Vocalization deficits in mice over-expressing alpha-synuclein, a model of pre-manifest Parkinson's disease

Neuroanatomical frameworks for volitional control of breathing and orofacial behaviors

Breathing is the only vital function that can be volitionally controlled. However, a detailed understanding how volitional (cortical) motor commands can transform vital breathing activity into adaptive breathing patterns that accommodate orofacial behaviors such as swallowing, vocalization or sniffing remains to be developed. Recent neuroanatomical tract tracing studies have identified patterns and origins of descending forebrain projections that target brain nuclei involved in laryngeal adductor function which is critically involved in orofacial behavior. These nuclei include the midbrain periaqueductal gray and nuclei of the respiratory rhythm and pattern generating network in the brainstem, specifically including the pontine Kölliker-Fuse nucleus and the pre-Bötzinger complex in the medulla oblongata. This review discusses the functional implications of the forebrain-brainstem anatomical connectivity that could underlie the volitional control and coordination of orofacial behaviors with breathing.

Cortical circuits modulate mouse social vocalizations

Vocalizations provide a means of communication with high fidelity and information rate for many species. Diencephalon and brainstem neural circuits have been shown to control mouse vocal production; however, the role of cortical circuits in this process is debatable. Using electrical and optogenetic stimulation, we identified a cortical region in the anterior cingulate cortex in which stimulation elicits ultrasonic vocalizations. Moreover, fiber photometry showed an increase in Ca2+ dynamics preceding vocal initiation, whereas optogenetic suppression in this cortical area caused mice to emit fewer vocalizations. Last, electrophysiological recordings indicated a differential increase in neural activity in response to female social exposure dependent on vocal output. Together, these results indicate that the cortex is a key node in the neuronal circuits controlling vocal behavior in mice.

Prenatal SAMe Treatment Changes via Epigenetic Mechanism/s USVs in Young Mice and Hippocampal Monoamines Turnover at Adulthood in a Mouse Model of Social Hierarchy and Depression

The role of hippocampal monoamines and their related genes in the etiology and pathogenesis of depression-like behavior, particularly in impaired sociability traits and the meaning of changes in USVs emitted by pups, remains unknown. We assessed the effects of prenatal administration of S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe) in Sub mice that exhibit depressive-like behavior on serotonergic, dopaminergic and noradrenergic metabolism and the activity of related genes in the hippocampus (HPC) in adulthood in comparison to saline-treated control Sub mice. During postnatal days 4 and 8, we recorded and analyzed the stress-induced USVs emitted by the pups and tried to understand how the changes in the USVs' calls may be related to the changes in the monoamines and the activity of related genes. The recordings of the USVs showed that SAMe induced a reduction in the emitted flat and one-frequency step-up call numbers in PND4 pups, whereas step-down type calls were significantly increased by SAMe in PND8 pups. The reduction in the number of calls induced by SAMe following separation from the mothers implies a reduction in anxiety, which is an additional sign of decreased depressive-like behavior. Prenatal SAMe increased the concentrations of serotonin in the HPC in both male and female mice without any change in the levels of 5HIAA. It also decreased the level of the dopamine metabolite DOPAC in females. There were no changes in the levels of norepinephrine and metabolites. Several changes in the expression of genes associated with monoamine metabolism were also induced by prenatal SAMe. The molecular and biochemical data obtained from the HPC studies are generally in accordance with our previously obtained data from the prefrontal cortex of similarly treated Sub mice on postnatal day 90. The changes in both monoamines and their gene expression observed 2-3 months after SAMe treatment are associated with the previously recorded behavioral improvement and seem to demonstrate that SAMe is effective via an epigenetic mechanism.

A Mouse Model to Test Novel Therapeutics for Parkinson's Disease: an Update on the Thy1-aSyn ("line 61") Mice

Development of neuroprotective therapeutics for Parkinson's disease (PD) is facing a lack of translation from pre-clinical to clinical trials. One strategy for improvement is to increase predictive validity of pre-clinical studies by using extensively characterized animal models with a comprehensive set of validated pharmacodynamic readouts. Mice over-expressing full-length, human, wild-type alpha-synuclein under the Thy-1 promoter (Thy1-aSyn line 61) reproduce key features of sporadic PD, such as progressive loss of striatal dopamine, alpha-synuclein pathology, deficits in motor and non-motor functions, and elevation of inflammatory markers. Extensive work with this model by multiple laboratories over the past decade further increased confidence in its robustness and validity, especially for analyzing pathomechanisms of alpha-synuclein pathology and down-stream pathways, and for pre-clinical drug testing. Interestingly, while postnatal transgene expression is widespread in central and peripheral neurons, the extent and progression of down-stream pathology differs between brain regions, thereby replicating the characteristic selective vulnerability of neurodegenerative diseases. In-depth characterization of these readouts in conjunction with behavioral deficits has led to more informative endpoints for pre-clinical trials. Each drug tested in Thy1-aSyn line 61 enhances knowledge on how molecular targets, pathology, and functional behavioral readouts are interconnected, thereby further optimizing the platform towards predictive validity for clinical trials. Here, we present the current state of the art using Thy1-aSyn line 61 for drug target discovery, validation, and pre-clinical testing.

How Well Do Rodent Models of Parkinson's Disease Recapitulate Early Non-Motor Phenotypes? A Systematic Review

The prodromal phase of Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by many non-motor symptoms, and these have recently been posited to be predictive of later diagnosis. Genetic rodent models can develop non-motor phenotypes, providing tools to identify mechanisms underlying the early development of PD. However, it is not yet clear how reproducible non-motor phenotypes are amongst genetic PD rodent models, whether phenotypes are age-dependent, and the translatability of these phenotypes has yet to be explored. A systematic literature search was conducted on studies using genetic PD rodent models to investigate non-motor phenotypes; cognition, anxiety/depressive-like behaviour, gastrointestinal (GI) function, olfaction, circadian rhythm, cardiovascular and urinary function. In total, 51 genetic models of PD across 150 studies were identified. We found outcomes of most phenotypes were inconclusive due to inadequate studies, assessment at different ages, or variation in experimental and environmental factors. GI dysfunction was the most reproducible phenotype across all genetic rodent models. The mouse model harbouring mutant A53T, and the wild-type hα-syn overexpression (OE) model recapitulated the majority of phenotypes, albeit did not reliably produce concurrent motor deficits and nigral cell loss. Furthermore, animal models displayed different phenotypic profiles, reflecting the distinct genetic risk factors and heterogeneity of disease mechanisms. Currently, the inconsistent phenotypes within rodent models pose a challenge in the translatability and usefulness for further biomechanistic investigations. This review highlights opportunities to improve phenotype reproducibility with an emphasis on phenotypic assay choice and robust experimental design.

Vocal changes in a zebra finch model of Parkinson's disease characterized by alpha-synuclein overexpression in the song-dedicated anterior forebrain pathway

Deterioration in the quality of a person's voice and speech is an early marker of Parkinson's disease (PD). In humans, the neural circuit that supports vocal motor control consists of a cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortico loop. The basal ganglia regions, striatum and globus pallidus, in this loop play a role in modulating the acoustic features of vocal behavior such as loudness, pitch, and articulatory rate. In PD, this area is implicated in pathogenesis. In animal models of PD, the accumulation of toxic aggregates containing the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein (αsyn) in the midbrain and striatum result in limb and vocal motor impairments. It has been challenging to study vocal impairments given the lack of well-defined cortico-basal ganglia circuitry for vocalization in rodent models. Furthermore, whether deterioration of voice quality early in PD is a direct result of αsyn-induced neuropathology is not yet known. Here, we take advantage of the well-characterized vocal circuits of the adult male zebra finch songbird to experimentally target a song-dedicated pathway, the anterior forebrain pathway, using an adeno-associated virus expressing the human wild-type αsyn gene, SNCA. We found that overexpression of αsyn in this pathway coincides with higher levels of insoluble, monomeric αsyn compared to control finches. Impairments in song production were also detected along with shorter and poorer quality syllables, which are the most basic unit of song. These vocal changes are similar to the vocal abnormalities observed in individuals with PD.

Rat Models of Vocal Deficits in Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive, degenerative disorder that affects 10 million people worldwide. More than 90% of individuals with PD develop hypokinetic dysarthria, a motor speech disorder that impairs vocal communication and quality of life. Despite the prevalence of vocal deficits in this population, very little is known about the pathological mechanisms underlying this aspect of disease. As such, effective treatment options are limited. Rat models have provided unique insights into the disease-specific mechanisms of vocal deficits in PD. This review summarizes recent studies investigating vocal deficits in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), alpha-synuclein overexpression, DJ1-/-, and Pink1-/- rat models of PD. Model-specific changes to rat ultrasonic vocalization (USV), and the effects of exercise and pharmacologic interventions on USV production in these models are discussed.

Alpha-Synuclein Pathology Coincides With Increased Number of Early Stage Neural Progenitors in the Adult Hippocampus

Alpha-synuclein pathology driven impairment in adult neurogenesis was proposed as a potential cause of, or at least contributor to, memory impairment observed in both patients and animal models of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). Mice overexpressing wild-type alpha-synuclein under the Thy-1 promoter (Thy1-aSyn, line 61) uniquely replicate early cognitive deficits together with multiple other characteristic motor and non-motor symptoms, alpha-synuclein pathology and dopamine loss. Here we report overt intracellular accumulation of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein in the hippocampus of these transgenic mice. To test whether this alters adult neurogenesis and total number of mature neurons, we employed immunohistochemistry and an unbiased stereology approach to quantify the distinct neural progenitor cells and neurons in the hippocampal granule cell layer and subgranular zone of 6 (prodromal stage) and 16-month (dopamine loss) old Thy1-aSyn mice. Surprisingly, we observed an increase in the number of early stage, i.e., Pax6 expressing, progenitors whereas the numbers of late stage, i.e., Tbr2 expressing, progenitors and neurons were not altered. Astroglia marker was increased in the hippocampus of transgenic mice, but this was not specific to the regions where adult neurogenesis takes place, arguing against a commitment of additional early stage progenitors to the astroglia lineage. Together, this uncovers a novel aspect of alpha-synuclein pathology in adult neurogenesis. Studying its mechanisms in Thy1-aSyn mice could lead to discovery of effective therapeutic interventions for cognitive dysfunction in PD and DLB.

Acoustilytix™: A Web-Based Automated Ultrasonic Vocalization Scoring Platform

Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are known to reflect emotional processing, brain neurochemistry, and brain function. Collecting and processing USV data is manual, time-intensive, and costly, creating a significant bottleneck by limiting researchers’ ability to employ fully effective and nuanced experimental designs and serving as a barrier to entry for other researchers. In this report, we provide a snapshot of the current development and testing of Acoustilytix™, a web-based automated USV scoring tool. Acoustilytix implements machine learning methodology in the USV detection and classification process and is recording-environment-agnostic. We summarize the user features identified as desirable by USV researchers and how these were implemented. These include the ability to easily upload USV files, output a list of detected USVs with associated parameters in csv format, and the ability to manually verify or modify an automatically detected call. With no user intervention or tuning, Acoustilytix achieves 93% sensitivity (a measure of how accurately Acoustilytix detects true calls) and 73% precision (a measure of how accurately Acoustilytix avoids false positives) in call detection across four unique recording environments and was superior to the popular DeepSqueak algorithm (sensitivity = 88%; precision = 41%). Future work will include integration and implementation of machine-learning-based call type classification prediction that will recommend a call type to the user for each detected call. Call classification accuracy is currently in the 71–79% accuracy range, which will continue to improve as more USV files are scored by expert scorers, providing more training data for the classification model. We also describe a recently developed feature of Acoustilytix that offers a fast and effective way to train hand-scorers using automated learning principles without the need for an expert hand-scorer to be present and is built upon a foundation of learning science. The key is that trainees are given practice classifying hundreds of calls with immediate corrective feedback based on an expert’s USV classification. We showed that this approach is highly effective with inter-rater reliability (i.e., kappa statistics) between trainees and the expert ranging from 0.30–0.75 (average = 0.55) after only 1000–2000 calls of training. We conclude with a brief discussion of future improvements to the Acoustilytix platform.

Reduced cerebral blood flow in an -synuclein transgenic mouse model of Parkinson's disease

There is increasing evidence that widespread cortical cerebral blood flow deficits occur early in the course of Parkinson's disease. Although cerebral blood flow measurement has been suggested as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, as well as a means for tracking response to treatment, the relationship of cerebral blood flow to α-synucleinopathy, a major pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease, remains unclear. Therefore, we performed arterial spin-labeling magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging on transgenic mice overexpressing human wild-type α-synuclein and age-matched controls to measure cerebral blood flow and degenerative changes. As reported for early-stage Parkinson's disease, α-synuclein mice exhibited a significant reduction in cortical cerebral blood flow, which was accompanied by motor coordination deficits and olfactory dysfunction. Although no overt degenerative changes were apparent in diffusion tensor imaging images, magnetic resonance imaging volumetric analysis revealed a significant reduction in olfactory bulb volume, similar to that seen in Parkinson's disease patients. Our data, representing the first report of cerebral blood flow deficit in an animal model of Parkinson's disease, suggest a causative role for α-synucleinopathy in cerebral blood flow deficits in Parkinson's disease. Thus, α-synuclein transgenic mice comprise a promising model to study Parkinson's disease-related mechanisms of cerebral blood flow deficits and to investigate further its utility as a potential biomarker for Parkinson's disease.

Gene expression within the periaqueductal gray is linked to vocal behavior and early-onset parkinsonism in Pink1 knockout rats

Background

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a degenerative disease with early-stage pathology hypothesized to manifest in brainstem regions. Vocal deficits, including soft, monotone speech, result in significant clinical and quality of life issues and are present in 90% of PD patients; yet the underlying pathology mediating these significant voice deficits is unknown. The Pink1−/− rat is a valid model of early-onset PD that presents with analogous vocal communication deficits. Previous work shows abnormal α-synuclein protein aggregation in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a brain region critical and necessary to the modulation of mammalian vocal behavior. In this study, we used high-throughput RNA sequencing to examine gene expression within the PAG of both male and female Pink1−/− rats as compared to age-matched wildtype controls. We used a bioinformatic approach to (1) test the hypothesis that loss of Pink1 in the PAG will influence the differential expression of genes that interact with Pink1, (2) highlight other key genes that relate to this type of Mendelian PD, and (3) catalog molecular targets that may be important for the production of rat vocalizations.

Results

Knockout of the Pink1 gene resulted in differentially expressed genes for both male and female rats that also mapped to human PD datasets. Pathway analysis highlighted several significant metabolic pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify gene nodes and their interactions in (A) males, (B) females, and (C) combined-sexes datasets. For each analysis, within the module containing the Pink1 gene, Pink1 itself was the central node with the highest number of interactions with other genes including solute carriers, glutamate metabotropic receptors, and genes associated with protein localization. Strong connections between Pink1 and Krt2 and Hfe were found in both males and female datasets. In females a number of modules were significantly correlated with vocalization traits.

Conclusions

Overall, this work supports the premise that gene expression changes in the PAG may contribute to the vocal deficits observed in this PD rat model. Additionally, this dataset identifies genes that represent new therapeutic targets for PD voice disorders.

Beneficial effects of cysteamine in Thy1-α-Syn mice and induced pluripotent stem cells with a SNCA gene triplication

A number of publications have reported that cysteamine has significant therapeutic effects on several aspects of Parkinson's disease (PD)-related pathology but none of these studies have evaluated its impact on pathological forms of α-Synuclein (α-Syn), one of the main hallmarks of PD. We therefore tested the efficacy of cysteamine on the Thy1-α-Syn mouse model which over-expresses full-length human wild-type α-Syn. Two-month (early stage disease) and 6-month old (late stage disease) mice and littermate controls were treated daily with cysteamine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) to assess the protective and restorative properties of this compound. After 6 weeks of treatment, animals were tested using a battery of motor tests. Cysteamine-treated transgenic mice displayed significant improvements in motor performance as compared to saline-treated transgenic littermates. Post-mortem readouts revealed a reduction in fibrillation, phosphorylation and total levels of overexpresed human α-Syn. To determine if such outcomes extended to human cells, the benefits of cysteamine were additionally tested using 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) treated neurons differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from a PD patient harbouring a triplication of the SNCA gene. SNCA neurons treated with cysteamine exhibited significantly more intact/healthy neurites than cells treated with 6-OHDA alone. Additionally, SNCA neurons treated with cysteamine in the absence of 6-OHDA showed a trend towards lower total α-Syn levels. Overall, our in vivo and in vitro findings suggest that cysteamine can act as a disease-modifying molecule by enhancing -the survival of dopaminergic neurons and reducing pathological forms of α-Syn.

Voice changes in Parkinson's disease: What are they telling us?

Emerging evidence suggests voice dysfunction is the earliest sign of motor impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD). The complexity and fine motor control involved in vocalization may result in dysfunction here before the limbs. The voice in PD demonstrates characteristic changes on perceptual and acoustic analyses. The physiological and anatomical correlates of these have been investigated through laryngoscopy, stroboscopy, photoglottography, laryngeal electromyography, computed-tomography, pulmonary function testing and aerodynamic assessments. These have revealed numerous abnormalities including incomplete glottic closure and vocal fold hypoadduction/bowing to account for these voice changes. Many of these phenomena are likely related to rigidity or bradykinesia of the laryngeal muscles. The early onset of voice changes is resonant with the pathophysiological insights offered by Braak's hypothesis and murine models of the disease. These physiological abnormalities and pathological models largely stand to support dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic mechanisms being implicated in the pathogenesis of voice dysfunction. This review focuses on characterizing the voice changes in PD. These stand as a promising area of enquiry to further our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease and offer potential to be utilized as an early diagnostic biomarker or marker of disease progression.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve transection in mice results in translational upper airway dysfunction

The recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is responsible for normal vocal-fold (VF) movement, and is at risk for iatrogenic injury during anterior neck surgical procedures in human patients. Injury, resulting in VF paralysis, may contribute to subsequent swallowing, voice, and respiratory dysfunction. Unfortunately, treatment for RLN injury does little to restore physiologic function of the VFs. Thus, we sought to create a mouse model with translational functional outcomes to further investigate RLN regeneration and potential therapeutic interventions. To do so, we performed ventral neck surgery in 21 C57BL/6J male mice, divided into two groups: Unilateral RLN Transection (n = 11) and Sham Injury (n = 10). Mice underwent behavioral assays to determine upper airway function at multiple time points prior to and following surgery. Transoral endoscopy, videofluoroscopy, ultrasonic vocalizations, and whole-body plethysmography were used to assess VF motion, swallow function, vocal function, and respiratory function, respectively. Affected outcome metrics, such as VF motion correlation, intervocalization interval, and peak inspiratory flow were identified to increase the translational potential of this model. Additionally, immunohistochemistry was used to investigate neuronal cell death in the nucleus ambiguus. Results revealed that RLN transection created ipsilateral VF paralysis that did not recover by 13 weeks postsurgery. Furthermore, there was evidence of significant vocal and respiratory dysfunction in the RLN transection group, but not the sham injury group. No significant differences in swallow function or neuronal cell death were found between the two groups. In conclusion, our mouse model of RLN injury provides several novel functional outcome measures to increase the translational potential of findings in preclinical animal studies. We will use this model and behavioral assays to assess various treatment options in future studies.

Contrasting characteristic behaviours among common laboratory mouse strains

Mice are widely used to model wide-ranging human neurological disorders, from development to degenerative pathophysiology. Behavioural and molecular characteristics of these mouse models are influenced by the genetic background of each strain. Among the most commonly used strains, the inbred C57BL/6J, BALB/c, CBA and 129SvEv lines and the CD1 outbred line are particularly predominant. Despite their prevalence, comparative performance of these strains on many standard behavioural tests commonly used to assess neurological conditions remains diffusely and indirectly accessible in the literature. Given that independent studies may be conducted with mice of differing genetic backgrounds, any variation in characteristic behavioural responses of specific strains should be delineated in order to properly interpret results among studies. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to characterize these commonly used mice strains through several standard behavioural tests. Here, we found that animals from different genetic background strains exhibited varying behavioural patterns when assessed for sociability/novelty, memory function, and negative behaviours like despair and stress calls. These results suggest that genetic variation among strains may be responsible-in part-for strain-specific behavioural phenotypes and potential predisposition to some neurological disorders.

Quantifying ultrasonic mouse vocalizations using acoustic analysis in a supervised statistical machine learning framework

Examination of rodent vocalizations in experimental conditions can yield valuable insights into how disease manifests and progresses over time. It can also be used as an index of social interest, motivation, emotional development or motor function depending on the animal model under investigation. Most mouse communication is produced in ultrasonic frequencies beyond human hearing. These ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) are typically described and evaluated using expert defined classification of the spectrographic appearance or simplistic acoustic metrics resulting in nine call types. In this study, we aimed to replicate the standard expert-defined call types of communicative vocal behavior in mice by using acoustic analysis to characterize USVs and a principled supervised learning setup. We used four feature selection algorithms to select parsimonious subsets with maximum predictive accuracy, which are then presented into support vector machines (SVM) and random forests (RF). We assessed the resulting models using 10-fold cross-validation with 100 repetitions for statistical confidence and found that a parsimonious subset of 8 acoustic measures presented to RF led to 85% correct out-of-sample classification, replicating the experts’ labels. Acoustic measures can be used by labs to describe USVs and compare data between groups, and provide insight into vocal-behavioral patterns of mice by automating the process on matching the experts’ call types.

Noradrenergic receptor modulation influences the acoustic parameters of pro-social rat ultrasonic vocalizations

Rats produce high rates of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in social situations; these vocalizations are influenced by multiple neurotransmitter systems. Norepinephrine (NE) plays a significant role in vocalization biology; however, the contribution of NE to normal, prosocial vocal control has not been well established in the rat. To address this, we used NE adrenoceptor agonists (Cirazoline, Clonidine) and antagonists (Prozasin, Atipamezole, Propranolol) to quantify the contribution of specific alpha-1, alpha-2, and beta NE receptors to USV parameters in male Long Evans rats during seminaturalistic calling. We found that multiple USV acoustic variables (intensity, bandwidth, duration, peak frequency, and call profile) are modified by alterations in NE signaling. Very generally, agents that increased NE neurotransmission (Atipamezole) or activated alpha-1 receptors (Cirazoline), led to an increase in intensity and duration, respectively. Agents that decreased NE neurotransmission (Clonidine) or blocked alpha-1 receptors (Prazosin) reduced call rate, intensity, and bandwidth. However, the beta-receptor antagonist, Propranolol, was associated with increased call rate, duration, and intensity. Limb motor behaviors were largely unaffected by any drug, with the exception of Clonidine. Higher doses of Clonidine significantly reduced gross motor, grooming, and feeding behavior. These results confirm the involvement of NE transmission in vocal control in the rat, and suggest that this USV model is useful for studying the neuropharmacology of behavioral measures that may have implications for disease states, such as Parkinson's disease. (PsycINFO Database Record

Characterization of early-onset motor deficits in the Pink1-/- mouse model of Parkinson disease

In Parkinson disease (PD), a complex neurodegenerative disorder that affects nearly 10 million people worldwide, motor skills are significantly impaired. However, onset and progression of motor deficits and the neural correlates of these deficits are poorly understood. We used a genetic mouse model of PD (Pink1-/-), with phenotypic similarities to human PD, to investigate the manifestation of early-onset sensorimotor deficits. We hypothesized this mouse model would show early vocalization and gross motor dysfunction that would be progressive in nature. Pink1-/- mice, compared to wild type (WT) controls, were evaluated at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months of age. To quantify deficit progression, ultrasonic vocalizations and spontaneous locomotor activity (cylinder test and pole test) were analyzed. Although somewhat variable, in general, Pink1-/- mice produced significantly more simple calls with reduced intensity as well as a larger percentage of cycle calls compared to WT counterparts. However, there were no significant differences in duration, bandwidth, or peak frequency for any of the ultrasonic call types between genotypes. Pink1-/- mice showed a significant impairment in limb motor skills with fewer hindlimb steps, forelimb steps, and rears and lands in the cylinder test compared to WT. Additionally, Pink1-/- mice took significantly longer to turn and traverse during the pole test. Immunohistochemical staining showed no significant difference in the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive cells in the substantia nigra or density of TH staining in the striatum between genotypes. These data suggest the Pink1-/- mouse model may be instrumental in defining early motor biomarkers of PD in the absence of nigrostriatal dopamine loss.

A Molecular Tweezer Ameliorates Motor Deficits in Mice Overexpressing α-Synuclein

Aberrant accumulation and self-assembly of α-synuclein are tightly linked to several neurodegenerative diseases called synucleinopathies, including idiopathic Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. Deposition of fibrillar α-synuclein as insoluble inclusions in affected brain cells is a pathological hallmark of synucleinopathies. However, water-soluble α-synuclein oligomers may be the actual culprits causing neuronal dysfunction and degeneration in synucleinopathies. Accordingly, therapeutic approaches targeting the toxic α-synuclein assemblies are attractive for these incurable disorders. The "molecular tweezer" CLR01 selectively remodels abnormal protein self-assembly through reversible binding to Lys residues. Here, we treated young male mice overexpressing human wild-type α-synuclein under control of the Thy-1 promoter (Thy1-aSyn mice) with CLR01 and examined motor behavior and α-synuclein in the brain. Intracerebroventricular administration of CLR01 for 28 days to the mice improved motor dysfunction in the challenging beam test and caused a significant decrease of buffer-soluble α-synuclein in the striatum. Proteinase-K-resistant, insoluble α-synuclein deposits remained unchanged in the substantia nigra, whereas levels of diffuse cytoplasmic α-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons increased in mice receiving CLR01 compared with vehicle. More moderate improvement of motor deficits was also achieved by subcutaneous administration of CLR01, in 2/5 trials of the challenging beam test and in the pole test, which requires balance and coordination. The data support further development of molecular tweezers as therapeutic agents for synucleinopathies.

Social Cognition Impairments in Mice Overexpressing Alpha-Synuclein Under the Thy1 Promoter, a Model of Pre-manifest Parkinson's Disease

Background: Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may exhibit deficits in “Theory of Mind”, the ability to read others’ mental states and react appropriately, a prerequisite for successful social interaction. Alpha-synuclein overexpression is widely distributed in the brain of patients with sporadic PD, suggesting that it may contribute to the non-motor deficits observed in PD patients. Mice over-expressing human wild-type alpha-synuclein under the Thy1 promoter (Thy1-aSyn mice) have synaptic deficits in the frontostriatal pathway, low cortical acetylcholine, and high level of expression of mGluR5 receptors, which have all been implicated in social recognition deficits.

Objective: To determine whether Thy1-aSyn mice present alterations in their response to social stimuli.

Methods: We have submitted Thy1-aSyn mice to tests adapted from autism models.

Results: At 7–8 month of age Thy1-aSyn mice explored their conspecifics significantly less than did wild-type littermates, without differences in exploration of inanimate objects, and pairs of Thy1-aSyn mice were involved in reciprocal interactions for a shorter duration than wild-type mice at this age. These deficits persisted when the test animal was enclosed in a beaker and were not present at 3–4 months of age despite the presence of olfactory deficits at that age, indicating that they were not solely caused by impairment in olfaction.

Conclusion: Thy1-aSyn mice present progressive deficits in social recognition, supporting an association between alpha-synuclein overexpression and Theory of Mind deficits in PD and providing a useful model for identifying mechanisms and testing novel treatments for these deficits which impact patients and caretakers quality of life.

Atp13a2 expression in the periaqueductal gray is decreased in the Pink1 -/- rat model of Parkinson disease

Vocal communication deficits are common in Parkinson disease (PD). Widespread alpha-synuclein pathology is a common link between familial and sporadic PD, and recent genetic rat models based on familial genetic links increase the opportunity to explore vocalization deficits and their associated neuropathologies. Specifically, the Pink1 knockout (-/-) rat presents with early, progressive motor deficits, including significant vocal deficits, at 8 months of age. Moreover, this rat model exhibits alpha-synuclein pathology compared to age-matched non-affected wildtype (WT) controls. Aggregations are specifically dense within the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a brainstem region involved in the coordination of emotional and volitional control of vocalizations. Here, we investigated changes in gene expression within the PAG at 8 months of age in Pink1 -/- rats compared to WT. Our data demonstrate that Pink1 -/- rat mRNA expression levels of alpha-synuclein are comparable to WT. However, Pink1 -/- rats show significantly decreased levels of Atp13a2, a transmembrane lysosomal P5-type ATPase suggesting a potential mechanism for the observed abnormal aggregation. We found no difference in the expression of glucocerebrosidase (Gba) or the CASP8 and FADD-like apoptosis regulator (Cflar). Further, we show that mRNA expression levels of dopaminergic markers including Th, D1 and D2 receptor as well as GABA signaling markers including Gaba-A and glutamate decarboxylase 2 (Gad2) do not differ between genotypes. However, we found that glutamate decarboxylase 1 (Gad1) is significantly reduced in this PD model suggesting possible disruption of neurotransmission within the PAG. These results are the first to suggest the hypothesis that alpha-synuclein aggregation in this model is not a result of increased transcription, but rather a deficit in the breakdown and clearance, and that the observed vocal deficits may be related to impaired neural transmission. Altogether, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that differences in neural substrate sensitivity contribute to the early pathogenesis of vocalizations and motivation to communicate in the Pink1 -/- rat model of PD. Our results suggest novel therapeutic pathways, including the lysosomal degradation pathway, which can be used in to further study the pathogenesis and treatment of vocal dysfunction PD.

Vocal training, levodopa, and environment effects on ultrasonic vocalizations in a rat neurotoxin model of Parkinson disease

Levodopa does not improve dysarthria in patients with Parkinson Disease (PD), although vocal exercise therapy, such as "LSVT/LOUD(®)", does improve vocal communication. Most patients receive vocal exercise therapy while concurrently being treated with levodopa, although the interaction between levodopa and vocal exercise therapy on communication in PD is relatively unknown. Further, carryover of vocal exercise therapy to novel situations is critical for successful outcomes, but the influence of novel situations on rehabilitated vocal communication is not well understood. To address the influence of exercise, medications, and environment on vocal communication with precise experimental control, we employed the widely used 6-OHDA rat neurotoxin model of PD (infusion to the medial forebrain bundle), and assessed ultrasonic vocalizations after: vocal exercise, vocal exercise with levodopa, levodopa alone, and control conditions. We tested USVs in the familiar training environment of the home cage and a novel cage. We hypothesized that parkinsonian rats that undergo vocal exercise would demonstrate significant improvement of ultrasonic vocalization (USV) acoustic parameters as compared to the control exercise and levodopa-only treatment groups. We further hypothesized that vocal exercise in combination with levodopa administration, similar to what is common in humans, would lead to improvement in USV outcomes, particularly when tested in a familiar versus a novel environment. We found that the combination of exercise and levodopa lead to some improvement in USV acoustic parameters and these effects were stronger in a familiar vs. a novel environment. Our results suggest that although treatment can improve aspects of communication, environment can influence the benefits of these effects.

Animal behavioral assessments in current research of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder, is traditionally classified as a movement disorder. Patients typically suffer from many motor dysfunctions. Presently, clinicians and scientists recognize that many non-motor symptoms are associated with PD. There is an increasing interest in both motor and non-motor symptoms in clinical studies on PD patients and laboratory research on animal models that imitate the pathophysiologic features and symptoms of PD patients. Therefore, appropriate behavioral assessments are extremely crucial for correctly understanding the mechanisms of PD and accurately evaluating the efficacy and safety of novel therapies. This article systematically reviews the behavioral assessments, for both motor and non-motor symptoms, in various animal models involved in current PD research. We addressed the strengths and weaknesses of these behavioral tests and their appropriate applications. Moreover, we discussed potential mechanisms behind these behavioral tests and cautioned readers against potential experimental bias. Since most of the behavioral assessments currently used for non-motor symptoms are not particularly designed for animals with PD, it is of the utmost importance to greatly improve experimental design and evaluation in PD research with animal models. Indeed, it is essential to develop specific assessments for non-motor symptoms in PD animals based on their characteristics. We concluded with a prospective view for behavioral assessments with real-time assessment with mobile internet and wearable device in future PD research.

The novel adaptive rotating beam test unmasks sensorimotor impairments in a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Development of disease modifying therapeutics for Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, relies on availability of animal models which recapitulate the disease hallmarks. Only few transgenic mouse models, which mimic overexpression of alpha-synuclein, show dopamine loss, behavioral impairments and protein aggregation. Mice overexpressing human wildtype alpha-synuclein under the Thy-1 promotor (Thy1-aSyn) replicate these features. However, female mice do not exhibit a phenotype. This was attributed to a potentially lower transgene expression located on the X chromosome. Here we support that female mice overexpress human wildtype alpha-synuclein only about 1.5 fold in the substantia nigra, compared to about 3 fold in male mice. Since female Thy1-aSyn mice were shown previously to exhibit differences in corticostriatal communication and synaptic plasticity similar to their male counterparts we hypothesized that female mice use compensatory mechanisms and strategies to not show overt motor deficits despite an underlying endophenotype. In order to unmask these deficits we translated recent findings in PD patients that sensory abnormalities can enhance motor dysfunction into a novel behavioral test, the adaptive rotating beam test. We found that under changing sensory input female Thy1-aSyn mice showed an overt phenotype. Our data supports that the integration of sensorimotor information is likely a major contributor to symptoms of movement disorders and that even low levels of overexpression of human wildtype alpha-synuclein has the potential to disrupt processing of these information. The here described adaptive rotating beam test represents a sensitive behavioral test to detect moderate sensorimotor alterations in mouse models.

FoxP1 orchestration of ASD-relevant signaling pathways in the striatum

In this study, Araujo et al. demonstrate that Foxp1 plays a role in the transcriptional regulation of autism-related pathways as well as genes involved in neuronal activity by identifying the gene expression program regulated by FoxP1 in both human neural cells and patient-relevant heterozygous Foxp1 mouse brains.

Mutations in the transcription factor Forkhead box p1 (FOXP1) are causative for neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. However, the function of FOXP1 within the brain remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we identify the gene expression program regulated by FoxP1 in both human neural cells and patient-relevant heterozygous Foxp1 mouse brains. We demonstrate a role for FoxP1 in the transcriptional regulation of autism-related pathways as well as genes involved in neuronal activity. We show that Foxp1 regulates the excitability of striatal medium spiny neurons and that reduction of Foxp1 correlates with defects in ultrasonic vocalizations. Finally, we demonstrate that FoxP1 has an evolutionarily conserved role in regulating pathways involved in striatal neuron identity through gene expression studies in human neural progenitors with altered FOXP1 levels. These data support an integral role for FoxP1 in regulating signaling pathways vulnerable in autism and the specific regulation of striatal pathways important for vocal communication.

Evidence for early and progressive ultrasonic vocalization and oromotor deficits in a PINK1 gene knockout rat model of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to a wide range of motor and nonmotor deficits. Specifically, voice and swallow deficits manifest early, are devastating to quality of life, and are difficult to treat with standard medical therapies. The pathological hallmarks of PD include accumulation of the presynaptic protein α-synuclein (αSyn) as well as degeneration of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons. However, there is no clear understanding of how or when this pathology contributes to voice and swallow dysfunction in PD. The present study evaluates the effect of loss of function of the phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 gene in rats (PINK1(-/-) ), a model of autosomal recessive PD in humans, on vocalization, oromotor and limb function, and neurodegenerative pathologies. Behavioral measures include ultrasonic vocalizations, tongue force, biting, and gross motor performance that are assayed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 months of age. Aggregated αSyn and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (TH-ir) were measured at 8 months. We show that, compared with wild-type controls, PINK1(-/-) rats develop (1) early and progressive vocalization and oromotor deficits, (2) reduced TH-ir in the locus coeruleus that correlates with vocal loudness and tongue force, and (3) αSyn neuropathology in brain regions important for cranial sensorimotor control. This novel approach of characterizing a PINK1(-/-) genetic model of PD provides the foundational work required to define behavioral biomarkers for the development of disease-modifying therapeutics for PD patients.

Evidence for early and progressive ultrasonic vocalization and oromotor deficits in a PINK1 gene knockout rat model of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to a wide range of motor and nonmotor deficits. Specifically, voice and swallow deficits manifest early, are devastating to quality of life, and are difficult to treat with standard medical therapies. The pathological hallmarks of PD include accumulation of the presynaptic protein α-synuclein (αSyn) as well as degeneration of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons. However, there is no clear understanding of how or when this pathology contributes to voice and swallow dysfunction in PD. The present study evaluates the effect of loss of function of the phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 gene in rats (PINK1(-/-) ), a model of autosomal recessive PD in humans, on vocalization, oromotor and limb function, and neurodegenerative pathologies. Behavioral measures include ultrasonic vocalizations, tongue force, biting, and gross motor performance that are assayed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 months of age. Aggregated αSyn and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (TH-ir) were measured at 8 months. We show that, compared with wild-type controls, PINK1(-/-) rats develop (1) early and progressive vocalization and oromotor deficits, (2) reduced TH-ir in the locus coeruleus that correlates with vocal loudness and tongue force, and (3) αSyn neuropathology in brain regions important for cranial sensorimotor control. This novel approach of characterizing a PINK1(-/-) genetic model of PD provides the foundational work required to define behavioral biomarkers for the development of disease-modifying therapeutics for PD patients.

Relationships among rat ultrasonic vocalizations, behavioral measures of striatal dopamine loss, and striatal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity at acute and chronic time points following unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-induced dopamine depletion

Voice deficits in Parkinson disease (PD) emerge early in the disease process, but do not improve with standard treatments targeting dopamine. Experimental work in the rat shows that severe and chronic unilateral nigrostriatal dopamine depletion with 6-OHDA results in decreased intensity, bandwidth, and complexity of ultrasonic vocalizations. However, it is unclear if mild/acute dopamine depletion, paralleling earlier stages of PD, results in vocalization deficits, or to what degree vocalization parameters are correlated with other dopamine-dependent indicators of lesion severity or percent of tyrosine hydroxylase (%TH) loss. Here, we assayed ultrasonic vocalizations, forelimb asymmetry, and apomorphine rotations in rats with a range of unilateral dopamine loss resulting from 6-OHDA or vehicle control infusions to the medial forebrain bundle at acute (72 h) and chronic (4 weeks) time points post-infusion. The %TH loss was evaluated at 4 weeks. At 72 h, forelimb asymmetry and %TH loss were significantly correlated, while at 4 weeks, all measures of lesion severity were significantly correlated with each other. Call complexity was significantly correlated with all measures of lesion severity at 72 h but only with %TH loss at 4 weeks. Bandwidth was correlated with forelimb asymmetry at both time points. Duration was significantly correlated with all dopamine depletion measures at 4 weeks. Notably, not all parameters were affected universally or equally across time. These results suggest that vocalization deficits may be a sensitive index of acute and mild catecholamine loss and further underscores the need to characterize the neural mechanisms underlying vocal deficits in PD.

Decreased approach behavior and nucleus accumbens immediate early gene expression in response to Parkinsonian ultrasonic vocalizations in rats

Many individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) have difficulty producing normal speech and voice, resulting in problems with interpersonal communication and reduced quality of life. Translational animal models of communicative dysfunction have been developed to assess disease pathology. However, it is unknown whether acoustic feature changes associated with vocal production deficits in these animal models lead to compromised communication. In rodents, male ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have a well-established role in functional inter-sexual communication. To test whether acoustic deficits in USVs observed in a PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) knockout (KO) PD rat model compromise communication, we presented recordings of male PINK1 KO USVs and normal wild-type (WT) USVs to female rat listeners. We measured approached behavior and immediate early gene expression (c-Fos) in brain regions implicated in auditory processing and sexual motivation. Our results suggest that females show reduced approach in response to PINK1 KO USVs compared with WT. Moreover, females exposed to PINK1 KO USVs had lower c-Fos immunolabeling in the nucleus accumbens, a region implicated in sexual motivation. These results are the first to demonstrate that vocalization deficits in a rat PD model result in compromised communication. Thus, the PINK1 KO PD model may be valuable for assessing treatments aimed at restoring vocal communicative function.

Quantitative assessment of motor speech abnormalities in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder

OBJECTIVE

Patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) are at substantial risk for developing Parkinson's disease (PD) or related neurodegenerative disorders. Speech is an important indicator of motor function and movement coordination, and therefore may be an extremely sensitive early marker of changes due to prodromal neurodegeneration.

METHODS

Speech data were acquired from 16 RBD subjects and 16 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Objective acoustic assessment of 15 speech dimensions representing various phonatory, articulatory, and prosodic deviations was performed. Statistical models were applied to characterise speech disorders in RBD and to estimate sensitivity and specificity in differentiating between RBD and control subjects.

RESULTS

Some form of speech impairment was revealed in 88% of RBD subjects. Articulatory deficits were the most prominent findings in RBD. In comparison to controls, the RBD group showed significant alterations in irregular alternating motion rates (p = 0.009) and articulatory decay (p = 0.01). The combination of four distinctive speech dimensions, including aperiodicity, irregular alternating motion rates, articulatory decay, and dysfluency, led to 96% sensitivity and 79% specificity in discriminating between RBD and control subjects. Speech impairment was significantly more pronounced in RBD subjects with the motor score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale greater than 4 points when compared to other RBD individuals.

CONCLUSION

Simple quantitative speech motor measures may be suitable for the reliable detection of prodromal neurodegeneration in subjects with RBD, and therefore may provide important outcomes for future therapy trials.

Intrastriatal injection of pre-formed mouse α-synuclein fibrils into rats triggers α-synuclein pathology and bilateral nigrostriatal degeneration

Previous studies demonstrate that intrastriatal injections of fibrillar alpha-synuclein (α-syn) into mice induce Parkinson's disease (PD)-like Lewy body (LB) pathology formed by aggregated α-syn in anatomically interconnected regions and significant nigrostriatal degeneration. The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether exogenous mouse α-syn pre-formed fibrils (PFF) injected into the striatum of rats would result in accumulation of LB-like intracellular inclusions and nigrostriatal degeneration. Sprague-Dawley rats received unilateral intrastriatal injections of either non-fibrillized recombinant α-syn or PFF mouse α-syn in 1- or 2- sites and were euthanized at 30, 60 or 180 days post-injection (pi). Both non-fibrillized recombinant α-syn and PFF α-syn injections resulted in phosphorylated α-syn intraneuronal accumulations (i.e., diffuse Lewy neurite (LN)- and LB-like inclusions) with significantly greater accumulations following PFF injection. LB-like inclusions were observed in several areas that innervate the striatum, most prominently the frontal and insular cortices, the amygdala, and the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). α-Syn accumulations co-localized with ubiquitin, p62, and were thioflavin-S-positive and proteinase-k resistant, suggesting that PFF-induced pathology exhibits properties similar to human LBs. Although α-syn inclusions within the SNpc remained ipsilateral to striatal injection, we observed bilateral reductions in nigral dopamine neurons at the 180-day time-point in both the 1- and 2-site PFF injection paradigms. PFF injected rats exhibited bilateral reductions in striatal dopaminergic innervation at 60 and 180 days and bilateral decreases in homovanillic acid; however, dopamine reduction was observed only in the striatum ipsilateral to PFF injection. Although the level of dopamine asymmetry in PFF injected rats at 180 days was insufficient to elicit motor deficits in amphetamine-induced rotations or forelimb use in the cylinder task, significant disruption of ultrasonic vocalizations was observed. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that α-syn PFF are sufficient to seed the pathological conversion and propagation of endogenous α-syn to induce a progressive, neurodegenerative model of α-synucleinopathy in rats.

Changes in Rat 50-kHz Ultrasonic Vocalizations During Dopamine Denervation and Aging: Relevance to Neurodegeneration

Vocal communication is negatively affected by neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson disease, and by aging. The neurological and sensorimotor mechanisms underlying voice deficits in Parkinson disease and aging are not well-understood. Rat ultrasonic vocalizations provide a unique behavioral model for studying communication deficits and the mechanisms underlying these deficits in these conditions. The purpose of this review was to examine the existing literature for methods using rat ultrasonic vocalization with regard to the primary disease pathology of Parkinson disease, dopamine denervation, and aging. Although only a small amount of papers were found for each of these topics, results suggest that both shared and unique acoustic deficits in ultrasonic vocalizations exist across conditions and that these acoustic deficits are due to changes in either dopamine signaling or denervation and in aging models changes to the nucleus ambiguus, at the level of the neuromuscular junction, and the composition of the vocal folds in the larynx. We conclude that ultrasonic vocalizations are a useful tool for studying biologic mechanisms underlying vocal communication deficits in neurodegenerative diseases and aging.

A Genetic Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease Shows Involuntary Movements and Increased Postsynaptic Sensitivity to Apomorphine

Alpha-synuclein (SNCA) protein aggregation plays a causal role in Parkinson's disease (PD). The SNCA protein modulates neurotransmission via the SNAP receptor (SNARE) complex assembly and presynaptic vesicle trafficking. The striatal presynaptic dopamine deficit is alleviated by treatment with levodopa (L-DOPA), but postsynaptic plastic changes induced by this treatment lead to a development of involuntary movements (dyskinesia). While this process is currently modeled in rodents harboring neurotoxin-induced lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway, we have here explored the postsynaptic supersensitivity of dopamine receptor-mediated signaling in a genetic mouse model of early PD. To this end, we used mice with prion promoter-driven overexpression of A53T-SNCA in the nigrostriatal and corticostriatal projections. At a symptomatic age (18 months), mice were challenged with apomorphine (5 mg/kg s.c.) and examined using both behavioral and molecular assays. After the administration of apomorphine, A53T-transgenic mice showed more severe stereotypic and dystonic movements in comparison with wild-type controls. Molecular markers of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, and Fos messenger RNA (mRNA), were examined in striatal tissue at 30 and 100 min after apomorphine injection. At 30 min, wild-type and transgenic mice showed a similar induction of phosphorylated ERK1/2, Dusp1, and Dusp6 mRNA (two MAPK phosphatases). At the same time point, Fos mRNA was induced more strongly in mutant mice than in wild-type controls. At 100 min after apomorphine treatment, the induction of both Fos, Dusp1, and Dusp6 mRNA was significantly larger in mutant mice than wild-type controls. At this time point, apomorphine caused a reduction in phospho-ERK1/2 levels specifically in the transgenic mice. Our results document for the first time a disturbance of ERK1/2 signaling regulation associated with apomorphine-induced involuntary movements in a genetic mouse model of synucleinopathy. This mouse model will be useful to identify novel therapeutic targets that can counteract abnormal dopamine-dependent striatal plasticity during both prodromal and manifest stages of PD.