Acute modulation of the cholinergic system in the mouse brain detected by pharmacological resting-state functional MRI

Cell-type-specific optogenetic fMRI on basal forebrain reveals functional network basis of behavioral preference

The basal forebrain (BF) is a complex structure that plays key roles in regulating various brain functions. However, it remains unclear how cholinergic and non-cholinergic BF neurons modulate large-scale functional networks and their relevance in intrinsic and extrinsic behaviors. With an optimized awake mouse optogenetic fMRI approach, we revealed that optogenetic stimulation of four BF neuron types evoked distinct cell-type-specific whole-brain BOLD activations, which could be attributed to BF-originated low-dimensional structural networks. Additionally, optogenetic activation of VGLUT2, ChAT, and PV neurons in the BF modulated the preference for locomotion, exploration, and grooming, respectively. Furthermore, we uncovered the functional network basis of the above BF-modulated behavioral preference through a decoding model linking the BF-modulated BOLD activation, low-dimensional structural networks, and behavioral preference. To summarize, we decoded the functional network basis of differential behavioral preferences with cell-type-specific optogenetic fMRI on the BF and provided an avenue for investigating mouse behaviors from a whole-brain view.

Hippocampal cholinergic receptors and the mTOR participation in fear-motivated inhibitory avoidance extinction memory

Evidence has demonstrated the hippocampal cholinergic system and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) participation during the memory formation of aversive events. This study assessed the role of these systems in the hippocampus for the extinction memory process by submitting male Wistar rats to fear-motivated step-down inhibitory avoidance (IA). The post-extinction session administration of the nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptor antagonists, mecamylamine and scopolamine, respectively, both at doses of 2 µg/µl/side, and rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor (0.02 µg/µl/side), into the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus, impaired the IA extinction memory. Furthermore, the nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptor agonists, nicotine and muscarine, respectively, had a dose-dependent effect on the IA extinction memory when administered intra-CA1, immediately after the extinction session. Nicotine (0.6 µg/µl/side) and muscarine (0.02 µg/µl/side), respectively, had no effect, while the higher doses (6 and 2 µg/µl/side, respectively) impaired the IA extinction memory. Interestingly, the co-administration of muscarine at the lower dose blocked the impairment that was induced by rapamycin. This effect was not observed when nicotine at the lower dose was co-administered. These results have demonstrated the participation of the cholinergic receptors and mTOR in the hippocampus for IA extinction, and that the cholinergic agonists had a dose-dependent effect on the IA extinction memory. This study provides insights related to the behavioural aspects and the neurobiological properties underlying the early stage of fear-motivated IA extinction memory consolidation and suggests that there is hippocampal muscarinic receptor participation independent of mTOR in this memory process.

Pharmaco-fUS in cognitive impairment: Lessons from a preclinical model

BACKGROUND

There is an urgent need to understand and reverse cognitive impairment. The lack of appropriate animal models combined with the limited knowledge of pathophysiological mechanisms makes the development of new cognition-enhancing drugs complex. Scopolamine is a pharmacologic agent which impairs cognition and functional imaging in a wide range of animal species, similarly to what is seen in cognitive impairment in humans.

METHODS

In this study, using a functional ultrasound (fUS) neuroimaging technique, we monitored the impact of donepezil (DPZ), a potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and first-line treatment in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, in a scopolamine-induced mouse model.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that despite its low impact on the cerebral blood volume (CBV) signal, scopolamine injection produced an overall decrease in functional connectivity between various brain areas. In addition, we revealed that DPZ induced a strong decrease in CBV signal without causing a difference in functional connectivity.

CONCLUSION

Finally, our work highlighted that DPZ counteracted the impact of scopolamine on functional connectivity changes and confirmed the interest of using pharmaco-fUS imaging on cognitive disorders, both in frequent and rare neurological disorders.

Monitoring Neuronal Network Disturbances of Brain Diseases: A Preclinical MRI Approach in the Rodent Brain

Functional and structural neuronal networks, as recorded by resting-state functional MRI and diffusion MRI-based tractography, gain increasing attention as data driven whole brain imaging methods not limited to the foci of the primary pathology or the known key affected regions but permitting to characterize the entire network response of the brain after disease or injury. Their connectome contents thus provide information on distal brain areas, directly or indirectly affected by and interacting with the primary pathological event or affected regions. From such information, a better understanding of the dynamics of disease progression is expected. Furthermore, observation of the brain's spontaneous or treatment-induced improvement will contribute to unravel the underlying mechanisms of plasticity and recovery across the whole-brain networks. In the present review, we discuss the values of functional and structural network information derived from systematic and controlled experimentation using clinically relevant animal models. We focus on rodent models of the cerebral diseases with high impact on social burdens, namely, neurodegeneration, and stroke.

Contribution of animal models toward understanding resting state functional connectivity

Functional connectivity, which reflects the spatial and temporal organization of intrinsic activity throughout the brain, is one of the most studied measures in human neuroimaging research. The noninvasive acquisition of resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) allows the characterization of features designated as functional networks, functional connectivity gradients, and time-varying activity patterns that provide insight into the intrinsic functional organization of the brain and potential alterations related to brain dysfunction. Functional connectivity, hence, captures dimensions of the brain's activity that have enormous potential for both clinical and preclinical research. However, the mechanisms underlying functional connectivity have yet to be fully characterized, hindering interpretation of rs-fMRI studies. As in other branches of neuroscience, the identification of the neurophysiological processes that contribute to functional connectivity largely depends on research conducted on laboratory animals, which provide a platform where specific, multi-dimensional investigations that involve invasive measurements can be carried out. These highly controlled experiments facilitate the interpretation of the temporal correlations observed across the brain. Indeed, information obtained from animal experimentation to date is the basis for our current understanding of the underlying basis for functional brain connectivity. This review presents a compendium of some of the most critical advances in the field based on the efforts made by the animal neuroimaging community.

The M1/M4 preferring muscarinic agonist xanomeline modulates functional connectivity and NMDAR antagonist-induced changes in the mouse brain

Cholinergic drugs acting at M1/M4 muscarinic receptors hold promise for the treatment of symptoms associated with brain disorders characterized by cognitive impairment, mood disturbances, or psychosis, such as Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia. However, the brain-wide functional substrates engaged by muscarinic agonists remain poorly understood. Here we used a combination of pharmacological fMRI (phMRI), resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI), and resting-state quantitative EEG (qEEG) to investigate the effects of a behaviorally active dose of the M1/M4-preferring muscarinic agonist xanomeline on brain functional activity in the rodent brain. We investigated both the effects of xanomeline per se and its modulatory effects on signals elicited by the NMDA-receptor antagonists phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine. We found that xanomeline induces robust and widespread BOLD signal phMRI amplitude increases and decreased high-frequency qEEG spectral activity. rsfMRI mapping in the mouse revealed that xanomeline robustly decreased neocortical and striatal connectivity but induces focal increases in functional connectivity within the nucleus accumbens and basal forebrain. Notably, xanomeline pre-administration robustly attenuated both the cortico-limbic phMRI response and the fronto-hippocampal hyper-connectivity induced by PCP, enhanced PCP-modulated functional connectivity locally within the nucleus accumbens and basal forebrain, and reversed the gamma and high-frequency qEEG power increases induced by ketamine. Collectively, these results show that xanomeline robustly induces both cholinergic-like neocortical activation and desynchronization of functional networks in the mammalian brain. These effects could serve as a translatable biomarker for future clinical investigations of muscarinic agents, and bear mechanistic relevance for the putative therapeutic effect of these class of compounds in brain disorders.

Progressive tau aggregation does not alter functional brain network connectivity in seeded hTau.P301L mice

Progressive accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau is a hallmark of various neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease. However, to date, the functional effects of tau pathology on brain network connectivity remain poorly understood. To directly interrogate the impact of tau pathology on functional brain connectivity, we conducted a longitudinal experiment in which we monitored a fibril-seeded hTau.P301L mouse model using correlative whole-brain microscopy and resting-state functional MRI. Despite a progressive aggravation of tau pathology across the brain, the major resting-state networks appeared unaffected up to 15 weeks after seeding. Targeted analyses also showed that the connectivity of regions with high levels of hyperphosphorylated tau was comparable to that observed in controls. In line with the ostensible retention of connectivity, no behavioural changes were detected between seeded and control hTau.P301L mice as determined by three different paradigms. Our data indicate that seeded tau pathology, with accumulation of tau aggregates throughout different regions of the brain, does not alter functional connectivity or behaviour in this mouse model. Additional correlative functional studies on different mouse models should help determine whether this is a generalizable trait of tauopathies.

Functional imaging evidence for task-induced deactivation and disconnection of a major default mode network hub in the mouse brain

The default mode network (DMN) has been defined in functional brain imaging studies as a set of highly connected brain areas, which are active during wakeful rest and inactivated during task-based stimulation. DMN function is characteristically impaired in major neuropsychiatric diseases, emphasizing its interest for translational research. However, in the mouse, a major preclinical rodent model, there is still no functional imaging evidence supporting DMN deactivation and deconnection during high-demanding cognitive/sensory tasks. Here we have developed functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging to properly visualize both activation levels and functional connectivity patterns, in head-restrained awake and behaving mice, and investigated their modulation during a sensory-task, whisker stimulation. We identified reproducible and highly symmetric resting-state networks, with overall connectivity strength directly proportional to the wakefulness level of the animal. We show that unilateral whisker stimulation leads to the expected activation of the contralateral barrel cortex in lightly sedated mice, while interhemispheric inhibition reduces activity in the ipsilateral barrel cortex. Whisker stimulation also leads to elevated bilateral connectivity in the hippocampus. Importantly, in addition to functional changes in these major hubs of tactile information processing, whisker stimulation during genuine awake resting-state periods leads to highly specific reductions both in activation and interhemispheric correlation within the restrosplenial cortex, a major hub of the DMN. These results validate an imaging technique for the study of activation and connectivity in the lightly sedated awake mouse brain and provide evidence supporting an evolutionary preserved function of the DMN, putatively improving translational relevance of preclinical models of neuropsychiatric diseases.

The (Un)Conscious Mouse as a Model for Human Brain Functions: Key Principles of Anesthesia and Their Impact on Translational Neuroimaging

In recent years, technical and procedural advances have brought functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to the field of murine neuroscience. Due to its unique capacity to measure functional activity non-invasively, across the entire brain, fMRI allows for the direct comparison of large-scale murine and human brain functions. This opens an avenue for bidirectional translational strategies to address fundamental questions ranging from neurological disorders to the nature of consciousness. The key challenges of murine fMRI are: (1) to generate and maintain functional brain states that approximate those of calm and relaxed human volunteers, while (2) preserving neurovascular coupling and physiological baseline conditions. Low-dose anesthetic protocols are commonly applied in murine functional brain studies to prevent stress and facilitate a calm and relaxed condition among animals. Yet, current mono-anesthesia has been shown to impair neural transmission and hemodynamic integrity. By linking the current state of murine electrophysiology, Ca2+ imaging and fMRI of anesthetic effects to findings from human studies, this systematic review proposes general principles to design, apply and monitor anesthetic protocols in a more sophisticated way. The further development of balanced multimodal anesthesia, combining two or more drugs with complementary modes of action helps to shape and maintain specific brain states and relevant aspects of murine physiology. Functional connectivity and its dynamic repertoire as assessed by fMRI can be used to make inferences about cortical states and provide additional information about whole-brain functional dynamics. Based on this, a simple and comprehensive functional neurosignature pattern can be determined for use in defining brain states and anesthetic depth in rest and in response to stimuli. Such a signature can be evaluated and shared between labs to indicate the brain state of a mouse during experiments, an important step toward translating findings across species.

Animal Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Trends and Path Toward Standardization

Animal whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a non-invasive window into brain activity. A collection of associated methods aims to replicate observations made in humans and to identify the mechanisms underlying the distributed neuronal activity in the healthy and disordered brain. Animal fMRI studies have developed rapidly over the past years, fueled by the development of resting-state fMRI connectivity and genetically encoded neuromodulatory tools. Yet, comparisons between sites remain hampered by lack of standardization. Recently, we highlighted that mouse resting-state functional connectivity converges across centers, although large discrepancies in sensitivity and specificity remained. Here, we explore past and present trends within the animal fMRI community and highlight critical aspects in study design, data acquisition, and post-processing operations, that may affect the results and influence the comparability between studies. We also suggest practices aimed to promote the adoption of standards within the community and improve between-lab reproducibility. The implementation of standardized animal neuroimaging protocols will facilitate animal population imaging efforts as well as meta-analysis and replication studies, the gold standards in evidence-based science.

Common functional networks in the mouse brain revealed by multi-centre resting-state fMRI analysis

Preclinical applications of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) offer the possibility to non-invasively probe whole-brain network dynamics and to investigate the determinants of altered network signatures observed in human studies. Mouse rsfMRI has been increasingly adopted by numerous laboratories worldwide. Here we describe a multi-centre comparison of 17 mouse rsfMRI datasets via a common image processing and analysis pipeline. Despite prominent cross-laboratory differences in equipment and imaging procedures, we report the reproducible identification of several large-scale resting-state networks (RSN), including a mouse default-mode network, in the majority of datasets. A combination of factors was associated with enhanced reproducibility in functional connectivity parameter estimation, including animal handling procedures and equipment performance. RSN spatial specificity was enhanced in datasets acquired at higher field strength, with cryoprobes, in ventilated animals, and under medetomidine-isoflurane combination sedation. Our work describes a set of representative RSNs in the mouse brain and highlights key experimental parameters that can critically guide the design and analysis of future rodent rsfMRI investigations.

Cortical and subcortical changes in resting-state functional connectivity before and during an episode of postoperative delirium

OBJECTIVE

Delirium is an acute brain failure related to uncertain problems in neural connectivity, including aberrant functional interactions between remote cortical regions. This study aimed to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms of delirium by clarifying the changes in resting-state functional connectivity induced by postoperative delirium using imaging data scanned before and after surgery.

METHOD

Fifty-eight patients with a femoral neck fracture were preoperatively scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Twenty-five patients developed postoperative delirium, and 14 of those had follow-up scans during delirium. Eighteen patients without delirium completed follow-up scans 5 or 6 days after surgery. We assessed group differences in voxel-based connectivity, in which the seeds were the posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and 11 subcortical regions. Connections between the subcortical regions were also examined.

RESULTS

The results showed four major findings during delirium. Both the posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex were strongly connected to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The posterior cingulate cortex had hyperconnectivity with the inferior parietal lobule, whereas the medial prefrontal cortex had hyperconnectivity with the frontopolar cortex and hypoconnectivity with the superior frontal gyrus. Connectivity of the striatum with the anterior cingulate cortex and insula was increased. Disconnections were found between the lower subcortical regions including the neurotransmitter origins and the striatum/thalamus in the upper level.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that cortical dysfunction during delirium is characterized by a diminution of the anticorrelation between the default mode network and task-positive regions, excessive internal connections in the posterior default mode network and a complex imbalance of internal connectivity in the anterior default mode network. These dysfunctions can be attributed to the loss of reciprocity between the default mode network and central executive network associated with defective function in the salience network, which might be closely linked to aberrant subcortical neurotransmission-related connectivity and striato-cortical connectivity.

Persistent Quantitative Vitality of Stem Cell Graft Is Necessary for Stabilization of Functional Brain Networks After Stroke

Stem cell treatment after stroke has demonstrated substantial outcome improvement. However, monitoring of stem cell fate in vivo is still challenging and not routinely performed, yet important to quantify the role of the implanted stem cells on lesion improvement; in several studies even mortality of the graft has been reported. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a highly sensitive imaging modality to monitor the brain-wide functional network alterations of many brain diseases in vivo. We monitor for 3 months the functional connectivity changes after intracortical stem cell engraftment in large, cortico-striatal (n = 9), and in small, striatal (n = 6) ischemic lesions in the mouse brain with non-invasive rs-fMRI on a 9.4T preclinical MRi scanner with GE-EPI sequence. Graft vitality is continuously recorded by bioluminescence imaging (BLI) roughly every 2 weeks after implantation of 300 k neural stem cells. In cortico-striatal lesions, the lesion extension induces graft vitality loss, in consequence leading to a parallel decrease of functional connectivity strength after a few weeks. In small, striatal lesions, the graft vitality is preserved for the whole observation period and the functional connectivity is stabilized at values as in the pre-stroke situation. But even here, at the end of the observation period of 3 months, the functional connectivity strength is found to decrease despite preserved graft vitality. We conclude that quantitative graft viability is a necessary but not sufficient criterion for functional neuronal network stabilization after stroke. Future studies with even longer time periods after stroke induction will need to identify additional players which have negative influence on the functional brain networks.

Cholinergic Signaling Alters Stress-Induced Sensitization of Hippocampal Contextual Learning

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a profound contextual component, and has been demonstrated to alter future contextual learning. However, the mechanism by which a single traumatic event affects subsequent contextual experiences has not been isolated. Acetylcholine (ACh) is an important modulator of hippocampus-dependent learning such as contextual memory strength. Using Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning (SEFL), which models aspects of PTSD in rats, we tested whether muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) in dorsal hippocampus (DH) are required during trauma for the effect of trauma on subsequent contextual fear learning. We infused scopolamine or vehicle into DH immediately before stress, and tested fear in both the trauma context and a novel context after a mild stressor. The results show that during learning, ACh acting on mAChR within the DH is required for sensitization of future contextual fear learning. However, this effect is selective for contextual learning, as this blockade leaves discrete cue sensitization intact. Rather than simply sensitizing the BLA, as previous studies have suggested, SEFL requires cholinergic signaling in DH for contextual sensitization.

Spatial reversal learning defect coincides with hypersynchronous telencephalic BOLD functional connectivity in APPNL-F/NL-F knock-in mice

Amyloid pathology occurs early in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and has therefore been the focus of numerous studies. Transgenic mouse models have been instrumental to study amyloidosis, but observations might have been confounded by APP-overexpression artifacts. The current study investigated early functional defects in an APP knock-in mouse model, which allows assessing the effects of pathological amyloid-beta (Aβ) without interference of APP-artifacts. Female APP^NL/NL knock-in mice of 3 and 7 months old were compared to age-matched APP^NL-F/NL-F mice with increased Aβ42/40 ratio and initial Aβ-plaque deposition around 6 months of age. Spatial learning was examined using a Morris water maze protocol consisting of acquisition and reversal trials interleaved with reference memory tests. Functional connectivity (FC) of brain networks was assessed using resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI). The Morris water maze data revealed that 3 months old APP^NL-F/NL-F mice were unable to reach the same reference memory proficiency as APP^NL/NL mice after reversal training. This cognitive defect in 3-month-old APP^NL-F/NL-F mice coincided with hypersynchronous FC of the hippocampal, cingulate, caudate-putamen, and default-mode-like networks. The occurrence of these defects in APP^NL-F/NL-F mice demonstrates that cognitive flexibility and synchronicity of telencephalic activity are specifically altered by early Aβ pathology without changes in APP neurochemistry.

Identifying Rodent Resting-State Brain Networks with Independent Component Analysis

Rodent models have opened the door to a better understanding of the neurobiology of brain disorders and increased our ability to evaluate novel treatments. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) allows for in vivo exploration of large-scale brain networks with high spatial resolution. Its application in rodents affords researchers a powerful translational tool to directly assess/explore the effects of various pharmacological, lesion, and/or disease states on known neural circuits within highly controlled settings. Integration of animal and human research at the molecular-, systems-, and behavioral-levels using diverse neuroimaging techniques empowers more robust interrogations of abnormal/ pathological processes, critical for evolving our understanding of neuroscience. We present a comprehensive protocol to evaluate resting-state brain networks using Independent Component Analysis (ICA) in rodent model. Specifically, we begin with a brief review of the physiological basis for rs-fMRI technique and overview of rs-fMRI studies in rodents to date, following which we provide a robust step-by-step approach for rs-fMRI investigation including data collection, computational preprocessing, and brain network analysis. Pipelines are interwoven with underlying theory behind each step and summarized methodological considerations, such as alternative methods available and current consensus in the literature for optimal results. The presented protocol is designed in such a way that investigators without previous knowledge in the field can implement the analysis and obtain viable results that reliably detect significant differences in functional connectivity between experimental groups. Our goal is to empower researchers to implement rs-fMRI in their respective fields by incorporating technical considerations to date into a workable methodological framework.

Intrinsic functional connectivity reduces after first-time exposure to short-term gravitational alterations induced by parabolic flight

Spaceflight severely impacts the human body. However, little is known about how gravity and gravitational alterations affect the human brain. Here, we aimed at measuring the effects of acute exposure to gravity transitions. We exposed 28 naïve participants to repetitive alterations between normal, hyper- and microgravity induced by a parabolic flight (PF) and measured functional MRI connectivity changes. Scans were acquired before and after the PF. To mitigate motion sickness, PF participants received scopolamine prior to PF. To account for the scopolamine effects, 12 non-PF controls were scanned prior to and after scopolamine injection. Changes in functional connectivity were explored with the Intrinsic Connectivity Contrast (ICC). Seed-based analysis on the regions exhibiting localized changes was subsequently performed to understand the networks associated with the identified nodes. We found that the PF group was characterized by lower ICC scores in the right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ), an area involved in multisensory integration and spatial tasks. The encompassed network revealed PF-related decreases in within- and inter-hemispheric anticorrelations between the rTPJ and the supramarginal gyri, indicating both altered vestibular and self-related functions. Our findings shed light on how the brain copes with gravity transitions, on gravity internalization and are relevant for the understanding of bodily self-consciousness.

Altered regional connectivity reflecting effects of different anaesthesia protocols in the mouse brain

Studies in mice using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) have provided opportunities to investigate the effects of pharmacological manipulations on brain function and map the phenotypes of mouse models of human brain disorders. Mouse rs-fMRI is typically performed under anaesthesia, which induces both regional suppression of brain activity and disruption of large-scale neural networks. Previous comparative studies using rodents investigating various drug effects on long-distance functional connectivity (FC) have reported agent-specific FC patterns, however, effects of regional suppression are sparsely explored. Here we examined changes in regional connectivity under six different anaesthesia conditions using mouse rs-fMRI with the goal of refining the framework of understanding the brain activation under anaesthesia at a local level. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to map local synchronization in the brain, followed by analysis of several brain areas based on ReHo maps. The results revealed high local coherence in most brain areas. The primary somatosensory cortex and caudate-putamen showed agent-specific properties. Lower local coherence in the cingulate cortex was observed under medetomidine, particularly when compared to the combination of medetomidine and isoflurane. The thalamus was associated with retained local coherence across anaesthetic levels and multiple nuclei. These results show that anaesthesia induced by the investigated anaesthetics through different molecular targets promote agent-specific regional connectivity. In addition, ReHo is a data-driven method with minimum user interaction, easy to use and fast to compute. Given that examination of the brain at a local level is widely applied in human rs-fMRI studies, our results show its sensitivity to extract information on varied neuronal activity under six different regimens relevant to mouse functional imaging. These results, therefore, will inform future rs-fMRI studies on mice and the type of anaesthetic agent used, and will help to bridge observations between this burgeoning research field and ongoing human research across analytical scales.

Dose-dependent effect of donepezil administration on long-term enhancement of visually evoked potentials and cholinergic receptor overexpression in rat visual cortex

Stimulation of the cholinergic system tightly coupled with periods of visual stimulation boosts the processing of specific visual stimuli via muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in terms of intensity, priority and long-term effect. However, it is not known whether more diffuse pharmacological stimulation with donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor, is an efficient tool for enhancing visual processing and perception. The goal of the present study was to potentiate cholinergic transmission with donepezil treatment (0.5 and 1mg/kg) during a 2-week visual training to examine the effect on visually evoked potentials and to profile the expression of cholinergic receptor subtypes. The visual training was performed daily, 10min a day, for 2weeks. One week after the last training session, visual evoked potentials were recorded, or the mRNA expression level of muscarinic (M1-5) and nicotinic (α/β) receptors subunits was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. The visual stimulation coupled with any of the two doses of donepezil produced significant amplitude enhancement of cortical evoked potentials compared to pre-training values. The enhancement induced by the 1mg/kg dose of donepezil was spread to neighboring spatial frequencies, suggesting a better sensitivity near the visual detection threshold. The M3, M4, M5 and α7 receptors mRNA were upregulated in the visual cortex for the higher dose of donepezil but not the lower one, and the receptors expression was stable in the somatosensory (non-visual control) cortex. Therefore, higher levels of acetylcholine within the cortex sustain the increased intensity of the cortical response and trigger the upregulation of cholinergic receptors.

The Organization of Mouse and Human Cortico-Hippocampal Networks Estimated by Intrinsic Functional Connectivity

While the hippocampal memory system has been relatively conserved across mammals, the cerebral cortex has undergone massive expansion. A central question in brain evolution is how cortical development affected the nature of cortical inputs to the hippocampus. To address this question, we compared cortico-hippocampal connectivity using intrinsic functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) in awake mice and humans. We found that fcMRI recapitulates anatomical connectivity, demonstrating sensory mapping within the mouse parahippocampal region. Moreover, we identified a similar topographical modality-specific organization along the longitudinal axis of the mouse hippocampus, indicating that sensory information arriving at the hippocampus is only partly integrated. Finally, comparing cortico-hippocampal connectivity across species, we discovered preferential hippocampal connectivity of sensory cortical networks in mice compared with preferential connectivity of association cortical networks in humans. Supporting this observation in humans but not in mice, sensory and association cortical networks are connected to spatially distinct subregions within the parahippocampal region. Collectively, these findings indicate that sensory cortical networks are coupled to the mouse but not the human hippocampal memory system, suggesting that the emergence of expanded and new association areas in humans resulted in the rerouting of cortical information flow and dissociation of primary sensory cortices from the hippocampus.

Large-scale functional connectivity networks in the rodent brain

Resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rsfMRI) of the human brain has revealed multiple large-scale neural networks within a hierarchical and complex structure of coordinated functional activity. These distributed neuroanatomical systems provide a sensitive window on brain function and its disruption in a variety of neuropathological conditions. The study of macroscale intrinsic connectivity networks in preclinical species, where genetic and environmental conditions can be controlled and manipulated with high specificity, offers the opportunity to elucidate the biological determinants of these alterations. While rsfMRI methods are now widely used in human connectivity research, these approaches have only relatively recently been back-translated into laboratory animals. Here we review recent progress in the study of functional connectivity in rodent species, emphasising the ability of this approach to resolve large-scale brain networks that recapitulate neuroanatomical features of known functional systems in the human brain. These include, but are not limited to, a distributed set of regions identified in rats and mice that may represent a putative evolutionary precursor of the human default mode network (DMN). The impact and control of potential experimental and methodological confounds are also critically discussed. Finally, we highlight the enormous potential and some initial application of connectivity mapping in transgenic models as a tool to investigate the neuropathological underpinnings of the large-scale connectional alterations associated with human neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions. We conclude by discussing the translational potential of these methods in basic and applied neuroscience.

The power of using functional fMRI on small rodents to study brain pharmacology and disease

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an excellent tool to study the effect of pharmacological modulations on brain function in a non-invasive and longitudinal manner. We introduce several blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI techniques, including resting state (rsfMRI), stimulus-evoked (st-fMRI), and pharmacological MRI (phMRI). Respectively, these techniques permit the assessment of functional connectivity during rest as well as brain activation triggered by sensory stimulation and/or a pharmacological challenge. The first part of this review describes the physiological basis of BOLD fMRI and the hemodynamic response on which the MRI contrast is based. Specific emphasis goes to possible effects of anesthesia and the animal’s physiological conditions on neural activity and the hemodynamic response. The second part of this review describes applications of the aforementioned techniques in pharmacologically induced, as well as in traumatic and transgenic disease models and illustrates how multiple fMRI methods can be applied successfully to evaluate different aspects of a specific disorder. For example, fMRI techniques can be used to pinpoint the neural substrate of a disease beyond previously defined hypothesis-driven regions-of-interest. In addition, fMRI techniques allow one to dissect how specific modifications (e.g., treatment, lesion etc.) modulate the functioning of specific brain areas (st-fMRI, phMRI) and how functional connectivity (rsfMRI) between several brain regions is affected, both in acute and extended time frames. Furthermore, fMRI techniques can be used to assess/explore the efficacy of novel treatments in depth, both in fundamental research as well as in preclinical settings. In conclusion, by describing several exemplary studies, we aim to highlight the advantages of functional MRI in exploring the acute and long-term effects of pharmacological substances and/or pathology on brain functioning along with several methodological considerations.

Cholinergic and serotonergic modulations differentially affect large-scale functional networks in the mouse brain

Resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is a widely implemented technique used to investigate large-scale topology in the human brain during health and disease. Studies in mice provide additional advantages, including the possibility to flexibly modulate the brain by pharmacological or genetic manipulations in combination with high-throughput functional connectivity (FC) investigations. Pharmacological modulations that target specific neurotransmitter systems, partly mimicking the effect of pathological events, could allow discriminating the effect of specific systems on functional network disruptions. The current study investigated the effect of cholinergic and serotonergic antagonists on large-scale brain networks in mice. The cholinergic system is involved in cognitive functions and is impaired in, e.g., Alzheimer's disease, while the serotonergic system is involved in emotional and introspective functions and is impaired in, e.g., Alzheimer's disease, depression and autism. Specific interest goes to the default-mode-network (DMN), which is studied extensively in humans and is affected in many neurological disorders. The results show that both cholinergic and serotonergic antagonists impaired the mouse DMN-like network similarly, except that cholinergic modulation additionally affected the retrosplenial cortex. This suggests that both neurotransmitter systems are involved in maintaining integrity of FC within the DMN-like network in mice. Cholinergic and serotonergic modulations also affected other functional networks, however, serotonergic modulation impaired the frontal and thalamus networks more extensively. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the utility of pharmacological rsfMRI in animal models to provide insights into the role of specific neurotransmitter systems on functional networks in neurological disorders.