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Xu J, Luo Y, Zhang J, Zhong L, Liu H, Weng A, Yang Z, Zhang Y, Ou Z, Yan Z, Cheng Q, Fan X, Zhang X, Zhang W, Hu Q, Liang D, Peng K, Liu G. Progressive thalamic nuclear atrophy in blepharospasm and blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae117. [PMID: 38638150 PMCID: PMC11025674 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The thalamus is considered a key region in the neuromechanisms of blepharospasm. However, previous studies considered it as a single, homogeneous structure, disregarding potentially useful information about distinct thalamic nuclei. Herein, we aimed to examine (i) whether grey matter volume differs across thalamic subregions/nuclei in patients with blepharospasm and blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia; (ii) causal relationships among abnormal thalamic nuclei; and (iii) whether these abnormal features can be used as neuroimaging biomarkers to distinguish patients with blepharospasm from blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia and those with dystonia from healthy controls. Structural MRI data were collected from 56 patients with blepharospasm, 20 with blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia and 58 healthy controls. Differences in thalamic nuclei volumes between groups and their relationships to clinical information were analysed in patients with dystonia. Granger causality analysis was employed to explore the causal effects among abnormal thalamic nuclei. Support vector machines were used to test whether these abnormal features could distinguish patients with different forms of dystonia and those with dystonia from healthy controls. Compared with healthy controls, patients with blepharospasm exhibited reduced grey matter volume in the lateral geniculate and pulvinar inferior nuclei, whereas those with blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia showed decreased grey matter volume in the ventral anterior and ventral lateral anterior nuclei. Atrophy in the pulvinar inferior nucleus in blepharospasm patients and in the ventral lateral anterior nucleus in blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia patients was negatively correlated with clinical severity and disease duration, respectively. The proposed machine learning scheme yielded a high accuracy in distinguishing blepharospasm patients from healthy controls (accuracy: 0.89), blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia patients from healthy controls (accuracy: 0.82) and blepharospasm from blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia patients (accuracy: 0.94). Most importantly, Granger causality analysis revealed that a progressive driving pathway from pulvinar inferior nuclear atrophy extends to lateral geniculate nuclear atrophy and then to ventral lateral anterior nuclear atrophy with increasing clinical severity in patients with blepharospasm. These findings suggest that the pulvinar inferior nucleus in the thalamus is the focal origin of blepharospasm, extending to pulvinar inferior nuclear atrophy and subsequently extending to the ventral lateral anterior nucleus causing involuntary lower facial and masticatory movements known as blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia. Moreover, our results also provide potential targets for neuromodulation especially deep brain stimulation in patients with blepharospasm and blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinping Xu
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yuhan Luo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jiana Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Linchang Zhong
- Department of Medical Imaging, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Huiming Liu
- Department of Medical Imaging, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Ai Weng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhengkun Yang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zilin Ou
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhicong Yan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Qinxiu Cheng
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xinxin Fan
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Weixi Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Qingmao Hu
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Dong Liang
- Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Kangqiang Peng
- Department of Medical Imaging, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Gang Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Neurological Diseases, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, Guangzhou 510080, China
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The caudal prethalamus: Inhibitory switchboard for behavioral control? Neuron 2022; 110:2728-2742. [PMID: 36076337 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Prethalamic nuclei in the mammalian brain include the zona incerta, the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus, and the intergeniculate leaflet, which provide long-range inhibition to many targets in the midbrain, hindbrain, and thalamus. These nuclei in the caudal prethalamus can integrate sensory and non-sensory information, and together they exert powerful inhibitory control over a wide range of brain functions and behaviors that encompass most aspects of the behavioral repertoire of mammals, including sleep, circadian rhythms, feeding, drinking, predator avoidance, and exploration. In this perspective, we highlight the evidence for this wide-ranging control and lay out the hypothesis that one role of caudal prethalamic nuclei may be that of a behavioral switchboard that-depending on the sensory input, the behavioral context, and the state of the animal-can promote a behavioral strategy and suppress alternative, competing behaviors by modulating inhibitory drive onto diverse target areas.
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Wolff M, Morceau S, Folkard R, Martin-Cortecero J, Groh A. A thalamic bridge from sensory perception to cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 120:222-235. [PMID: 33246018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The ability to adapt to dynamic environments requires tracking multiple signals with variable sensory salience and fluctuating behavioral relevance. This complex process requires integrative crosstalk between sensory and cognitive brain circuits. Functional interactions between cortical and thalamic regions are now considered essential for both sensory perception and cognition but a clear account of the functional link between sensory and cognitive circuits is currently lacking. This review aims to document how thalamic nuclei may effectively act as a bridge allowing to fuse perceptual and cognitive events into meaningful experiences. After highlighting key aspects of thalamocortical circuits such as the classic first-order/higher-order dichotomy, we consider the role of the thalamic reticular nucleus from directed attention to cognition. We next summarize research relying on Pavlovian learning paradigms, showing that both first-order and higher-order thalamic nuclei contribute to associative learning. Finally, we propose that modulator inputs reaching all thalamic nuclei may be critical for integrative purposes when environmental signals are computed. Altogether, the thalamus appears as the bridge linking perception, cognition and possibly affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Wolff
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France; University of Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.
| | - S Morceau
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France; University of Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - R Folkard
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, INF 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - J Martin-Cortecero
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, INF 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Groh
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, INF 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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Farley SJ, Albazboz H, De Corte BJ, Radley JJ, Freeman JH. Amygdala central nucleus modulation of cerebellar learning with a visual conditioned stimulus. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 150:84-92. [PMID: 29535041 PMCID: PMC5893399 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies found that reversible inactivation of the central amygdala (CeA) severely impairs acquisition and retention of cerebellum-dependent eye-blink conditioning (EBC) with an auditory conditioned stimulus (CS). A monosynaptic pathway between the CeA and basilar pontine nuclei (BPN) may be capable of facilitating cerebellar learning. However, given that the CeA projects to the medial auditory thalamus, a critical part of the auditory CS pathway in EBC, the CeA influence on cerebellar learning could be specific to auditory stimuli. Here we examined the generality of CeA facilitation of EBC acquisition and retention in rats using a visual CS. As in our previous studies using an auditory CS, inactivation of the CeA with muscimol severely impaired acquisition and retention of EBC with a visual CS. Extending training to 15 100-trial sessions resulted in acquisition of EBC, indicating that the CeA plays a modulatory role in cerebellar learning and is not part of the necessary neural circuitry for EBC. Tract-tracing experiments verified that axons from the CeA reach both the BPN and medial auditory thalamus (part of the necessary auditory CS pathway), but were not found in the ventral lateral geniculate (part of the necessary visual CS pathway). The neuroanatomical results suggest that the CeA most likely modulates cerebellar learning through its projection to the BPN. The findings of the current study are consistent with the hypothesis that the CeA modulates cerebellar learning by increasing CS-related sensory input to the cerebellar cortex and interpositus nucleus via the BPN. This increase in CS-related input is thought to constitute an increase in attention to the CS during EBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean J Farley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Heba Albazboz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Benjamin J De Corte
- Department of Neurology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Jason J Radley
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - John H Freeman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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Weiss C, Disterhoft JF. The impact of hippocampal lesions on trace-eyeblink conditioning and forebrain-cerebellar interactions. Behav Neurosci 2015; 129:512-22. [PMID: 26214216 PMCID: PMC4518454 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral Neuroscience published a pivotal paper by Moyer, Deyo, and Disterhoft (1990) 25 years ago that described the impaired acquisition of trace-eyeblink conditioning in rabbits with complete removal of the hippocampus. As part of the Behavioral Neuroscience celebration commemorating the 30th anniversary of the journal, we reflect upon the impact of that study on understanding the role of the hippocampus, forebrain, and forebrain-cerebellar interactions that mediate acquisition and retention of trace-conditioned responses, and of declarative memory more globally. We discuss the expansion of the conditioning paradigm to species other than the rabbit, the heterogeneity of responses among hippocampal neurons during trace conditioning, the responsivity of hippocampal neurons following consolidation of conditioning, the role of awareness in conditioning, how blink conditioning can be used as a translational tool by assaying potential therapeutics for cognitive enhancement, how trace and delay classical conditioning may be used to investigate neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, and how the 2 paradigms may be used to understand the relationship between declarative (explicit) and nondeclarative (implicit) memory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig Weiss
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
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Abstract
The mechanisms underlying cerebellar learning are reviewed with an emphasis on old arguments and new perspectives on eyeblink conditioning. Eyeblink conditioning has been used for decades a model system for elucidating cerebellar learning mechanisms. The standard model of the mechanisms underlying eyeblink conditioning is that there two synaptic plasticity processes within the cerebellum that are necessary for acquisition of the conditioned response: (1) long-term depression (LTD) at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses and (2) long-term potentiation (LTP) at mossy fiber-interpositus nucleus synapses. Additional Purkinje cell plasticity mechanisms may also contribute to eyeblink conditioning including LTP, excitability, and entrainment of deep nucleus activity. Recent analyses of the sensory input pathways necessary for eyeblink conditioning indicate that the cerebellum regulates its inputs to facilitate learning and maintain plasticity. Cerebellar learning during eyeblink conditioning is therefore a dynamic interactive process which maximizes responding to significant stimuli and suppresses responding to irrelevant or redundant stimuli. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Brain and Memory.
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Kashef A, Campolattaro MM, Freeman JH. Learning-related neuronal activity in the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus during associative cerebellar learning. J Neurophysiol 2014; 112:2234-50. [PMID: 25122718 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00185.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
During delay eyeblink conditioning, rats learn to produce an eyelid-closure conditioned response (CR) to a conditioned stimulus (CS), such as a light, which precedes and coterminates with an unconditioned stimulus (US). Previous studies have suggested that the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNv) might play an important role in visual eyeblink conditioning by supplying visual sensory input to the pontine nuclei (PN) and also receiving feedback from the cerebellum. No prior study has investigated LGNv neuronal activity during eyeblink conditioning. The present study used multiple tetrodes to monitor single-unit activity in the rat LGNv during pre-exposure (CS only), unpaired CS/US, and paired CS-US training conditions. This behavioral-training sequence was used to investigate nonassociative- and associative-driven neuronal activity in the LGNv during training. LGNv neuronal activity habituated during unpaired training and then recovered from habituation during subsequent paired training, which may indicate that the LGNv plays a role in attention to the CS. The amplitude of LGNv neuronal activity correlated with CR production during paired but not unpaired CS/US training. Cerebellar feedback to the LGNv may play a role in modulating LGNv activity and attention to the CS during paired training. Based on the present findings, we hypothesize that the role of LGNv in visual eyeblink conditioning goes beyond simply routing visual CS information to the PN and involves modulation of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Kashef
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and
| | | | - John H Freeman
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and
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