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Eckert P, Marchetta P, Manthey MK, Walter MH, Jovanovic S, Savitska D, Singer W, Jacob MH, Rüttiger L, Schimmang T, Milenkovic I, Pilz PKD, Knipper M. Deletion of BDNF in Pax2 Lineage-Derived Interneuron Precursors in the Hindbrain Hampers the Proportion of Excitation/Inhibition, Learning, and Behavior. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:642679. [PMID: 33841098 PMCID: PMC8033028 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.642679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies indicate that deficits in the proper integration or migration of specific GABAergic precursor cells from the subpallium to the cortex can lead to severe cognitive dysfunctions and neurodevelopmental pathogenesis linked to intellectual disabilities. A different set of GABAergic precursors cells that express Pax2 migrate to hindbrain regions, targeting, for example auditory or somatosensory brainstem regions. We demonstrate that the absence of BDNF in Pax2-lineage descendants of BdnfPax2KOs causes severe cognitive disabilities. In BdnfPax2KOs, a normal number of parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV-INs) was found in the auditory cortex (AC) and hippocampal regions, which went hand in hand with reduced PV-labeling in neuropil domains and elevated activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc/Arg3.1; here: Arc) levels in pyramidal neurons in these same regions. This immaturity in the inhibitory/excitatory balance of the AC and hippocampus was accompanied by elevated LTP, reduced (sound-induced) LTP/LTD adjustment, impaired learning, elevated anxiety, and deficits in social behavior, overall representing an autistic-like phenotype. Reduced tonic inhibitory strength and elevated spontaneous firing rates in dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) brainstem neurons in otherwise nearly normal hearing BdnfPax2KOs suggests that diminished fine-grained auditory-specific brainstem activity has hampered activity-driven integration of inhibitory networks of the AC in functional (hippocampal) circuits. This leads to an inability to scale hippocampal post-synapses during LTP/LTD plasticity. BDNF in Pax2-lineage descendants in lower brain regions should thus be considered as a novel candidate for contributing to the development of brain disorders, including autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Eckert
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philine Marchetta
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marie K Manthey
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Neuroscience, Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michael H Walter
- Department for Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sasa Jovanovic
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Daria Savitska
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Wibke Singer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michele H Jacob
- Department of Neuroscience, Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Schimmang
- Instituto de Biología y Genética Molecular, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Ivan Milenkovic
- School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Peter K D Pilz
- Department for Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Neural compensation in presymptomatic hAPP mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:390-394. [PMID: 32817305 PMCID: PMC7433654 DOI: 10.1101/lm.050401.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Largely inspired from clinical concepts like brain reserve, cognitive reserve, and neural compensation, here we review data showing how neural circuits reorganize in presymptomatic and early symptomatic hAPP mice to maintain memory intact. By informing on molecular alterations and compensatory adaptations which take place in the brain before mice show cognitive impairments, these data can help to identify ultra-early disease markers that could be targeted in a therapeutic perspective aimed at preventing rather than treating cognitive deterioration.
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Bupropion and Citalopram in the APP23 Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease: A Study in a Dry-Land Maze. Int J Alzheimers Dis 2012; 2012:673584. [PMID: 23056993 PMCID: PMC3465969 DOI: 10.1155/2012/673584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2012] [Accepted: 09/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Incipient Alzheimer's disease is often disguised as depressive disorder. Over the course of AD, depressive symptoms are even more frequent. Hence, treatment with antidepressants is common in AD. It was the goal of the present study to assess whether two common antidepressants with different mechanisms of action affect spatial learning in a transgenic animal model of Alzheimer's disease. Methods. We assessed spatial memory of male wild-type and B6C3-Tg(APPswe,PSEN1dE9)85Dbo (APP23) transgenic animals in a complex dry-land maze. Animals were treated with citalopram (10 mg/kg) and bupropion (20 mg/kg). Results. Moving and resting time until finding the goal zone decreased in 4.5-month-old sham-treated wild-type animals and, to a lesser extent, in APP23 animals. Compared with sham-treated APP23 animals, treatment with bupropion reduced resting time and increased speed. On treatment with citalopram, moving and resting time were unchanged but speed decreased. Length of the path to the goal zone did not change on either bupropion or citalopram. Conclusion. Bupropion increases psychomotor activity in APP23 transgenic animals, while citalopram slightly reduces psychomotor activity. Spatial learning per se is unaffected by treatment with either bupropion or citalopram.
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Kumar A, Rani A, Tchigranova O, Lee WH, Foster TC. Influence of late-life exposure to environmental enrichment or exercise on hippocampal function and CA1 senescent physiology. Neurobiol Aging 2011; 33:828.e1-17. [PMID: 21820213 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2011] [Revised: 06/13/2011] [Accepted: 06/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Aged (20-22 months) male Fischer 344 rats were randomly assigned to sedentary (A-SED), environmentally-enriched (A-ENR), or exercise (A-EX) conditions. After 10-12 weeks of differential experience, the 3 groups of aged rats and young sedentary controls were tested for physical and cognitive function. Spatial discrimination learning and memory consolidation, tested on the water maze, were enhanced in environmentally-enriched compared with sedentary. A-EX exhibited improved and impaired performance on the cue and spatial task, respectively. Impaired spatial learning in A-EX was likely due to a bias in response selection associated with exercise training, as object recognition memory improved for A-EX rats. An examination of senescent hippocampal physiology revealed that enrichment and exercise reversed age-related changes in long-term depression (LTD) and long-term potentiation (LTP). Rats in the enrichment group exhibited an increase in cell excitability compared with the other 2 groups of aged animals. The results indicate that differential experience biased the selection of a spatial or a response strategy and factors common across the 2 conditions, such as increased hippocampal activity associated with locomotion, contribute to reversal of senescent synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashok Kumar
- Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0244, USA
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Eckert MJ, Abraham WC. Physiological effects of enriched environment exposure and LTP induction in the hippocampus in vivo do not transfer faithfully to in vitro slices. Learn Mem 2010; 17:480-4. [PMID: 20861169 DOI: 10.1101/lm.1822610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A number of experimental paradigms use in vitro brain slices to test for changes in synaptic transmission and plasticity following a behavioral manipulation. For example, a number of previous studies have reported a variety of effects of environmental enrichment (EE) exposure on field potential responses in hippocampal slices, but in no study was is it known what changes had been elicited in vivo. In the present study, we recorded from the hippocampus in vivo while rats underwent a brief period of EE. There was no detectable EE-induced change in synaptic efficacy in the dentate gyrus in vivo, but there was an increase in cellular excitability. In slices prepared from the same animals, we failed to observe any evidence of the excitability increase. We next tested whether LTP induction in vivo was better preserved in vitro. However, when slices from these rats were examined, there was no observable change in perforant path synaptic strength, although there was a modest increase in excitability that correlated with the increased excitability observed in vivo. These findings suggest that synaptic changes induced in vivo either are not preserved faithfully or are difficult to detect in hippocampal slices, while changes in cellular excitability are better preserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Eckert
- Department of Psychology and the Brain Health and Repair Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
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Middei S, Roberto A, Berretta N, Panico MB, Lista S, Bernardi G, Mercuri NB, Ammassari-Teule M, Nistico R. Learning discloses abnormal structural and functional plasticity at hippocampal synapses in the APP23 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Learn Mem 2010; 17:236-40. [DOI: 10.1101/lm.1748310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Pistell PJ, Ingram DK. Development of a water-escape motivated version of the Stone T-maze for mice. Neuroscience 2009; 166:61-72. [PMID: 20026250 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2009] [Revised: 12/09/2009] [Accepted: 12/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mice provide a highly valuable resource for investigating learning and memory processes; however, many of the established tasks for evaluating learning and memory were developed for rats. Behaviors of mice in these tasks appear to be driven by different motivational factors, and as a result, they often do not perform reliably on tasks involving rewards traditionally used for rats. Because of difficulties in measuring learning and memory in mice as well as the need to have a task that can reliably measure these behavioral processes, we have developed a mouse version of the Stone T-maze utilizing what appears to be the primary motivation of mice, escape to a safe location. Specifically, we have constructed a task that requires the mouse to wade through water to reach a dark and dry goal box. To escape this aversive environment, the Stone T-maze requires learning the correct sequence of 13 left and right turns to reach the goal box. Through a series of experiments examining a variety of protocols, it was found that mice will reliably perform this task. This task can be used to assess learning and memory without the potential performance confounds that can affect performance of mice in other tasks. We believe this task offers a valuable new tool for evaluating learning and memory in mice not previously available to researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- P J Pistell
- Nutritional Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, LSU System, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA.
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Evaluation of spatial memory of C57BL/6J and CD1 mice in the Barnes maze, the Multiple T-maze and in the Morris water maze. Behav Brain Res 2008; 198:58-68. [PMID: 19022298 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2008] [Accepted: 10/11/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Evaluation of spatial learning and memory is mainly carried out using the Morris water maze as a single paradigm. We intended to test whether mice in the Barnes maze and Multiple T-maze would lead to comparable results and to test two individual mouse strains with different anxiety levels. C57BL/6J and CD1 male mice were used in the experiments. During the acquisition phase, learning was measured using parameters latency, path length, errors in the BM and correct decisions in MTM. Mice were trained for 4 days and probe trials were performed on days 5 and 12. Latencies reduction over the training period indicated that both strains learned all tasks. During retention phase at days 5 and 12 C57BL/6J performed the Barnes maze and Multiple T-maze task better than CD1 mice while CD1 performed better than C57BL/6J in the Morris water maze. In the BM at day 12, C57BL/6J kept the level of visits to target observed at day 5 whereas CD1 performed worse. Strain- and task-dependent differences were observed using the three mazes. Therefore, fair evaluation of spatial memory demands application of (at least) two different test systems, a water- and a land maze. Different anxiety-related behaviour as well as stress-responses in the strains used may help to interpret the findings reported and again may propose the use of at least two mouse strains when robust evaluation of spatial memory is considered.
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