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Gilad A. Wide-field imaging in behaving mice as a tool to study cognitive function. NEUROPHOTONICS 2024; 11:033404. [PMID: 38384657 PMCID: PMC10879934 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.11.3.033404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive functions are mediated through coordinated and dynamic neuronal responses that involve many different areas across the brain. Therefore, it is of high interest to simultaneously record neuronal activity from as many brain areas as possible while the subject performs a cognitive behavioral task. One of the emerging tools to achieve a mesoscopic field of view is wide-field imaging of cortex-wide dynamics in mice. Wide-field imaging is cost-effective, user-friendly, and enables obtaining cortex-wide signals from mice performing complex and demanding cognitive tasks. Importantly, wide-field imaging offers an unbiased cortex-wide observation that sheds light on overlooked cortical regions and highlights parallel processing circuits. Recent wide-field imaging studies have shown that multi-area cortex-wide patterns, rather than just a single area, are involved in encoding cognitive functions. The optical properties of wide-field imaging enable imaging of different brain signals, such as layer-specific, inhibitory subtypes, or neuromodulation signals. Here, I review the main advantages of wide-field imaging in mice, review the recent literature, and discuss future directions of the field. It is expected that wide-field imaging in behaving mice will continue to gain popularity and aid in understanding the mesoscale dynamics underlying cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Gilad
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
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Horváth K, Juhász B, Kuti D, Ferenczi S, Kovács KJ. Recruitment of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) Neurons in Categorically Distinct Stress Reactions in the Mouse Brain. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11736. [PMID: 37511494 PMCID: PMC10380650 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) are in the position to integrate stress-related information and initiate adaptive neuroendocrine-, autonomic-, metabolic- and behavioral responses. In addition to hypophyseotropic cells, CRH is widely expressed in the CNS, however its involvement in the organization of the stress response is not fully understood. In these experiments, we took advantage of recently available Crh-IRES-Cre;Ai9 mouse line to study the recruitment of hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic CRH neurons in categorically distinct, acute stress reactions. A total of 95 brain regions in the adult male mouse brain have been identified as containing putative CRH neurons with significant expression of tdTomato marker gene. With comparison of CRH mRNA and tdTomato distribution, we found match and mismatch areas. Reporter mice were then exposed to restraint, ether, high salt, lipopolysaccharide and predator odor stress and neuronal activation was revealed by FOS immunocytochemistry. In addition to a core stress system, stressor-specific areas have been revealed to display activity marker FOS. Finally, activation of CRH neurons was detected by colocalization of FOS in tdTomato expressing cells. All stressors resulted in profound activation of CRH neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus; however, a differential activation of pattern was observed in CRH neurons in extrahypothalamic regions. This comprehensive description of stress-related CRH neurons in the mouse brain provides a starting point for a systematic functional analysis of the brain stress system and its relation to stress-induced psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztina Horváth
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Juhász
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
- János Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, 1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dániel Kuti
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Szilamér Ferenczi
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztina J Kovács
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Medicine Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
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Nagappan-Chettiar S, Burbridge TJ, Umemori H. Activity-Dependent Synapse Refinement: From Mechanisms to Molecules. Neuroscientist 2023:10738584231170167. [PMID: 37140155 DOI: 10.1177/10738584231170167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The refinement of immature neuronal networks into efficient mature ones is critical to nervous system development and function. This process of synapse refinement is driven by the neuronal activity-dependent competition of converging synaptic inputs, resulting in the elimination of weak inputs and the stabilization of strong ones. Neuronal activity, whether in the form of spontaneous activity or experience-evoked activity, is known to drive synapse refinement in numerous brain regions. More recent studies are now revealing the manner and mechanisms by which neuronal activity is detected and converted into molecular signals that appropriately regulate the elimination of weaker synapses and stabilization of stronger ones. Here, we highlight how spontaneous activity and evoked activity instruct neuronal activity-dependent competition during synapse refinement. We then focus on how neuronal activity is transformed into the molecular cues that determine and execute synapse refinement. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying synapse refinement can lead to novel therapeutic strategies in neuropsychiatric diseases characterized by aberrant synaptic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sivapratha Nagappan-Chettiar
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy J Burbridge
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hisashi Umemori
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Rupert DD, Shea SD. Parvalbumin-Positive Interneurons Regulate Cortical Sensory Plasticity in Adulthood and Development Through Shared Mechanisms. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:886629. [PMID: 35601529 PMCID: PMC9120417 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.886629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Parvalbumin-positive neurons are the largest class of GABAergic, inhibitory neurons in the central nervous system. In the cortex, these fast-spiking cells provide feedforward and feedback synaptic inhibition onto a diverse set of cell types, including pyramidal cells, other inhibitory interneurons, and themselves. Cortical inhibitory networks broadly, and cortical parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (cPVins) specifically, are crucial for regulating sensory plasticity during both development and adulthood. Here we review the functional properties of cPVins that enable plasticity in the cortex of adult mammals and the influence of cPVins on sensory activity at four spatiotemporal scales. First, cPVins regulate developmental critical periods and adult plasticity through molecular and structural interactions with the extracellular matrix. Second, they activate in precise sequence following feedforward excitation to enforce strict temporal limits in response to the presentation of sensory stimuli. Third, they implement gain control to normalize sensory inputs and compress the dynamic range of output. Fourth, they synchronize broad network activity patterns in response to behavioral events and state changes. Much of the evidence for the contribution of cPVins to plasticity comes from classic models that rely on sensory deprivation methods to probe experience-dependent changes in the brain. We support investigating naturally occurring, adaptive cortical plasticity to study cPVin circuits in an ethologically relevant framework, and discuss recent insights from our work on maternal experience-induced auditory cortical plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah D. Rupert
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Stephen D. Shea
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Stephen D. Shea,
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Rezaei Z, Jafari Z, Afrashteh N, Torabi R, Singh S, Kolb BE, Davidsen J, Mohajerani MH. Prenatal stress dysregulates resting-state functional connectivity and sensory motifs. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100345. [PMID: 34124321 PMCID: PMC8173309 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress (PS) can impact fetal brain structure and function and contribute to higher vulnerability to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. To understand how PS alters evoked and spontaneous neocortical activity and intrinsic brain functional connectivity, mesoscale voltage imaging was performed in adult C57BL/6NJ mice that had been exposed to auditory stress on gestational days 12-16, the age at which neocortex is developing. PS mice had a four-fold higher basal corticosterone level and reduced amplitude of cortical sensory-evoked responses to visual, auditory, whisker, forelimb, and hindlimb stimuli. Relative to control animals, PS led to a general reduction of resting-state functional connectivity, as well as reduced inter-modular connectivity, enhanced intra-modular connectivity, and altered frequency of auditory and forelimb spontaneous sensory motifs. These resting-state changes resulted in a cortical connectivity pattern featuring disjoint but tight modules and a decline in network efficiency. The findings demonstrate that cortical connectivity is sensitive to PS and exposed offspring may be at risk for adult stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Rezaei
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Zahra Jafari
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Navvab Afrashteh
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Reza Torabi
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Surjeet Singh
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Bryan E. Kolb
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
| | - Jörn Davidsen
- Complexity Science Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - Majid H. Mohajerani
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada, T1K 3M4
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