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Tiefenbach J, Shannon L, Lobosky M, Johnson S, Chan HH, Byram N, Machado AG, Androjna C, Baker KB. A novel restrainer device for acquistion of brain images in awake rats. Neuroimage 2024; 289:120556. [PMID: 38423263 PMCID: PMC10935597 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120556] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging methods like fMRI and PET are vital in neuroscience research, but require that subjects remain still throughout the scan. In animal research, anesthetic agents are typically applied to facilitate the acquisition of high-quality data with minimal motion artifact. However, anesthesia can have profound effects on brain metabolism, selectively altering dynamic neural networks and confounding the acquired data. To overcome the challenge, we have developed a novel head fixation device designed to support awake rat brain imaging. A validation experiment demonstrated that the device effectively minimizes animal motion throughout the scan, with mean absolute displacement and mean relative displacement of 0.0256 (SD: 0.001) and 0.009 (SD: 0.002), across eight evaluated subjects throughout fMRI image acquisition (total scanning time per subject: 31 min, 12 s). Furthermore, the awake scans did not induce discernable stress to the animals, with stable physiological parameters throughout the scan (Mean HR: 344, Mean RR: 56, Mean SpO2: 94 %) and unaltered serum corticosterone levels (p = 0.159). In conclusion, the device presented in this paper offers an effective and safe method of acquiring functional brain images in rats, allowing researchers to minimize the confounding effects of anesthetic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakov Tiefenbach
- Department of Neuroscience, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA.
| | - Logan Shannon
- Engineering Core, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
| | - Mark Lobosky
- Small Animal Imaging Core, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
| | - Sadie Johnson
- Engineering Core, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
| | - Hugh H Chan
- Department of Neuroscience, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
| | - Nicole Byram
- Cleveland Clinic Innovations, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
| | - Andre G Machado
- Department of Neuroscience, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
| | - Charlie Androjna
- Engineering Core, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
| | - Kenneth B Baker
- Department of Neuroscience, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH 44195, USA
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Hori Y, Ihara N, Sugai C, Ogura J, Honda M, Kato K, Isomura Y, Hanakawa T. Ventral striatum links motivational and motor networks during operant-conditioned movement in rats. Neuroimage 2019; 184:943-953. [PMID: 30296556 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Voluntary actions require motives. It is already known that the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) assess the motivational values. However, it remains unclear how the motivational process gains access to the motor execution system in the brain. Here we present evidence that the ventral striatum (VS) plays a hub-like role in mediating motivational and motor processing in operant behavior. We used positron emission tomography (PET) to detect the neural activation areas associated with motivational action. Using obtained regions, partial correlation analysis was performed to examine how the motivational signals propagate to the motor system. The results revealed that VS activity propagated to both MPFC and primary motor cortex through the thalamus. Moreover, muscimol injection into the VS suppressed the motivational behavior, supporting the idea of representations of motivational signals in VS that trigger motivational behavior. These results suggest that the VS-thalamic pathway plays a pivotal role for both motivational processing through interactions with the MPFC and for motor processing through interactions with the motor BG circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Hori
- Department of Advanced Neuroimaging, Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Naoki Ihara
- Department of Advanced Neuroimaging, Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Chiaki Sugai
- Department of Advanced Neuroimaging, Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Jun Ogura
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Manabu Honda
- Department of Functional Brain Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Koichi Kato
- Department of Advanced Neuroimaging, Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Isomura
- Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Machida City, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan
| | - Takashi Hanakawa
- Department of Advanced Neuroimaging, Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan; Department of Functional Brain Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira City, Tokyo 187-8551, Japan.
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Solari N, Sviatkó K, Laszlovszky T, Hegedüs P, Hangya B. Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations. Front Syst Neurosci 2018; 12:18. [PMID: 29867383 PMCID: PMC5962774 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2018.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how the brain controls behavior requires observing and manipulating neural activity in awake behaving animals. Neuronal firing is timed at millisecond precision. Therefore, to decipher temporal coding, it is necessary to monitor and control animal behavior at the same level of temporal accuracy. However, it is technically challenging to deliver sensory stimuli and reinforcers as well as to read the behavioral responses they elicit with millisecond precision. Presently available commercial systems often excel in specific aspects of behavior control, but they do not provide a customizable environment allowing flexible experimental design while maintaining high standards for temporal control necessary for interpreting neuronal activity. Moreover, delay measurements of stimulus and reinforcement delivery are largely unavailable. We combined microcontroller-based behavior control with a sound delivery system for playing complex acoustic stimuli, fast solenoid valves for precisely timed reinforcement delivery and a custom-built sound attenuated chamber using high-end industrial insulation materials. Together this setup provides a physical environment to train head-fixed animals, enables calibrated sound stimuli and precisely timed fluid and air puff presentation as reinforcers. We provide latency measurements for stimulus and reinforcement delivery and an algorithm to perform such measurements on other behavior control systems. Combined with electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulations, the millisecond timing accuracy will help interpret temporally precise neural signals and behavioral changes. Additionally, since software and hardware provided here can be readily customized to achieve a large variety of paradigms, these solutions enable an unusually flexible design of rodent behavioral experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Solari
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katalin Sviatkó
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.,János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Laszlovszky
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.,János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Panna Hegedüs
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Hangya
- Lendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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