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Reyes-Pinto R, Rojas MJ, Letelier JC, Marín GJ, Mpodozis J. Early Development of the Thalamo-Pallial Stage of the Tectofugal Visual Pathway in the Chicken (Gallus gallus). J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25657. [PMID: 38987912 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25657] [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: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
The tectofugal pathway is a highly conserved visual pathway in all amniotes. In birds and mammals, retinorecipient neurons located in the midbrain roof (optic tectum/superior colliculus) are the source of ascending projections to thalamic relays (nucleus rotundus/caudal pulvinar), which in turn project to specific pallial regions (visual dorsal ventricular ridge [vDVR]/temporal cortex) organized according to a columnar recurrent arrangement of interlaminar circuits. Whether or to which extent these striking hodological correspondences arise from comparable developmental processes is at present an open question, mainly due to the scarcity of data about the ontogeny of the avian tectofugal system. Most of the previous developmental studies of this system in birds have focused on the establishment of the retino-tecto-thalamic connectivity, overlooking the development of the thalamo-pallial-intrapallial circuit. In this work, we studied the latter in chicken embryos by means of immunohistochemical assays and precise ex vivo crystalline injections of biocytin and DiI. We found that the layered organization of the vDVR as well as the system of homotopic reciprocal connections between vDVR layers were present as early as E8. A highly organized thalamo-vDVR projection was also present at this stage. Our immunohistochemical assays suggest that both systems of projections emerge simultaneously even earlier. Combined with previous findings, these results reveal that, in striking contrast with mammals, the peripheral and central stages of the avian tectofugal pathway develop along different timelines, with a tecto-thalamo-intrapallial organization arising before and possibly independently of the retino-isthmo-tectal circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosana Reyes-Pinto
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - María-José Rojas
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan-Carlos Letelier
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gonzalo J Marín
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jorge Mpodozis
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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2
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Katayama R, Kumamoto T, Wada K, Hanashima C, Ohtaka-Maruyama C. Thalamic activity-dependent specification of sensory input neurons in the developing chick entopallium. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25627. [PMID: 38813969 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
During development, cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic factors play important roles in neuronal differentiation; however, the underlying mechanisms in nonmammalian species remain largely unknown. We here investigated the mechanisms responsible for the differentiation of sensory input neurons in the chick entopallium, which receives its primary visual input via the tectofugal pathway from the nucleus rotundus. The results obtained revealed that input neurons in the entopallium expressed Potassium Voltage-Gated Channel Subfamily H Member 5 (KCNH5/EAG2) mRNA from embryonic day (E) 11. On the other hand, the onset of protein expression was E20, which was 1 day before hatching. We confirm that entopallium input neurons in chicks were generated during early neurogenesis in the lateral and ventral ventricular zones. Notably, neurons derived from the lateral (LP) and ventral pallium (VP) exhibited a spatially distinct distribution along the rostro-caudal axis. We further demonstrated that the expression of EAG2 was directly regulated by input activity from thalamic axons. Collectively, the present results reveal that thalamic input activity is essential for specifying input neurons among LP- and VP-derived early-generated neurons in the developing chick entopallium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoka Katayama
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- Developmental Neuroscience Project, Department of Brain & Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuma Kumamoto
- Developmental Neuroscience Project, Department of Brain & Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kyosuke Wada
- Developmental Neuroscience Project, Department of Brain & Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
| | - Carina Hanashima
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chiaki Ohtaka-Maruyama
- Developmental Neuroscience Project, Department of Brain & Neurosciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
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3
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Gmaz JM, Keller JA, Dudman JT, Gallego JA. Integrating across behaviors and timescales to understand the neural control of movement. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 85:102843. [PMID: 38354477 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The nervous system evolved to enable navigation throughout the environment in the pursuit of resources. Evolutionarily newer structures allowed increasingly complex adaptations but necessarily added redundancy. A dominant view of movement neuroscientists is that there is a one-to-one mapping between brain region and function. However, recent experimental data is hard to reconcile with the most conservative interpretation of this framework, suggesting a degree of functional redundancy during the performance of well-learned, constrained behaviors. This apparent redundancy likely stems from the bidirectional interactions between the various cortical and subcortical structures involved in motor control. We posit that these bidirectional connections enable flexible interactions across structures that change depending upon behavioral demands, such as during acquisition, execution or adaptation of a skill. Observing the system across both multiple actions and behavioral timescales can help isolate the functional contributions of individual structures, leading to an integrated understanding of the neural control of movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmie M Gmaz
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK. https://twitter.com/j_gmaz
| | - Jason A Keller
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn VA, USA. https://twitter.com/jakNeurd
| | - Joshua T Dudman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn VA, USA.
| | - Juan A Gallego
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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4
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Kozol RA, Conith AJ, Yuiska A, Cree-Newman A, Tolentino B, Benesh K, Paz A, Lloyd E, Kowalko JE, Keene AC, Albertson C, Duboue ER. A brain-wide analysis maps structural evolution to distinct anatomical module. eLife 2023; 12:e80777. [PMID: 37498318 PMCID: PMC10435234 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80777] [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: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate brain is highly conserved topologically, but less is known about neuroanatomical variation between individual brain regions. Neuroanatomical variation at the regional level is hypothesized to provide functional expansion, building upon ancestral anatomy needed for basic functions. Classically, animal models used to study evolution have lacked tools for detailed anatomical analysis that are widely used in zebrafish and mice, presenting a barrier to studying brain evolution at fine scales. In this study, we sought to investigate the evolution of brain anatomy using a single species of fish consisting of divergent surface and cave morphs, that permits functional genetic testing of regional volume and shape across the entire brain. We generated a high-resolution brain atlas for the blind Mexican cavefish Astyanax mexicanus and coupled the atlas with automated computational tools to directly assess variability in brain region shape and volume across all populations. We measured the volume and shape of every grossly defined neuroanatomical region of the brain and assessed correlations between anatomical regions in surface fish, cavefish, and surface × cave F2 hybrids, whose phenotypes span the range of surface to cave. We find that dorsal regions of the brain are contracted, while ventral regions have expanded, with F2 hybrid data providing support for developmental constraint along the dorsal-ventral axis. Furthermore, these dorsal-ventral relationships in anatomical variation show similar patterns for both volume and shape, suggesting that the anatomical evolution captured by these two parameters could be driven by similar developmental mechanisms. Together, these data demonstrate that A. mexicanus is a powerful system for functionally determining basic principles of brain evolution and will permit testing how genes influence early patterning events to drive brain-wide anatomical evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Kozol
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
| | - Andrew J Conith
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Anders Yuiska
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
| | - Alexia Cree-Newman
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
| | - Bernadeth Tolentino
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
| | - Kasey Benesh
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
| | - Alexandra Paz
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
| | - Evan Lloyd
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Johanna E Kowalko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh UniversityBethlehemUnited States
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M UniversityCollege StationUnited States
| | - Craig Albertson
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherstUnited States
| | - Erik R Duboue
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
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5
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Reiner A. Could theropod dinosaurs have evolved to a human level of intelligence? J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:975-1006. [PMID: 37029483 PMCID: PMC10106414 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
Noting that some theropod dinosaurs had large brains, large grasping hands, and likely binocular vision, paleontologist Dale Russell suggested that a branch of these dinosaurs might have evolved to a human intelligence level, had dinosaurs not become extinct. I offer reasons why the likely pallial organization in dinosaurs would have made this improbable, based on four assumptions. First, it is assumed that achieving human intelligence requires evolving an equivalent of the about 200 functionally specialized cortical areas characteristic of humans. Second, it is assumed that dinosaurs had an avian nuclear type of pallial organization, in contrast to the mammalian cortical organization. Third, it is assumed that the interactions between the different neuron types making up an information processing unit within pallium are critical to its role in analyzing information. Finally, it is assumed that increasing axonal length between the neuron sets carrying out this operation impairs its efficacy. Based on these assumptions, I present two main reasons why dinosaur pallium might have been unable to add the equivalent of 200 efficiently functioning cortical areas. First, a nuclear pattern of pallial organization would require increasing distances between the neuron groups corresponding to the separate layers of any given mammalian cortical area, as more sets of nuclei equivalent to a cortical area are interposed between the existing sets, increasing axon length and thereby impairing processing efficiency. Second, because of its nuclear organization, dinosaur pallium could not reduce axon length by folding to bring adjacent areas closer together, as occurs in cerebral cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Reiner
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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6
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Colquitt BM. Organizational Conservation and Flexibility in the Evolution of Birdsong and Avian Motor Control. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2022; 97:255-264. [PMID: 35644127 DOI: 10.1159/000525019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Birds and mammals have independently evolved complex behavioral and cognitive capabilities yet have markedly different brain structures. An open question is to what extent, despite these differences in anatomy, birds and mammals have evolved similar neural solutions to complex motor control and at what level of organization these similarities might lie. Courtship song in songbirds, a learned motor skill that is similar to the fine motor skills of many mammals including human speech, provides a powerful system in which to study the links connecting the development and evolution of cells, circuits, and behavior. Until recently, obtaining cellular-resolution views of the specialized neural circuitry that subserves birdsong was impossible due to a lack of molecular tools for songbirds. However, the ongoing revolution in cellular profiling and genomics offers unprecedented opportunities for molecular analysis in organisms that lack a traditional genetic infrastructure but have tractable, well-defined behaviors. Here, I describe recent efforts to understand the evolutionary relationships between birdsong control circuitry and mammalian neocortical circuitry using new approaches to measure gene expression in single cells. These results, combined with foundational work relating avian and mammalian brains at a range of biological levels, present an emerging view that amniote pallium evolution is a story of diverse neural circuit architectures employing conserved neuronal elements within a conserved topological framework. This view suggests that one locus of pallial neural circuit evolution lies at the intersection between the gene regulatory programs that regulate regional patterning and those that specify functional identity. Modifications to this intersection may underlie the evolution of pallial motor control in birds in general and to the evolutionary and developmental relationships of these circuits to the avian pallial amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Colquitt
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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7
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Jiménez S, Moreno N. Analysis of the Pallial Amygdala in Anurans: Derivatives and Cellular Components. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2022; 97:309-320. [PMID: 35613549 DOI: 10.1159/000525018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The amygdaloid complex plays a crucial role in socio-emotional conduct, learning, survival, and reproductive behaviors. It is constituted by a set of nuclei presenting a great cellular heterogeneity and embryonic origin diversity (pallial, subpallial, and even extra-telencephalic). In the last two decades, the tetrapartite pallial paradigm defined the pallial portion of the amygdala as a derivative of the lateroventral pallium. However, the pallial conception is currently being reanalyzed and one of these new proposals is to consider the mouse pallial amygdala as a radial histogenetic domain independent from the rest of the pallial subdomains. In anamniotes, and particularly in amphibian anurans, the amygdaloid complex was described as a region with pallial and subpallial components similar to those described in amniotes. In the present study carried out in Xenopus laevis, after a detailed analysis of the orientation of the amygdalar radial glia, we propose an additional amygdala derived from the pallial region. It is independent of the vomeronasal/olfactory amygdaloid nuclei described in anurans, expresses markers such as Lhx9 present in the mammalian pallial amygdala, and lacks Otp-expressing cells, detected in the adjacent medial amygdala. Further studies are needed to clarify the functional involvement of this area, and whether it is a derivative of the adjacent ventral pallium or an independent pallial domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Jiménez
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Moreno
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain
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8
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Puelles L. Current status of the hypothesis of a claustro-insular homolog in sauropsids. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:212-241. [PMID: 34753135 DOI: 10.1159/000520742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The author worked before on the wide problem of the evolution of the vertebrate pallium. He proposed various Bauplan models based in the definition of a set of pallial sectors with characteristic (topologically invariant) mutual relationships and distinct molecular profiles. Out of one of these models, known as the 'updated tetrapartite pallium model', a modified definition of the earlier lateral pallium sector (LPall) emerged, which characterized it in mammals as consisting of an unitary claustro-insular transitional (mesocortical) complex intercalated between neocortex or dorsal pallium (DPall) above and olfactory cortex or ventral pallium (VPall) underneath. A distinctive molecular marker of the early-born deep claustral component of the LPall was found to be the transcription factor Nr4a2, which is not expressed significantly in the overlying insular cortex or in adjoining cortical territories (Puelles 2014). Given that earlier comparative studies had identified molecularly and topologically comparable VPall, LPall and DPall sectors in the avian pallium, an avian Nr4a2 probe was applied aiming to identify the reportedly absent avian claustro-insular complex. An early-born superficial subpopulation of the avian LPall that expresses selectively this marker through development was indeed found. This was proposed to be a claustrum homolog, whereas the remaining Nr4a2-negative avian LPall cells were assumed to represent a possible insular homolog (Puelles et al. 2016a). This last notion was supported by comparable selective expression of the mouse insular marker Cyp26b, also found restricted to the avian LPall (Puelles 2017). Some published data suggested that similar molecular properties and structure apply at the reptilian LPall. This analysis was reviewed in Puelles et al. (2017). The present commentary discusses 3-4 years later some international publications accrued in the interval that touch on the claustro-insular homology hypothesis. Some of them are opposed to the hypothesis whereas others corroborate or support it. This raises a number of secondary issues of general interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Puelles
- Department of Human Anatomy, University of Murcia, Institute of Biomedical Research (IMIB-Arrixaca), El Palmar, Spain
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9
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Medina L, Abellán A, Desfilis E. Evolving Views on the Pallium. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:181-199. [PMID: 34657034 DOI: 10.1159/000519260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The pallium is the largest part of the telencephalon in amniotes, and comparison of its subdivisions across species has been extremely difficult and controversial due to its high divergence. Comparative embryonic genoarchitecture studies have greatly contributed to propose models of pallial fundamental divisions, which can be compared across species and be used to extract general organizing principles as well as to ask more focused and insightful research questions. The use of these models is crucial to discern between conservation, convergence or divergence in the neural populations and networks found in the pallium. Here we provide a critical review of the models proposed using this approach, including tetrapartite, hexapartite and double-ring models, and compare them to other models. While recognizing the power of these models for understanding brain architecture, development and evolution, we also highlight limitations and comment on aspects that require attention for improvement. We also discuss on the use of transcriptomic data for understanding pallial evolution and advise for better contextualization of these data by discerning between gene regulatory networks involved in the generation of specific units and cell populations versus genes expressed later, many of which are activity dependent and their expression is more likely subjected to convergent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loreta Medina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida's Institute for Biomedical Research - Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Lleida, Spain
| | - Antonio Abellán
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida's Institute for Biomedical Research - Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Lleida, Spain
| | - Ester Desfilis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida's Institute for Biomedical Research - Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), Lleida, Spain
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10
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Nieder A. Consciousness without cortex. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 71:69-76. [PMID: 34656051 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Sensory consciousness - the awareness and ability to report subjective experiences - is a property of biological nervous systems that has evolved out of unconscious processing over hundreds of millions of years. From which brain structures and based on which mechanisms can conscious experience emerge? Based on the body of work in human and nonhuman primates, the emergence of consciousness is intimately associated with the workings of the mammalian cerebral cortex with its specific cell types and layered structure. However, recent neurophysiological recordings demonstrate a neuronal correlate of consciousness in the pallial endbrain of crows. These telencephalic integration centers in birds originate embryonically from other pallial territories, lack a layered architecture characteristic for the cerebral cortex, and exhibit independently evolved pallial cell types. This argues that the mammalian cerebral cortex is not a prerequisite for consciousness to emerge in all vertebrates. Rather, it seems that the anatomical and physiological principles of the telencephalic pallium offer this structure as a brain substrate for consciousness to evolve independently across vertebrate phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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11
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Tosches MA. From Cell Types to an Integrated Understanding of Brain Evolution: The Case of the Cerebral Cortex. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 2021; 37:495-517. [PMID: 34416113 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-120319-112654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
With the discovery of the incredible diversity of neurons, Cajal and coworkers laid the foundation of modern neuroscience. Neuron types are not only structural units of nervous systems but also evolutionary units, because their identities are encoded in the genome. With the advent of high-throughput cellular transcriptomics, neuronal identities can be characterized and compared systematically across species. The comparison of neurons in mammals, reptiles, and birds indicates that the mammalian cerebral cortex is a mosaic of deeply conserved and recently evolved neuron types. Using the cerebral cortex as a case study, this review illustrates how comparing neuron types across species is key to reconciling observations on neural development, neuroanatomy, circuit wiring, and physiology for an integrated understanding of brain evolution.
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12
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Kabelik D, Julien AR, Ramirez D, O'Connell LA. Social boldness correlates with brain gene expression in male green anoles. Horm Behav 2021; 133:105007. [PMID: 34102460 PMCID: PMC8277760 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Within populations, some individuals tend to exhibit a bold or shy social behavior phenotype relative to the mean. The neural underpinnings of these differing phenotypes - also described as syndromes, personalities, and coping styles - is an area of ongoing investigation. Although a social decision-making network has been described across vertebrate taxa, most studies examining activity within this network do so in relation to exhibited differences in behavioral expression. Our study instead focuses on constitutive gene expression in bold and shy individuals by isolating baseline gene expression profiles that influence social boldness predisposition, rather than those reflecting the results of social interaction and behavioral execution. We performed this study on male green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis), an established model organism for behavioral research, which provides a crucial comparison group to investigations of birds and mammals. After identifying subjects as bold or shy through repeated reproductive and agonistic behavior testing, we used RNA sequencing to compare gene expression profiles between these groups within various forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain regions. The ventromedial hypothalamus had the largest group differences in gene expression, with bold males having increased expression of neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter receptor and calcium channel genes compared to shy males. Conversely, shy males express more integrin alpha-10 in the majority of examined regions. There were no significant group differences in physiology or hormone levels. Our results highlight the ventromedial hypothalamus as an important center of behavioral differences across individuals and provide novel candidates for investigations into the regulation of individual variation in social behavior phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kabelik
- Department of Biology & Program in Neuroscience, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA.
| | - Allison R Julien
- Department of Biology & Program in Neuroscience, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
| | - Dave Ramirez
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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13
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Nomura T, Ohtaka-Maruyama C, Kiyonari H, Gotoh H, Ono K. Changes in Wnt-Dependent Neuronal Morphology Underlie the Anatomical Diversification of Neocortical Homologs in Amniotes. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107592. [PMID: 32375034 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The six-layered neocortex is a shared characteristic of all mammals, but not of non-mammalian species, and its formation requires an inside-out pattern of neuronal migration. The extant reptilian dorsal cortex is thought to represent an ancestral form of the neocortex, although how the reptilian three-layered cortex is formed is poorly understood. Here, we show unique patterns of lamination and neuronal migration in the developing reptilian cortex. While the multipolar-to-bipolar transition of migrating neurons is essential for mammalian cortical development, the reptilian cortex lacks bipolar-shaped migrating neurons, resulting in an outside-in pattern of cortical development. Furthermore, dynamic regulation of Wnt signal strengths contributes to neuronal morphological changes, which is conserved across species. Our data preclude the idea that the six-layered mammalian neocortex emerged by simple addition to the reptilian dorsal cortex but suggest that the acquisition of a novel neuronal morphology based on conserved developmental programs contributed to neocortical evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadashi Nomura
- Developmental Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, INAMORI Memorial Building, 1-5 Shimogamo-Hangi cho, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-0823, Japan.
| | - Chiaki Ohtaka-Maruyama
- Neural Network Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kiyonari
- Laboratory for Animal Resources and Genetic Engineering, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Gotoh
- Developmental Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, INAMORI Memorial Building, 1-5 Shimogamo-Hangi cho, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-0823, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Ono
- Developmental Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, INAMORI Memorial Building, 1-5 Shimogamo-Hangi cho, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-0823, Japan
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14
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Spool JA, Macedo-Lima M, Scarpa G, Morohashi Y, Yazaki-Sugiyama Y, Remage-Healey L. Genetically identified neurons in avian auditory pallium mirror core principles of their mammalian counterparts. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2831-2843.e6. [PMID: 33989528 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In vertebrates, advanced cognitive abilities are typically associated with the telencephalic pallium. In mammals, the pallium is a layered mixture of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations with distinct molecular, physiological, and network phenotypes. This cortical architecture is proposed to support efficient, high-level information processing. Comparative perspectives across vertebrates provide a lens to understand the common features of pallium that are important for advanced cognition. Studies in songbirds have established strikingly parallel features of neuronal types between mammalian and avian pallium. However, lack of genetic access to defined pallial cell types in non-mammalian vertebrates has hindered progress in resolving connections between molecular and physiological phenotypes. A definitive mapping of the physiology of pallial cells onto their molecular identities in birds is critical for understanding how synaptic and computational properties depend on underlying molecular phenotypes. Using viral tools to target excitatory versus inhibitory neurons in the zebra finch auditory association pallium (calmodulin-dependent kinase alpha [CaMKIIα] and glutamate decarboxylase 1 [GAD1] promoters, respectively), we systematically tested predictions derived from mammalian pallium. We identified two genetically distinct neuronal populations that exhibit profound physiological and computational similarities with mammalian excitatory and inhibitory pallial cells, definitively aligning putative cell types in avian caudal nidopallium with these molecular identities. Specifically, genetically identified CaMKIIα and GAD1 cell types in avian auditory association pallium exhibit distinct intrinsic physiological parameters, distinct auditory coding principles, and inhibitory-dependent pallial synchrony, gamma oscillations, and local suppression. The retention, or convergence, of these molecular and physiological features in both birds and mammals clarifies the characteristics of pallial circuits for advanced cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy A Spool
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Matheus Macedo-Lima
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA; CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília 70040-020, Brazil
| | - Garrett Scarpa
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Yuichi Morohashi
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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15
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Gedman G, Haase B, Durieux G, Biegler MT, Fedrigo O, Jarvis ED. As above, so below: Whole transcriptome profiling demonstrates strong molecular similarities between avian dorsal and ventral pallial subdivisions. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3222-3246. [PMID: 33871048 PMCID: PMC8251894 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Over the last two decades, beginning with the Avian Brain Nomenclature Forum in 2000, major revisions have been made to our understanding of the organization and nomenclature of the avian brain. However, there are still unresolved questions on avian pallial organization, particularly whether the cells above the vestigial ventricle represent distinct populations to those below it or similar populations. To test these two hypotheses, we profiled the transcriptomes of the major avian pallial subdivisions dorsal and ventral to the vestigial ventricle boundary using RNA sequencing and a new zebra finch genome assembly containing about 22,000 annotated, complete genes. We found that the transcriptomes of neural populations above and below the ventricle were remarkably similar. Each subdivision in dorsal pallium (Wulst) had a corresponding molecular counterpart in the ventral pallium (dorsal ventricular ridge). In turn, each corresponding subdivision exhibited shared gene co‐expression modules that contained gene sets enriched in functional specializations, such as anatomical structure development, synaptic transmission, signaling, and neurogenesis. These findings are more in line with the continuum hypothesis of avian brain subdivision organization above and below the vestigial ventricle space, with the pallium as a whole consisting of four major cell populations (intercalated pallium, mesopallium, hyper‐nidopallium, and arcopallium) instead of seven (hyperpallium apicale, interstitial hyperpallium apicale, intercalated hyperpallium, hyperpallium densocellare, mesopallium, nidopallium, and arcopallium). We suggest adopting a more streamlined hierarchical naming system that reflects the robust similarities in gene expression, neural connectivity motifs, and function. These findings have important implications for our understanding of overall vertebrate brain evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Gedman
- Laboratory of the Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Bettina Haase
- Laboratory of the Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gillian Durieux
- Behavioural Genomics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Matthew T Biegler
- Laboratory of the Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Olivier Fedrigo
- Laboratory of the Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- Laboratory of the Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
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16
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The Evolutionary History of Brains for Numbers. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:608-621. [PMID: 33926813 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Humans and other animals share a number sense', an intuitive understanding of countable quantities. Having evolved independent from one another for hundreds of millions of years, the brains of these diverse species, including monkeys, crows, zebrafishes, bees, and squids, differ radically. However, in all vertebrates investigated, the pallium of the telencephalon has been implicated in number processing. This suggests that properties of the telencephalon make it ideally suited to host number representations that evolved by convergent evolution as a result of common selection pressures. In addition, promising candidate regions in the brains of invertebrates, such as insects, spiders, and cephalopods, can be identified, opening the possibility of even deeper commonalities for number sense.
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17
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Clark WJ, Colombo M. The functional architecture, receptive field characteristics, and representation of objects in the visual network of the pigeon brain. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 195:101781. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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18
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García-Moreno F, Molnár Z. Variations of telencephalic development that paved the way for neocortical evolution. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 194:101865. [PMID: 32526253 PMCID: PMC7656292 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Charles Darwin stated, "community in embryonic structure reveals community of descent". Thus, to understand how the neocortex emerged during mammalian evolution we need to understand the evolution of the development of the pallium, the source of the neocortex. In this article, we review the variations in the development of the pallium that enabled the production of the six-layered neocortex. We propose that an accumulation of subtle modifications from very early brain development accounted for the diversification of vertebrate pallia and the origin of the neocortex. Initially, faint differences of expression of secretable morphogens promote a wide variety in the proportions and organization of sectors of the early pallium in different vertebrates. It prompted different sectors to host varied progenitors and distinct germinative zones. These cells and germinative compartments generate diverse neuronal populations that migrate and mix with each other through radial and tangential migrations in a taxon-specific fashion. Together, these early variations had a profound influence on neurogenetic gradients, lamination, positioning, and connectivity. Gene expression, hodology, and physiological properties of pallial neurons are important features to suggest homologies, but the origin of cells and their developmental trajectory are fundamental to understand evolutionary changes. Our review compares the development of the homologous pallial sectors in sauropsids and mammals, with a particular focus on cell lineage, in search of the key changes that led to the appearance of the mammalian neocortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando García-Moreno
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Scientific Park of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940, Leioa, Spain; IKERBASQUE Foundation, María Díaz de Haro 3, 6th Floor, 48013, Bilbao, Spain; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, UPV/EHU, Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain.
| | - Zoltán Molnár
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Sherrington Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QX, UK.
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19
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Stacho M, Herold C, Rook N, Wagner H, Axer M, Amunts K, Güntürkün O. A cortex-like canonical circuit in the
avian forebrain. Science 2020; 369:369/6511/eabc5534. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abc5534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Although the avian pallium seems to lack
an organization akin to that of the cerebral
cortex, birds exhibit extraordinary cognitive
skills that are comparable to those of mammals. We
analyzed the fiber architecture of the avian
pallium with three-dimensional polarized light
imaging and subsequently reconstructed local and
associative pallial circuits with tracing
techniques. We discovered an iteratively repeated,
column-like neuronal circuitry across the
layer-like nuclear boundaries of the hyperpallium
and the sensory dorsal ventricular ridge. These
circuits are connected to neighboring columns and,
via tangential layer-like connections, to higher
associative and motor areas. Our findings indicate
that this avian canonical circuitry is similar to
its mammalian counterpart and might constitute the
structural basis of neuronal computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Stacho
- Department of Biopsychology,
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of
Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
- Department of Neurophysiology,
Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine,
Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
| | - Christina Herold
- Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute for
Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine
University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf,
Germany
| | - Noemi Rook
- Department of Biopsychology,
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of
Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
| | - Hermann Wagner
- Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen
University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Markus Axer
- Institute of Neuroscience and
Medicine INM-1, Research Center Jülich, 52425
Jülich, Germany
| | - Katrin Amunts
- Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute for
Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine
University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf,
Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and
Medicine INM-1, Research Center Jülich, 52425
Jülich, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology,
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of
Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum,
Germany
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20
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Iwashita M, Nomura T, Suetsugu T, Matsuzaki F, Kojima S, Kosodo Y. Comparative Analysis of Brain Stiffness Among Amniotes Using Glyoxal Fixation and Atomic Force Microscopy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:574619. [PMID: 33043008 PMCID: PMC7517470 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.574619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain structures are diverse among species despite the essential molecular machinery of neurogenesis being common. Recent studies have indicated that differences in the mechanical properties of tissue may result in the dynamic deformation of brain structure, such as folding. However, little is known about the correlation between mechanical properties and species-specific brain structures. To address this point, a comparative analysis of mechanical properties using several animals is required. For a systematic measurement of the brain stiffness of remotely maintained animals, we developed a novel strategy of tissue-stiffness measurement using glyoxal as a fixative combined with atomic force microscopy. A comparison of embryonic and juvenile mouse and songbird brain tissue revealed that glyoxal fixation can maintain brain structure as well as paraformaldehyde (PFA) fixation. Notably, brain tissue fixed by glyoxal remained much softer than PFA-fixed brains, and it can maintain the relative stiffness profiles of various brain regions. Based on this method, we found that the homologous brain regions between mice and songbirds exhibited different stiffness patterns. We also measured brain stiffness in other amniotes (chick, turtle, and ferret) following glyoxal fixation. We found stage-dependent and species-specific stiffness in pallia among amniotes. The embryonic chick and matured turtle pallia showed gradually increasing stiffness along the apico-basal tissue axis, the lowest region at the most apical region, while the ferret pallium exhibited a catenary pattern, that is, higher in the ventricular zone, the inner subventricular zone, and the cortical plate and the lowest in the outer subventricular zone. These results indicate that species-specific microenvironments with distinct mechanical properties emerging during development might contribute to the formation of brain structures with unique morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tadashi Nomura
- Developmental Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Taeko Suetsugu
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan
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21
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DeAngelis RS, Hofmann HA. Neural and molecular mechanisms underlying female mate choice decisions in vertebrates. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:223/17/jeb207324. [PMID: 32895328 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.207324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Female mate choice is a dynamic process that allows individuals to selectively mate with those of the opposite sex that display a preferred set of traits. Because in many species males compete with each other for fertilization opportunities, female mate choice can be a powerful agent of sexual selection, often resulting in highly conspicuous traits in males. Although the evolutionary causes and consequences of the ornamentation and behaviors displayed by males to attract mates have been well studied, embarrassingly little is known about the proximate neural mechanisms through which female choice occurs. In vertebrates, female mate choice is inherently a social behavior, and although much remains to be discovered about this process, recent evidence suggests the neural substrates and circuits underlying other fundamental social behaviors (such as pair bonding, aggression and parental care) are likely similarly recruited during mate choice. Notably, female mate choice is not static, as social and ecological environments can shape the brain and, consequently, behavior in specific ways. In this Review, we discuss how social and/or ecological influences mediate female choice and how this occurs within the brain. We then discuss our current understanding of the neural substrates underlying female mate choice, with a specific focus on those that also play a role in regulating other social behaviors. Finally, we propose several promising avenues for future research by highlighting novel model systems and new methodological approaches, which together will transform our understanding of the causes and consequences of female mate choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross S DeAngelis
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA .,Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.,Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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22
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Macedo-Lima M, Remage-Healey L. Auditory learning in an operant task with social reinforcement is dependent on neuroestrogen synthesis in the male songbird auditory cortex. Horm Behav 2020; 121:104713. [PMID: 32057821 PMCID: PMC7198363 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Animals continually assess their environment for cues associated with threats, competitors, allies, mates or prey, and experience is crucial for those associations. The auditory cortex is important for these computations to enable valence assignment and associative learning. The caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) is part of the songbird auditory association cortex and it is implicated in juvenile song learning, song memorization, and song perception. Like human auditory cortex, NCM is a site of action of estradiol (E2) and is enriched with the enzyme aromatase (E2-synthase). However, it is unclear how E2 modulates auditory learning and perception in the vertebrate auditory cortex. In this study we employ a novel, auditory-dependent operant task governed by social reinforcement to test the hypothesis that neuro-E2 synthesis supports auditory learning in adult male zebra finches. We show that local suppression of aromatase activity in NCM disrupts auditory association learning. By contrast, post-learning performance is unaffected by either NCM aromatase blockade or NCM pharmacological inactivation, suggesting that NCM E2 production and even NCM itself are not required for post-learning auditory discrimination or memory retrieval. Therefore, neuroestrogen synthesis in auditory cortex supports the association between sounds and behaviorally relevant consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus Macedo-Lima
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA; CAPES Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
| | - Luke Remage-Healey
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, Center for Neuroendocrine Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
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23
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Norimoto H, Fenk LA, Li HH, Tosches MA, Gallego-Flores T, Hain D, Reiter S, Kobayashi R, Macias A, Arends A, Klinkmann M, Laurent G. A claustrum in reptiles and its role in slow-wave sleep. Nature 2020; 578:413-418. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-1993-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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24
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Billings BK, Behroozi M, Helluy X, Bhagwandin A, Manger PR, Güntürkün O, Ströckens F. A three-dimensional digital atlas of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) forebrain. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:683-703. [PMID: 32009190 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02028-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The phylogenetic position of crocodilians in relation to birds and mammals makes them an interesting animal model for investigating the evolution of the nervous system in amniote vertebrates. A few neuroanatomical atlases are available for reptiles, but with a growing interest in these animals within the comparative neurosciences, a need for these anatomical reference templates is becoming apparent. With the advent of MRI being used more frequently in comparative neuroscience, the aim of this study was to create a three-dimensional MRI-based atlas of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) brain to provide a common reference template for the interpretation of the crocodilian, and more broadly reptilian, brain. Ex vivo MRI acquisitions in combination with histological data were used to delineate crocodilian brain areas at telencephalic, diencephalic, mesencephalic, and rhombencephalic levels. A total of 50 anatomical structures were successfully identified and outlined to create a 3-D model of the Nile crocodile brain. The majority of structures were more readily discerned within the forebrain of the crocodile with the methods used to produce this atlas. The anatomy outlined herein corresponds with both classical and recent crocodilian anatomical analyses, barring a few areas of contention predominantly related to a lack of functional data and conflicting nomenclature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendon K Billings
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - Mehdi Behroozi
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Xavier Helluy
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.,Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Paul R Manger
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Felix Ströckens
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
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25
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Fernández M, Ahumada‐Galleguillos P, Sentis E, Marín G, Mpodozis J. Intratelencephalic projections of the avian visual dorsal ventricular ridge: Laminarly segregated, reciprocally and topographically organized. J Comp Neurol 2019; 528:321-359. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Máximo Fernández
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Patricio Ahumada‐Galleguillos
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Elisa Sentis
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Gonzalo Marín
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
- Facultad de Medicina Universidad Finis Terrae Santiago Chile
| | - Jorge Mpodozis
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
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26
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Abstract
The dramatic evolutionary expansion of the neocortex, together with a proliferation of specialized cortical areas, is believed to underlie the emergence of human cognitive abilities. In a broader phylogenetic context, however, neocortex evolution in mammals, including humans, is remarkably conservative, characterized largely by size variations on a shared six-layered neuronal architecture. By contrast, the telencephalon in non-mammalian vertebrates, including reptiles, amphibians, bony and cartilaginous fishes, and cyclostomes, features a great variety of very different tissue structures. Our understanding of the evolutionary relationships of these telencephalic structures, especially those of basally branching vertebrates and invertebrate chordates, remains fragmentary and is impeded by conceptual obstacles. To make sense of highly divergent anatomies requires a hierarchical view of biological organization, one that permits the recognition of homologies at multiple levels beyond neuroanatomical structure. Here we review the origin and diversification of the telencephalon with a focus on key evolutionary innovations shaping the neocortex at multiple levels of organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Briscoe
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Clifton W Ragsdale
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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27
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Briscoe SD. Field Homology: Still a Meaningless Concept. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2019; 93:1-3. [PMID: 31203269 DOI: 10.1159/000500770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Briscoe
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Dresden, Germany,
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28
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Tosches MA, Laurent G. Evolution of neuronal identity in the cerebral cortex. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 56:199-208. [PMID: 31103814 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
To understand neocortex evolution, we must define a theory for the elaboration of cell types, circuits, and architectonics from an ancestral structure that is consistent with developmental, molecular, and genetic data. To this end, cross-species comparison of cortical cell types emerges as a very informative approach. We review recent results that illustrate the contribution of molecular and transcriptomic data to the construction of plausible models of cortical cell-type evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gilles Laurent
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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29
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Behroozi M, Billings BK, Helluy X, Manger PR, Güntürkün O, Ströckens F. Functional MRI in the Nile crocodile: a new avenue for evolutionary neurobiology. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0178. [PMID: 29695446 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Crocodilians are important for understanding the evolutionary history of amniote neural systems as they are the nearest extant relatives of modern birds and share a stem amniote ancestor with mammals. Although the crocodilian brain has been investigated anatomically, functional studies are rare. Here, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), never tested in poikilotherms, to investigate crocodilian telencephalic sensory processing. Juvenile Crocodylus niloticus were placed in a 7 T MRI scanner to record blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes during the presentation of visual and auditory stimuli. Visual stimulation increased BOLD signals in rostral to mid-caudal portions of the dorso-lateral anterior dorsal ventricular ridge (ADVR). Simple auditory stimuli led to signal increase in the rostromedial and caudocentral ADVR. These activation patterns are in line with previously described projection fields of diencephalic sensory fibres. Furthermore, complex auditory stimuli activated additional regions of the caudomedial ADVR. The recruitment of these additional, presumably higher-order, sensory areas reflects observations made in birds and mammals. Our results indicate that structural and functional aspects of sensory processing have been likely conserved during the evolution of sauropsids. In addition, our study shows that fMRI can be used to investigate neural processing in poikilotherms, providing a new avenue for neurobiological research in these critical species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Behroozi
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Brendon K Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Xavier Helluy
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany.,Department of Neurophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany.,Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Felix Ströckens
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780, Bochum, Germany
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Clark WJ, Porter B, Colombo M. Searching for Face-Category Representation in the Avian Visual Forebrain. Front Physiol 2019; 10:140. [PMID: 30873042 PMCID: PMC6400864 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual information is processed hierarchically along a ventral ('what') pathway that terminates with categorical representation of biologically relevant visual percepts (such as faces) in the mammalian extrastriate visual cortex. How birds solve face and object representation without a neocortex is a long-standing problem in evolutionary neuroscience, though multiple lines of evidence suggest that these abilities arise from circuitry fundamentally similar to the extrastriate visual cortex. The aim of the present experiment was to determine whether birds also exhibit a categorical representation of the avian face-region in four visual forebrain structures of the tectofugal visual pathway: entopallium (ENTO), mesopallium ventrolaterale (MVL), nidopallium frontolaterale (NFL), and area temporo-parieto-occipitalis (TPO). We performed electrophysiological recordings from the right and left hemispheres of 13 pigeons while they performed a Go/No-Go task that required them to discriminate between two sets of stimuli that included images of pigeon faces. No neurons fired selectively to only faces in either ENTO, NFL, MVL, or TPO. Birds' predisposition to attend to the local-features of stimuli may influence the perception of faces as a global combination of features, and explain our observed absence of face-selective neurons. The implementation of naturalistic viewing paradigms in conjunction with electrophysiological and fMRI techniques has the potential to promote and uncover the global processing of visual objects to determine whether birds exhibit category-selective patches in the tectofugal visual forebrain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Blake Porter
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Michael Colombo
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Boyle Anderson EAT, Ho RK. A transcriptomics analysis of the Tbx5 paralogues in zebrafish. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208766. [PMID: 30532148 PMCID: PMC6287840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
TBX5 is essential for limb and heart development. Mutations in TBX5 are associated with Holt-Oram syndrome in humans. Due to the teleost specific genome duplication, zebrafish have two copies of TBX5: tbx5a and tbx5b. Both of these genes are expressed in regions of the lateral plate mesoderm and retina. In this study, we perform comparative RNA sequencing analysis on zebrafish embryos during the stages of lateral plate mesoderm migration. This work shows that knockdown of the Tbx5 paralogues results in altered gene expression in many tissues outside of the lateral plate mesoderm, especially in the somitic mesoderm and the intermediate mesoderm. Specifically, knockdown of tbx5b results in changes in somite size, in the differentiation of vasculature progenitors and in later patterning of trunk blood vessels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin A. T. Boyle Anderson
- Committee on Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Robert K. Ho
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
The six-layered neocortex of the mammalian pallium has no clear homolog in birds or non-avian reptiles. Recent research indicates that although these extant amniotes possess a variety of divergent and nonhomologous pallial structures, they share a conserved set of neuronal cell types and circuitries. These findings suggest a principle of brain evolution: that natural selection preferentially preserves the integrity of information-processing pathways, whereas other levels of biological organization, such as the three-dimensional architectures of neuronal assemblies, are less constrained. We review the similarities of pallial neuronal cell types in amniotes, delineate candidate gene regulatory networks for their cellular identities, and propose a model of developmental evolution for the divergence of amniote pallial structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Briscoe
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Clifton W Ragsdale
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Montiel JF, Aboitiz F. Homology in Amniote Brain Evolution: The Rise of Molecular Evidence. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2018; 91:59-64. [PMID: 29860258 DOI: 10.1159/000489116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juan F Montiel
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de O'Higgins, Rancagua, Chile.,Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Aboitiz
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Vahaba DM. Birds and mammals share smartly designed neurons. J Exp Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.170001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Abstract
The evolutionary relationships of the mammalian neocortex and avian dorsal telencephalon (DT) nuclei have been debated for more than a century. Despite their central importance to this debate, nonavian reptiles remain underexplored with modern molecular techniques. Reptile studies harbor great potential for understanding the changes in DT organization that occurred in the early evolution of amniotes. They may also help clarify the specializations in the avian DT, which comprises a massive, cell-dense dorsal ventricular ridge (DVR) and a nuclear dorsal-most structure, the Wulst. Crocodilians are phylogenetically and anatomically attractive for DT comparative studies: they are the closest living relatives of birds and have a strikingly bird-like DVR, but they also possess a highly differentiated reptile cerebral cortex. We studied the DT of the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, at late embryonic stages with a panel of molecular marker genes. Gene expression and cytoarchitectonic analyses identified clear homologs of all major avian DVR subdivisions including a mesopallium, an extensive nidopallium with primary sensory input territories, and an arcopallium. The alligator medial cortex is divided into three components that resemble the mammalian dentate gyrus, CA fields, and subiculum in gene expression and topography. The alligator dorsal cortex contains putative homologs of neocortical input, output, and intratelencephalic projection neurons and, most notably, these are organized into sublayers similar to mammalian neocortical layers. Our findings on the molecular anatomy of the crocodilian DT are summarized in an atlas of the alligator telencephalon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Briscoe
- Committee on Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Clifton W Ragsdale
- Committee on Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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