1
|
Chen S, Rahn RM, Bice AR, Bice SH, Padawer-Curry JA, Hengen KB, Dougherty JD, Culver JP. Visual Deprivation during Mouse Critical Period Reorganizes Network-Level Functional Connectivity. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1019232024. [PMID: 38538145 PMCID: PMC11079959 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1019-23.2024] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
A classic example of experience-dependent plasticity is ocular dominance (OD) shift, in which the responsiveness of neurons in the visual cortex is profoundly altered following monocular deprivation (MD). It has been postulated that OD shifts also modify global neural networks, but such effects have never been demonstrated. Here, we use wide-field fluorescence optical imaging (WFOI) to characterize calcium-based resting-state functional connectivity during acute (3 d) MD in female and male mice with genetically encoded calcium indicators (Thy1-GCaMP6f). We first establish the fundamental performance of WFOI by computing signal to noise properties throughout our data processing pipeline. Following MD, we found that Δ band (0.4-4 Hz) GCaMP6 activity in the deprived visual cortex decreased, suggesting that excitatory activity in this region was reduced by MD. In addition, interhemispheric visual homotopic functional connectivity decreased following MD, which was accompanied by a reduction in parietal and motor homotopic connectivity. Finally, we observed enhanced internetwork connectivity between the visual and parietal cortex that peaked 2 d after MD. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that early MD induces dynamic reorganization of disparate functional networks including the association cortices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Chen
- Departments of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Rachel M Rahn
- Departments of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Annie R Bice
- Departments of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Seana H Bice
- Departments of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Jonah A Padawer-Curry
- Departments of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Keith B Hengen
- Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Joseph P Culver
- Departments of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Physics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Imaging Science PhD Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Biophotonics Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Shmal D, Mantero G, Floss T, Benfenati F, Maya-Vetencourt JF. Restoring vision in adult amblyopia by enhancing plasticity through deletion of the transcriptional repressor REST. iScience 2024; 27:109507. [PMID: 38591011 PMCID: PMC11000024 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109507] [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: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual cortical plasticity is high during early life, but gradually decreases with development. This is due to the Otx2-driven maturation of intracortical inhibition that parallels the condensation of extracellular matrix components into perineuronal nets mainly around parvalbumin-positive GABAergic neurons. Repressor Element 1 Silencing Transcription (REST) epigenetically controls the expression of a plethora of neuron-specific genes. We demonstrate that the conditional knockout of REST in the primary visual cortex of adult mice induces a shift of ocular dominance after short-term monocular deprivation and promotes the recovery of vision in long-term deprived animals after reverse suture. These phenomena paralleled a reduction of perineuronal net density and increased expression of REST target genes, but not of the homeoprotein Otx2 in the visual cortex contralateral to the deprived eye. This shows that REST regulates adult visual cortical plasticity and is a potential therapeutic target to restore vision in adult amblyopia by enhancing V1 plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dmytro Shmal
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Giulia Mantero
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Thomas Floss
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Fabio Benfenati
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - José Fernando Maya-Vetencourt
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sancho L, Boisvert MM, Dawoodtabar T, Burgado J, Wang E, Allen NJ. Astrocyte CCN1 stabilizes neural circuits in the adult brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.14.585077. [PMID: 38559139 PMCID: PMC10979986 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.14.585077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Neural circuits in many brain regions are refined by experience. Sensory circuits support higher plasticity at younger ages during critical periods - times of circuit refinement and maturation - and limit plasticity in adulthood for circuit stability. The mechanisms underlying these differing plasticity levels and how they serve to maintain and stabilize the properties of sensory circuits remain largely unclear. By combining a transcriptomic approach with ex vivo electrophysiology and in vivo imaging techniques, we identify that astrocytes release cellular communication network factor 1 (CCN1) to maintain synapse and circuit stability in the visual cortex. By overexpressing CCN1 in critical period astrocytes, we find that it promotes the maturation of inhibitory circuits and limits ocular dominance plasticity. Conversely, by knocking out astrocyte CCN1 in adults, binocular circuits are destabilized. These studies establish CCN1 as a novel astrocyte-secreted factor that stabilizes neuronal circuits. Moreover, they demonstrate that the composition and properties of sensory circuits require ongoing maintenance in adulthood, and that these maintenance cues are provided by astrocytes.
Collapse
|
4
|
Chen S, Rahn RM, Bice AR, Bice SH, Padawer-Curry JA, Hengen KB, Dougherty JD, Culver JP. Visual deprivation during mouse critical period reorganizes network-level functional connectivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.30.542957. [PMID: 37398380 PMCID: PMC10312598 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.30.542957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
A classic example of experience-dependent plasticity is ocular dominance (OD) shift, in which the responsiveness of neurons in the visual cortex is profoundly altered following monocular deprivation (MD). It has been postulated that OD shifts also modify global neural networks, but such effects have never been demonstrated. Here, we used longitudinal wide-field optical calcium imaging to measure resting-state functional connectivity during acute (3-day) MD in mice. First, delta GCaMP6 power in the deprived visual cortex decreased, suggesting that excitatory activity was reduced in the region. In parallel, interhemispheric visual homotopic functional connectivity was rapidly reduced by the disruption of visual drive through MD and was sustained significantly below baseline state. This reduction of visual homotopic connectivity was accompanied by a reduction in parietal and motor homotopic connectivity. Finally, we observed enhanced internetwork connectivity between visual and parietal cortex that peaked at MD2. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that early MD induces dynamic reorganization of disparate functional networks including association cortices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Chen
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Rachel M. Rahn
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Annie R. Bice
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Seana H. Bice
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jonah A. Padawer-Curry
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Keith B. Hengen
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Joseph D. Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Joseph P. Culver
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Physics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Petousakis KE, Park J, Papoutsi A, Smirnakis S, Poirazi P. Modeling apical and basal tree contribution to orientation selectivity in a mouse primary visual cortex layer 2/3 pyramidal cell. eLife 2023; 12:e91627. [PMID: 38054403 PMCID: PMC10754496 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91627] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pyramidal neurons, a mainstay of cortical regions, receive a plethora of inputs from various areas onto their morphologically distinct apical and basal trees. Both trees differentially contribute to the somatic response, defining distinct anatomical and possibly functional sub-units. To elucidate the contribution of each tree to the encoding of visual stimuli at the somatic level, we modeled the response pattern of a mouse L2/3 V1 pyramidal neuron to orientation tuned synaptic input. Towards this goal, we used a morphologically detailed computational model of a single cell that replicates electrophysiological and two-photon imaging data. Our simulations predict a synergistic effect of apical and basal trees on somatic action potential generation: basal tree activity, in the form of either depolarization or dendritic spiking, is necessary for producing somatic activity, despite the fact that most somatic spikes are heavily driven by apical dendritic spikes. This model provides evidence for synergistic computations taking place in the basal and apical trees of the L2/3 V1 neuron along with mechanistic explanations for tree-specific contributions and emphasizes the potential role of predictive and attentional feedback input in these cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiyoung Park
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Jamaica Plain Veterans Administration Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | | - Stelios Smirnakis
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Jamaica Plain Veterans Administration Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Radulescu CI, Doostdar N, Zabouri N, Melgosa-Ecenarro L, Wang X, Sadeh S, Pavlidi P, Airey J, Kopanitsa M, Clopath C, Barnes SJ. Age-related dysregulation of homeostatic control in neuronal microcircuits. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:2158-2170. [PMID: 37919424 PMCID: PMC10689243 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01451-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal homeostasis prevents hyperactivity and hypoactivity. Age-related hyperactivity suggests homeostasis may be dysregulated in later life. However, plasticity mechanisms preventing age-related hyperactivity and their efficacy in later life are unclear. We identify the adult cortical plasticity response to elevated activity driven by sensory overstimulation, then test how plasticity changes with age. We use in vivo two-photon imaging of calcium-mediated cellular/synaptic activity, electrophysiology and c-Fos-activity tagging to show control of neuronal activity is dysregulated in the visual cortex in late adulthood. Specifically, in young adult cortex, mGluR5-dependent population-wide excitatory synaptic weakening and inhibitory synaptogenesis reduce cortical activity following overstimulation. In later life, these mechanisms are downregulated, so that overstimulation results in synaptic strengthening and elevated activity. We also find overstimulation disrupts cognition in older but not younger animals. We propose that specific plasticity mechanisms fail in later life dysregulating neuronal microcircuit homeostasis and that the age-related response to overstimulation can impact cognitive performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carola I Radulescu
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | - Nazanin Doostdar
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | - Nawal Zabouri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, UK
| | - Leire Melgosa-Ecenarro
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | - Xingjian Wang
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | - Sadra Sadeh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, UK
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | - Pavlina Pavlidi
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Joe Airey
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK
| | | | - Claudia Clopath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, UK
| | - Samuel J Barnes
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Prosper A, Pasqualetti M, Morrone MC, Lunghi C. The duration effect of short-term monocular deprivation measured by binocular rivalry and binocular combination. Vision Res 2023; 211:108278. [PMID: 37352718 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108278] [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: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The ocular dominance shift observed after short-term monocular deprivation is a widely used measure of visual homeostatic plasticity in adult humans. Binocular rivalry and binocular combination techniques are used interchangeably to characterize homeostatic plasticity, sometimes leading to contradictory results. Here we directly compare the effect of short-term monocular deprivation on ocular dominance measured by either binocular rivalry or binocular combination and its dependence on the duration of deprivation (15 or 120 min) in the same group of participants. Our results show that both binocular rivalry and binocular combination provide reliable estimates of ocular dominance, which are strongly correlated across techniques both before and after deprivation. Moreover, while 15 min of monocular deprivation induce a larger shift of ocular dominance when measured using binocular combination compared to binocular rivalry, for both techniques, the shift in ocular dominance exhibits a strong dependence on the duration of monocular deprivation, with longer deprivation inducing a larger and longer-lasting shift in ocular dominance. Taken together, our results indicate that both binocular rivalry and binocular combination offer very consistent and reliable measurements of both ocular dominance and the effect short-term monocular deprivation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Prosper
- Laboratoire Des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Martina Pasqualetti
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudia Lunghi
- Laboratoire Des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Fu J, Tanabe S, Cang J. Widespread and Multifaceted Binocular Integration in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6495-6507. [PMID: 37604691 PMCID: PMC10513071 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0925-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain combines two-dimensional images received from the two eyes to form a percept of three-dimensional surroundings. This process of binocular integration in the primary visual cortex (V1) serves as a useful model for studying how neural circuits generate emergent properties from multiple input signals. Here, we perform a thorough characterization of binocular integration using electrophysiological recordings in the V1 of awake adult male and female mice by systematically varying the orientation and phase disparity of monocular and binocular stimuli. We reveal widespread binocular integration in mouse V1 and demonstrate that the three commonly studied binocular properties-ocular dominance, interocular matching, and disparity selectivity-are independent of each other. For individual neurons, the responses to monocular stimulation can predict the average amplitude of binocular response but not its selectivity. Finally, the extensive and independent binocular integration of monocular inputs is seen across cortical layers in both regular-spiking and fast-spiking neurons, regardless of stimulus design. Our data indicate that the current model of simple feedforward convergence is inadequate to account for binocular integration in mouse V1, thus suggesting an indispensable role played by intracortical circuits in binocular computation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Binocular integration is an important step of visual processing that takes place in the visual cortex. Studying the process by which V1 neurons become selective for certain binocular disparities is informative about how neural circuits integrate multiple information streams at a more general level. Here, we systematically characterize binocular integration in mice. Our data demonstrate more widespread and complex binocular integration in mouse V1 than previously reported. Binocular responses cannot be explained by a simple convergence of monocular responses, contrary to the prevailing model of binocular integration. These findings thus indicate that intracortical circuits must be involved in the exquisite computation of binocular disparity, which would endow brain circuits with the plasticity needed for binocular development and processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jieming Fu
- Neuroscience Graduate Program
- Department of Biology
| | - Seiji Tanabe
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Thompson B, Concetta Morrone M, Bex P, Lozama A, Sabel BA. Harnessing brain plasticity to improve binocular vision in amblyopia: An evidence-based update. Eur J Ophthalmol 2023:11206721231187426. [PMID: 37431104 DOI: 10.1177/11206721231187426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Amblyopia is a developmental visual disorder resulting from atypical binocular experience in early childhood that leads to abnormal visual cortex development and vision impairment. Recovery from amblyopia requires significant visual cortex neuroplasticity, i.e. the ability of the central nervous system and its synaptic connections to adapt their structure and function. There is a high level of neuroplasticity in early development and, historically, neuroplastic responses to changes in visual experience were thought to be restricted to a "critical period" in early life. However, as our review now shows, the evidence is growing that plasticity of the adult visual system can also be harnessed to improve vision in amblyopia. Amblyopia treatment involves correcting refractive error to ensure clear and equal retinal image formation in both eyes, then, if necessary, promoting the use of the amblyopic eye by hindering or reducing visual input from the better eye through patching or pharmacologic therapy. Early treatment in children can lead to visual acuity gains and the development of binocular vision in some cases; however, many children do not respond to treatment, and many adults with amblyopia have historically been untreated or undertreated. Here we review the current evidence on how dichoptic training can be used as a novel binocular therapeutic approach to facilitate visual processing of input from the amblyopic eye and can simultaneously engage both eyes in a training task that requires binocular integration. It is a novel and promising treatment for amblyopia in both children and adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Thompson
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Centre for Eye and Vision Science, Hong Kong
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Peter Bex
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anthony Lozama
- Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, USA
| | - Bernhard A Sabel
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Si YG, Su WX, Chen XD, Li ZY, Yan B, Zhang JY. Emerging V1 neuronal ensembles with enhanced connectivity after associative learning. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1176253. [PMID: 37456996 PMCID: PMC10346858 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1176253] [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: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The visual stimulus-specific responses in the primary visual cortex (V1) undergo plastic changes after associative learning. During the learning process, neuronal ensembles, defined as groups of coactive neurons, are well known to be related to learning and memory. However, it remains unclear what effect learning has on ensembles, and which neuronal subgroups within those ensembles play a key role in associative learning. Methods We used two-photon calcium imaging in mice to record the activity of V1 neurons before and after fear conditioning associated with a visual cue (blue light). We first defined neuronal ensembles by thresholding their functional connectivity in response to blue (conditioned) or green (control) light. We defined neurons that existed both before and after conditioning as stable neurons. Neurons which were recruited after conditioning were defined as new neurons. The graph theory-based analysis was performed to quantify the changes in connectivity within ensembles after conditioning. Results A significant enhancement in the connectivity strength (the average correlation with other neurons) was observed in the blue ensembles after conditioning. We found that stable neurons within the blue ensembles showed a significantly smaller clustering coefficient (the value represented the degree of interconnectedness among a node's neighbors) after conditioning than they were before conditioning. Additionally, new neurons within the blue ensembles had a larger clustering coefficient, similar relative degree (the value represented the number of functional connections between neurons) and connectivity strength compared to stable neurons in the same ensembles. Discussion Overall, our results demonstrated that the plastic changes caused by conditioning occurred in subgroups of neurons in the ensembles. Moreover, new neurons from conditioned ensembles may play a crucial role in memory formation, as they exhibited not only similar connection competence in relative degree and connectivity strength as stable neurons, but also showed a significantly larger clustering coefficient compared to the stable neurons within the same ensembles after conditioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yue-Guang Si
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Institute for Medical and Engineering Innovation, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Xin Su
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Institute for Medical and Engineering Innovation, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Xing-Dong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Institute for Medical and Engineering Innovation, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ze-Yu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Institute for Medical and Engineering Innovation, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Biao Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Institute for Medical and Engineering Innovation, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia-Yi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Institute for Medical and Engineering Innovation, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Brown TC, McGee AW. Monocular deprivation during the critical period alters neuronal tuning and the composition of visual circuitry. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002096. [PMID: 37083549 PMCID: PMC10155990 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormal visual experience during a developmental critical period degrades cortical responsiveness. Yet how experience-dependent plasticity alters the response properties of individual neurons and composition of visual circuitry is unclear. Here, we measured with calcium imaging in alert mice how monocular deprivation (MD) during the developmental critical period affects tuning for binocularity, orientation, and spatial frequency for neurons in primary visual cortex. MD of the contralateral eye did not uniformly shift ocular dominance (OD) of neurons towards the fellow ipsilateral eye but reduced the number of monocular contralateral neurons and increased the number of monocular ipsilateral neurons. MD also impaired matching of preferred orientation for binocular neurons and reduced the percentage of neurons responsive at most spatial frequencies for the deprived contralateral eye. Tracking the tuning properties for several hundred neurons before and after MD revealed that the shift in OD is complex and dynamic, with many previously monocular neurons becoming binocular and binocular neurons becoming monocular. Binocular neurons that became monocular were more likely to lose responsiveness to the deprived contralateral eye if they were better matched for orientation prior to deprivation. In addition, the composition of visual circuitry changed as population of neurons more responsive to the deprived eye were exchanged for neurons with tuning properties more similar to the network of responsive neurons altered by MD. Thus, plasticity during the critical period adapts to recent experience by both altering the tuning of responsive neurons and recruiting neurons with matching tuning properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Brown
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine; University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
| | - Aaron W McGee
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine; University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Martinez JD, Donnelly MJ, Popke DS, Torres D, Wilson LG, Brancaleone WP, Sheskey S, Lin CM, Clawson BC, Jiang S, Aton SJ. Enriched binocular experience followed by sleep optimally restores binocular visual cortical responses in a mouse model of amblyopia. Commun Biol 2023; 6:408. [PMID: 37055505 PMCID: PMC10102075 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04798-y] [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: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of primary visual cortex have furthered our understanding of amblyopia, long-lasting visual impairment caused by imbalanced input from the two eyes during childhood, which is commonly treated by patching the dominant eye. However, the relative impacts of monocular vs. binocular visual experiences on recovery from amblyopia are unclear. Moreover, while sleep promotes visual cortex plasticity following loss of input from one eye, its role in recovering binocular visual function is unknown. Using monocular deprivation in juvenile male mice to model amblyopia, we compared recovery of cortical neurons' visual responses after identical-duration, identical-quality binocular or monocular visual experiences. We demonstrate that binocular experience is quantitatively superior in restoring binocular responses in visual cortex neurons. However, this recovery was seen only in freely-sleeping mice; post-experience sleep deprivation prevented functional recovery. Thus, both binocular visual experience and subsequent sleep help to optimally renormalize bV1 responses in a mouse model of amblyopia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessy D Martinez
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Marcus J Donnelly
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Donald S Popke
- Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Daniel Torres
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lydia G Wilson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Sarah Sheskey
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Cheng-Mao Lin
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Brittany C Clawson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sha Jiang
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sara J Aton
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
An optofluidic platform for interrogating chemosensory behavior and brainwide neural representation in larval zebrafish. Nat Commun 2023; 14:227. [PMID: 36641479 PMCID: PMC9840631 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35836-2] [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: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying chemosensory processing desires precise chemical cue presentation, behavioral response monitoring, and large-scale neuronal activity recording. Here we present Fish-on-Chips, a set of optofluidic tools for highly-controlled chemical delivery while simultaneously imaging behavioral outputs and whole-brain neuronal activities at cellular resolution in larval zebrafish. These include a fluidics-based swimming arena and an integrated microfluidics-light sheet fluorescence microscopy (µfluidics-LSFM) system, both of which utilize laminar fluid flows to achieve spatiotemporally precise chemical cue presentation. To demonstrate the strengths of the platform, we used the navigation arena to reveal binasal input-dependent behavioral strategies that larval zebrafish adopt to evade cadaverine, a death-associated odor. The µfluidics-LSFM system enables sequential presentation of odor stimuli to individual or both nasal cavities separated by only ~100 µm. This allowed us to uncover brainwide neural representations of cadaverine sensing and binasal input summation in the vertebrate model. Fish-on-Chips is readily generalizable and will empower the investigation of neural coding in the chemical senses.
Collapse
|
14
|
Cang J, Fu J, Tanabe S. Neural circuits for binocular vision: Ocular dominance, interocular matching, and disparity selectivity. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1084027. [PMID: 36874946 PMCID: PMC9975354 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1084027] [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: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain creates a single visual percept of the world with inputs from two eyes. This means that downstream structures must integrate information from the two eyes coherently. Not only does the brain meet this challenge effortlessly, it also uses small differences between the two eyes' inputs, i.e., binocular disparity, to construct depth information in a perceptual process called stereopsis. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the neural circuits underlying stereoscopic vision and its development. Here, we review these advances in the context of three binocular properties that have been most commonly studied for visual cortical neurons: ocular dominance of response magnitude, interocular matching of orientation preference, and response selectivity for binocular disparity. By focusing mostly on mouse studies, as well as recent studies using ferrets and tree shrews, we highlight unresolved controversies and significant knowledge gaps regarding the neural circuits underlying binocular vision. We note that in most ocular dominance studies, only monocular stimulations are used, which could lead to a mischaracterization of binocularity. On the other hand, much remains unknown regarding the circuit basis of interocular matching and disparity selectivity and its development. We conclude by outlining opportunities for future studies on the neural circuits and functional development of binocular integration in the early visual system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Jieming Fu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Seiji Tanabe
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Jensen KT, Kadmon Harpaz N, Dhawale AK, Wolff SBE, Ölveczky BP. Long-term stability of single neuron activity in the motor system. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1664-1674. [PMID: 36357811 PMCID: PMC11152193 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01194-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
How an established behavior is retained and consistently produced by a nervous system in constant flux remains a mystery. One possible solution to ensure long-term stability in motor output is to fix the activity patterns of single neurons in the relevant circuits. Alternatively, activity in single cells could drift over time provided that the population dynamics are constrained to produce the same behavior. To arbitrate between these possibilities, we recorded single-unit activity in motor cortex and striatum continuously for several weeks as rats performed stereotyped motor behaviors-both learned and innate. We found long-term stability in single neuron activity patterns across both brain regions. A small amount of drift in neural activity, observed over weeks of recording, could be explained by concomitant changes in task-irrelevant aspects of the behavior. These results suggest that long-term stable behaviors are generated by single neuron activity patterns that are themselves highly stable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristopher T Jensen
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Computational and Biological Learning Lab, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Naama Kadmon Harpaz
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ashesh K Dhawale
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Steffen B E Wolff
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bence P Ölveczky
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Fitzpatrick MJ, Kerschensteiner D. Homeostatic plasticity in the retina. Prog Retin Eye Res 2022; 94:101131. [PMID: 36244950 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2022.101131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Vision begins in the retina, whose intricate neural circuits extract salient features of the environment from the light entering our eyes. Neurodegenerative diseases of the retina (e.g., inherited retinal degenerations, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma) impair vision and cause blindness in a growing number of people worldwide. Increasing evidence indicates that homeostatic plasticity (i.e., the drive of a neural system to stabilize its function) can, in principle, preserve retinal function in the face of major perturbations, including neurodegeneration. Here, we review the circumstances and events that trigger homeostatic plasticity in the retina during development, sensory experience, and disease. We discuss the diverse mechanisms that cooperate to compensate and the set points and outcomes that homeostatic retinal plasticity stabilizes. Finally, we summarize the opportunities and challenges for unlocking the therapeutic potential of homeostatic plasticity. Homeostatic plasticity is fundamental to understanding retinal development and function and could be an important tool in the fight to preserve and restore vision.
Collapse
|
17
|
Lowery RL, Majewska AK. Synapse-specific plasticity relies on neuroimmune interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2207817119. [PMID: 35737828 PMCID: PMC9271177 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207817119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L. Lowery
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642
| | - Ania K. Majewska
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Papaioannou S, Medini P. Advantages, Pitfalls, and Developments of All Optical Interrogation Strategies of Microcircuits in vivo. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:859803. [PMID: 35837124 PMCID: PMC9274136 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.859803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The holy grail for every neurophysiologist is to conclude a causal relationship between an elementary behaviour and the function of a specific brain area or circuit. Our effort to map elementary behaviours to specific brain loci and to further manipulate neural activity while observing the alterations in behaviour is in essence the goal for neuroscientists. Recent advancements in the area of experimental brain imaging in the form of longer wavelength near infrared (NIR) pulsed lasers with the development of highly efficient optogenetic actuators and reporters of neural activity, has endowed us with unprecedented resolution in spatiotemporal precision both in imaging neural activity as well as manipulating it with multiphoton microscopy. This readily available toolbox has introduced a so called all-optical physiology and interrogation of circuits and has opened new horizons when it comes to precisely, fast and non-invasively map and manipulate anatomically, molecularly or functionally identified mesoscopic brain circuits. The purpose of this review is to describe the advantages and possible pitfalls of all-optical approaches in system neuroscience, where by all-optical we mean use of multiphoton microscopy to image the functional response of neuron(s) in the network so to attain flexible choice of the cells to be also optogenetically photostimulated by holography, in absence of electrophysiology. Spatio-temporal constraints will be compared toward the classical reference of electrophysiology methods. When appropriate, in relation to current limitations of current optical approaches, we will make reference to latest works aimed to overcome these limitations, in order to highlight the most recent developments. We will also provide examples of types of experiments uniquely approachable all-optically. Finally, although mechanically non-invasive, all-optical electrophysiology exhibits potential off-target effects which can ambiguate and complicate the interpretation of the results. In summary, this review is an effort to exemplify how an all-optical experiment can be designed, conducted and interpreted from the point of view of the integrative neurophysiologist.
Collapse
|
19
|
Marin IA, Gutman-Wei AY, Chew KS, Raissi AJ, Djurisic M, Shatz CJ. The nonclassical MHC class I Qa-1 expressed in layer 6 neurons regulates activity-dependent plasticity via microglial CD94/NKG2 in the cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203965119. [PMID: 35648829 PMCID: PMC9191652 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203965119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
During developmental critical periods, circuits are sculpted by a process of activity-dependent competition. The molecular machinery involved in regulating the complex process of responding to different levels of activity is now beginning to be identified. Here, we show that the nonclassical major histocompatibility class I (MHCI) molecule Qa-1 is expressed in the healthy brain in layer 6 corticothalamic neurons. In the visual cortex, Qa-1 expression begins during the critical period for ocular dominance (OD) plasticity and is regulated by neuronal activity, suggesting a role in regulating activity-dependent competition. Indeed, in mice lacking Qa-1, OD plasticity is perturbed. Moreover, signaling through CD94/NKG2, a known cognate Qa-1 heterodimeric receptor in the immune system, is implicated: selectively targeting this interaction phenocopies the plasticity perturbation observed in Qa-1 knockouts. In the cortex, CD94/NKG2 is expressed by microglial cells, which undergo activity-dependent changes in their morphology in a Qa-1–dependent manner. Our study thus reveals a neuron–microglial interaction dependent upon a nonclassical MHCI molecule expressed in L6 neurons, which regulates plasticity in the visual cortex. These results also point to an unexpected function for the Qa-1/HLA-E (ligand) and CD94/NKG2 (receptor) interaction in the nervous system, in addition to that described in the immune system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ioana A. Marin
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
| | - Alan Y. Gutman-Wei
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
| | - Kylie S. Chew
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
| | - Aram J. Raissi
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
| | - Maja Djurisic
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
| | - Carla J. Shatz
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Alejandre-García T, Kim S, Pérez-Ortega J, Yuste R. Intrinsic excitability mechanisms of neuronal ensemble formation. eLife 2022; 11:77470. [PMID: 35506662 PMCID: PMC9197391 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal ensembles are coactive groups of cortical neurons, found in spontaneous and evoked activity, that can mediate perception and behavior. To understand the mechanisms that lead to the formation of ensembles, we co-activated layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in brain slices from mouse visual cortex, in animals of both sexes, replicating in vitro an optogenetic protocol to generate ensembles in vivo. Using whole-cell and perforated patch-clamp pair recordings we found that, after optogenetic or electrical stimulation, coactivated neurons increased their correlated activity, a hallmark of ensemble formation. Coactivated neurons showed small biphasic changes in presynaptic plasticity, with an initial depression followed by a potentiation after a recovery period. Optogenetic and electrical stimulation also induced significant increases in frequency and amplitude of spontaneous EPSPs, even after single-cell stimulation. In addition, we observed unexpected strong and persistent increases in neuronal excitability after stimulation, with increases in membrane resistance and reductions in spike threshold. A pharmacological agent that blocks changes in membrane resistance reverted this effect. These significant increases in excitability can explain the observed biphasic synaptic plasticity. We conclude that cell-intrinsic changes in excitability are involved in the formation of neuronal ensembles. We propose an ‘iceberg’ model, by which increased neuronal excitability makes subthreshold connections suprathreshold, enhancing the effect of already existing synapses, and generating a new neuronal ensemble. In the brain, groups of neurons that are activated together – also known as neuronal ensembles – are the basic units that underpin perception and behavior. Yet, exactly how these coactive circuits are established remains under investigation. In 1949, Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb proposed that, when brains learn something new, the neurons which are activated together connect to form ensembles, and their connections become stronger each time this specific piece of knowledge is recalled. This idea that ‘neurons that fire together, wire together’ can explain how memories are acquired and recalled, by strengthening their wiring. However, recent studies have questioned whether strengthening connections is the only mechanism by which neural ensembles can be created. Changes in the excitability of neurons (how easily they are to fire and become activated) may also play a role. In other words, ensembles could emerge because certain neurons become more excitable and fire more readily. To solve this conundrum, Alejandre-García et al. examined both hypotheses in the same system. Neurons in slices of the mouse visual cortex were stimulated electrically or optically, via a technique that controls neural activity with light. The activity of individual neurons and their connections was then measured with electrodes. Spontaneous activity among connected neurons increased after stimulation, indicative of the formation of neuronal ensembles. Connected neurons also showed small changes in the strength of their connections, which first decreased and then rebounded after an initial recovery period. Intriguingly, cells also showed unexpected strong and persistent increases in neuronal excitability after stimulation, such that neurons fired more readily to the same stimulus. In other words, neurons maintained a cellular memory of having been stimulated. The authors conclude that ensembles form because connected neurons become more excitable, which in turn, may strengthen connections of the circuit at a later stage. These results provide fresh insights about the neural circuits underpinning learning and memory. In time, the findings could also help to understand disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia, which are characterised by memory impairments and disordered thinking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Samuel Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Jesús Pérez-Ortega
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Rafael Yuste
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Shi Y, Cui M, Ochs K, Brendel M, Strübing FL, Briel N, Eckenweber F, Zou C, Banati RB, Liu GJ, Middleton RJ, Rupprecht R, Rudolph U, Zeilhofer HU, Rammes G, Herms J, Dorostkar MM. Long-term diazepam treatment enhances microglial spine engulfment and impairs cognitive performance via the mitochondrial 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO). Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:317-329. [PMID: 35228700 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01013-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Benzodiazepines are widely administered drugs to treat anxiety and insomnia. In addition to tolerance development and abuse liability, their chronic use may cause cognitive impairment and increase the risk for dementia. However, the mechanism by which benzodiazepines might contribute to persistent cognitive decline remains unknown. Here we report that diazepam, a widely prescribed benzodiazepine, impairs the structural plasticity of dendritic spines, causing cognitive impairment in mice. Diazepam induces these deficits via the mitochondrial 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO), rather than classical γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors, which alters microglial morphology, and phagocytosis of synaptic material. Collectively, our findings demonstrate a mechanism by which TSPO ligands alter synaptic plasticity and, as a consequence, cause cognitive impairment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Shi
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany.,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.,Munich Medical Research School, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mochen Cui
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany.,Munich Medical Research School, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Katharina Ochs
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Brendel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Felix L Strübing
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
| | - Nils Briel
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany.,Munich Medical Research School, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Florian Eckenweber
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Chengyu Zou
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Richard B Banati
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Sydney NSW, Australia.,Brain and Mind Centre, Medical Imaging Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Guo-Jun Liu
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Sydney NSW, Australia.,Brain and Mind Centre, Medical Imaging Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Ryan J Middleton
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Rainer Rupprecht
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Rudolph
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gerhard Rammes
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Jochen Herms
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany. .,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany. .,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.
| | - Mario M Dorostkar
- Center for Neuropathology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany. .,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Sakamoto M, Inoue M, Takeuchi A, Kobari S, Yokoyama T, Horigane SI, Takemoto-Kimura S, Abe M, Sakimura K, Kano M, Kitamura K, Fujii H, Bito H. A Flp-dependent G-CaMP9a transgenic mouse for neuronal imaging in vivo. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100168. [PMID: 35474964 PMCID: PMC9017135 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) are widely used to measure calcium transients in neuronal somata and processes, and their use enables the determination of action potential temporal series in a large population of neurons. Here, we generate a transgenic mouse line expressing a highly sensitive green GECI, G-CaMP9a, in a Flp-dependent manner in excitatory and inhibitory neuronal subpopulations downstream of a strong CAG promoter. Combining this reporter mouse with viral or mouse genetic Flp delivery methods produces a robust and stable G-CaMP9a expression in defined neuronal populations without detectable detrimental effects. In vivo two-photon imaging reveals spontaneous and sensory-evoked calcium transients in excitatory and inhibitory ensembles with cellular resolution. Our results show that this reporter line allows long-term, cell-type-specific investigation of neuronal activity with enhanced resolution in defined populations and facilitates dissecting complex dynamics of neural networks in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Sakamoto
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Optical Neural and Molecular Physiology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
- Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Masatoshi Inoue
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Atsuya Takeuchi
- Department of Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Neurophysiology, School of Dentistry, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigetaka Kobari
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Tatsushi Yokoyama
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Optical Neural and Molecular Physiology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Shin-ichiro Horigane
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Neuroscience I, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
- Department of Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
| | - Sayaka Takemoto-Kimura
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
- Department of Neuroscience I, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
- Department of Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
| | - Manabu Abe
- Department of Animal Model Development, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, Japan
| | - Kenji Sakimura
- Department of Animal Model Development, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, Japan
| | - Masanobu Kano
- Department of Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kazuo Kitamura
- Department of Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- Department of Neurophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Hajime Fujii
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Bito
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Scholl B, Tepohl C, Ryan MA, Thomas CI, Kamasawa N, Fitzpatrick D. A binocular synaptic network supports interocular response alignment in visual cortical neurons. Neuron 2022; 110:1573-1584.e4. [PMID: 35123654 PMCID: PMC9081247 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
In visual cortex, signals from the two eyes merge to form a coherent binocular representation. Here we investigate the synaptic interactions underlying the binocular representation of stimulus orientation in ferret visual cortex with in vivo calcium imaging of layer 2/3 neurons and their dendritic spines. Individual neurons with aligned somatic responses received a mixture of monocular and binocular synaptic inputs. Surprisingly, monocular pathways alone could not account for somatic alignment because ipsilateral monocular inputs poorly matched somatic preference. Binocular inputs exhibited different degrees of interocular alignment, and those with a high degree of alignment (congruent) had greater selectivity and somatic specificity. While congruent inputs were similar to others in measures of strength, simulations show that the number of active congruent inputs predicts aligned somatic output. Our study suggests that coherent binocular responses derive from connectivity biases that support functional amplification of aligned signals within a heterogeneous binocular intracortical network.
Collapse
|
24
|
Barnes SJ, Keller GB, Keck T. Homeostatic regulation through strengthening of neuronal network-correlated synaptic inputs. eLife 2022; 11:81958. [PMID: 36515269 PMCID: PMC9803349 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81958] [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: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Homeostatic regulation is essential for stable neuronal function. Several synaptic mechanisms of homeostatic plasticity have been described, but the functional properties of synapses involved in homeostasis are unknown. We used longitudinal two-photon functional imaging of dendritic spine calcium signals in visual and retrosplenial cortices of awake adult mice to quantify the sensory deprivation-induced changes in the responses of functionally identified spines. We found that spines whose activity selectively correlated with intrinsic network activity underwent tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-dependent homeostatic increases in their response amplitudes, but spines identified as responsive to sensory stimulation did not. We observed an increase in the global sensory-evoked responses following sensory deprivation, despite the fact that the identified sensory inputs did not strengthen. Instead, global sensory-evoked responses correlated with the strength of network-correlated inputs. Our results suggest that homeostatic regulation of global responses is mediated through changes to intrinsic network-correlated inputs rather than changes to identified sensory inputs thought to drive sensory processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Barnes
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital CampusLondonUnited Kingdom,UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial CollegeLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Georg B Keller
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical ResearchBaselSwitzerland
| | - Tara Keck
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Jenks KR, Tsimring K, Ip JPK, Zepeda JC, Sur M. Heterosynaptic Plasticity and the Experience-Dependent Refinement of Developing Neuronal Circuits. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:803401. [PMID: 34949992 PMCID: PMC8689143 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.803401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurons remodel the structure and strength of their synapses during critical periods of development in order to optimize both perception and cognition. Many of these developmental synaptic changes are thought to occur through synapse-specific homosynaptic forms of experience-dependent plasticity. However, homosynaptic plasticity can also induce or contribute to the plasticity of neighboring synapses through heterosynaptic interactions. Decades of research in vitro have uncovered many of the molecular mechanisms of heterosynaptic plasticity that mediate local compensation for homosynaptic plasticity, facilitation of further bouts of plasticity in nearby synapses, and cooperative induction of plasticity by neighboring synapses acting in concert. These discoveries greatly benefited from new tools and technologies that permitted single synapse imaging and manipulation of structure, function, and protein dynamics in living neurons. With the recent advent and application of similar tools for in vivo research, it is now feasible to explore how heterosynaptic plasticity contribute to critical periods and the development of neuronal circuits. In this review, we will first define the forms heterosynaptic plasticity can take and describe our current understanding of their molecular mechanisms. Then, we will outline how heterosynaptic plasticity may lead to meaningful refinement of neuronal responses and observations that suggest such mechanisms are indeed at work in vivo. Finally, we will use a well-studied model of cortical plasticity—ocular dominance plasticity during a critical period of visual cortex development—to highlight the molecular overlap between heterosynaptic and developmental forms of plasticity, and suggest potential avenues of future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle R Jenks
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Katya Tsimring
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jacque Pak Kan Ip
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jose C Zepeda
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Mriganka Sur
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Michikawa T, Yoshida T, Kuroki S, Ishikawa T, Kakei S, Kimizuka R, Saito A, Yokota H, Shimizu A, Itohara S, Miyawaki A. Distributed sensory coding by cerebellar complex spikes in units of cortical segments. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109966. [PMID: 34758322 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory processing is essential for motor control. Climbing fibers from the inferior olive transmit sensory signals to Purkinje cells, but how the signals are represented in the cerebellar cortex remains elusive. To examine the olivocerebellar organization of the mouse brain, we perform quantitative Ca2+ imaging to measure complex spikes (CSs) evoked by climbing fiber inputs over the entire dorsal surface of the cerebellum simultaneously. The surface is divided into approximately 200 segments, each composed of ∼100 Purkinje cells that fire CSs synchronously. Our in vivo imaging reveals that, although stimulation of four limb muscles individually elicits similar global CS responses across nearly all segments, the timing and location of a stimulus are derived by Bayesian inference from coordinated activation and inactivation of multiple segments on a single trial basis. We propose that the cerebellum performs segment-based, distributed-population coding that represents the conditional probability of sensory events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Michikawa
- Biotechnological Optics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Laboratory for Cell Function Dynamics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
| | - Takamasa Yoshida
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Satoshi Kuroki
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ishikawa
- Movement Disorders Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Shinji Kakei
- Movement Disorders Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan
| | - Ryo Kimizuka
- Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Atsushi Saito
- Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Hideo Yokota
- Image Processing Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Akinobu Shimizu
- Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Itohara
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Atsushi Miyawaki
- Biotechnological Optics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Laboratory for Cell Function Dynamics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Pérez-Ortega J, Alejandre-García T, Yuste R. Long-term stability of cortical ensembles. eLife 2021; 10:e64449. [PMID: 34328414 PMCID: PMC8376248 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal ensembles, coactive groups of neurons found in spontaneous and evoked cortical activity, are causally related to memories and perception, but it is still unknown how stable or flexible they are over time. We used two-photon multiplane calcium imaging to track over weeks the activity of the same pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 of the visual cortex from awake mice and recorded their spontaneous and visually evoked responses. Less than half of the neurons remained active across any two imaging sessions. These stable neurons formed ensembles that lasted weeks, but some ensembles were also transient and appeared only in one single session. Stable ensembles preserved most of their neurons for up to 46 days, our longest imaged period, and these 'core' cells had stronger functional connectivity. Our results demonstrate that neuronal ensembles can last for weeks and could, in principle, serve as a substrate for long-lasting representation of perceptual states or memories.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Pérez-Ortega
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | | | - Rafael Yuste
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
The ups and downs of sensory eye balance: Monocular deprivation has a biphasic effect on interocular dominance. Vision Res 2021; 183:53-60. [PMID: 33684826 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2021.01.010] [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: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Classic studies of ocular dominance plasticity in early development showed that monocular deprivation suppresses the neural representation and visual function of the deprived eye. However, recent studies have shown that a short period of monocular deprivation (<3 h) in normal adult humans, shifts sensory eye dominance in favor of the deprived eye. How can these opposing effects be reconciled? Here we argue that there are two systems acting in opposition at different time scales. A fast acting, stabilizing, homeostatic system that rapidly decreases gain in the non-deprived eye or increases gain in the deprived eye, and a relatively sluggish system that shifts balance toward the non-deprived eye, in an effort to reduce input of little utility to active vision. If true, then continuous deprivation should produce a biphasic effect on interocular balance, first shifting balance away from the non-deprived eye, then towards it. Here we investigated the time course of the deprivation effect by monocularly depriving typical adults for 10 h and conducting tests of sensory eye balance at six intervening time points. Consistent with previous short-term deprivation work, we found shifts in sensory eye dominance away from the non-deprived eye up until approximately 5 h. We then observed a turning point, with balance shifting back towards the non-deprived eye, -, a biphasic effect. We argue that this turning point marks where the rapid homeostatic response saturates and is overtaken by the slower system responsible for suppressing monocular input of limited utility.
Collapse
|
29
|
Trojanowski NF, Bottorff J, Turrigiano GG. Activity labeling in vivo using CaMPARI2 reveals intrinsic and synaptic differences between neurons with high and low firing rate set points. Neuron 2021; 109:663-676.e5. [PMID: 33333001 PMCID: PMC7897300 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Neocortical pyramidal neurons regulate firing around a stable mean firing rate (FR) that can differ by orders of magnitude between neurons, but the factors that determine where individual neurons sit within this broad FR distribution are not understood. To access low- and high-FR neurons for ex vivo analysis, we used Ca2+- and UV-dependent photoconversion of CaMPARI2 in vivo to permanently label neurons according to mean FR. CaMPARI2 photoconversion was correlated with immediate early gene expression and higher FRs ex vivo and tracked the drop and rebound in ensemble mean FR induced by prolonged monocular deprivation. High-activity L4 pyramidal neurons had greater intrinsic excitability and recurrent excitatory synaptic strength, while E/I ratio, local output strength, and local connection probability were not different. Thus, in L4 pyramidal neurons (considered a single transcriptional cell type), a broad mean FR distribution is achieved through graded differences in both intrinsic and synaptic properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Juliet Bottorff
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Hagihara KM, Ishikawa AW, Yoshimura Y, Tagawa Y, Ohki K. Long-Range Interhemispheric Projection Neurons Show Biased Response Properties and Fine-Scale Local Subnetworks in Mouse Visual Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2020; 31:1307-1315. [PMID: 33063102 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Integration of information processed separately in distributed brain regions is essential for brain functions. This integration is enabled by long-range projection neurons, and further, concerted interactions between long-range projections and local microcircuits are crucial. It is not well known, however, how this interaction is implemented in cortical circuits. Here, to decipher this logic, using callosal projection neurons (CPNs) in layer 2/3 of the mouse visual cortex as a model of long-range projections, we found that CPNs exhibited distinct response properties and fine-scale local connectivity patterns. In vivo 2-photon calcium imaging revealed that CPNs showed a higher ipsilateral (to their somata) eye preference, and that CPN pairs showed stronger signal/noise correlation than random pairs. Slice recordings showed CPNs were preferentially connected to CPNs, demonstrating the existence of projection target-dependent fine-scale subnetworks. Collectively, our results suggest that long-range projection target predicts response properties and local connectivity of cortical projection neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenta M Hagihara
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.,Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel 4058, Switzerland
| | - Ayako Wendy Ishikawa
- Division of Visual Information Processing, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Physiological Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.,Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Yumiko Yoshimura
- Division of Visual Information Processing, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Physiological Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Tagawa
- Department of Biophysics, Kyoto University Graduate School of Science, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Kenichi Ohki
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.,Department of Physiology, The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.,Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Disparity Sensitivity and Binocular Integration in Mouse Visual Cortex Areas. J Neurosci 2020; 40:8883-8899. [PMID: 33051348 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1060-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Binocular disparity, the difference between the two eyes' images, is a powerful cue to generate the 3D depth percept known as stereopsis. In primates, binocular disparity is processed in multiple areas of the visual cortex, with distinct contributions of higher areas to specific aspects of depth perception. Mice, too, can perceive stereoscopic depth, and neurons in primary visual cortex (V1) and higher-order, lateromedial (LM) and rostrolateral (RL) areas were found to be sensitive to binocular disparity. A detailed characterization of disparity tuning across mouse visual areas is lacking, however, and acquiring such data might help clarifying the role of higher areas for disparity processing and establishing putative functional correspondences to primate areas. We used two-photon calcium imaging in female mice to characterize the disparity tuning properties of neurons in visual areas V1, LM, and RL in response to dichoptically presented binocular gratings, as well as random dot correlograms (RDC). In all three areas, many neurons were tuned to disparity, showing strong response facilitation or suppression at optimal or null disparity, respectively, even in neurons classified as monocular by conventional ocular dominance (OD) measurements. Neurons in higher areas exhibited broader and more asymmetric disparity tuning curves compared with V1, as observed in primate visual cortex. Finally, we probed neurons' sensitivity to true stereo correspondence by comparing responses to correlated RDC (cRDC) and anticorrelated RDC (aRDC). Area LM, akin to primate ventral visual stream areas, showed higher selectivity for correlated stimuli and reduced anticorrelated responses, indicating higher-level disparity processing in LM compared with V1 and RL.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A major cue for inferring 3D depth is disparity between the two eyes' images. Investigating how binocular disparity is processed in the mouse visual system will not only help delineating the role of mouse higher areas for visual processing, but also shed light on how the mammalian brain computes stereopsis. We found that binocular integration is a prominent feature of mouse visual cortex, as many neurons are selectively and strongly modulated by binocular disparity. Comparison of responses to correlated and anticorrelated random dot correlograms (RDC) revealed that lateromedial area (LM) is more selective to correlated stimuli, while less sensitive to anticorrelated stimuli compared with primary visual cortex (V1) and rostrolateral area (RL), suggesting higher-level disparity processing in LM, resembling primate ventral visual stream areas.
Collapse
|
32
|
Edwards G, Contò F, Bucci LK, Battelli L. Controlling Brain State Prior to Stimulation of Parietal Cortex Prevents Deterioration of Sustained Attention. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa069. [PMID: 34296130 PMCID: PMC8152938 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sustained attention is a limited resource which declines during daily tasks. Such decay is exacerbated in clinical and aging populations. Inhibition of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), using low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS), can lead to an upregulation of functional communication within the attention network. Attributed to functional compensation for the inhibited node, this boost lasts for tens of minutes poststimulation. Despite the neural change, no behavioral correlate has been found in healthy subjects, a necessary direct evidence of functional compensation. To understand the functional significance of neuromodulatory induced fluctuations on attention, we sought to boost the impact of LF-rTMS to impact behavior. We controlled brain state prior to LF-rTMS using high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (HF-tRNS), shown to increase and stabilize neuronal excitability. Using fMRI-guided stimulation protocols combining HF-tRNS and LF-rTMS, we tested the poststimulation impact on sustained attention with multiple object tracking (MOT). While attention deteriorated across time in control conditions, HF-tRNS followed by LF-rTMS doubled sustained attention capacity to 94 min. Multimethod stimulation was more effective when targeting right IPS, supporting specialized attention processing in the right hemisphere. Used in cognitive domains dependent on network-wide neural activity, this tool may cause lasting neural compensation useful for clinical rehabilitation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grace Edwards
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Federica Contò
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences – CIMeC, University of Trento, 38122 Trento, Italy
| | - Loryn K Bucci
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Lorella Battelli
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Hooks BM, Chen C. Circuitry Underlying Experience-Dependent Plasticity in the Mouse Visual System. Neuron 2020; 106:21-36. [PMID: 32272065 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Since the discovery of ocular dominance plasticity, neuroscientists have understood that changes in visual experience during a discrete developmental time, the critical period, trigger robust changes in the visual cortex. State-of-the-art tools used to probe connectivity with cell-type-specific resolution have expanded the understanding of circuit changes underlying experience-dependent plasticity. Here, we review the visual circuitry of the mouse, describing projections from retina to thalamus, between thalamus and cortex, and within cortex. We discuss how visual circuit development leads to precise connectivity and identify synaptic loci, which can be altered by activity or experience. Plasticity extends to visual features beyond ocular dominance, involving subcortical and cortical regions, and connections between cortical inhibitory interneurons. Experience-dependent plasticity contributes to the alignment of networks spanning retina to thalamus to cortex. Disruption of this plasticity may underlie aberrant sensory processing in some neurodevelopmental disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bryan M Hooks
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, W1458 BSTWR, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Chinfei Chen
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Children's Hospital, Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Xu W, Löwel S, Schlüter OM. Silent Synapse-Based Mechanisms of Critical Period Plasticity. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:213. [PMID: 32765222 PMCID: PMC7380267 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Critical periods are postnatal, restricted time windows of heightened plasticity in cortical neural networks, during which experience refines principal neuron wiring configurations. Here, we propose a model with two distinct types of synapses, innate synapses that establish rudimentary networks with innate function, and gestalt synapses that govern the experience-dependent refinement process. Nascent gestalt synapses are constantly formed as AMPA receptor-silent synapses which are the substrates for critical period plasticity. Experience drives the unsilencing and stabilization of gestalt synapses, as well as synapse pruning. This maturation process changes synapse patterning and consequently the functional architecture of cortical excitatory networks. Ocular dominance plasticity (ODP) in the primary visual cortex (V1) is an established experimental model for cortical plasticity. While converging evidence indicates that the start of the critical period for ODP is marked by the maturation of local inhibitory circuits, recent results support our model that critical periods end through the progressive maturation of gestalt synapses. The cooperative yet opposing function of two postsynaptic signaling scaffolds of excitatory synapses, PSD-93 and PSD-95, governs the maturation of gestalt synapses. Without those proteins, networks do not progress far beyond their innate functionality, resulting in rather impaired perception. While cortical networks remain malleable throughout life, the cellular mechanisms and the scope of critical period and adult plasticity differ. Critical period ODP is initiated with the depression of deprived eye responses in V1, whereas adult ODP is characterized by an initial increase in non-deprived eye responses. Our model proposes the gestalt synapse-based mechanism for critical period ODP, and also predicts a different mechanism for adult ODP based on the sparsity of nascent gestalt synapses at that age. Under our model, early life experience shapes the boundaries (the gestalt) for network function, both for its optimal performance as well as for its pathological state. Thus, reintroducing nascent gestalt synapses as plasticity substrates into adults may improve the network gestalt to facilitate functional recovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weifeng Xu
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
- Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Siegrid Löwel
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology & Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Collaborative Research Center 889, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver M. Schlüter
- Collaborative Research Center 889, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Tantillo E, Vannini E, Cerri C, Spalletti C, Colistra A, Mazzanti CM, Costa M, Caleo M. Differential roles of pyramidal and fast-spiking, GABAergic neurons in the control of glioma cell proliferation. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 141:104942. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
|
36
|
Vasalauskaite A, Morgan JE, Sengpiel F. Plasticity in Adult Mouse Visual Cortex Following Optic Nerve Injury. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:1767-1777. [PMID: 30668659 PMCID: PMC6418869 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Optic nerve (ON) injury is an established model of axonal injury which results in retrograde degeneration and death of retinal ganglion cells as well anterograde loss of transmission and Wallerian degeneration of the injured axons. While the local impact of ON crush has been extensively documented we know comparatively little about the functional changes that occur in higher visual structures such as primary visual cortex (V1). We explored the extent of adult cortical plasticity using ON crush in aged mice. V1 function of the contralateral hemisphere was assessed longitudinally by intrinsic signal imaging and 2-photon calcium imaging before and after ON crush. Functional imaging demonstrated an immediate shift in V1 ocular dominance towards the ipsilateral, intact eye, due to the expected almost complete loss of responses to contralateral eye stimulation. Surprisingly, within 2 weeks we observed a delayed increase in ipsilateral eye responses. Additionally, spontaneous activity in V1 was reduced, similar to the lesion projection zone after retinal lesions. The observed changes in V1 activity indicate that severe ON injury in adulthood evokes cortical plasticity not only cross-modally but also within the visual cortex; this plasticity may be best compared with that seen after retinal lesions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - James E Morgan
- School of Optometry & Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK
| | - Frank Sengpiel
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, UK.,Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Fong MF, Finnie PS, Kim T, Thomazeau A, Kaplan ES, Cooke SF, Bear MF. Distinct Laminar Requirements for NMDA Receptors in Experience-Dependent Visual Cortical Plasticity. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:2555-2572. [PMID: 31832634 PMCID: PMC7174998 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary visual cortex (V1) is the locus of numerous forms of experience-dependent plasticity. Restricting visual stimulation to one eye at a time has revealed that many such forms of plasticity are eye-specific, indicating that synaptic modification occurs prior to binocular integration of thalamocortical inputs. A common feature of these forms of plasticity is the requirement for NMDA receptor (NMDAR) activation in V1. We therefore hypothesized that NMDARs in cortical layer 4 (L4), which receives the densest thalamocortical input, would be necessary for all forms of NMDAR-dependent and input-specific V1 plasticity. We tested this hypothesis in awake mice using a genetic approach to selectively delete NMDARs from L4 principal cells. We found, unexpectedly, that both stimulus-selective response potentiation and potentiation of open-eye responses following monocular deprivation (MD) persist in the absence of L4 NMDARs. In contrast, MD-driven depression of deprived-eye responses was impaired in mice lacking L4 NMDARs, as was L4 long-term depression in V1 slices. Our findings reveal a crucial requirement for L4 NMDARs in visual cortical synaptic depression, and a surprisingly negligible role for them in cortical response potentiation. These results demonstrate that NMDARs within distinct cellular subpopulations support different forms of experience-dependent plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming-fai Fong
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Peter Sb Finnie
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Taekeun Kim
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Aurore Thomazeau
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eitan S Kaplan
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Samuel F Cooke
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Maurice Wohl Institute for Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
- The Medical Research Council Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MRC CNDD), King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Mark F Bear
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
An Unexpected Dependence of Cortical Depth in Shaping Neural Responsiveness and Selectivity in Mouse Visual Cortex. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0497-19.2020. [PMID: 32051142 PMCID: PMC7092962 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0497-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Two-photon imaging studies in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) consistently report that around half of the neurons respond to oriented grating stimuli. However, in cats and primates, nearly all neurons respond to such stimuli. Here we show that mouse V1 responsiveness and selectivity strongly depends on neuronal depth. Moving from superficial layer 2 down to layer 4, the percentage of visually responsive neurons nearly doubled, ultimately reaching levels similar to what is seen in other species. Over this span, the amplitude of neuronal responses also doubled. Moreover, stimulus selectivity was also modulated, not only with depth but also with response amplitude. Specifically, we found that orientation and direction selectivity were greater in stronger responding neurons, but orientation selectivity decreased with depth whereas direction selectivity increased. Importantly, these depth-dependent trends were found not just between layer 2/3 and layer 4 but at different depths within layer 2/3 itself. Thus, neuronal depth is an important factor to consider when pooling neurons for population analyses. Furthermore, the inability to drive the majority of cells in superficial layer 2/3 of mouse V1 with grating stimuli indicates that there may be fundamental differences in the micro-circuitry and role of V1 between rodents and other mammals.
Collapse
|
39
|
Tatavarty V, Torrado Pacheco A, Groves Kuhnle C, Lin H, Koundinya P, Miska NJ, Hengen KB, Wagner FF, Van Hooser SD, Turrigiano GG. Autism-Associated Shank3 Is Essential for Homeostatic Compensation in Rodent V1. Neuron 2020; 106:769-777.e4. [PMID: 32199104 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in Shank3 are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorders and neural circuit changes in several brain areas, but the cellular mechanisms that underlie these defects are not understood. Homeostatic forms of plasticity allow central circuits to maintain stable function during experience-dependent development, leading us to ask whether loss of Shank3 might impair homeostatic plasticity and circuit-level compensation to perturbations. We found that Shank3 loss in vitro abolished synaptic scaling and intrinsic homeostatic plasticity, deficits that could be rescued by treatment with lithium. Further, Shank3 knockout severely compromised the in vivo ability of visual cortical circuits to recover from perturbations to sensory drive. Finally, lithium treatment ameliorated a repetitive self-grooming phenotype in Shank3 knockout mice. These findings demonstrate that Shank3 loss severely impairs the ability of central circuits to harness homeostatic mechanisms to compensate for perturbations in drive, which, in turn, may render them more vulnerable to such perturbations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Heather Lin
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02493, USA
| | - Priya Koundinya
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02493, USA
| | | | - Keith B Hengen
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02493, USA
| | - Florence F Wagner
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Huh CYL, Abdelaal K, Salinas KJ, Gu D, Zeitoun J, Figueroa Velez DX, Peach JP, Fowlkes CC, Gandhi SP. Long-term Monocular Deprivation during Juvenile Critical Period Disrupts Binocular Integration in Mouse Visual Thalamus. J Neurosci 2020; 40:585-604. [PMID: 31767678 PMCID: PMC6961993 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1626-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Study of the neural deficits caused by mismatched binocular vision in early childhood has predominantly focused on circuits in the primary visual cortex (V1). Recent evidence has revealed that neurons in mouse dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) can undergo rapid ocular dominance plasticity following monocular deprivation (MD). It remains unclear, however, whether the long-lasting deficits attributed to MD during the critical period originate in the thalamus. Using in vivo two-photon Ca2+ imaging of dLGN afferents in superficial layers of V1 in female and male mice, we demonstrate that 14 d MD during the critical period leads to a chronic loss of binocular dLGN inputs while sparing response strength and spatial acuity. Importantly, MD leads to profoundly mismatched visual tuning properties in remaining binocular dLGN afferents. Furthermore, MD impairs binocular modulation, reducing facilitation of responses of both binocular and monocular dLGN inputs during binocular viewing. As predicted by our findings in thalamic inputs, Ca2+ imaging from V1 neurons revealed spared spatial acuity but impaired binocularity in L4 neurons. V1 L2/3 neurons in contrast displayed deficits in both binocularity and spatial acuity. Our data demonstrate that critical-period MD produces long-lasting disruptions in binocular integration beginning in early binocular circuits in dLGN, whereas spatial acuity deficits first arise from circuits further downstream in V1. Our findings indicate that the development of normal binocular vision and spatial acuity depend upon experience-dependent refinement of distinct stages in the mammalian visual system.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Abnormal binocular vision and reduced acuity are hallmarks of amblyopia, a disorder that affects 2%-5% of the population. It is widely thought that the neural deficits underlying amblyopia begin in the circuits of primary visual cortex. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging of thalamocortical axons in mice, we show that depriving one eye of input during a critical period in development chronically impairs binocular integration in thalamic inputs to primary visual cortex. In contrast, visual acuity is spared in thalamic inputs. These findings shed new light on the role for developmental mechanisms in the thalamus in establishing binocular vision and may have critical implications for amblyopia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Diyue Gu
- Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences
| | | | | | - John P Peach
- Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
| | | | - Sunil P Gandhi
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior,
- Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, and
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Xu X, Cang J, Riecke H. Development and binocular matching of orientation selectivity in visual cortex: a computational model. J Neurophysiol 2020; 123:1305-1319. [PMID: 31913758 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00386.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In mouse visual cortex, right after eye opening binocular cells have different preferred orientations for input from the two eyes. With normal visual experience during a critical period, these preferred orientations evolve and eventually become well matched. To gain insight into the matching process, we developed a computational model of a cortical cell receiving orientation selective inputs via plastic synapses. The model captures the experimentally observed matching of the preferred orientations, the dependence of matching on ocular dominance of the cell, and the relationship between the degree of matching and the resulting monocular orientation selectivity. Moreover, our model puts forward testable predictions: 1) The matching speed increases with initial ocular dominance. 2) While the matching improves more slowly for cells that are more orientation selective, the selectivity increases faster for better matched cells during the matching process. This suggests that matching drives orientation selectivity but not vice versa. 3) There are two main routes to matching: the preferred orientations either drift toward each other or one of the orientations switches suddenly. The latter occurs for cells with large initial mismatch and can render the cells monocular. We expect that these results provide insight more generally into the development of neuronal systems that integrate inputs from multiple sources, including different sensory modalities.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Animals gather information through multiple modalities (vision, audition, touch, etc.). These information streams have to be merged coherently to provide a meaningful representation of the world. Thus, for neurons in visual cortex V1, the orientation selectivities for inputs from the two eyes have to match to enable binocular vision. We analyze the postnatal process underlying this matching using computational modeling. It captures recent experimental results and reveals interdependence between matching, ocular dominance, and orientation selectivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xize Xu
- Department of Engineering Science and Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology and Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Hermann Riecke
- Department of Engineering Science and Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Dubes S, Favereaux A, Thoumine O, Letellier M. miRNA-Dependent Control of Homeostatic Plasticity in Neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:536. [PMID: 31866828 PMCID: PMC6906196 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Homeostatic plasticity is a form of plasticity in which neurons compensate for changes in neuronal activity through the control of key physiological parameters such as the number and the strength of their synaptic inputs and intrinsic excitability. Recent studies revealed that miRNAs, which are small non-coding RNAs repressing mRNA translation, participate in this process by controlling the translation of multiple effectors such as glutamate transporters, receptors, signaling molecules and voltage-gated ion channels. In this review, we present and discuss the role of miRNAs in both cell-wide and compartmentalized forms of homeostatic plasticity as well as their implication in pathological processes associated with homeostatic failure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Dubes
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France
| | - Alexandre Favereaux
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France
| | - Olivier Thoumine
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France
| | - Mathieu Letellier
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Park J, Papoutsi A, Ash RT, Marin MA, Poirazi P, Smirnakis SM. Contribution of apical and basal dendrites to orientation encoding in mouse V1 L2/3 pyramidal neurons. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5372. [PMID: 31772192 PMCID: PMC6879601 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13029-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyramidal neurons integrate synaptic inputs from basal and apical dendrites to generate stimulus-specific responses. It has been proposed that feed-forward inputs to basal dendrites drive a neuron's stimulus preference, while feedback inputs to apical dendrites sharpen selectivity. However, how a neuron's dendritic domains relate to its functional selectivity has not been demonstrated experimentally. We performed 2-photon dendritic micro-dissection on layer-2/3 pyramidal neurons in mouse primary visual cortex. We found that removing the apical dendritic tuft did not alter orientation-tuning. Furthermore, orientation-tuning curves were remarkably robust to the removal of basal dendrites: ablation of 2 basal dendrites was needed to cause a small shift in orientation preference, without significantly altering tuning width. Computational modeling corroborated our results and put limits on how orientation preferences among basal dendrites differ in order to reproduce the post-ablation data. In conclusion, neuronal orientation-tuning appears remarkably robust to loss of dendritic input.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiyoung Park
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Jamaica Plain VA Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Program in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Athanasia Papoutsi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Ryan T Ash
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Jamaica Plain VA Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, USA
| | - Miguel A Marin
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Panayiota Poirazi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
| | - Stelios M Smirnakis
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Jamaica Plain VA Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Lunghi C, Daniele G, Binda P, Dardano A, Ceccarini G, Santini F, Del Prato S, Morrone MC. Altered Visual Plasticity in Morbidly Obese Subjects. iScience 2019; 22:206-213. [PMID: 31785558 PMCID: PMC6909220 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence indicates a close link between energy metabolism and neural plasticity as obesity is associated with alterations of cognitive functions, memory, and hippocampal neurogenesis. However, it is still unknown whether obesity can affect low-level sensory plasticity. Here we investigated this issue by probing early visual plasticity induced by short-term (2 h) monocular deprivation in a group of adult volunteers with a wide range of Body Mass Index (BMI), from normal weight to morbid obesity. We found that the effect of monocular deprivation decreased with increasing BMI, and morbidly obese subjects (BMI>40) failed to show the homeostatic plasticity effect seen in normal-weight participants. In addition, morbidly obese subjects exhibited altered binocular rivalry dynamics compared with normal-weight observers. These results show for the first time that the impact of obesity observed at the neural and cognitive level extends to basic sensory processing and plasticity. Cognitive decline occurs in obesity suggesting altered high-level brain plasticity Low-level sensory plasticity in adults declines with increasing body mass index Morbidly obese subjects show altered visual plasticity and interocular interactions
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Lunghi
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs, Département d'études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Giuseppe Daniele
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy
| | - Angela Dardano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Ceccarini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ferruccio Santini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefano Del Prato
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy; IRCCS Stella Maris, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Ma Z, Turrigiano GG, Wessel R, Hengen KB. Cortical Circuit Dynamics Are Homeostatically Tuned to Criticality In Vivo. Neuron 2019; 104:655-664.e4. [PMID: 31601510 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Homeostatic mechanisms stabilize neuronal activity in vivo, but whether this process gives rise to balanced network dynamics is unknown. Here, we continuously monitored the statistics of network spiking in visual cortical circuits in freely behaving rats for 9 days. Under control conditions in light and dark, networks were robustly organized around criticality, a regime that maximizes information capacity and transmission. When input was perturbed by visual deprivation, network criticality was severely disrupted and subsequently restored to criticality over 48 h. Unexpectedly, the recovery of excitatory dynamics preceded homeostatic plasticity of firing rates by >30 h. We utilized model investigations to manipulate firing rate homeostasis in a cell-type-specific manner at the onset of visual deprivation. Our results suggest that criticality in excitatory networks is established by inhibitory plasticity and architecture. These data establish that criticality is consistent with a homeostatic set point for visual cortical dynamics and suggest a key role for homeostatic regulation of inhibition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyu Ma
- Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | | | - Ralf Wessel
- Department of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Keith B Hengen
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Experience-dependent structural plasticity at pre- and postsynaptic sites of layer 2/3 cells in developing visual cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:21812-21820. [PMID: 31591211 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1914661116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The developing brain can respond quickly to altered sensory experience by circuit reorganization. During a critical period in early life, neurons in the primary visual cortex rapidly lose responsiveness to an occluded eye and come to respond better to the open eye. While physiological and some of the molecular mechanisms of this process have been characterized, its structural basis, except for the well-known changes in the thalamocortical projection, remains obscure. To elucidate the relationship between synaptic remodeling and functional changes during this experience-dependent process, we used 2-photon microscopy to image synaptic structures of sparsely labeled layer 2/3 neurons in the binocular zone of mouse primary visual cortex. Anatomical changes at presynaptic and postsynaptic sites in mice undergoing monocular visual deprivation (MD) were compared to those in control mice with normal visual experience. We found that postsynaptic spines remodeled quickly in response to MD, with neurons more strongly dominated by the deprived eye losing more spines. These postsynaptic changes parallel changes in visual responses during MD and their recovery after restoration of binocular vision. In control animals with normal visual experience, the formation of presynaptic boutons increased during the critical period and then declined. MD affected bouton formation, but with a delay, blocking it after 3 d. These findings reveal intracortical anatomical changes in cellular layers of the cortex that can account for rapid activity-dependent plasticity.
Collapse
|
47
|
Audette NJ, Bernhard SM, Ray A, Stewart LT, Barth AL. Rapid Plasticity of Higher-Order Thalamocortical Inputs during Sensory Learning. Neuron 2019; 103:277-291.e4. [PMID: 31151774 PMCID: PMC10038228 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Neocortical circuits are sensitive to experience, showing both anatomical and electrophysiological changes in response to altered sensory input. We examined input- and cell-type-specific changes in thalamo- and intracortical pathways during learning using an automated, home-cage sensory association training (SAT) paradigm coupling multi-whisker stimulation to a water reward. We found that the posterior medial nucleus (POm) but not the ventral posterior medial (VPM) nucleus of the thalamus drives increased cortical activity after 24 h of SAT, when behavioral evidence of learning first emerges. Synaptic strengthening within the POm thalamocortical pathway was first observed at thalamic inputs to L5 and was not generated by sensory stimulation alone. Synaptic changes in L2 were delayed relative to L5, requiring 48 h of SAT to drive synaptic plasticity at thalamic and intracortical inputs onto L2 Pyr neurons. These data identify the POm thalamocortical circuit as a site of rapid synaptic plasticity during learning and suggest a temporal sequence to learning-evoked synaptic changes in the sensory cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Audette
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sarah M Bernhard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Ajit Ray
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Luke T Stewart
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Alison L Barth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Abstract
Recent data have shown that sleep plays a beneficial role for cognitive functions such as declarative memory consolidation and perceptual learning. In this article, we review recent findings on the role of sleep in promoting adaptive visual response changes in the lateral geniculate nucleus and primary visual cortex following novel visual experiences. We discuss these findings in the context of what is currently known about how sleep affects the activity and function of thalamocortical circuits and current hypotheses regarding how sleep facilitates synaptic plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn M Durkin
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Sara J Aton
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
High-performance calcium sensors for imaging activity in neuronal populations and microcompartments. Nat Methods 2019; 16:649-657. [DOI: 10.1038/s41592-019-0435-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 512] [Impact Index Per Article: 102.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
|
50
|
|