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Watson MR, Traczewski N, Dunghana S, Boroujeni KB, Neumann A, Wen X, Womelsdorf T. A Multi-task Platform for Profiling Cognitive and Motivational Constructs in Humans and Nonhuman Primates. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.09.566422. [PMID: 38014107 PMCID: PMC10680597 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.09.566422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Background Understanding the neurobiological substrates of psychiatric disorders requires comprehensive evaluations of cognitive and motivational functions in preclinical research settings. The translational validity of such evaluations will be supported by (1) tasks with high construct validity that are engaging and easy to teach to human and nonhuman participants, (2) software that enables efficient switching between multiple tasks in single sessions, (3) software that supports tasks across a broad range of physical experimental setups, and (4) by platform architectures that are easily extendable and customizable to encourage future optimization and development. New Method We describe the Multi-task Universal Suite for Experiments ( M-USE ), a software platform designed to meet these requirements. It leverages the Unity video game engine and C# programming language to (1) support immersive and engaging tasks for humans and nonhuman primates, (2) allow experimenters or participants to switch between multiple tasks within-session, (3) generate builds that function across computers, tablets, and websites, and (4) is freely available online with documentation and tutorials for users and developers. M-USE includes a task library with seven pre-existing tasks assessing cognitive and motivational constructs of perception, attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, motivational and affective self-control, relational long-term memory, and visuo-spatial problem solving. Results M-USE was used to test NHPs on up to six tasks per session, all available as part of the Task Library, and to extract performance metrics for all major cognitive and motivational constructs spanning the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) of the National Institutes of Mental Health. Comparison with Existing Methods Other experiment design and control systems exist, but do not provide the full range of features available in M-USE, including a pre-existing task library for cross-species assessments; the ability to switch seamlessly between tasks in individual sessions; cross-platform build capabilities; license-free availability; and its leveraging of video-engine capabilities used to gamify tasks. Conclusions The new multi-task platform facilitates cross-species translational research for understanding the neurobiological substrates of higher cognitive and motivational functions.
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Hassani S, Neumann A, Russell J, Jones C, Womelsdorf T. M 1-selective muscarinic allosteric modulation enhances cognitive flexibility and effective salience in nonhuman primates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216792120. [PMID: 37104474 PMCID: PMC10161096 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216792120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) in cortical neural circuits mediates how selective attention is sustained in the presence of distractors and how flexible cognition adjusts to changing task demands. The cognitive domains of attention and cognitive flexibility might be differentially supported by the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) subtype. Understanding how M1 mAChR mechanisms support these cognitive subdomains is of highest importance for advancing novel drug treatments for conditions with altered attention and reduced cognitive control including Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia. Here, we tested this question by assessing how the subtype-selective M1 mAChR positive allosteric modulator (PAM) VU0453595 affects visual search and flexible reward learning in nonhuman primates. We found that allosteric potentiation of M1 mAChRs enhanced flexible learning performance by improving extradimensional set shifting, reducing latent inhibition from previously experienced distractors and reducing response perseveration in the absence of adverse side effects. These procognitive effects occurred in the absence of apparent changes of attentional performance during visual search. In contrast, nonselective ACh modulation using the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) donepezil improved attention during visual search at doses that did not alter cognitive flexibility and that already triggered gastrointestinal cholinergic side effects. These findings illustrate that M1 mAChR positive allosteric modulation enhances cognitive flexibility without affecting attentional filtering of distraction, consistent with M1 activity boosting the effective salience of relevant over irrelevant objects specifically during learning. These results suggest that M1 PAMs are versatile compounds for enhancing cognitive flexibility in disorders spanning schizophrenia and Alzheimer's diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed A. Hassani
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
| | - Adam Neumann
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
| | - Jason Russell
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
| | - Carrie K. Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
| | - Thilo Womelsdorf
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN37240
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Jaiswal V, Mondal B, Saha J. Recent Developments on the Synthesis of Various Sulfur‐Containing Heterocycles via [3+2]‐ and [4+2]‐Cycloaddition Reactions with Thiocarbonyls. ASIAN J ORG CHEM 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ajoc.202000238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Jaiswal
- Division of Molecular Synthesis & Drug Discovery Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR) SGPGIMS Campus. Raebareli Road Lucknow 226014 Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Biplab Mondal
- Division of Molecular Synthesis & Drug Discovery Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR) SGPGIMS Campus. Raebareli Road Lucknow 226014 Uttar Pradesh India
| | - Jaideep Saha
- Division of Molecular Synthesis & Drug Discovery Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR) SGPGIMS Campus. Raebareli Road Lucknow 226014 Uttar Pradesh India
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Horak M, Holubova K, Nepovimova E, Krusek J, Kaniakova M, Korabecny J, Vyklicky L, Kuca K, Stuchlik A, Ricny J, Vales K, Soukup O. The pharmacology of tacrine at N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2017; 75:54-62. [PMID: 28089695 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The mechanism of tacrine as a precognitive drug has been considered to be complex and not fully understood. It has been reported to involve a wide spectrum of targets involving cholinergic, gabaergic, nitrinergic and glutamatergic pathways. Here, we review the effect of tacrine and its derivatives on the NMDA receptors (NMDAR) with a focus on the mechanism of action and biological consequences related to the Alzheimer's disease treatment. Our findings indicate that effect of tacrine on glutamatergic neurons is both direct and indirect. Direct NMDAR antagonistic effect is often reported by in vitro studies; however, it is achieved by high tacrine concentrations which are not likely to occur under clinical conditions. The impact on memory and behavioral testing can be ascribed to indirect effects of tacrine caused by influencing the NMDAR-mediated currents via M1 receptor activation, which leads to inhibition of Ca2+-activated potassium channels. Such inhibition prevents membrane repolarization leading to prolonged NMDAR activation and subsequently to long term potentiation. Considering these findings, we can conclude that tacrine-derivatives with dual cholinesterase and NMDARs modulating activity may represent a promising approach in the drug development for diseases associated with cognitive dysfunction, such as the Alzheimer disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Horak
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Kristina Holubova
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Eugenie Nepovimova
- Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Krusek
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Kaniakova
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Korabecny
- Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Ladislav Vyklicky
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Kamil Kuca
- Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Ales Stuchlik
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Ricny
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Vales
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Soukup
- Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Sokolska 581, 500 05 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
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Marshall L, Mathys C, Ruge D, de Berker AO, Dayan P, Stephan KE, Bestmann S. Pharmacological Fingerprints of Contextual Uncertainty. PLoS Biol 2016; 14:e1002575. [PMID: 27846219 PMCID: PMC5113004 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful interaction with the environment requires flexible updating of our beliefs about the world. By estimating the likelihood of future events, it is possible to prepare appropriate actions in advance and execute fast, accurate motor responses. According to theoretical proposals, agents track the variability arising from changing environments by computing various forms of uncertainty. Several neuromodulators have been linked to uncertainty signalling, but comprehensive empirical characterisation of their relative contributions to perceptual belief updating, and to the selection of motor responses, is lacking. Here we assess the roles of noradrenaline, acetylcholine, and dopamine within a single, unified computational framework of uncertainty. Using pharmacological interventions in a sample of 128 healthy human volunteers and a hierarchical Bayesian learning model, we characterise the influences of noradrenergic, cholinergic, and dopaminergic receptor antagonism on individual computations of uncertainty during a probabilistic serial reaction time task. We propose that noradrenaline influences learning of uncertain events arising from unexpected changes in the environment. In contrast, acetylcholine balances attribution of uncertainty to chance fluctuations within an environmental context, defined by a stable set of probabilistic associations, or to gross environmental violations following a contextual switch. Dopamine supports the use of uncertainty representations to engender fast, adaptive responses. Pharmacological interventions and hierarchical Bayesian modelling pinpoint the roles of noradrenaline, acetylcholine, and dopamine in computing different forms of uncertainty and in sensitizing actions to our beliefs about uncertainty. Interacting with dynamic and ever-changing environments requires frequent updating of our beliefs about the world. By learning the relationships that link events in the current environmental context, it is possible to prepare and execute fast, accurate responses to those events that are predictable. However, the world’s complex dynamics give rise to uncertainty about the relationships that exist between events and uncertainty about how these relationships might change over time. Several neuromodulators have been proposed to signal these different forms of uncertainty, but their relative contributions to updating beliefs and modulating responses have remained elusive. Here we combine a probabilistic reaction time task, pharmacological interventions, and a hierarchical Bayesian learning model to identify the roles of noradrenaline, acetylcholine, and dopamine in individual computations of uncertainty. We propose that noradrenaline modulates learning about the instability of the relationships that link environmental events. Acetylcholine balances the attribution of uncertainty to unexpected events occurring within an environmental context or to gross violations of our expectations following a context change. In contrast, dopamine sensitises our actions to our beliefs about uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Marshall
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Christoph Mathys
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Diane Ruge
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Technical University Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Archy O. de Berker
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Dayan
- Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Klaas E. Stephan
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich & ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sven Bestmann
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Lange HS, Cannon CE, Drott JT, Kuduk SD, Uslaner JM. The M1 Muscarinic Positive Allosteric Modulator PQCA Improves Performance on Translatable Tests of Memory and Attention in Rhesus Monkeys. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2015; 355:442-50. [DOI: 10.1124/jpet.115.226712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
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Uslaner JM, Eddins D, Puri V, Cannon CE, Sutcliffe J, Chew CS, Pearson M, Vivian JA, Chang RK, Ray WJ, Kuduk SD, Wittmann M. The muscarinic M1 receptor positive allosteric modulator PQCA improves cognitive measures in rat, cynomolgus macaque, and rhesus macaque. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 225:21-30. [PMID: 22825578 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2788-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2012] [Accepted: 06/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The current standards of care for Alzheimer's disease, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, have limited efficacy due to a host of mechanism-related side effects arising from indiscriminate activation of muscarinic and nicotinic receptors. The M1 muscarinic receptor is predominantly expressed in the brain in regions involved in cognition, and therefore selective activation of the M1 receptor would be expected to boost cognitive performance with reduced risk of peripheral side effects. OBJECTIVES Here we investigated whether the selective M1 muscarinic receptor positive allosteric modulator, PQCA, improves cognitive performance and cerebral blood flow. RESULTS PQCA attenuated a scopolamine-induced deficit in novel object recognition in rat, self-ordered spatial search in cynomolgus macaque, and the object retrieval detour task in rhesus macaque. Beneficial effects in each of these assays and species were observed at similar plasma drug concentrations. Furthermore, at similar drug concentrations that were effective in the behavioral studies, PQCA increased blood flow in the frontal cortex of mice, providing a translational biomarker that could be used to guide dose selection for clinical studies. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide a framework for appropriately testing an M1 selective compound in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason M Uslaner
- Merck Research Laboratories, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
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Bubser M, Byun N, Wood MR, Jones CK. Muscarinic receptor pharmacology and circuitry for the modulation of cognition. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2012:121-66. [PMID: 22222698 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-23274-9_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The muscarinic cholinergic system constitutes an important part of the neuronal circuitry that modulates normal cognition. Muscarinic receptor antagonists are well known to produce or exacerbate impairments in attention, learning, and memory. Conversely, both direct-acting muscarinic receptor agonists and indirect-acting muscarinic cholinergic agonists, such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, have shown cognition-enhancing properties, including improvements in normal cognitive function, reversal of cognitive deficits induced by muscarinic receptor antagonists, and attenuation of cognitive deficits in psychiatric and neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. However, until recently, the lack of small molecule ligands that antagonize or activate specific muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) subtypes with high selectivity has been a major obstacle in defining the relative contributions of individual mAChRs to different aspects of cognitive function and for the development of novel therapeutic agents. These limitations may be potentially overcome by the recent discovery of novel mAChR subtype-selective compounds, notably allosteric agonists and positive allosteric modulators, which exhibit greater selectivity for individual mAChR subtypes than previous mAChR orthosteric agonists. In preclinical studies, these novel ligands have shown promising efficacy in several models for the enhancement of cognition. In this chapter, we will review the muscarinic cholinergic circuitry and pharmacology of mAChR agonists and antagonists relevant to the modulation of different aspects of cognition in animals and clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Bubser
- Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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Fedorov A, Fu C, Linden A, Heimgartner H. Reaction of Thioketones with (R)-2-Vinyloxirane: Regio- and Stereoselective Formation of (S)-4-Vinyl-1,3-oxathiolanes. European J Org Chem 2005. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.200400766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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