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Dolivo V, Engqvist L, Taborsky M. When deciding to cooperate by direct reciprocity, Norway rats sometimes benefit from olfactory competence and seem not impaired by insufficient cognitive abilities. Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01754-5. [PMID: 36869235 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01754-5] [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: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
Direct reciprocity requires the ability to recognize and memorize social partners, and to remember their previous actions. 'Insufficient cognitive abilities' have been assumed to potentially impair the ability to cooperate by direct reciprocity. Here we compare the propensity of rats to use direct reciprocity with their ability to memorize and recognize sensory cues in a non-social task. Female rats enriched in one of three sensory modalities (visual, olfactory or auditory) performed better in a learning task when they were tested with the specific sensory modality in which they have been enriched. For the cooperation test, during three subsequent reciprocity experiments the rats could provide two partners differing in their previous helpfulness with food. Individuals performing better in the non-social learning task that involved olfactory cues applied direct reciprocity more successfully in one experiment. However, in the experiment preventing visual cues and physical contact, rats applied direct reciprocity rules irrespective of their performance in the learning task with olfactory cues. This indicates that an enhanced olfactory recognition ability, despite being beneficial, is not a prerequisite for the rats' ability to cooperate by direct reciprocity. This might suggest that when rats have all types of information about their social partner, individuals may apply other criteria than the reciprocity decision rule when determining how much help to provide, as for instance coercion. Interestingly, when all individuals are constrained to mostly rely on olfactory memory, individuals apply direct reciprocity independently of their ability to memorize olfactory cues in a non-social context. 'Insufficient cognitive abilities' may thus not be the true reason when direct reciprocity is not observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassilissa Dolivo
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Leif Engqvist
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.,Institute for Advanced Study, (Wissenschaftskolleg), Berlin, Germany
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2
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Di Castro MA, Garofalo S, De Felice E, Meneghetti N, Di Pietro E, Mormino A, Mazzoni A, Caleo M, Maggi L, Limatola C. Environmental enrichment counteracts the effects of glioma in primary visual cortex. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 174:105894. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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3
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Sabzalizadeh M, Mollashahi M, Afarinesh MR, Mafi F, Joushy S, Sheibani V. Sex difference in cognitive behavioral alterations and barrel cortex neuronal responses in rats exposed prenatally to valproic acid under continuous environmental enrichment. Int J Dev Neurosci 2022; 82:513-527. [PMID: 35738908 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that can affect social interactions and sensory-motor behaviors. The present study investigates the effect of environmental enrichment (EE) on behavioral alterations and neuron responses associated with the barrel cortex of young adult female and male rats exposed prenatally to valproic acid (VPA). Pregnant female rats were pretreated with either saline or VPA (500 mg/kg, IP) on day 12.5 of gestation. Male and female pups were exposed to either EE or standard-setting (non-enrichment) conditions for 1 month (between postnatal day [PND] 30 and 63-65) and were divided into non-EE (control), EE, VPA, and VPA + EE groups. Three-chamber sociability and social novelty, acoustic startle reflex, and texture discrimination tests were conducted on PND 62. Responses of barrel cortex neurons of male pups were evaluated using the extracellular single-unit recording technique on PND 63-65. Results showed that the performance of rats of both sexes in social interactions, texture discrimination tasks, and acoustic startle reflex significantly decreased in the VPA groups compared with the control rats (P < 0.05). In this regard, EE attenuated the altered deficit performance observed in the VPA animals compared with the VPA-EE animals (P < 0.05). The performance of females was better than males in the discrimination tasks and acoustic startle reflex. In contrast, males were better than females in the three-chamber social interaction test. Additionally, the excitatory receptive field response magnitude of the barrel cortex neurons in the VPA + EE group increased compared with the VPA group (P < 0.05). The results suggest that continuous EE can attenuate cognitive function disturbances in autistic-like rats and, at least at the behavioral level, the effects depend on sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoureh Sabzalizadeh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mahtab Mollashahi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Afarinesh
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Mafi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Sara Joushy
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Vahid Sheibani
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.,Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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4
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Chelini G, Pangrazzi L, Bozzi Y. At the Crossroad Between Resiliency and Fragility: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective on Early-Life Experiences. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:863866. [PMID: 35465609 PMCID: PMC9023311 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.863866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Postnatal development of the brain is characterized by sensitive windows during which, local circuitry are drastically reshaped by life experiences. These critical periods (CPs) occur at different time points for different brain functions, presenting redundant physiological changes in the underlying brain regions. Although circuits malleability during CPs provides a valuable window of opportunity for adaptive fine-tuning to the living environment, this aspect of neurodevelopment also represents a phase of increased vulnerability for the development of a variety of disorders. Consistently, accumulating epidemiological studies point to adverse childhood experience as a major risk factor for many medical conditions, especially stress- and anxiety-related conditions. Thanks to creative approaches to manipulate rodents’ rearing environment, neurobiologist have uncovered a pivotal interaction between CPs and early-life experiences, offering an interesting landscape to improve our understanding of brain disorders. In this short review, we discuss how early-life experience impacts cellular and molecular players involved in CPs of development, translating into long-lasting behavioral consequences in rodents. Bringing together findings from multiple laboratories, we delineate a unifying theory in which systemic factors dynamically target the maturation of brain functions based on adaptive needs, shifting the balance between resilience and vulnerability in response to the quality of the rearing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Chelini
- CIMeC-Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- *Correspondence: Gabriele Chelini,
| | - Luca Pangrazzi
- CIMeC-Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Yuri Bozzi
- CIMeC-Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) Neuroscience Institute, Pisa, Italy
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5
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Knipper M, Singer W, Schwabe K, Hagberg GE, Li Hegner Y, Rüttiger L, Braun C, Land R. Disturbed Balance of Inhibitory Signaling Links Hearing Loss and Cognition. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 15:785603. [PMID: 35069123 PMCID: PMC8770933 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.785603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal hyperexcitability in the central auditory pathway linked to reduced inhibitory activity is associated with numerous forms of hearing loss, including noise damage, age-dependent hearing loss, and deafness, as well as tinnitus or auditory processing deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In most cases, the reduced central inhibitory activity and the accompanying hyperexcitability are interpreted as an active compensatory response to the absence of synaptic activity, linked to increased central neural gain control (increased output activity relative to reduced input). We here suggest that hyperexcitability also could be related to an immaturity or impairment of tonic inhibitory strength that typically develops in an activity-dependent process in the ascending auditory pathway with auditory experience. In these cases, high-SR auditory nerve fibers, which are critical for the shortest latencies and lowest sound thresholds, may have either not matured (possibly in congenital deafness or autism) or are dysfunctional (possibly after sudden, stressful auditory trauma or age-dependent hearing loss linked with cognitive decline). Fast auditory processing deficits can occur despite maintained basal hearing. In that case, tonic inhibitory strength is reduced in ascending auditory nuclei, and fast inhibitory parvalbumin positive interneuron (PV-IN) dendrites are diminished in auditory and frontal brain regions. This leads to deficits in central neural gain control linked to hippocampal LTP/LTD deficiencies, cognitive deficits, and unbalanced extra-hypothalamic stress control. Under these conditions, a diminished inhibitory strength may weaken local neuronal coupling to homeostatic vascular responses required for the metabolic support of auditory adjustment processes. We emphasize the need to distinguish these two states of excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in hearing disorders: (i) Under conditions of preserved fast auditory processing and sustained tonic inhibitory strength, an excitatory/inhibitory imbalance following auditory deprivation can maintain precise hearing through a memory linked, transient disinhibition that leads to enhanced spiking fidelity (central neural gain⇑) (ii) Under conditions of critically diminished fast auditory processing and reduced tonic inhibitory strength, hyperexcitability can be part of an increased synchronization over a broader frequency range, linked to reduced spiking reliability (central neural gain⇓). This latter stage mutually reinforces diminished metabolic support for auditory adjustment processes, increasing the risks for canonical dementia syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Marlies Knipper,
| | - Wibke Singer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Schwabe
- Experimental Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Gisela E. Hagberg
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University Hospital Tübingen (UKT), Tübingen, Germany
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yiwen Li Hegner
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Center of Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Braun
- MEG Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Center of Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Land
- Department of Experimental Otology, Institute for Audioneurotechnology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
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6
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Lambert CT, Guillette LM. The impact of environmental and social factors on learning abilities: a meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2871-2889. [PMID: 34342125 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Since the 1950s, researchers have examined how differences in the social and asocial environment affect learning in rats, mice, and, more recently, a variety of other species. Despite this large body of research, little has been done to synthesize these findings and to examine if social and asocial environmental factors have consistent effects on cognitive abilities, and if so, what aspects of these factors have greater or lesser impact. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis examining how different external environmental features, including the social environment, impact learning (both speed of acquisition and performance). Using 531 mean-differences from 176 published articles across 27 species (with studies on rats and mice being most prominent) we conducted phylogenetically corrected mixed-effects models that reveal: (i) an average absolute effect size |d| = 0.55 and directional effect size d = 0.34; (ii) interventions manipulating the asocial environment result in larger effects than social interventions alone; and (iii) the length of the intervention is a significant predictor of effect size, with longer interventions resulting in larger effects. Additionally, much of the variation in effect size remained unexplained, possibly suggesting that species differ widely in how they are affected by environmental interventions due to varying ecological and evolutionary histories. Overall our results suggest that social and asocial environmental factors do significantly affect learning, but these effects are highly variable and perhaps not always as predicted. Most notably, the type (social or asocial) and length of interventions are important in determining the strength of the effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor T Lambert
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Lauren M Guillette
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
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Rescuing Auditory Temporal Processing with a Novel Augmented Acoustic Environment in an Animal Model of Congenital Hearing Loss. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0231-21.2021. [PMID: 34155086 PMCID: PMC8281262 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0231-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) affects thousands of infants each year and results in significant delays in speech and language development. Previous studies have shown that early exposure to a simple augmented acoustic environment (AAE) can limit the effects of progressive SNHL on hearing sensitivity. However, SNHL is also accompanied by hearing loss that is not assessed on standard audiological examinations, such as reduced temporal processing acuity. To assess whether sound therapy may improve these deficits, a mouse model of congenital SNHL was exposed to simple or temporally complex AAE. The DBA/2J mouse strain develops rapid, base to apex, progressive SNHL beginning at birth and is functionally deaf by six months of age. Hearing sensitivity and auditory brainstem function was measured using otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem response (ABR) and extracellular recording from the inferior colliculus (IC) in mice following exposure to 30 d of continuous AAE. Peripheral function and sound sensitivity in auditory midbrain neurons improved following exposure to both types of AAE. However, exposure to a novel, temporally complex AAE more strongly improved a measure of temporal processing acuity, neural gap-in-noise detection in the auditory midbrain. These experiments suggest that targeted sound therapy may be harnessed to improve hearing outcomes for children suffering from congenital SNHL.
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8
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Environmental Enrichment Sharpens Sensory Acuity by Enhancing Information Coding in Barrel Cortex and Premotor Cortex. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0309-20.2021. [PMID: 33893166 PMCID: PMC8143018 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0309-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) is beneficial to sensory functions. Thus, elucidating the neural mechanism underlying improvement of sensory stimulus discrimination is important for developing therapeutic strategies. We aim to advance the understanding of such neural mechanism. We found that tactile enrichment improved tactile stimulus feature discrimination. The neural correlate of such improvement was revealed by analyzing single-cell information coding in both the primary somatosensory cortex and the premotor cortex of awake behaving animals. Our results show that EE enhances the decision-information coding capacity of cells that are tuned to adjacent whiskers, and of premotor cortical cells.
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9
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Acoustically Enriched Environment during the Critical Period of Postnatal Development Positively Modulates Gap Detection and Frequency Discrimination Abilities in Adult Rats. Neural Plast 2021; 2021:6611922. [PMID: 33777134 PMCID: PMC7979287 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6611922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout life, sensory systems adapt to the sensory environment to provide optimal responses to relevant tasks. In the case of a developing system, sensory inputs induce changes that are permanent and detectable up to adulthood. Previously, we have shown that rearing rat pups in a complex acoustic environment (spectrally and temporally modulated sound) from postnatal day 14 (P14) to P28 permanently improves the response characteristics of neurons in the inferior colliculus and auditory cortex, influencing tonotopical arrangement, response thresholds and strength, and frequency selectivity, along with stochasticity and the reproducibility of neuronal spiking patterns. In this study, we used a set of behavioral tests based on a recording of the acoustic startle response (ASR) and its prepulse inhibition (PPI), with the aim to extend the evidence of the persistent beneficial effects of the developmental acoustical enrichment. The enriched animals were generally not more sensitive to startling sounds, and also, their PPI of ASR, induced by noise or pure tone pulses, was comparable to the controls. They did, however, exhibit a more pronounced PPI when the prepulse stimulus was represented either by a change in the frequency of a background tone or by a silent gap in background noise. The differences in the PPI of ASR between the enriched and control animals were significant at lower (55 dB SPL), but not at higher (65-75 dB SPL), intensities of background sound. Thus, rearing pups in the acoustically enriched environment led to an improvement of the frequency resolution and gap detection ability under more difficult testing conditions, i.e., with a worsened stimulus clarity. We confirmed, using behavioral tests, that an acoustically enriched environment during the critical period of development influences the frequency and temporal processing in the auditory system, and these changes persist until adulthood.
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Svobodová Burianová J, Syka J. Postnatal exposure to an acoustically enriched environment alters the morphology of neurons in the adult rat auditory system. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1979-1995. [PMID: 32588120 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02104-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The structure of neurons in the central auditory system is vulnerable to various kinds of acoustic exposures during the critical postnatal developmental period. Here we explored long-term effects of exposure to an acoustically enriched environment (AEE) during the third and fourth weeks of the postnatal period in rat pups. AEE consisted of a spectrally and temporally modulated sound of moderate intensity, reinforced by a behavioral paradigm. At the age of 3-6 months, a Golgi-Cox staining was used to evaluate the morphology of neurons in the inferior colliculus (IC), the medial geniculate body (MGB), and the auditory cortex (AC). Compared to controls, rats exposed to AEE showed an increased mean dendritic length and volume and the soma surface in the external cortex and the central nucleus of the IC. The spine density increased in both the ventral and dorsal divisions of the MGB. In the AC, the total length and volume of the basal dendritic segments of pyramidal neurons and the number and density of spines on these dendrites increased significantly. No differences were found on apical dendrites. We also found an elevated number of spines and spine density in non-pyramidal neurons. These results show that exposure to AEE during the critical developmental period can induce permanent changes in the structure of neurons in the central auditory system. These changes represent morphological correlates of the functional plasticity, such as an improvement in frequency tuning and synchronization with temporal parameters of acoustical stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Svobodová Burianová
- Department of Auditory Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Josef Syka
- Department of Auditory Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
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11
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Rojas-Líbano D, Parada FJ. Body-World Coupling, Sensorimotor Mechanisms, and the Ontogeny of Social Cognition. Front Psychol 2020; 10:3005. [PMID: 31993013 PMCID: PMC6971058 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Rojas-Líbano
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Social, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco J Parada
- Laboratorio de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Social, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
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12
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Yu YT, Huang WC, Hsieh WS, Chang JH, Lin CH, Hsieh S, Lu L, Yao NJ, Fan PC, Lee CL, Tu YK, Jeng SF. Family-Centered Care Enhanced Neonatal Neurophysiological Function in Preterm Infants: Randomized Controlled Trial. Phys Ther 2019; 99:1690-1702. [PMID: 31504897 DOI: 10.1093/ptj/pzz120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Family-centered intervention for preterm infants has shown short- to medium-term developmental benefits; however, the neurological effects of intervention have rarely been explored. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of a family-centered intervention program (FCIP) on neurophysiological functions in preterm infants with very low birth weight (VLBW; birth weight of < 1500 g) in Taiwan, to compare the effect of the FCIP with that of a usual-care program (UCP), and to explore the FCIP-induced changes in neurobehavioral and neurophysiological functions. DESIGN This was a multicenter, single-blind randomized controlled trial. SETTING The study took place in 3 medical centers in northern and southern Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS Two hundred fifty-one preterm infants with VLBW were included. INTERVENTION The FCIP group received a family-centered intervention and the UCP group received standard care during hospitalization. MEASUREMENTS Infants were assessed in terms of neurobehavioral performance using the Neonatal Neurobehavioral Examination-Chinese version, and their neurophysiological function was assessed using electroencephalography/event-related potentials during sleep and during an auditory oddball task during the neonatal period. RESULTS The FCIP promoted more mature neurophysiological function than the UCP, including greater negative mean amplitudes of mismatch negativities in the left frontal region in the oddball task in all infants, lower intrahemispheric prefrontal-central coherence during sleep in infants who were small for gestational age, and higher interhemispheric frontal coherence during sleep in those who were appropriate for gestational age. Furthermore, interhemispheric coherence was positively associated with the total neurobehavioral score in preterm infants who were appropriate for gestational age (r = 0.20). LIMITATIONS The fact that more parental adherence strategies were used in the FCIP group than in the UCP group might have favored the intervention effect in this study. CONCLUSIONS Family-centered intervention facilitates short-term neurophysiological maturation in preterm infants with VLBW in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Ting Yu
- Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; and Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Chi Huang
- Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University; and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taoyuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Wu-Shiun Hsieh
- Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Hsing Chang
- Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chyi-Her Lin
- Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University
| | - Shulan Hsieh
- Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University; Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University; and Department and Institute of Public Health, National Cheng Kung University
| | - Lu Lu
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital
| | - Nai-Jia Yao
- Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University
| | - Pi-Chuan Fan
- Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital
| | - Chia-Lin Lee
- Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University
| | - Yu-Kang Tu
- Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University
| | - Suh-Fang Jeng
- Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Floor 3, No 17, Xu-Zhou Road, 100 Taipei, Taiwan; and Physical Therapy Center, National Taiwan University Hospital
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13
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LeMessurier AM, Laboy-Juárez KJ, McClain K, Chen S, Nguyen T, Feldman DE. Enrichment drives emergence of functional columns and improves sensory coding in the whisker map in L2/3 of mouse S1. eLife 2019; 8:46321. [PMID: 31418693 PMCID: PMC6697414 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory maps in layer (L) 2/3 of rodent cortex lack precise functional column boundaries, and instead exhibit locally heterogeneous (salt-and-pepper) tuning superimposed on smooth global topography. Could this organization be a byproduct of impoverished experience in laboratory housing? We compared whisker map somatotopy in L2/3 and L4 excitatory cells of somatosensory (S1) cortex in normally housed vs. tactile-enriched mice, using GCaMP6s imaging. Normally housed mice had a dispersed, salt-and-pepper whisker map in L2/3, but L4 was more topographically precise. Enrichment (P21 to P46-71) sharpened whisker tuning and decreased, but did not abolish, local tuning heterogeneity. In L2/3, enrichment strengthened and sharpened whisker point representations, and created functional boundaries of tuning similarity and noise correlations at column edges. Thus, enrichment drives emergence of functional columnar topography in S1, and reduces local tuning heterogeneity. These changes predict better touch detection by neural populations within each column.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M LeMessurier
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Keven J Laboy-Juárez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Kathryn McClain
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Shilin Chen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Theresa Nguyen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Daniel E Feldman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
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14
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Nip E, Adcock A, Nazal B, MacLellan A, Niel L, Choleris E, Levison L, Mason G. Why are enriched mice nice? Investigating how environmental enrichment reduces agonism in female C57BL/6, DBA/2, and BALB/c mice. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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15
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Liu X, Wei F, Cheng Y, Zhang Y, Jia G, Zhou J, Zhu M, Shan Y, Sun X, Yu L, Merzenich MM, Lurie DI, Zheng Q, Zhou X. Auditory Training Reverses Lead (Pb)-Toxicity-Induced Changes in Sound-Azimuth Selectivity of Cortical Neurons. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:3294-3304. [PMID: 30137254 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Lead (Pb) causes significant adverse effects on the developing brain, resulting in cognitive and learning disabilities in children. The process by which lead produces these negative changes is largely unknown. The fact that children with these syndromes also show deficits in central auditory processing, however, indicates a speculative but disturbing relationship between lead-exposure, impaired auditory processing, and behavioral dysfunction. Here we studied in rats the changes in cortical spatial tuning impacted by early lead-exposure and their potential restoration to normal by auditory training. We found animals that were exposed to lead early in life displayed significant behavioral impairments compared with naïve controls while conducting the sound-azimuth discrimination task. Lead-exposure also degraded the sound-azimuth selectivity of neurons in the primary auditory cortex. Subsequent sound-azimuth discrimination training, however, restored to nearly normal the lead-degraded cortical azimuth selectivity. This reversal of cortical spatial fidelity was paralleled by changes in cortical expression of certain excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor subunits. These results in a rodent model demonstrate the persisting neurotoxic effects of early lead-exposure on behavioral and cortical neuronal processing of spatial information of sound. They also indicate that attention-demanding auditory training may remediate lead-induced cortical neurological deficits even after these deficits have occurred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Liu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fanfan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoqiang Jia
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Ye Shan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinde Sun
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liping Yu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Diana I Lurie
- Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Qingyin Zheng
- Transformative Otology and Neuroscience Center, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Xiaoming Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,New York University-East China Normal University Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China
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16
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Kathpalia P, Nag TC, Chattopadhyay P, Sharma A, Bhat MA, Roy TS, Wadhwa S. In ovo Sound Stimulation Mediated Regulation of BDNF in the Auditory Cortex and Hippocampus of Neonatal Chicks. Neuroscience 2019; 408:293-307. [PMID: 31026564 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to mediate activity-dependent changes in the developing auditory system. Its expression in the brainstem auditory nuclei, auditory cortex and hippocampus of neonatal chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) in response to in ovo high intensity sound exposure at 110 dB (arrhythmic sound: recorded traffic noise, 30-3000 Hz with peak at 2700 Hz, rhythmic sound: sitar music, 100-4000 Hz) was examined to understand the previously reported altered volume and neuronal number in these regions. In the brainstem auditory nuclei, no mature BDNF, but proBDNF at the protein level was detected, and no change in its levels was observed after in ovo sound stimulation (music and noise). Increased ProBDNF protein levels were found in the auditory cortex in response to arrhythmic sound, along with decreased levels of one of the BDNF mRNA transcripts, in response to both rhythmic and arrhythmic sound stimulation. In the hippocampus, increased levels of mature BDNF were found in response to music. Expression microarray analysis was performed to understand changes in gene expression in the hippocampus in response to music and noise, followed by gene ontology analysis showing enrichment of probable signaling pathways. Differentially expressed genes like CAMK1 and STAT1 were found to be involved in downstream signaling on comparing music versus noise-exposed chicks. In conclusion, we report that BDNF is differentially regulated in the auditory cortex at the transcriptional and post-translational level, and in the hippocampus at the post-translational level in response to in ovo sound stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poorti Kathpalia
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Tapas Chandra Nag
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
| | | | - Arundhati Sharma
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Muzaffer Ahmed Bhat
- Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Tara Sankar Roy
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Shashi Wadhwa
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India; Department of Anatomy, North Delhi Municipal Medical College, New Delhi, India
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17
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Matt L, Eckert P, Panford-Walsh R, Geisler HS, Bausch AE, Manthey M, Müller NIC, Harasztosi C, Rohbock K, Ruth P, Friauf E, Ott T, Zimmermann U, Rüttiger L, Schimmang T, Knipper M, Singer W. Visualizing BDNF Transcript Usage During Sound-Induced Memory Linked Plasticity. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:260. [PMID: 30127717 PMCID: PMC6089339 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Activity-dependent BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) expression is hypothesized to be a cue for the context-specificity of memory formation. So far, activity-dependent BDNF cannot be explicitly monitored independently of basal BDNF levels. We used the BLEV (BDNF-live-exon-visualization) reporter mouse to specifically detect activity-dependent usage of Bdnf exon-IV and -VI promoters through bi-cistronic co-expression of CFP and YFP, respectively. Enriching acoustic stimuli led to improved peripheral and central auditory brainstem responses, increased Schaffer collateral LTP, and enhanced performance in the Morris water maze. Within the brainstem, neuronal activity was increased and accompanied by a trend for higher expression levels of Bdnf exon-IV-CFP and exon-VI-YFP transcripts. In the hippocampus BDNF transcripts were clearly increased parallel to changes in parvalbumin expression and were localized to specific neurons and capillaries. Severe acoustic trauma, in contrast, elevated neither Bdnf transcript levels, nor auditory responses, parvalbumin or LTP. Together, this suggests that critical sensory input is essential for recruitment of activity-dependent auditory-specific BDNF expression that may shape network adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Matt
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacy, Toxicology, and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Eckert
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rama Panford-Walsh
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hyun-Soon Geisler
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anne E Bausch
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacy, Toxicology, and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marie Manthey
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nicolas I C Müller
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Csaba Harasztosi
- Section of Physiological Acoustics and Communication, Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karin Rohbock
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter Ruth
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacy, Toxicology, and Clinical Pharmacy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Eckhard Friauf
- Animal Physiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Thomas Ott
- Transgenic Facility Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Zimmermann
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Schimmang
- Instituto de Biologíay Genética Molecular, Universidad de Valladolid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Valladolid, Spain
| | - Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Wibke Singer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Tübingen Hearing Research Centre, Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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18
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Induction of prolonged natural lifespans in mice exposed to acoustic environmental enrichment. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7909. [PMID: 29786063 PMCID: PMC5962611 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26302-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effect of acoustic environmental enrichment (EE) on the lifespans and behaviours of mice to the end of their natural lifespan in different acoustic environments. Acoustic EE induced a significantly prolonged natural lifespan (nearly 17% longer) and was associated with increased voluntary movements. However, no correlation between lifespan and voluntary movements was detected, suggesting that increased voluntary movements are not a primary cause of lifespan prolongation. Analyses of individual differences in lifespan demonstrated that lifespan extension induced by acoustic EE could be related to changes in social relationships (e.g., reduction of social conflict) among individuals kept within a cage. Therefore, an acoustic component may be an important factor inducing the positive effects of EE.
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19
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Narducci R, Baroncelli L, Sansevero G, Begenisic T, Prontera C, Sale A, Cenni MC, Berardi N, Maffei L. Early impoverished environment delays the maturation of cerebral cortex. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1187. [PMID: 29352131 PMCID: PMC5775315 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19459-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The influence of exposure to impoverished environments on brain development is unexplored since most studies investigated how environmental impoverishment affects adult brain. To shed light on the impact of early impoverishment on developmental trajectories of the nervous system, we developed a protocol of environmental impoverishment in which dams and pups lived from birth in a condition of reduced sensory-motor stimulation. Focusing on visual system, we measured two indexes of functional development, that is visual acuity, assessed by using Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs), and VEP latency. In addition, we assessed in the visual cortex levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) and myelin maturation, together with the expression of the GABA biosynthetic enzyme GAD67. We found that early impoverishment strongly delays visual acuity and VEP latency development. These functional changes were accompanied by a significant reduction of IGF-1 protein and GAD67 expression, as well as by delayed myelination of nerve fibers, in the visual cortex of impoverished pups. Thus, exposure to impoverished living conditions causes a significant alteration of developmental trajectories leading to a prominent delay of brain maturation. These results underscore the significance of adequate levels of environmental stimulation for the maturation of central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Narducci
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health NEUROFARBA, University of Florence, Area San Salvi - Pad. 26, I-50135, Florence, Italy
| | - Laura Baroncelli
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Sansevero
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health NEUROFARBA, University of Florence, Area San Salvi - Pad. 26, I-50135, Florence, Italy
| | - Tatjana Begenisic
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Concetta Prontera
- Fondazione G. Monasterio CNR-Regione Toscana, via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Sale
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Cenni
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Berardi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health NEUROFARBA, University of Florence, Area San Salvi - Pad. 26, I-50135, Florence, Italy
| | - Lamberto Maffei
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124, Pisa, Italy
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20
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A Systematic Look at Environmental Modulation and Its Impact in Brain Development. Trends Neurosci 2018; 41:4-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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21
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Modulation of azimuth tuning plasticity in rat primary auditory cortex by medial prefrontal cortex. Neuroscience 2017; 347:36-47. [PMID: 28188851 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.01.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of adult animals exhibit short-term plasticity of frequency selectivity and tonotopic organization in behavioral contexts ranging from classical conditioning to attention tasks. However, it is still largely unknown whether short-term plasticity of spatial tuning takes place in A1 of adult animals and whether this spatial turning plasticity in A1 of adults is mediated by medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as there are reciprocal connection between mPFC and auditory cortex (AC). In the present study, we used extracellular recordings to test whether azimuth tuning in A1 of anesthetized rats can be reshaped by repeated sound stimuli at neurons' non-preferred azimuth. We also identified whether and how such A1 azimuth tuning plasticity was modulated by the neural activities of mPFC. Our results showed that A1 neurons in adult rats have azimuth tuning plasticity when repeated acoustic stimuli were delivered at the azimuth with a deviation by less than 15° from the best azimuth (BA). The BA shifted toward the exposure azimuth when repeated acoustic stimuli were played for 20-60min and plasticity decayed within one hour. The less the angle deviated from the BA, the shorter exposure time and longer decay time were required to induce azimuth tuning plasticity. Neural activity in mPFC modulated azimuth tuning plasticity of A1 neurons as reflected by the shorter induction time when mPFC was activated by focal electrical stimulation and the longer induction time when mPFC was inactivated by drug application. Our results suggest that spatial location selectivity in A1 neurons remains plastic in mature animals and that short-term plasticity of spatial tuning can be modulated by the neural activities of mPFC.
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22
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Jiang C, Xu X, Yu L, Xu J, Zhang J. Environmental enrichment rescues the degraded auditory temporal resolution of cortical neurons induced by early noise exposure. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 42:2144-54. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cuiping Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; Ministry of Education; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai; School of Life Sciences; East China Normal University; Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Xiaoxiao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; Ministry of Education; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai; School of Life Sciences; East China Normal University; Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Liping Yu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; Ministry of Education; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai; School of Life Sciences; East China Normal University; Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Jinghong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; Ministry of Education; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai; School of Life Sciences; East China Normal University; Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Jiping Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; Ministry of Education; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai; School of Life Sciences; East China Normal University; Shanghai 200062 China
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23
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Knipper M, Panford-Walsh R, Singer W, Rüttiger L, Zimmermann U. Specific synaptopathies diversify brain responses and hearing disorders: you lose the gain from early life. Cell Tissue Res 2015; 361:77-93. [PMID: 25843689 PMCID: PMC4487345 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-015-2168-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Before hearing onset, inner hair cell (IHC) maturation proceeds under the influence of spontaneous Ca(2+) action potentials (APs). The temporal signature of the IHC Ca(2+) AP is modified through an efferent cholinergic feedback from the medial olivocochlear bundle (MOC) and drives the IHC pre- and post-synapse phenotype towards low spontaneous (spike) rate (SR), high-threshold characteristics. With sensory experience, the IHC pre- and post-synapse phenotype matures towards the instruction of low-SR, high-threshold and of high-SR, low-threshold auditory fiber characteristics. Corticosteroid feedback together with local brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF) and catecholaminergic neurotransmitters (dopamine) might be essential for this developmental step. In this review, we address the question of whether the control of low-SR and high-SR fiber characteristics is linked to various degrees of vulnerability of auditory fibers in the mature system. In particular, we examine several IHC synaptopathies in the context of various hearing disorders and exemplified shortfalls before and after hearing onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlies Knipper
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Wibke Singer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Rüttiger
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Zimmermann
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Tübingen Hearing Research Center (THRC), Molecular Physiology of Hearing, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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24
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Mother's voice and heartbeat sounds elicit auditory plasticity in the human brain before full gestation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:3152-7. [PMID: 25713382 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1414924112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain development is largely shaped by early sensory experience. However, it is currently unknown whether, how early, and to what extent the newborn's brain is shaped by exposure to maternal sounds when the brain is most sensitive to early life programming. The present study examined this question in 40 infants born extremely prematurely (between 25- and 32-wk gestation) in the first month of life. Newborns were randomized to receive auditory enrichment in the form of audio recordings of maternal sounds (including their mother's voice and heartbeat) or routine exposure to hospital environmental noise. The groups were otherwise medically and demographically comparable. Cranial ultrasonography measurements were obtained at 30 ± 3 d of life. Results show that newborns exposed to maternal sounds had a significantly larger auditory cortex (AC) bilaterally compared with control newborns receiving standard care. The magnitude of the right and left AC thickness was significantly correlated with gestational age but not with the duration of sound exposure. Measurements of head circumference and the widths of the frontal horn (FH) and the corpus callosum (CC) were not significantly different between the two groups. This study provides evidence for experience-dependent plasticity in the primary AC before the brain has reached full-term maturation. Our results demonstrate that despite the immaturity of the auditory pathways, the AC is more adaptive to maternal sounds than environmental noise. Further studies are needed to better understand the neural processes underlying this early brain plasticity and its functional implications for future hearing and language development.
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25
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Alwis DS, Rajan R. Environmental enrichment and the sensory brain: the role of enrichment in remediating brain injury. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:156. [PMID: 25228861 PMCID: PMC4151031 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain's life-long capacity for experience-dependent plasticity allows adaptation to new environments or to changes in the environment, and to changes in internal brain states such as occurs in brain damage. Since the initial discovery by Hebb (1947) that environmental enrichment (EE) was able to confer improvements in cognitive behavior, EE has been investigated as a powerful form of experience-dependent plasticity. Animal studies have shown that exposure to EE results in a number of molecular and morphological alterations, which are thought to underpin changes in neuronal function and ultimately, behavior. These consequences of EE make it ideally suited for investigation into its use as a potential therapy after neurological disorders, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this review, we aim to first briefly discuss the effects of EE on behavior and neuronal function, followed by a review of the underlying molecular and structural changes that account for EE-dependent plasticity in the normal (uninjured) adult brain. We then extend this review to specifically address the role of EE in the treatment of experimental TBI, where we will discuss the demonstrated sensorimotor and cognitive benefits associated with exposure to EE, and their possible mechanisms. Finally, we will explore the use of EE-based rehabilitation in the treatment of human TBI patients, highlighting the remaining questions regarding the effects of EE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dasuni S Alwis
- Department of Physiology, Monash University Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Ramesh Rajan
- Department of Physiology, Monash University Clayton, VIC, Australia
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26
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Environmental acoustic enrichment promotes recovery from developmentally degraded auditory cortical processing. J Neurosci 2014; 34:5406-15. [PMID: 24741032 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5310-13.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
It has previously been shown that environmental enrichment can enhance structural plasticity in the brain and thereby improve cognitive and behavioral function. In this study, we reared developmentally noise-exposed rats in an acoustic-enriched environment for ∼4 weeks to investigate whether or not enrichment could restore developmentally degraded behavioral and neuronal processing of sound frequency. We found that noise-exposed rats had significantly elevated sound frequency discrimination thresholds compared with age-matched naive rats. Environmental acoustic enrichment nearly restored to normal the behavioral deficit resulting from early disrupted acoustic inputs. Signs of both degraded frequency selectivity of neurons as measured by the bandwidth of frequency tuning curves and decreased long-term potentiation of field potentials recorded in the primary auditory cortex of these noise-exposed rats also were reversed partially. The observed behavioral and physiological effects induced by enrichment were accompanied by recovery of cortical expressions of certain NMDA and GABAA receptor subunits and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. These studies in a rodent model show that environmental acoustic enrichment promotes recovery from early noise-induced auditory cortical dysfunction and indicate a therapeutic potential of this noninvasive approach for normalizing neurological function from pathologies that cause hearing and associated language impairments in older children and adults.
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27
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Singhal G, Jaehne EJ, Corrigan F, Baune BT. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of immunomodulation in the brain through environmental enrichment. Front Cell Neurosci 2014; 8:97. [PMID: 24772064 PMCID: PMC3982075 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 03/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies on environmental enrichment (EE) have shown cytokines, cellular immune components [e.g., T lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells], and glial cells in causal relationship to EE in bringing out changes to neurobiology and behavior. The purpose of this review is to evaluate these neuroimmune mechanisms associated with neurobiological and behavioral changes in response to different EE methods. We systematically reviewed common research databases. After applying all inclusion and exclusion criteria, 328 articles remained for this review. Physical exercise (PE), a form of EE, elicits anti-inflammatory and neuromodulatory effects through interaction with several immune pathways including interleukin (IL)-6 secretion from muscle fibers, reduced expression of Toll-like receptors on monocytes and macrophages, reduced secretion of adipokines, modulation of hippocampal T cells, priming of microglia, and upregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 in central nervous system. In contrast, immunomodulatory roles of other enrichment methods are not studied extensively. Nonetheless, studies showing reduction in the expression of IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in response to enrichment with novel objects and accessories suggest anti-inflammatory effects of novel environment. Likewise, social enrichment, though considered a necessity for healthy behavior, results in immunosuppression in socially defeated animals. This has been attributed to reduction in T lymphocytes, NK cells and IL-10 in subordinate animals. EE through sensory stimuli has been investigated to a lesser extent and the effect on immune factors has not been evaluated yet. Discovery of this multidimensional relationship between immune system, brain functioning, and EE has paved a way toward formulating environ-immuno therapies for treating psychiatric illnesses with minimal use of pharmacotherapy. While the immunomodulatory role of PE has been evaluated extensively, more research is required to investigate neuroimmune changes associated with other enrichment methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Singhal
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Lab, Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of AdelaideAdelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Emily J. Jaehne
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Lab, Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of AdelaideAdelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Frances Corrigan
- Discipline of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of AdelaideAdelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Bernhard T. Baune
- Psychiatric Neuroscience Lab, Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of AdelaideAdelaide, SA, Australia
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Rand K, Lahav A. Impact of the NICU environment on language deprivation in preterm infants. Acta Paediatr 2014; 103:243-8. [PMID: 24164604 DOI: 10.1111/apa.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Revised: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 10/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED It is unclear whether the atypical language development commonly seen in preterm infants is a consequence of language deficiency experienced during their prolonged NICU stay. This review provides a novel viewpoint, which highlights the potential impact of the NICU design on the developmental origin of language disabilities in preterm infants. CONCLUSION Further research is needed to identify evidence-based design solutions for providing preterm infants with a healthier linguistic hospital environment that aids growth and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Rand
- Department of Newborn Medicine; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA USA
| | - Amir Lahav
- Department of Newborn Medicine; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; Boston MA USA
- Department of Pediatrics; MassGeneral Hospital for Children; Boston MA USA
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29
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Sale A, Berardi N, Maffei L. Environment and Brain Plasticity: Towards an Endogenous Pharmacotherapy. Physiol Rev 2014; 94:189-234. [DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00036.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 265] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain plasticity refers to the remarkable property of cerebral neurons to change their structure and function in response to experience, a fundamental theoretical theme in the field of basic research and a major focus for neural rehabilitation following brain disease. While much of the early work on this topic was based on deprivation approaches relying on sensory experience reduction procedures, major advances have been recently obtained using the conceptually opposite paradigm of environmental enrichment, whereby an enhanced stimulation is provided at multiple cognitive, sensory, social, and motor levels. In this survey, we aim to review past and recent work concerning the influence exerted by the environment on brain plasticity processes, with special emphasis on the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms and starting from experimental work on animal models to move to highly relevant work performed in humans. We will initiate introducing the concept of brain plasticity and describing classic paradigmatic examples to illustrate how changes at the level of neuronal properties can ultimately affect and direct key perceptual and behavioral outputs. Then, we describe the remarkable effects elicited by early stressful conditions, maternal care, and preweaning enrichment on central nervous system development, with a separate section focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders. A specific section is dedicated to the striking ability of environmental enrichment and physical exercise to empower adult brain plasticity. Finally, we analyze in the last section the ever-increasing available knowledge on the effects elicited by enriched living conditions on physiological and pathological aging brain processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Sale
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy; Department of Psychology, Florence University, Florence, Italy; and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Berardi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy; Department of Psychology, Florence University, Florence, Italy; and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lamberto Maffei
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy; Department of Psychology, Florence University, Florence, Italy; and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
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30
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Abstract
The developing normal brain shows a remarkable capacity for plastic change in response to a wide range of experiences including sensory and motor experience, psychoactive drugs, parent-child relationships, peer relationships, stress, gonadal hormones, intestinal flora, diet, and injury. The effects of injury vary with the precise age-at-injury, with the general result being that injury during cell migration and neuronal maturation has a poor functional outcome, whereas similar injury during synaptogenesis has a far better outcome. A variety of factors influence functional outcome including the nature of the behavior in question and the age at behavioral assessment as well as pre- and postinjury experiences. Here, we review the phases of brain development, how factors influence brain, and behavioral development in both the normal and perturbed brain, and propose mechanisms that may underlie these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Kolb
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
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31
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The effects of isolated and enriched housing conditions on baseline and drug-induced behavioural responses in the male rat. Behav Brain Res 2012; 234:175-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2012] [Revised: 06/10/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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32
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McMahon E, Wintermark P, Lahav A. Auditory brain development in premature infants: the importance of early experience. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2012; 1252:17-24. [PMID: 22524335 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06445.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) often close their eyes in response to bright lights, but they cannot close their ears in response to loud sounds. The sudden transition from the womb to the overly noisy world of the NICU increases the vulnerability of these high-risk newborns. There is a growing concern that the excess noise typically experienced by NICU infants disrupts their growth and development, putting them at risk for hearing, language, and cognitive disabilities. Preterm neonates are especially sensitive to noise because their auditory system is at a critical period of neurodevelopment, and they are no longer shielded by maternal tissue. This paper discusses the developmental milestones of the auditory system and suggests ways to enhance the quality control and type of sounds delivered to NICU infants. We argue that positive auditory experience is essential for early brain maturation and may be a contributing factor for healthy neurodevelopment. Further research is needed to optimize the hospital environment for preterm newborns and to increase their potential to develop into healthy children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin McMahon
- Department of Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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33
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Guo F, Zhang J, Zhu X, Cai R, Zhou X, Sun X. Auditory discrimination training rescues developmentally degraded directional selectivity and restores mature expression of GABA(A) and AMPA receptor subunits in rat auditory cortex. Behav Brain Res 2012; 229:301-7. [PMID: 22306199 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.12.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2011] [Revised: 12/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Auditory frequency discrimination training can remediate deteriorated frequency representations and temporal information processing in the adult primary auditory cortex induced by early post-natal pulsed noise exposure. In this study, we investigated the neural mechanisms underlying the restoration of directional selectivity by auditory spatial discrimination training. Rats exposed to pulsed noise during a post-natal critical period demonstrated reduced auditory directional selectivity but could be successfully trained to identify a target sound stimulus at a specific azimuth angle using a reward-contingent auditory discrimination task (EXP rats). In contrast, rats passively exposed to the training procedure but no reward for correct identification of the azimuth angle (PNR rats) showed no improvement and behavioral performance remained significantly below EXP rats and control (CON) rats reared under a normal sonic environment. The expression levels of GABA(A) receptor subunits α1, α3, β2, and β3, and the AMPA GluR2 subunit were significantly altered in the auditory cortex of untrained noise-raised (NR and PNR) rats compared to age-matched CON rats, while trained noise-raised (EXP) rats exhibited levels of expression not significantly different from CON rats. Thus, reward-contingent sound-azimuth discrimination training may remediate directional selectivity by restoring the proper expression profile of neurotransmitter receptor subunits in the auditory cortex, allowing for normal spatial selectivity by cortical neurons. The development of auditory directional selectivity depends on the regulated expression of these excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor subunits; early pulsed noise may disrupt the normal development of directional selectivity by interfering with receptor expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Guo
- School of Life Science, Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
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Jakkamsetti V, Chang KQ, Kilgard MP. Reorganization in processing of spectral and temporal input in the rat posterior auditory field induced by environmental enrichment. J Neurophysiol 2011; 107:1457-75. [PMID: 22131375 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01057.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental enrichment induces powerful changes in the adult cerebral cortex. Studies in primary sensory cortex have observed that environmental enrichment modulates neuronal response strength, selectivity, speed of response, and synchronization to rapid sensory input. Other reports suggest that nonprimary sensory fields are more plastic than primary sensory cortex. The consequences of environmental enrichment on information processing in nonprimary sensory cortex have yet to be studied. Here we examine physiological effects of enrichment in the posterior auditory field (PAF), a field distinguished from primary auditory cortex (A1) by wider receptive fields, slower response times, and a greater preference for slowly modulated sounds. Environmental enrichment induced a significant increase in spectral and temporal selectivity in PAF. PAF neurons exhibited narrower receptive fields and responded significantly faster and for a briefer period to sounds after enrichment. Enrichment increased time-locking to rapidly successive sensory input in PAF neurons. Compared with previous enrichment studies in A1, we observe a greater magnitude of reorganization in PAF after environmental enrichment. Along with other reports observing greater reorganization in nonprimary sensory cortex, our results in PAF suggest that nonprimary fields might have a greater capacity for reorganization compared with primary fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Jakkamsetti
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75083, USA
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35
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36
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Cai R, Zhou X, Guo F, Xu J, Zhang J, Sun X. Maintenance of enriched environment-induced changes of auditory spatial sensitivity and expression of GABAA, NMDA, and AMPA receptor subunits in rat auditory cortex. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2010; 94:452-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2010.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2010] [Revised: 08/19/2010] [Accepted: 08/19/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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37
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Early APV chronic blocked alters experience-dependent plasticity of auditory spatial representation in rat auditory cortical neurons. Neurosci Lett 2010; 478:119-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2010.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2009] [Revised: 04/15/2010] [Accepted: 05/01/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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38
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Baroncelli L, Braschi C, Spolidoro M, Begenisic T, Sale A, Maffei L. Nurturing brain plasticity: impact of environmental enrichment. Cell Death Differ 2009; 17:1092-103. [PMID: 20019745 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2009.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) is known to profoundly affect the central nervous system (CNS) at the functional, anatomical and molecular level, both during the critical period and during adulthood. Recent studies focusing on the visual system have shown that these effects are associated with the recruitment of previously unsuspected neural plasticity processes. At early stages of brain development, EE triggers a marked acceleration in the maturation of the visual system, with maternal behaviour acting as a fundamental mediator of the enriched experience in both the foetus and the newborn. In adult brain, EE enhances plasticity in the cerebral cortex, allowing the recovery of visual functions in amblyopic animals. The molecular substrate of the effects of EE on brain plasticity is multi-factorial, with reduced intracerebral inhibition, enhanced neurotrophin expression and epigenetic changes at the level of chromatin structure. These findings shed new light on the potential of EE as a non-invasive strategy to ameliorate deficits in the development of the CNS and to treat neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Baroncelli
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa I-56100, Italy.
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39
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Nithianantharajah J, Hannan AJ. The neurobiology of brain and cognitive reserve: mental and physical activity as modulators of brain disorders. Prog Neurobiol 2009; 89:369-82. [PMID: 19819293 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2009.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2009] [Revised: 09/16/2009] [Accepted: 10/01/2009] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The concept of 'cognitive reserve', and a broader theory of 'brain reserve', were originally proposed to help explain epidemiological data indicating that individuals who engaged in higher levels of mental and physical activity via education, occupation and recreation, were at lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Subsequently, behavioral, cellular and molecular studies in animals (predominantly mice and rats) have revealed dramatic effects of environmental enrichment, which involves enhanced levels of sensory, cognitive and motor stimulation via housing in novel, complex environments. Furthermore, increasing levels of voluntary physical exercise, via ad libitum access to running wheels, can have significant effects on brain and behavior, thus informing the relative effects of mental and physical activity. More recently, animal models of brain disorders have been compared under environmentally stimulating and standard housing conditions, and this has provided new insights into environmental modulators and gene-environment interactions involved in pathogenesis. Here, we review animal studies that have investigated the effects of modifying mental and physical activity via experimental manipulations, and discuss their relevance to brain and cognitive reserve (BCR). Recent evidence suggests that the concept of BCR is not only relevant to brain aging, neurodegenerative diseases and dementia, but also to other neurological and psychiatric disorders. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating BCR may not only facilitate future strategies aimed at optimising healthy brain aging, but could also identify molecular targets for novel pharmacological approaches aimed at boosting BCR in 'at risk' and symptomatic individuals with various brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jess Nithianantharajah
- Howard Florey Institute, Florey Neuroscience Institutes, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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40
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Zhang H, Cai R, Zhang J, Pan Y, Sun X. Environmental enrichment enhances directional selectivity of primary auditory cortical neurons in rats. Neurosci Lett 2009; 463:162-5. [PMID: 19631723 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2009.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2009] [Revised: 04/14/2009] [Accepted: 07/17/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Environment enrichment (EE) has an important role in brain plasticity. Previous research has shown that EE increases the response strength of auditory cortical neurons, but it remains unknown whether EE can affect the directional selectivity of auditory neurons. In this study, rats were exposed to EE conditions during the developmental critical period (EE1) or after the critical period (EE2). By in vivo extracellular recording, we found that EE enhanced the directional selectivity of primary auditory cortical neurons in EE1 rats, which showed a sharper azimuth selectivity curve of auditory cortical neurons compared with normal rats. However, there was no significant difference in directional selectivity between the EE2 rats and age-matched control rats. Our findings indicate that early exposure to EE enhances the directional sensitivity of primary auditory cortical neurons. These results provide an insight into developmental plasticity in the auditory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhang
- School of Life Science, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
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