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Tucker DM, Luu P. Feasibility of a Personal Neuromorphic Emulation. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 26:759. [PMID: 39330092 PMCID: PMC11431400 DOI: 10.3390/e26090759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2024] [Revised: 08/28/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
The representation of intelligence is achieved by patterns of connections among neurons in brains and machines. Brains grow continuously, such that their patterns of connections develop through activity-dependent specification, with the continuing ontogenesis of individual experience. The theory of active inference proposes that the developmental organization of sentient systems reflects general processes of informatic self-evidencing, through the minimization of free energy. We interpret this theory to imply that the mind may be described in information terms that are not dependent on a specific physical substrate. At a certain level of complexity, self-evidencing of living (self-organizing) information systems becomes hierarchical and reentrant, such that effective consciousness emerges as the consequence of a good regulator. We propose that these principles imply that an adequate reconstruction of the computational dynamics of an individual human brain/mind is possible with sufficient neuromorphic computational emulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don M Tucker
- The Brain Electrophysiological Laboratory Company, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Phan Luu
- The Brain Electrophysiological Laboratory Company, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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2
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Wolff M, Halassa MM. The mediodorsal thalamus in executive control. Neuron 2024; 112:893-908. [PMID: 38295791 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Executive control, the ability to organize thoughts and action plans in real time, is a defining feature of higher cognition. Classical theories have emphasized cortical contributions to this process, but recent studies have reinvigorated interest in the role of the thalamus. Although it is well established that local thalamic damage diminishes cognitive capacity, such observations have been difficult to inform functional models. Recent progress in experimental techniques is beginning to enrich our understanding of the anatomical, physiological, and computational substrates underlying thalamic engagement in executive control. In this review, we discuss this progress and particularly focus on the mediodorsal thalamus, which regulates the activity within and across frontal cortical areas. We end with a synthesis that highlights frontal thalamocortical interactions in cognitive computations and discusses its functional implications in normal and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Wolff
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
| | - Michael M Halassa
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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3
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Mukherjee A, Halassa MM. The Associative Thalamus: A Switchboard for Cortical Operations and a Promising Target for Schizophrenia. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:132-147. [PMID: 38279699 PMCID: PMC10822032 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221112861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that profoundly perturbs cognitive processing. Despite the success in treating many of its symptoms, the field lacks effective methods to measure and address its impact on reasoning, inference, and decision making. Prefrontal cortical abnormalities have been well documented in schizophrenia, but additional dysfunction in the interactions between the prefrontal cortex and thalamus have recently been described. This dysfunction may be interpreted in light of parallel advances in neural circuit research based on nonhuman animals, which show critical thalamic roles in maintaining and switching prefrontal activity patterns in various cognitive tasks. Here, we review this basic literature and connect it to emerging innovations in clinical research. We highlight the value of focusing on associative thalamic structures not only to better understand the very nature of cognitive processing but also to leverage these circuits for diagnostic and therapeutic development in schizophrenia. We suggest that the time is right for building close bridges between basic thalamic research and its clinical translation, particularly in the domain of cognition and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arghya Mukherjee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael M Halassa
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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4
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Luu P, Tucker DM, Friston K. From active affordance to active inference: vertical integration of cognition in the cerebral cortex through dual subcortical control systems. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad458. [PMID: 38044461 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad458] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In previous papers, we proposed that the dorsal attention system's top-down control is regulated by the dorsal division of the limbic system, providing a feedforward or impulsive form of control generating expectancies during active inference. In contrast, we proposed that the ventral attention system is regulated by the ventral limbic division, regulating feedback constraints and error-correction for active inference within the neocortical hierarchy. Here, we propose that these forms of cognitive control reflect vertical integration of subcortical arousal control systems that evolved for specific forms of behavior control. The feedforward impetus to action is regulated by phasic arousal, mediated by lemnothalamic projections from the reticular activating system of the lower brainstem, and then elaborated by the hippocampus and dorsal limbic division. In contrast, feedback constraint-based on environmental requirements-is regulated by the tonic activation furnished by collothalamic projections from the midbrain arousal control centers, and then sustained and elaborated by the amygdala, basal ganglia, and ventral limbic division. In an evolutionary-developmental analysis, understanding these differing forms of active affordance-for arousal and motor control within the subcortical vertebrate neuraxis-may help explain the evolution of active inference regulating the cognition of expectancy and error-correction within the mammalian 6-layered neocortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phan Luu
- Brain Electrophysiology Laboratory Company, Riverfront Research Park, 1776 Millrace Dr., Eugene, OR 97403, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, United States
| | - Don M Tucker
- Brain Electrophysiology Laboratory Company, Riverfront Research Park, 1776 Millrace Dr., Eugene, OR 97403, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, United States
| | - Karl Friston
- The Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
- VERSES AI Research Lab, Los Angeles, CA 90016, USA
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5
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Gehr C, Sibille J, Kremkow J. Retinal input integration in excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the mouse superior colliculus in vivo. eLife 2023; 12:RP88289. [PMID: 37682267 PMCID: PMC10491433 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88289] [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] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a midbrain structure that receives inputs from retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The SC contains one of the highest densities of inhibitory neurons in the brain but whether excitatory and inhibitory SC neurons differentially integrate retinal activity in vivo is still largely unknown. We recently established a recording approach to measure the activity of RGCs simultaneously with their postsynaptic SC targets in vivo, to study how SC neurons integrate RGC activity. Here, we employ this method to investigate the functional properties that govern retinocollicular signaling in a cell type-specific manner by identifying GABAergic SC neurons using optotagging in VGAT-ChR2 mice. Our results demonstrate that both excitatory and inhibitory SC neurons receive comparably strong RGC inputs and similar wiring rules apply for RGCs innervation of both SC cell types, unlike the cell type-specific connectivity in the thalamocortical system. Moreover, retinal activity contributed more to the spiking activity of postsynaptic excitatory compared to inhibitory SC neurons. This study deepens our understanding of cell type-specific retinocollicular functional connectivity and emphasizes that the two major brain areas for visual processing, the visual cortex and the SC, differently integrate sensory afferent inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Gehr
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience BerlinBerlinGermany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Jeremie Sibille
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience BerlinBerlinGermany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Jens Kremkow
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin BerlinBerlinGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience BerlinBerlinGermany
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinBerlinGermany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences BerlinBerlinGermany
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6
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Huerga-Gómez I, Martini FJ, López-Bendito G. Building thalamic neuronal networks during mouse development. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1098913. [PMID: 36817644 PMCID: PMC9936079 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1098913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The thalamic nuclear complex contains excitatory projection neurons and inhibitory local neurons, the two cell types driving the main circuits in sensory nuclei. While excitatory neurons are born from progenitors that reside in the proliferative zone of the developing thalamus, inhibitory local neurons are born outside the thalamus and they migrate there during development. In addition to these cell types, which occupy most of the thalamus, there are two small thalamic regions where inhibitory neurons target extra-thalamic regions rather than neighboring neurons, the intergeniculate leaflet and the parahabenular nucleus. Like excitatory thalamic neurons, these inhibitory neurons are derived from progenitors residing in the developing thalamus. The assembly of these circuits follows fine-tuned genetic programs and it is coordinated by extrinsic factors that help the cells find their location, associate with thalamic partners, and establish connections with their corresponding extra-thalamic inputs and outputs. In this review, we bring together what is currently known about the development of the excitatory and inhibitory components of the thalamocortical sensory system, in particular focusing on the visual pathway and thalamic interneurons in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Huerga-Gómez
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC), Sant Joan d’Alacant, Spain
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7
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Descending projections to the auditory midbrain: evolutionary considerations. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2023; 209:131-143. [PMID: 36323876 PMCID: PMC9898193 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01588-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian inferior colliculus (IC) is massively innervated by multiple descending projection systems. In addition to a large projection from the auditory cortex (AC) primarily targeting the non-lemniscal portions of the IC, there are less well-characterized projections from non-auditory regions of the cortex, amygdala, posterior thalamus and the brachium of the IC. By comparison, the frog auditory midbrain, known as the torus semicircularis, is a large auditory integration center that also receives descending input, but primarily from the posterior thalamus and without a projection from a putative cortical homolog: the dorsal pallium. Although descending projections have been implicated in many types of behaviors, a unified understanding of their function has not yet emerged. Here, we take a comparative approach to understanding the various top-down modulators of the IC to gain insights into their functions. One key question that we identify is whether thalamotectal projections in mammals and amphibians are homologous and whether they interact with evolutionarily more newly derived projections from the cerebral cortex. We also consider the behavioral significance of these descending pathways, given anurans' ability to navigate complex acoustic landscapes without the benefit of a corticocollicular projection. Finally, we suggest experimental approaches to answer these questions.
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8
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Hain D, Gallego-Flores T, Klinkmann M, Macias A, Ciirdaeva E, Arends A, Thum C, Tushev G, Kretschmer F, Tosches MA, Laurent G. Molecular diversity and evolution of neuron types in the amniote brain. Science 2022; 377:eabp8202. [PMID: 36048944 DOI: 10.1126/science.abp8202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The existence of evolutionarily conserved regions in the vertebrate brain is well established. The rules and constraints underlying the evolution of neuron types, however, remain poorly understood. To compare neuron types across brain regions and species, we generated a cell type atlas of the brain of a bearded dragon and compared it with mouse datasets. Conserved classes of neurons could be identified from the expression of hundreds of genes, including homeodomain-type transcription factors and genes involved in connectivity. Within these classes, however, there are both conserved and divergent neuron types, precluding a simple categorization of the brain into ancestral and novel areas. In the thalamus, neuronal diversification correlates with the evolution of the cortex, suggesting that developmental origin and circuit allocation are drivers of neuronal identity and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hain
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Tatiana Gallego-Flores
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Angeles Macias
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Elena Ciirdaeva
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Anja Arends
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christina Thum
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Georgi Tushev
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Maria Antonietta Tosches
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gilles Laurent
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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9
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Giasafaki C, Grant E, Hoerder‐Suabedissen A, Hayashi S, Lee S, Molnár Z. Cross-hierarchical plasticity of corticofugal projections to dLGN after neonatal monocular enucleation. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:978-997. [PMID: 35078267 PMCID: PMC9305932 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Perception is the result of interactions between the sensory periphery, thalamus, and cerebral cortex. Inputs from the retina project to the first-order dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), which projects to the primary visual cortex (V1). In return, the cortex innervates the thalamus. While layer 6 projections innervate all thalamic nuclei, cortical layer 5 neurons selectively project to the higher order lateral posterior nucleus (LP) and not to dLGN. It has been demonstrated that a subpopulation of layer 5 (Rbp4-Cre+) projections rewires to dLGN after monocular or binocular enucleation in young postnatal mice. However, the exact cortical regional origin of these projections was not fully determined, and it remained unclear whether these changes persisted into adulthood. In this study, we report gene expression changes observed in the dLGN after monocular enucleation at birth using microarray, qPCR at P6, and in situ hybridization at P8. We report that genes that are normally enriched in dLGN, but not LP during development are preferentially downregulated in dLGN following monocular enucleation. Comparisons with developmental gene expression patters in dLGN suggest more immature and delayed gene expression in enucleated dLGN. Combined tracing and immuno-histochemical analysis revealed that the induced layer 5 fibers that innervate enucleated dLGN originate from putative primary visual cortex and they retain increased VGluT1+ synapse formation into adulthood. Our results indicate a new form of plasticity when layer 5 driver input takes over the innervation of an originally first-order thalamic nucleus after early sensory deficit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrysoula Giasafaki
- Department of PhysiologyAnatomy and GeneticsOxfordUK,Instituto de Neurociencias de AlicanteCSIC‐UMH, Av. Ramon y Cajals/n 03550 San Juan de AlicanteAlicanteSpain
| | - Eleanor Grant
- Department of PhysiologyAnatomy and GeneticsOxfordUK
| | | | - Shuichi Hayashi
- Department of PhysiologyAnatomy and GeneticsOxfordUK,Department of AnatomyKawasaki Medical SchoolKurashikiOkayama701‐0192Japan
| | - Sheena Lee
- Department of PhysiologyAnatomy and GeneticsOxfordUK
| | - Zoltán Molnár
- Department of PhysiologyAnatomy and GeneticsOxfordUK
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10
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Cisek P. Evolution of behavioural control from chordates to primates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200522. [PMID: 34957850 PMCID: PMC8710891 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This article outlines a hypothetical sequence of evolutionary innovations, along the lineage that produced humans, which extended behavioural control from simple feedback loops to sophisticated control of diverse species-typical actions. I begin with basic feedback mechanisms of ancient mobile animals and follow the major niche transitions from aquatic to terrestrial life, the retreat into nocturnality in early mammals, the transition to arboreal life and the return to diurnality. Along the way, I propose a sequence of elaboration and diversification of the behavioural repertoire and associated neuroanatomical substrates. This includes midbrain control of approach versus escape actions, telencephalic control of local versus long-range foraging, detection of affordances by the dorsal pallium, diversified control of nocturnal foraging in the mammalian neocortex and expansion of primate frontal, temporal and parietal cortex to support a wide variety of primate-specific behavioural strategies. The result is a proposed functional architecture consisting of parallel control systems, each dedicated to specifying the affordances for guiding particular species-typical actions, which compete against each other through a hierarchy of selection mechanisms. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Cisek
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Montreal CP 6123 Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7
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11
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Lacalli T. An evolutionary perspective on chordate brain organization and function: insights from amphioxus, and the problem of sentience. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200520. [PMID: 34957845 PMCID: PMC8710876 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The similarities between amphioxus and vertebrate brains, in their regional subdivision, cell types and circuitry, make the former a useful benchmark for understanding the evolutionary innovations that shaped the latter. Locomotory control systems were already well developed in basal chordates, with the ventral neuropile of the dien-mesencephalon serving to set levels of activity and initiate locomotory actions. A chief deficit in amphioxus is the absence of complex vertebrate-type sense organs. Hence, much of vertebrate story is one of progressive improvement both to these and to sensory experience more broadly. This has two aspects: (i) anatomical and neurocircuitry innovations in the organs of special sense and the brain centres that process and store their output, and (ii) the emergence of primary consciousness, i.e. sentience. With respect to the latter, a bottom up, evolutionary perspective has a different focus from a top down human-centric one. At issue: the obstacles to the emergence of sentience in the first instance, the sequence of addition of new contents to evolving consciousness, and the homology relationship between them. A further question, and a subject for future investigation, is how subjective experience is optimized for each sensory modality. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thurston Lacalli
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8 W-3N5
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12
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Lacalli T. Consciousness as a Product of Evolution: Contents, Selector Circuits, and Trajectories in Experience Space. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:697129. [PMID: 34744646 PMCID: PMC8564397 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.697129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Conscious experience can be treated as a complex unified whole, but to do so is problematic from an evolutionary perspective if, like other products of evolution, consciousness had simple beginnings, and achieved complexity only secondarily over an extended period of time as new categories of subjective experience were added and refined. The premise here is twofold, first that these simple beginnings can be investigated regardless of whether the ultimate source of subjective experience is known or understood, and second, that of the contents known to us, the most accessible for investigation will be those that are, or appear, most fundamental, in the sense that they resist further deconstruction or analysis. This would include qualia as they are usually defined, but excludes more complex experiences (here, formats) that are structured, or depend on algorithmic processes and/or memory. Vision and language for example, would by this definition be formats. More formally, qualia, but not formats, can be represented as points, lines, or curves on a topological experience space, and as domains in a configuration space representing a subset of neural correlates of consciousness, the selector circuits (SCs), responsible for ensuring that a particular experience is evoked rather than some other. It is a matter of conjecture how points in SC-space map to experience space, but both will exhibit divergence, insuring that a minimal distance separates points in experience space representing different qualia and the SCs that evoke them. An analysis of how SCs evolve over time is used to highlight the importance of understanding patterns of descent among putative qualia, i.e., their homology across species, and whether this implies descent from an ancestral experience, or ur-quale, that combines modes of experience that later came to be experienced separately. The analysis also provides insight into the function of consciousness as viewed from an evolutionary perspective, defined here in terms of the access it allows to regions of SC-space that would otherwise be unavailable to real brains, to produce consciously controlled behaviors that could otherwise not occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thurston Lacalli
- Biology Department, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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13
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Jager P, Moore G, Calpin P, Durmishi X, Salgarella I, Menage L, Kita Y, Wang Y, Kim DW, Blackshaw S, Schultz SR, Brickley S, Shimogori T, Delogu A. Dual midbrain and forebrain origins of thalamic inhibitory interneurons. eLife 2021; 10:e59272. [PMID: 33522480 PMCID: PMC7906600 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitous presence of inhibitory interneurons in the thalamus of primates contrasts with the sparsity of interneurons reported in mice. Here, we identify a larger than expected complexity and distribution of interneurons across the mouse thalamus, where all thalamic interneurons can be traced back to two developmental programmes: one specified in the midbrain and the other in the forebrain. Interneurons migrate to functionally distinct thalamocortical nuclei depending on their origin: the abundant, midbrain-derived class populates the first and higher order sensory thalamus while the rarer, forebrain-generated class is restricted to some higher order associative regions. We also observe that markers for the midbrain-born class are abundantly expressed throughout the thalamus of the New World monkey marmoset. These data therefore reveal that, despite the broad variability in interneuron density across mammalian species, the blueprint of the ontogenetic organisation of thalamic interneurons of larger-brained mammals exists and can be studied in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polona Jager
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Gerald Moore
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences and Centre for Neurotechnology, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Padraic Calpin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Xhuljana Durmishi
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Irene Salgarella
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Lucy Menage
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Yan Wang
- RIKEN, Center for Brain Science (CBS)SaitamaJapan
| | - Dong Won Kim
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Seth Blackshaw
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Simon R Schultz
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Stephen Brickley
- Department of Life Sciences and Centre for Neurotechnology, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Alessio Delogu
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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14
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Kesserwani H. Intermittent Vertical Diplopia as a Rare Manifestation of a Rare Cerebral Infarct: Artery of Percheron Ischemic Infarct and Sidelights on the Phenotypic Variability of Thalamic Ocular Disorders. Cureus 2021; 13:e12499. [PMID: 33564507 PMCID: PMC7860662 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.12499] [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] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamus is a complex structure with over 40 named nuclei. Ischemic lesions of the thalamus exhibit a panorama of phenomena ranging from facial numbness to ocular and visual field disturbances to hemiplegia, behavioral disorders, and stupor. It is a dense neuronal hub with a bewildering variety of connections and functions. We present an intriguing case of intermittent vertical diplopia due to an artery of Percheron ischemic infarct of the bilateral paramedian thalami. We seize upon this opportunity to simplify the thalamic nuclei sub-divisions and their vascular supply. In this process, we outline the phenotypic variability of thalamic diplopia and ophthalmoplegia and their various underlying mechanisms.
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15
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Lacalli T. Evolving Consciousness: Insights From Turing, and the Shaping of Experience. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:598561. [PMID: 33328924 PMCID: PMC7719830 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.598561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A number of conceptual difficulties arise when considering the evolutionary origin of consciousness from the pre-conscious condition. There are parallels here with biological pattern formation, where, according to Alan Turing’s original formulation of the problem, the statistical properties of molecular-level processes serve as a source of incipient pattern. By analogy, the evolution of consciousness can be thought of as depending in part on a competition between alternative variants in the microstructure of synaptic networks and/or the activity patterns they generate, some of which then serve as neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs). Assuming that NCCs perform this function only if reliably ordered in a particular and precise way, Turing’s formulation provides a useful conceptual framework for thinking about how this is achieved developmentally, and how changes in neural structure might correlate with change at the level of conscious experience. The analysis is largely silent concerning the nature and ultimate source of conscious experience, but shows that achieving sentience is sufficient to begin the process by which evolution elaborates and shapes that first experience. By implication, much of what evolved consciousness achieves in adaptive terms can in principle be investigated irrespective of whether or not the ultimate source of real-time experience is known or understood. This includes the important issue of how precisely NCCs must be structured to ensure that each evokes a particular experience as opposed to any other. Some terminological issues are clarified, including that of “noise,” which here refers to the statistical variations in neural structure that arise during development, not to sensory noise as experienced in real time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thurston Lacalli
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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16
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Ibrahim G. Fine structure of the central brain in the octopod Eledone cirrhosa (Lamarck, 1798) (Mollusca-Octopoda). INVERTEBRATE NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:15. [PMID: 32840703 DOI: 10.1007/s10158-020-00250-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the fine structure of the different cell types in the central brain of Eledone cirrhosa; the organelles in the neurons and the glial cells; the glial hemolymph-brain barrier; the neuro-secretions and the relationships between glial and nerve cells. The brain is surrounded by a non-cellular neurilemma followed by a single layer of perilemmal cells. Ependymal cells, highly prismatic glial cells, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and epithelial processes were observed. The perikarya of the neurons are filled with slightly oval nuclei with heterochromatin, a strongly tortuous ER, numerous mitochondria and Golgi apparatus with two types of vesicles. In the cellular cortex, glial cells are much less numerous than the neurons and they are located preferably at the border between perikarya and neuropil. Furthermore, they send many branching shoots between the surrounding neuron perikarya and the axons. The glial cytoplasmic matrix appears more electrodense than that of the neurons. Only few ribosomes are attached to the membranes of the ER; the vast majorities are free. In the perikarya of the glial cells, mitochondria, multi-vesicular bodies, various vacuoles and vesicles are present. The essential elements of the hemolymph-brain barrier are the endothelial cells with their tight junctions. The cytoplasm contains various vesicles and mitochondria. However, two other cell types are present, the pericytes and the astrocytes, which are of great importance for the function of the hemolymph-brain barrier. The cell-cell interactions between endothelial cells, pericytes and astrocytes are as close as no other cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Ibrahim
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21547, Egypt.
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17
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Abstract
Escape is one of the most studied animal behaviors, and there is a rich normative theory that links threat properties to evasive actions and their timing. The behavioral principles of escape are evolutionarily conserved and rely on elementary computational steps such as classifying sensory stimuli and executing appropriate movements. These are common building blocks of general adaptive behaviors. Here we consider the computational challenges required for escape behaviors to be implemented, discuss possible algorithmic solutions, and review some of the underlying neural circuits and mechanisms. We outline shared neural principles that can be implemented by evolutionarily ancient neural systems to generate escape behavior, to which cortical encephalization has been added to allow for increased sophistication and flexibility in responding to threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago Branco
- UCL Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London W1T 4JG, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Redgrave
- Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 2LT, United Kingdom
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18
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Morona R, Bandín S, López JM, Moreno N, González A. Amphibian thalamic nuclear organization during larval development and in the adult frog Xenopus laevis: Genoarchitecture and hodological analysis. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:2361-2403. [PMID: 32162311 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The early patterning of the thalamus during embryonic development defines rostral and caudal progenitor domains, which are conserved from fishes to mammals. However, the subsequent developmental mechanisms that lead to the adult thalamic configuration have only been investigated for mammals and other amniotes. In this study, we have analyzed in the anuran amphibian Xenopus laevis (an anamniote vertebrate), through larval and postmetamorphic development, the progressive regional expression of specific markers for the rostral (GABA, GAD67, Lhx1, and Nkx2.2) and caudal (Gbx2, VGlut2, Lhx2, Lhx9, and Sox2) domains. In addition, the regional distributions at different developmental stages of other markers such as calcium binding proteins and neuropeptides, helped the identification of thalamic nuclei. It was observed that the two embryonic domains were progressively specified and compartmentalized during premetamorphosis, and cell subpopulations characterized by particular gene expression combinations were located in periventricular, intermediate and superficial strata. During prometamorphosis, three dorsoventral tiers formed from the caudal domain and most pronuclei were defined, which were modified into the definitive nuclear configuration through the metamorphic climax. Mixed cell populations originated from the rostral and caudal domains constitute most of the final nuclei and allowed us to propose additional subdivisions in the adult thalamus, whose main afferent and efferent connections were assessed by tracing techniques under in vitro conditions. This study corroborates shared features of early gene expression patterns in the thalamus between Xenopus and mouse, however, the dynamic changes in gene expression observed at later stages in the amphibian support mechanisms different from those of mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Morona
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Bandín
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús M López
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Moreno
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Agustín González
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Knudsen EI. Evolution of neural processing for visual perception in vertebrates. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:2888-2901. [PMID: 32003466 PMCID: PMC7586818 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Visual perception requires both visual information and attention. This review compares, across classes of vertebrates, the functional and anatomical characteristics of (a) the neural pathways that process visual information about objects, and (b) stimulus selection pathways that determine the objects to which an animal attends. Early in the evolution of vertebrate species, visual perception was dominated by information transmitted via the midbrain (retinotectal) visual pathway, and attention was probably controlled primarily by a selection network in the midbrain. In contrast, in primates, visual perception is dominated by information transmitted via the forebrain (retinogeniculate) visual pathway, and attention is mediated largely by networks in the forebrain. In birds and nonprimate mammals, both the retinotectal and retinogeniculate pathways contribute critically to visual information processing, and both midbrain and forebrain networks play important roles in controlling attention. The computations and processing strategies in birds and mammals share some strikingly similar characteristics despite over 300 million years of independent evolution and being implemented by distinct brain architectures. The similarity of these functional characteristics suggests that they provide valuable advantages to visual perception in advanced visual systems. A schema is proposed that describes the evolution of the pathways and computations that enable visual perception in vertebrate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric I Knudsen
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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20
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Alves PN, Foulon C, Karolis V, Bzdok D, Margulies DS, Volle E, Thiebaut de Schotten M. An improved neuroanatomical model of the default-mode network reconciles previous neuroimaging and neuropathological findings. Commun Biol 2019; 2:370. [PMID: 31633061 PMCID: PMC6787009 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0611-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is constituted of multiple networks of functionally correlated brain areas, out of which the default-mode network (DMN) is the largest. Most existing research into the DMN has taken a corticocentric approach. Despite its resemblance with the unitary model of the limbic system, the contribution of subcortical structures to the DMN may be underappreciated. Here, we propose a more comprehensive neuroanatomical model of the DMN including subcortical structures such as the basal forebrain, cholinergic nuclei, anterior and mediodorsal thalamic nuclei. Additionally, tractography of diffusion-weighted imaging was employed to explore the structural connectivity, which revealed that the thalamus and basal forebrain are of central importance for the functioning of the DMN. The contribution of these neurochemically diverse brain nuclei reconciles previous neuroimaging with neuropathological findings in diseased brains and offers the potential for identifying a conserved homologue of the DMN in other mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Nascimento Alves
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, BCBlab, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225 Paris, France
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Neurology, Hospital de Santa Maria, CHULN, Lisbon, Portugal
- Language Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Chris Foulon
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, BCBlab, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225 Paris, France
- Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Diagnostic Medicine, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX USA
| | - Vyacheslav Karolis
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, BCBlab, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225 Paris, France
- FMRIB centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- INRIA, Parietal Team, Saclay, France
- Neurospin, CEA, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- JARA-BRAIN, Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance, Jülich, Germany
| | - Daniel S. Margulies
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, BCBlab, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225 Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Volle
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, BCBlab, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225 Paris, France
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Brain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, BCBlab, Sorbonne Universities, Paris, France
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225 Paris, France
- Centre de Neuroimagerie de Recherche CENIR, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Groupe d’Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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21
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Abstract
This article proposes that biologically plausible theories of behavior can be constructed by following a method of "phylogenetic refinement," whereby they are progressively elaborated from simple to complex according to phylogenetic data on the sequence of changes that occurred over the course of evolution. It is argued that sufficient data exist to make this approach possible, and that the result can more effectively delineate the true biological categories of neurophysiological mechanisms than do approaches based on definitions of putative functions inherited from psychological traditions. As an example, the approach is used to sketch a theoretical framework of how basic feedback control of interaction with the world was elaborated during vertebrate evolution, to give rise to the functional architecture of the mammalian brain. The results provide a conceptual taxonomy of mechanisms that naturally map to neurophysiological and neuroanatomical data and that offer a context for defining putative functions that, it is argued, are better grounded in biology than are some of the traditional concepts of cognitive science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Cisek
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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22
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Pessoa L, Medina L, Hof PR, Desfilis E. Neural architecture of the vertebrate brain: implications for the interaction between emotion and cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:296-312. [PMID: 31541638 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Cognition is considered a hallmark of the primate brain that requires a high degree of signal integration, such as achieved in the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, it is often assumed that cognitive capabilities imply "superior" computational mechanisms compared to those involved in emotion or motivation. In contrast to these ideas, we review data on the neural architecture across vertebrates that support the concept that association and integration are basic features of the vertebrate brain, which are needed to successfully adapt to a changing world. This property is not restricted to a few isolated brain centers, but rather resides in neuronal networks working collectively in a context-dependent manner. In different vertebrates, we identify shared large-scale connectional systems involving the midbrain, hypothalamus, thalamus, basal ganglia, and amygdala. The high degree of crosstalk and association between these systems at different levels supports the notion that cognition, emotion, and motivation cannot be separated - all of them involve a high degree of signal integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - Loreta Medina
- Laboratory of Evolutionary and Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), 25198 Lleida, Spain
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ester Desfilis
- Laboratory of Evolutionary and Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Lleida, Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research Dr. Pifarré Foundation (IRBLleida), 25198 Lleida, Spain
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23
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van Hateren JH. A theory of consciousness: computation, algorithm, and neurobiological realization. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2019; 113:357-372. [PMID: 31289928 PMCID: PMC6658579 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-019-00803-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The most enigmatic aspect of consciousness is the fact that it is felt, as a subjective sensation. The theory proposed here aims to explain this particular aspect. The theory encompasses both the computation that is presumably involved and the way in which that computation may be realized in the brain's neurobiology. It is assumed that the brain makes an internal estimate of an individual's own evolutionary fitness, which can be shown to produce a special, distinct form of causation. Communicating components of the fitness estimate (either for external or for internal use) requires inverting them. Such inversion can be performed by the thalamocortical feedback loop in the mammalian brain, if that loop is operating in a switched, dual-stage mode. A first (nonconscious) stage produces forward estimates, whereas the second (conscious) stage inverts those estimates. It is argued that inversion produces another special, distinct form of causation, which is spatially localized and is plausibly sensed as the feeling of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H van Hateren
- Johann Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 407, 9700 AK, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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24
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Bennett C, Gale SD, Garrett ME, Newton ML, Callaway EM, Murphy GJ, Olsen SR. Higher-Order Thalamic Circuits Channel Parallel Streams of Visual Information in Mice. Neuron 2019; 102:477-492.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Revised: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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25
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Deichler A, Carrasco D, Gonzalez-Cabrera C, Letelier JC, Marín G, Mpodozis J. The nucleus pretectalis principalis: A pretectal structure hidden in the mammalian thalamus. J Comp Neurol 2018; 527:372-391. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Deichler
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Ñuñoa Chile
| | - Denisse Carrasco
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Ñuñoa Chile
| | - Cristian Gonzalez-Cabrera
- Departamento de Anatomía, Escuela de Medicina; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Santiago Chile
| | - Juan C. Letelier
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Ñuñoa Chile
| | - Gonzalo Marín
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Ñuñoa Chile
- Facultad de Medicina; Universidad Finis Terrae; Santiago Chile
| | - Jorge Mpodozis
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Ñuñoa Chile
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26
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Abstract
We expand upon Morsella et al.'s synthesis in the direction of what Gibson (1979) called an ecological approach to perception. Morsella et al. describe consciousness as a director of voluntary action, but they understate the role of the environment in its evolution as well as in directing behavior. We elaborate these roles in the context of the concept of affordances.
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27
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Shigeno S, Andrews PLR, Ponte G, Fiorito G. Cephalopod Brains: An Overview of Current Knowledge to Facilitate Comparison With Vertebrates. Front Physiol 2018; 9:952. [PMID: 30079030 PMCID: PMC6062618 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cephalopod and vertebrate neural-systems are often highlighted as a traditional example of convergent evolution. Their large brains, relative to body size, and complexity of sensory-motor systems and behavioral repertoires offer opportunities for comparative analysis. Despite various attempts, questions on how cephalopod 'brains' evolved and to what extent it is possible to identify a vertebrate-equivalence, assuming it exists, remain unanswered. Here, we summarize recent molecular, anatomical and developmental data to explore certain features in the neural organization of cephalopods and vertebrates to investigate to what extent an evolutionary convergence is likely. Furthermore, and based on whole body and brain axes as defined in early-stage embryos using the expression patterns of homeodomain-containing transcription factors and axonal tractography, we describe a critical analysis of cephalopod neural systems showing similarities to the cerebral cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia, midbrain, cerebellum, hypothalamus, brain stem, and spinal cord of vertebrates. Our overall aim is to promote and facilitate further, hypothesis-driven, studies of cephalopod neural systems evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuichi Shigeno
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Paul L. R. Andrews
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, St. George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanna Ponte
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
| | - Graziano Fiorito
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
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28
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Pessoa L. Emotion and the Interactive Brain: Insights From Comparative Neuroanatomy and Complex Systems. EMOTION REVIEW 2018; 10:204-216. [PMID: 31537985 PMCID: PMC6752744 DOI: 10.1177/1754073918765675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Although emotion is closely associated with motivation, and interacts with perception, cognition, and action, many conceptualizations still treat emotion as separate from these domains. Here, a comparative/evolutionary anatomy framework is presented to motivate the idea that long-range, distributed circuits involving the midbrain, thalamus, and forebrain are central to emotional processing. It is proposed that emotion can be understood in terms of large-scale network interactions spanning the neuroaxis that form "functionally integrated systems." At the broadest level, the argument is made that we need to move beyond a Newtonian view of causation to one involving complex systems where bidirectional influences and nonlinearities abound. Therefore, understanding interactions between subsystems and signal integration becomes central to unraveling the organization of the emotional brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology and Maryland Neuroimaging Center, University of Maryland, USA
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29
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Lacalli T. Amphioxus neurocircuits, enhanced arousal, and the origin of vertebrate consciousness. Conscious Cogn 2018; 62:127-134. [PMID: 29598920 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression studies have recently identified the amphioxus homolog of a domain comprising the combined caudal diencephalon plus midbrain, regions implicated in locomotory control and some forms of primary consciousness in vertebrates. The results of EM-level reconstructions of the larval brain of amphioxus, reviewed here, highlight the importance of inputs to this region for light and physical contact, both of which impinge on the same synaptic zone. The neural circuitry provides a starting point for understanding the organization and evolution of locomotory control and arousal in vertebrates, and implies that one of the tasks of midbrain-based consciousness, as it first emerged in vertebrates, would have been to distinguish between light and physical contact, probably sharp pain in the latter case, by assigning different qualia to each. If so, investigating midbrain circuitry more fully could lead to a better understanding of the neural basis of some forms of sensory experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thurston Lacalli
- Biology Department, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W-3N5, Canada.
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30
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Hoseini MS, Pobst J, Wright NC, Clawson W, Shew W, Wessel R. The turtle visual system mediates a complex spatiotemporal transformation of visual stimuli into cortical activity. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2017; 204:167-181. [PMID: 29094198 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-017-1219-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The three-layered visual cortex of turtle is characterized by extensive intracortical axonal projections and receives non-retinotopic axonal projections from lateral geniculate nucleus. What spatiotemporal transformation of visual stimuli into cortical activity arises from such tangle of malleable cortical inputs and intracortical connections? To address this question, we obtained band-pass filtered extracellular recordings of neural activity in turtle dorsal cortex during visual stimulation of the retina. We discovered important spatial and temporal features of stimulus-modulated cortical local field potential (LFP) recordings. Spatial receptive fields span large areas of the visual field, have an intricate internal structure, and lack directional tuning. The receptive field structure varies across recording sites in a distant-dependent manner. Such composite spatial organization of stimulus-modulated cortical activity is accompanied by an equally multifaceted temporal organization. Cortical visual responses are delayed, persistent, and oscillatory. Further, prior cortical activity contributes globally to adaptation in turtle visual cortex. In conclusion, these results demonstrate convoluted spatiotemporal transformations of visual stimuli into stimulus-modulated cortical activity that, at present, largely evade computational frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeff Pobst
- Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Wesley Clawson
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Woodrow Shew
- Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Ralf Wessel
- Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
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31
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Towards building a more complex view of the lateral geniculate nucleus: Recent advances in understanding its role. Prog Neurobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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32
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A cross-modal genetic framework for the development and plasticity of sensory pathways. Nature 2016; 538:96-98. [PMID: 27669022 DOI: 10.1038/nature19770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Modality-specific sensory inputs from individual sense organs are processed in parallel in distinct areas of the neocortex. For each sensory modality, input follows a cortico-thalamo-cortical loop in which a 'first-order' exteroceptive thalamic nucleus sends peripheral input to the primary sensory cortex, which projects back to a 'higher order' thalamic nucleus that targets a secondary sensory cortex. This conserved circuit motif raises the possibility that shared genetic programs exist across sensory modalities. Here we report that, despite their association with distinct sensory modalities, first-order nuclei in mice are genetically homologous across somatosensory, visual, and auditory pathways, as are higher order nuclei. We further reveal peripheral input-dependent control over the transcriptional identity and connectivity of first-order nuclei by showing that input ablation leads to induction of higher-order-type transcriptional programs and rewiring of higher-order-directed descending cortical input to deprived first-order nuclei. These findings uncover an input-dependent genetic logic for the design and plasticity of sensory pathways, in which conserved developmental programs lead to conserved circuit motifs across sensory modalities.
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Golding B, Pouchelon G, Bellone C, Murthy S, Di Nardo AA, Govindan S, Ogawa M, Shimogori T, Lüscher C, Dayer A, Jabaudon D. Retinal input directs the recruitment of inhibitory interneurons into thalamic visual circuits. Neuron 2014; 81:1057-1069. [PMID: 24607228 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Inhibitory interneurons (INs) critically control the excitability and plasticity of neuronal networks, but whether activity can direct INs into specific circuits during development is unknown. Here, we report that in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), which relays retinal input to the cortex, circuit activity is required for the migration, molecular differentiation, and functional integration of INs. We first characterize the prenatal origin and molecular identity of dLGN INs, revealing their recruitment from an Otx2(+) neuronal pool located in the adjacent ventral LGN. Using time-lapse and electrophysiological recordings, together with genetic and pharmacological perturbation of retinal waves, we show that retinal activity directs the navigation and circuit incorporation of dLGN INs during the first postnatal week, thereby regulating the inhibition of thalamocortical circuits. These findings identify an input-dependent mechanism regulating IN migration and circuit inhibition, which may account for the progressive recruitment of INs into expanding excitatory circuits during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Golding
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Gabrielle Pouchelon
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Camilla Bellone
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sahana Murthy
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ariel A Di Nardo
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, UMR CNRS 7241/INSERM U1050, Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Subashika Govindan
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Masahuro Ogawa
- Riken Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Tomomi Shimogori
- Riken Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Christian Lüscher
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospital, 4 Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Dayer
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospital, 4 Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Denis Jabaudon
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, Geneva University Hospital, 4 Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
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Frangeul L, Porrero C, Garcia-Amado M, Maimone B, Maniglier M, Clascá F, Jabaudon D. Specific activation of the paralemniscal pathway during nociception. Eur J Neurosci 2014; 39:1455-64. [PMID: 24580836 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Revised: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Two main neuronal pathways connect facial whiskers to the somatosensory cortex in rodents: (i) the lemniscal pathway, which originates in the brainstem principal trigeminal nucleus and is relayed in the ventroposterior thalamic nucleus and (ii) the paralemniscal pathway, originating in the spinal trigeminal nucleus and relayed in the posterior thalamic nucleus. While lemniscal neurons are readily activated by whisker contacts, the contribution of paralemniscal neurons to perception is less clear. Here, we functionally investigated these pathways by manipulating input from the whisker pad in freely moving mice. We report that while lemniscal neurons readily respond to neonatal infraorbital nerve sectioning or whisker contacts in vivo, paralemniscal neurons do not detectably respond to these environmental changes. However, the paralemniscal pathway is specifically activated upon noxious stimulation of the whisker pad. These findings reveal a nociceptive function for paralemniscal neurons in vivo that may critically inform context-specific behaviour during environmental exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Frangeul
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel Servet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
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Sex differences in the expression of vasotocin/isotocin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylase family genes in the medaka brain. Neuroscience 2012; 218:65-77. [PMID: 22609934 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2012] [Revised: 04/30/2012] [Accepted: 05/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In teleost fish, sex differences in several behavioral and physiological traits have been assumed to reflect underlying sex differences in the central expression of neurotransmitter/neuromodulator-related molecules, including vasotocin (VT)/isotocin (IT), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases (TH and TPH). However, the sex-dependent expression patterns of these molecules have not been fully characterized in the teleost brain. In the present study, we therefore systematically evaluated sex differences in their expression in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) brain. The most prominent sex difference was observed in vt expression in the nucleus posterior tuberis (NPT) and the posterior part of the nucleus ventral tuberis (NVT) in the hypothalamus, where the expression was completely male-specific. Male-biased expression of gnrh1, tph1, and tph2 was also evident in the supracommissural and posterior nuclei of the ventral telencephalic area (Vs/Vp), medial nucleus of the dorsal telencephalic area (Dm), and thalamic dorsal posterior nucleus (DP), respectively. In contrast, the overall expression levels of it and gnrh3 were higher in the female brain than in the male brain. Equally importantly, no conspicuous sex differences were observed in the expression of gnrh2, th1, and th2, despite several previous reports of their sex-biased expression in the brains of other teleost species. Taken together, these data have uncovered previously unidentified sex differences in the expression of VT/IT, GnRH, and TPH in the teleost brain, which may possibly be relevant to sexual dimorphism in some behavioral and/or physiological traits, and have simultaneously highlighted potential species differences in the roles of these molecules.
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Abstract
Consciousness, ranging from the primary, or perceptual, level to high levels that include a sense of self, can be identified in various organisms by a set of hallmarks that include behavioral, neural and phenomenal and/or informational. Behavioral hallmarks include those that indicate high cognitive abilities, such behavioral flexibility, verbal abilities, episodic memories, theory of mind, object constancy, transitive inference and multistability, all of which have been demonstrated in birds as well as in primates. Neural hallmarks include the thalamocortical model for mammals and similar circuitry in some nonmammalian taxa. Informational hallmarks include sensorimotor awareness, as provided by somatosensory and/or lateral line systems, which may form the basis for the sense of self and distinguishing self from nonself, as well as other sensory information, such as the richness and quantity of color and form information obtained by the visual system. The comparative method reveals a correlation of these different types of hallmarks with each other in their degree of development, which thus may be indicative of the level of consciousness present in a particular species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann B Butler
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
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Rattenborg NC, Martinez-Gonzalez D, Roth TC, Pravosudov VV. Hippocampal memory consolidation during sleep: a comparison of mammals and birds. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2010; 86:658-91. [PMID: 21070585 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-185x.2010.00165.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The transition from wakefulness to sleep is marked by pronounced changes in brain activity. The brain rhythms that characterize the two main types of mammalian sleep, slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, are thought to be involved in the functions of sleep. In particular, recent theories suggest that the synchronous slow-oscillation of neocortical neuronal membrane potentials, the defining feature of SWS, is involved in processing information acquired during wakefulness. According to the Standard Model of memory consolidation, during wakefulness the hippocampus receives input from neocortical regions involved in the initial encoding of an experience and binds this information into a coherent memory trace that is then transferred to the neocortex during SWS where it is stored and integrated within preexisting memory traces. Evidence suggests that this process selectively involves direct connections from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a multimodal, high-order association region implicated in coordinating the storage and recall of remote memories in the neocortex. The slow-oscillation is thought to orchestrate the transfer of information from the hippocampus by temporally coupling hippocampal sharp-wave/ripples (SWRs) and thalamocortical spindles. SWRs are synchronous bursts of hippocampal activity, during which waking neuronal firing patterns are reactivated in the hippocampus and neocortex in a coordinated manner. Thalamocortical spindles are brief 7-14 Hz oscillations that may facilitate the encoding of information reactivated during SWRs. By temporally coupling the readout of information from the hippocampus with conditions conducive to encoding in the neocortex, the slow-oscillation is thought to mediate the transfer of information from the hippocampus to the neocortex. Although several lines of evidence are consistent with this function for mammalian SWS, it is unclear whether SWS serves a similar function in birds, the only taxonomic group other than mammals to exhibit SWS and REM sleep. Based on our review of research on avian sleep, neuroanatomy, and memory, although involved in some forms of memory consolidation, avian sleep does not appear to be involved in transferring hippocampal memories to other brain regions. Despite exhibiting the slow-oscillation, SWRs and spindles have not been found in birds. Moreover, although birds independently evolved a brain region--the caudolateral nidopallium (NCL)--involved in performing high-order cognitive functions similar to those performed by the PFC, direct connections between the NCL and hippocampus have not been found in birds, and evidence for the transfer of information from the hippocampus to the NCL or other extra-hippocampal regions is lacking. Although based on the absence of evidence for various traits, collectively, these findings suggest that unlike mammalian SWS, avian SWS may not be involved in transferring memories from the hippocampus. Furthermore, it suggests that the slow-oscillation, the defining feature of mammalian and avian SWS, may serve a more general function independent of that related to coordinating the transfer of information from the hippocampus to the PFC in mammals. Given that SWS is homeostatically regulated (a process intimately related to the slow-oscillation) in mammals and birds, functional hypotheses linked to this process may apply to both taxonomic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels C Rattenborg
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Sleep and Flight Group, Eberhard-Gwinner-Strasse, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany.
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