Blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging of bilateral but asymmetrical responses to gustatory stimulation in the rat insular cortex

Chemospecific deficits in taste sensitivity following bilateral or right hemispheric gustatory cortex lesions in rats

Our prior studies showed bilateral gustatory cortex (GC) lesions significantly impair taste sensitivity to salts (NaCl and KCl) and quinine ("bitter") but not to sucrose ("sweet"). The range of qualitative tastants tested here has been extended in a theoretically relevant way to include the maltodextrin, Maltrin, a preferred stimulus by rats thought to represent a unique taste quality, and the "sour" stimulus citric acid; NaCl was also included as a positive control. Male rats (Sprague-Dawley) with histologically confirmed neurotoxin-induced bilateral (BGCX, n = 13), or right (RGCX, n = 13) or left (LGCX, n = 9) unilateral GC lesions and sham-operated controls (SHAM, n = 16) were trained to discriminate a tastant from water in an operant two-response detection task. A mapping system was used to determine placement, size, and symmetry (when bilateral) of the lesion. BGCX significantly impaired taste sensitivity to NaCl, as expected, but not to Maltrin or citric acid, emulating our prior results with sucrose. However, in the case of citric acid, there was some disruption in performance at higher concentrations. Interestingly, RGCX, but not LGCX, also significantly impaired taste sensitivity, but only to NaCl, suggesting some degree of lateralized function. Taken together with our prior findings, extensive bilateral lesions in GC do not disrupt basic taste signal detection to all taste stimuli uniformly. Moreover, GC lesions do not preclude the ability of rats to learn and perform the task, clearly demonstrating that, in its absence, other brain regions are able to maintain sensory-discriminative taste processing, albeit with attenuated sensitivity for select stimuli.

Extensive Gustatory Cortex Lesions Significantly Impair Taste Sensitivity to KCl and Quinine but Not to Sucrose in Rats

Recently, we reported that large bilateral gustatory cortex (GC) lesions significantly impair taste sensitivity to salts in rats. Here we extended the tastants examined to include sucrose and quinine in rats with ibotenic acid-induced lesions in GC (GCX) and in sham-operated controls (SHAM). Presurgically, immediately after drinking NaCl, rats received a LiCl or saline injection (i.p.), but postsurgical tests indicated a weak conditioned taste aversion (CTA) even in controls. The rats were then trained and tested in gustometers to discriminate a tastant from water in a two-response operant taste detection task. Psychometric functions were derived for sucrose, KCl, and quinine. Our mapping system was used to determine placement, size, and symmetry of the lesions (~91% GC damage on average). For KCl, there was a significant rightward shift (ΔEC50 = 0.57 log10 units; p<0.001) in the GCX psychometric function relative to SHAM, replicating our prior work. There was also a significant lesion-induced impairment (ΔEC50 = 0.41 log10 units; p = 0.006) in quinine sensitivity. Surprisingly, taste sensitivity to sucrose was unaffected by the extensive lesions and was comparable between GCX and SHAM rats. The fact that such large bilateral GC lesions did not shift sucrose psychometric functions relative to SHAM, but did significantly compromise quinine and KCl sensitivity suggests that the neural circuits responsible for the detection of specific taste stimuli are partially dissociable. Lesion-induced impairments were observed in expression of a postsurgical CTA to a maltodextrin solution as assessed in a taste-oriented brief-access test, but were not reflected in a longer term 46-h two-bottle test. Thus, deficits observed in rats after extensive damage to the GC are also dependent on the test used to assess taste function. In conclusion, the degree to which the GC is necessary for the maintenance of normal taste detectability apparently depends on the chemical and/or perceptual features of the stimulus.

Bilateral lesions in a specific subregion of posterior insular cortex impair conditioned taste aversion expression in rats

The gustatory cortex (GC) is widely regarded for its integral role in the acquisition and retention of conditioned taste aversions (CTAs) in rodents, but large lesions in this area do not always result in CTA impairment. Recently, using a new lesion mapping system, we found that severe CTA expression deficits were associated with damage to a critical zone that included the posterior half of GC in addition to the insular cortex (IC) that is just dorsal and caudal to this region (visceral cortex). Lesions in anterior GC were without effect. Here, neurotoxic bilateral lesions were placed in the anterior half of this critical damage zone, at the confluence of the posterior GC and the anterior visceral cortex (termed IC2 ), the posterior half of this critical damage zone that contains just VC (termed IC3), or both of these subregions (IC2 + IC3). Then, pre- and postsurgically acquired CTAs (to 0.1 M NaCl and 0.1 M sucrose, respectively) were assessed postsurgically in 15-minute one-bottle and 96-hour two-bottle tests. Li-injected rats with histologically confirmed bilateral lesions in IC2 exhibited the most severe CTA deficits, whereas those with bilateral lesions in IC3 were relatively normal, exhibiting transient disruptions in the one-bottle sessions. Groupwise lesion maps showed that CTA-impaired rats had more extensive damage to IC2 than did unimpaired rats. Some individual differences in CTA expression among rats with similar lesion profiles were observed, suggesting idiosyncrasies in the topographic representation of information in the IC. Nevertheless, this study implicates IC2 as the critical zone of the IC for normal CTA expression.

Asymmetrical intersection between the middle cerebral artery and rhinal vein suggests asymmetrical gustatory cortex location in rodent hemispheres

The rodent gustatory cortex is located in the anterior part of the insular cortex, which is near the dorsal part of the rhinal vein (RHV) and the intersection of the anterior and posterior regions of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Thus, the intersection between the RHV and MCA is used as a landmark for the rodent gustatory cortex. In our previous study, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to demonstrate that tastants evoked bilateral responses in the rodent insular cortices, but that these representations were asymmetrical between the hemispheres. In the present study, to clarify the observed asymmetrical responses, we performed magnetic resonance angiography in a 7.0-Tesla MRI scanner to determine the anatomical position of the rodent gustatory cortex, which was identified using the intersection of the MCA and RHV. We successfully observed the intersection while administering carbogen as an inhaled gas and found that the intersection in the left hemisphere is more anterior compared to that in the right hemisphere. Taken together with the previous functional MRI results, this result indicates that the gustatory representation in relation to the intersection may be identically conserved in the insular cortex of both hemispheres; therefore, the rodent gustatory cortex may be asymmetrically located between the left and right hemispheres. The result also suggests that this landmark location needs to be verified when investigating gustatory representations and responses.

Unconditioned oromotor taste reactivity elicited by sucrose and quinine is unaffected by extensive bilateral damage to the gustatory zone of the insular cortex in rats

Rats display stereotypical oromotor and somatic responses to small volumes of intraorally infused taste solutions. These behaviors, known as taste reactivity, are categorized by their association with ingestion or rejection and are thought to reflect the palatability of the stimulus. Because supracollicular decerebrate rats display normal taste reactivity responses, it would appear that forebrain structures are not necessary for generating them. However, because moving the plane of transection rostrally, or damaging or manipulating specific ventral forebrain sites disrupts normal taste reactivity behavior, lesions of the gustatory cortex, a region that has been suggested to be involved with palatability processing, may do the same. In the current study, rats received two injections of either ibotenic acid (N=12) or vehicle (N=8), targeting the conventionally defined gustatory cortex in each hemisphere, and were implanted with intraoral cannulae. Following recovery, their responses to intraoral infusions (0.23ml in 1min) of dH2O, sucrose (1.0M and 0.1M), and quinine hydrochloride (3mM and 0.3mM) were video recorded. Analysis of brains with sufficient bilateral lesions (N=10) revealed that, on average, approximately 94% of the gustatory cortex was destroyed. These extensive bilateral lesions had no significant effect on taste reactivity; the numbers of ingestive and aversive responses to sucrose and quinine were similar between groups. Though these findings do not rule out involvement of the gustatory cortex in palatability processing, they make evident that the region of insular cortex destroyed is not necessary for the normal expression of unconditioned affective behavioral responses to taste stimuli.

Scent of the familiar: an fMRI study of canine brain responses to familiar and unfamiliar human and dog odors

Understanding dogs' perceptual experience of both conspecifics and humans is important to understand how dogs evolved and the nature of their relationships with humans and other dogs. Olfaction is believed to be dogs' most powerful and perhaps important sense and an obvious place to begin for the study of social cognition of conspecifics and humans. We used fMRI in a cohort of dogs (N=12) that had been trained to remain motionless while unsedated and unrestrained in the MRI. By presenting scents from humans and conspecifics, we aimed to identify the dimensions of dogs' responses to salient biological odors - whether they are based on species (dog or human), familiarity, or a specific combination of factors. We focused our analysis on the dog's caudate nucleus because of its well-known association with positive expectations and because of its clearly defined anatomical location. We hypothesized that if dogs' primary association to reward, whether it is based on food or social bonds, is to humans, then the human scents would activate the caudate more than the conspecific scents. Conversely, if the smell of conspecifics activated the caudate more than the smell of humans, dogs' association to reward would be stronger to their fellow canines. Five scents were presented (self, familiar human, strange human, familiar dog, strange dog). While the olfactory bulb/peduncle was activated to a similar degree by all the scents, the caudate was activated maximally to the familiar human. Importantly, the scent of the familiar human was not the handler, meaning that the caudate response differentiated the scent in the absence of the person being present. The caudate activation suggested that not only did the dogs discriminate that scent from the others, they had a positive association with it. This speaks to the power of the dog's sense of smell, and it provides important clues about the importance of humans in dogs' lives. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Canine Behavior.

Extensive lesions in the gustatory cortex in the rat do not disrupt the retention of a presurgically conditioned taste aversion and do not impair unconditioned concentration-dependent licking of sucrose and quinine

Although damage to gustatory cortex (GC) in the rat has been reported to severely impair, if not eliminate, retention of a presurgically conditioned taste aversion (CTA), it has equivocal effects on taste preference as measured by intake tests. Because intake tests can be influenced by nongustatory (e.g., postingestive) factors, we employed the brief-access taste test to assess the effects of ibotenic acid-induced lesions targeting the GC on unconditioned licking to a sucrose and then a quinine concentration series in a specialized lickometer. As a functional lesion assessment, a presurgical CTA to 0.1M NaCl was established in thirsty rats by following 15-min intake with intraperitoneal administration of either LiCl (or NaCl for control) on 2 occasions. Both conditioned sham-operated (SHAM) rats and rats with histologically confirmed extensive damage to the GC (GCX) avoided a NaCl concentration series relative to unconditioned controls in a postsurgical brief-access CTA test, with no difference between the surgical groups in their responses to NaCl or similar concentrations of KCl. GCX rats also did not differ from SHAM rats in the EC50 of concentration-response functions for sucrose or quinine. Clearly, the critical cortical area required for the retention of a presurgical CTA falls outside of the extensive area of damage, which was well centered within the conventionally defined gustatory zone of the insular cortex. The absence of an effect on unconditioned responsiveness to sucrose and quinine suggests that the damaged region is also unnecessary for the normal expression of affective licking responses to tastants.

Alteration of sweet taste in high-fat diet induced obese rats after 4 weeks treatment with exenatide

Exenatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is effective in inducing weight loss. The exact mechanisms are not fully understood. Reduced appetite and food intake may play important roles. Sweet taste contributes to food palatability, which promotes appetite. Interestingly, GLP-1 and its receptor are expressed in the taste buds of rodents and their interaction has an effect on mediating sweet taste sensitivity. Our aim was to investigate whether sweet taste will be changed after long term treatment with exenatide. The results showed that high-fat diet induced obese rats (HF-C) presented metabolic disorders in food intake, body weight, blood glucose and lipid metabolism compared with long term exenatide treated obese rats (EX) and normal chow fed control rats (NC). Meanwhile, greater preference for sweet taste was observed in HF-C rats but not in EX rats. Compared with NC rats, brain activities induced by sweet taste stimulation were stronger in HF-C rats, however these stronger activities were not found in EX rats. We further found reduced sweet taste receptor T1R3 in circumvallte taste buds of HF-C rats, while GLP-1 was increased. Besides, serum leptin was evaluated in HF-C rats with decreased leptin receptor expressed in taste buds. These changes were not observed in EX rats, which suggest them to be the underlying hormone and molecular mechanisms responsible for alterations in sweet taste of HF-C rats and EX rats. In summary, our results suggest that long term treatment with exenatide could benefit dietary obese rats partially by reversing sweet taste changes.

Noninvasive fMRI investigation of interaural level difference processing in the rat auditory subcortex

Objective

Interaural level difference (ILD) is the difference in sound pressure level (SPL) between the two ears and is one of the key physical cues used by the auditory system in sound localization. Our current understanding of ILD encoding has come primarily from invasive studies of individual structures, which have implicated subcortical structures such as the cochlear nucleus (CN), superior olivary complex (SOC), lateral lemniscus (LL), and inferior colliculus (IC). Noninvasive brain imaging enables studying ILD processing in multiple structures simultaneously.

Methods

In this study, blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used for the first time to measure changes in the hemodynamic responses in the adult Sprague-Dawley rat subcortex during binaural stimulation with different ILDs.

Results and Significance

Consistent responses are observed in the CN, SOC, LL, and IC in both hemispheres. Voxel-by-voxel analysis of the change of the response amplitude with ILD indicates statistically significant ILD dependence in dorsal LL, IC, and a region containing parts of the SOC and LL. For all three regions, the larger amplitude response is located in the hemisphere contralateral from the higher SPL stimulus. These findings are supported by region of interest analysis. fMRI shows that ILD dependence occurs in both hemispheres and multiple subcortical levels of the auditory system. This study is the first step towards future studies examining subcortical binaural processing and sound localization in animal models of hearing.

Different brain activation under left and right ventricular stimulation: an fMRI study in anesthetized rats

BACKGROUND

Myocardial ischemia in the anterior wall of the left ventricule (LV) and in the inferior wall and/or right ventricle (RV) shows different manifestations that can be explained by the different innervations of cardiac afferent nerves. However, it remains unclear whether information from different areas of the heart, such as the LV and RV, are differently processed in the brain. In this study, we investigated the brain regions that process information from the LV or RV using cardiac electrical stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in anesthetized rats because the combination of these two approaches cannot be used in humans.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

An electrical stimulation catheter was inserted into the LV or RV (n = 12 each). Brain fMRI scans were recorded during LV or RV stimulation (9 Hz and 0.3 ms width) over 10 blocks consisting of alternating periods of 2 mA for 30 sec followed by 0.2 mA for 60 sec. The validity of fMRI signals was confirmed by first and second-level analyses and temporal profiles. Increases in fMRI signals were observed in the anterior cingulate cortex and the right somatosensory cortex under LV stimulation. In contrast, RV stimulation activated the right somatosensory cortex, which was identified more anteriorly compared with LV stimulation but did not activate the anterior cingulate cortex.

CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE

This study provides the first evidence for differences in brain activation under LV and RV stimulation. These different brain processes may be associated with different clinical manifestations between anterior wall and inferoposterior wall and/or RV myocardial ischemia.

Long-term vascular access ports as a means of sedative administration in a rodent fMRI survival model

The purpose of this study is to develop a rodent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) survival model with the use of heparin-coated vascular access devices. Such a model would ease the administration of sedative agents, reduce the number of animals required in survival experiments and eliminate animal-to-animal variability seen in previous designs. Seven male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent surgical placement of an MRI-compatible vascular access port, followed by implantable electrode placement on the right median nerve. Functional MRI during nerve stimulation and resting-state functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) were performed at times 0, 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks postoperatively using a 9.4T scanner. Anesthesia was maintained using intravenous dexmedetomidine and reversed using atipamezole. There were no fatalities or infectious complications during this study. All vascular access ports remained patent. Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activation by electrical stimulation of the median nerve using implanted electrodes was seen within the forelimb sensory region (S1FL) for all animals at all time points. The number of activated voxels decreased at time points 4 and 8 weeks, returning to a normal level at 12 weeks, which is attributed to scar tissue formation and resolution around the embedded electrode. The applications of this experiment extend far beyond the scope of peripheral nerve experimentation. These vascular access ports can be applied to any survival MRI study requiring repeated medication administration, intravenous contrast, or blood sampling.