Real-time visualization of neuronal activity during perception

Adult zebrafish can learn Morris water maze-like tasks in a two-dimensional virtual reality system

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a powerful tool for investigating neural mechanisms of decision-making, spatial cognition, and navigation. In many head-fixed VRs for rodents, animals locomote on spherical treadmills that provide rotation information in two axes to calculate two-dimensional (2D) movement. On the other hand, zebrafish in a submerged head-fixed VR can move their tail to enable movement in 2D VR environment. This motivated us to create a VR system for adult zebrafish to enable 2D movement consisting of forward translation and rotations calculated from tail movement. Besides presenting the VR system, we show that zebrafish can learn a virtual Morris water maze-like (VMWM) task in which finding an invisible safe zone was necessary for the zebrafish to avoid an aversive periodic mild electric shock. Results show high potential for our VR system to be combined with optical imaging for future studies to investigate spatial learning and navigation.

Decreased GABA levels during development result in increased connectivity in the larval zebrafish tectum

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an abundant neurotransmitter that plays multiple roles in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS). In the early developing CNS, GABAergic signaling acts to depolarize cells. It mediates several aspects of neural development, including cell proliferation, neuronal migration, neurite growth, and synapse formation, as well as the development of critical periods. Later in CNS development, GABAergic signaling acts in an inhibitory manner when it becomes the predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. This behavior switch occurs due to changes in chloride/cation transporter expression. Abnormalities of GABAergic signaling appear to underlie several human neurological conditions, including seizure disorders. However, the impact of reduced GABAergic signaling on brain development has been challenging to study in mammals. Here we take advantage of zebrafish and light sheet imaging to assess the impact of reduced GABAergic signaling on the functional circuitry in the larval zebrafish optic tectum. Zebrafish have three gad genes: two gad1 paralogs known as gad1a and gad1b, and gad2. The gad1b and gad2 genes are expressed in the developing optic tectum. Null mutations in gad1b significantly reduce GABA levels in the brain and increase electrophysiological activity in the optic tectum. Fast light sheet imaging of genetically encoded calcium indicator (GCaMP)-expressing gab1b null larval zebrafish revealed patterns of neural activity that were different than either gad1b-normal larvae or gad1b-normal larvae acutely exposed to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). These results demonstrate that reduced GABAergic signaling during development increases functional connectivity and concomitantly hyper-synchronization of neuronal networks.

Neural Basis of Number Sense in Larval Zebrafish

Number sense, the ability to discriminate the quantity of objects, is crucial for survival. To understand how neurons work together and develop to mediate number sense, we used two-photon fluorescence light sheet microscopy to capture the activity of individual neurons throughout the brain of larval Danio rerio, while displaying a visual number stimulus to the animal. We identified number-selective neurons as early as 3 days post-fertilization and found a proportional increase of neurons tuned to larger quantities after 3 days. We used machine learning to predict the stimulus from the neuronal activity and observed that the prediction accuracy improves with age. We further tested ethanol's effect on number sense and found a decrease in number-selective neurons in the forebrain, suggesting cognitive impairment. These findings are a significant step towards understanding neural circuits devoted to discrete magnitudes and our methodology to track single-neuron activity across the whole brain is broadly applicable to other fields in neuroscience.

Integrated single-cell RNA-seq analysis reveals mitochondrial calcium signaling as a modulator of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Endothelial cells (ECs) are highly plastic, capable of differentiating into various cell types. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is crucial during embryonic development and contributes substantially to vascular dysfunction in many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). While targeting EndMT holds therapeutic promise, understanding its mechanisms and modulating its pathways remain challenging. Using single-cell RNA sequencing on three in vitro EndMT models, we identified conserved gene signatures. We validated original regulators in vitro and in vivo during embryonic heart development and peripheral artery disease. EndMT induction led to global expression changes in all EC subtypes rather than in mesenchymal clusters. We identified mitochondrial calcium uptake as a key driver of EndMT; inhibiting mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) prevented EndMT in vitro, and conditional Mcu deletion in ECs blocked mesenchymal activation in a hind limb ischemia model. Tissues from patients with critical limb ischemia with EndMT features exhibited significantly elevated endothelial MCU. These findings highlight MCU as a regulator of EndMT and a potential therapeutic target.

Selective decision-making and collective behavior of fish by the motion of visual attention

Collective motion provides a spectacular example of self-organization in Nature. Visual information plays a crucial role among various types of information in determining interactions. Recently, experiments have revealed that organisms such as fish and insects selectively utilize a portion, rather than the entirety, of visual information. Here, focusing on fish, we propose an agent-based model where the direction of attention is guided by visual stimuli received from the images of nearby fish. Our model reproduces a branching phenomenon where a fish selectively follows a specific individual as the distance between two or three nearby fish increases. Furthermore, our model replicates various patterns of collective motion in a group of agents, such as vortex, polarized school, swarm, and turning. We also discuss the topological nature of the visual interaction, as well as the positional distribution of nearby fish and the map of pairwise and three-body interactions induced by them. Through a comprehensive comparison with existing experimental results, we clarify the roles of visual interactions and issues to be resolved by other forms of interactions.

Transcription Factor-Mediated Generation of Dopaminergic Neurons from Human iPSCs-A Comparison of Methods

Dopaminergic neurons are the predominant brain cells affected in Parkinson's disease. With the limited availability of live human brain dopaminergic neurons to study pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease, dopaminergic neurons have been generated from human-skin-cell-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. Originally, induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived dopaminergic neurons were generated using small molecules. These neurons took more than two months to mature. However, the transcription-factor-mediated differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells has revealed quicker and cheaper methods to generate dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we compared and contrasted three protocols to generate induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived dopaminergic neurons using transcription-factor-mediated directed differentiation. We deviated from the established protocols using lentivirus transduction to stably integrate different transcription factors into the AAVS1 safe harbour locus of induced pluripotent stem cells. We used different media compositions to generate more than 90% of neurons in the culture, out of which more than 85% of the neurons were dopaminergic neurons within three weeks. Therefore, from our comparative study, we reveal that a combination of transcription factors along with small molecule treatment may be required to generate a pure population of human dopaminergic neurons.

Genetically defined nucleus incertus neurons differ in connectivity and function

The nucleus incertus (NI), a conserved hindbrain structure implicated in the stress response, arousal, and memory, is a major site for production of the neuropeptide relaxin-3. On the basis of goosecoid homeobox 2 (gsc2) expression, we identified a neuronal cluster that lies adjacent to relaxin 3a (rln3a) neurons in the zebrafish analogue of the NI. To delineate the characteristics of the gsc2 and rln3a NI neurons, we used CRISPR/Cas9 targeted integration to drive gene expression specifically in each neuronal group, and found that they differ in their efferent and afferent connectivity, spontaneous activity, and functional properties. gsc2 and rln3a NI neurons have widely divergent projection patterns and innervate distinct subregions of the midbrain interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Whereas gsc2 neurons are activated more robustly by electric shock, rln3a neurons exhibit spontaneous fluctuations in calcium signaling and regulate locomotor activity. Our findings define heterogeneous neurons in the NI and provide new tools to probe its diverse functions.

Drug review process advancement and required manufacturer and contract research oraganization responses

The United States Senate passed the "FDA Modernization Act 2.0." on September 29, 2022. Although the effectiveness of this Bill, which aims to eliminate the mandatory use of laboratory animals in new drug development, is limited, it represents a significant trend that will change the shape of drug applications in the United States and other countries. However, pharmaceutical companies have not taken major steps towards the complete elimination of animal testing from the standpoint of product safety, where they prioritize patient safety. Nonetheless, society is becoming increasingly opposed to animal testing, and efforts will be made to use fewer animals and conduct fewer animal tests as a natural and reasonable response. These changes eventually alter the shape of new drug applications. Based on the assumption that fewer animal tests will be conducted or fewer animals will be used in testing, this study explored bioinformatics and new technologies as alternatives to compensate for reduced information and provide a picture of how future new drug applications may look. The authors also discuss the directions that pharmaceutical companies and nonclinical contract research organizations should adopt to promote the replacement, reduction, and refinement of animals used in research, teaching, testing, and exhibitions.

Transcriptional control of visual neural circuit development by GS homeobox 1

As essential components of gene expression networks, transcription factors regulate neural circuit assembly. The homeobox transcription factor encoding gene, gs homeobox 1 (gsx1), is expressed in the developing visual system; however, no studies have examined its role in visual system formation. In zebrafish, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons that transmit visual information to the brain terminate in ten arborization fields (AFs) in the optic tectum (TeO), pretectum (Pr), and thalamus. Pretectal AFs (AF1-AF9) mediate distinct visual behaviors, yet we understand less about their development compared to AF10 in the TeO. Using gsx1 zebrafish mutants, immunohistochemistry, and transgenic lines, we observed that gsx1 is required for vesicular glutamate transporter, Tg(slc17a6b:DsRed), expression in the Pr, but not overall neuron number. gsx1 mutants have normal eye morphology, yet they exhibit impaired visual ability during prey capture. RGC axon volume in the gsx1 mutant Pr and TeO is reduced, and AF7 that is active during feeding is missing which is consistent with reduced hunting performance. Timed laser ablation of Tg(slc17a6b:DsRed)-positive cells reveals that they are necessary for AF7 formation. This work is the first to implicate gsx1 in establishing cell identity and functional neural circuits in the visual system.

A brain-specific angiogenic mechanism enabled by tip cell specialization

Vertebrate organs require locally adapted blood vessels1,2. The gain of such organotypic vessel specializations is often deemed to be molecularly unrelated to the process of organ vascularization. Here, opposing this model, we reveal a molecular mechanism for brain-specific angiogenesis that operates under the control of Wnt7a/b ligands-well-known blood-brain barrier maturation signals3-5. The control mechanism relies on Wnt7a/b-dependent expression of Mmp25, which we find is enriched in brain endothelial cells. CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis in zebrafish reveals that this poorly characterized glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored matrix metalloproteinase is selectively required in endothelial tip cells to enable their initial migration across the pial basement membrane lining the brain surface. Mechanistically, Mmp25 confers brain invasive competence by cleaving meningeal fibroblast-derived collagen IV α5/6 chains within a short non-collagenous region of the central helical part of the heterotrimer. After genetic interference with the pial basement membrane composition, the Wnt-β-catenin-dependent organotypic control of brain angiogenesis is lost, resulting in properly patterned, yet blood-brain-barrier-defective cerebrovasculatures. We reveal an organ-specific angiogenesis mechanism, shed light on tip cell mechanistic angiodiversity and thereby illustrate how organs, by imposing local constraints on angiogenic tip cells, can select vessels matching their distinctive physiological requirements.

Unravelling molecular dynamics in living cells: Fluorescent protein biosensors for cell biology

Genetically encoded, fluorescent protein (FP)-based Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensors are microscopy imaging tools tailored for the precise monitoring and detection of molecular dynamics within subcellular microenvironments. They are characterised by their ability to provide an outstanding combination of spatial and temporal resolutions in live-cell microscopy. In this review, we begin by tracing back on the historical development of genetically encoded FP labelling for detection in live cells, which lead us to the development of early biosensors and finally to the engineering of single-chain FRET-based biosensors that have become the state-of-the-art today. Ultimately, this review delves into the fundamental principles of FRET and the design strategies underpinning FRET-based biosensors, discusses their diverse applications and addresses the distinct challenges associated with their implementation. We place particular emphasis on single-chain FRET biosensors for the Rho family of guanosine triphosphate hydrolases (GTPases), pointing to their historical role in driving our understanding of the molecular dynamics of this important class of signalling proteins and revealing the intricate relationships and regulatory mechanisms that comprise Rho GTPase biology in living cells.

All-optical interrogation of brain-wide activity in freely swimming larval zebrafish

We introduce an all-optical technique that enables volumetric imaging of brain-wide calcium activity and targeted optogenetic stimulation of specific brain regions in unrestrained larval zebrafish. The system consists of three main components: a 3D tracking module, a dual-color fluorescence imaging module, and a real-time activity manipulation module. Our approach uses a sensitive genetically encoded calcium indicator in combination with a long Stokes shift red fluorescence protein as a reference channel, allowing the extraction of Ca2+ activity from signals contaminated by motion artifacts. The method also incorporates rapid 3D image reconstruction and registration, facilitating real-time selective optogenetic stimulation of different regions of the brain. By demonstrating that selective light activation of the midbrain regions in larval zebrafish could reliably trigger biased turning behavior and changes of brain-wide neural activity, we present a valuable tool for investigating the causal relationship between distributed neural circuit dynamics and naturalistic behavior.

Radial astrocyte synchronization modulates the visual system during behavioral-state transitions

Glial cells support the function of neurons. Recent evidence shows that astrocytes are also involved in brain computations. To explore whether and how their excitable nature affects brain computations and motor behaviors, we used two-photon Ca2+ imaging of zebrafish larvae expressing GCaMP in both neurons and radial astrocytes (RAs). We found that in the optic tectum, RAs synchronize their Ca2+ transients immediately after the end of an escape behavior. Using optogenetics, ablations, and a genetically encoded norepinephrine sensor, we observed that RA synchronous Ca2+ events are mediated by the locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine circuit. RA synchronization did not induce direct excitation or inhibition of tectal neurons. Nevertheless, it modulated the direction selectivity and the long-distance functional correlations among neurons. This mechanism supports freezing behavior following a switch to an alerted state. These results show that LC-mediated neuro-glial interactions modulate the visual system during transitions between behavioral states.

A cGAL-UAS bipartite expression toolkit for Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neurons

Animals integrate sensory information from the environment and display various behaviors in response to external stimuli. In Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites, 33 types of sensory neurons are responsible for chemosensation, olfaction, and mechanosensation. However, the functional roles of all sensory neurons have not been systematically studied due to the lack of facile genetic accessibility. A bipartite cGAL-UAS system has been previously developed to study tissue- or cell-specific functions in C. elegans. Here, we report a toolkit of new cGAL drivers that can facilitate the analysis of a vast majority of the 60 sensory neurons in C. elegans hermaphrodites. We generated 37 sensory neuronal cGAL drivers that drive cGAL expression by cell-specific regulatory sequences or intersection of two distinct regulatory regions with overlapping expression (split cGAL). Most cGAL-drivers exhibit expression in single types of cells. We also constructed 28 UAS effectors that allow expression of proteins to perturb or interrogate sensory neurons of choice. This cGAL-UAS sensory neuron toolkit provides a genetic platform to systematically study the functions of C. elegans sensory neurons.

In toto imaging of glial JNK signaling during larval zebrafish spinal cord regeneration

Identification of signaling events that contribute to innate spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish can uncover new targets for modulating injury responses of the mammalian central nervous system. Using a chemical screen, we identify JNK signaling as a necessary regulator of glial cell cycling and tissue bridging during spinal cord regeneration in larval zebrafish. With a kinase translocation reporter, we visualize and quantify JNK signaling dynamics at single-cell resolution in glial cell populations in developing larvae and during injury-induced regeneration. Glial JNK signaling is patterned in time and space during development and regeneration, decreasing globally as the tissue matures and increasing in the rostral cord stump upon transection injury. Thus, dynamic and regional regulation of JNK signaling help to direct glial cell behaviors during innate spinal cord regeneration.

Genetically encoded protein sensors for metal ion detection in biological systems: a review and bibliometric analysis

Metal ions are indispensable elements in living organisms and are associated with regulating various biological processes. An imbalance in metal ion content can lead to disorders in normal physiological functions of the human body and cause various diseases. Genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensors have the advantages of low biotoxicity, high specificity, and a long imaging time in vivo and have become a powerful tool to visualize or quantify the concentration level of biomolecules in vivo and in vitro, temporal and spatial distribution, and life activity process. This review analyzes the development status and current research hotspots in the field of genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensors by bibliometric analysis. Based on the results of bibliometric analysis, the research progress of genetically encoded fluorescent protein sensors for metal ion detection is reviewed, and the construction strategies, physicochemical properties, and applications of such sensors in biological imaging are summarized.

Dysregulated TDP-43 proteostasis perturbs excitability of spinal motor neurons during brainstem-mediated fictive locomotion in zebrafish

Spinal motor neurons (SMNs) are the primary target of degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Degenerating motor neurons accumulate cytoplasmic TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) aggregates in most ALS cases. This SMN pathology can occur without mutation in the coding sequence of the TDP-43-encoding gene, TARDBP. Whether and how wild-type TDP-43 drives pathological changes in SMNs in vivo remains largely unexplored. In this study, we develop a two-photon calcium imaging setup in which tactile-evoked neural responses of motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord can be monitored using the calcium indicator GCaMP. We devise a piezo-assisted tactile stimulator that reproducibly evokes a brainstem descending neuron upon tactile stimulation of the head. A direct comparison between caudal primary motor neurons (CaPs) with or without TDP-43 overexpression in contiguous spinal segments demonstrates that CaPs overexpressing TDP-43 display attenuated Ca2+ transients during fictive escape locomotion evoked by the tactile stimulation. These results show that excessive amounts of TDP-43 protein reduce the neuronal excitability of SMNs and potentially contribute to asymptomatic pathological lesions of SMNs and movement disorders in patients with ALS.

Statistically unbiased prediction enables accurate denoising of voltage imaging data

Here we report SUPPORT (statistically unbiased prediction utilizing spatiotemporal information in imaging data), a self-supervised learning method for removing Poisson-Gaussian noise in voltage imaging data. SUPPORT is based on the insight that a pixel value in voltage imaging data is highly dependent on its spatiotemporal neighboring pixels, even when its temporally adjacent frames alone do not provide useful information for statistical prediction. Such dependency is captured and used by a convolutional neural network with a spatiotemporal blind spot to accurately denoise voltage imaging data in which the existence of the action potential in a time frame cannot be inferred by the information in other frames. Through simulations and experiments, we show that SUPPORT enables precise denoising of voltage imaging data and other types of microscopy image while preserving the underlying dynamics within the scene.

Whole-brain imaging of freely-moving zebrafish

One of the holy grails of neuroscience is to record the activity of every neuron in the brain while an animal moves freely and performs complex behavioral tasks. While important steps forward have been taken recently in large-scale neural recording in rodent models, single neuron resolution across the entire mammalian brain remains elusive. In contrast the larval zebrafish offers great promise in this regard. Zebrafish are a vertebrate model with substantial homology to the mammalian brain, but their transparency allows whole-brain recordings of genetically-encoded fluorescent indicators at single-neuron resolution using optical microscopy techniques. Furthermore zebrafish begin to show a complex repertoire of natural behavior from an early age, including hunting small, fast-moving prey using visual cues. Until recently work to address the neural bases of these behaviors mostly relied on assays where the fish was immobilized under the microscope objective, and stimuli such as prey were presented virtually. However significant progress has recently been made in developing brain imaging techniques for zebrafish which are not immobilized. Here we discuss recent advances, focusing particularly on techniques based on light-field microscopy. We also draw attention to several important outstanding issues which remain to be addressed to increase the ecological validity of the results obtained.

Transsynaptic labeling and transcriptional control of zebrafish neural circuits

Deciphering the connectome, the ensemble of synaptic connections that underlie brain function is a central goal of neuroscience research. The trans-Tango genetic approach, initially developed for anterograde transsynaptic tracing in Drosophila, can be used to map connections between presynaptic and postsynaptic partners and to drive gene expression in target neurons. Here, we describe the successful adaptation of trans-Tango to visualize neural connections in a living vertebrate nervous system, that of the zebrafish. Connections were validated between synaptic partners in the larval retina and brain. Results were corroborated by functional experiments in which optogenetic activation of retinal ganglion cells elicited responses in neurons of the optic tectum, as measured by trans-Tango-dependent expression of a genetically encoded calcium indicator. Transsynaptic signaling through trans-Tango reveals predicted as well as previously undescribed synaptic connections, providing a valuable in vivo tool to monitor and interrogate neural circuits over time.

Recurrent network interactions explain tectal response variability and experience-dependent behavior

Response variability is an essential and universal feature of sensory processing and behavior. It arises from fluctuations in the internal state of the brain, which modulate how sensory information is represented and transformed to guide behavioral actions. In part, brain state is shaped by recent network activity, fed back through recurrent connections to modulate neuronal excitability. However, the degree to which these interactions influence response variability and the spatial and temporal scales across which they operate, are poorly understood. Here, we combined population recordings and modeling to gain insights into how neuronal activity modulates network state and thereby impacts visually evoked activity and behavior. First, we performed cellular-resolution calcium imaging of the optic tectum to monitor ongoing activity, the pattern of which is both a cause and consequence of changes in network state. We developed a minimal network model incorporating fast, short range, recurrent excitation and long-lasting, activity-dependent suppression that reproduced a hallmark property of tectal activity - intermittent bursting. We next used the model to estimate the excitability state of tectal neurons based on recent activity history and found that this explained a portion of the trial-to-trial variability in visually evoked responses, as well as spatially selective response adaptation. Moreover, these dynamics also predicted behavioral trends such as selective habituation of visually evoked prey-catching. Overall, we demonstrate that a simple recurrent interaction motif can be used to estimate the effect of activity upon the incidental state of a neural network and account for experience-dependent effects on sensory encoding and visually guided behavior.

Ascending Visual Pathways to the Telencephalon in Teleosts with Special Focus on Forebrain Visual Centers, Associated Neural Circuitries, and Evolution

Visual pathways to the telencephalon in teleost fishes have been studied in detail only in a few species, and their evolutionary history remained unclear. On the basis of our recent studies we propose that there were two visual pathways in the common ancestor of teleosts, while one of them became lost in acanthopterygian fishes that emerged relatively recently. Our in-depth analyses on the connections of visual centers also revealed that there are connections shared with those of mammals, and retinotopic organization of the ascending connections is maintained at least to the level of the diencephalon in the yellowfin goby. The major visual telencephalic center, or the lateral part of the dorsal telencephalon (Dl), shows considerable species differences in the number of regions and cytoarchitecture. In particular, four highly specialized compartments are noted in the Dl of gobies, and we analyzed about 100 species of teleosts to investigate the evolution of the compartments in the Dl, which indicated that four compartments emerged only in Gobiiformes, while there are fewer specialized compartments in some other percomorph lineages. We also discuss the connections of forebrain visual centers with the cerebellum and other lower brain centers and infer possible functions of the circuitries.

Zebrafish as a Mainstream Model for In Vivo Systems Pharmacology and Toxicology

Pharmacology and toxicology are part of a much broader effort to understand the relationship between chemistry and biology. While biomedicine has necessarily focused on specific cases, typically of direct human relevance, there are real advantages in pursuing more systematic approaches to characterizing how health and disease are influenced by small molecules and other interventions. In this context, the zebrafish is now established as the representative screenable vertebrate and, through ongoing advances in the available scale of genome editing and automated phenotyping, is beginning to address systems-level solutions to some biomedical problems. The addition of broader efforts to integrate information content across preclinical model organisms and the incorporation of rigorous analytics, including closed-loop deep learning, will facilitate efforts to create systems pharmacology and toxicology with the ability to continuously optimize chemical biological interactions around societal needs. In this review, we outline progress toward this goal.

Tiltable objective microscope visualizes selectivity for head motion direction and dynamics in zebrafish vestibular system

Spatio-temporal information about head orientation and movement is fundamental to the sense of balance and motion. Hair cells (HCs) in otolith organs of the vestibular system transduce linear acceleration, including head tilt and vibration. Here, we build a tiltable objective microscope in which an objective lens and specimen tilt together. With in vivo Ca2+ imaging of all utricular HCs and ganglion neurons during 360° static tilt and vibration in pitch and roll axes, we reveal the direction- and static/dynamic stimulus-selective topographic responses in larval zebrafish. We find that head vibration is preferentially received by striolar HCs, whereas static tilt is preferentially transduced by extrastriolar HCs. Spatially ordered direction preference in HCs is consistent with hair-bundle polarity and is preserved in ganglion neurons through topographic innervation. Together, these results demonstrate topographically organized selectivity for direction and dynamics of head orientation/movement in the vestibular periphery.

Neuronal Activity Reporters as Drug Screening Platforms

Understanding how neuronal activity changes and detecting such changes in both normal and disease conditions is of fundamental importance to the field of neuroscience. Neuronal activity plays important roles in the formation and function of both synapses and circuits, and dysregulation of these processes has been linked to a number of debilitating diseases such as autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. Despite advances in our understanding of synapse biology and in how it is altered in disease, the development of therapeutics for these diseases has not advanced apace. Many neuronal activity assays have been developed over the years using a variety of platforms and approaches, but major limitations persist. Current assays, such as fluorescence indicators are not designed to monitor neuronal activity over a long time, they are typically low-throughput or lack sensitivity. These are major barriers to the development of new therapies, as drug screening needs to be both high-throughput to screen through libraries of compounds, and longitudinal to detect any effects that may emerge after continued application of the drug. This review will cover existing assays for measuring neuronal activity and highlight a live-cell assay recently developed. This assay can be performed with easily accessible lab equipment, is both scalable and longitudinal, and can be combined with most other established methods.

Three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy through virtual refocusing using a recursive light propagation network

Three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy has an intrinsic performance limit set by the number of photons that can be collected from the sample in a given time interval. Here, we extend our earlier work - a recursive light propagation network (RLP-Net) - which is a computational microscopy technique that overcomes such limitations through virtual refocusing that enables volume reconstruction from two adjacent 2-D wide-field fluorescence images. RLP-Net employs a recursive inference scheme in which the network progressively predicts the subsequent planes along the axial direction. This recursive inference scheme reflects that the law of physics for the light propagation remains spatially invariant and therefore a fixed function (i.e., a neural network) for a short distance light propagation can be recursively applied for a longer distance light propagation. In addition, we employ a self-supervised denoising method to enable accurate virtual light propagation over a long distance. We demonstrate the capability of our method through high-speed volumetric imaging of neuronal activity of a live zebrafish brain. The source code used in the paper is available at https://github.com/NICALab/rlpnet.

Modulation of calcineurin signaling during development

Calcineurin signaling pathways are suppressed in Down syndrome (trisomy 21), by overexpression of genes that are located on chromosome 21. Two key genes are the regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1), also called the Down syndrome critical region 1 (DSCR1), and the dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A). The suppressed calcineurin pathway may potentially be restored using small-molecule DYRK inhibitors, which have been proposed as therapeutics in Down syndrome. However, little is known about the benefits and risks of such treatments during various stages of embryonic development, fetal development, and childhood. We examined the modulation of calcineurin signaling during development, using zebrafish as a model system. To mimic suppressed calcineurin signaling in Down syndrome, zebrafish were exposed to the calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporine and tacrolimus during development. We found that suppression of calcineurin signaling changed specific larval behaviors, including activity and responses to acoustic and visual stimuli, depending on the period of exposure. Cotreatment with the DYRK inhibitor proINDY restored a few of these behaviors but also induced a range of adverse side effects including decreased activity and reduced optomotor responses to visual stimuli. Based on these results, we conclude that proINDY has limited benefits and substantial risks when used during development. We propose that zebrafish is an efficient model system for preliminary safety and efficacy tests of other DYRK inhibitors that aim to restore calcineurin signaling during neural development.

Long lasting anxiety following early life stress is dependent on glucocorticoid signaling in zebrafish

Chronic adversity in early childhood is associated with increased anxiety and a propensity for substance abuse later in adulthood, yet the effects of early life stress (ELS) on brain development remain poorly understood. The zebrafish, Danio rerio, is a powerful model for studying neurodevelopment and stress. Here, we describe a zebrafish model of ELS and identify a role for glucocorticoid signaling during a critical window in development that leads to long-term changes in brain function. Larval fish subjected to chronic stress in early development exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior and elevated glucocorticoid levels later in life. Increased stress-like behavior was only observed when fish were subjected to ELS within a precise time window in early development, revealing a temporal critical window of sensitivity. Moreover, enhanced anxiety-like behavior only emerges after two months post-ELS, revealing a developmentally specified delay in the effects of ELS. ELS leads to increased levels of baseline cortisol, and resulted in a dysregulation of cortisol receptors' mRNA expression, suggesting long-term effects on cortisol signaling. Together, these findings reveal a 'critical window' for ELS to affect developmental reprogramming of the glucocorticoid receptor pathway, resulting in chronic elevated stress.

KCNJ8/ABCC9-containing K-ATP channel modulates brain vascular smooth muscle development and neurovascular coupling

Loss- or gain-of-function mutations in ATP-sensitive potassium channel (K-ATP)-encoding genes, KCNJ8 and ABCC9, cause human central nervous system disorders with unknown pathogenesis. Here, using mice, zebrafish, and cell culture models, we investigated cellular and molecular causes of brain dysfunctions derived from altered K-ATP channel function. We show that genetic/chemical inhibition or activation of KCNJ8/ABCC9-containing K-ATP channel function leads to brain-selective suppression or promotion of arterial/arteriolar vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) differentiation, respectively. We further show that brain VSMCs develop from KCNJ8/ABCC9-containing K-ATP channel-expressing mural cell progenitor and that K-ATP channel cell autonomously regulates VSMC differentiation through modulation of intracellular Ca²⁺ oscillation via voltage-dependent calcium channels. Consistent with defective VSMC development, Kcnj8 knockout mice showed deficiency in vasoconstrictive capacity and neuronal-evoked vasodilation leading to local hyperemia. Our results demonstrate a role for KCNJ8/ABCC9-containing K-ATP channels in the differentiation of brain VSMC, which in turn is necessary for fine-tuning of cerebral blood flow.

Cell Shortening and Calcium Homeostasis Analysis in Adult Cardiomyocytes via a New Software Tool

Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) is the central regulator of heart contractility. Indeed, it couples the electrical signal, which pervades the myocardium, with cardiomyocytes contraction. Moreover, alterations in calcium management are the main factors contributing to the mechanical and electrical dysfunction observed in failing hearts. So, simultaneous analysis of the contractile function and intracellular Ca2+ is indispensable to evaluate cardiomyocytes activity. Intracellular Ca2+ variations and fraction shortening are commonly studied with fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dyes associated with microscopy techniques. However, tracking and dealing with multiple files manually is time-consuming and error-prone and often requires expensive apparatus and software. Here, we announce a new, user-friendly image processing and analysis tool, based on ImageJ-Fiji/MATLAB® software, to evaluate the major cardiomyocyte functional parameters. We succeeded in analyzing fractional cell shortening, Ca2+ transient amplitude, and the kinematics/dynamics parameters of mouse isolated adult cardiomyocytes. The proposed method can be applied to evaluate changes in the Ca2+ cycle and contractile behavior in genetically or pharmacologically induced disease models, in drug screening and other common applications to assess mammalian cardiomyocyte functions.

Contingent stimulus delivery assay for zebrafish reveals a role for CCSER1 in alcohol preference

Alcohol use disorders are complex, multifactorial phenomena with a large footprint within the global burden of diseases. Here, we report the development of an accessible, two-choice self-administration zebrafish assay (SAZA) to study the neurobiology of addiction. Using this assay, we first demonstrated that, although zebrafish avoid higher concentrations of alcohol, they are attracted to low concentrations. Pre-exposure to alcohol did not change this relative preference, but acute exposure to an alcohol deterrent approved for human use decreased alcohol self-administration. A pigment mutant used in whole-brain imaging studies displayed a similar relative alcohol preference profile; however, mutants in CCSER1, a gene associated with alcohol dependence in human genetic studies, showed a reversal in relative preference. The presence of a biphasic response (hormesis) in zebrafish validated a key aspect of vertebrate responses to alcohol. SAZA adds a new dimension for discovering novel alcohol deterrents and studying the neurogenetics of addiction using the zebrafish.

Topographic map formation and the effects of NMDA receptor blockade in the developing visual system

Studying the emergence of topographic organization in sensory maps has been constrained by spatial limitations of traditional anatomical and physiological techniques early in development in many animal models. Here, we have applied a high-resolution, noninvasive, in vivo calcium imaging approach to study the nascent retinotopic map in the larval Xenopus laevis retinotectal system. We performed longitudinal functional imaging of the three-dimensional organization of emerging retinotopic maps and assessed the effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blockade on map formation. Our results provide insights into early retinotopic map emergence and the role of NMDA receptors in the refinement of topographic gradients.

The development of functional topography in the developing brain follows a progression from initially coarse to more precisely organized maps. To examine the emergence of topographically organized maps in the retinotectal system, we performed longitudinal visual receptive field mapping by calcium imaging in the optic tectum of GCaMP6-expressing transgenic Xenopus laevis tadpoles. At stage 42, just 1 d after retinal axons arrived in the optic tectum, a clear retinotopic azimuth map was evident. Animals were imaged over the following week at stages 45 and 48, over which time the tectal neuropil nearly doubled in length and exhibited more precise retinotopic organization. By microinjecting GCaMP6s messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) into one blastomere of two-cell stage embryos, we acquired bilateral mosaic tadpoles with GCaMP6s expression in postsynaptic tectal neurons on one side of the animal and in retinal ganglion cell axons crossing to the tectum on the opposite side. Longitudinal observation of retinotopic map emergence revealed the presence of orderly representations of azimuth and elevation as early as stage 42, although presynaptic inputs exhibited relatively less topographic organization than the postsynaptic component for the azimuth axis. Retinotopic gradients in the tectum became smoother between stages 42 and 45. Blocking N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor conductance by rearing tadpoles in MK-801 did not prevent the emergence of retinotopic maps, but it produced more discontinuous topographic gradients and altered receptive field characteristics. These results provide evidence that current through NMDA receptors is dispensable for coarse topographic ordering of retinotectal inputs but does contribute to the fine-scale organization of the retinotectal projection.

Electrophysiological and pharmacological characterization of spreading depolarization in the adult zebrafish tectum

Spreading depolarization (SD) is a slowly propagating wave of neuronal and glial depolarization. A growing number of studies show that SD and SD-like phenomena play a role in neurological disorders such as migraine, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Despite the clinical importance of SD, its underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain elusive, possibly because of insufficient animal model allowing genetic manipulation. Such a model would also allow high-throughput screening for SD-suppressing drug development. To address this, we developed a novel experimental system to study SD using zebrafish. Electrophysiological recordings in the immobilized adult zebrafish revealed that increasing extracellular potassium concentration elicited SD with a large and long-lasting negative shift of direct current (DC) potential in the optic tectum. It also reduced the oscillatory activity in the extracellular field potential and increased the expression of the immediate early gene c-fos. Pharmacological blocking of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor attenuated the propagation of SD, suggesting that glutamatergic neurotransmission mediated tectal SD in zebrafish. Our analyses revealed that the zebrafish tectum and rodent cortex had similar SD kinetics. The current study provides electrophysiological and pharmacological evidence that zebrafish SD and mammal SD are comparable. This zebrafish SD model is suitable for genetic manipulation and cost-effective high-throughput screening. It could pave the way to novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods applicable to SD-associated neurological disorders.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Previous studies have implicated spreading depolarization (SD) in stroke and migraine. Here, we demonstrate SD, for the first time, in the adult zebrafish tectum showing waveform kinetics, c-fos expression, and attenuation by N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor blocker as observed in the rodent cortex. Since the zebrafish is an animal model amenable to genetic manipulation and chemical screening, this result could pave the way to novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods applicable to SD-associated neurological disorders.

Bioelectric signaling and the control of cardiac cell identity in response to mechanical forces

[Figure: see text].

3DM: deep decomposition and deconvolution microscopy for rapid neural activity imaging

We report the development of deep decomposition and deconvolution microscopy (3DM), a computational microscopy method for the volumetric imaging of neural activity. 3DM overcomes the major challenge of deconvolution microscopy, the ill-posed inverse problem. We take advantage of the temporal sparsity of neural activity to reformulate and solve the inverse problem using two neural networks which perform sparse decomposition and deconvolution. We demonstrate the capability of 3DM via in vivo imaging of the neural activity of a whole larval zebrafish brain with a field of view of 1040 µm × 400 µm × 235 µm and with estimated lateral and axial resolutions of 1.7 µm and 5.4 µm, respectively, at imaging rates of up to 4.2 volumes per second.

Spatial Cognition in Teleost Fish: Strategies and Mechanisms

Teleost fish have been traditionally considered primitive vertebrates compared to mammals and birds in regard to brain complexity and behavioral functions. However, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that teleosts show advanced cognitive capabilities including spatial navigation skills that parallel those of land vertebrates. Teleost fish rely on a multiplicity of sensory cues and can use a variety of spatial strategies for navigation, ranging from relatively simple body-centered orientation responses to allocentric or "external world-centered" navigation, likely based on map-like relational memory representations of the environment. These distinct spatial strategies are based on separate brain mechanisms. For example, a crucial brain center for egocentric orientation in teleost fish is the optic tectum, which can be considered an essential hub in a wider brain network responsible for the generation of egocentrically referenced actions in space. In contrast, other brain centers, such as the dorsolateral telencephalic pallium of teleost fish, considered homologue to the hippocampal pallium of land vertebrates, seem to be crucial for allocentric navigation based on map-like spatial memory. Such hypothetical relational memory representations endow fish's spatial behavior with considerable navigational flexibility, allowing them, for example, to perform shortcuts and detours.

Sensory adaptation at ribbon synapses in the zebrafish lateral line

Adaptation is used by sensory systems to adjust continuously their sensitivity to match changes in environmental stimuli. In the auditory and vestibular systems, the release properties of glutamate-containing vesicles at the hair-cell ribbon synapses play a crucial role in sensory adaptation, thus shaping the neural response to sustained stimulation. How ribbon synapses regulate the release of glutamate and how they modulate afferent responses in vivo is still largely unknown. Here, we have used two-photon imaging and electrophysiology to investigate the synaptic transfer characteristics of the hair cells in the context of sensory adaptation in live zebrafish. Prolonged and repeated water-jet stimulation of the hair-cell stereociliary bundles caused adaptation of the action potential firing rate elicited in the afferent neurons. By monitoring glutamate at ribbon synapses using time-lapse imaging, we identified two kinetically distinct release components: a rapid response that was exhausted within 50-100 ms and a slower and sustained response lasting the entire stimulation. After repeated stimulations, the recovery of the fast component followed a biphasic time course. Depression of glutamate release was largely responsible for the rapid firing rate adaptation recorded in the afferent neurons. However, postsynaptic Ca²⁺ responses had a slower recovery time course than that of glutamate release, indicating that they are also likely to contribute to the afferent firing adaptation. Hair cells also exhibited a form of adaptation during inhibitory bundle stimulations. We conclude that hair cells have optimised their synaptic machinery to encode prolonged stimuli and to maintain their sensitivity to new incoming stimuli.

Optogenetic Manipulation of Olfactory Responses in Transgenic Zebrafish: A Neurobiological and Behavioral Study

Olfaction is an important neural system for survival and fundamental behaviors such as predator avoidance, food finding, memory formation, reproduction, and social communication. However, the neural circuits and pathways associated with the olfactory system in various behaviors are not fully understood. Recent advances in optogenetics, high-resolution in vivo imaging, and reconstructions of neuronal circuits have created new opportunities to understand such neural circuits. Here, we generated a transgenic zebrafish to manipulate olfactory signal optically, expressing the Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) under the control of the olfactory specific promoter, omp. We observed light-induced neuronal activity of olfactory system in the transgenic fish by examining c-fos expression, and a calcium indicator suggesting that blue light stimulation caused activation of olfactory neurons in a non-invasive manner. To examine whether the photo-activation of olfactory sensory neurons affect behavior of zebrafish larvae, we devised a behavioral choice paradigm and tested how zebrafish larvae choose between two conflicting sensory cues, an aversive odor or the naturally preferred phototaxis. We found that when the conflicting cues (the preferred light and aversive odor) were presented together simultaneously, zebrafish larvae swam away from the aversive odor. However, the transgenic fish with photo-activation were insensitive to the aversive odor and exhibited olfactory desensitization upon optical stimulation of ChR2. These results show that an aversive olfactory stimulus can override phototaxis, and that olfaction is important in decision making in zebrafish. This new transgenic model will be useful for the analysis of olfaction related behaviors and for the dissection of underlying neural circuits.

Larval zebrafish display dynamic learning of aversive stimuli in a constant visual surrounding

Balancing exploration and anti-predation are fundamental to the fitness and survival of all animal species from early life stages. How these basic survival instincts drive learning remains poorly understood. Here, using a light/dark preference paradigm with well-controlled luminance history and constant visual surrounding in larval zebrafish, we analyzed intra- and intertrial dynamics for two behavioral components, dark avoidance and center avoidance. We uncover that larval zebrafish display short-term learning of dark avoidance with initial sensitization followed by habituation; they also exhibit long-term learning that is sensitive to trial interval length. We further show that such stereotyped learning patterns is stimulus-specific, as they are not observed for center avoidance. Finally, we demonstrate at individual levels that long-term learning is under homeostatic control. Together, our work has established a novel paradigm to understand learning, uncovered sequential sensitization and habituation, and demonstrated stimulus specificity, individuality, as well as dynamicity in learning.

In vivo calcium imaging reveals disordered interictal network dynamics in epileptic stxbp1b zebrafish

STXBP1 mutations are associated with encephalopathy, developmental delay, intellectual disability, and epilepsy. While neural networks are known to operate at a critical state in the healthy brain, network behavior during pathological epileptic states remains unclear. Examining activity during periods between well-characterized ictal-like events (i.e., interictal period) could provide a valuable step toward understanding epileptic networks. To study these networks in the context of STXBP1 mutations, we combine a larval zebrafish model with in vivo fast confocal calcium imaging and extracellular local field potential recordings. Stxbp1b mutants display transient periods of elevated activity among local clusters of interacting neurons. These network "cascade" events were significantly larger in size and duration in mutants. At mesoscale resolution, cascades exhibit neurodevelopmental abnormalities. At single-cell scale, we describe spontaneous hyper-synchronized neuronal ensembles. That calcium imaging reveals uniquely disordered brain states during periods between pathological ictal-like seizure events is striking and represents a potential interictal biomarker.

Dense Circuit Reconstruction to Understand Neuronal Computation: Focus on Zebrafish

The dense reconstruction of neuronal wiring diagrams from volumetric electron microscopy data has the potential to generate fundamentally new insights into mechanisms of information processing and storage in neuronal circuits. Zebrafish provide unique opportunities for dynamical connectomics approaches that combine reconstructions of wiring diagrams with measurements of neuronal population activity and behavior. Such approaches have the power to reveal higher-order structure in wiring diagrams that cannot be detected by sparse sampling of connectivity and that is essential for neuronal computations. In the brain stem, recurrently connected neuronal modules were identified that can account for slow, low-dimensional dynamics in an integrator circuit. In the spinal cord, connectivity specifies functional differences between premotor interneurons. In the olfactory bulb, tuning-dependent connectivity implements a whitening transformation that is based on the selective suppression of responses to overrepresented stimulus features. These findings illustrate the potential of dynamical connectomics in zebrafish to analyze the circuit mechanisms underlying higher-order neuronal computations.

High-Throughput Functional Characterization of Visceral Afferents by Optical Recordings From Thoracolumbar and Lumbosacral Dorsal Root Ganglia

Functional understanding of visceral afferents is important for developing the new treatment to visceral hypersensitivity and pain. The sparse distribution of visceral afferents in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) has challenged conventional electrophysiological recordings. Alternatively, Ca²⁺ indicators like GCaMP6f allow functional characterization by optical recordings. Here we report a turnkey microscopy system that enables simultaneous Ca²⁺ imaging at two parallel focal planes from intact DRG. By using consumer-grade optical components, the microscopy system is cost-effective and can be made broadly available without loss of capacity. It records low-intensity fluorescent signals at a wide field of view (1.9 × 1.3 mm) to cover a whole mouse DRG, with a high pixel resolution of 0.7 micron/pixel, a fast frame rate of 50 frames/sec, and the capability of remote focusing without perturbing the sample. The wide scanning range (100 mm) of the motorized sample stage allows convenient recordings of multiple DRGs in thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae. As a demonstration, we characterized mechanical neural encoding of visceral afferents innervating distal colon and rectum (colorectum) in GCaMP6f mice driven by VGLUT2 promotor. A post-processing routine is developed for conducting unsupervised detection of visceral afferent responses from GCaMP6f recordings, which also compensates the motion artifacts caused by mechanical stimulation of the colorectum. The reported system offers a cost-effective solution for high-throughput recordings of visceral afferent activities from a large volume of DRG tissues. We anticipate a wide application of this microscopy system to expedite our functional understanding of visceral innervations.

CRISPR/Cas9-induced nos2b mutant zebrafish display behavioral abnormalities

The immunomodulatory function of nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) has been extensively studied. However, some behavioral abnormalities caused by its mutations have been found in a few rodent studies, of which the molecular mechanism remains elusive. In this research, we generated nos2b gene knockout zebrafish (nos2b^sou2/sou2 ) using CRISPR/Cas9 approach and investigated their behavioral and molecular changes by doing a series of behavioral detections, morphological measurements, and molecular analyses. We found that, compared with nos2b^+/+ zebrafish, nos2b^sou2/sou2 zebrafish exhibited enhanced motor activity; additionally, nos2b^sou2/sou2 zebrafish were characterized by smaller brain size, abnormal structure of optic tectum, reduced mRNA level of presynaptic synaptophysin and postsynaptic homer1, and altered response to sodium nitroprusside/methylphenidate hydrochloride treatment. These findings will likely contribute to future studies of behavioral regulation.

Unraveling the Molecular Players at the Cholinergic Efferent Synapse of the Zebrafish Lateral Line

The lateral line (LL) is a sensory system that allows fish and amphibians to detect water currents. LL responsiveness is modulated by efferent neurons that aid in distinguishing between external and self-generated stimuli, maintaining sensitivity to relevant cues. One component of the efferent system is cholinergic, the activation of which inhibits afferent activity. LL hair cells (HCs) share structural, functional, and molecular similarities with those of the cochlea, making them a popular model for studying human hearing and balance disorders. Because of these commonalities, one could propose that the receptor at the LL efferent synapse is a α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). However, the identities of the molecular players underlying ACh-mediated inhibition in the LL remain unknown. Surprisingly, through the analysis of single-cell expression studies and in situ hybridization, we describe that α9, but not the α10, subunits are enriched in zebrafish HCs. Moreover, the heterologous expression of zebrafish α9 subunits indicates that homomeric receptors are functional and exhibit robust ACh-gated currents blocked by α-bungarotoxin and strychnine. In addition, in vivo Ca²⁺ imaging on mechanically stimulated zebrafish LL HCs show that ACh elicits a decrease in evoked Ca²⁺ signals, regardless of HC polarity. This effect is blocked by both α-bungarotoxin and apamin, indicating coupling of ACh-mediated effects to small-conductance Ca²⁺-activated potassium (SKs) channels. Our results indicate that an α9-containing (α9*) nAChR operates at the zebrafish LL efferent synapse. Moreover, the activation of α9* nAChRs most likely leads to LL HC hyperpolarization served by SK channels.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The fish lateral line (LL) mechanosensory system shares structural, functional, and molecular similarities with those of the mammalian cochlea. Thus, it has become an accessible model for studying human hearing and balance disorders. However, the molecular players serving efferent control of LL hair cell (HC) activity have not been identified. Here we demonstrate that, different from the hearing organ of vertebrate species, a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor composed only of α9 subunits operates at the LL efferent synapse. Activation of α9-containing receptors leads to LL HC hyperpolarization because of the opening of small-conductance Ca²⁺-activated potassium channels. These results will further aid in the interpretation of data obtained from LL HCs as a model for cochlear HCs.

Retinotectal circuitry of larval zebrafish is adapted to detection and pursuit of prey

Retinal axon projections form a map of the visual environment in the tectum. A zebrafish larva typically detects a prey object in its peripheral visual field. As it turns and swims towards the prey, the stimulus enters the central, binocular area, and seemingly expands in size. By volumetric calcium imaging, we show that posterior tectal neurons, which serve to detect prey at a distance, tend to respond to small objects and intrinsically compute their direction of movement. Neurons in anterior tectum, where the prey image is represented shortly before the capture strike, are tuned to larger object sizes and are frequently not direction-selective, indicating that mainly interocular comparisons serve to compute an object's movement at close range. The tectal feature map originates from a linear combination of diverse, functionally specialized, lamina-specific, and topographically ordered retinal ganglion cell synaptic inputs. We conclude that local cell-type composition and connectivity across the tectum are adapted to the processing of location-dependent, behaviorally relevant object features.

Experience, circuit dynamics, and forebrain recruitment in larval zebrafish prey capture

Experience influences behavior, but little is known about how experience is encoded in the brain, and how changes in neural activity are implemented at a network level to improve performance. Here we investigate how differences in experience impact brain circuitry and behavior in larval zebrafish prey capture. We find that experience of live prey compared to inert food increases capture success by boosting capture initiation. In response to live prey, animals with and without prior experience of live prey show activity in visual areas (pretectum and optic tectum) and motor areas (cerebellum and hindbrain), with similar visual area retinotopic maps of prey position. However, prey-experienced animals more readily initiate capture in response to visual area activity and have greater visually-evoked activity in two forebrain areas: the telencephalon and habenula. Consequently, disruption of habenular neurons reduces capture performance in prey-experienced fish. Together, our results suggest that experience of prey strengthens prey-associated visual drive to the forebrain, and that this lowers the threshold for prey-associated visual activity to trigger activity in motor areas, thereby improving capture performance.

Imaging volumetric dynamics at high speed in mouse and zebrafish brain with confocal light field microscopy

A detailed understanding of the function of neural networks and how they are supported by a dynamic vascular system requires fast three-dimensional imaging in thick tissues. Here we present confocal light field microscopy, a method that enables fast volumetric imaging in the brain at depths of hundreds of micrometers. It uses a generalized confocal detection scheme that selectively collects fluorescent signals from the in-focus volume and provides optical sectioning capability to improve imaging resolution and sensitivity in thick tissues. We demonstrate recording of whole-brain calcium transients in freely swimming zebrafish larvae and observe behaviorally correlated activities in single neurons during prey capture. Furthermore, in the mouse brain, we detect neural activities at depths of up to 370 μm and track blood cells at 70 Hz over a volume of diameter 800 μm × thickness 150 μm and depth of up to 600 μm.

Learning steers the ontogeny of an efficient hunting sequence in zebrafish larvae

Goal-directed behaviors may be poorly coordinated in young animals but, with age and experience, behavior progressively adapts to efficiently exploit the animal’s ecological niche. How experience impinges on the developing neural circuits of behavior is an open question. We have conducted a detailed study of the effects of experience on the ontogeny of hunting behavior in larval zebrafish. We report that larvae with prior experience of live prey consume considerably more prey than naive larvae. This is mainly due to increased capture success and a modest increase in hunt rate. We demonstrate that the initial turn to prey and the final capture manoeuvre of the hunting sequence were jointly modified by experience and that modification of these components predicted capture success. Our findings establish an ethologically relevant paradigm in zebrafish for studying how the brain is shaped by experience to drive the ontogeny of efficient behavior.

Zebrafish Retinal Ganglion Cells Asymmetrically Encode Spectral and Temporal Information across Visual Space

In vertebrate vision, the tetrachromatic larval zebrafish permits non-invasive monitoring and manipulating of neural activity across the nervous system in vivo during ongoing behavior. However, despite a perhaps unparalleled understanding of links between zebrafish brain circuits and visual behaviors, comparatively little is known about what their eyes send to the brain via retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Major gaps in knowledge include any information on spectral coding and information on potentially critical variations in RGC properties across the retinal surface corresponding with asymmetries in the statistics of natural visual space and behavioral demands. Here, we use in vivo two-photon imaging during hyperspectral visual stimulation as well as photolabeling of RGCs to provide a functional and anatomical census of RGCs in larval zebrafish. We find that RGCs' functional and structural properties differ across the eye and include a notable population of UV-responsive On-sustained RGCs that are only found in the acute zone, likely to support visual prey capture of UV-bright zooplankton. Next, approximately half of RGCs display diverse forms of color opponency, including many that are driven by a pervasive and slow blue-Off system-far in excess of what would be required to satisfy traditional models of color vision. In addition, most information on spectral contrast was intermixed with temporal information. Taken together, our results suggest that zebrafish RGCs send a diverse and highly regionalized time-color code to the brain.