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Grella SL, Donaldson TN. Contextual memory engrams, and the neuromodulatory influence of the locus coeruleus. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1342622. [PMID: 38375501 PMCID: PMC10875109 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1342622] [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: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we review the basis of contextual memory at a conceptual and cellular level. We begin with an overview of the philosophical foundations of traversing space, followed by theories covering the material bases of contextual representations in the hippocampus (engrams), exploring functional characteristics of the cells and subfields within. Next, we explore various methodological approaches for investigating contextual memory engrams, emphasizing plasticity mechanisms. This leads us to discuss the role of neuromodulatory inputs in governing these dynamic changes. We then outline a recent hypothesis involving noradrenergic and dopaminergic projections from the locus coeruleus (LC) to different subregions of the hippocampus, in sculpting contextual representations, giving a brief description of the neuroanatomical and physiological properties of the LC. Finally, we examine how activity in the LC influences contextual memory processes through synaptic plasticity mechanisms to alter hippocampal engrams. Overall, we find that phasic activation of the LC plays an important role in promoting new learning and altering mnemonic processes at the behavioral and cellular level through the neuromodulatory influence of NE/DA in the hippocampus. These findings may provide insight into mechanisms of hippocampal remapping and memory updating, memory processes that are potentially dysregulated in certain psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L. Grella
- MNEME Lab, Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Tia N. Donaldson
- Systems Neuroscience and Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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Hallock HL, Adiraju SS, Miranda-Barrientos J, McInerney JM, Oh S, DeBrosse AC, Li Y, Carr GV, Martinowich K. Electrophysiological correlates of attention in the locus coeruleus-prelimbic cortex circuit during the rodent continuous performance test. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:521-531. [PMID: 37563281 PMCID: PMC10789747 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01692-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Sustained attention, the ability to focus on an activity or stimulus over time, is significantly impaired in many psychiatric disorders, and there remains a major unmet need in treating impaired attention. Continuous performance tests (CPTs) were developed to measure sustained attention in humans, non-human primates, rats, and mice, and similar neural circuits are engaged across species during CPT performance, supporting their use in translational studies to identify novel therapeutics. Here, we identified electrophysiological correlates of attentional performance in a touchscreen-based rodent CPT (rCPT) in the locus coeruleus (LC) and prelimbic cortex (PrL), two inter-connected regions that are implicated in attentional processes. We used viral labeling and molecular techniques to demonstrate that neural activity is recruited in LC-PrL projections during the rCPT, and that this recruitment increases with cognitive demand. We implanted male mice with depth electrodes within the LC and PrL for local field potential (LFP) recordings during rCPT training, and identified an increase in PrL delta and theta power, and an increase in LC delta power during correct responses in the rCPT. We also found that the LC leads the PrL in theta frequencies during correct responses while the PrL leads the LC in gamma frequencies during incorrect responses. These findings may represent translational biomarkers that can be used to screen novel therapeutics for drug discovery in attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry L Hallock
- Neuroscience Program, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, 18042, USA
| | - Suhaas S Adiraju
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | | | - Jessica M McInerney
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Seyun Oh
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Adrienne C DeBrosse
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Ye Li
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Gregory V Carr
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
- The Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Hussain S, Menchaca I, Shalchy MA, Yaghoubi K, Langley J, Seitz AR, Hu XP, Peters MAK. Locus coeruleus integrity predicts ease of attaining and maintaining neural states of high attentiveness. Brain Res Bull 2023; 202:110733. [PMID: 37586427 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110733] [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: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC), a small subcortical structure in the brainstem, is the brain's principal source of norepinephrine. It plays a primary role in regulating stress, the sleep-wake cycle, and attention, and its degradation is associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases associated with cognitive deficits (e.g., Parkinson's, Alzheimer's). Yet precisely how norepinephrine drives brain networks to support healthy cognitive function remains poorly understood - partly because LC's small size makes it difficult to study noninvasively in humans. Here, we characterized LC's influence on brain dynamics using a hidden Markov model fitted to functional neuroimaging data from healthy young adults across four attention-related brain networks and LC. We modulated LC activity using a behavioral paradigm and measured individual differences in LC magnetization transfer contrast. The model revealed five hidden states, including a stable state dominated by salience-network activity that occurred when subjects actively engaged with the task. LC magnetization transfer contrast correlated with this state's stability across experimental manipulations and with subjects' propensity to enter into and remain in this state. These results provide new insight into LC's role in driving spatiotemporal neural patterns associated with attention, and demonstrate that variation in LC integrity can explain individual differences in these patterns even in healthy young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Hussain
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Isaac Menchaca
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | | | - Kimia Yaghoubi
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jason Langley
- Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Aaron R Seitz
- Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaoping P Hu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA; Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
| | - Megan A K Peters
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA; Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Program in Brain, Mind, & Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Kuehl LK, Deuter CE, Nowacki J, Ueberrueck L, Wingenfeld K, Otte C. Attentional bias in individuals with depression and adverse childhood experiences: influence of the noradrenergic system? Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:3519-3531. [PMID: 34605959 PMCID: PMC8629860 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05969-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe mental disorder with affective, cognitive, and somatic symptoms. Mood congruent cognitive biases, including a negative attentional bias, are important for development, maintenance, and recurrence of depressive symptoms. MDD is associated with maladaptive changes in the biological stress systems such as dysregulations of central noradrenergic alpha2-receptors in the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system, which can affect cognitive processes including attention. Patients with adverse childhood experiences (ACE), representing severe stress experiences in early life, might be particularly affected. OBJECTIVES With an experimental design, we aimed to gain further knowledge about the role of noradrenergic activity for attentional bias in MDD patients with and without ACE. METHODS We tested the effect of increased noradrenergic activity induced by the alpha2-receptor blocker yohimbine on attentional bias in a placebo-controlled repeated measures design. Four groups were included as follows: MDD patients with and without ACE, and healthy participants with and without ACE (total N = 128, all without antidepressant medication). RESULTS A significant effect of MDD on attentional bias scores of sad face pictures (p = .037) indicated a facilitated attentional processing of sad face pictures in MDD patients (compared to non-MDD individuals). However, we found no such effect of ACE. For attentional bias of happy face pictures, we found no significant effects of MDD and ACE. Even though a higher increase of blood pressure and salivary alpha-amylase following yohimbine compared to placebo indicated successful noradrenergic stimulation, we found no significant effects of yohimbine on attentional bias of happy or sad face pictures. CONCLUSIONS Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of a negative attentional bias in MDD patients. However, as we found no effect of ACE or yohimbine, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which ACE increases the risk of MDD and to understand the biological basis of the MDD-related negative attentional bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linn K Kuehl
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Christian E Deuter
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Nowacki
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lisa Ueberrueck
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
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Deuter CE, Wingenfeld K, Otte C, Bustami J, Kaczmarczyk M, Kuehl LK. Noradrenergic system and cognitive flexibility: Disentangling the effects of depression and childhood trauma. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 125:136-143. [PMID: 32283407 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Stress plays a fundamental role in the development and maintenance of major depressive disorder (MDD). Importantly, maladaptive changes in the physiological stress regulation systems have been demonstrated. In the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NA) system, up-regulated central alpha2-adrenergic receptors in patients with MDD affect cognitive functions. Although cognitive deficits are core symptoms of MDD, the relationship between the LC-NA system and cognitive processes has rarely been investigated in depressed patients. The aim of our study was to investigate whether noradrenergic stimulation affects cognitive flexibility in MDD. In addition, we aimed to further disentangle the effects of MDD and adverse childhood experiences (ACE), such as physical or sexual abuse on cognitive function. In a double-blind placebo-controlled study, MDD patients with ACE, MDD patients without ACE, healthy participants with ACE and healthy control participants without MDD or ACE were tested with a task switching task (total N = 125). Participants were tested twice after treatment with either 10 mg yohimbine or a placebo. Switch costs (differences between switch and repetition trials) in reaction times and accuracy served as the independent variables. We found higher switch costs in MDD patients as compared with controls, while ACE did not affect task performance. Yohimbine administration had no effect on task switching. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the role of the LC-NA system as a neurobiological mechanism of cognitive processes in patients with MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Eric Deuter
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jasmin Bustami
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Kaczmarczyk
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Linn Kristina Kuehl
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Berlin, Germany
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Explore or reset? Pupil diameter transiently increases in self-chosen switches between cognitive labor and leisure in either direction. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 19:1113-1128. [PMID: 31209733 PMCID: PMC6785586 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-019-00727-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
When people invest effort in cognitive work, they often keep an eye open for rewarding alternative activities. Previous research suggests that the norepinephrine (NE) system regulates such trade-offs between exploitation of the current task and exploration of alternative possibilities. We examined the possibility that the NE system is involved in another trade-off, i.e., the trade-off between cognitive labor and leisure. We conducted two pre-registered studies (total N = 62) in which participants freely chose to perform either a paid 2-back task (labor) versus a non-paid task (leisure), while we tracked their pupil diameter—which is an indicator of the state of the NE system. In both studies, consistent with prior work, we found (a) increases in pupil baseline and (b) decreases in pupil dilation when participants switched from labor to leisure. Unexpectedly, we found the same pattern when participants switched from leisure back to labor. Both increases in pupil baseline and decreases in pupil dilation were short-lived. Collectively, these results are more consistent with a role of norepinephrine in reorienting attention and task switching, as suggested by network reset theory, than with a role in motivation, as suggested by adaptive gain theory.
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