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Subramanian DL, Smith DM. Time cells in the retrosplenial cortex. Hippocampus 2024. [PMID: 39206817 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 08/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a key component of the brain's memory systems, with anatomical connections to the hippocampus, anterior thalamus, and entorhinal cortex. This circuit has been implicated in episodic memory and many of these structures have been shown to encode temporal information, which is critical for episodic memory. For example, hippocampal time cells reliably fire during specific segments of time during a delay period. Although RSC lesions are known to disrupt temporal memory, time cells have not been observed there. In this study, we reanalyzed archival RSC neuronal firing data during the intertrial delay period from two previous experiments involving different behavioral tasks, a blocked alternation task and a cued T-maze task. For the blocked alternation task, rats were required to approach the east or west arm of a plus maze for reward during different blocks of trials. Because the reward locations were not cued, the rat had to remember the goal location for each trial. In the cued T-maze task, the reward location was explicitly cued with a light and the rats simply had to approach the light for reward, so there was no requirement to hold a memory during the intertrial delay. Time cells were prevalent in the blocked alternation task, and most time cells clearly differentiated the east and west trials. We also found that RSC neurons could exhibit off-response time fields, periods of reliably inhibited firing. Time cells were also observed in the cued T-maze, but they were less prevalent and they did not differentiate left and right trials as well as in the blocked alternation task, suggesting that RSC time cells are sensitive to the memory demands of the task. These results suggest that temporal coding is a prominent feature of RSC firing patterns, consistent with an RSC role in episodic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David M Smith
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Lissek S, Schlaffke L, Tegenthoff M. Microstructural properties of attention-related white matter tracts are associated with the renewal effect of extinction. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115125. [PMID: 38936425 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
The tendency to show the renewal effect of extinction appears as an intra-individually stable, reproducible processing strategy associated with differential patterns of BOLD activation in hippocampus, iFG and vmPFC, as well as differential resting-state functional connectivity between prefrontal regions and the dorsal attention network. Also, pharmacological modulations of the noradrenergic system that influence attentional processing have partially different effects upon individuals with (REN) and without (NoREN) a propensity for renewal. However, it is as yet unknown whether REN and NoREN individuals differ regarding microstructural properties in attention-related white matter (WM) regions, and whether such differences are related to noradrenergic processing. In this diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis we investigated the relation between microstructural properties of attention-related WM tracts and ABA renewal propensity, under conditions of noradrenergic stimulation by means of the noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine, compared to placebo. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was higher in participants with noradrenergic stimulation (ATO) compared to placebo (PLAC), the effect was predominantly left-lateralized and based on the comparison of ATO REN and PLAC REN participants. In REN participants of both treatment groups, FA in several WM tracts showed a positive correlation with the ABA renewal level, suggesting higher renewal levels were associated with higher microstructural integrity. These findings point towards a relation between microstructural properties of attention-related WM tracts and the propensity for renewal that is not specifically dependent on noradrenergic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Lissek
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
| | - Lara Schlaffke
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
| | - Martin Tegenthoff
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
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3
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Albergoni M, Pagani E, Preziosa P, Meani A, Margoni M, Rocca MA, Filippi M. Thalamic nuclei volume partially mediates the effects of aerobic capacity on fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol 2024; 271:3378-3388. [PMID: 38507073 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-024-12277-5] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fatigue is frequent in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) impacting physical and cognitive functions. Lower aerobic capacity and regional thalamic volume may be involved in the pathophysiology of fatigue in pwMS. OBJECTIVES To identify associations between thalamic nuclei volumes, aerobic capacity and fatigue and to investigate whether the influence of aerobic capacity on fatigue in pwMS is mediated by thalamic integrity. METHODS Eighty-three pwMS underwent a clinical evaluation with assessment of fatigue (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale [MFIS]), including physical (pMFIS) and cognitive (cMFIS) components, and peak of oxygen uptake (VO2peak). PwMS and 63 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HC) underwent a 3 T brain MRI to quantify volume of the whole thalamus and its nuclei. RESULTS Compared to HC, pwMS showed higher global MFIS, pMFIS and cMFIS scores, and lower VO2peak and thalamic volumes (p < 0.001). In pwMS, higher VO2peak was significantly associated with lower MFIS and pMFIS scores (r value = - 0.326 and - 0.356; pFDR ≤ 0.046) and higher laterodorsal thalamic nucleus (Dor) cluster volume (r value = 0.300; pFDR = 0.047). Moreover, lower Dor thalamic cluster volume was significantly associated with higher MFIS, pMFIS and cMFIS scores (r value range = - 0.305; - 0.293; pFDR ≤ 0.049). The volume of Dor thalamic cluster partially mediated the positive effects of VO2peak on both MFIS and cMFIS, with relative indirect effects of 21% and 32% respectively. No mediation was found for pMFIS. CONCLUSIONS Higher VO2peak is associated with lower fatigue in pwMS, likely acting on Dor thalamic cluster volume integrity. Such an effect might be different according to the type of fatigue (cognitive or physical).
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Albergoni
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Pagani
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Preziosa
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Meani
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Margoni
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria A Rocca
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
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4
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Schleifer CH, O'Hora KP, Fung H, Xu J, Robinson TA, Wu AS, Kushan-Wells L, Lin A, Ching CRK, Bearden CE. Effects of gene dosage and development on subcortical nuclei volumes in individuals with 22q11.2 copy number variations. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:1024-1032. [PMID: 38431758 PMCID: PMC11039652 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01832-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
The 22q11.2 locus contains genes critical for brain development. Reciprocal Copy Number Variations (CNVs) at this locus impact risk for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Both 22q11.2 deletions (22qDel) and duplications (22qDup) are associated with autism, but 22qDel uniquely elevates schizophrenia risk. Understanding brain phenotypes associated with these highly penetrant CNVs can provide insights into genetic pathways underlying neuropsychiatric disorders. Human neuroimaging and animal models indicate subcortical brain alterations in 22qDel, yet little is known about developmental differences across specific nuclei between reciprocal 22q11.2 CNV carriers and typically developing (TD) controls. We conducted a longitudinal MRI study in a total of 385 scans from 22qDel (n = 96, scans = 191, 53.1% female), 22qDup (n = 37, scans = 64, 45.9% female), and TD controls (n = 80, scans = 130, 51.2% female), across a wide age range (5.5-49.5 years). Volumes of the thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and anatomical subregions were estimated using FreeSurfer, and the linear effects of 22q11.2 gene dosage and non-linear effects of age were characterized with generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs). Positive gene dosage effects (volume increasing with copy number) were observed for total intracranial and whole hippocampus volumes, but not whole thalamus or amygdala volumes. Several amygdala subregions exhibited similar positive effects, with bi-directional effects found across thalamic nuclei. Distinct age-related trajectories were observed across the three groups. Notably, both 22qDel and 22qDup carriers exhibited flattened development of hippocampal CA2/3 subfields relative to TD controls. This study provides novel insights into the impact of 22q11.2 CNVs on subcortical brain structures and their developmental trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles H Schleifer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Kathleen P O'Hora
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hoki Fung
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Xu
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Taylor-Ann Robinson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Angela S Wu
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Leila Kushan-Wells
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amy Lin
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christopher R K Ching
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Delavari F, Sandini C, Kojovic N, Saccaro LF, Eliez S, Van De Ville D, Bolton TAW. Thalamic contributions to psychosis susceptibility: Evidence from co-activation patterns accounting for intra-seed spatial variability (μCAPs). Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26649. [PMID: 38520364 PMCID: PMC10960557 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The temporal variability of the thalamus in functional networks may provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. To address the complexity of the role of the thalamic nuclei in psychosis, we introduced micro-co-activation patterns (μCAPs) and employed this method on the human genetic model of schizophrenia 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). Participants underwent resting-state functional MRI and a data-driven iterative process resulting in the identification of six whole-brain μCAPs with specific activity patterns within the thalamus. Unlike conventional methods, μCAPs extract dynamic spatial patterns that reveal partially overlapping and non-mutually exclusive functional subparts. Thus, the μCAPs method detects finer foci of activity within the initial seed region, retaining valuable and clinically relevant temporal and spatial information. We found that a μCAP showing co-activation of the mediodorsal thalamus with brain-wide cortical regions was expressed significantly less frequently in patients with 22q11.2DS, and its occurrence negatively correlated with the severity of positive psychotic symptoms. Additionally, activity within the auditory-visual cortex and their respective geniculate nuclei was expressed in two different μCAPs. One of these auditory-visual μCAPs co-activated with salience areas, while the other co-activated with the default mode network (DMN). A significant shift of occurrence from the salience+visuo-auditory-thalamus to the DMN + visuo-auditory-thalamus μCAP was observed in patients with 22q11.2DS. Thus, our findings support existing research on the gatekeeping role of the thalamus for sensory information in the pathophysiology of psychosis and revisit the evidence of geniculate nuclei hyperconnectivity with the audio-visual cortex in 22q11.2DS in the context of dynamic functional connectivity, seen here as the specific hyper-occurrence of these circuits with the task-negative brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farnaz Delavari
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology LaboratoryUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
- Neuro‐X InstituteÉcole Polytechnique FÉdÉrale de LausanneGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Corrado Sandini
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology LaboratoryUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Nada Kojovic
- Autism Brain and Behavior Lab, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Luigi F. Saccaro
- Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry DepartmentUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
- Psychiatry DepartmentGeneva University HospitalGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Stephan Eliez
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology LaboratoryUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
- Department of Genetic Medicine and DevelopmentUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Dimitri Van De Ville
- Neuro‐X InstituteÉcole Polytechnique FÉdÉrale de LausanneGenevaSwitzerland
- Department of Radiology and Medical InformaticsUniversity of Geneva (UNIGE)GenevaSwitzerland
| | - Thomas A. W. Bolton
- Neuro‐X InstituteÉcole Polytechnique FÉdÉrale de LausanneGenevaSwitzerland
- Connectomics Laboratory, Department of RadiologyCentre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV)LausanneSwitzerland
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Skovbjerg G, Fritzen AM, Svendsen CSA, Perens J, Skytte JL, Lund C, Lund J, Madsen MR, Roostalu U, Hecksher-Sørensen J, Clemmensen C. Atlas of exercise-induced brain activation in mice. Mol Metab 2024; 82:101907. [PMID: 38428817 PMCID: PMC10943479 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2024.101907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There is significant interest in uncovering the mechanisms through which exercise enhances cognition, memory, and mood, and lowers the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we utilize forced treadmill running and distance-matched voluntary wheel running, coupled with light sheet 3D brain imaging and c-Fos immunohistochemistry, to generate a comprehensive atlas of exercise-induced brain activation in mice. METHODS To investigate the effects of exercise on brain activity, we compared whole-brain activation profiles of mice subjected to treadmill running with mice subjected to distance-matched wheel running. Male mice were assigned to one of four groups: a) an acute bout of voluntary wheel running, b) confinement to a cage with a locked running wheel, c) forced treadmill running, or d) placement on an inactive treadmill. Immediately following each exercise or control intervention, blood samples were collected for plasma analysis, and brains were collected for whole-brain c-Fos quantification. RESULTS Our dataset reveals 255 brain regions activated by acute exercise in mice, the majority of which have not previously been linked to exercise. We find a broad response of 140 regulated brain regions that are shared between voluntary wheel running and treadmill running, while 32 brain regions are uniquely regulated by wheel running and 83 brain regions uniquely regulated by treadmill running. In contrast to voluntary wheel running, forced treadmill running triggers activity in brain regions associated with stress, fear, and pain. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate a significant overlap in neuronal activation signatures between voluntary wheel running and distance-matched forced treadmill running. However, our analysis also reveals notable differences and subtle nuances between these two widely used paradigms. The comprehensive dataset is accessible online at www.neuropedia.dk, with the aim of enabling future research directed towards unraveling the neurobiological response to exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grethe Skovbjerg
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Gubra, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Andreas Mæchel Fritzen
- August Krogh Section for Molecular Physiology, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Charlotte Sashi Aier Svendsen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | - Camilla Lund
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Lund
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Christoffer Clemmensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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7
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Geva S, Hoskote A, Saini M, Clark CA, Banks T, Chong WKK, Baldeweg T, de Haan M, Vargha-Khadem F. Cognitive outcome and its neural correlates after cardiorespiratory arrest in childhood. Dev Sci 2024:e13501. [PMID: 38558493 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Hypoxia-ischaemia (HI) can result in structural brain abnormalities, which in turn can lead to behavioural deficits in various cognitive and motor domains, in both adult and paediatric populations. Cardiorespiratory arrest (CA) is a major cause of hypoxia-ischaemia in adults, but it is relatively rare in infants and children. While the effects of adult CA on brain and cognition have been widely studied, to date, there are no studies examining the neurodevelopmental outcome of children who suffered CA early in life. Here, we studied the long-term outcome of 28 children who suffered early CA (i.e., before age 16). They were compared to a group of control participants (n = 28) matched for age, sex and socio-economic status. The patient group had impairments in the domains of memory, language and academic attainment (measured using standardised tests). Individual scores within the impaired range were most commonly found within the memory domain (79%), followed by academic attainment (50%), and language (36%). The patient group also had reduced whole brain grey matter volume, and reduced volume and fractional anisotropy of the white matter. In addition, lower performance on memory tests was correlated with bilaterally reduced volume of the hippocampi, thalami, and striatum, while lower attainment scores were correlated with bilateral reduction of fractional anisotropy in the superior cerebellar peduncle, the main output tract of the cerebellum. We conclude that patients who suffered early CA are at risk of developing specific cognitive deficits associated with structural brain abnormalities. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Our data shed light on the long-term outcome and associated neural mechanisms after paediatric hypoxia-ischaemia as a result of cardiorespiratory arrest. Patients had impaired scores on memory, language and academic attainment. Memory impairments were associated with smaller hippocampi, thalami, and striatum. Lower academic attainment correlated with reduced fractional anisotropy of the superior cerebellar peduncle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Geva
- Department of Developmental Neurosciences, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Aparna Hoskote
- Heart and Lung Division, Institute of Cardiovascular Science, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Maneet Saini
- Department of Developmental Neurosciences, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Christopher A Clark
- Department of Developmental Neurosciences, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Tina Banks
- Department of Radiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - W K Kling Chong
- Department of Developmental Neurosciences, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Torsten Baldeweg
- Department of Developmental Neurosciences, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Michelle de Haan
- Department of Developmental Neurosciences, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| | - Faraneh Vargha-Khadem
- Department of Developmental Neurosciences, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Neuropsychology Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Kapustina M, Zhang AA, Tsai JYJ, Bristow BN, Kraus L, Sullivan KE, Erwin SR, Wang L, Stach TR, Clements J, Lemire AL, Cembrowski MS. The cell-type-specific spatial organization of the anterior thalamic nuclei of the mouse brain. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113842. [PMID: 38427564 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the cell-type composition and spatial organization of brain regions is crucial for interpreting brain computation and function. In the thalamus, the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) are involved in a wide variety of functions, yet the cell-type composition of the ATN remains unmapped at a single-cell and spatial resolution. Combining single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and multiplexed fluorescent in situ hybridization, we identify three discrete excitatory cell-type clusters that correspond to the known nuclei of the ATN and uncover marker genes, molecular pathways, and putative functions of these cell types. We further illustrate graded spatial variation along the dorsomedial-ventrolateral axis for all individual nuclei of the ATN and additionally demonstrate that the anteroventral nucleus exhibits spatially covarying protein products and long-range inputs. Collectively, our study reveals discrete and continuous cell-type organizational principles of the ATN, which will help to guide and interpret experiments on ATN computation and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Kapustina
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Angela A Zhang
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jennifer Y J Tsai
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Brianna N Bristow
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Larissa Kraus
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Kaitlin E Sullivan
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Sarah R Erwin
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Lihua Wang
- Janelia Research Campus, HHMI, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Tara R Stach
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2222 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jody Clements
- Janelia Research Campus, HHMI, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Andrew L Lemire
- Janelia Research Campus, HHMI, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Mark S Cembrowski
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Janelia Research Campus, HHMI, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
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9
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Subramanian DL, Smith DM. Time Cells in the Retrosplenial Cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.01.583039. [PMID: 38464235 PMCID: PMC10925311 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.01.583039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a key component of the brain's memory systems, with anatomical connections to the hippocampus, anterior thalamus, and entorhinal cortex. This circuit has been implicated in episodic memory and many of these structures have been shown to encode temporal information, which is critical for episodic memory. For example, hippocampal time cells reliably fire during specific segments of time during a delay period. Although RSC lesions are known to disrupt temporal memory, time cells have not been observed there. In the present study, we examined the firing patterns of RSC neurons during the intertrial delay period of two behavioral tasks, a blocked alternation task and a cued T-maze task. For the blocked alternation task, rats were required to approach the east or west arm of a plus maze for reward during different blocks of trials. Because the reward locations were not cued, the rat had to remember the goal location for each trial. In the cued T-maze task, the reward location was explicitly cued with a light and the rats simply had to approach the light for reward, so there was no requirement to hold a memory during the intertrial delay. Time cells were prevalent in the blocked alternation task, and most time cells clearly differentiated the east and west trials. We also found that RSC neurons could exhibit off-response time fields, periods of reliably inhibited firing. Time cells were also observed in the cued T-maze, but they were less prevalent and they did not differentiate left and right trials as well as in the blocked alternation task, suggesting that RSC time cells are sensitive to the memory demands of the task. These results suggest that temporal coding is a prominent feature of RSC firing patterns, consistent with an RSC role in episodic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David M. Smith
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
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Biesbroek JM, Verhagen MG, van der Stigchel S, Biessels GJ. When the central integrator disintegrates: A review of the role of the thalamus in cognition and dementia. Alzheimers Dement 2024; 20:2209-2222. [PMID: 38041861 PMCID: PMC10984498 DOI: 10.1002/alz.13563] [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: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
The thalamus is a complex neural structure with numerous anatomical subdivisions and intricate connectivity patterns. In recent decades, the traditional view of the thalamus as a relay station and "gateway to the cortex" has expanded in recognition of its role as a central integrator of inputs from sensory systems, cortex, basal ganglia, limbic systems, brain stem nuclei, and cerebellum. As such, the thalamus is critical for numerous aspects of human cognition, mood, and behavior, as well as serving sensory processing and motor functions. Thalamus pathology is an important contributor to cognitive and functional decline, and it might be argued that the thalamus has been somewhat overlooked as an important player in dementia. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of thalamus anatomy and function, with an emphasis on human cognition and behavior, and discuss emerging insights on the role of thalamus pathology in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Matthijs Biesbroek
- Department of NeurologyUMC Utrecht Brain CenterUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
- Department of NeurologyDiakonessenhuis HospitalUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Marieke G. Verhagen
- VIB Center for Brain and DiseaseLeuvenBelgium
- Department of NeurosciencesKatholieke Universiteit (KU) LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Stefan van der Stigchel
- Department of Experimental PsychologyHelmholtz InstituteUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Geert Jan Biessels
- Department of NeurologyUMC Utrecht Brain CenterUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtThe Netherlands
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Parker AF, Paterson TSE, Goranson T, Gawryluk JR. The Piano Man: A Case Report of Anterior Thalamic Infarct with Dementia and Preserved Music Ability. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2024; 39:265-272. [PMID: 37699427 DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acad069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The thalamus is the integrative hub of the brain with reciprocal connections throughout the cortex. This case report describes a right-handed 81-year-old male patient who experienced sudden onset cognitive impairment following a focal left anterior thalamic infarct. METHODS With consent/assent, the patient was seen for a short neuropsychological assessment 6 weeks post stroke. Neuropsychological assessment included review of medical history, collateral intake, the Toronto Cognitive Assessment, Frontal Systems Behavior Scale-Family Rating Form, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire, and piano performance. RESULTS The assessment revealed impaired performance on measures of orientation, memory, executive function, and language, as well as symptoms including hallucinations, apathy, and hypersomnolence, consistent with thalamic dementia. Remarkably, in this context, the patient maintained an ability to play piano and read music. CONCLUSIONS The case has implications for understanding the complex integrative functions of the thalamus, including how profound impairment can simultaneously present with cognitive strengths that may not be captured by performance on neuropsychological testing. This case also suggests that magnetic resonance imaging may be indicated in cases presenting with vascular risk factors and sudden onset cognitive impairment, given that computed tomography may not be sensitive to small subcortical infarcts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh F Parker
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Theone S E Paterson
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Baycrest Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tamara Goranson
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Centre for Wellbeing, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jodie R Gawryluk
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Dönmezler S, Sönmez D, Yılbaş B, Öztürk Hİ, İskender G, Kurt İ. Thalamic nuclei volume differences in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using probabilistic mapping: A comparative analysis. Schizophr Res 2024; 264:266-271. [PMID: 38198878 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
AIM We aimed to investigate potential discrepancies in the volume of thalamic nuclei between individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls. METHODS The imaging data for this study were obtained from the MCICShare data repository within SchizConnect. We employed probabilistic mapping technique developed by Iglesias et al. (2018). The analytical component entailed volumetric segmentation of the thalamus using the FreeSurfer image analysis suite. Our analysis focused on evaluating the differences in the volumes of various thalamic nuclei groups within the thalami, specifically the anterior, intralaminar, medial, posterior, lateral, and ventral groups in both the right and left thalami, between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. We employed MANCOVA to analyse these dependent variables (volumes of 12 distinct thalamic nuclei groups), with diagnosis (SCZ vs. HCs) as the main explanatory variable, while controlling for covariates such as eTIV and age. RESULTS The assumptions of MANCOVA, including the homogeneity of covariance matrices, were met. Specific univariate tests for the right thalamus revealed significant differences in the medial (F[1, 200] = 26.360, p < 0.001), and the ventral groups (F[1, 200] = 4.793, p = 0.030). For the left thalamus, the medial (F[1, 200] = 22.527, p < 0.001); posterior (F[1, 200] = 8.227, p = 0.005), lateral (F[1, 200] = 7.004, p = 0.009), and ventral groups (F[1, 200] = 9.309, p = 0.003) showed significant differences. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that particular thalamic nuclei groups in both the right and left thalami may be most affected in schizophrenia, with more pronounced differences observed in the left thalamic nuclei. FUNDINGS The authors received no financial support for the research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Süleyman Dönmezler
- Sanko University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Gaziantep, Turkey.
| | - Doğuş Sönmez
- Bakirkoy Training and Research Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Barış Yılbaş
- Sanko University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Halil İbrahim Öztürk
- Sanko University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Gizem İskender
- Istanbul Prof. Dr. Cemil Tascioglu City Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - İmren Kurt
- Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey
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13
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Wang K, Fang Y, Guo Q, Shen L, Chen Q. Superior Attentional Efficiency of Auditory Cue via the Ventral Auditory-thalamic Pathway. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:303-326. [PMID: 38010315 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02090] [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] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Auditory commands are often executed more efficiently than visual commands. However, empirical evidence on the underlying behavioral and neural mechanisms remains scarce. In two experiments, we manipulated the delivery modality of informative cues and the prediction violation effect and found consistently enhanced RT benefits for the matched auditory cues compared with the matched visual cues. At the neural level, when the bottom-up perceptual input matched the prior prediction induced by the auditory cue, the auditory-thalamic pathway was significantly activated. Moreover, the stronger the auditory-thalamic connectivity, the higher the behavioral benefits of the matched auditory cue. When the bottom-up input violated the prior prediction induced by the auditory cue, the ventral auditory pathway was specifically involved. Moreover, the stronger the ventral auditory-prefrontal connectivity, the larger the behavioral costs caused by the violation of the auditory cue. In addition, the dorsal frontoparietal network showed a supramodal function in reacting to the violation of informative cues irrespective of the delivery modality of the cue. Taken together, the results reveal novel behavioral and neural evidence that the superior efficiency of the auditory cue is twofold: The auditory-thalamic pathway is associated with improvements in task performance when the bottom-up input matches the auditory cue, whereas the ventral auditory-prefrontal pathway is involved when the auditory cue is violated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Wang
- South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Fang
- South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiang Guo
- Guangdong Sanjiu Brain Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lu Shen
- South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Chen
- South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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Mandloi S, Syed M, Ailes I, Shoraka O, Leiby B, Miao J, Thalheimer S, Heller J, Mohamed FB, Sharan A, Harrop J, Krisa L, Alizadeh M. Exploring Functional Connectivity in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Patients With Neuropathic Pain Versus Without Neuropathic Pain. Neurotrauma Rep 2024; 5:16-27. [PMID: 38249324 PMCID: PMC10797176 DOI: 10.1089/neur.2023.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The great majority of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients have debilitating chronic pain. Despite decades of research, these pain pathways of neuropathic pain (NP) are unknown. SCI patients have been shown to have abnormal brain pain pathways. We hypothesize that SCI NP patients' pain matrix is altered compared to SCI patients without NP. This study examines the functional connectivity (FC) in SCI patients with moderate-severe chronic NP compared to SCI patients with mild-no NP. These groups were compared to control subjects. The Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire and neurological evaluation based on the International Standard Neurological Classification of SCI were utilized to define the severity and level of injury. Of the 10 SCI patients, 7 (48.6 ± 17.02 years old, 6 male and 1 female) indicated that they had NP and 3 did not have NP (39.33 ± 8.08 years old, 2 male and 1 female). Ten uninjured neurologically intact participants were used as controls (24.8 ± 4.61 years old, 5 male and 5 female). FC metrics were obtained from the comparisons of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging among our various groups (controls, SCI with NP, and SCI without NP). For each comparison, a region-of-interest (ROI)-to-ROI connectivity analysis was pursued, encompassing a total of 175 ROIs based on a customized atlas derived from the AAL3 atlas. The analysis accounted for covariates such as age and sex. To correct for multiple comparisons, a strict Bonferroni correction was applied with a significance level of p < 0.05/NROIs. When comparing SCI patients with moderate-to-severe pain to those with mild-to-no pain, specific thalamic nuclei had altered connections. These nuclei included: medial pulvinar; lateral pulvinar; medial geniculate nucleus; lateral geniculate nucleus; and mediodorsal magnocellular nucleus. There was increased FC between the lateral geniculate nucleus and the anteroventral nucleus in NP post-SCI. Our analysis additionally highlights the relationships between the frontal lobe and temporal lobe with pain. This study successfully identifies thalamic neuroplastic changes that occur in patients with SCI who develop NP. It additionally underscores the pain matrix and involvement of the frontal and temporal lobes as well. Our findings complement that the development of NP post-SCI involves cognitive, emotional, and behavioral influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreya Mandloi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mashaal Syed
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Isaiah Ailes
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Omid Shoraka
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Benjamin Leiby
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jingya Miao
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sara Thalheimer
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joshua Heller
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Feroze B. Mohamed
- Thomas Jefferson Integrated Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ashwini Sharan
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - James Harrop
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Laura Krisa
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Mahdi Alizadeh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Thomas Jefferson Integrated Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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15
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Zhang C, Li S, Wang Y, Shi J. Photochemically induced thalamus infarction impairs cognition in a mouse model. Stroke Vasc Neurol 2023; 8:444-452. [PMID: 37185137 PMCID: PMC10800257 DOI: 10.1136/svn-2022-002235] [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: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Small subcortical infarcts account for up to 25% of ischaemic strokes. Thalamus is one of the subcortical structures that commonly manifest with lacunar infarcts on MRI of the brain. Studies have shown that thalamus infarction is associated with cognitive decline. However, due to the lack of proper animal models, little is known about the mechanism. We aimed to establish a focal thalamus infarction model, characterise the infarct lesion and assess functional effects. METHODS Male C57BL/6J mice were anaesthetised, and Rose Bengal dye was injected through the tail vein. The right thalamus was illuminated with green laser light by stereotactic implantation of optic fibre. Characteristics of the infarct and lesion evolution were evaluated by histological analysis and 7T MRI at various times. The cognitive and neurological functions were assessed by behavioural tests. Retrograde tracing was performed to analyse neural connections. RESULTS An ischaemic lesion with small vessel occlusion was observed in the thalamus. It became a small circumscribed infarct with reactive astrocytes accumulated in the infarct periphery on day 21. The mice with thalamic infarction demonstrated impaired learning and memory without significant neurological deficits. Retrogradely labelled neurons in the retrosplenial granular cortex were reduced. CONCLUSION This study established a mouse model of thalamic lacunar infarction that exhibits cognitive impairment. Neural connection dysfunctions may play a potential role in post-stroke cognitive impairment. This model helps to clarify the pathophysiology of post-stroke cognitive impairment and to develop potential therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shiping Li
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongjun Wang
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiong Shi
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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16
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Bird CW, Mayfield SS, Lopez KM, Dunn BR, Feng A, Roberts BT, Almeida RN, Chavez GJ, Valenzuela CF. Binge-like ethanol exposure during the brain growth spurt disrupts the function of retrosplenial cortex-projecting anterior thalamic neurons in adolescent mice. Neuropharmacology 2023; 241:109738. [PMID: 37778437 PMCID: PMC10842955 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109738] [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: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Ethanol (EtOH) exposure during late pregnancy leads to enduring impairments in learning and memory that may stem from damage to components of the posterior limbic memory system, including the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN). In rodents, binge-like EtOH exposure during the first week of life (equivalent to the third trimester of human pregnancy) triggers apoptosis in these brain regions. We hypothesized that this effect induces long-lasting alterations in the function of RSC-projecting ATN neurons. To test this hypothesis, vesicular GABA transporter-Venus mice (expressing fluorescently tagged GABAergic interneurons) were subjected to binge-like EtOH vapor exposure on postnatal day (P) 7. This paradigm activated caspase 3 in the anterodorsal (AD), anteroventral (AV), and reticular thalamic nuclei at P7 but did not reduce neuronal density in these areas at P60-70. At P40-60, we injected red retrobeads into the RSC and performed patch-clamp slice electrophysiological recordings from retrogradely labeled neurons in the AD and AV nuclei 3-4 days later. We found significant effects of treatment on instantaneous action potential (AP) frequency and AP overshoot, as well as sex × treatment interactions for AP threshold and overshoot in AD neurons. A sex × treatment interaction was detected for AP number in AV neurons. EtOH exposure also reduced the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and increased the charge transfer of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents. These results highlight a novel cellular mechanism that could contribute to the lasting learning and memory deficits associated with developmental EtOH exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clark W Bird
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Stefanie S Mayfield
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Katalina M Lopez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Brooke R Dunn
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Angela Feng
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Bryce T Roberts
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Roberto N Almeida
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Glenna J Chavez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
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Schleifer CH, O’Hora KP, Fung H, Xu J, Robinson TA, Wu AS, Kushan-Wells L, Lin A, Ching CRK, Bearden CE. Effects of Gene Dosage and Development on Subcortical Nuclei Volumes in Individuals with 22q11.2 Copy Number Variations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.31.564553. [PMID: 37961662 PMCID: PMC10635019 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.31.564553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The 22q11.2 locus contains genes critical for brain development. Reciprocal Copy Number Variations (CNVs) at this locus impact risk for neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Both 22q11.2 deletions (22qDel) and duplications (22qDup) are associated with autism, but 22qDel uniquely elevates schizophrenia risk. Understanding brain phenotypes associated with these highly penetrant CNVs can provide insights into genetic pathways underlying neuropsychiatric disorders. Human neuroimaging and animal models indicate subcortical brain alterations in 22qDel, yet little is known about developmental differences across specific nuclei between reciprocal 22q11.2 CNV carriers and typically developing (TD) controls. We conducted a longitudinal MRI study in 22qDel (n=96, 53.1% female), 22qDup (n=37, 45.9% female), and TD controls (n=80, 51.2% female), across a wide age range (5.5-49.5 years). Volumes of the thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and anatomical subregions were estimated using FreeSurfer, and the effect of 22q11.2 gene dosage was examined using linear mixed models. Age-related changes were characterized with general additive mixed models (GAMMs). Positive gene dosage effects (22qDel < TD < 22qDup) were observed for total intracranial and whole hippocampus volumes, but not whole thalamus or amygdala volumes. Several amygdala subregions exhibited similar positive effects, with bi-directional effects found across thalamic nuclei. Distinct age-related trajectories were observed across the three groups. Notably, both 22qDel and 22qDup carriers exhibited flattened development of hippocampal CA2/3 subfields relative to TD controls. This study provides novel insights into the impact of 22q11.2 CNVs on subcortical brain structures and their developmental trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles H. Schleifer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kathleen P. O’Hora
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hoki Fung
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Xu
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Taylor-Ann Robinson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Angela S. Wu
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Leila Kushan-Wells
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amy Lin
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christopher R. K. Ching
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Carrie E. Bearden
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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18
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Bitra VR, Challa SR, Adiukwu PC, Rapaka D. Tau trajectory in Alzheimer's disease: Evidence from the connectome-based computational models. Brain Res Bull 2023; 203:110777. [PMID: 37813312 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with an impairment of cognition and memory. Current research on connectomics have now related changes in the network organization in AD to the patterns of accumulation and spread of amyloid and tau, providing insights into the neurobiological mechanisms of the disease. In addition, network analysis and modeling focus on particular use of graphs to provide intuition into key organizational principles of brain structure, that stipulate how neural activity propagates along structural connections. The utility of connectome-based computational models aids in early predicting, tracking the progression of biomarker-directed AD neuropathology. In this article, we present a short review of tau trajectory, the connectome changes in tau pathology, and the dependent recent connectome-based computational modelling approaches for tau spreading, reproducing pragmatic findings, and developing significant novel tau targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veera Raghavulu Bitra
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, P/Bag-0022, Gaborone, Botswana.
| | - Siva Reddy Challa
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL 61614, USA; KVSR Siddartha College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Paul C Adiukwu
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, P/Bag-0022, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Deepthi Rapaka
- Pharmacology Division, D.D.T. College of Medicine, Gaborone, Botswana.
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19
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Xue Y, Xie S, Wang X, Xi X, Liu C. White matter microstructure alterations in idiopathic restless legs syndrome: a study combining crossing fiber-based and tensor-based approaches. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1240929. [PMID: 37811323 PMCID: PMC10551141 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1240929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensorimotor disorder characterized by an irrepressible urge to move the legs and frequently accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the legs. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying RLS remain unclear, and RLS is hypothesized to be associated with alterations in white matter tracts. Methods Diffusion MRI is a unique noninvasive method widely used to study white matter tracts in the human brain. Thus, diffusion-weighted images were acquired from 18 idiopathic RLS patients and 31 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Whole brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and atlas-based analyzes combining crossing fiber-based metrics and tensor-based metrics were performed to investigate the white matter patterns in individuals with RLS. Results TBSS analysis revealed significantly higher fractional anisotropy (FA) and partial volume fraction of primary (F1) fiber populations in multiple tracts associated with the sensorimotor network in patients with RLS than in HCs. In the atlas based analysis, the bilateral anterior thalamus radiation, bilateral corticospinal tract, bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, left hippocampal cingulum, left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and left uncinate fasciculus showed significantl increased F1, but only the left hippocampal cingulum showed significantly higher FA. Discussion The results demonstrated that F1 identified extensive alterations in white matter tracts compared with FA and confirmed the hypothesis that crossing fiber-based metrics are more sensitive than tensor-based metrics in detecting white matter abnormalities in RLS. The present findings provide evidence that the increased F1 metric observed in sensorimotor tracts may be a critical neural substrate of RLS, enhancing our understanding of the underlying pathological changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibo Xue
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Sangma Xie
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xunheng Wang
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xugang Xi
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chunyan Liu
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Beijing, China
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20
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Venkatesh P, Wolfe C, Lega B. Neuromodulation of the anterior thalamus: Current approaches and opportunities for the future. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 5:100109. [PMID: 38020810 PMCID: PMC10663132 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2023.100109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of thalamocortical circuits in memory has driven a recent burst of scholarship, especially in animal models. Investigating this circuitry in humans is more challenging. And yet, the development of new recording and stimulation technologies deployed for clinical indications has created novel opportunities for data collection to elucidate the cognitive roles of thalamic structures. These technologies include stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and responsive neurostimulation (RNS), all of which have been applied to memory-related thalamic regions, specifically for seizure localization and treatment. This review seeks to summarize the existing applications of neuromodulation of the anterior thalamic nuclei (ANT) and highlight several devices and their capabilities that can allow cognitive researchers to design experiments to assay its functionality. Our goal is to introduce to investigators, who may not be familiar with these clinical devices, the capabilities, and limitations of these tools for understanding the neurophysiology of the ANT as it pertains to memory and other behaviors. We also briefly cover the targeting of other thalamic regions including the centromedian (CM) nucleus, dorsomedial (DM) nucleus, and pulvinar, with associated potential avenues of experimentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Venkatesh
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Cody Wolfe
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
| | - Bradley Lega
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, 75390, USA
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21
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Shitova AD, Zharikova TS, Kovaleva ON, Luchina AM, Aktemirov AS, Olsufieva AV, Sinelnikov MY, Pontes-Silva A, Zharikov YO. Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder: A comprehensive review of structural alterations and neurological mechanisms. Behav Brain Res 2023; 453:114606. [PMID: 37524204 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Currently, it is possible to study the pathogenesis of Tourette's syndrome (TS) in more detail, due to more advanced methods of neuroimaging. However, medical and surgical treatment options are limited by a lack of understanding of the nature of the disorder and its relationship to some psychiatric disorders, the most common of which is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is believed that the origin of chronic tic disorders is based on an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory influences in the Cortico-Striato-Thalamo-Cortical circuits (CSTC). The main CSTCs involved in the pathological process have been identified by studying structural and neurotransmitter disturbances in the interaction between the cortex and the basal ganglia. A neurotransmitter deficiency in CSTC has been demonstrated by immunohistochemical and genetic methods, but it is still not known whether it arises as a consequence of genetically determined disturbances of neuronal migration during ontogenesis or as a consequence of altered production of proteins involved in neurotransmitter production. The aim of this review is to describe current ideas about the comorbidity of TS with OCD, the involvement of CSTC in the pathogenesis of both disorders and the background of structural and neurotransmitter changes in CSTC that may serve as targets for drug and neuromodulatory treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tatyana S Zharikova
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow 125009, Russia
| | - Olga N Kovaleva
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow 125009, Russia
| | - Anastasia M Luchina
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow 125009, Russia
| | - Arthur S Aktemirov
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow 125009, Russia
| | - Anna V Olsufieva
- Moscow University for Industry and Finance "Synergy", Moscow 125315, Russia
| | - Mikhail Y Sinelnikov
- Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow 119048, Russia; Russian National Centre of Surgery, Avtsyn Research Institute of Human Morphology, Moscow 117418, Russia
| | - André Pontes-Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Physical Therapy, Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Yury O Zharikov
- Department of Human Anatomy and Histology, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow 125009, Russia
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22
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Huang H, Li R, Zhang J. A review of visual sustained attention: neural mechanisms and computational models. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15351. [PMID: 37334118 PMCID: PMC10274610 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Sustained attention is one of the basic abilities of humans to maintain concentration on relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information over extended periods. The purpose of the review is to provide insight into how to integrate neural mechanisms of sustained attention with computational models to facilitate research and application. Although many studies have assessed attention, the evaluation of humans' sustained attention is not sufficiently comprehensive. Hence, this study provides a current review on both neural mechanisms and computational models of visual sustained attention. We first review models, measurements, and neural mechanisms of sustained attention and propose plausible neural pathways for visual sustained attention. Next, we analyze and compare the different computational models of sustained attention that the previous reviews have not systematically summarized. We then provide computational models for automatically detecting vigilance states and evaluation of sustained attention. Finally, we outline possible future trends in the research field of sustained attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Huang
- National Engineering Research Center for E-learning, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Rui Li
- National Engineering Research Center for E-learning, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Junsong Zhang
- Brain Cognition and Intelligent Computing Lab, Department of Artificial Intelligence, School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
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23
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Nigri A, Umberto M, Stanziano M, Ferraro S, Fedeli D, Medina Carrion JP, Palermo S, Lequio L, Denegri F, Agosta F, Filippi M, Valentini MC, Canosa A, Calvo A, Chiò A, Bruzzone MG, Moglia C. C9orf72 ALS mutation carriers show extensive cortical and subcortical damage compared to matched wild-type ALS patients. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 38:103400. [PMID: 37068310 PMCID: PMC10130353 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE C9orf72 mutation carriers with different neurological phenotypes show cortical and subcortical atrophy in multiple different brain regions, even in pre-symptomatic phases. Despite there is a substantial amount of knowledge, small sample sizes, clinical heterogeneity, as well as different choices of image analysis may hide anatomical abnormalities that are unique to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with this genotype or that are indicative of the C9orf72-specific trait overlain in fronto-temporal dementia patients. METHODS Brain structural and resting state functional magnetic imaging was obtained in 24 C9orf72 positive (ALSC9+) ALS patients paired for burden disease with 24 C9orf72 negative (ALSC9-) ALS patients. A comprehensive structural evaluation of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes between ALSC9+ and ALSC9- patients was performed while a region of interest (ROI)-ROI analysis of functional connectivity was implemented to assess functional alterations among abnormal cortical and subcortical regions. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS Compared to ALSC9- patients, ALSC9+ patients exhibited extensive disease-specific patterns of thalamo-cortico-striatal atrophy, supported by functional alterations of the identified abnormal regions. Cortical thinning was most pronounced in posterior areas and extended to frontal regions. Bilateral atrophy of the mediodorsal and pulvinar nuclei was observed, emphasizing a focal rather than global thalamus atrophy. Volume loss in a large portion of bilateral caudate and left putamen was reported. The marked reduction of functional connectivity observed between the left posterior thalamus and almost all the atrophic cortical regions support the central role of the thalamus in the pathogenic mechanism of C9orf72-mediated disease. CONCLUSIONS These findings constitute a coherent and robust picture of ALS patients with C9orf72-mediated disease, unveiling a specific structural and functional characterization of thalamo-cortico-striatal circuit alteration. Our study introduces new evidence in the characterization of the pathogenic mechanisms of C9orf72 mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Nigri
- Neuroradiology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Manera Umberto
- ALS Centre, "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Mario Stanziano
- Neuroradiology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy; ALS Centre, "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | - Stefania Ferraro
- Neuroradiology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy; School of Life Science and Technology, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Davide Fedeli
- Neuroradiology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Sara Palermo
- Neuroradiology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Lequio
- Neuroradiology Unit, CTO Hospital, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Italy
| | - Federica Denegri
- Neuroradiology Unit, CTO Hospital, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Italy
| | - Federica Agosta
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Italy; Neurology Unit, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Filippi
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Italy; Neurology Unit, Italy; Neurorehabilitation Unit, Italy; Neurophysiology Service, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Canosa
- ALS Centre, "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, SC Neurologia 1U, Turin, Italy; Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Council of Research, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Calvo
- ALS Centre, "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, SC Neurologia 1U, Turin, Italy
| | - Adriano Chiò
- ALS Centre, "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, SC Neurologia 1U, Turin, Italy; Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Council of Research, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Bruzzone
- Neuroradiology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Moglia
- ALS Centre, "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, SC Neurologia 1U, Turin, Italy
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24
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Hellewell SC, Granger DA, Cernak I. Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Results in Spatially Distinct Gray Matter Alteration Alongside Hormonal Alteration: A Preliminary Investigation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076797. [PMID: 37047768 PMCID: PMC10094760 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Blast-induced neurotrauma (BINT) frequently occurs during military training and deployment and has been linked to long-term neuropsychological and neurocognitive changes, and changes in brain structure. As military personnel experience frequent exposures to stress, BINT may negatively influence stress coping abilities. This study aimed to determine the effects of BINT on gray matter volume and hormonal alteration. Participants were Canadian Armed Forces personnel and veterans with a history of BINT (n = 12), and first responder controls (n = 8), recruited due to their characteristic occupational stress professions. Whole saliva was collected via passive drool on the morning of testing and analyzed for testosterone (pg/mL), cortisol (μg/dL), and testosterone/cortisol (T/C) ratio. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to compare gray matter (GM) volume, alongside measurement of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes. Saliva analyses revealed distinct alterations following BINT, with significantly elevated testosterone and T/C ratio. Widespread and largely symmetric loci of reduced GM were found specific to BINT, particularly in the temporal gyrus, precuneus, and thalamus. These findings suggest that BINT affects hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and -gonadal axis function, and causes anatomically-specific GM loss, which were not observed in a comparator group with similar occupational stressors. These findings support BINT as a unique injury with distinct structural and endocrine consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Hellewell
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
- The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ibolja Cernak
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, Columbus, GA 31902, USA
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25
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Ferrier FJ, Saul I, Khoury N, Ruiz AJ, Lao EJP, Escobar I, Dave KR, Young JI, Perez-Pinzon MA. Post cardiac arrest physical exercise mitigates cell death in the septal and thalamic nuclei and ameliorates contextual fear conditioning deficits in rats. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2023; 43:446-459. [PMID: 36369732 PMCID: PMC9941858 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x221137539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
A major concern for cardiac arrest (CA) survivors is the manifestation of long-term cognitive impairments. Physical exercise (PE) is a well-established approach to improve cognitive functions under certain pathological conditions. We previously showed that PE post-CA mitigates cognitive deficits, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. To define neuroprotective mechanisms, we analyzed whether PE post-CA protects neurons involved in memory. We first performed a contextual fear conditioning (CFC) test to confirm that PE post-CA preserves memory in rats. We then conducted a cell-count analysis and determined the number of live cells in the hippocampus, and septal and thalamic nuclei, all areas involved in cognitive functions. Lastly, we performed RNA-seq to determine PE post-CA effect on gene expression. Following CA, exercised rats had preserved CFC memory than sham PE animals. Despite this outcome, PE post-CA did not protect hippocampal cells from dying. However, PE ameliorated cell death in septal and thalamic nuclei compared to sham PE animals, suggesting that these nuclei are crucial in mitigating cognitive decline post-CA. Interestingly, PE affected regulation of genes related to neuroinflammation, plasticity, and cell death. These findings reveal potential mechanisms whereby PE post-CA preserves cognitive functions by protecting septal and thalamic cells via gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando J Ferrier
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami FL
| | - Isabel Saul
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Nathalie Khoury
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami FL
| | - Alexander J Ruiz
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
| | - Efrain J Perez Lao
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami FL
- Hussman Institute for Human Genetics, University of Miami
Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Iris Escobar
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami FL
| | - Kunjan R Dave
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami FL
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Juan I Young
- Hussman Institute for Human Genetics, University of Miami
Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Miguel A Perez-Pinzon
- Peritz Scheinberg Cerebral Vascular Disease Research
Laboratories, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami,
FL, USA
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami FL
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller
School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
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26
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Jillings S, Pechenkova E, Tomilovskaya E, Rukavishnikov I, Jeurissen B, Van Ombergen A, Nosikova I, Rumshiskaya A, Litvinova L, Annen J, De Laet C, Schoenmaekers C, Sijbers J, Petrovichev V, Sunaert S, Parizel PM, Sinitsyn V, Eulenburg PZ, Laureys S, Demertzi A, Wuyts FL. Prolonged microgravity induces reversible and persistent changes on human cerebral connectivity. Commun Biol 2023; 6:46. [PMID: 36639420 PMCID: PMC9839680 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04382-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The prospect of continued manned space missions warrants an in-depth understanding of how prolonged microgravity affects the human brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can pinpoint changes reflecting adaptive neuroplasticity across time. We acquired resting-state fMRI data of cosmonauts before, shortly after, and eight months after spaceflight as a follow-up to assess global connectivity changes over time. Our results show persisting connectivity decreases in posterior cingulate cortex and thalamus and persisting increases in the right angular gyrus. Connectivity in the bilateral insular cortex decreased after spaceflight, which reversed at follow-up. No significant connectivity changes across eight months were found in a matched control group. Overall, we show that altered gravitational environments influence functional connectivity longitudinally in multimodal brain hubs, reflecting adaptations to unfamiliar and conflicting sensory input in microgravity. These results provide insights into brain functional modifications occurring during spaceflight, and their further development when back on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Jillings
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ekaterina Pechenkova
- grid.410682.90000 0004 0578 2005Laboratory for Cognitive Research, HSE University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Tomilovskaya
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124SSC RF—Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya Rukavishnikov
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124SSC RF—Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ben Jeurissen
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681imec-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Angelique Van Ombergen
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium ,grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Department of Translational Neuroscience—ENT, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Inna Nosikova
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124SSC RF—Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alena Rumshiskaya
- grid.415738.c0000 0000 9216 2496Radiology Department, National Medical Research Treatment and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Liudmila Litvinova
- grid.415738.c0000 0000 9216 2496Radiology Department, National Medical Research Treatment and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Jitka Annen
- grid.411374.40000 0000 8607 6858Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, GIGA Institute, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Chloë De Laet
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Catho Schoenmaekers
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jan Sijbers
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681imec-Vision Lab, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Victor Petrovichev
- grid.415738.c0000 0000 9216 2496Radiology Department, National Medical Research Treatment and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Stefan Sunaert
- grid.5596.f0000 0001 0668 7884Department of Imaging & Pathology, Translational MRI, KU Leuven—University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Paul M. Parizel
- grid.416195.e0000 0004 0453 3875Department of Radiology, Royal Perth Hospital and University of Western Australia Medical School, Perth, WA Australia
| | - Valentin Sinitsyn
- grid.14476.300000 0001 2342 9668Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Peter zu Eulenburg
- grid.5252.00000 0004 1936 973XInstitute for Neuroradiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Steven Laureys
- grid.411374.40000 0000 8607 6858Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, GIGA Institute, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium ,grid.23856.3a0000 0004 1936 8390Joint International Research Unit on Consciousness, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec, QC Canada ,grid.410595.c0000 0001 2230 9154International Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Athena Demertzi
- grid.4861.b0000 0001 0805 7253Physiology of Cognition, GIGA-CRC In Vivo Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium ,grid.4861.b0000 0001 0805 7253Department of Psychology, Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Floris L. Wuyts
- grid.5284.b0000 0001 0790 3681Lab for Equilibrium Investigations and Aerospace, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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27
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Zhang P, He Z, Mao Y, Sun R, Qu Y, Chen L, Ma P, Yin S, Yin T, Zeng F. Aberrant resting-state functional connectivity and topological properties of the subcortical network in functional dyspepsia patients. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1001557. [PMCID: PMC9606653 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1001557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a disorder of gut-brain interaction. Previous studies have demonstrated a wide range of abnormalities in functional brain activity and connectivity patterns in FD. However, the connectivity pattern of the subcortical network (SCN), which is a hub of visceral information transmission and processing, remains unclear in FD patients. The study compared the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and the global and nodal topological properties of SCN between 109 FD patients and 98 healthy controls, and then explored the correlations between the connectivity metrics and clinical symptoms in FD patients. The results demonstrated that FD patients manifested the increased rsFC in seventeen edges among the SCN, decreased small-worldness and local efficiency in SCN, as well as increased nodal efficiency and nodal degree centrality in the anterior thalamus than healthy controls (p < 0.05, false discovery rate corrected). Moreover, the rsFC of the right anterior thalamus-left nucleus accumbens edge was significantly correlated with the NDSI scores (r = 0.255, p = 0.008, uncorrected) and NDLQI scores (r = −0.241, p = 0.013, uncorrected), the nodal efficiency of right anterior thalamus was significantly correlated with NDLQI scores (r = 0.204, p = 0.036, uncorrected) in FD patients. This study indicated the abnormal rsFC pattern, as well as global and nodal topological properties of the SCN, especially the bilateral anterior thalamus in FD patients, which enhanced our understanding of the central pathophysiology of FD and will lay the foundation for the objective diagnosis of FD and the development of new therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Zhang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhaoxuan He
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yangke Mao
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Ruirui Sun
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuzhu Qu
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Chen
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Peihong Ma
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Yin
- First Affiliated Hospital, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Tao Yin
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Tao Yin,
| | - Fang Zeng
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Fang Zeng,
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28
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Hamilton JJ, Dalrymple‐Alford JC. Anterior thalamic nuclei: A critical substrate for non-spatial paired-associate memory in rats. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:5014-5032. [PMID: 35985792 PMCID: PMC9804733 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Injury or dysfunction in the anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) may be the key contributory factor in many instances of diencephalic amnesia. Experimental ATN lesions impair spatial memory and temporal discriminations, but there is only limited support for a more general role in non-spatial memory. To extend evidence on the effects of ATN lesions, we examined the acquisition of biconditional associations between odour and object pairings presented in a runway, either with or without a temporal gap between these items. Intact adult male rats acquired both the no-trace and 10-s trace versions of this non-spatial task. Intact rats trained in the trace version showed elevated Zif268 activation in the dorsal CA1 of the hippocampus, suggesting that the temporal component recruited additional neural processing. ATN lesions completely blocked acquisition on both versions of this association-memory task. This deficit was not due to poor inhibition to non-rewarded cues or impaired sensory processing, because rats with ATN lesions were unimpaired in the acquisition of simple odour discriminations and simple object discriminations using similar task demands in the same apparatus. This evidence challenges the view that impairments in arbitrary paired-associate learning after ATN lesions require the use of multimodal spatial stimuli. It suggests that diencephalic amnesia associated with the ATN stems from degraded attention to stimulus-stimulus associations and their representation across a distributed memory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J. Hamilton
- School of Psychology, Speech and HearingUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand,New Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand,Brain Research New Zealand – Rangahau Roro AotearoaAucklandNew Zealand
| | - John C. Dalrymple‐Alford
- School of Psychology, Speech and HearingUniversity of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand,New Zealand Brain Research InstituteChristchurchNew Zealand,Brain Research New Zealand – Rangahau Roro AotearoaAucklandNew Zealand
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29
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Szabó JP, Fabó D, Pető N, Sákovics A, Bódizs R. Role of anterior thalamic circuitry during sleep. Epilepsy Res 2022; 186:106999. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2022.106999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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REDUCED POWER AND PHASE-LOCKING VALUES WERE ACCOMPANIED BY THALAMUS, PUTAMEN AND HIPPOCAMPUS ATROPHY IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT: AN EVENT-RELATED OSCILLATION STUDY. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 121:88-106. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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31
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Abuaf AF, Bunting SR, Klein S, Carroll T, Carpenter-Thompson J, Javed A, Cipriani V. Analysis of the extent of limbic system changes in multiple sclerosis using FreeSurfer and voxel-based morphometry approaches. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274778. [PMID: 36137122 PMCID: PMC9499213 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose The limbic brain is involved in diverse cognitive, emotional, and autonomic functions. Injury of the various parts of the limbic system have been correlated with clinical deficits in MS. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively examine different regions of the subcortical limbic system to assess the extent of damage within this entire system as it may be pertinent in correlating with specific aspects of cognitive and behavioral dysfunction in MS by using a fully automated, unbiased segmentation approach. Methods Sixty-seven subjects were included in this study, including 52 with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 15 healthy controls. Only patients with stable MS disease, without any relapses, MRI activity, or disability progression were included. Subcortical limbic system segmentation was performed using the FreeSurfer pipeline ScLimbic, which provides volumes for fornix, mammillary bodies, hypothalamus, septal nuclei, nucleus accumbens, and basal forebrain. Hippocampus and anterior thalamic nuclei were added as additional components of the limbic circuitry, also segmented through FreeSurfer. Whole limbic region mask was generated by combining these structures and used for Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Results The mean [95% confidence interval] of the total limbic system volume was lower (0.22% [0.21–0.23]) in MS compared to healthy controls (0.27%, [0.25–0.29], p < .001). Pairwise comparisons of individual limbic regions between MS and controls was significant in the nucleus accumbens (0.046%, [0.043–0.050] vs. 0.059%, [0.051–0.066], p = .005), hypothalamus (0.062%, [0.059–0.065] vs. 0.074%, [0.068–0.081], p = .001), basal forebrain (0.038%, [0.036–0.040] vs. 0.047%, [0.042–0.051], p = .001), hippocampus (0.47%, [0.45–0.49] vs. 0.53%, [0.49–0.57], p = .004), and anterior thalamus (0.077%, [0.072–0.082] vs. 0.093%, [0.084–0.10], p = .001) after Bonferroni correction. Volume of several limbic regions was significantly correlated with T2 lesion burden and brain parenchymal fraction (BPF). Multiple regression model showed minimal influence of BPF on limbic brain volume and no influence of other demographic and disease state variables. VBM analysis showed cluster differences in the fornix and anterior thalamic nuclei at threshold p < 0.05 after adjusting for covariates but the results were insignificant after family-wise error corrections. Conclusions The results show evidence that brain volume loss is fairly extensive in the limbic brain. Given the significance of the limbic system in many disease states including MS, such volumetric analyses can be expanded to studying cognitive and emotional disturbances in larger clinical trials. FreeSurfer ScLimbic pipeline provided an efficient and reliable methodology for examining many of the subcortical structures related to the limbic brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Frisosky Abuaf
- Department of Neurology, The University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Samuel R. Bunting
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Sara Klein
- Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Timothy Carroll
- Department of Radiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | | | - Adil Javed
- Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Veronica Cipriani
- Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
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Frank D, Garo-Pascual M, Velasquez PAR, Frades B, Peled N, Zhang L, Strange BA. Brain structure and episodic learning rate in cognitively healthy ageing. Neuroimage 2022; 263:119630. [PMID: 36113738 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory normally declines with ageing and these age-related cognitive changes are associated with changes in brain structure. Episodic memory retrieval has been widely studied during ageing, whereas learning has received less attention. Here we examined the neural correlates of episodic learning rate in ageing. Our study sample consisted of 982 cognitively healthy female and male older participants from the Vallecas Project cohort, without a clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The learning rate across the three consecutive recall trials of the verbal memory task (Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test) recall trials was used as a predictor of grey matter (GM) using voxel-based morphometry, and WM microstructure using tract-based spatial statistics on fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) measures. Immediate Recall improved by 1.4 items per trial on average, and this episodic learning rate was faster in women and negatively associated with age. Structurally, hippocampal and anterior thalamic GM volume correlated positively with learning rate. Learning also correlated with the integrity of WM microstructure (high FA and low MD) in an extensive network of tracts including bilateral anterior thalamic radiation, fornix, and long-range tracts. These results suggest that episodic learning rate is associated with key anatomical structures for memory functioning, motivating further exploration of the differential diagnostic properties between episodic learning rate and retrieval in ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darya Frank
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, CTB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28223, Spain.
| | - Marta Garo-Pascual
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, CTB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28223, Spain; Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center, Madrid 28031, Spain; PhD Program in Neuroscience, Autonoma de Madrid University, Madrid 28049, Spain.
| | - Pablo Alejandro Reyes Velasquez
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, CTB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28223, Spain
| | - Belén Frades
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center, Madrid 28031, Spain
| | - Noam Peled
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Linda Zhang
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center, Madrid 28031, Spain
| | - Bryan A Strange
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centro de Tecnología Biomédica, CTB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28223, Spain; Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center, Madrid 28031, Spain.
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33
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Yang H, Shan W, Fan J, Deng J, Luan G, Wang Q, Zhang Y, You H. Mapping the Neural Circuits Responding to Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in the Rat Brain. Epilepsy Res 2022; 187:107027. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2022.107027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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34
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Aggleton JP, Nelson AJD, O'Mara SM. Time to retire the serial Papez circuit: Implications for space, memory, and attention. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 140:104813. [PMID: 35940310 PMCID: PMC10804970 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
After more than 80 years, Papez serial circuit remains a hugely influential concept, initially for emotion, but in more recent decades, for memory. Here, we show how this circuit is anatomically and mechanistically naïve as well as outdated. We argue that a new conceptualisation is necessitated by recent anatomical and functional findings that emphasize the more equal, working partnerships between the anterior thalamic nuclei and the hippocampal formation, along with their neocortical interactions in supporting, episodic memory. Furthermore, despite the importance of the anterior thalamic for mnemonic processing, there is growing evidence that these nuclei support multiple aspects of cognition, only some of which are directly associated with hippocampal function. By viewing the anterior thalamic nuclei as a multifunctional hub, a clearer picture emerges of extra-hippocampal regions supporting memory. The reformulation presented here underlines the need to retire Papez serially processing circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Aggleton
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, 70 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, Wales, UK.
| | - Andrew J D Nelson
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, 70 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, Wales, UK
| | - Shane M O'Mara
- School of Psychology and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
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35
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Cassel JC, de Vasconcelos AP. The thalamus: A long journey through successive translations (Editorial to the special issue entitled 'The Cognitive Thalamus'). Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 140:104779. [PMID: 35868523 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives, Université de Strasbourg, F-67000 Strasbourg, France; LNCA, UMR 7364 - CNRS, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
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36
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Lee JY, You T, Lee CH, Im GH, Seo H, Woo CW, Kim SG. Role of anterior cingulate cortex inputs to periaqueductal gray for pain avoidance. Curr Biol 2022; 32:2834-2847.e5. [PMID: 35609604 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Although pain-related excessive fear is known to be a key factor in chronic pain disability, which involves the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), little is known about the downstream circuits of the ACC for fear avoidance in pain processing. Using behavioral experiments and functional magnetic resonance imaging with optogenetics at 15.2 T, we demonstrate that the ACC is a part of the abnormal circuit changes in chronic pain and its downstream circuits are closely related to modulating sensorimotor integration and generating active movement rather than carrying sensory information. The projection from the ACC to the dorsolateral and lateral parts of the periaqueductal gray (dl/lPAG) especially enhances both reflexive and active avoidance behavior toward pain. Collectively, our results indicate that increased signals from the ACC to the dl/lPAG might be critical for excessive fear avoidance in chronic pain disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong-Yun Lee
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Taeyi You
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Choong-Hee Lee
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Geun Ho Im
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Heewon Seo
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44704, USA
| | - Choong-Wan Woo
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong-Gi Kim
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (CNIR), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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37
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The anterior thalamic nuclei: core components of a tripartite episodic memory system. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:505-516. [PMID: 35478245 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00591-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Standard models of episodic memory focus on hippocampal-parahippocampal interactions, with the neocortex supplying sensory information and providing a final repository of mnemonic representations. However, recent advances have shown that other regions make distinct and equally critical contributions to memory. In particular, there is growing evidence that the anterior thalamic nuclei have a number of key cognitive functions that support episodic memory. In this article, we describe these findings and argue for a core, tripartite memory system, comprising a 'temporal lobe' stream (centred on the hippocampus) and a 'medial diencephalic' stream (centred on the anterior thalamic nuclei) that together act on shared cortical areas. We demonstrate how these distributed brain regions form complementary and necessary partnerships in episodic memory formation.
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38
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Attention Control and Audiomotor Processes Underlying Anticipation of Musical Themes while Listening to Familiar Sonata-Form Pieces. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020261. [PMID: 35204024 PMCID: PMC8870438 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
When listening to music, people are excited by the musical cues immediately before rewarding passages. More generally, listeners attend to the antecedent cues of a salient musical event irrespective of its emotional valence. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the behavioral and cognitive mechanisms underlying the cued anticipation of the main theme’s recurrence in sonata form. Half of the main themes in the musical stimuli were of a joyful character, half a tragic character. Activity in the premotor cortex suggests that around the main theme’s recurrence, the participants tended to covertly hum along with music. The anterior thalamus, pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), posterior cerebellum, inferior frontal junction (IFJ), and auditory cortex showed increased activity for the antecedent cues of the themes, relative to the middle-last part of the themes. Increased activity in the anterior thalamus may reflect its role in guiding attention towards stimuli that reliably predict important outcomes. The preSMA and posterior cerebellum may support sequence processing, fine-grained auditory imagery, and fine adjustments to humming according to auditory inputs. The IFJ might orchestrate the attention allocation to motor simulation and goal-driven attention. These findings highlight the attention control and audiomotor components of musical anticipation.
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39
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Smith DM, Yang YY, Subramanian DL, Miller AMP, Bulkin DA, Law LM. The limbic memory circuit and the neural basis of contextual memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 187:107557. [PMID: 34808337 PMCID: PMC8755583 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex and anterior thalamus are key components of a neural circuit known to be involved in a variety of memory functions, including spatial, contextual and episodic memory. In this review, we focus on the role of this circuit in contextual memory processes. The background environment, or context, is a powerful cue for memory retrieval, and neural representations of the context provide a mechanism for efficiently retrieving relevant memories while avoiding interference from memories that belong to other contexts. Data from experimental lesions and neural manipulation techniques indicate that each of these regions is critical for contextual memory. Neurophysiological evidence from the hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex suggest that contextual information is represented within this circuit by population-level neural firing patterns that reliably differentiate each context a subject encounters. These findings indicate that encoding contextual information to support context-dependent memory retrieval is a key function of this circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Smith
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States.
| | - Yan Yu Yang
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | | | - Adam M P Miller
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - David A Bulkin
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - L Matthew Law
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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40
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Kang S, Jun S, Baek SJ, Park H, Yamamoto Y, Tanaka-Yamamoto K. Recent Advances in the Understanding of Specific Efferent Pathways Emerging From the Cerebellum. Front Neuroanat 2021; 15:759948. [PMID: 34975418 PMCID: PMC8716603 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.759948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebellum has a long history in terms of research on its network structures and motor functions, yet our understanding of them has further advanced in recent years owing to technical developments, such as viral tracers, optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulation, and single cell gene expression analyses. Specifically, it is now widely accepted that the cerebellum is also involved in non-motor functions, such as cognitive and psychological functions, mainly from studies that have clarified neuronal pathways from the cerebellum to other brain regions that are relevant to these functions. The techniques to manipulate specific neuronal pathways were effectively utilized to demonstrate the involvement of the cerebellum and its pathways in specific brain functions, without altering motor activity. In particular, the cerebellar efferent pathways that have recently gained attention are not only monosynaptic connections to other brain regions, including the periaqueductal gray and ventral tegmental area, but also polysynaptic connections to other brain regions, including the non-primary motor cortex and hippocampus. Besides these efferent pathways associated with non-motor functions, recent studies using sophisticated experimental techniques further characterized the historically studied efferent pathways that are primarily associated with motor functions. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, there are no articles that comprehensively describe various cerebellar efferent pathways, although there are many interesting review articles focusing on specific functions or pathways. Here, we summarize the recent findings on neuronal networks projecting from the cerebellum to several brain regions. We also introduce various techniques that have enabled us to advance our understanding of the cerebellar efferent pathways, and further discuss possible directions for future research regarding these efferent pathways and their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seulgi Kang
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Soyoung Jun
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Soo Ji Baek
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Heeyoun Park
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yukio Yamamoto
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Keiko Tanaka-Yamamoto
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, South Korea
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41
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Basile GA, Bertino S, Bramanti A, Ciurleo R, Anastasi GP, Milardi D, Cacciola A. In Vivo Super-Resolution Track-Density Imaging for Thalamic Nuclei Identification. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:5613-5636. [PMID: 34296740 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of novel techniques for the in vivo, non-invasive visualization and identification of thalamic nuclei has represented a major challenge for human neuroimaging research in the last decades. Thalamic nuclei have important implications in various key aspects of brain physiology and many of them show selective alterations in various neurologic and psychiatric disorders. In addition, both surgical stimulation and ablation of specific thalamic nuclei have been proven to be useful for the treatment of different neuropsychiatric diseases. The present work aimed at describing a novel protocol for histologically guided delineation of thalamic nuclei based on short-tracks track-density imaging (stTDI), which is an advanced imaging technique exploiting high angular resolution diffusion tractography to obtain super-resolved white matter maps. We demonstrated that this approach can identify up to 13 distinct thalamic nuclei bilaterally with very high inter-subject (ICC: 0.996, 95% CI: 0.993-0.998) and inter-rater (ICC:0.981; 95% CI:0.963-0.989) reliability, and that both subject-based and group-level thalamic parcellation show a fair share of similarity to a recent standard-space histological thalamic atlas. Finally, we showed that stTDI-derived thalamic maps can be successfully employed to study structural and functional connectivity of the thalamus and may have potential implications both for basic and translational research, as well as for presurgical planning purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianpaolo Antonio Basile
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Salvatore Bertino
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Alessia Bramanti
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Medical School of Salerno", University of Salerno, 84084 Baronissi, Italy
| | - Rosella Ciurleo
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino Pulejo", 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pio Anastasi
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Demetrio Milardi
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Alberto Cacciola
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
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Liu J, Yu T, Wu J, Pan Y, Tan Z, Liu R, Wang X, Ren L, Wang L. Anterior thalamic stimulation improves working memory precision judgments. Brain Stimul 2021; 14:1073-1080. [PMID: 34284167 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The anterior nucleus of thalamus (ANT) has been suggested as an extended hippocampal system. The circuit of ANT and hippocampus has been widely demonstrated to be associated with memory function. Both lesions to each region and disrupting inter-regional information flow can induce working memory impairment. However, the role of this circuit in working memory precision remains unknown. OBJECTIVE To test the role of the hippocampal-anterior thalamic pathway in working memory precision, we delivered intracranially electrical stimulation to the ANT. We hypothesize that ANT stimulation can improve working memory precision. METHODS Presurgical epilepsy patients with depth electrodes in ANT and hippocampus were recruited to perform a color-recall working memory task. Participants were instructed to point out the color they were supposed to recall by clicking a point on the color wheel, while the intracranial EEG data were synchronously recorded. For randomly selected half trials, a bipolar electrical stimulation was delivered to the ANT electrodes. RESULTS We found that compared to non-stimulation trials, working memory precision judgements were significantly improved for stimulation trials. ANT electrical stimulation significantly increased spectral power of gamma (30-100 Hz) oscillations and decreased interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) in the hippocampus. Moreover, the increased gamma power during the pre-stimulus and retrieval period predicted the improvement of working memory precision judgements. CONCLUSION ANT electrical stimulation can improve working memory precision judgements and modulate hippocampal gamma activity, providing direct evidence on the role of the human hippocampal-anterior thalamic axis in working memory precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Yu
- Beijing Institute of Functional Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Comprehensive Epilepsy Center of Beijing, The Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinfeng Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yali Pan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ruobing Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xueyuan Wang
- Beijing Institute of Functional Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Comprehensive Epilepsy Center of Beijing, The Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Liankun Ren
- Beijing Institute of Functional Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Comprehensive Epilepsy Center of Beijing, The Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Barnett S, Parr-Brownlie L, Perry B, Young C, Wicky H, Hughes S, McNaughton N, Dalrymple-Alford J. Anterior thalamic nuclei neurons sustain memory. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 2:100022. [PMID: 36246504 PMCID: PMC9559952 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2021.100022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A hippocampal-diencephalic-cortical network supports memory function. The anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) form a key anatomical hub within this system. Consistent with this, injury to the mammillary body-ATN axis is associated with examples of clinical amnesia. However, there is only limited and indirect support that the output of ATN neurons actively enhances memory. Here, in rats, we first showed that mammillothalamic tract (MTT) lesions caused a persistent impairment in spatial working memory. MTT lesions also reduced rhythmic electrical activity across the memory system. Next, we introduced 8.5 Hz optogenetic theta-burst stimulation of the ATN glutamatergic neurons. The exogenously-triggered, regular pattern of stimulation produced an acute and substantial improvement of spatial working memory in rats with MTT lesions and enhanced rhythmic electrical activity. Neither behaviour nor rhythmic activity was affected by endogenous stimulation derived from the dorsal hippocampus. Analysis of immediate early gene activity, after the rats foraged for food in an open field, showed that exogenously-triggered ATN stimulation also increased Zif268 expression across memory-related structures. These findings provide clear evidence that increased ATN neuronal activity supports memory. They suggest that ATN-focused gene therapy may be feasible to counter clinical amnesia associated with dysfunction in the mammillary body-ATN axis. The mammillothalamic tract (MTT) supports neural activity in an extended memory system. Optogenetic activation of neurons in the anterior thalamus acutely improves memory after MTT lesions. Rescued memory associates with system-wide neuronal activation and enhanced EEG. Anterior thalamus actively sustains memory and is a feasible therapeutic target.
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