1
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Girotti M, Bulin SE, Carreno FR. Effects of chronic stress on cognitive function - From neurobiology to intervention. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 33:100670. [PMID: 39295772 PMCID: PMC11407068 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 08/30/2024] [Accepted: 09/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Exposure to chronic stress contributes considerably to the development of cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addictive behavior. Unfortunately, unlike mood-related symptoms, cognitive impairments are not effectively treated by available therapies, a situation in part resulting from a still incomplete knowledge of the neurobiological substrates that underly cognitive domains and the difficulty in generating interventions that are both efficacious and safe. In this review, we will present an overview of the cognitive domains affected by stress with a specific focus on cognitive flexibility, behavioral inhibition, and working memory. We will then consider the effects of stress on neuronal correlates of cognitive function and the factors which may modulate the interaction of stress and cognition. Finally, we will discuss intervention strategies for treatment of stress-related disorders and gaps in knowledge with emerging new treatments under development. Understanding how cognitive impairment occurs during exposure to chronic stress is crucial to make progress towards the development of new and effective therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Girotti
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Sarah E Bulin
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Flavia R Carreno
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
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2
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Nassar MR. Toward a computational role for locus coeruleus/norepinephrine arousal systems. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2024; 59:101407. [PMID: 39070697 PMCID: PMC11280330 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Brain and behavior undergo measurable changes in their underlying state and neuromodulators are thought to contribute to these fluctuations. Why do we undergo such changes, and what function could the underlying neuromodulatory systems perform? Here we examine theoretical answers to these questions with respect to the locus coeruleus/norepinephrine system focusing on peripheral markers for arousal, such as pupil diameter, that are thought to provide a window into brain wide noradrenergic signaling. We explore a computational role for arousal systems in facilitating internal state transitions that facilitate credit assignment and promote accurate perceptions in non-stationary environments. We summarize recent work that supports this idea and highlight open questions as well as alternative views of how arousal affects cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Nassar
- Brown University, Dept of Neuroscience and Carney Institute for Brain Science
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3
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Kabanova A, Fedorov L, Eschenko O. The Projection-Specific Noradrenergic Modulation of Perseverative Spatial Behavior in Adult Male Rats. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0063-24.2024. [PMID: 39160074 PMCID: PMC11334950 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0063-24.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Adaptive behavior relies on efficient cognitive control. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a key node within the executive prefrontal network. The reciprocal connectivity between the locus ceruleus (LC) and ACC is thought to support behavioral reorganization triggered by the detection of an unexpected change. We transduced LC neurons with either excitatory or inhibitory chemogenetic receptors in adult male rats and trained rats on a spatial task. Subsequently, we altered LC activity and confronted rats with an unexpected change of reward locations. In a new spatial context, rats with decreased noradrenaline (NA) in the ACC entered unbaited maze arms more persistently which was indicative of perseveration. In contrast, the suppression of the global NA transmission reduced perseveration. Neither chemogenetic manipulation nor inactivation of the ACC by muscimol affected the rate of learning, possibly due to partial virus transduction of the LC neurons and/or the compensatory engagement of other prefrontal regions. Importantly, we observed behavioral deficits in rats with LC damage caused by virus injection. The latter finding highlights the importance of careful histological assessment of virus-transduced brain tissue as inadvertent damage of the targeted cell population due to virus neurotoxicity or other factors might cause unwanted side effects. Although the specific role of ACC in the flexibility of spatial behavior has not been convincingly demonstrated, our results support the beneficial role of noradrenergic transmission for an optimal function of the ACC. Overall, our findings suggest the LC exerts the projection-specific modulation of neural circuits mediating the flexibility of spatial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kabanova
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Leonid Fedorov
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Oxana Eschenko
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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4
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Zouridis IS, Schmors L, Fischer KM, Berens P, Preston-Ferrer P, Burgalossi A. Juxtacellular recordings from identified neurons in the mouse locus coeruleus. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 60:3659-3676. [PMID: 38872397 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is the primary source of noradrenergic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. This small pontine nucleus consists of a densely packed nuclear core-which contains the highest density of noradrenergic neurons-embedded within a heterogeneous surround of non-noradrenergic cells. This local heterogeneity, together with the small size of the LC, has made it particularly difficult to infer noradrenergic cell identity based on extracellular sampling of in vivo spiking activity. Moreover, the relatively high cell density, background activity and synchronicity of LC neurons have made spike identification and unit isolation notoriously challenging. In this study, we aimed at bridging these gaps by performing juxtacellular recordings from single identified neurons within the mouse LC complex. We found that noradrenergic neurons (identified by tyrosine hydroxylase, TH, expression; TH-positive) and intermingled putatively non-noradrenergic (TH-negative) cells displayed similar morphologies and responded to foot shock stimuli with excitatory responses; however, on average, TH-positive neurons exhibited more prominent foot shock responses and post-activation firing suppression. The two cell classes also displayed different spontaneous firing rates, spike waveforms and temporal spiking properties. A logistic regression classifier trained on spontaneous electrophysiological features could separate the two cell classes with 76% accuracy. Altogether, our results reveal in vivo electrophysiological correlates of TH-positive neurons, which can be useful for refining current approaches for the classification of LC unit activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis S Zouridis
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lisa Schmors
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kathrin Maite Fischer
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Berens
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen AI Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Patricia Preston-Ferrer
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Burgalossi
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
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5
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Megemont M, Tortorelli LS, McBurney-Lin J, Cohen JY, O'Connor DH, Yang H. Simultaneous recordings of pupil size variation and locus coeruleus activity in mice. STAR Protoc 2024; 5:102785. [PMID: 38127625 PMCID: PMC10772391 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102785] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
An extensive literature describes how pupil size reflects neuromodulatory activity, including the noradrenergic system. Here, we present a protocol for the simultaneous recording of optogenetically identified locus coeruleus (LC) units and pupil diameter in mice under different conditions. We describe steps for building an optrode, performing surgery to implant the optrode and headpost, searching for opto-tagged LC units, and performing dual LC-pupil recording. We then detail procedures for data processing and analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Megemont et al.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Megemont
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - Lucas S Tortorelli
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jim McBurney-Lin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jeremiah Y Cohen
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience & Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience & Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Hongdian Yang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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Tseng CT, Welch HF, Gi AL, Kang EM, Mamidi T, Pydimarri S, Ramesh K, Sandoval A, Ploski JE, Thorn CA. Frequency Specific Optogenetic Stimulation of the Locus Coeruleus Induces Task-Relevant Plasticity in the Motor Cortex. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1528232023. [PMID: 38124020 PMCID: PMC10869157 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1528-23.2023] [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: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus ceruleus (LC) is the primary source of neocortical noradrenaline, which is known to be involved in diverse brain functions including sensory perception, attention, and learning. Previous studies have shown that LC stimulation paired with sensory experience can induce task-dependent plasticity in the sensory neocortex and in the hippocampus. However, it remains unknown whether LC activation similarly impacts neural representations in the agranular motor cortical regions that are responsible for movement planning and production. In this study, we test whether optogenetic stimulation of the LC paired with motor performance is sufficient to induce task-relevant plasticity in the somatotopic cortical motor map. Male and female TH-Cre + rats were trained on a skilled reaching lever-pressing task emphasizing the use of the proximal forelimb musculature, and a viral approach was used to selectively express ChR2 in noradrenergic LC neurons. Once animals reached criterial behavioral performance, they received five training sessions in which correct task performance was paired with optogenetic stimulation of the LC delivered at 3, 10, or 30 Hz. After the last stimulation session, motor cortical mapping was performed using intracortical microstimulation. Our results show that lever pressing paired with LC stimulation at 10 Hz, but not at 3 or 30 Hz, drove the expansion of the motor map representation of the task-relevant proximal FL musculature. These findings demonstrate that phasic, training-paired activation of the LC is sufficient to induce experience-dependent plasticity in the agranular motor cortex and that this LC-driven plasticity is highly dependent on the temporal dynamics of LC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Tzu Tseng
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Hailey F Welch
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Ashley L Gi
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Erica Mina Kang
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Tanushree Mamidi
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Sahiti Pydimarri
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Kritika Ramesh
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Alfredo Sandoval
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555, Texas
| | - Jonathan E Ploski
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey 17033-0850, Pennsylvania
| | - Catherine A Thorn
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas,
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7
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Jordan R. The locus coeruleus as a global model failure system. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:92-105. [PMID: 38102059 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Predictive processing models posit that brains constantly attempt to predict their sensory inputs. Prediction errors signal when these predictions are incorrect and are thought to be instructive signals that drive corrective plasticity. Recent findings support the idea that the locus coeruleus (LC) - a brain-wide neuromodulatory system - signals several types of prediction error. I discuss how these findings support models proposing that the LC signals global model failures: instances where predictions about the world are strongly violated. Focusing on the cortex, I explore the utility of this signal in learning rate control, how the LC circuit may compute the signal, and how this view may aid our understanding of neurodivergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Jordan
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
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Rodenkirch C, Wang Q. Optimization of Temporal Coding of Tactile Information in Rat Thalamus by Locus Coeruleus Activation. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:79. [PMID: 38392298 PMCID: PMC10886390 DOI: 10.3390/biology13020079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The brainstem noradrenergic nucleus, the locus coeruleus (LC), exerts heavy influences on sensory processing, perception, and cognition through its diffuse projections throughout the brain. Previous studies have demonstrated that LC activation modulates the response and feature selectivity of thalamic relay neurons. However, the extent to which LC modulates the temporal coding of sensory information in the thalamus remains mostly unknown. Here, we found that LC stimulation significantly altered the temporal structure of the responses of the thalamic relay neurons to repeated whisker stimulation. A substantial portion of events (i.e., time points where the stimulus reliably evoked spikes as evidenced by dramatic elevations in the firing rate of the spike density function) were removed during LC stimulation, but many new events emerged. Interestingly, spikes within the emerged events have a higher feature selectivity, and therefore transmit more information about a tactile stimulus, than spikes within the removed events. This suggests that LC stimulation optimized the temporal coding of tactile information to improve information transmission. We further reconstructed the original whisker stimulus from a population of thalamic relay neurons' responses and corresponding feature selectivity. As expected, we found that reconstruction from thalamic responses was more accurate using spike trains of thalamic neurons recorded during LC stimulation than without LC stimulation, functionally confirming LC optimization of the thalamic temporal code. Together, our results demonstrated that activation of the LC-NE system optimizes temporal coding of sensory stimulus in the thalamus, presumably allowing for more accurate decoding of the stimulus in the downstream brain structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Rodenkirch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, ET 351, 500 W. 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, ET 351, 500 W. 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA
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9
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Hassani SA, Womelsdorf T. Noradrenergic alpha-2a Receptor Stimulation Enhances Prediction Error Signaling in Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Striatum. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.25.564052. [PMID: 37961384 PMCID: PMC10634832 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.25.564052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The noradrenergic system is implicated to support behavioral flexibility by increasing exploration during periods of uncertainty and by enhancing working memory for goal-relevant stimuli. Possible sources mediating these pro-cognitive effects are α2A adrenoceptors (α2AR) in prefrontal cortex or the anterior cingulate cortex facilitating fronto-striatal learning processes. We tested this hypothesis by selectively stimulating α2ARs using Guanfacine during feature-based attentional set shifting in nonhuman primates. We found that α2A stimulation improved learning from errors and facilitates updating the target feature of an attentional set. Neural recordings in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and the striatum showed that α2A stimulation selectively enhanced the neural representation of negative reward prediction errors in neurons of the ACC and of positive prediction errors in the striatum, but not in dlPFC. This modulation was accompanied by enhanced encoding of the feature and location of the attended target across the fronto-striatal network. Enhanced learning was paralleled by enhanced encoding of outcomes in putative fast-spiking interneurons in the ACC, dlPFC, and striatum but not in broad spiking cells, pointing to an interneuron mediated mechanism of α2AR action. These results illustrate that α2A receptors causally support the noradrenergic enhancement of updating attention sets through an enhancement of prediction error signaling in the ACC and the striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed A. Hassani
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37240
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20824
| | - Thilo Womelsdorf
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37240
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240
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Tanguay E, Bouchard SJ, Lévesque M, De Koninck P, Breton-Provencher V. Shining light on the noradrenergic system. NEUROPHOTONICS 2023; 10:044406. [PMID: 37766924 PMCID: PMC10519836 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.10.4.044406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Despite decades of research on the noradrenergic system, our understanding of its impact on brain function and behavior remains incomplete. Traditional recording techniques are challenging to implement for investigating in vivo noradrenergic activity, due to the relatively small size and the position in the brain of the locus coeruleus (LC), the primary location for noradrenergic neurons. However, recent advances in optical and fluorescent methods have enabled researchers to study the LC more effectively. Use of genetically encoded calcium indicators to image the activity of noradrenergic neurons and biosensors that monitor noradrenaline release with fluorescence can be an indispensable tool for studying noradrenergic activity. In this review, we examine how these methods are being applied to record the noradrenergic system in the rodent brain during behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Martin Lévesque
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
- Université Laval, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Paul De Koninck
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
- Université Laval, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Vincent Breton-Provencher
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
- Université Laval, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
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