, we provide an overview of past and recent studies revealing that the TS displays a heterogeneous cell-type-specific organization, and a unique input-output connectivity, which poises the TS as an integrator of sensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Valjent
- IGF, University of Montpellier, CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France.
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Kao FC, Su SH, Carlson GC, Liao W. MeCP2-mediated alterations of striatal features accompany psychomotor deficits in a mouse model of Rett syndrome. Brain Struct Funct 2013; 220:419-34. [PMID: 24218106 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-013-0664-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Accepted: 10/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Rett Syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. Affected individuals develop motor deficits including stereotypic hand movements, impaired motor learning and difficulties with movement. To understand the neural mechanisms of motor deficits in RTT, we characterized the molecular and cellular phenotypes in the striatum, the major input nucleus of the basal ganglia that controls psychomotor function, in mice carrying a null allele of Mecp2. These mice showed significant hypoactivity associated with impaired motor coordination and motor skill learning. We found that dopamine content was significantly reduced in the striatum of Mecp2 null mice. Reduced dopamine was accompanied by down-regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase and up-regulation of dopamine D2 receptors, particularly in the rostral striatum. We also observed that loss of MeCP2 induced compartment-specific alterations in the striatum, including reduced expression of μ-opioid receptors in the striosomes and increased number of calbindin-positive neurons in the striatal matrix. The total number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons and their dendritic arborization were also significantly increased in the striatum of Mecp2 null mice. Together, our findings support that MeCP2 regulates a unique set of genes critical for modulating motor output of the striatum, and that aberrant structure and function of the striatum due to MeCP2 deficiency may underlie the motor deficits in RTT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang-Chi Kao
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Cheng-Chi University, 64, Sec. 2, Chi-Nan Road, Wen-Shan District, Taipei, 11605, Taiwan
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Dulcis D, Spitzer NC. Reserve pool neuron transmitter respecification: Novel neuroplasticity. Dev Neurobiol 2012; 72:465-74. [PMID: 21595049 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.20920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The identity of the neurotransmitters expressed by neurons has been thought to be fixed and immutable, but recent studies demonstrate that changes in electrical activity can rapidly and reversibly reconfigure the transmitters and corresponding transmitter receptors that neurons express. Induction of transmitter expression can be achieved by selective activation of afferents recruited by a physiological range of sensory input. Strikingly, neurons acquiring an additional transmitter project to appropriate targets prior to transmitter respecification in some cases, indicating the presence of reserve pools of neurons that can boost circuit function. We discuss the evidence for such reserve pools, their likely locations and ways to test for their existence, and the potential clinical value of such circuit-specific neurotransmitter respecification for treatments of neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Dulcis
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences and Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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Abstract
For many years it has been assumed that the identity of the transmitters expressed by neurons is stable and unchanging. Recent work, however, shows that electrical activity can respecify neurotransmitter expression during development and in the mature nervous system, and an understanding is emerging of the molecular mechanisms underlying activity-dependent transmitter respecification. Changes in postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptor expression accompany and match changes in transmitter specification, thus enabling synaptic transmission. The functional roles of neurotransmitter respecification are beginning to be understood and appear to involve homeostatic synaptic regulation, which in turn influences behaviour. Activation of this novel form of plasticity by sensorimotor stimuli may provide clinical benefits.
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Djaldetti R, Lorberboym M, Karmon Y, Treves TA, Ziv I, Melamed E. Residual striatal dopaminergic nerve terminals in very long-standing Parkinson's disease: A single photon emission computed tomography imaging study. Mov Disord 2010; 26:327-30. [DOI: 10.1002/mds.23380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2010] [Revised: 05/21/2010] [Accepted: 07/05/2010] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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The nigrostriatal pathway: axonal collateralization and compartmental specificity. JOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION. SUPPLEMENTUM 2010. [PMID: 20411767 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-211-92660-4_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews two of the major features of the nigrostriatal pathway, its axonal collateralization, and compartmental specificity, as revealed by single-axon labeling experiments in rodents and immunocytological analysis of human postmortem tissue. The dorsal and ventral tiers of the substantia nigra pars compacta harbor various types of neurons the axons of which branch not only within the striatum but also in other major components of the basal ganglia. Furthermore, some nigrostriatal axons send collaterals both to thalamus and to brainstem pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. In humans, the compartmental specificity of the nigrostriatal pathway is revealed by the fact that the matrix compartment is densely innervated by dopaminergic fibers, whereas the striosomes display different densities of dopaminergic terminals depending on their location within the striatum. The nigral neurons most severely affected in Parkinson's disease are the ventral tier cells that project to the matrix and form deep clusters in the substantia nigra pars reticulata.
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Konkle ATM, Bielajew C. Tracing the Neuroanatomical Profiles of Reward Pathways with Markers of Neuronal Activation. Rev Neurosci 2004; 15:383-414. [PMID: 15656286 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro.2004.15.6.383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Functional neuroanatomical tools have played an important role in proposing which structures underlie brain stimulation reward circuitry. This review focuses on studies employing metabolic markers of neuronal and glial activation, including 2-deoxyglucose, cytochrome oxidase, and glycogen phosphorylase, and a marker of cellular activation, the immediate early gene c-fos. The principles underlying each method, their application to the study of brain stimulation reward, and their strengths and limitations are described. The usefulness of this strategy in identifying candidate structures, and the degree of overlap in the patterns of activation arising from different markers is addressed in detail. How these data have contributed to an understanding of the organization of reward circuitry and directed our thinking towards an alternative framework of neuronal arrangement is discussed in the final section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne T M Konkle
- University of Ottawa, School of Psychology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Three-dimensional organization of the recurrent axon collateral network of the substantia nigra pars reticulata neurons in the rat. J Neurosci 2003. [PMID: 12832549 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.23-12-05247.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) constitutes a major output nucleus of the basal ganglia where the final stage of information processing within this system takes place. In this study, using juxtacellular labeling and three-dimensional reconstruction methods, we investigated the spatial organization of the intranigral innervation provided by single GABAergic projection neurons from the sensory-motor subdivision of the rat SNR. Confirming previous observations, most labeled SNR cells were found to possess a local axonal network innervating the pars reticulata and pars compacta (SNC). Within the SNR, axons of these cells were distributed along curved laminas enveloping a dorsolaterally located core, thus mostly respecting the onion-like compartmentalization of this nucleus. Although the axonal projection field mostly remained confined to the dendritic field of the parent neuron, it usually extended beyond its limits in caudal, lateral, and/or dorsal directions. Because SNR cells are GABAergic, this pattern of axonal projection suggests the existence of lateral inhibitory interactions between neurons belonging to the same as well as to adjacent functional subdivisions. Axonal projections of SNR cells to the SNC formed longitudinal bands. These bands partly occupied the SNC region projecting to the striatal sector from which parent SNR cells receive their afferents. These data indicate that SNR cells contribute to an indirect nigrostriatal loop circuit through which the striatum could upregulate its level of dopaminergic transmission via a disinhibition of nigrostriatal neurons. Spatial relationships between elements of this indirect nigrostriatonigral circuit indicate that this circuit operates in both a closed and open loop manner.
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Usunoff KG, Itzev DE, Ovtscharoff WA, Marani E. Neuromelanin in the human brain: a review and atlas of pigmented cells in the substantia nigra. Arch Physiol Biochem 2002; 110:257-369. [PMID: 12516659 DOI: 10.1076/apab.110.4.257.11827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- K G Usunoff
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Bonelli RM, Kenner L, Gruber A, Reisecker F, Költringer P. Compactotomy in Huntington's chorea. Med Hypotheses 2001; 57:491-6. [PMID: 11601877 DOI: 10.1054/mehy.2001.1372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Advances in neuroradiological and neurosurgical techniques have lead to a growing interest in functional neurosurgical interventions for medically intractable movement disorders. The majority of these procedures are performed in patients with hypokinetic movement disorders, especially Parkinson's disease. However, relatively few interventions were done in hyperkinetic disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD), mainly owing to the lack of an adequate target nucleus. We have recently described the case of a reversible chorea in a genetically confirmed HD patient. We subsequently identified a marked bilateral degeneration of the substantia nigra as the probable reason for choreatic cessation. We therefore suggest that primary striatal atrophy causing hyperkinesia and secondary substantia nigra atrophy favouring hypokinesia were balanced in this patient, thus resulting in a close-to-physiologic GABAergic basal ganglia output. We postulate that deep brain stimulation of the substantia nigra pars compacta may ameliorate hyperkinesia in choreatic movement disorders, thus representing the first effective therapy in Huntington's chorea. Several lines of evidence in recent neurophysiological research support our hypothesis and are discussed below.
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Affiliation(s)
- R M Bonelli
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Hospital BHB Eggenberg, Graz, Austria.
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Rothblat DS, Schroeder JA, Schneider JS. Tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter expression in residual dopaminergic neurons: potential contributors to spontaneous recovery from experimental Parkinsonism. J Neurosci Res 2001; 65:254-66. [PMID: 11494360 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.1149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahyrdropyridine (MPTP)-exposed cats develop severe Parkinsonism that spontaneously resolves in 4-6 weeks. The present study examined the extent to which compensatory changes in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine transporter (DAT) gene and protein expression may underlie this behavioral recovery. In normal cats, TH and DAT protein levels were higher in the dorsal vs. ventral striatum. Expression of DAT and TH mRNA was higher in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) than in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In symptomatic parkinsonian animals, DAT and TH protein levels were significantly decreased in all striatal areas studied. TH and DAT mRNA expression in residual SNc neurons were decreased a mean 32% and 38%, respectively. DAT gene expression in residual VTA neurons in symptomatic animals was decreased 30% whereas TH gene expression was unaffected. In spontaneously recovered cats, TH protein levels were significantly higher than the levels in symptomatic cats only in the ventral striatum, whereas no increase in DAT protein levels were observed in any striatal area. Residual neurons in most ventral mesencephalic regions of recovered cats had increased TH mRNA expression but not increased DAT gene expression, compared with symptomatic animals. Thus, increased TH protein and mRNA and suppression of DAT protein and mRNA expression in the striatum and ventral mesencephalon were associated with functional recovery from MPTP-induced parkinsonism.
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Affiliation(s)
- D S Rothblat
- Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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Abstract
The distribution of corticostriatal neurons projecting to the caudate nucleus was examined in the cat by retrograde fluorescent tracers. Thus, Fast Blue and Diamidino Yellow were concomitantly injected in different rostrocaudal, dorsoventral, or mediolateral sectors of the caudate nucleus. The main findings of this study are: 1) few double-labeled cells were found after two injections in different sectors of the caudate nucleus; 2) double-labeled neurons were more abundant after adjacent injections and they were mainly located in 6 alpha beta, dorsolateral prefrontal, dorsomedial prefrontal, prelimbic, anterior limbic, sylvian anterior, and rostral part of cingulate cortical areas; and 3) there were variations in the spatial organization of the corticostriatal neurons in different cortical areas projecting to various parts of the caudate nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rosell
- Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
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Gonz�lez-Hern�ndez T, Rodr�guez M. Compartmental organization and chemical profile of dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the rat. J Comp Neurol 2000. [DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(20000522)421:1<107::aid-cne7>3.0.co;2-f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Maurin Y, Banrezes B, Menetrey A, Mailly P, Deniau JM. Three-dimensional distribution of nigrostriatal neurons in the rat: relation to the topography of striatonigral projections. Neuroscience 1999; 91:891-909. [PMID: 10391469 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(98)00681-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Functional regions of the rat striatum related to identified cortical territories were injected ionophoretically with wheat germ agglutinin coupled to horseradish peroxidase. Coronal serial sections were cut throughout the substantia nigra. The distributions of labelled striatal projections and nigrostriatal neurons were studied. Using software developed in our laboratory, three-dimensional reconstructions were calculated which confirmed and extended the organizational scheme of striatonigral projections already reported by our group. These projections were organized as a set of longitudinal lamellae spatially organized so as to segregate the flow of information emanating from striatal regions affiliated to sensorimotor and associative-limbic cortical areas. In addition, the relationship between the striatonigral projections and the nigrostriatal neurons was studied by three-dimensional reconstruction. For each striatal injection site, two populations of retrogradely labelled nigral neurons could be discriminated by their position with respect to the striatal projection field. The first one occupied a proximal position, in register with the labelled striatal projections, while the second was more distal. The populations of proximal neurons which innervate different functional striatal sectors were segregated both mediolaterally, dorsoventrally and rostrocaudally, while the populations of distal neurons were more scattered and showed a lesser degree of spatial segregation. The organization of these two populations with respect to the striatal projection fields suggests that the substantia nigra might control the flow of cortical information through the striatum via two different modalities, based respectively on a closed nigrostriatal loop involving the proximal neurons, and an open loop involving the distal ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Maurin
- Laboratoire de Neurochimie-Anatomie, Institut des Neurosciences, CNRS UMR-7624, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
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de las Heras S, Mengual E, Giménez-Amaya JM. Double retrograde tracer study of the thalamostriatal projections to the cat caudate nucleus. Synapse 1999; 32:80-92. [PMID: 10231128 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2396(199905)32:2<80::aid-syn2>3.0.co;2-p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The distribution of thalamostriatal neurons projecting to the cat caudate nucleus was examined by retrograde fluorescent tracers. Thus, Fast Blue and Diamidino Yellow were concomitantly injected in different rostrocaudal, dorsoventral, or mediolateral sectors of the caudate nucleus. The main findings of this study are as follows: (1) few double-labeled cells were found after two injections in different sectors of the caudate nucleus; (2) double-labeled neurons were more abundant after adjacent injections and they were mainly located in the caudal intralaminar nuclei, in the rhomboid nucleus and in the dorsal mediodorsal nucleus; and (3) there were variations in the spatial organization of the thalamostriatal neurons projecting to various sectors of the caudate nucleus in the different thalamic nuclei known to project to this part of the striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- S de las Heras
- Departamento de Morfología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
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