1
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Wall EM, Woolley SC. Social experiences shape song preference learning independently of developmental exposure to song. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240358. [PMID: 38835281 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0358] [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: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Communication governs the formation and maintenance of social relationships. The interpretation of communication signals depends not only on the signal's content but also on a receiver's individual experience. Experiences throughout life may interact to affect behavioural plasticity, such that a lack of developmental sensory exposure could constrain adult learning, while salient adult social experiences could remedy developmental deficits. We investigated how experiences impact the formation and direction of female auditory preferences in the zebra finch. Zebra finches form long-lasting pair bonds and females learn preferences for their mate's vocalizations. We found that after 2 weeks of cohabitation with a male, females formed pair bonds and learned to prefer their partner's song regardless of whether they were reared with ('normally reared') or without ('song-naive') developmental exposure to song. In contrast, females that heard but did not physically interact with a male did not prefer his song. In addition, previous work has found that song-naive females do not show species-typical preferences for courtship song. We found that cohabitation with a male ameliorated this difference in preference. Thus, courtship and pair bonding, but not acoustic-only interactions, strongly influence preference learning regardless of rearing experience, and may dynamically drive auditory plasticity for recognition and preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin M Wall
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3G 2A8, Canada
| | - Sarah C Woolley
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 1A1, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3G 2A8, Canada
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec H3A 1B1, Canada
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2
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Carr CE, Wang T, Kraemer I, Capshaw G, Ashida G, Köppl C, Kempter R, Kuokkanen PT. Experience-Dependent Plasticity in Nucleus Laminaris of the Barn Owl. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0940232023. [PMID: 37989591 PMCID: PMC10851688 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0940-23.2023] [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: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Interaural time differences (ITDs) are a major cue for sound localization and change with increasing head size. Since the barn owl's head width more than doubles in the month after hatching, we hypothesized that the development of their ITD detection circuit might be modified by experience. To test this, we raised owls with unilateral ear inserts that delayed and attenuated the acoustic signal, and then measured the ITD representation in the brainstem nucleus laminaris (NL) when they were adults. The ITD circuit is composed of delay line inputs to coincidence detectors, and we predicted that plastic changes would lead to shorter delays in the axons from the manipulated ear, and complementary shifts in ITD representation on the two sides. In owls that received ear inserts starting around P14, the maps of ITD shifted in the predicted direction, but only on the ipsilateral side, and only in those tonotopic regions that had not experienced auditory stimulation prior to insertion. The contralateral map did not change. Thus, experience-dependent plasticity of the ITD circuit occurs in NL, and our data suggest that ipsilateral and contralateral delays are independently regulated. As a result, altered auditory input during development leads to long-lasting changes in the representation of ITD.Significance Statement The early life of barn owls is marked by increasing sensitivity to sound, and by increasing ITDs. Their prolonged post-hatch development allowed us to examine the role of altered auditory experience in the development of ITD detection circuits. We raised owls with a unilateral ear insert and found that their maps of ITD were altered by experience, but only in those tonotopic regions ipsilateral to the occluded ear that had not experienced auditory stimulation prior to insertion. This experience-induced plasticity allows the sound localization circuits to be customized to individual characteristics, such as the size of the head, and potentially to compensate for imbalanced hearing sensitivities between the left and right ears.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Carr
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Tiffany Wang
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Ira Kraemer
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Grace Capshaw
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Go Ashida
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Research Center for Neurosensory Sciences and Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all" Carl von Ossietzky University, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Christine Köppl
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Research Center for Neurosensory Sciences and Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all" Carl von Ossietzky University, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Richard Kempter
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Paula T Kuokkanen
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD 20742
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3
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Anderson SR, Burg E, Suveg L, Litovsky RY. Review of Binaural Processing With Asymmetrical Hearing Outcomes in Patients With Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Trends Hear 2024; 28:23312165241229880. [PMID: 38545645 PMCID: PMC10976506 DOI: 10.1177/23312165241229880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Bilateral cochlear implants (BiCIs) result in several benefits, including improvements in speech understanding in noise and sound source localization. However, the benefit bilateral implants provide among recipients varies considerably across individuals. Here we consider one of the reasons for this variability: difference in hearing function between the two ears, that is, interaural asymmetry. Thus far, investigations of interaural asymmetry have been highly specialized within various research areas. The goal of this review is to integrate these studies in one place, motivating future research in the area of interaural asymmetry. We first consider bottom-up processing, where binaural cues are represented using excitation-inhibition of signals from the left ear and right ear, varying with the location of the sound in space, and represented by the lateral superior olive in the auditory brainstem. We then consider top-down processing via predictive coding, which assumes that perception stems from expectations based on context and prior sensory experience, represented by cascading series of cortical circuits. An internal, perceptual model is maintained and updated in light of incoming sensory input. Together, we hope that this amalgamation of physiological, behavioral, and modeling studies will help bridge gaps in the field of binaural hearing and promote a clearer understanding of the implications of interaural asymmetry for future research on optimal patient interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean R. Anderson
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical School, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Emily Burg
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Lukas Suveg
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ruth Y. Litovsky
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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4
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Carr CE, Wang T, Kraemer I, Capshaw G, Ashida G, Koeppl C, Kempter R, Kuokkanen PT. Experience-Dependent Plasticity in Nucleus Laminaris of the Barn Owl. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.02.526884. [PMID: 36778252 PMCID: PMC9915572 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.02.526884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Barn owls experience increasing interaural time differences (ITDs) during development, because their head width more than doubles in the month after hatching. We therefore hypothesized that their ITD detection circuit might be modified by experience. To test this, we raised owls with unilateral ear inserts that delayed and attenuated the acoustic signal, then measured the ITD representation in the brainstem nucleus laminaris (NL) when they were adult. The ITD circuit is composed of delay line inputs to coincidence detectors, and we predicted that plastic changes would lead to shorter delays in the axons from the manipulated ear, and complementary shifts in ITD representation on the two sides. In owls that received ear inserts starting around P14, the maps of ITD shifted in the predicted direction, but only on the ipsilateral side, and only in those tonotopic regions that had not experienced auditory stimulation prior to insertion. The contralateral map did not change. Experience-dependent plasticity of the ITD circuit occurs in NL, and our data suggest that ipsilateral and contralateral delays are independently regulated. Thus, altered auditory input during development leads to long-lasting changes in the representation of ITD.
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5
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Konecny L, Quadir R, Ninan A, Rodríguez-Contreras A. Neurovascular responses to neuronal activity during sensory development. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:1025429. [DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.1025429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the development of intercellular communication in sensory regions is relevant to elucidate mechanisms of physiological and pathological responses to oxygen shortage in the newborn brain. Decades of studies in laboratory rodents show that neuronal activity impacts sensory maturation during two periods of postnatal development distinguished by the maturation of accessory structures at the sensory periphery. During the first of these developmental periods, angiogenesis is modulated by neuronal activity, and physiological levels of neuronal activity cause local tissue hypoxic events. This correlation suggests that neuronal activity is upstream of the production of angiogenic factors, a process that is mediated by intermittent hypoxia caused by neuronal oxygen consumption. In this perspective article we address three theoretical implications based on this hypothesis: first, that spontaneous activity of sensory neurons has properties that favor the generation of intermittent tissue hypoxia in neonate rodents; second, that intermittent hypoxia promotes the expression of hypoxia inducible transcription factors (HIFs) in sensory neurons and astrocytes; and third, that activity-dependent production of angiogenic factors is involved in pathological oxygen contexts.
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6
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Ekström AG. Motor constellation theory: A model of infants' phonological development. Front Psychol 2022; 13:996894. [PMID: 36405212 PMCID: PMC9669916 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.996894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 04/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Every normally developing human infant solves the difficult problem of mapping their native-language phonology, but the neural mechanisms underpinning this behavior remain poorly understood. Here, motor constellation theory, an integrative neurophonological model, is presented, with the goal of explicating this issue. It is assumed that infants' motor-auditory phonological mapping takes place through infants' orosensory "reaching" for phonological elements observed in the language-specific ambient phonology, via reference to kinesthetic feedback from motor systems (e.g., articulators), and auditory feedback from resulting speech and speech-like sounds. Attempts are regulated by basal ganglion-cerebellar speech neural circuitry, and successful attempts at reproduction are enforced through dopaminergic signaling. Early in life, the pace of anatomical development constrains mapping such that complete language-specific phonological mapping is prohibited by infants' undeveloped supralaryngeal vocal tract and undescended larynx; constraints gradually dissolve with age, enabling adult phonology. Where appropriate, reference is made to findings from animal and clinical models. Some implications for future modeling and simulation efforts, as well as clinical settings, are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel G. Ekström
- Speech, Music and Hearing, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
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7
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Harris KC, Dias JW, McClaskey CM, Rumschlag J, Prisciandaro J, Dubno JR. Afferent Loss, GABA, and Central Gain in Older Adults: Associations with Speech Recognition in Noise. J Neurosci 2022; 42:7201-7212. [PMID: 35995564 PMCID: PMC9512571 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0242-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in auditory nerve (AN) function for older adults reduce afferent input to the cortex. The extent to which the cortex in older adults adapts to this loss of afferent input and the mechanisms underlying this adaptation are not well understood. We took a neural systems approach measuring AN and cortical evoked responses within 50 older and 27 younger human adults (59 female) to estimate central gain or increased cortical activity despite reduced AN activity. Relative to younger adults, older adults' AN response amplitudes were smaller, but cortical responses were not. We used the relationship between AN and cortical response amplitudes in younger adults to predict cortical response amplitudes for older adults from their AN responses. Central gain in older adults was thus defined as the difference between their observed cortical responses and those predicted from the parameter estimates of younger adults. In older adults, decreased afferent input contributed to lower cortical GABA levels, greater central gain, and poorer speech recognition in noise (SIN). These effects on SIN occur in addition to, and independent from, effects attributed to elevated hearing thresholds. Our results are consistent with animal models of central gain and suggest that reduced AN afferent input in some older adults may result in changes in cortical encoding and inhibitory neurotransmission, which contribute to reduced SIN. An advancement in our understanding of the changes that occur throughout the auditory system in response to the gradual loss of input with increasing age may provide potential therapeutic targets for intervention.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-related hearing loss is one of the most common chronic conditions of aging, yet little is known about how the cortex adapts to this loss of sensory input. We measured AN and cortical responses to the same stimulus in younger and older adults. In older adults we found hyperexcitability in cortical activity relative to concomitant declines in afferent input that are consistent with central gain. Lower levels of cortical GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, were associated with greater central gain, which predicted poorer SIN. The results suggest that the cortex in older adults may adapt to attenuated sensory input by reducing inhibition to amplify the cortical response, but this amplification may lead to poorer SIN.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James W Dias
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
| | | | | | - James Prisciandaro
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425-5500
| | - Judy R Dubno
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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8
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McCullagh EA, Peacock J, Lucas A, Poleg S, Greene NT, Gaut A, Lagestee S, Zhang Y, Kaczmarek LK, Park TJ, Tollin DJ, Klug A. Auditory brainstem development of naked mole-rats ( Heterocephalus glaber). Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220878. [PMID: 35946148 PMCID: PMC9363996 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Life underground often leads to animals having specialized auditory systems to accommodate the constraints of acoustic transmission in tunnels. Despite living underground, naked mole-rats use a highly vocal communication system, implying that they rely on central auditory processing. However, little is known about these animals' central auditory system, and whether it follows a similar developmental time course as other rodents. Naked mole-rats show slowed development in the hippocampus suggesting they have altered brain development compared to other rodents. Here, we measured morphological characteristics and voltage-gated potassium channel Kv3.3 expression and protein levels at different key developmental time points (postnatal days 9, 14, 21 and adulthood) to determine whether the auditory brainstem (lateral superior olive and medial nucleus of the trapezoid body) develops similarly to two common auditory rodent model species: gerbils and mice. Additionally, we measured the hearing onset of naked mole-rats using auditory brainstem response recordings at the same developmental timepoints. In contrast with other work in naked mole-rats showing that they are highly divergent in many aspects of their physiology, we show that naked mole-rats have a similar hearing onset, between postnatal day (P) 9 and P14, to many other rodents. On the other hand, we show some developmental differences, such as a unique morphology and Kv3.3 protein levels in the brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John Peacock
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Alexandra Lucas
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Shani Poleg
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Nathaniel T. Greene
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Addison Gaut
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - Samantha Lagestee
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Yalan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Leonard K. Kaczmarek
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Thomas J. Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Daniel J. Tollin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Achim Klug
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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9
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Anderson SR, Jocewicz R, Kan A, Zhu J, Tzeng S, Litovsky RY. Sound source localization patterns and bilateral cochlear implants: Age at onset of deafness effects. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263516. [PMID: 35134072 PMCID: PMC8824335 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to determine a sound’s location is critical in everyday life. However, sound source localization is severely compromised for patients with hearing loss who receive bilateral cochlear implants (BiCIs). Several patient factors relate to poorer performance in listeners with BiCIs, associated with auditory deprivation, experience, and age. Critically, characteristic errors are made by patients with BiCIs (e.g., medial responses at lateral target locations), and the relationship between patient factors and the type of errors made by patients has seldom been investigated across individuals. In the present study, several different types of analysis were used to understand localization errors and their relationship with patient-dependent factors (selected based on their robustness of prediction). Binaural hearing experience is required for developing accurate localization skills, auditory deprivation is associated with degradation of the auditory periphery, and aging leads to poorer temporal resolution. Therefore, it was hypothesized that earlier onsets of deafness would be associated with poorer localization acuity and longer periods without BiCI stimulation or older age would lead to greater amounts of variability in localization responses. A novel machine learning approach was introduced to characterize the types of errors made by listeners with BiCIs, making them simple to interpret and generalizable to everyday experience. Sound localization performance was measured in 48 listeners with BiCIs using pink noise trains presented in free-field. Our results suggest that older age at testing and earlier onset of deafness are associated with greater average error, particularly for sound sources near the center of the head, consistent with previous research. The machine learning analysis revealed that variability of localization responses tended to be greater for individuals with earlier compared to later onsets of deafness. These results suggest that early bilateral hearing is essential for best sound source localization outcomes in listeners with BiCIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean R. Anderson
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Rachael Jocewicz
- Department of Audiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Alan Kan
- School of Engineering, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jun Zhu
- Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - ShengLi Tzeng
- Department of Mathematics, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Ruth Y. Litovsky
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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10
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Boero LE, Payne S, Gómez-Casati ME, Rutherford MA, Goutman JD. Noise Exposure Potentiates Exocytosis From Cochlear Inner Hair Cells. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2021; 13:740368. [PMID: 34658832 PMCID: PMC8511412 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2021.740368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Noise-induced hearing loss has gained relevance as one of the most common forms of hearing impairment. The anatomical correlates of hearing loss, principally cell damage and/or death, are relatively well-understood histologically. However, much less is known about the physiological aspects of damaged, surviving cells. Here we addressed the functional consequences of noise exposure on the capacity of inner hair cells (IHCs) to release synaptic vesicles at synapses with spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Mice of either sex at postnatal day (P) 15–16 were exposed to 1–12 kHz noise at 120 dB sound pressure level (SPL), for 1 h. Exocytosis was measured by tracking changes in membrane capacitance (ΔCm) from IHCs of the apical cochlea. Upon IHC depolarization to different membrane potentials, ΔCm showed the typical bell-shaped curve that mirrors the voltage dependence of Ca2+ influx, in both exposed and unexposed cells. Surprisingly, from IHCs at 1-day after exposure (d.a.e.), we found potentiation of exocytosis at the peak of the bell-shaped curve. The increase in exocytosis was not accompanied by changes in whole-cell Ca2+ influx, suggesting a modification in coupling between Ca2+ channels and synaptic vesicles. Consistent with this notion, noise exposure also changed the Ca2+-dependence of exocytosis from linear to supralinear. Noise exposure did not cause loss of IHCs, but did result in a small reduction in the number of IHC-SGN synapses at 1-d.a.e. which recovered by 14-d.a.e. In contrast, a strong reduction in auditory brainstem response wave-I amplitude (representing synchronous firing of SGNs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (reflecting outer hair cell function) indicated a profound hearing loss at 1- and 14-d.a.e. To determine the role of glutamate release in the noise-induced potentiation of exocytosis, we evaluated vesicular glutamate transporter-3 (Vglut3) knock-out (KO) mice. Unlike WT, IHCs from Vglut3KO mice showed a noise-induced reduction in ΔCm and Ca2+ influx with no change in the Ca2+-dependence of exocytosis. Together, these results indicate that traumatic noise exposure triggers changes of IHC synaptic function including a Vglut3-dependent potentiation of exocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E Boero
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres" (INGEBI), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Shelby Payne
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | | | - Mark A Rutherford
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Juan D Goutman
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres" (INGEBI), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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11
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Bhumika S, Nakamura M, Valerio P, Solyga M, Lindén H, Barkat TR. A Late Critical Period for Frequency Modulated Sweeps in the Mouse Auditory System. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:2586-2599. [PMID: 31800018 PMCID: PMC7174992 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal circuits are shaped by experience during time windows of increased plasticity in postnatal development. In the auditory system, the critical period for the simplest sounds-pure frequency tones-is well defined. Critical periods for more complex sounds remain to be elucidated. We used in vivo electrophysiological recordings in the mouse auditory cortex to demonstrate that passive exposure to frequency modulated sweeps (FMS) from postnatal day 31 to 38 leads to long-term changes in the temporal representation of sweep directions. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a decreased percentage of layer 4 parvalbumin-positive (PV+) cells during this critical period, paralleled with a transient increase in responses to FMS, but not to pure tones. Preventing the PV+ cell decrease with continuous white noise exposure delayed the critical period onset, suggesting a reduction in inhibition as a mechanism for this plasticity. Our findings shed new light on the dependence of plastic windows on stimulus complexity that persistently sculpt the functional organization of the auditory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mari Nakamura
- Department of Biomedicine, Basel University, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Patricia Valerio
- Department of Biomedicine, Basel University, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Magdalena Solyga
- Department of Biomedicine, Basel University, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Henrik Lindén
- Department of Neuroscience, Copenhagen University, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tania R Barkat
- Department of Biomedicine, Basel University, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
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12
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Development of Auditory Cortex Circuits. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2021; 22:237-259. [PMID: 33909161 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-021-00794-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to process and perceive sensory stimuli is an essential function for animals. Among the sensory modalities, audition is crucial for communication, pleasure, care for the young, and perceiving threats. The auditory cortex (ACtx) is a key sound processing region that combines ascending signals from the auditory periphery and inputs from other sensory and non-sensory regions. The development of ACtx is a protracted process starting prenatally and requires the complex interplay of molecular programs, spontaneous activity, and sensory experience. Here, we review the development of thalamic and cortical auditory circuits during pre- and early post-natal periods.
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13
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Conductive hearing loss during development does not appreciably alter the sharpness of cochlear tuning. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3955. [PMID: 33597563 PMCID: PMC7890061 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83115-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of studies show that listeners often have difficulty hearing in situations with background noise, despite normal tuning curves in quiet. One potential source of this difficulty could be sensorineural changes in the auditory periphery (the ear). Signal in noise detection deficits also arise in animals raised with developmental conductive hearing loss (CHL), a manipulation that induces acoustic attenuation to model how sound deprivation changes the central auditory system. This model attributes perceptual deficits to central changes by assuming that CHL does not affect sensorineural elements in the periphery that could raise masked thresholds. However, because of efferent feedback, altering the auditory system could affect cochlear elements. Indeed, recent studies show that adult-onset CHL can cause cochlear synapse loss, potentially calling into question the assumption of an intact periphery in early-onset CHL. To resolve this issue, we tested the long-term peripheral effects of CHL via developmental bilateral malleus displacement. Using forward masking tuning curves, we compared peripheral tuning in animals raised with CHL vs age-matched controls. Using compound action potential measurements from the round window, we assessed inner hair cell synapse integrity. Results indicate that developmental CHL can cause minor synaptopathy. However, developmental CHL does not appreciably alter peripheral frequency tuning.
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Meng X, Mukherjee D, Kao JPY, Kanold PO. Early peripheral activity alters nascent subplate circuits in the auditory cortex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabc9155. [PMID: 33579707 PMCID: PMC7880598 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc9155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Cortical function can be shaped by sensory experience during a critical period. The onset of the critical period is thought to coincide with the onset of thalamocortical transmission to the thalamo-recipient layer 4 (L4). In early development, subplate neurons (SPNs), and not L4 neurons, are the first targets of thalamic afferents. SPNs are transiently involved in early development and are largely eliminated during development. Activation of L4 by thalamic afferents coincides with the opening of ear canal (~P11 in mice) and precedes the later critical period. Here, we show in mice that abolishing peripheral function or presenting sound stimuli even before P11 leads to bidirectionally altered functional connectivity of SPNs in auditory cortex. Thus, early sensory experience can sculpt subplate circuits before thalamocortical circuits to L4 are mature. Our results show that peripheral activity shapes cortical circuits in a sequential manner and from earlier ages than has been appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangying Meng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Didhiti Mukherjee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Joseph P Y Kao
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Patrick O Kanold
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Purcell PL, Deep NL, Waltzman SB, Roland JT, Cushing SL, Papsin BC, Gordon KA. Cochlear Implantation in Infants: Why and How. Trends Hear 2021; 25:23312165211031751. [PMID: 34281434 PMCID: PMC8295935 DOI: 10.1177/23312165211031751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In children with congenital deafness, cochlear implantation (CI) prior to 12 months of age offers the opportunity to foster more typical auditory development during late infancy and early childhood. Recent studies have found a positive association between early implantation and expressive and receptive language outcomes, with some children able to achieve normal language skills by the time of school entry. Universal newborn hearing screening improved early detection and diagnosis of congenital hearing loss, allowing for earlier intervention, including decision-making regarding cochlear implant (CI) candidacy. It can be more challenging to confirm CI candidacy in infants; therefore, a multidisciplinary approach, including objective audiometric testing, is recommended to not only confirm the diagnosis but also to counsel families regarding expectations and long-term management. Surgeons performing CI surgery in young children should consider both the anesthetic risks of surgery in infancy and the ways in which mastoid anatomy may differ between infants and older children or adults. Multiple studies have found CI surgery in infants can be performed safely and effectively. This article reviews current evidence regarding indications for implantation in children younger than 12 months of age and discusses perioperative considerations and surgical technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia L. Purcell
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicholas L. Deep
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
| | - Susan B. Waltzman
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
| | - J. Thomas Roland
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
| | - Sharon L. Cushing
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Blake C. Papsin
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karen A. Gordon
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Chen F, Takemoto M, Nishimura M, Tomioka R, Song WJ. Postnatal development of subfields in the core region of the mouse auditory cortex. Hear Res 2020; 400:108138. [PMID: 33285368 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.108138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The core region of the rodent auditory cortex has two subfields: the primary auditory area (A1) and the anterior auditory field (AAF). Although the postnatal development of A1 has been studied in several mammalian species, few studies have been conducted on the postnatal development of AAF. Using a voltage-sensitive-dye-based imaging method, we examined and compared the postnatal development of AAF and A1 in mice from postnatal day 11 (P11) to P40. We focused on the postnatal development of tonotopy, the relative position between A1 and AAF, and the properties of tone-evoked responses in the subfields. Tone-evoked responses in the mouse auditory cortex were first observed at P12, and tonotopy was found in both A1 and AAF at this age. Quantification of tonotopy using the cortical magnification factor (CMF; octave difference per unit cortical distance) revealed a rapid change from P12 to P14 in both A1 and AAF, and a stable level from P14. A similar time course of postnatal development was found for the distance between the 4 kHz site in A1 and AAF, the distance between the 16 kHz site in A1 and AAF, and the angle between the frequency axis of A1 and AAF. The maximum amplitude and rise time of tone-evoked signals in both A1 and AAF showed no significant change from P12 to P40, but the latency of the responses to both the 4 kHz and 16 kHz tones decreased during this period, with a more rapid decrease in the latency to 16 kHz tones in both subfields. The duration of responses evoked by 4 kHz tones in both A1 and AAF showed no significant postnatal change, but the duration of responses to 16 kHz tones decreased exponentially in both subfields. The cortical area activated by 4 kHz tones in AAF was always larger than that in A1 at all ages (P12-P40). Our results demonstrated that A1 and AAF developed in parallel postnatally, showing a rapid maturation of tonotopy, slow maturation of response latency and response duration, and a dorsal-to-ventral order (high-frequency site to low-frequency site) of functional maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifan Chen
- Department of Sensory and Cognitive Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Japan; Program for Leading Graduate Schools HIGO Program, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Makoto Takemoto
- Department of Sensory and Cognitive Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Japan
| | - Masataka Nishimura
- Department of Sensory and Cognitive Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Japan
| | - Ryohei Tomioka
- Department of Sensory and Cognitive Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Japan
| | - Wen-Jie Song
- Department of Sensory and Cognitive Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Japan; Program for Leading Graduate Schools HIGO Program, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan; Center for Metabolic Regulation of Healthy Aging, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan.
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17
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Cavalcanti HG, da Silva Nunes AD, da Cunha BKS, de Freitas Alvarenga K, Balen SA, Pereira A. Early exposure to environment sounds and the development of cortical auditory evoked potentials of preterm infants during the first 3 months of life. BMC Res Notes 2020; 13:303. [PMID: 32586405 PMCID: PMC7318486 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-020-05129-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Preterm infants are exposed earlier than their term counterparts to unattenuated sounds from the external environment during the sensitive period of the organization of the auditory cortical circuitry. In the current study, we investigate the effect of preterm birth on the course of development of auditory cortical areas by evaluating how gestational age (GA) correlates with the latency of the P1 component of the cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) of two experimental groups measured at 1 or 3 months of age. RESULTS Our sample consisted of 23 infants delivered at GA ranging from 31.28 to 41.42 weeks and separated into two groups evaluated transversally at 1 or 3 months of corrected age (CA). In the group evaluated at 1-month CA, the latency of the component P1 was similar in both terms and infants classified as late-preterm (GA > 32 weeks). However, in the group evaluated at 3 months CA, P1 latency was significantly smaller in preterms. These preliminary results suggest an acceleration of the development of auditory cortical pathways in preterms, probably due to their early exposure to socially relevant auditory stimuli from the external environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannalice Gottschalck Cavalcanti
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Federal University of Paraíba, Cidade Universitária, S/N - Conj. Pres. Castelo Branco III, João Pessoa, PB, 58051-900, Brazil
| | - Aryelly Dayane da Silva Nunes
- Speech and Language Pathology Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, S/N, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil
| | - Brenda Karla Silva da Cunha
- Speech and Language Pathology Graduate Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, S/N, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil
| | - Kátia de Freitas Alvarenga
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, University of São Paulo, Alameda Dr. Octávio Pinheiro Brisolla, 9-75, Bauru, SP, 17012-901, Brazil
| | - Sheila Andreoli Balen
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Gen. Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, S/N, Natal, RN, 59012-570, Brazil
| | - Antonio Pereira
- Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Federal University of Pará, Rua Augusto Correa, S/N, Belém, PA, 66075-110, Brazil.
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Meuret S, Berger T, Fuchs M, Ludwig AA. [Auditory localisation in hearing impaired schoolchildren with and without hearing aids]. Laryngorhinootologie 2020; 100:38-45. [PMID: 32503068 DOI: 10.1055/a-1177-1371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Auditory localisation is part of central auditory processing. The study examined the impact of hearing aids on the auditory localisation ability of non-linguistic stimuli in hearing impaired schoolchildren. PATIENTS AND METHODS Above threshold acoustic signals were presented to 20 children (7-17 years) in a free field condition with 45 loudspeakers placed on a semicircular array. All participants had a bilaterally symmetric moderate sensorineural hearing loss (WHO grade 2) and used behind the ear style (BTE) hearing aids with conventional earmolds. The children had to indicate the position of the signal by a laser pointer. Both high- and low-frequency noise bursts were employed in the tests to separately address spatial auditory processing based on interaural time differences and interaural intensity differences. The examination was performed with and without BTE hearing aids. RESULTS There was no significant difference between results in the aided and the unaided condition: neither for the different frequency bands nor for the signal positions. The auditory localisation of the hearing impaired children was reduced by 3°-4° for frontal and 5°-11° for lateral positions compared to normal-hearing children. There was no age-relation. CONCLUSIONS In our experimental setting, BTE hearing aids could not compensate the impaired auditory localisation ability of children with sensorineural hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Meuret
- Sektion Phoniatrie und Audiologie, Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Berger
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig AöR, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Fuchs
- Sektion Phoniatrie und Audiologie, Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, Germany
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19
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Ramchandran K, Tranel D, Duster K, Denburg NL. The Role of Emotional vs. Cognitive Intelligence in Economic Decision-Making Amongst Older Adults. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:497. [PMID: 32547361 PMCID: PMC7274021 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The links between emotions, bio-regulatory processes, and economic decision-making are well-established in the context of age-related changes in fluid, real-time, decision competency. The objective of the research reported here is to assess the relative contributions, interactions, and impacts of affective and cognitive intelligence in economic, value-based decision-making amongst older adults. Additionally, we explored this decision-making competency in the context of the neurobiology of aging by examining the neuroanatomical correlates of intelligence and decision-making in an aging cohort. Thirty-nine, healthy, community dwelling older adults were administered the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), an ecologically valid laboratory measure of complex, economic decision-making; along with standardized, performance-based measures of cognitive and emotional intelligence (EI). A smaller subset of this group underwent structural brain scans from which thicknesses of the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, cingulate cortices and their sub-sections, were computed. Fluid (online processing) aspects of Perceptual Reasoning cognitive intelligence predicted superior choices on the IGT. However, older adults with higher overall emotional intelligence (EI) and higher Experiential EI area/sub-scores learned faster to make better choices on the IGT, even after controlling for cognitive intelligence and its area scores. Thickness of the left rostral anterior cingulate (associated with fluid affective, processing) mediated the relationship between age and Experiential EI. Thickness of the right transverse temporal gyrus moderated the rate of learning on the IGT. In conclusion, our data suggest that fluid processing, which involves "online," bottom-up, cognitive processing, predicts value-based decision-making amongst older adults, while crystallized intelligence, which relies on "offline" previously acquired knowledge, does not. However, only emotional intelligence, especially its fluid "online" aspects of affective processing predicts the rate of learning in situations of complex choice, especially when there is a paucity of cues/information available to guide decision-making. Age-related effects on these cognitive, affective and decision mechanisms may have neuroanatomical correlates, especially in regions that form a subset of the human mirror-neuron and mentalizing systems. While superior decision-making may be stereotypically associated with "smarter people" (i.e., higher cognitive intelligence), our data indicate that emotional intelligence has a significant role to play in the economic decisions of older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanchna Ramchandran
- Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Daniel Tranel
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Keagan Duster
- Department of Internal Medicine, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Natalie L. Denburg
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States
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20
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Persic D, Thomas ME, Pelekanos V, Ryugo DK, Takesian AE, Krumbholz K, Pyott SJ. Regulation of auditory plasticity during critical periods and following hearing loss. Hear Res 2020; 397:107976. [PMID: 32591097 PMCID: PMC8546402 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.107976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sensory input has profound effects on neuronal organization and sensory maps in the brain. The mechanisms regulating plasticity of the auditory pathway have been revealed by examining the consequences of altered auditory input during both developmental critical periods—when plasticity facilitates the optimization of neural circuits in concert with the external environment—and in adulthood—when hearing loss is linked to the generation of tinnitus. In this review, we summarize research identifying the molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms regulating neuronal organization and tonotopic map plasticity during developmental critical periods and in adulthood. These mechanisms are shared in both the juvenile and adult brain and along the length of the auditory pathway, where they serve to regulate disinhibitory networks, synaptic structure and function, as well as structural barriers to plasticity. Regulation of plasticity also involves both neuromodulatory circuits, which link plasticity with learning and attention, as well as ascending and descending auditory circuits, which link the auditory cortex and lower structures. Further work identifying the interplay of molecular and cellular mechanisms associating hearing loss-induced plasticity with tinnitus will continue to advance our understanding of this disorder and lead to new approaches to its treatment. During CPs, brain plasticity is enhanced and sensitive to acoustic experience. Enhanced plasticity can be reinstated in the adult brain following hearing loss. Molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms regulate CP and adult plasticity. Plasticity resulting from hearing loss may contribute to the emergence of tinnitus. Modifying plasticity in the adult brain may offer new treatments for tinnitus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dora Persic
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Maryse E Thomas
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye & Ear and Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vassilis Pelekanos
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - David K Ryugo
- Hearing Research, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia; Department of Otolaryngology, Head, Neck & Skull Base Surgery, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia
| | - Anne E Takesian
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye & Ear and Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katrin Krumbholz
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Sonja J Pyott
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head/Neck Surgery, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands.
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Wang M, Yu Z, Li G, Yu X. Multiple Morphological Factors Underlie Experience-Dependent Cross-Modal Plasticity in the Developing Sensory Cortices. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:2418-2433. [PMID: 31828301 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz248] [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: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory experience regulates the structural and functional wiring of sensory cortices. In previous work, we showed that whisker deprivation (WD) from birth not only reduced excitatory synaptic transmission of layer (L) 2/3 pyramidal neurons of the correspondent barrel cortex in mice, but also cross-modally reduced synaptic transmission of L2/3 pyramidal neurons in other sensory cortices. Here, we used in utero electroporation, in combination with optical clearing, to examine the main morphological components regulating neural circuit wiring, namely presynaptic bouton density, spine density, as well as dendrite and axon arbor lengths. We found that WD from P0 to P14 reduced presynaptic bouton density in both L4 and L2/3 inputs to L2/3 pyramidal neurons, as well as spine density across the dendritic tree of L2/3 pyramidal neurons, in the barrel field of the primary somatosensory cortex. The cross-modal effects in the primary auditory cortex were manifested mostly as reduced dendrite and axon arbor size, as well as reduced bouton density of L2/3 inputs. Increasing sensory experience by rearing mice in an enriched environment rescued the effects of WD. Together, these results demonstrate that multiple morphological factors contribute to experience-dependent structural plasticity during early wiring of the sensory cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zixian Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guangying Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xiang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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Temporary Visual Deprivation Causes Decorrelation of Spatiotemporal Population Responses in Adult Mouse Auditory Cortex. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0269-19.2019. [PMID: 31744840 PMCID: PMC6901683 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0269-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Although within-modality sensory plasticity is limited to early developmental periods, cross-modal plasticity can occur even in adults. In vivo electrophysiological studies have shown that transient visual deprivation (dark exposure, DE) in adult mice improves the frequency selectivity and discrimination of neurons in thalamorecipient layer 4 (L4) of primary auditory cortex (A1). Since sound information is processed hierarchically in A1 by populations of neurons, we investigated whether DE alters network activity in A1 L4 and layer 2/3 (L2/3). We examined neuronal populations in both L4 and L2/3 using in vivo two-photon calcium (Ca2+) imaging of transgenic mice expressing GCaMP6s. We find that one week of DE in adult mice increased the sound evoked responses and frequency selectivity of both L4 and L2/3 neurons. Moreover, after DE the frequency representation changed with L4 and L2/3 showing a reduced representation of cells with best frequencies (BFs) between 8 and 16 kHz and an increased representation of cells with BFs above 32 kHz. Cells in L4 and L2/3 showed decreased pairwise signal correlations (SCs) consistent with sharper tuning curves. The decreases in SCs were larger in L4 than in L2/3. The decreased pairwise correlations indicate a sparsification of A1 responses to tonal stimuli. Thus, cross-modal experience in adults can both alter the sound-evoked responses of A1 neurons and change activity correlations within A1 potentially enhancing the encoding of auditory stimuli.
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Rybalko N, Mitrovic D, Šuta D, Bureš Z, Popelář J, Syka J. Behavioral evaluation of auditory function abnormalities in adult rats with normal hearing thresholds that were exposed to noise during early development. Physiol Behav 2019; 210:112620. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Reinhard SM, Abundez-Toledo M, Espinoza K, Razak KA. Effects of developmental noise exposure on inhibitory cell densities and perineuronal nets in A1 and AAF of mice. Hear Res 2019; 381:107781. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.107781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Strengthening of the Efferent Olivocochlear System Leads to Synaptic Dysfunction and Tonotopy Disruption of a Central Auditory Nucleus. J Neurosci 2019; 39:7037-7048. [PMID: 31217330 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2536-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The auditory system in many mammals is immature at birth but precisely organized in adults. Spontaneous activity in the inner ear plays a critical role in guiding this maturation process. This is shaped by an efferent pathway that descends from the brainstem and makes transient direct synaptic contacts with inner hair cells. In this work, we used an α9 cholinergic nicotinic receptor knock-in mouse model (of either sex) with enhanced medial efferent activity (Chrna9L9'T, L9'T) to further understand the role of the olivocochlear system in the correct establishment of auditory circuits. Wave III of auditory brainstem responses (which represents synchronized activity of synapses within the superior olivary complex) was smaller in L9'T mice, suggesting a central dysfunction. The mechanism underlying this functional alteration was analyzed in brain slices containing the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB), where neurons are topographically organized along a mediolateral (ML) axis. The topographic organization of MNTB physiological properties observed in wildtype (WT) was abolished in L9'T mice. Additionally, electrophysiological recordings in slices indicated MNTB synaptic alterations. In vivo multielectrode recordings showed that the overall level of MNTB activity was reduced in the L9'T The present results indicate that the transient cochlear efferent innervation to inner hair cells during the critical period before the onset of hearing is involved in the refinement of topographic maps as well as in setting the properties of synaptic transmission at a central auditory nucleus.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cochlear inner hair cells of altricial mammals display spontaneous electrical activity before hearing onset. The pattern and firing rate of these cells are crucial for the correct maturation of the central auditory pathway. A descending efferent innervation from the CNS contacts the hair cells during this developmental window. The present work shows that genetic enhancement of efferent function disrupts the orderly topographic distribution of biophysical and synaptic properties in the auditory brainstem and causes severe synaptic dysfunction. This work adds to the notion that the transient efferent innervation to the cochlea is necessary for the correct establishment of the central auditory circuitry.
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Cross-Modal Competition: The Default Computation for Multisensory Processing. J Neurosci 2018; 39:1374-1385. [PMID: 30573648 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1806-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mature multisensory superior colliculus (SC) neurons integrate information across the senses to enhance their responses to spatiotemporally congruent cross-modal stimuli. The development of this neurotypic feature of SC neurons requires experience with cross-modal cues. In the absence of such experience the response of an SC neuron to congruent cross-modal cues is no more robust than its response to the most effective component cue. This "default" or "naive" state is believed to be one in which cross-modal signals do not interact. The present results challenge this characterization by identifying interactions between visual-auditory signals in male and female cats reared without visual-auditory experience. By manipulating the relative effectiveness of the visual and auditory cross-modal cues that were presented to each of these naive neurons, an active competition between cross-modal signals was revealed. Although contrary to current expectations, this result is explained by a neuro-computational model in which the default interaction is mutual inhibition. These findings suggest that multisensory neurons at all maturational stages are capable of some form of multisensory integration, and use experience with cross-modal stimuli to transition from their initial state of competition to their mature state of cooperation. By doing so, they develop the ability to enhance the physiological salience of cross-modal events thereby increasing their impact on the sensorimotor circuitry of the SC, and the likelihood that biologically significant events will elicit SC-mediated overt behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present results demonstrate that the default mode of multisensory processing in the superior colliculus is competition, not non-integration as previously characterized. A neuro-computational model explains how these competitive dynamics can be implemented via mutual inhibition, and how this default mode is superseded by the emergence of cooperative interactions during development.
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Hackett TA. Adenosine A 1 Receptor mRNA Expression by Neurons and Glia in the Auditory Forebrain. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:1882-1905. [PMID: 30315630 PMCID: PMC6282551 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In the brain, purines such as ATP and adenosine can function as neurotransmitters and co‐transmitters, or serve as signals in neuron–glial interactions. In thalamocortical (TC) projections to sensory cortex, adenosine functions as a negative regulator of glutamate release via activation of the presynaptic adenosine A1 receptor (A1R). In the auditory forebrain, restriction of A1R‐adenosine signaling in medial geniculate (MG) neurons is sufficient to extend LTP, LTD, and tonotopic map plasticity in adult mice for months beyond the critical period. Interfering with adenosine signaling in primary auditory cortex (A1) does not contribute to these forms of plasticity, suggesting regional differences in the roles of A1R‐mediated adenosine signaling in the forebrain. To advance understanding of the circuitry, in situ hybridization was used to localize neuronal and glial cell types in the auditory forebrain that express A1R transcripts (Adora1), based on co‐expression with cell‐specific markers for neuronal and glial subtypes. In A1, Adora1 transcripts were concentrated in L3/4 and L6 of glutamatergic neurons. Subpopulations of GABAergic neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia expressed lower levels of Adora1. In MG, Adora1 was expressed by glutamatergic neurons in all divisions, and subpopulations of all glial classes. The collective findings imply that A1R‐mediated signaling broadly extends to all subdivisions of auditory cortex and MG. Selective expression by neuronal and glial subpopulations suggests that experimental manipulations of A1R‐adenosine signaling could impact several cell types, depending on their location. Strategies to target Adora1 in specific cell types can be developed from the data generated here. Anat Rec, 301:1882–1905, 2018. © 2018 The Authors. The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Anatomists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy A Hackett
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Barr HJ, Woolley SC. Developmental auditory exposure shapes responses of catecholaminergic neurons to socially-modulated song. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11717. [PMID: 30082796 PMCID: PMC6079043 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30039-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental sensory experience is critical to the tuning of sensory systems and can shape perceptual abilities and their neural substrates. Neuromodulators, including catecholamines, contribute to sensory plasticity in both older and younger individuals and provide a mechanism for translating sensory experience into changes in brain and behavior. Less well known, however, is whether developmental sensory experience has lasting effects on the neuromodulatory neurons themselves. Here, we used female zebra finches to investigate the degree to which developmental auditory experience can have lasting effects on the density and sensory responsiveness of catecholamine-synthesizing neuron populations. We found that hearing courtship, but not non-courtship, song increased expression of the activity-dependent immediate early gene cFOS in dopamine neurons of the caudal ventral tegmental area (VTA) and this increase was dependent on whether females heard adult song during development. Developmental song exposure also affected the density of dopamine producing neurons in the rostral VTA. In contrast, song-evoked responses in noradrenergic neurons of the Locus Coeruleus were not affected by either developmental song exposure or the social context of the stimulus. These data highlight the lasting effects that developmental auditory experience can have in shaping both the density and sensory responsiveness of dopamine neuron populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena J Barr
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Center for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sarah C Woolley
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. .,Center for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada. .,Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Daikoku T. Neurophysiological Markers of Statistical Learning in Music and Language: Hierarchy, Entropy, and Uncertainty. Brain Sci 2018; 8:E114. [PMID: 29921829 PMCID: PMC6025354 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci8060114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Statistical learning (SL) is a method of learning based on the transitional probabilities embedded in sequential phenomena such as music and language. It has been considered an implicit and domain-general mechanism that is innate in the human brain and that functions independently of intention to learn and awareness of what has been learned. SL is an interdisciplinary notion that incorporates information technology, artificial intelligence, musicology, and linguistics, as well as psychology and neuroscience. A body of recent study has suggested that SL can be reflected in neurophysiological responses based on the framework of information theory. This paper reviews a range of work on SL in adults and children that suggests overlapping and independent neural correlations in music and language, and that indicates disability of SL. Furthermore, this article discusses the relationships between the order of transitional probabilities (TPs) (i.e., hierarchy of local statistics) and entropy (i.e., global statistics) regarding SL strategies in human's brains; claims importance of information-theoretical approaches to understand domain-general, higher-order, and global SL covering both real-world music and language; and proposes promising approaches for the application of therapy and pedagogy from various perspectives of psychology, neuroscience, computational studies, musicology, and linguistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Daikoku
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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Colonnese MT, Phillips MA. Thalamocortical function in developing sensory circuits. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 52:72-79. [PMID: 29715588 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Thalamocortical activity patterns, both spontaneous and evoked, undergo a dramatic shift in preparation for the onset of rich sensory experience (e.g. birth in humans; eye-opening in rodents). This change is the result of a switch from thalamocortical circuits tuned for transmission of spontaneous bursting in sense organs, to circuits capable of high resolution, active sensory processing. Early 'pre-sensory' tuning uses amplification generated by corticothalamic excitatory feedback and early-born subplate neurons to ensure transmission of bursts, at the expense of stimulus discrimination. The switch to sensory circuits is due, at least in part, to the coordinated remodeling of inhibitory circuits in thalamus and cortex. Appreciation of the distinct rules that govern early circuit function can, and should, inform translational studies of genetic and acquired developmental dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Colonnese
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University, United States.
| | - Marnie A Phillips
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University, United States
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31
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Specific Influences of Early Acoustic Environments on Cochlear Hair Cells in Postnatal Mice. Neural Plast 2018; 2018:5616930. [PMID: 29849558 PMCID: PMC5926484 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5616930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The auditory function develops and matures after birth in many mammalian species. After hearing onset, environmental sounds exert profound and long-term effects on auditory functions. However, the effects of the acoustic environment on the functional development of the peripheral auditory system, especially the cochlear sensory hair cells, are still unclear. In the present study, we exposed mouse pups to frequency-enriched acoustic environments in postnatal days 0–14. The results indicated that the acoustic environment significantly decreased the threshold of the auditory brainstem response in a frequency-specific manner. Compared with controls, no difference was found in the number and alignment of inner and outer hair cells or in the length of hair bundles after acoustic overstimulation. The expression and function of prestin, the motor protein of outer hair cells (OHCs), were specifically increased in OHCs activated by acoustic stimulation at postnatal days 7–11. We analyzed the postnatal maturation of ribbon synapses in the hair cell areas. After acoustic stimulation, the number of ribbon synapses was closer to the mature stage than to the controls. Taken together, these data indicate that early acoustic exposure could promote the functional maturation of cochlear hair cells and the development of hearing.
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Ihlefeld A, Chen YW, Sanes DH. Developmental Conductive Hearing Loss Reduces Modulation Masking Release. Trends Hear 2018; 20:2331216516676255. [PMID: 28215119 PMCID: PMC5318943 DOI: 10.1177/2331216516676255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hearing-impaired individuals experience difficulties in detecting or understanding speech, especially in background sounds within the same frequency range. However, normally hearing (NH) human listeners experience less difficulty detecting a target tone in background noise when the envelope of that noise is temporally gated (modulated) than when that envelope is flat across time (unmodulated). This perceptual benefit is called modulation masking release (MMR). When flanking masker energy is added well outside the frequency band of the target, and comodulated with the original modulated masker, detection thresholds improve further (MMR+). In contrast, if the flanking masker is antimodulated with the original masker, thresholds worsen (MMR−). These interactions across disparate frequency ranges are thought to require central nervous system (CNS) processing. Therefore, we explored the effect of developmental conductive hearing loss (CHL) in gerbils on MMR characteristics, as a test for putative CNS mechanisms. The detection thresholds of NH gerbils were lower in modulated noise, when compared with unmodulated noise. The addition of a comodulated flanker further improved performance, whereas an antimodulated flanker worsened performance. However, for CHL-reared gerbils, all three forms of masking release were reduced when compared with NH animals. These results suggest that developmental CHL impairs both within- and across-frequency processing and provide behavioral evidence that CNS mechanisms are affected by a peripheral hearing impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Ihlefeld
- 1 Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Yi-Wen Chen
- 2 Center for Neural Science, New York University, NY, USA
| | - Dan H Sanes
- 2 Center for Neural Science, New York University, NY, USA.,3 Department of Psychology, New York University, NY, USA.,4 Department of Biology, New York University, NY, USA
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Meuret S, Ludwig A, Predel D, Staske B, Fuchs M. Localization and Spatial Discrimination in Children and Adolescents with Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss Tested without Their Hearing Aids. Audiol Neurootol 2018; 22:326-342. [DOI: 10.1159/000485826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated two measures of spatial acoustic perception in children and adolescents with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) tested without their hearing aids and compared it to age-matched controls. Auditory localization was quantified by means of a sound source identification task and auditory spatial discrimination acuity by measuring minimum audible angles (MAA). Both low- and high-frequency noise bursts were employed in the tests to separately address spatial auditory processing based on interaural time and intensity differences. In SNHL children, localization (hit accuracy) was significantly reduced compared to normal-hearing children and intraindividual variability (dispersion) considerably increased. Given the respective impairments, the performance based on interaural time differences (low frequencies) was still better than that based on intensity differences (high frequencies). For MAA, age-matched comparisons yielded not only increased MAA values in SNHL children, but also no decrease with increasing age compared to normal-hearing children. Deficits in MAA were most apparent in the frontal azimuth. Thus, children with SNHL do not seem to benefit from frontal positions of the sound sources as do normal-hearing children. The results give an indication that the processing of spatial cues in SNHL children is restricted, which could also imply problems regarding speech understanding in challenging hearing situations.
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Bouyssi-Kobar M, Murnick J, Brossard-Racine M, Chang T, Mahdi E, Jacobs M, Limperopoulos C. Altered Cerebral Perfusion in Infants Born Preterm Compared with Infants Born Full Term. J Pediatr 2018; 193:54-61.e2. [PMID: 29212618 PMCID: PMC5794508 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.09.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2017] [Revised: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To compare regional cerebral cortical blood flow (CBF) in infants born very preterm at term-equivalent age (TEA) and healthy newborns born full term and to examine the impact of clinical risk factors on CBF in the cohort born preterm. STUDY DESIGN This prospective, cross-sectional study included infants born very preterm (gestational age at birth <32 weeks; birth weight <1500 g) and healthy infants born full term. Using noninvasive 3T arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging, we quantified regional CBF in the cerebral cortex: sensorimotor/auditory/visual cortex, superior medial/dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)/posterior cingulate cortex, insula, and lateral posterior parietal cortex, as well as in the brainstem, and deep gray matter. Analyses were performed controlling for sex, gestational age, and age at magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS We studied 202 infants: 98 born preterm and 104 born full term at TEA. Infants born preterm demonstrated greater global CBF (β = 9.03; P < .0001) and greater absolute regional CBF in all brain regions except the insula. Relative CBF in the insula, ACC and auditory cortex were decreased significantly in infants born preterm compared with their peers born at full term (P < .0001; P = .026; P = .036, respectively). In addition, the presence of parenchymal brain injury correlated with lower global and regional CBF (insula, ACC, sensorimotor, auditory, and visual cortices) whereas the need for cardiac vasopressor support correlated with lower regional CBF in the insula and visual cortex. CONCLUSIONS Altered regional cortical CBF in infants born very preterm at TEA may reflect early brain dysmaturation despite the absence of cerebral cortical injury. Furthermore, specific cerebral cortical areas may be vulnerable to early hemodynamic instability and parenchymal brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Bouyssi-Kobar
- The Developing Brain Research Laboratory, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC; Institute for Biomedical Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC
| | - Jonathan Murnick
- The Developing Brain Research Laboratory, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC
| | - Marie Brossard-Racine
- Department of Pediatrics Neurology, Montreal Children's Hospital-McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Taeun Chang
- Department of Neurology, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC
| | - Eman Mahdi
- The Developing Brain Research Laboratory, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC
| | - Marni Jacobs
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC
| | - Catherine Limperopoulos
- The Developing Brain Research Laboratory, Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC.
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35
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Subplate neurons are the first cortical neurons to respond to sensory stimuli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:12602-12607. [PMID: 29114043 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1710793114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In utero experience, such as maternal speech in humans, can shape later perception, although the underlying cortical substrate is unknown. In adult mammals, ascending thalamocortical projections target layer 4, and the onset of sensory responses in the cortex is thought to be dependent on the onset of thalamocortical transmission to layer 4 as well as the ear and eye opening. In developing animals, thalamic fibers do not target layer 4 but instead target subplate neurons deep in the developing white matter. We investigated if subplate neurons respond to sensory stimuli. Using electrophysiological recordings in young ferrets, we show that auditory cortex neurons respond to sound at very young ages, even before the opening of the ears. Single unit recordings showed that auditory responses emerged first in cortical subplate neurons. Subsequently, responses appeared in the future thalamocortical input layer 4, and sound-evoked spike latencies were longer in layer 4 than in subplate, consistent with the known relay of thalamic information to layer 4 by subplate neurons. Electrode array recordings show that early auditory responses demonstrate a nascent topographic organization, suggesting that topographic maps emerge before the onset of spiking responses in layer 4. Together our results show that sound-evoked activity and topographic organization of the cortex emerge earlier and in a different layer than previously thought. Thus, early sound experience can activate and potentially sculpt subplate circuits before permanent thalamocortical circuits to layer 4 are present, and disruption of this early sensory activity could be utilized for early diagnosis of developmental disorders.
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36
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Abstract
Over the last 30 years a wide range of manipulations of auditory input and experience have been shown to result in plasticity in auditory cortical and subcortical structures. The time course of plasticity ranges from very rapid stimulus-specific adaptation to longer-term changes associated with, for example, partial hearing loss or perceptual learning. Evidence for plasticity as a consequence of these and a range of other manipulations of auditory input and/or its significance is reviewed, with an emphasis on plasticity in adults and in the auditory cortex. The nature of the changes in auditory cortex associated with attention, memory and perceptual learning depend critically on task structure, reward contingencies, and learning strategy. Most forms of auditory system plasticity are adaptive, in that they serve to optimize auditory performance, prompting attempts to harness this plasticity for therapeutic purposes. However, plasticity associated with cochlear trauma and partial hearing loss appears to be maladaptive, and has been linked to tinnitus. Three important forms of human learning-related auditory system plasticity are those associated with language development, musical training, and improvement in performance with a cochlear implant. Almost all forms of plasticity involve changes in synaptic excitatory - inhibitory balance within existing patterns of connectivity. An attractive model applicable to a number of forms of learning-related plasticity is dynamic multiplexing by individual neurons, such that learning involving a particular stimulus attribute reflects a particular subset of the diverse inputs to a given neuron being gated by top-down influences. The plasticity evidence indicates that auditory cortex is a component of complex distributed networks that integrate the representation of auditory stimuli with attention, decision and reward processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dexter R F Irvine
- Bionics Institute, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002, Australia; School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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37
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Auditory cortex interneuron development requires cadherins operating hair-cell mechanoelectrical transduction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:7765-7774. [PMID: 28705869 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1703408114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Many genetic forms of congenital deafness affect the sound reception antenna of cochlear sensory cells, the hair bundle. The resulting sensory deprivation jeopardizes auditory cortex (AC) maturation. Early prosthetic intervention should revive this process. Nevertheless, this view assumes that no intrinsic AC deficits coexist with the cochlear ones, a possibility as yet unexplored. We show here that many GABAergic interneurons, from their generation in the medial ganglionic eminence up to their settlement in the AC, express two cadherin-related (cdhr) proteins, cdhr23 and cdhr15, that form the hair bundle tip links gating the mechanoelectrical transduction channels. Mutant mice lacking either protein showed a major decrease in the number of parvalbumin interneurons specifically in the AC, and displayed audiogenic reflex seizures. Cdhr15- and Cdhr23-expressing interneuron precursors in Cdhr23-/- and Cdhr15-/- mouse embryos, respectively, failed to enter the embryonic cortex and were scattered throughout the subpallium, consistent with the cell polarity abnormalities we observed in vitro. In the absence of adhesion G protein-coupled receptor V1 (adgrv1), another hair bundle link protein, the entry of Cdhr23- and Cdhr15-expressing interneuron precursors into the embryonic cortex was also impaired. Our results demonstrate that a population of newborn interneurons is endowed with specific cdhr proteins necessary for these cells to reach the developing AC. We suggest that an "early adhesion code" targets populations of interneuron precursors to restricted neocortical regions belonging to the same functional area. These findings open up new perspectives for auditory rehabilitation and cortical therapies in patients.
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Skoe E, Burakiewicz E, Figueiredo M, Hardin M. Basic neural processing of sound in adults is influenced by bilingual experience. Neuroscience 2017; 349:278-290. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.02.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Revised: 02/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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39
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Wang Y, Xu O, Liu Y, Lu H. Auditory deprivation modifies the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin receptor kinase B in the rat auditory cortex. J Otol 2017; 12:34-40. [PMID: 29937835 PMCID: PMC6011803 DOI: 10.1016/j.joto.2017.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The development and plasticity of central auditory system can be influenced by the change of peripheral neuronal activity. However, the molecular mechanism participating in the process remains elusive. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) binding with its functional receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) has multiple effects on neurons. Here we used a rat model of auditory deprivation by bilateral cochlear ablation, to investigate the changes in expression of BDNF and TrkB in the auditory cortex after auditory deprivation that occurred during the critical period for the development of central auditory system. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry methods were adopted to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the auditory cortex at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after surgery, respectively. The change in the expression of BDNF and TrkB mRNAs and proteins followed similar trend. In the bilateral cochlear ablation groups, the BDNF-TrkB expression level initially decreased at 2 weeks but increased at 4 weeks followed by the reduction at 6 and 8 weeks after cochlear removal, as compared to the age-matched sham control groups. In conclusion, the BDNF-TrkB signaling is involved in the plasticity of auditory cortex in an activity-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxing Wang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, China
| | - Ou Xu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, China
| | - Yanxing Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050017, China
| | - Hong Lu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, China
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Jovanovic S, Radulovic T, Coddou C, Dietz B, Nerlich J, Stojilkovic SS, Rübsamen R, Milenkovic I. Tonotopic action potential tuning of maturing auditory neurons through endogenous ATP. J Physiol 2016; 595:1315-1337. [PMID: 28030754 DOI: 10.1113/jp273272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Following the genetically controlled formation of neuronal circuits, early firing activity guides the development of sensory maps in the auditory, visual and somatosensory system. However, it is not clear whether the activity of central auditory neurons is specifically regulated depending on the position within the sensory map. In the ventral cochlear nucleus, the first central station along the auditory pathway, we describe a mechanism through which paracrine ATP signalling enhances firing in a cell-specific and tonotopically-determined manner. Developmental down-regulation of P2X2/3R currents along the tonotopic axis occurs simultaneously with an increase in AMPA receptor currents, suggesting a high-to-low frequency maturation pattern. Facilitated action potential (AP) generation, measured as higher firing rate, shorter EPSP-AP delay in vivo and shorter AP latency in slice experiments, is consistent with increased synaptic efficacy caused by ATP. The long lasting change in intrinsic neuronal excitability is mediated by the heteromeric P2X2/3 receptors. ABSTRACT Synaptic refinement and strengthening are activity-dependent processes that establish orderly arranged cochleotopic maps throughout the central auditory system. The maturation of auditory brainstem circuits is guided by action potentials (APs) arising from the inner hair cells in the developing cochlea. The AP firing of developing central auditory neurons can be modulated by paracrine ATP signalling, as shown for the cochlear nucleus bushy cells and principal neurons in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. However, it is not clear whether neuronal activity may be specifically regulated with respect to the nuclear tonotopic position (i.e. sound frequency selectivity). Using slice recordings before hearing onset and in vivo recordings with iontophoretic drug applications after hearing onset, we show that cell-specific purinergic modulation follows a precise tonotopic pattern in the ventral cochlear nucleus of developing gerbils. In high-frequency regions, ATP responsiveness diminished before hearing onset. In low-to-mid frequency regions, ATP modulation persisted after hearing onset in a subset of low-frequency bushy cells (characteristic frequency< 10 kHz). Down-regulation of P2X2/3R currents along the tonotopic axis occurs simultaneously with an increase in AMPA receptor currents, thus suggesting a high-to-low frequency maturation pattern. Facilitated AP generation, measured as higher firing frequency, shorter EPSP-AP delay in vivo, and shorter AP latency in slice experiments, is consistent with increased synaptic efficacy caused by ATP. Finally, by combining recordings and pharmacology in vivo, in slices, and in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, it was shown that the long lasting change in intrinsic neuronal excitability is mediated by the P2X2/3R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saša Jovanovic
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tamara Radulovic
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Claudio Coddou
- Section on Cellular Signaling, Program in Developmental Neuroscience, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Beatrice Dietz
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jana Nerlich
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stanko S Stojilkovic
- Section on Cellular Signaling, Program in Developmental Neuroscience, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rudolf Rübsamen
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ivan Milenkovic
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Synchronized Progression of Prestin Expression and Auditory Brainstem Response during Postnatal Development in Rats. Neural Plast 2016; 2016:4545826. [PMID: 28097024 PMCID: PMC5210174 DOI: 10.1155/2016/4545826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Prestin is the motor protein expressed in the cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs) of mammalian inner ear. The electromotility of OHCs driven by prestin is responsible for the cochlear amplification which is required for normal hearing in adult animals. Postnatal expression of prestin and activity of OHCs may contribute to the maturation of hearing in rodents. However, the temporal and spatial expression of prestin in cochlea during the development is not well characterized. In the present study, we examined the expression and function of prestin from the OHCs in apical, middle, and basal turns of the cochleae of postnatal rats. Prestin first appeared at postnatal day 6 (P6) for basal turn, P7 in middle turn, and P9 for apical turn of cochlea. The expression level increased progressively over the next few days and by P14 reached the mature level for all three segments. By comparison with the time course of the development of auditory brainstem response for different frequencies, our data reveal that prestin expression synchronized with the hearing development. The present study suggests that the onset time of hearing may require the expression of prestin and is determined by the mature function of OHCs.
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Guo Y, Zhang P, Sheng Q, Zhao S, Hackett TA. lncRNA expression in the auditory forebrain during postnatal development. Gene 2016; 593:201-216. [PMID: 27544636 PMCID: PMC5034298 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The biological processes governing brain development and maturation depend on complex patterns of gene and protein expression, which can be influenced by many factors. One of the most overlooked is the long noncoding class of RNAs (lncRNAs), which are known to play important regulatory roles in an array of biological processes. Little is known about the distribution of lncRNAs in the sensory systems of the brain, and how lncRNAs interact with other mechanisms to guide the development of these systems. In this study, we profiled lncRNA expression in the mouse auditory forebrain during postnatal development at time points before and after the onset of hearing (P7, P14, P21, adult). First, we generated lncRNA profiles of the primary auditory cortex (A1) and medial geniculate body (MG) at each age. Then, we determined the differential patterns of expression by brain region and age. These analyses revealed that the lncRNA expression profile was distinct between both brain regions and between each postnatal age, indicating spatial and temporal specificity during maturation of the auditory forebrain. Next, we explored potential interactions between functionally-related lncRNAs, protein coding RNAs (pcRNAs), and associated proteins. The maturational trajectories (P7 to adult) of many lncRNA - pcRNA pairs were highly correlated, and predictive analyses revealed that lncRNA-protein interactions tended to be strong. A user-friendly database was constructed to facilitate inspection of the expression levels and maturational trajectories for any lncRNA or pcRNA in the database. Overall, this study provides an in-depth summary of lncRNA expression in the developing auditory forebrain and a broad-based foundation for future exploration of lncRNA function during brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Guo
- Dept. of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Pan Zhang
- Dept. of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Quanhu Sheng
- Dept. of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Shilin Zhao
- Dept. of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Troy A Hackett
- Dept. of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.
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43
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Busnel MC, Fifer W, Granier-Deferre C, Lecuyer R, Michel G, Moon C, Panneton R, Schaal B, Spence M. Tony DeCasper, the man who changed contemporary views on human fetal cognitive abilities. Dev Psychobiol 2016; 59:135-139. [PMID: 27861774 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - William Fifer
- Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City, New York
| | | | - Roger Lecuyer
- Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - George Michel
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina.,Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Christine Moon
- Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington.,University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | | | - Benoist Schaal
- Centre des Sciences du Goût, CNRS and Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
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44
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Yanagihara S, Yazaki-Sugiyama Y. Auditory experience-dependent cortical circuit shaping for memory formation in bird song learning. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11946. [PMID: 27327620 PMCID: PMC4919517 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
As in human speech acquisition, songbird vocal learning depends on early auditory experience. During development, juvenile songbirds listen to and form auditory memories of adult tutor songs, which they use to shape their own vocalizations in later sensorimotor learning. The higher-level auditory cortex, called the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), is a potential storage site for tutor song memory, but no direct electrophysiological evidence of tutor song memory has been found. Here, we identify the neuronal substrate for tutor song memory by recording single-neuron activity in the NCM of behaving juvenile zebra finches. After tutor song experience, a small subset of NCM neurons exhibit highly selective auditory responses to the tutor song. Moreover, blockade of GABAergic inhibition, and sleep decrease their selectivity. Taken together, these results suggest that experience-dependent recruitment of GABA-mediated inhibition shapes auditory cortical circuits, leading to sparse representation of tutor song memory in auditory cortical neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Yanagihara
- Neuronal Mechanism for Critical Period Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, 1919-1, Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama
- Neuronal Mechanism for Critical Period Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, 1919-1, Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
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45
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Barclay M, Constable R, James NR, Thorne PR, Montgomery JM. Reduced sensory stimulation alters the molecular make-up of glutamatergic hair cell synapses in the developing cochlea. Neuroscience 2016; 325:50-62. [PMID: 27012610 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Neural activity during early development is known to alter innervation pathways in the central and peripheral nervous systems. We sought to examine how reduced sound-induced sensory activity in the cochlea affected the consolidation of glutamatergic synapses between inner hair cells (IHC) and the primary auditory neurons as these synapses play a primary role in transmitting sound information to the brain. A unilateral conductive hearing loss was induced prior to the onset of sound-mediated stimulation of the sensory hair cells, by rupturing the tympanic membrane and dislocating the auditory ossicles in the left ear of P11 mice. Auditory brainstem responses at P15 and P21 showed a 40-50-dB increase in thresholds for frequencies 8-32kHz in the dislocated ear relative to the control ear. Immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy were subsequently used to examine the effect of this attenuation of sound stimulation on the expression of RIBEYE, which comprises the presynaptic ribbons, Shank-1, a postsynaptic scaffolding protein, and the GluA2/3 and 4 subunits of postsynaptic AMPA receptors. Our results show that dislocation did not alter the number of pre- or postsynaptic protein puncta. However, dislocation did increase the size of RIBEYE, GluA4, GluA2/3 and Shank-1 puncta, with postsynaptic changes preceding presynaptic changes. Our data suggest that a reduction in sound stimulation during auditory development induces plasticity in the molecular make-up of IHC glutamatergic synapses, but does not affect the number of these synapses. Up-regulation of synaptic proteins with sound attenuation may facilitate a compensatory increase in synaptic transmission due to the reduced sensory stimulation of the IHC.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Barclay
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - R Constable
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - N R James
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - P R Thorne
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; Section of Audiology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - J M Montgomery
- Department of Physiology and Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
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46
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Lejeune F, Parra J, Berne-Audéoud F, Marcus L, Barisnikov K, Gentaz E, Debillon T. Sound Interferes with the Early Tactile Manual Abilities of Preterm Infants. Sci Rep 2016; 6:23329. [PMID: 26987399 PMCID: PMC4796902 DOI: 10.1038/srep23329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Premature birth is a sudden change of the sensory environment of a newborn, while their senses are still in development, especially in the stressful and noisy environment of the NICU. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of noise on the early tactile manual abilities of preterm infants (between 29 and 35 weeks PCA). Infants were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: Silence and Noise. For each condition, two phases were introduced: a habituation phase (repeated presentation of the same object, prism or cylinder), followed by a test phase (presentation of the familiar or a novel object). In the Silence condition, they received the tactile habituation and test phases: In the Noise condition, they went through the same phases, while an alarm sounded. Sixty-three preterm infants were included. They displayed a strong and effective ability to memorize tactile manual information and to detect the difference between two shape features, but this ability seems to be impaired by the concomitant exposure to an alarm sound. This study is the first to highlight the effect of a negative stimulus on sensory functioning in premature infants. It reinforces the importance of developing environmental measures to lower the sound level in NICUs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fleur Lejeune
- Child Clinical Neuropsychology Unit, FPSE, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Johanna Parra
- Intensive and Regular Neonatal Care Unit, CHRU Grenoble, France
| | | | - Leïla Marcus
- Intensive and Regular Neonatal Care Unit, CHRU Grenoble, France
| | - Koviljka Barisnikov
- Child Clinical Neuropsychology Unit, FPSE, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Edouard Gentaz
- Sensorimotor, Affective and Social Development Unit, FPSE, University of Geneva, Switzerland.,University Grenoble Alpes, LPNC and CNRS, Grenoble, France
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47
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Bao S. Perceptual learning in the developing auditory cortex. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 41:718-24. [PMID: 25728188 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2014] [Revised: 11/30/2014] [Accepted: 12/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A hallmark of the developing auditory cortex is the heightened plasticity in the critical period, during which acoustic inputs can indelibly alter cortical function. However, not all sounds in the natural acoustic environment are ethologically relevant. How does the auditory system resolve relevant sounds from the acoustic environment in such an early developmental stage when most associative learning mechanisms are not yet fully functional? What can the auditory system learn from one of the most important classes of sounds, animal vocalizations? How does naturalistic acoustic experience shape cortical sound representation and perception? To answer these questions, we need to consider an unusual strategy, statistical learning, where what the system needs to learn is embedded in the sensory input. Here, I will review recent findings on how certain statistical structures of natural animal vocalizations shape auditory cortical acoustic representations, and how cortical plasticity may underlie learned categorical sound perception. These results will be discussed in the context of human speech perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaowen Bao
- Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
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48
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Anomal RF, de Villers-Sidani E, Brandão JA, Diniz R, Costa MR, Romcy-Pereira RN. Impaired Processing in the Primary Auditory Cortex of an Animal Model of Autism. Front Syst Neurosci 2015; 9:158. [PMID: 26635548 PMCID: PMC4644803 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder clinically characterized by deficits in communication, lack of social interaction and repetitive behaviors with restricted interests. A number of studies have reported that sensory perception abnormalities are common in autistic individuals and might contribute to the complex behavioral symptoms of the disorder. In this context, hearing incongruence is particularly prevalent. Considering that some of this abnormal processing might stem from the unbalance of inhibitory and excitatory drives in brain circuitries, we used an animal model of autism induced by valproic acid (VPA) during pregnancy in order to investigate the tonotopic organization of the primary auditory cortex (AI) and its local inhibitory circuitry. Our results show that VPA rats have distorted primary auditory maps with over-representation of high frequencies, broadly tuned receptive fields and higher sound intensity thresholds as compared to controls. However, we did not detect differences in the number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in AI of VPA and control rats. Altogether our findings show that neurophysiological impairments of hearing perception in this autism model occur independently of alterations in the number of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons. These data support the notion that fine circuit alterations, rather than gross cellular modification, could lead to neurophysiological changes in the autistic brain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rebecca Diniz
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte Natal, Brazil
| | - Marcos R Costa
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte Natal, Brazil
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49
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Sensory pathways display heightened plasticity during development, yet the perceptual consequences of early experience are generally assessed in adulthood. This approach does not allow one to identify transient perceptual changes that may be linked to the central plasticity observed in juvenile animals. Here, we determined whether a brief period of bilateral auditory deprivation affects sound perception in developing and adult gerbils. Animals were reared with bilateral earplugs, either from postnatal day 11 (P11) to postnatal day 23 (P23) (a manipulation previously found to disrupt gerbil cortical properties), or from P23-P35. Fifteen days after earplug removal and restoration of normal thresholds, animals were tested on their ability to detect the presence of amplitude modulation (AM), a temporal cue that supports vocal communication. Animals reared with earplugs from P11-P23 displayed elevated AM detection thresholds, compared with age-matched controls. In contrast, an identical period of earplug rearing at a later age (P23-P35) did not impair auditory perception. Although the AM thresholds of earplug-reared juveniles improved during a week of repeated testing, a subset of juveniles continued to display a perceptual deficit. Furthermore, although the perceptual deficits induced by transient earplug rearing had resolved for most animals by adulthood, a subset of adults displayed impaired performance. Control experiments indicated that earplugging did not disrupt the integrity of the auditory periphery. Together, our results suggest that P11-P23 encompasses a critical period during which sensory deprivation disrupts central mechanisms that support auditory perceptual skills. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sensory systems are particularly malleable during development. This heightened degree of plasticity is beneficial because it enables the acquisition of complex skills, such as music or language. However, this plasticity comes with a cost: nervous system development displays an increased vulnerability to the sensory environment. Here, we identify a precise developmental window during which mild hearing loss affects the maturation of an auditory perceptual cue that is known to support animal communication, including human speech. Furthermore, animals reared with transient hearing loss display deficits in perceptual learning. Our results suggest that speech and language delays associated with transient or permanent childhood hearing loss may be accounted for, in part, by deficits in central auditory processing mechanisms.
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50
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Hackett TA, Guo Y, Clause A, Hackett NJ, Garbett K, Zhang P, Polley DB, Mirnics K. Transcriptional maturation of the mouse auditory forebrain. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:606. [PMID: 26271746 PMCID: PMC4536593 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1709-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The maturation of the brain involves the coordinated expression of thousands of genes, proteins and regulatory elements over time. In sensory pathways, gene expression profiles are modified by age and sensory experience in a manner that differs between brain regions and cell types. In the auditory system of altricial animals, neuronal activity increases markedly after the opening of the ear canals, initiating events that culminate in the maturation of auditory circuitry in the brain. This window provides a unique opportunity to study how gene expression patterns are modified by the onset of sensory experience through maturity. As a tool for capturing these features, next-generation sequencing of total RNA (RNAseq) has tremendous utility, because the entire transcriptome can be screened to index expression of any gene. To date, whole transcriptome profiles have not been generated for any central auditory structure in any species at any age. In the present study, RNAseq was used to profile two regions of the mouse auditory forebrain (A1, primary auditory cortex; MG, medial geniculate) at key stages of postnatal development (P7, P14, P21, adult) before and after the onset of hearing (~P12). Hierarchical clustering, differential expression, and functional geneset enrichment analyses (GSEA) were used to profile the expression patterns of all genes. Selected genesets related to neurotransmission, developmental plasticity, critical periods and brain structure were highlighted. An accessible repository of the entire dataset was also constructed that permits extraction and screening of all data from the global through single-gene levels. To our knowledge, this is the first whole transcriptome sequencing study of the forebrain of any mammalian sensory system. Although the data are most relevant for the auditory system, they are generally applicable to forebrain structures in the visual and somatosensory systems, as well. Results The main findings were: (1) Global gene expression patterns were tightly clustered by postnatal age and brain region; (2) comparing A1 and MG, the total numbers of differentially expressed genes were comparable from P7 to P21, then dropped to nearly half by adulthood; (3) comparing successive age groups, the greatest numbers of differentially expressed genes were found between P7 and P14 in both regions, followed by a steady decline in numbers with age; (4) maturational trajectories in expression levels varied at the single gene level (increasing, decreasing, static, other); (5) between regions, the profiles of single genes were often asymmetric; (6) GSEA revealed that genesets related to neural activity and plasticity were typically upregulated from P7 to adult, while those related to structure tended to be downregulated; (7) GSEA and pathways analysis of selected functional networks were not predictive of expression patterns in the auditory forebrain for all genes, reflecting regional specificity at the single gene level. Conclusions Gene expression in the auditory forebrain during postnatal development is in constant flux and becomes increasingly stable with age. Maturational changes are evident at the global through single gene levels. Transcriptome profiles in A1 and MG are distinct at all ages, and differ from other brain regions. The database generated by this study provides a rich foundation for the identification of novel developmental biomarkers, functional gene pathways, and targeted studies of postnatal maturation in the auditory forebrain. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1709-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy A Hackett
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA. .,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
| | - Yan Guo
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Amanda Clause
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | | | - Pan Zhang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Daniel B Polley
- Eaton-Peabody Laboratories, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Karoly Mirnics
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. .,Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, University of Szeged, 6725, Szeged, Hungary. .,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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