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Voegtle A, Mohrbutter C, Hils J, Schulz S, Weuthen A, Brämer U, Ullsperger M, Sweeney-Reed CM. Cholinergic modulation of motor sequence learning. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 60:3706-3718. [PMID: 38716689 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16374] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
The cholinergic system plays a key role in motor function, but whether pharmacological modulation of cholinergic activity affects motor sequence learning is unknown. The acetylcholine receptor antagonist biperiden, an established treatment in movement disorders, reduces attentional modulation, but whether it influences motor sequence learning is not clear. Using a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, we tested 30 healthy young participants and showed that biperiden impairs the ability to learn sequential finger movements, accompanied by widespread oscillatory broadband power changes (4-25 Hz) in the motor sequence learning network after receiving biperiden, with greater power in the theta, alpha and beta bands over ipsilateral motor and bilateral parietal-occipital areas. The reduced early theta power during a repeated compared with random sequence, likely reflecting disengagement of top-down attention to sensory processes, was disrupted by biperiden. Alpha synchronization during repeated sequences reflects sensory gating and lower visuospatial attention requirements compared with visuomotor responses to random sequences. After biperiden, alpha synchronization was greater, potentially reflecting excessive visuospatial attention reduction, affecting visuomotor responding required to enable sequence learning. Beta oscillations facilitate sequence learning by integrating visual and somatosensory inputs, stabilizing repeated sequences and promoting prediction of the next stimulus. The beta synchronization after biperiden fits with a disruption of the selective visuospatial attention enhancement associated with initial sequence learning. These findings highlight the role of cholinergic processes in motor sequence learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Voegtle
- Neurocybernetics and Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Catharina Mohrbutter
- Neurocybernetics and Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jonathan Hils
- Institute of Psychology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Steve Schulz
- Institute of Psychology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Weuthen
- Institute of Psychology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Brämer
- Institute of Psychology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Ullsperger
- Institute of Psychology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Catherine M Sweeney-Reed
- Neurocybernetics and Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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2
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Nuiten SA, de Gee JW, Zantvoord JB, Fahrenfort JJ, van Gaal S. Catecholaminergic neuromodulation and selective attention jointly shape perceptual decision-making. eLife 2023; 12:RP87022. [PMID: 38038722 PMCID: PMC10691802 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87022] [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] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Perceptual decisions about sensory input are influenced by fluctuations in ongoing neural activity, most prominently driven by attention and neuromodulator systems. It is currently unknown if neuromodulator activity and attention differentially modulate perceptual decision-making and/or whether neuromodulatory systems in fact control attentional processes. To investigate the effects of two distinct neuromodulatory systems and spatial attention on perceptual decisions, we pharmacologically elevated cholinergic (through donepezil) and catecholaminergic (through atomoxetine) levels in humans performing a visuo-spatial attention task, while we measured electroencephalography (EEG). Both attention and catecholaminergic enhancement improved decision-making at the behavioral and algorithmic level, as reflected in increased perceptual sensitivity and the modulation of the drift rate parameter derived from drift diffusion modeling. Univariate analyses of EEG data time-locked to the attentional cue, the target stimulus, and the motor response further revealed that attention and catecholaminergic enhancement both modulated pre-stimulus cortical excitability, cue- and stimulus-evoked sensory activity, as well as parietal evidence accumulation signals. Interestingly, we observed both similar, unique, and interactive effects of attention and catecholaminergic neuromodulation on these behavioral, algorithmic, and neural markers of the decision-making process. Thereby, this study reveals an intricate relationship between attentional and catecholaminergic systems and advances our understanding about how these systems jointly shape various stages of perceptual decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stijn A Nuiten
- Department of Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Jan Willem de Gee
- Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Jasper B Zantvoord
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC location University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Amsterdam NeuroscienceAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Johannes J Fahrenfort
- Department of Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology - Cognitive Psychology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Simon van Gaal
- Department of Psychology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
- Amsterdam Brain & Cognition, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
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3
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Min SH, Wang Z, Chen MT, Hu R, Gong L, He Z, Wang X, Hess RF, Zhou J. Metaplasticity: Dark exposure boosts local excitability and visual plasticity in adult human cortex. J Physiol 2023; 601:4105-4120. [PMID: 37573529 DOI: 10.1113/jp284040] [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: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
An interlude of dark exposure for about 1 week is known to shift excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance of the mammalian visual cortex, promoting plasticity and accelerating visual recovery in animals that have experienced cortical lesions during development. However, the translational impact of our understanding of dark exposure from animal studies to humans remains elusive. Here, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a probe for E/I balance in the primary visual cortex (V1) to determine the effect of 60 min of dark exposure, and measured binocular combination as a behavioural assay to assess visual plasticity in 14 normally sighted human adults. To induce neuroplastic changes in the observers, we introduced 60 min of monocular deprivation, which is known to temporarily shift sensory eye balance in favour of the previously deprived eye. We report that prior dark exposure for 60 min strengthens local excitability in V1 and boosts visual plasticity in normal adults. However, we show that it does not promote plasticity in amblyopic adults. Nevertheless, our findings are surprising, given the fact that the interlude is very brief. Interestingly, we find that the increased concentration of the excitatory neurotransmitter is not strongly correlated with the enhanced functional plasticity. Instead, the absolute degree of change in its concentration is related to the boost, suggesting that the dichotomy of cortical excitation and inhibition might not explain the physiological basis of plasticity in humans. We present the first evidence that an environmental manipulation that shifts cortical E/I balance can also act as a metaplastic facilitator for visual plasticity in humans. KEY POINTS: A brief interlude (60 min) of dark exposure increased the local concentration of glutamine/glutamate but not that of GABA in the visual cortex of adult humans. After dark exposure, the degree of the shift in sensory eye dominance in favour of the previously deprived eye from short-term monocular deprivation was larger than that from only monocular deprivation. The neurochemical and behavioural measures were associated: the magnitude of the shift in the concentration of glutamine/glutamate was correlated with the boost in perceptual plasticity after dark exposure. Surprisingly, the increase in the concentration of glutamine/glutamate was not correlated with the perceptual boost after dark exposure, suggesting that the physiological mechanism of how E/I balance regulates plasticity is not deterministic. In other words, an increased excitation did not unilaterally promote plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Hyun Min
- School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Zili Wang
- School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Meng Ting Chen
- School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Rongjie Hu
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui, China
| | - Ling Gong
- School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Zhifen He
- School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Wang
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui, China
| | - Robert F Hess
- McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jiawei Zhou
- School of Ophthalmology & Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
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4
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Kunnath AJ, Gifford RH, Wallace MT. Cholinergic modulation of sensory perception and plasticity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105323. [PMID: 37467908 PMCID: PMC10424559 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105323] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Sensory systems are highly plastic, but the mechanisms of sensory plasticity remain unclear. People with vision or hearing loss demonstrate significant neural network reorganization that promotes adaptive changes in other sensory modalities as well as in their ability to combine information across the different senses (i.e., multisensory integration. Furthermore, sensory network remodeling is necessary for sensory restoration after a period of sensory deprivation. Acetylcholine is a powerful regulator of sensory plasticity, and studies suggest that cholinergic medications may improve visual and auditory abilities by facilitating sensory network plasticity. There are currently no approved therapeutics for sensory loss that target neuroplasticity. This review explores the systems-level effects of cholinergic signaling on human visual and auditory perception, with a focus on functional performance, sensory disorders, and neural activity. Understanding the role of acetylcholine in sensory plasticity will be essential for developing targeted treatments for sensory restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ansley J Kunnath
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - René H Gifford
- Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mark T Wallace
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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5
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Bowen JD, Alforque CV, Silver MA. Effects of involuntary and voluntary attention on critical spacing of visual crowding. J Vis 2023; 23:2. [PMID: 36862108 PMCID: PMC9987171 DOI: 10.1167/jov.23.3.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual spatial attention can be allocated in two distinct ways: one that is voluntarily directed to behaviorally relevant locations in the world, and one that is involuntarily captured by salient external stimuli. Precueing spatial attention has been shown to improve perceptual performance on a number of visual tasks. However, the effects of spatial attention on visual crowding, defined as the reduction in the ability to identify target objects in clutter, are far less clear. In this study, we used an anticueing paradigm to separately measure the effects of involuntary and voluntary spatial attention on a crowding task. Each trial began with a brief peripheral cue that predicted that the crowded target would appear on the opposite side of the screen 80% of the time and on the same side of the screen 20% of the time. Subjects performed an orientation discrimination task on a target Gabor patch that was flanked by other similar Gabor patches with independent random orientations. For trials with a short stimulus onset asynchrony between cue and target, involuntary capture of attention led to faster response times and smaller critical spacing when the target appeared on the cue side. For trials with a long stimulus onset asynchrony, voluntary allocation of attention led to faster reaction times but no significant effect on critical spacing when the target appeared on the opposite side to the cue. We additionally found that the magnitudes of these cueing effects of involuntary and voluntary attention were not strongly correlated across subjects for either reaction time or critical spacing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Bowen
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,
| | - Carissa V Alforque
- Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,
| | - Michael A Silver
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,
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6
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Chen X, Hall K, Bobier WR, Thompson B, Chakraborty A. Transcranial random noise stimulation and exercise do not modulate ocular dominance plasticity in adults with normal vision. J Vis 2022; 22:14. [PMID: 36107124 PMCID: PMC9483237 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.10.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxin Chen
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Kennedy Hall
- Chicago College of Optometry, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
| | - William R. Bobier
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin Thompson
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Centre for Eye and Vision Research, 17W Science Park, Hong Kong
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Arijit Chakraborty
- School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Chicago College of Optometry, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA
- College of Health Sciences, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA
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7
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Cools R, Arnsten AFT. Neuromodulation of prefrontal cortex cognitive function in primates: the powerful roles of monoamines and acetylcholine. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:309-328. [PMID: 34312496 PMCID: PMC8617291 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01100-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The primate prefrontal cortex (PFC) subserves our highest order cognitive operations, and yet is tremendously dependent on a precise neurochemical environment for proper functioning. Depletion of noradrenaline and dopamine, or of acetylcholine from the dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC), is as devastating as removing the cortex itself, and serotonergic influences are also critical to proper functioning of the orbital and medial PFC. Most neuromodulators have a narrow inverted U dose response, which coordinates arousal state with cognitive state, and contributes to cognitive deficits with fatigue or uncontrollable stress. Studies in monkeys have revealed the molecular signaling mechanisms that govern the generation and modulation of mental representations by the dlPFC, allowing dynamic regulation of network strength, a process that requires tight regulation to prevent toxic actions, e.g., as occurs with advanced age. Brain imaging studies in humans have observed drug and genotype influences on a range of cognitive tasks and on PFC circuit functional connectivity, e.g., showing that catecholamines stabilize representations in a baseline-dependent manner. Research in monkeys has already led to new treatments for cognitive disorders in humans, encouraging future research in this important field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roshan Cools
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Amy F T Arnsten
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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8
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Pfeffer T, Ponce-Alvarez A, Tsetsos K, Meindertsma T, Gahnström CJ, van den Brink RL, Nolte G, Engel AK, Deco G, Donner TH. Circuit mechanisms for the chemical modulation of cortex-wide network interactions and behavioral variability. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabf5620. [PMID: 34272245 PMCID: PMC8284895 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf5620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Influential theories postulate distinct roles of catecholamines and acetylcholine in cognition and behavior. However, previous physiological work reported similar effects of these neuromodulators on the response properties (specifically, the gain) of individual cortical neurons. Here, we show a double dissociation between the effects of catecholamines and acetylcholine at the level of large-scale interactions between cortical areas in humans. A pharmacological boost of catecholamine levels increased cortex-wide interactions during a visual task, but not rest. An acetylcholine boost decreased interactions during rest, but not task. Cortical circuit modeling explained this dissociation by differential changes in two circuit properties: the local excitation-inhibition balance (more strongly increased by catecholamines) and intracortical transmission (more strongly reduced by acetylcholine). The inferred catecholaminergic mechanism also predicted noisier decision-making, which we confirmed for both perceptual and value-based choice behavior. Our work highlights specific circuit mechanisms for shaping cortical network interactions and behavioral variability by key neuromodulatory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Pfeffer
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adrian Ponce-Alvarez
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Konstantinos Tsetsos
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Meindertsma
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christoffer Julius Gahnström
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ruud Lucas van den Brink
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Guido Nolte
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Karl Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Tobias Hinrich Donner
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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9
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Malavita MS, Vidyasagar TR, McKendrick AM. The effect of aging on the eccentricity dependency of orientation anisotropy of perceptual surround suppression. J Vis 2021; 21:13. [PMID: 33502438 PMCID: PMC7846945 DOI: 10.1167/jov.21.1.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The features of perceptual surround suppression vary with eccentricity, such that the suppression strength is increased for horizontally oriented stimuli relative to other orientations near the fovea, but is strongest for radially oriented stimuli more peripherally. Perceptual suppression also varies with age, which has been well-studied for central fixation. However, only limited data are available regarding perceptual suppression in older adults for nonfoveal vision, and none of those studies have taken orientation biases of contrast sensitivity into account. Here, we explored the effects of older age on the eccentricity dependency of orientation biases of perceptual suppression. We found increased perceptual suppression in older adults at both 6° and 15° eccentricities relative to younger adults. A main effect of the horizontal orientation bias was found at 6° and a main effect of the radial orientation bias was found at 15° in both groups. In summary, perceptual surround suppression of contrast is stronger for older adults compared with younger adults at 6° and 15° eccentricities, but retinotopic orientation anisotropies are maintained with age. This study provides new insight into parafoveal visual perception in older adults, which may be particularly important to understand the visual experience of those who depend on nonfoveal vision owing to common age-related eye diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menaka S Malavita
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,
| | - Trichur R Vidyasagar
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,
| | - Allison M McKendrick
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,
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10
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Herrero JL, Thiele A. Effects of muscarinic and nicotinic receptors on contextual modulation in macaque area V1. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8384. [PMID: 33863988 PMCID: PMC8052350 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88044-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Context affects the salience and visibility of image elements in visual scenes. Collinear flankers can enhance or decrease the perceptual and neuronal sensitivity to flanked stimuli. These effects are mediated through lateral interactions between neurons in the primary visual cortex (area V1), in conjunction with feedback from higher visual areas. The strength of lateral interactions is affected by cholinergic neuromodulation. Blockade of muscarinic receptors should increase the strength of lateral intracortical interactions, while nicotinic blockade should reduce thalamocortical feed-forward drive. Here we test this proposal through local iontophoretic application of the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine and the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine, while recording single cells in parafoveal representations in awake fixating macaque V1. Collinear flankers generally reduced neuronal contrast sensitivity. Muscarinic and nicotinic receptor blockade equally reduced neuronal contrast sensitivity. Contrary to our hypothesis, flanker interactions were not systematically affected by either receptor blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexander Thiele
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
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11
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Laliberté G, Othman R, Vaucher E. Mesoscopic Mapping of Stimulus-Selective Response Plasticity in the Visual Pathways Modulated by the Cholinergic System. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:38. [PMID: 32719589 PMCID: PMC7350895 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cholinergic potentiation of visual conditioning enhances visual acuity and discrimination of the trained stimulus. To determine if this also induces long-term plastic changes on cortical maps and connectivity in the visual cortex and higher associative areas, mesoscopic calcium imaging was performed in head-fixed awake GCaMP6s adult mice before and after conditioning. The conditioned stimulus (0.03 cpd, 30°, 100% contrast, 1 Hz-drifting gratings) was presented 10 min daily for a week. Saline or Donepezil (DPZ, 0.3 mg/kg, s.c.), a cholinesterase inhibitor that potentiates cholinergic transmission, were injected prior to each conditioning session and compared to a sham-conditioned group. Cortical maps of resting state and evoked response to the monocular presentation of conditioned or non-conditioned stimulus (30°, 50 and 75% contrast; 90°, 50, 75, and 100% contrast) were established. Amplitude, duration, and latency of the peak response, as well as size of activation were measured in the primary visual cortex (V1), secondary visual areas (AL, A, AM, PM, LM, RL), retrosplenial cortex (RSC), and higher cortical areas. Visual stimulation increased calcium signaling in all primary and secondary visual areas, the RSC, but no other cortices. There were no significant effects of sham-conditioning or conditioning alone, but DPZ treatment during conditioning significantly decreased the integrated neuronal activity of superficial layers evoked by the conditioned stimulus in V1, AL, PM, and LM. The activity of downstream cortical areas was not changed. The size of the activated area was decreased in V1 and PM, and the signal-to-noise ratio was decreased in AL and PM. Interestingly, signal correlation was seen only between V1, the ventral visual pathway, and the RSC, and was decreased by DPZ administration. The resting state activity was slightly correlated and rarely affected by treatments, except between binocular and monocular V1 in both hemispheres. In conclusion, cholinergic potentiation of visual conditioning induced change in visual processing in the superficial cortical layers. This effect might be a key mechanism in the establishment of the fine cortical tuning in response to the conditioned visual stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Laliberté
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Rahmeh Othman
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Départment de Pharmacologie et Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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12
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Long-range inputome of cortical neurons containing corticotropin-releasing hormone. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12209. [PMID: 32699360 PMCID: PMC7376058 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68115-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissection of the neural circuits of the cerebral cortex is essential for studying mechanisms underlying brain function. Herein, combining a retrograde rabies tracing system with fluorescent micro-optical sectional tomography, we investigated long-range input neurons of corticotropin-releasing hormone containing neurons in the six main cortical areas, including the prefrontal, somatosensory, motor, auditory, and visual cortices. The whole brain distribution of input neurons showed similar patterns to input neurons distributed mainly in the adjacent cortical areas, thalamus, and basal forebrain. Reconstruction of continuous three-dimensional datasets showed the anterior and middle thalamus projected mainly to the rostral cortex whereas the posterior and lateral projected to the caudal cortex. In the basal forebrain, immunohistochemical staining showed these cortical areas received afferent information from cholinergic neurons in the substantia innominata and lateral globus pallidus, whereas cholinergic neurons in the diagonal band nucleus projected strongly to the prefrontal and visual cortex. Additionally, dense neurons in the zona incerta and ventral hippocampus were found to project to the prefrontal cortex. These results showed general patterns of cortical input circuits and unique connection patterns of each individual area, allowing for valuable comparisons among the organisation of different cortical areas and new insight into cortical functions.
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13
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Vaucher E, Laliberté G, Higgins MC, Maheux M, Jolicoeur P, Chamoun M. Cholinergic potentiation of visual perception and vision restoration in rodents and humans. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2020; 37:553-569. [PMID: 31839615 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-190947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cholinergic system is a potent neuromodulator system that plays a critical role in cortical plasticity, attention, and learning. Recently, it was found that boosting this system during perceptual learning robustly enhances sensory perception in rodents. In particular, pairing cholinergic activation with visual stimulation increases neuronal responses, cue detection ability, and long-term facilitation in the primary visual cortex. The mechanisms of cholinergic enhancement are closely linked to attentional processes, long-term potentiation, and modulation of the excitatory/inhibitory balance. Some studies currently examine this effect in humans. OBJECTIVE The present article reviews the research from our laboratory, examining whether potentiating the central cholinergic system could help visual perception and restoration. METHODS Electrophysiological or pharmacological enhancement of the cholinergic system are administered during a visual training. Electrophysiological responses and perceptual learning performance are investigated before and after the training in rats and humans. This approach's ability to restore visual capacities following a visual deficit induced by a partial optic nerve crush is also investigated in rats. RESULTS The coupling of visual training to cholinergic stimulation improved visual discrimination and visual acuity in rats, and improved residual vision after a deficit. These changes were due to muscarinic and nicotinic transmissions and were associated with a functional improvement of evoked potentials. In humans, potentiation of cholinergic transmission with 5 mg of donepezil showed improved learning and ocular dominance plasticity, although this treatment was ineffective in augmenting the perceptual threshold and electroencephalography. CONCLUSIONS Potential therapeutic outcomes ought to facilitate vision restoration using commercially available cholinergic agents combined with visual stimulation in order to prevent irreversible vision loss in patients. This approach has the potential to help a large population of visually impaired individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.,Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Guillaume Laliberté
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Marie-Charlotte Higgins
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Manon Maheux
- Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada.,Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Pierre Jolicoeur
- Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada.,Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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14
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Byrne KN, McDevitt EA, Sheremata SL, Peters MW, Mednick SC, Silver MA. Transient cholinergic enhancement does not significantly affect either the magnitude or selectivity of perceptual learning of visual texture discrimination. J Vis 2020; 20:5. [PMID: 32511666 PMCID: PMC7416900 DOI: 10.1167/jov.20.6.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceptual learning (PL), often characterized by improvements in perceptual performance with training that are specific to the stimulus conditions used during training, exemplifies experience-dependent cortical plasticity. An improved understanding of how neuromodulatory systems shape PL promises to provide new insights into the mechanisms of plasticity, and by extension how PL can be generated and applied most efficiently. Previous studies have reported enhanced PL in human subjects following administration of drugs that increase signaling through acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, and physiological evidence indicates that ACh sharpens neuronal selectivity, suggesting that this neuromodulator supports PL and its stimulus specificity. Here we explored the effects of enhancing endogenous cholinergic signaling during PL of a visual texture discrimination task. We found that training on this task in the lower visual field yielded significant behavioral improvement at the trained location. However, a single dose of the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil, administered before training, did not significantly impact either the magnitude or the location specificity of texture discrimination learning compared with placebo. We discuss potential explanations for discrepant findings in the literature regarding the role of ACh in visual PL, including possible differences in plasticity mechanisms in the dorsal and ventral cortical processing streams.
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15
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Cholinergic Modulation of Binocular Vision. J Neurosci 2020; 40:5208-5213. [PMID: 32457075 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2484-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The endogenous neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is known to affect the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance of primate visual cortex, enhancing feedforward thalamocortical gain while suppressing corticocortical synapses. Recent advances in the study of the human visual system suggest that ACh is a likely component underlying interocular interactions. However, our understanding of its precise role in binocular processes is currently lacking. Here we use binocular rivalry as a probe of interocular dynamics to determine ACh's effects, via the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) donepezil, on the binocular visual system. A total of 23 subjects (13 male) completed two crossover experimental sessions where binocular rivalry measurements were obtained before and after taking either donepezil (5 mg) or a placebo (lactose) pill. We report that enhanced cholinergic potentiation attenuates perceptual suppression during binocular rivalry, reducing the overall rate of interocular competition while enhancing the visibility of superimposition mixed percepts. Considering recent evidence that perceptual suppression during binocular rivalry is causally modulated by the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, our results suggest that cholinergic activity counteracts the effect of GABA with regards to interocular dynamics and may modulate the inhibitory drive within the visual cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our research demonstrates that the cholinergic system is implicated in modulating binocular interactions in the human visual cortex. Potentiating the transmission of acetylcholine (ACh) via the cholinergic drug donepezil reduces the extent to which the eyes compete for perceptual dominance when presented two separate, incongruent images.
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16
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Gau R, Bazin PL, Trampel R, Turner R, Noppeney U. Resolving multisensory and attentional influences across cortical depth in sensory cortices. eLife 2020; 9:46856. [PMID: 31913119 PMCID: PMC6984812 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In our environment, our senses are bombarded with a myriad of signals, only a subset of which is relevant for our goals. Using sub-millimeter-resolution fMRI at 7T, we resolved BOLD-response and activation patterns across cortical depth in early sensory cortices to auditory, visual and audiovisual stimuli under auditory or visual attention. In visual cortices, auditory stimulation induced widespread inhibition irrespective of attention, whereas auditory relative to visual attention suppressed mainly central visual field representations. In auditory cortices, visual stimulation suppressed activations, but amplified responses to concurrent auditory stimuli, in a patchy topography. Critically, multisensory interactions in auditory cortices were stronger in deeper laminae, while attentional influences were greatest at the surface. These distinct depth-dependent profiles suggest that multisensory and attentional mechanisms regulate sensory processing via partly distinct circuitries. Our findings are crucial for understanding how the brain regulates information flow across senses to interact with our complex multisensory world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remi Gau
- Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Institute of Psychology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Pierre-Louis Bazin
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Integrative Model-based Cognitive Neuroscience research unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Robert Trampel
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Robert Turner
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Uta Noppeney
- Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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17
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Towards a Unified View on Pathways and Functions of Neural Recurrent Processing. Trends Neurosci 2019; 42:589-603. [PMID: 31399289 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
There are three neural feedback pathways to the primary visual cortex (V1): corticocortical, pulvinocortical, and cholinergic. What are the respective functions of these three projections? Possible functions range from contextual modulation of stimulus processing and feedback of high-level information to predictive processing (PP). How are these functions subserved by different pathways and can they be integrated into an overarching theoretical framework? We propose that corticocortical and pulvinocortical connections are involved in all three functions, whereas the role of cholinergic projections is limited by their slow response to stimuli. PP provides a broad explanatory framework under which stimulus-context modulation and high-level processing are subsumed, involving multiple feedback pathways that provide mechanisms for inferring and interpreting what sensory inputs are about.
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18
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Sheynin Y, Chamoun M, Baldwin AS, Rosa-Neto P, Hess RF, Vaucher E. Cholinergic Potentiation Alters Perceptual Eye Dominance Plasticity Induced by a Few Hours of Monocular Patching in Adults. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:22. [PMID: 30766471 PMCID: PMC6365463 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A few hours of monocular deprivation with a diffuser eye patch temporarily strengthens the contribution of the deprived eye to binocular vision. This shift in favor of the deprived eye is characterized as a form of adult visual plasticity. Studies in animal and human models suggest that neuromodulators can enhance adult brain plasticity in general. Specifically, acetylcholine has been shown to improve certain aspects of visual function and plasticity in adulthood. We investigated whether a single administration of donepezil (a cholinesterase inhibitor) could further augment the temporary shift in perceptual eye dominance that occurs after 2 h of monocular patching. Twelve healthy adults completed two experimental sessions while taking either donepezil (5 mg, oral) or a placebo (lactose) pill. We measured perceptual eye dominance using a binocular phase combination task before and after 2 h of monocular deprivation with a diffuser eye patch. Participants in both groups demonstrated a significant shift in favor of the patched eye after monocular deprivation, however our results indicate that donepezil significantly reduces the magnitude and duration of the shift. We also investigated the possibility that donepezil reduces the amount of time needed to observe a shift in perceptual eye dominance relative to placebo control. For this experiment, seven subjects completed two sessions where we reduced the duration of deprivation to 1 h. Donepezil reduces the magnitude and duration of the patching-induced shift in perceptual eye dominance in this experiment as well. To verify whether the effects we observed using the binocular phase combination task were also observable in a different measure of sensory eye dominance, six subjects completed an identical experiment using a binocular rivalry task. These results also indicate that cholinergic enhancement impedes the shift that results from short-term deprivation. In summary, our study demonstrates that enhanced cholinergic potentiation interferes with the consolidation of the perceptual eye dominance plasticity induced by several hours of monocular deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasha Sheynin
- McGill Vision Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Alex S. Baldwin
- McGill Vision Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Robert F. Hess
- McGill Vision Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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19
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Záborszky L, Gombkoto P, Varsanyi P, Gielow MR, Poe G, Role LW, Ananth M, Rajebhosale P, Talmage DA, Hasselmo ME, Dannenberg H, Minces VH, Chiba AA. Specific Basal Forebrain-Cortical Cholinergic Circuits Coordinate Cognitive Operations. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9446-9458. [PMID: 30381436 PMCID: PMC6209837 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1676-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on recent molecular genetics, as well as functional and quantitative anatomical studies, the basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic projections, once viewed as a diffuse system, are emerging as being remarkably specific in connectivity. Acetylcholine (ACh) can rapidly and selectively modulate activity of specific circuits and ACh release can be coordinated in multiple areas that are related to particular aspects of cognitive processing. This review discusses how a combination of multiple new approaches with more established techniques are being used to finally reveal how cholinergic neurons, together with other BF neurons, provide temporal structure for behavior, contribute to local cortical state regulation, and coordinate activity between different functionally related cortical circuits. ACh selectively modulates dynamics for encoding and attention within individual cortical circuits, allows for important transitions during sleep, and shapes the fidelity of sensory processing by changing the correlation structure of neural firing. The importance of this system for integrated and fluid behavioral function is underscored by its disease-modifying role; the demise of BF cholinergic neurons has long been established in Alzheimer's disease and recent studies have revealed the involvement of the cholinergic system in modulation of anxiety-related circuits. Therefore, the BF cholinergic system plays a pivotal role in modulating the dynamics of the brain during sleep and behavior, as foretold by the intricacies of its anatomical map.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laszlo Záborszky
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark 07102,
| | - Peter Gombkoto
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark 07102
| | - Peter Varsanyi
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark 07102
| | - Matthew R Gielow
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark 07102
| | - Gina Poe
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles 90095
| | - Lorna W Role
- Department of Neurobiology and Center for Nervous System Disorders, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Mala Ananth
- Program in Neuroscience and Center for Nervous System Disorders, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Prithviraj Rajebhosale
- Program in Neuroscience and Center for Nervous System Disorders, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - David A Talmage
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Center for Nervous System Disorders, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Michael E Hasselmo
- Center for Systems Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, and
| | - Holger Dannenberg
- Center for Systems Neuroscience and Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, and
| | - Victor H Minces
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego 92093
| | - Andrea A Chiba
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego 92093
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20
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Wan L, Huang H, Schwab N, Tanner J, Rajan A, Lam NB, Zaborszky L, Li CSR, Price CC, Ding M. From eyes-closed to eyes-open: Role of cholinergic projections in EC-to-EO alpha reactivity revealed by combining EEG and MRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 40:566-577. [PMID: 30251753 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpha rhythm (8 to 12 Hz) observed in EEG over human posterior cortex is prominent during eyes-closed (EC) resting and attenuates during eyes-open (EO) resting. Research shows that the degree of EC-to-EO alpha blocking or alpha desynchronization, termed alpha reactivity here, is a neural marker of cognitive health. We tested the role of acetylcholine in EC-to-EO alpha reactivity by applying a multimodal neuroimaging approach to a cohort of young adults and a cohort of older adults. In the young cohort, simultaneous EEG-fMRI was recorded from twenty-one young adults during both EO and EC resting. In the older cohort, functional MRI was recorded from forty older adults during EO and EC resting, along with FLAIR and diffusion MRI. For a subset of twenty older adults, EEG was recorded during EO and EC resting in a separate session. In both young and older adults, functional connectivity between the basal nucleus of Meynert (BNM), the major source of cortical acetylcholine, and the visual cortex increased from EC to EO, and this connectivity increase was positively associated with alpha reactivity; namely, the stronger the BNM-visual cortex functional connectivity increase from EC to EO, the larger the EC-to-EO alpha desynchronization. In older adults, lesions of the fiber tracts linking BNM and visual cortex quantified by leukoaraiosis volume, associated with reduced alpha reactivity. These findings support a role of acetylcholine and particularly cholinergic pathways in mediating EC-to-EO alpha reactivity and suggest that impaired alpha reactivity could serve as a marker of the integrity of the cholinergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Wan
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Haiqing Huang
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.,Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Nadine Schwab
- Department of Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Jared Tanner
- Department of Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Abhijit Rajan
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Ngoc B Lam
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Laszlo Zaborszky
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
| | - Chiang-Shan R Li
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Catherine C Price
- Department of Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Mingzhou Ding
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
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21
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Groleau M, Chamoun M, Vaucher E. Stimulation of Acetylcholine Release and Pharmacological Potentiation of Cholinergic Transmission Affect Cholinergic Receptor Expression Differently during Visual Conditioning. Neuroscience 2018; 386:79-90. [PMID: 29958942 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cholinergic stimulation coupled with visual conditioning enhances the visual acuity and cortical responses in the primary visual cortex. To determine which cholinergic receptors are involved in these processes, qRT-PCR was used. Two modes of cholinergic enhancement were tested: a phasic increase of acetylcholine release by an electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain cholinergic nucleus projecting to the visual cortex, or a tonic pharmacological potentiation of the cholinergic transmission by the acetylcholine esterase inhibitor, donepezil. A daily visual exposure to sine-wave gratings (training) was paired with the cholinergic enhancement, up to 14 days. qRT-PCR was performed at rest, 10 min, one week or two weeks of visual/cholinergic training with samples of the visual and somatosensory cortices, and the BF for determining mRNA expression of muscarinic receptor subtypes (m1, m2, m3, m4, m5), nicotinic receptor subunits (α3, α4, α7, β2, β4), and NMDA receptors, GAD65 and ChAT, as indexes of cortical plasticity. A Kruskal-Wallis test showed a modulation of the expression in the visual cortex of m2, m3, m4, m5, α7, β4, NMDA and GAD65, but only β4 within the basal forebrain and none of these mRNA within the somatosensory cortex. The two modes of cholinergic enhancement induced different effects on mRNA expression, related to the number of visual conditioning sessions and receptor specificity. This study suggests that the combination of cholinergic enhancement and visual conditioning is specific to the visual cortex and varies between phasic or tonic manipulation of acetylcholine levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Groleau
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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22
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Coppola JJ, Disney AA. Is There a Canonical Cortical Circuit for the Cholinergic System? Anatomical Differences Across Common Model Systems. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:8. [PMID: 29440996 PMCID: PMC5797555 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) is believed to act as a neuromodulator in cortical circuits that support cognition, specifically in processes including learning, memory consolidation, vigilance, arousal and attention. The cholinergic modulation of cortical processes is studied in many model systems including rodents, cats and primates. Further, these studies are performed in cortical areas ranging from the primary visual cortex to the prefrontal cortex and using diverse methodologies. The results of these studies have been combined into singular models of function-a practice based on an implicit assumption that the various model systems are equivalent and interchangeable. However, comparative anatomy both within and across species reveals important differences in the structure of the cholinergic system. Here, we will review anatomical data including innervation patterns, receptor expression, synthesis and release compared across species and cortical area with a focus on rodents and primates. We argue that these data suggest no canonical cortical model system exists for the cholinergic system. Further, we will argue that as a result, care must be taken both in combining data from studies across cortical areas and species, and in choosing the best model systems to improve our understanding and support of human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J. Coppola
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Anita A. Disney
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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23
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Nguyen BN, Hew SA, Ly J, Shin HY, Wong JC, Yeung E, McKendrick AM. Acute caffeine ingestion affects surround suppression of perceived contrast. J Psychopharmacol 2018; 32:81-88. [PMID: 28879800 DOI: 10.1177/0269881117725684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Caffeine is a widely used psychostimulant that is associated with increased acetylcholine levels in mammalian brain and acetycholinesterase antagonism. Acetylcholine, a neuromodulator, plays an important role in the processing of visual information. One key example in human vision, thought to at least partly involve cholinergic neuromodulation, is perceptual surround suppression of contrast, whereby the perceived contrast of a pattern is altered by the presence of a neighbouring pattern. Perceptual surround suppression is weaker with pharmacological administration of donepezil (a centrally-acting acetylcholine enzyme inhibitor) in healthy human observers. Here, we test whether temporarily manipulating caffeine levels (from complete washout to a controlled dose of caffeine) has a similar effect on perceptual surround suppression in 21 healthy young adults (aged 20-24 years, 11 females). Neither ingestion of a caffeine pill nor placebo altered contrast judgments when the target pattern was presented on a uniform grey background ( p=0.54). With caffeine ingestion, perceptual surround suppression strength was reduced relative to baseline (prior to pill ingestion, p=0.003) and placebo ( p=0.029), irrespective of whether the surround was oriented parallel or orthogonal to the central target. While daily habitual caffeine consumption of low-to-moderate doses (<400 mg/day, estimated from a written questionnaire) is not predictive of performance, our study indicates that acute consumption of caffeine on the day of testing influences perceptual surround suppression strength. Perceptual surround suppression is predominantly attributed to inhibitory processes involving the major cortical inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid. Our results point to the involvement of other neuromodulators, possibly cholinergic, in perceptual surround suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bao N Nguyen
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sui-Ann Hew
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - John Ly
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Hee-Young Shin
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Jessica C Wong
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Emily Yeung
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Allison M McKendrick
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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24
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Harewood Smith AN, Challa JA, Silver MA. Neither Cholinergic Nor Dopaminergic Enhancement Improve Spatial Working Memory Precision in Humans. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 11:94. [PMID: 29259546 PMCID: PMC5723298 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine and dopamine are neurotransmitters that play multiple important roles in perception and cognition. Pharmacological cholinergic enhancement reduces excitatory receptive field size of neurons in marmoset primary visual cortex and sharpens the spatial tuning of visual perception and visual cortical fMRI responses in humans. Moreover, previous studies show that manipulation of cholinergic or dopaminergic signaling alters the spatial tuning of macaque prefrontal cortical neurons during the delay period of a spatial working memory (SWM) task and can improve SWM performance in macaque monkeys and human subjects. Here, we investigated the effects of systemic cholinergic and dopaminergic enhancement on the precision of SWM, as measured behaviorally in human subjects. Cholinergic transmission was increased by oral administration of 5 mg of the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil, and dopaminergic signaling was enhanced with 100 mg levodopa/10 mg carbidopa. Each neurotransmitter system was separately investigated in double-blind placebo-controlled studies. On each trial of the SWM task, a square was presented for 150 ms at a random location along an invisible circle with a radius of 12 degrees of visual angle, followed by a 900 ms delay period with no stimulus shown on the screen. Then, the square was presented at new location, displaced in either a clockwise (CW) or counterclockwise (CCW) direction along the circle. Subjects used their memory of the location of the original square to report the direction of displacement. SWM precision was defined as the amount of displacement corresponding to 75% correct performance. We observed no significant effect on SWM precision for either donepezil or levodopa/carbidopa. There was also no significant effect on performance on the SWM task (percent correct across all trials) for either donepezil or levodopa/carbidopa. Thus, despite evidence that acetylcholine and dopamine regulate spatial tuning of individual neurons and can improve performance of SWM tasks, pharmacological enhancement of signaling of these neurotransmitters does not substantially affect a behavioral measure of the precision of SWM in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeola N Harewood Smith
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Jnana Aditya Challa
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Michael A Silver
- Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States.,School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
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Brain Networks are Independently Modulated by Donepezil, Sleep, and Sleep Deprivation. Brain Topogr 2017; 31:380-391. [PMID: 29170853 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-017-0608-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Resting-state connectivity has been widely studied in the healthy and pathological brain. Less well-characterized are the brain networks altered during pharmacological interventions and their possible interaction with vigilance. In the hopes of finding new biomarkers which can be used to identify cortical activity and cognitive processes linked to the effects of drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, the analysis of networks altered by medication would be particularly interesting. Eleven healthy subjects were recruited in the context of the European Innovative Medicines Initiative 'PharmaCog'. Each underwent five sessions of simultaneous EEG-fMRI in order to investigate the effects of donepezil and memantine before and after sleep deprivation (SD). The SD approach has been previously proposed as a model for cognitive impairment in healthy subjects. By applying network based statistics (NBS), we observed altered brain networks significantly linked to donepezil intake and sleep deprivation. Taking into account the sleep stages extracted from the EEG data we revealed that a network linked to sleep is interacting with sleep deprivation but not with medication intake. We successfully extracted the functional resting-state networks modified by donepezil intake, sleep and SD. We observed donepezil induced whole brain connectivity alterations forming a network separated from the changes induced by sleep and SD, a result which shows the utility of this approach to check for the validity of pharmacological resting-state analysis of the tested medications without the need of taking into account the subject specific vigilance.
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Grossberg S. Acetylcholine Neuromodulation in Normal and Abnormal Learning and Memory: Vigilance Control in Waking, Sleep, Autism, Amnesia and Alzheimer's Disease. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 11:82. [PMID: 29163063 PMCID: PMC5673653 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptive Resonance Theory, or ART, is a neural model that explains how normal and abnormal brains may learn to categorize and recognize objects and events in a changing world, and how these learned categories may be remembered for a long time. This article uses ART to propose and unify the explanation of diverse data about normal and abnormal modulation of learning and memory by acetylcholine (ACh). In ART, vigilance control determines whether learned categories will be general and abstract, or specific and concrete. ART models how vigilance may be regulated by ACh release in layer 5 neocortical cells by influencing after-hyperpolarization (AHP) currents. This phasic ACh release is mediated by cells in the nucleus basalis (NB) of Meynert that are activated by unexpected events. The article additionally discusses data about ACh-mediated tonic control of vigilance. ART proposes that there are often dynamic breakdowns of tonic control in mental disorders such as autism, where vigilance remains high, and medial temporal amnesia, where vigilance remains low. Tonic control also occurs during sleep-wake cycles. Properties of Up and Down states during slow wave sleep arise in ACh-modulated laminar cortical ART circuits that carry out processes in awake individuals of contrast normalization, attentional modulation, decision-making, activity-dependent habituation, and mismatch-mediated reset. These slow wave sleep circuits interact with circuits that control circadian rhythms and memory consolidation. Tonic control properties also clarify how Alzheimer's disease symptoms follow from a massive structural degeneration that includes undermining vigilance control by ACh in cortical layers 3 and 5. Sleep disruptions before and during Alzheimer's disease, and how they contribute to a vicious cycle of plaque formation in layers 3 and 5, are also clarified from this perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Grossberg
- Center for Adaptive Systems, Graduate Program in Cognitive and Neural Systems, Departments of Mathematics & Statistics, Psychological & Brain Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
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Yoshino Y, Mori T, Yoshida T, Toyota Y, Shimizu H, Iga JI, Nishitani S, Ueno SI. Improvement of Visuo-spatial Function Assessed by Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices in Dementia with Lewy Bodies by Donepezil Treatment. CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE 2017; 15:243-247. [PMID: 28783933 PMCID: PMC5565082 DOI: 10.9758/cpn.2017.15.3.243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Revised: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Objective Donepezil is used to improve cognitive impairment of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Visuo-spatial dysfunction is a well-known symptom of DLB. Non-verbal Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) were used to assess both visual perception and reasoning ability in DLB subjects treated with donepezil. Methods Twenty-one DLB patients (mean age, 78.7±4.5 years) were enrolled. RCPM assessment was performed at the time of starting donepezil and within one year after starting donepezil. Results There were significant improvements of RCPM in the total scores between one year donepezil treatment (p=0.013), in both Set A score (p=0.002) and Set AB score (p=0.015), but trend in the Set B score (p=0.083). Conclusion Donepezil is useful for improving visuo-spatial impairment in DLB, but not for problem-solving impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Yoshino
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan
| | - Takaaki Mori
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan
| | - Taku Yoshida
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan
| | - Yasutaka Toyota
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Zaidan Niihama Hospital, Niihama, Japan
| | - Hideaki Shimizu
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Iga
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan
| | - Shusaku Nishitani
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Zaidan Niihama Hospital, Niihama, Japan
| | - Shu-Ichi Ueno
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Molecules and Function, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan
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Chung STL, Li RW, Silver MA, Levi DM. Donepezil Does Not Enhance Perceptual Learning in Adults with Amblyopia: A Pilot Study. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:448. [PMID: 28824369 PMCID: PMC5545606 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Amblyopia is a developmental disorder that results in a wide range of visual deficits. One proven approach to recovering vision in adults with amblyopia is perceptual learning (PL). Recent evidence suggests that neuromodulators can enhance adult plasticity. In this pilot study, we asked whether donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor, enhances visual PL in adults with amblyopia. Nine adults with amblyopia were first trained on a low-contrast single-letter identification task while taking a daily dose (5 mg) of donepezil throughout training. Following 10,000 trials of training, participants showed improved contrast sensitivity for identifying single letters. However, the magnitude of improvement was no greater than, and the rate of improvement was slower than, that obtained in a previous study in which six adults with amblyopia were trained using an identical task and protocol but without donepezil (Chung et al., 2012). In addition, we measured transfer of learning effects to other tasks and found that for donepezil, the post-pre performance ratios in both a size-limited (acuity) and a spacing-limited (crowding) task were not significantly different from those found in the previous study without donepezil administration. After an interval of several weeks, six participants returned for a second course of training on identifying flanked (crowded) letters, again with concurrent donepezil administration. Although this task has previously been shown to be highly amenable to PL in adults with amblyopia (Chung et al., 2012; Hussain et al., 2012), only one observer in our study showed significant learning over 10,000 trials of training. Auxiliary experiments showed that the lack of a learning effect on this task during donepezil administration was not due to either the order of training of the two tasks or the use of a sequential training paradigm. Our results reveal that cholinergic enhancement with donepezil during training does not improve or speed up PL of single-letter identification in adults with amblyopia, and importantly, it may even halt learning and transfer related to a crowding task. Clinical Trial Registration: This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03109314).
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana T L Chung
- School of Optometry, Vision Science Graduate Group, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, United States
| | - Roger W Li
- School of Optometry, Vision Science Graduate Group, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, United States
| | - Michael A Silver
- School of Optometry, Vision Science Graduate Group, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, United States
| | - Dennis M Levi
- School of Optometry, Vision Science Graduate Group, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA, United States
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Cholinergic, But Not Dopaminergic or Noradrenergic, Enhancement Sharpens Visual Spatial Perception in Humans. J Neurosci 2017; 37:4405-4415. [PMID: 28336568 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2405-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Revised: 03/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuromodulator acetylcholine modulates spatial integration in visual cortex by altering the balance of inputs that generate neuronal receptive fields. These cholinergic effects may provide a neurobiological mechanism underlying the modulation of visual representations by visual spatial attention. However, the consequences of cholinergic enhancement on visuospatial perception in humans are unknown. We conducted two experiments to test whether enhancing cholinergic signaling selectively alters perceptual measures of visuospatial interactions in human subjects. In Experiment 1, a double-blind placebo-controlled pharmacology study, we measured how flanking distractors influenced detection of a small contrast decrement of a peripheral target, as a function of target-flanker distance. We found that cholinergic enhancement with the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil improved target detection, and modeling suggested that this was mainly due to a narrowing of the extent of facilitatory perceptual spatial interactions. In Experiment 2, we tested whether these effects were selective to the cholinergic system or would also be observed following enhancements of related neuromodulators dopamine or norepinephrine. Unlike cholinergic enhancement, dopamine (bromocriptine) and norepinephrine (guanfacine) manipulations did not improve performance or systematically alter the spatial profile of perceptual interactions between targets and distractors. These findings reveal mechanisms by which cholinergic signaling influences visual spatial interactions in perception and improves processing of a visual target among distractors, effects that are notably similar to those of spatial selective attention.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Acetylcholine influences how visual cortical neurons integrate signals across space, perhaps providing a neurobiological mechanism for the effects of visual selective attention. However, the influence of cholinergic enhancement on visuospatial perception remains unknown. Here we demonstrate that cholinergic enhancement improves detection of a target flanked by distractors, consistent with sharpened visuospatial perceptual representations. Furthermore, whereas most pharmacological studies focus on a single neurotransmitter, many neuromodulators can have related effects on cognition and perception. Thus, we also demonstrate that enhancing noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems does not systematically improve visuospatial perception or alter its tuning. Our results link visuospatial tuning effects of acetylcholine at the neuronal and perceptual levels and provide insights into the connection between cholinergic signaling and visual attention.
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Chamoun M, Huppé-Gourgues F, Legault I, Rosa-Neto P, Dumbrava D, Faubert J, Vaucher E. Cholinergic Potentiation Improves Perceptual-Cognitive Training of Healthy Young Adults in Three Dimensional Multiple Object Tracking. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:128. [PMID: 28377707 PMCID: PMC5359296 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A large body of literature supports cognitive enhancement as an effect of cholinergic potentiation. However, it remains elusive whether pharmacological manipulations of cholinergic neurotransmission enhance complex visual processing in healthy individuals. To test this hypothesis, we randomly administered either the cholinergic transmission enhancer donepezil (DPZ; 5 mg P.O.) or placebo (lactose) to young adults (n = 17) 3 h before each session of the three-dimensional (3D) multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) task. This multi-focal attention task evaluates perceptual-cognitive learning over five sessions conducted 7 days apart. A significant amount of learning was observed in the DPZ group but not the placebo group in the fourth session. In the fifth session, this learning effect was observed in both groups. Furthermore, preliminary results for a subgroup of participants (n = 9) 4–14 months later suggested the cholinergic enhancement effect was long lasting. On the other hand, DPZ had no effect on basic visual processing as measured by a motion and orientation discrimination task performed as an independent one-time, pre-post drug study without placebo control (n = 10). The results support the construct that cholinergic enhancement facilitates the encoding of a highly demanding perceptual-cognitive task although there were no significant drug effects on the performance levels compared to placebo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Frédéric Huppé-Gourgues
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Isabelle Legault
- Laboratoire de Psychophysique et de Perception Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- McGill Centre for Studies in Aging Douglas Research Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Daniela Dumbrava
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences de la Vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Faubert
- Laboratoire de Psychophysique et de Perception Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
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Kim K, Müller MLTM, Bohnen NI, Sarter M, Lustig C. Thalamic cholinergic innervation makes a specific bottom-up contribution to signal detection: Evidence from Parkinson's disease patients with defined cholinergic losses. Neuroimage 2017; 149:295-304. [PMID: 28167350 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful behavior depends on the ability to detect and respond to relevant cues, especially under challenging conditions. This essential component of attention has been hypothesized to be mediated by multiple neuromodulator systems, but the contributions of individual systems (e.g., cholinergic, dopaminergic) have remained unclear. The present study addresses this issue by leveraging individual variation in regionally-specific cholinergic denervation in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, while controlling for variation in dopaminergic denervation. Patients whose dopaminergic and cholinergic nerve terminal integrity had been previously assessed using Positron Emission Tomography (Bohnen et al., 2012) and controls were tested in a signal detection task that manipulates attentional-perceptual challenge and has been used extensively in both rodents and humans to investigate the cholinergic system's role in responding to such challenges (Demeter et al., 2008; McGaughy and Sarter, 1995; see Hasselmo and Sarter 2011 for review). In simple correlation analyses, measures of midbrain dopaminergic, and both cortical and thalamic cholinergic innervation all predicted preserved signal detection under challenge. However, regression analyses also controlling for age, disease severity, and other variables showed that the only significant independent neurotransmitter-related predictor over and above the other variables in the model was thalamic cholinergic integrity. Furthermore, thalamic cholinergic innervation exclusively predicted hits, not correct rejections, indicating a specific contribution to bottom-up salience processing. These results help define regionally-specific contributions of cholinergic function to different aspects of attention and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamin Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
| | - Martijn L T M Müller
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Nicolaas I Bohnen
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Martin Sarter
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Cindy Lustig
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; University of Michigan Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
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Dose-dependent effect of donepezil administration on long-term enhancement of visually evoked potentials and cholinergic receptor overexpression in rat visual cortex. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:65-74. [PMID: 27913166 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Stimulation of the cholinergic system tightly coupled with periods of visual stimulation boosts the processing of specific visual stimuli via muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in terms of intensity, priority and long-term effect. However, it is not known whether more diffuse pharmacological stimulation with donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor, is an efficient tool for enhancing visual processing and perception. The goal of the present study was to potentiate cholinergic transmission with donepezil treatment (0.5 and 1mg/kg) during a 2-week visual training to examine the effect on visually evoked potentials and to profile the expression of cholinergic receptor subtypes. The visual training was performed daily, 10min a day, for 2weeks. One week after the last training session, visual evoked potentials were recorded, or the mRNA expression level of muscarinic (M1-5) and nicotinic (α/β) receptors subunits was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. The visual stimulation coupled with any of the two doses of donepezil produced significant amplitude enhancement of cortical evoked potentials compared to pre-training values. The enhancement induced by the 1mg/kg dose of donepezil was spread to neighboring spatial frequencies, suggesting a better sensitivity near the visual detection threshold. The M3, M4, M5 and α7 receptors mRNA were upregulated in the visual cortex for the higher dose of donepezil but not the lower one, and the receptors expression was stable in the somatosensory (non-visual control) cortex. Therefore, higher levels of acetylcholine within the cortex sustain the increased intensity of the cortical response and trigger the upregulation of cholinergic receptors.
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Dannenberg H, Hinman JR, Hasselmo ME. Potential roles of cholinergic modulation in the neural coding of location and movement speed. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:52-64. [PMID: 27677935 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2016] [Revised: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral data suggest that cholinergic modulation may play a role in certain aspects of spatial memory, and neurophysiological data demonstrate neurons that fire in response to spatial dimensions, including grid cells and place cells that respond on the basis of location and running speed. These neurons show firing responses that depend upon the visual configuration of the environment, due to coding in visually-responsive regions of the neocortex. This review focuses on the physiological effects of acetylcholine that may influence the sensory coding of spatial dimensions relevant to behavior. In particular, the local circuit effects of acetylcholine within the cortex regulate the influence of sensory input relative to internal memory representations via presynaptic inhibition of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, and the modulation of intrinsic currents in cortical excitatory and inhibitory neurons. In addition, circuit effects of acetylcholine regulate the dynamics of cortical circuits including oscillations at theta and gamma frequencies. These effects of acetylcholine on local circuits and network dynamics could underlie the role of acetylcholine in coding of spatial information for the performance of spatial memory tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Dannenberg
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Memory and Brain, Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, 2 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - James R Hinman
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Memory and Brain, Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, 2 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Michael E Hasselmo
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Memory and Brain, Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, 2 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Propagating Cortical Waves May Underlie Illusory Motion Perception. J Neurosci 2016; 36:6854-6. [PMID: 27358444 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1167-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Metzger FG, Ehlis AC, Haeussinger FB, Fallgatter AJ, Hagen K. Effects of cholinesterase inhibitor on brain activation in Alzheimer's patients measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:4383-91. [PMID: 26359227 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-015-4066-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Neurobiological effects of neuropsychiatric medication can contribute to the understanding of mechanisms of action and to the evaluation of target medication effects. Cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) have been used in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for years with only small knowledge about the underlying neurobiological effects. The measurement of brain activation links neurobiological and functional aspects but is challenging in the group of demented patients; here, an alternative method, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), is introduced to measure those medication effects. OBJECTIVES The current study investigated the influence of ChEI on cortical activation of patients with AD measured using fNIRS during a verbal fluency task (VFT). METHODS In this study, 24 probable AD patients were investigated three times using fNIRS: before medication with rivastigmine was given (t0), when the medication was at the target dose after 4 weeks (t1), and after the target dose was kept constant for a further 8 weeks (t2). RESULTS The results show a concentration increase of oxygenated hemoglobin as measured with fNIRS from t0 to t2 in speech relevant areas and a general decrease in prefrontal areas. Behaviorally, an improvement was found for the VFT used to measure cortical activation during fNIRS. In the neuropsychological test battery, no significant changes were found, yet high effect sizes for the mini mental status examination, immediate and delayed word list recall were found. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate a positive effect of ChEI on cognitive function. The underlying cortical changes can be imaged using fNIRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian G Metzger
- Psychophysiology and Optical Imaging; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany.
- Geriatric Center, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany.
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- Psychophysiology and Optical Imaging; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Florian B Haeussinger
- Psychophysiology and Optical Imaging; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Graduate School of Neural Information Processing, University of Tuebingen, Oesterbergstr. 3, Tuebingen, 72074, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Psychophysiology and Optical Imaging; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
- Center of Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Cluster of Excellence, University of Tuebingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 25, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany
| | - Katja Hagen
- Psychophysiology and Optical Imaging; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
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Groleau M, Kang JI, Huppé-Gourgues F, Vaucher E. Distribution and effects of the muscarinic receptor subtypes in the primary visual cortex. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2015; 7:10. [PMID: 26150786 PMCID: PMC4472999 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2015.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscarinic cholinergic receptors modulate the activity and plasticity of the visual cortex. Muscarinic receptors are divided into five subtypes that are not homogeneously distributed throughout the cortical layers and cells types. This distribution results in complex action of the muscarinic receptors in the integration of visual stimuli. Selective activation of the different subtypes can either strengthen or weaken cortical connectivity (e.g., thalamocortical vs. corticocortical), i.e., it can influence the processing of certain stimuli over others. Moreover, muscarinic receptors differentially modulate some functional properties of neurons during experience-dependent activity and cognitive processes and they contribute to the fine-tuning of visual processing. These functions are involved in the mechanisms of attention, maturation and learning in the visual cortex. This minireview describes the anatomo-functional aspects of muscarinic modulation of the primary visual cortex's (V1) microcircuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Groleau
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Jun Il Kang
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Frédéric Huppé-Gourgues
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
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Luchicchi A, Bloem B, Viaña JNM, Mansvelder HD, Role LW. Illuminating the role of cholinergic signaling in circuits of attention and emotionally salient behaviors. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2014; 6:24. [PMID: 25386136 PMCID: PMC4209819 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2014.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2014] [Accepted: 10/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) signaling underlies specific aspects of cognitive functions and behaviors, including attention, learning, memory and motivation. Alterations in ACh signaling are involved in the pathophysiology of multiple neuropsychiatric disorders. In the central nervous system, ACh transmission is mainly guaranteed by dense innervation of select cortical and subcortical regions from disperse groups of cholinergic neurons within the basal forebrain (BF; e.g., diagonal band, medial septal, nucleus basalis) and the pontine-mesencephalic nuclei, respectively. Despite the fundamental role of cholinergic signaling in the CNS and the long standing knowledge of the organization of cholinergic circuitry, remarkably little is known about precisely how ACh release modulates cortical and subcortical neural activity and the behaviors these circuits subserve. Growing interest in cholinergic signaling in the CNS focuses on the mechanism(s) of action by which endogenously released ACh regulates cognitive functions, acting as a neuromodulator and/or as a direct transmitter via nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. The development of optogenetic techniques has provided a valuable toolbox with which we can address these questions, as it allows the selective manipulation of the excitability of cholinergic inputs to the diverse array of cholinergic target fields within cortical and subcortical domains. Here, we review recent papers that use the light-sensitive opsins in the cholinergic system to elucidate the role of ACh in circuits related to attention and emotionally salient behaviors. In particular, we highlight recent optogenetic studies which have tried to disentangle the precise role of ACh in the modulation of cortical-, hippocampal- and striatal-dependent functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Luchicchi
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Bernard Bloem
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands ; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - John Noel M Viaña
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Huibert D Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lorna W Role
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY, USA
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Kang JI, Huppé-Gourgues F, Vaucher E. Boosting visual cortex function and plasticity with acetylcholine to enhance visual perception. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:172. [PMID: 25278848 PMCID: PMC4167004 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The cholinergic system is a potent neuromodulatory system that plays critical roles in cortical plasticity, attention and learning. In this review, we propose that the cellular effects of acetylcholine (ACh) in the primary visual cortex during the processing of visual inputs might induce perceptual learning; i.e., long-term changes in visual perception. Specifically, the pairing of cholinergic activation with visual stimulation increases the signal-to-noise ratio, cue detection ability and long-term facilitation in the primary visual cortex. This cholinergic enhancement would increase the strength of thalamocortical afferents to facilitate the treatment of a novel stimulus while decreasing the cortico-cortical signaling to reduce recurrent or top-down modulation. This balance would be mediated by different cholinergic receptor subtypes that are located on both glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons of the different cortical layers. The mechanisms of cholinergic enhancement are closely linked to attentional processes, long-term potentiation (LTP) and modulation of the excitatory/inhibitory balance. Recently, it was found that boosting the cholinergic system during visual training robustly enhances sensory perception in a long-term manner. Our hypothesis is that repetitive pairing of cholinergic and sensory stimulation over a long period of time induces long-term changes in the processing of trained stimuli that might improve perceptual ability. Various non-invasive approaches to the activation of the cholinergic neurons have strong potential to improve visual perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Il Kang
- École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada ; Département de Neuroscience, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Elvire Vaucher
- École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
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Impaired functional organization in the visual cortex of muscarinic receptor knock-out mice. Neuroimage 2014; 98:233-42. [PMID: 24837499 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine modulates maturation and neuronal activity through muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in the primary visual cortex. However, the specific contribution of different muscarinic receptor subtypes in these neuromodulatory mechanisms is not fully understood. The present study evaluates in vivo the functional organization and the properties of the visual cortex of different groups of muscarinic receptor knock-out (KO) mice. Optical imaging of intrinsic signals coupled to continuous and episodic visual stimulation paradigms was used. Retinotopic maps along elevation and azimuth were preserved among the different groups of mice. However, compared to their wild-type counterparts, the apparent visual field along elevation was larger in M2/M4-KO mice but smaller in M1-KO. There was a reduction in the estimated relative receptive field size of V1 neurons in M1/M3-KO and M1-KO mice. Spatial frequency and contrast selectivity of V1 neuronal populations were affected only in M1/M3-KO and M1-KO mice. Finally, the neuronal connectivity was altered by the absence of M2/M4 muscarinic receptors. All these effects suggest the distinct roles of different subtypes of muscarinic receptors in the intrinsic organization of V1 and a strong involvement of the muscarinic transmission in the detectability of visual stimuli.
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Berry AS, Demeter E, Sabhapathy S, English BA, Blakely RD, Sarter M, Lustig C. Disposed to distraction: genetic variation in the cholinergic system influences distractibility but not time-on-task effects. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26:1981-91. [PMID: 24666128 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Both the passage of time and external distraction make it difficult to keep attention on the task at hand. We tested the hypothesis that time-on-task and external distraction pose independent challenges to attention and that the brain's cholinergic system selectively modulates our ability to resist distraction. Participants with a polymorphism limiting cholinergic capacity (Ile89Val variant [rs1013940] of the choline transporter gene SLC5A7) and matched controls completed self-report measures of attention and a laboratory task that measured decrements in sustained attention with and without distraction. We found evidence that distraction and time-on-task effects are independent and that the cholinergic system is strongly linked to greater vulnerability to distraction. Ile89Val participants reported more distraction during everyday life than controls, and their task performance was more severely impacted by the presence of an ecologically valid video distractor (similar to a television playing in the background). These results are the first to demonstrate a specific impairment in cognitive control associated with the Ile89Val polymorphism and add to behavioral and cognitive neuroscience studies indicating the cholinergic system's critical role in overcoming distraction.
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Bloem B, Poorthuis RB, Mansvelder HD. Cholinergic modulation of the medial prefrontal cortex: the role of nicotinic receptors in attention and regulation of neuronal activity. Front Neural Circuits 2014; 8:17. [PMID: 24653678 PMCID: PMC3949318 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2014.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) release in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is crucial for normal cognitive performance. Despite the fact that many have studied how ACh affects neuronal processing in the mPFC and thereby influences attention behavior, there is still a lot unknown about how this occurs. Here we will review the evidence that cholinergic modulation of the mPFC plays a role in attention and we will summarize the current knowledge about the role between ACh receptors (AChRs) and behavior and how ACh receptor activation changes processing in the cortical microcircuitry. Recent evidence implicates fast phasic release of ACh in cue detection and attention. This review will focus mainly on the fast ionotropic nicotinic receptors and less on the metabotropic muscarinic receptors. Finally, we will review limitations of the existing studies and address how innovative technologies might push the field forward in order to gain understanding into the relation between ACh, neuronal activity and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Bloem
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije UniversiteitAmsterdam, Netherlands
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Huibert D. Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije UniversiteitAmsterdam, Netherlands
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Handjaras G, Ricciardi E, Szczepanik J, Pietrini P, Furey ML. Cholinergic enhancement differentially modulates neural response to encoding during face identity and face location working memory tasks. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2013; 238:999-1008. [PMID: 23975732 DOI: 10.1177/1535370213497326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Potentiation of cholinergic transmission influences stimulus processing by enhancing signal detection through suppression and/or filtering out of irrelevant information (bottom-up modulation) and with top-down task-oriented executive mechanisms based on the recruitment of prefrontal and parietal attentional systems. The cholinergic system also plays a critical role in working memory (WM) processes and preferentially modulates WM encoding, likely through stimulus-processing mechanisms. Previous research reported increased brain responses in visual extrastriate cortical regions during cholinergic enhancement in the encoding phase of WM, independently addressing object and spatial encoding. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine the effects of cholinergic enhancement on encoding of key visual processing features. Subjects participated in two scanning sessions, one during an intravenous (i.v.) infusion of saline and the other during an infusion of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine. In each scan session, subjects alternated between a face identity recognition and a spatial location WM. Enhanced cholinergic function increased neural activity in the ventral stream during encoding of face identity and in the dorsal stream during encoding of face location. Conversely, a reduction in brain response was found for scrambled sensorimotor control images. The cholinergic effects on neural activity in the ventral stream during encoding of face identity were stronger than those observed in the dorsal stream during encoding of face location, likely as a consequence of the role of acetylcholine in establishing the inherently relevant nature of face identity. Despite the limited sample-size, the results suggest the stimulus-dependent role of cholinergic system in signal detection, as they show that cholinergic potentiation enhances neural activity in regions associated with early perceptual processing in a selective manner depending on the attended stimulus feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Handjaras
- Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa 56126, Italy
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian C. Ruff
- Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research (SNS Lab); Department of Economics, University of Zurich; Zurich Switzerland
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Thiele
- Institute of Neuroscience, Henry Wellcome Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom;
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Kang JI, Groleau M, Dotigny F, Giguère H, Vaucher E. Visual training paired with electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain improves orientation-selective visual acuity in the rat. Brain Struct Funct 2013; 219:1493-507. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-013-0582-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Erickson DT, Kayser AS. The neural representation of sensorimotor transformations in a human perceptual decision making network. Neuroimage 2013; 79:340-50. [PMID: 23631989 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.04.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2013] [Revised: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans can quickly engage a neural network to transform complex visual stimuli into a motor response. Activity from a key region within this network, the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), has been associated with evidence accumulation and motor planning, thus implicating it in sensorimotor transformations. If such transformations occur within a brain region, a key and untested prediction is that neural activity reflecting both the parametric amount of evidence available and the timing of motor planning can be independently manipulated. To investigate these ideas, we constructed a dot motion discrimination task in which information about response modality (what to use) and response mapping (how to use it) was provided independently either before or after presentation of a dot motion coherence stimulus whose strength varied across trials. Consistent with our hypothesis, activity within IPS covaried with dot motion coherence during the stimulus phase, and as information necessary for the response was delayed, the peak of IPS activity shifted to the response phase. In contrast, areas such as the motion-sensitive region MT+ and the supplementary motor area demonstrated activity limited to the stimulus and response phases of the task, respectively. These results show that activity in IPS correlates with temporally dissociable representations consistent with both evidence accumulation and motor planning, and suggest that IPS is a core component for sensorimotor transformations within the perceptual decision-making network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew T Erickson
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94608, USA.
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Visual spatial attention enhances the amplitude of positive and negative fMRI responses to visual stimulation in an eccentricity-dependent manner. Vision Res 2013; 85:104-12. [PMID: 23562388 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2013.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2012] [Revised: 03/23/2013] [Accepted: 03/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Endogenous visual spatial attention improves perception and enhances neural responses to visual stimuli at attended locations. Although many aspects of visual processing differ significantly between central and peripheral vision, little is known regarding the neural substrates of the eccentricity dependence of spatial attention effects. We measured amplitudes of positive and negative fMRI responses to visual stimuli as a function of eccentricity in a large number of topographically-organized cortical areas. Responses to each stimulus were obtained when the stimulus was attended and when spatial attention was directed to a stimulus in the opposite visual hemifield. Attending to the stimulus increased both positive and negative response amplitudes in all cortical areas we studied: V1, V2, V3, hV4, VO1, LO1, LO2, V3A/B, IPS0, TO1, and TO2. However, the eccentricity dependence of these effects differed considerably across cortical areas. In early visual, ventral, and lateral occipital cortex, attentional enhancement of positive responses was greater for central compared to peripheral eccentricities. The opposite pattern was observed in dorsal stream areas IPS0 and putative MT homolog TO1, where attentional enhancement of positive responses was greater in the periphery. Both the magnitude and the eccentricity dependence of attentional modulation of negative fMRI responses closely mirrored that of positive responses across cortical areas.
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A S, Z S, KH N. Coronary computed tomography angiography with prospective electrocardiography triggering: a systematic review of image quality and radiation dose. Singapore Med J 2013; 54:15-23. [DOI: 10.11622/smedj.2013005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Demeter E, Sarter M. Leveraging the cortical cholinergic system to enhance attention. Neuropharmacology 2013; 64:294-304. [PMID: 22796110 PMCID: PMC3445745 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2012.06.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2012] [Revised: 06/18/2012] [Accepted: 06/28/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Attentional impairments are found in a range of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the development of procognitive enhancers to alleviate these impairments has been hindered by a lack of comprehensive hypotheses regarding the circuitry mediating the targeted attentional functions. Here we discuss the role of the cortical cholinergic system in mediating cue detection and attentional control and propose two target mechanisms for cognition enhancers: stimulation of prefrontal α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) for the enhancement of cue detection and augmentation of tonic acetylcholine levels for the enhancement of attentional control. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Cognitive Enhancers'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Demeter
- Psychiatry Department, 4250 Plymouth Road, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5765, USA.
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