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Chanthongdee K, Fuentealba Y, Wahlestedt T, Foulhac L, Kardash T, Coppola A, Heilig M, Barbier E. Comprehensive ethological analysis of fear expression in rats using DeepLabCut and SimBA machine learning model. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1440601. [PMID: 39148895 PMCID: PMC11324570 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1440601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Defensive responses to threat-associated cues are commonly evaluated using conditioned freezing or suppression of operant responding. However, rats display a broad range of behaviors and shift their defensive behaviors based on immediacy of threats and context. This study aimed to systematically quantify the defensive behaviors that are triggered in response to threat-associated cues and assess whether they can accurately be identified using DeepLabCut in conjunction with SimBA. Methods We evaluated behavioral responses to fear using the auditory fear conditioning paradigm. Observable behaviors triggered by threat-associated cues were manually scored using Ethovision XT. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of diazepam (0, 0.3, or 1 mg/kg), administered intraperitoneally before fear memory testing, to assess its anxiolytic impact on these behaviors. We then developed a DeepLabCut + SimBA workflow for ethological analysis employing a series of machine learning models. The accuracy of behavior classifications generated by this pipeline was evaluated by comparing its output scores to the manually annotated scores. Results Our findings show that, besides conditioned suppression and freezing, rats exhibit heightened risk assessment behaviors, including sniffing, rearing, free-air whisking, and head scanning. We observed that diazepam dose-dependently mitigates these risk-assessment behaviors in both sexes, suggesting a good predictive validity of our readouts. With adequate amount of training data (approximately > 30,000 frames containing such behavior), DeepLabCut + SimBA workflow yields high accuracy with a reasonable transferability to classify well-represented behaviors in a different experimental condition. We also found that maintaining the same condition between training and evaluation data sets is recommended while developing DeepLabCut + SimBA workflow to achieve the highest accuracy. Discussion Our findings suggest that an ethological analysis can be used to assess fear learning. With the application of DeepLabCut and SimBA, this approach provides an alternative method to decode ongoing defensive behaviors in both male and female rats for further investigation of fear-related neurobiological underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanat Chanthongdee
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Yerko Fuentealba
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Thor Wahlestedt
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Lou Foulhac
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Bordeaux Neurocampus, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Tetiana Kardash
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Andrea Coppola
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Markus Heilig
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Estelle Barbier
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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Brady RG, Leverett SD, Mueller L, Ruscitti M, Latham AR, Smyser TA, Gerstein ED, Warner BB, Barch DM, Luby JL, Rogers CE, Smyser CD. Neighborhood Crime and Externalizing Behavior in Toddlers: A Longitudinal Study With Neonatal fMRI and Parenting. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 63:733-744. [PMID: 38070869 PMCID: PMC11156792 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.09.547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Prenatal exposure to neighborhood crime has been associated with weaker neonatal frontolimbic connectivity; however, associations with early childhood behavior remain unclear. We hypothesized that living in a high-crime neighborhood would be related to higher externalizing symptoms at age 1 and 2 years, over and above other adversities, and that neonatal frontolimbic connectivity and observed parenting behaviors at 1 year would mediate this relationship. METHOD Participants included 399 pregnant women, recruited as part of the Early Life Adversity, Biological Embedding, and Risk for Developmental Precursors of Mental Disorders (eLABE) study. Geocoded neighborhood crime data was obtained from Applied Geographic Solution. A total of 319 healthy, non-sedated neonates underwent scanning using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on a Prisma 3T scanner and had ≥10 minutes of high-quality data. Infant-Toddler Socioemotional Assessment Externalizing T scores were available for 274 mothers of 1-year-olds and 257 mothers of 2-year-olds. Observed parenting behaviors were available for 202 parent-infant dyads at 1 year. Multilevel and mediation models tested longitudinal associations. RESULTS Living in a neighborhood with high violent (β = 0.15, CI = 0.05-0.27, p = .004) and property (β = 0.10, CI = 0.01-0.20, p = .039) crime was related to more externalizing symptoms at 1 and 2 years, controlling for other adversities. Weaker frontolimbic connectivity was also associated with higher externalizing symptoms at 1 and 2 years. After controlling for other adversities, parenting behaviors mediated the specific association between crime and externalizing symptoms, but frontolimbic connectivity did not. CONCLUSION These findings provide evidence that early exposure to neighborhood crime and weaker neonatal frontolimbic connectivity may influence later externalizing symptoms, and suggest that parenting may be an early intervention target for families in high-crime areas. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY This longitudinal study of 399 women and their children found that toddlers who lived in a high crime area during the first 2 years of their lives displayed more externalizing symptoms. Toddlers with weaker frontolimbic brain function at birth also had higher externalizing symptoms at 1 and 2 years. Interestingly, parenting behaviors, but not neonatal brain function, mediated the relationship between neighborhood crime exposure and externalizing symptoms in toddlerhood. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented sexual and/or gender groups in science. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. We actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our author group. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our reference list. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our reference list. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca G Brady
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Shelby D Leverett
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Liliana Mueller
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Michayla Ruscitti
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Aidan R Latham
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Tara A Smyser
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Barbara B Warner
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Joan L Luby
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Cynthia E Rogers
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
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Velazquez-Hernandez G, Miller NW, Curtis VR, Rivera-Pacheco CM, Lowe SM, Moy SS, Zannas AS, Pégard NC, Burgos-Robles A, Rodriguez-Romaguera J. Social threat alters the behavioral structure of social motivation and reshapes functional brain connectivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.17.599379. [PMID: 38948883 PMCID: PMC11212885 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.17.599379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Traumatic social experiences redefine socially motivated behaviors to enhance safety and survival. Although many brain regions have been implicated in signaling a social threat, the mechanisms by which global neural networks regulate such motivated behaviors remain unclear. To address this issue, we first combined traditional and modern behavioral tracking techniques in mice to assess both approach and avoidance, as well as sub-second behavioral changes, during a social threat learning task. We were able to identify previously undescribed body and tail movements during social threat learning and recognition that demonstrate unique alterations into the behavioral structure of social motivation. We then utilized inter-regional correlation analysis of brain activity after a mouse recognizes a social threat to explore functional communication amongst brain regions implicated in social motivation. Broad brain activity changes were observed within the nucleus accumbens, the paraventricular thalamus, the ventromedial hypothalamus, and the nucleus of reuniens. Inter-regional correlation analysis revealed a reshaping of the functional connectivity across the brain when mice recognize a social threat. Altogether, these findings suggest that reshaping of functional brain connectivity may be necessary to alter the behavioral structure of social motivation when a social threat is encountered.
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Aboharb F, Davoudian PA, Shao LX, Liao C, Rzepka GN, Wojtasiewicz C, Dibbs M, Rondeau J, Sherwood AM, Kaye AP, Kwan AC. Classification of psychedelic drugs based on brain-wide imaging of cellular c-Fos expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.23.590306. [PMID: 38826215 PMCID: PMC11142187 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.23.590306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA are psychoactive compounds that exert behavioral effects with distinguishable but also overlapping features. The growing interest in using these compounds as therapeutics necessitates preclinical assays that can accurately screen psychedelics and related analogs. We posit that a promising approach may be to measure drug action on markers of neural plasticity in native brain tissues. We therefore developed a pipeline for drug classification using light sheet fluorescence microscopy of immediate early gene expression at cellular resolution followed by machine learning. We tested male and female mice with a panel of drugs, including psilocybin, ketamine, 5-MeO-DMT, 6-fluoro-DET, MDMA, acute fluoxetine, chronic fluoxetine, and vehicle. In one-versus-rest classification, the exact drug was identified with 67% accuracy, significantly above the chance level of 12.5%. In one-versus-one classifications, psilocybin was discriminated from 5-MeO-DMT, ketamine, MDMA, or acute fluoxetine with >95% accuracy. We used Shapley additive explanation to pinpoint the brain regions driving the machine learning predictions. Our results support a novel approach for screening psychoactive drugs with psychedelic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farid Aboharb
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Weill Cornell Medicine/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering Tri-Institutional MD/PhD Program, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Pasha A. Davoudian
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Ling-Xiao Shao
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Clara Liao
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Gillian N. Rzepka
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | | | - Mark Dibbs
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Jocelyne Rondeau
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | | | - Alfred P. Kaye
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, VA National Center for PTSD, West Haven, CT, 06477, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Alex C. Kwan
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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Chintalacheruvu N, Kalelkar A, Boutin J, Breton-Provencher V, Huda R. A cortical locus for modulation of arousal states. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.24.595859. [PMID: 38826269 PMCID: PMC11142248 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.24.595859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Fluctuations in global arousal are key determinants of spontaneous cortical activity and function. Several subcortical structures, including neuromodulator nuclei like the locus coeruleus (LC), are involved in the regulation of arousal. However, much less is known about the role of cortical circuits that provide top-down inputs to arousal-related subcortical structures. Here, we investigated the role of a major subdivision of the prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), in arousal modulation. Pupil size, facial movements, heart rate, and locomotion were used as non-invasive measures of arousal and behavioral state. We designed a closed loop optogenetic system based on machine vision and found that real time inhibition of ACC activity during pupil dilations suppresses ongoing arousal events. In contrast, inhibiting activity in a control cortical region had no effect on arousal. Fiber photometry recordings showed that ACC activity scales with the magnitude of spontaneously occurring pupil dilations/face movements independently of locomotion. Moreover, optogenetic ACC activation increases arousal independently of locomotion. In addition to modulating global arousal, ACC responses to salient sensory stimuli scaled with the size of evoked pupil dilations. Consistent with a role in sustaining saliency-linked arousal events, pupil responses to sensory stimuli were suppressed with ACC inactivation. Finally, our results comparing arousal-related ACC and norepinephrinergic LC neuron activity support a role for the LC in initiation of arousal events which are modulated in real time by the ACC. Collectively, our experiments identify the ACC as a key cortical site for sustaining momentary increases in arousal and provide the foundation for understanding cortical-subcortical dynamics underlying the modulation of arousal states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nithik Chintalacheruvu
- WM Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University – New Brunswick, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Anagha Kalelkar
- WM Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University – New Brunswick, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jöel Boutin
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, CERVO Brain Research Center, Universite Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada
| | - Vincent Breton-Provencher
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, CERVO Brain Research Center, Universite Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada
| | - Rafiq Huda
- WM Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University – New Brunswick, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
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Lazzerini Ospri L, Zhan JJ, Thomsen MB, Wang H, Komal R, Tang Q, Messanvi F, du Hoffmann J, Cravedi K, Chudasama Y, Hattar S, Zhao H. Light affects the prefrontal cortex via intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadh9251. [PMID: 38552022 PMCID: PMC10980283 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is a part of the limbic system engaged in the regulation of social, emotional, and cognitive states, which are characteristically impaired in disorders of the brain such as schizophrenia and depression. Here, we show that intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) modulate, through light, the integrity, activity, and function of the vmPFC. This regulatory role, which is independent of circadian and mood alterations, is mediated by an ipRGC-thalamic-corticolimbic pathway. Lack of ipRGC signaling in mice causes dendritic degeneration, dysregulation of genes involved in synaptic plasticity, and depressed neuronal activity in the vmPFC. These alterations primarily undermine the ability of the vmPFC to regulate emotions. Our discovery provides a potential light-dependent mechanism for certain PFC-centric disorders in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jesse J. Zhan
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Michael B. Thomsen
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hui Wang
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ruchi Komal
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Qijun Tang
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Fany Messanvi
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Johann du Hoffmann
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kevin Cravedi
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yogita Chudasama
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Samer Hattar
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Haiqing Zhao
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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Dorst KE, Senne RA, Diep AH, de Boer AR, Suthard RL, Leblanc H, Ruesch EA, Pyo AY, Skelton S, Carstensen LC, Malmberg S, McKissick OP, Bladon JH, Ramirez S. Hippocampal Engrams Generate Variable Behavioral Responses and Brain-Wide Network States. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0340232023. [PMID: 38050098 PMCID: PMC10860633 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0340-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Freezing is a defensive behavior commonly examined during hippocampal-mediated fear engram reactivation. How these cellular populations engage the brain and modulate freezing across varying environmental demands is unclear. To address this, we optogenetically reactivated a fear engram in the dentate gyrus subregion of the hippocampus across three distinct contexts in male mice. We found that there were differential amounts of light-induced freezing depending on the size of the context in which reactivation occurred: mice demonstrated robust light-induced freezing in the most spatially restricted of the three contexts but not in the largest. We then utilized graph theoretical analyses to identify brain-wide alterations in cFos expression during engram reactivation across the smallest and largest contexts. Our manipulations induced positive interregional cFos correlations that were not observed in control conditions. Additionally, regions spanning putative "fear" and "defense" systems were recruited as hub regions in engram reactivation networks. Lastly, we compared the network generated from engram reactivation in the small context with a natural fear memory retrieval network. Here, we found shared characteristics such as modular composition and hub regions. By identifying and manipulating the circuits supporting memory function, as well as their corresponding brain-wide activity patterns, it is thereby possible to resolve systems-level biological mechanisms mediating memory's capacity to modulate behavioral states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn E Dorst
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Ryan A Senne
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Anh H Diep
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Antje R de Boer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Rebecca L Suthard
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Heloise Leblanc
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Evan A Ruesch
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Angela Y Pyo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Sara Skelton
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Lucas C Carstensen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Samantha Malmberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Olivia P McKissick
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - John H Bladon
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
| | - Steve Ramirez
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston 02215, Massachusetts
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Dorst KE, Ramirez S. Engrams: From Behavior to Brain-Wide Networks. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 38:13-28. [PMID: 39008008 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-62983-9_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Animals utilize a repertoire of behavioral responses during everyday experiences. During a potentially dangerous encounter, defensive actions such as "fight, flight, or freeze" are selected for survival. The successful use of behavior is determined by a series of real-time computations combining an animal's internal (i.e., body) and external (i.e., environment) state. Brain-wide neural pathways are engaged throughout this process to detect stimuli, integrate information, and command behavioral output. The hippocampus, in particular, plays a role in the encoding and storing of the episodic information surrounding these encounters as putative "engram" or experience-modified cellular ensembles. Recalling a negative experience then reactivates a dedicated engram ensemble and elicits a behavioral response. How hippocampus-based engrams modulate brain-wide states and an animal's internal/external milieu to influence behavior is an exciting area of investigation for contemporary neuroscience. In this chapter, we provide an overview of recent technological advancements that allow researchers to tag, manipulate, and visualize putative engram ensembles, with an overarching goal of casually connecting their brain-wide underpinnings to behavior. We then discuss how hippocampal fear engrams alter behavior in a manner that is contingent on an environment's physical features as well as how they influence brain-wide patterns of cellular activity. Overall, we propose here that studies on memory engrams offer an exciting avenue for contemporary neuroscience to casually link the activity of cells to cognition and behavior while also offering testable theoretical and experimental frameworks for how the brain organizes experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn E Dorst
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steve Ramirez
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
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Melleu FF, Canteras NS. Pathways from the Superior Colliculus to the Basal Ganglia. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:1431-1453. [PMID: 37702174 PMCID: PMC11097988 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230911102118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The present work aims to review the structural organization of the mammalian superior colliculus (SC), the putative pathways connecting the SC and the basal ganglia, and their role in organizing complex behavioral output. First, we review how the complex intrinsic connections between the SC's laminae projections allow for the construction of spatially aligned, visual-multisensory maps of the surrounding environment. Moreover, we present a summary of the sensory-motor inputs of the SC, including a description of the integration of multi-sensory inputs relevant to behavioral control. We further examine the major descending outputs toward the brainstem and spinal cord. As the central piece of this review, we provide a thorough analysis covering the putative interactions between the SC and the basal ganglia. To this end, we explore the diverse thalamic routes by which information from the SC may reach the striatum, including the pathways through the lateral posterior, parafascicular, and rostral intralaminar thalamic nuclei. We also examine the interactions between the SC and subthalamic nucleus, representing an additional pathway for the tectal modulation of the basal ganglia. Moreover, we discuss how information from the SC might also be relayed to the basal ganglia through midbrain tectonigral and tectotegmental projections directed at the substantia nigra compacta and ventrotegmental area, respectively, influencing the dopaminergic outflow to the dorsal and ventral striatum. We highlight the vast interplay between the SC and the basal ganglia and raise several missing points that warrant being addressed in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Newton Sabino Canteras
- Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Lazzerini-Ospri L, Zhan JJ, Thomsen MB, Wang H, Messanvi F, du Hoffmann J, Cravedi K, Komal R, Chudasama Y, Zhao H, Hattar S. WITHDRAWN: Light affects the prefrontal cortex via intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.22.556752. [PMID: 37808740 PMCID: PMC10557604 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.22.556752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
This manuscript has been withdrawn by bioRxiv following a formal request by the NIH Intramural Research Integrity Office owing to lack of author consent.
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Wu K, Wang D, Wang Y, Tang P, Li X, Pan Y, Tao HW, Zhang LI, Liang F. Distinct circuits in anterior cingulate cortex encode safety assessment and mediate flexibility of fear reactions. Neuron 2023; 111:3650-3667.e6. [PMID: 37652003 PMCID: PMC10990237 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Safety assessment and threat evaluation are crucial for animals to live and survive in the wilderness. However, neural circuits underlying safety assessment and their transformation to mediate flexibility of fear-induced defensive behaviors remain largely unknown. Here, we report that distinct neuronal populations in mouse anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) encode safety status by selectively responding under different contexts of auditory threats, with one preferably activated when an animal staysing in a self-deemed safe zone and another specifically activated in more dangerous environmental settings that led to escape behavior. The safety-responding neurons preferentially target the zona incerta (ZI), which suppresses the superior colliculus (SC) via its GABAergic projection, while the danger-responding neurons preferentially target and excite SC. These distinct corticofugal pathways antagonistically modulate SC responses to threat, resulting in context-dependent expression of fear reactions. Thus, ACC serves as a critical node to encode safety/danger assessment and mediate behavioral flexibility through differential top-down circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaibin Wu
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Department of Anaesthesiology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510220, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Dijia Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Department of Anaesthesiology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510220, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yuwei Wang
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Peiwen Tang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Department of Anaesthesiology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510220, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xuan Li
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yidi Pan
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Huizhong W Tao
- Center for Neural Circuits & Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Physiology & Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Li I Zhang
- Center for Neural Circuits & Sensory Processing Disorders, Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA; Department of Physiology & Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Feixue Liang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Department of Anaesthesiology, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510220, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
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12
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Dewell RB, Carroll-Mikhail T, Eisenbrandt MR, Mendoza AF, Halder B, Preuss T, Gabbiani F. Convergent escape behaviour from distinct visual processing of impending collision in fish and grasshoppers. J Physiol 2023; 601:4355-4373. [PMID: 37671925 PMCID: PMC10595048 DOI: 10.1113/jp284022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In animal species ranging from invertebrate to mammals, visually guided escape behaviours have been studied using looming stimuli, the two-dimensional expanding projection on a screen of an object approaching on a collision course at constant speed. The peak firing rate or membrane potential of neurons responding to looming stimuli often tracks a fixed threshold angular size of the approaching stimulus that contributes to the triggering of escape behaviours. To study whether this result holds more generally, we designed stimuli that simulate acceleration or deceleration over the course of object approach on a collision course. Under these conditions, we found that the angular threshold conveyed by collision detecting neurons in grasshoppers was sensitive to acceleration whereas the triggering of escape behaviours was less so. In contrast, neurons in goldfish identified through the characteristic features of the escape behaviours they trigger, showed little sensitivity to acceleration. This closely mirrored a broader lack of sensitivity to acceleration of the goldfish escape behaviour. Thus, although the sensory coding of simulated colliding stimuli with non-zero acceleration probably differs in grasshoppers and goldfish, the triggering of escape behaviours converges towards similar characteristics. Approaching stimuli with non-zero acceleration may help refine our understanding of neural computations underlying escape behaviours in a broad range of animal species. KEY POINTS: A companion manuscript showed that two mathematical models of collision-detecting neurons in grasshoppers and goldfish make distinct predictions for the timing of their responses to simulated objects approaching on a collision course with non-zero acceleration. Testing these experimental predictions showed that grasshopper neurons are sensitive to acceleration while goldfish neurons are not, in agreement with the distinct models proposed previously in these species using constant velocity approaches. Grasshopper and goldfish escape behaviours occurred after the stimulus reached a fixed angular size insensitive to acceleration, suggesting further downstream processing in grasshopper motor circuits to match what was observed in goldfish. Thus, in spite of different sensory processing in the two species, escape behaviours converge towards similar solutions. The use of object acceleration during approach on a collision course may help better understand the neural computations implemented for collision avoidance in a broad range of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard B Dewell
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Terri Carroll-Mikhail
- Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Bidisha Halder
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Thomas Preuss
- Hunter College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, USA
| | - Fabrizio Gabbiani
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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13
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Choi I, Demir I, Oh S, Lee SH. Multisensory integration in the mammalian brain: diversity and flexibility in health and disease. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220338. [PMID: 37545309 PMCID: PMC10404930 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Multisensory integration (MSI) occurs in a variety of brain areas, spanning cortical and subcortical regions. In traditional studies on sensory processing, the sensory cortices have been considered for processing sensory information in a modality-specific manner. The sensory cortices, however, send the information to other cortical and subcortical areas, including the higher association cortices and the other sensory cortices, where the multiple modality inputs converge and integrate to generate a meaningful percept. This integration process is neither simple nor fixed because these brain areas interact with each other via complicated circuits, which can be modulated by numerous internal and external conditions. As a result, dynamic MSI makes multisensory decisions flexible and adaptive in behaving animals. Impairments in MSI occur in many psychiatric disorders, which may result in an altered perception of the multisensory stimuli and an abnormal reaction to them. This review discusses the diversity and flexibility of MSI in mammals, including humans, primates and rodents, as well as the brain areas involved. It further explains how such flexibility influences perceptual experiences in behaving animals in both health and disease. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilsong Choi
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Ilayda Demir
- Department of biological sciences, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungmi Oh
- Department of biological sciences, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Hee Lee
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of biological sciences, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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14
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Hill-Jarrett TG. The Black radical imagination: a space of hope and possible futures. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1241922. [PMID: 37808484 PMCID: PMC10557459 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1241922] [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: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The radical imagination entails stepping outside the confines of the now and into the expansiveness of what could be. It has been described as the ability to dream of possible futures and bring these possibilities back to the present to drive social transformation. This perspective paper seeks to provide an overview of the radical imagination and its intersections with Afrofuturism, a framework and artistic epistemology that expresses the Black cultural experience through a space of hope where Blackness is integral. In this paper, I propose three processes that comprise the radical imagination: (1) imagining alternative Black futures, (2) radical hope, and (3) collective courage. I consider the neural networks that underlie each process and consider how the Black radical imagination is a portal through which aging Black adults experience hope and envision futures that drive social change. I conclude with considerations of what brain health and healing justice looks like for aging Black Americans- specifically, how invocation of the Black radical imagination may have positive brain health effects for a demographic group at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanisha G. Hill-Jarrett
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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15
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Geissmann L, Coynel D, Papassotiropoulos A, de Quervain DJF. Neurofunctional underpinnings of individual differences in visual episodic memory performance. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5694. [PMID: 37709747 PMCID: PMC10502056 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41380-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Episodic memory, the ability to consciously recollect information and its context, varies substantially among individuals. While prior fMRI studies have identified certain brain regions linked to successful memory encoding at a group level, their role in explaining individual memory differences remains largely unexplored. Here, we analyze fMRI data of 1,498 adults participating in a picture encoding task in a single MRI scanner. We find that individual differences in responsivity of the hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex account for individual variability in episodic memory performance. While these regions also emerge in our group-level analysis, other regions, predominantly within the lateral occipital cortex, are related to successful memory encoding but not to individual memory variation. Furthermore, our network-based approach reveals a link between the responsivity of nine functional connectivity networks and individual memory variability. Our work provides insights into the neurofunctional correlates of individual differences in visual episodic memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léonie Geissmann
- Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Research Cluster Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - David Coynel
- Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Research Cluster Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Papassotiropoulos
- Research Cluster Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Molecular Neuroscience, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- University Psychiatric Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dominique J F de Quervain
- Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Research Cluster Molecular and Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- University Psychiatric Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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16
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Lal NK, Le P, Aggarwal S, Zhang A, Wang K, Qi T, Pang Z, Yang D, Nudell V, Yeo GW, Banks AS, Ye L. Xiphoid nucleus of the midline thalamus controls cold-induced food seeking. Nature 2023; 621:138-145. [PMID: 37587337 PMCID: PMC10482681 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06430-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Maintaining body temperature is calorically expensive for endothermic animals1. Mammals eat more in the cold to compensate for energy expenditure2, but the neural mechanism underlying this coupling is not well understood. Through behavioural and metabolic analyses, we found that mice dynamically switch between energy-conservation and food-seeking states in the cold, the latter of which are primarily driven by energy expenditure rather than the sensation of cold. To identify the neural mechanisms underlying cold-induced food seeking, we used whole-brain c-Fos mapping and found that the xiphoid (Xi), a small nucleus in the midline thalamus, was selectively activated by prolonged cold associated with elevated energy expenditure but not with acute cold exposure. In vivo calcium imaging showed that Xi activity correlates with food-seeking episodes under cold conditions. Using activity-dependent viral strategies, we found that optogenetic and chemogenetic stimulation of cold-activated Xi neurons selectively recapitulated food seeking under cold conditions whereas their inhibition suppressed it. Mechanistically, Xi encodes a context-dependent valence switch that promotes food-seeking behaviours under cold but not warm conditions. Furthermore, these behaviours are mediated by a Xi-to-nucleus accumbens projection. Our results establish Xi as a key region in the control of cold-induced feeding, which is an important mechanism in the maintenance of energy homeostasis in endothermic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj K Lal
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Phuong Le
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Samarth Aggarwal
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alan Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kristina Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Tianbo Qi
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Zhengyuan Pang
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Dong Yang
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Victoria Nudell
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Gene W Yeo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alexander S Banks
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Li Ye
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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17
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Neural basis of why mammals eat more in the cold. Nature 2023:10.1038/d41586-023-02384-0. [PMID: 37587275 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-02384-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
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18
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Zhao J, Song Q, Wu Y, Yang L. Advances in neural circuits of innate fear defense behavior. Zhejiang Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2023; 52:653-661. [PMID: 37899403 PMCID: PMC10630063 DOI: 10.3724/zdxbyxb-2023-0131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Fear, a negative emotion triggered by dangerous stimuli, can lead to psychiatric disorders such as phobias, anxiety disorders, and depression. Investigating the neural circuitry underlying congenital fear can offer insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of related psychiatric conditions. Research on innate fear primarily centers on the response mechanisms to various sensory signals, including olfactory, visual and auditory stimuli. Different types of fear signal inputs are regulated by distinct neural circuits. The neural circuits of the main and accessory olfactory systems receive and process olfactory stimuli, mediating defensive responses like freezing. Escape behaviors elicited by visual stimuli are primarily regulated through the superior colliculus and hypothalamic projection circuits. Auditory stimuli-induced responses, including escape, are mainly mediated through auditory cortex projection circuits. In this article, we review the research progress on neural circuits of innate fear defensive behaviors in animals. We further discuss the different sensory systems, especially the projection circuits of olfactory, visual and auditory systems, to provide references for the mechanistic study of related mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Zhao
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
| | - Qi Song
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Yongye Wu
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Liping Yang
- Henan University of Chinese Medicine School of Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
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19
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Khalil V, Faress I, Mermet-Joret N, Kerwin P, Yonehara K, Nabavi S. Subcortico-amygdala pathway processes innate and learned threats. eLife 2023; 12:e85459. [PMID: 37526552 PMCID: PMC10449383 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility and timely reactions to salient stimuli are essential for survival. The subcortical thalamic-basolateral amygdala (BLA) pathway serves as a shortcut for salient stimuli ensuring rapid processing. Here, we show that BLA neuronal and thalamic axonal activity in mice mirror the defensive behavior evoked by an innate visual threat as well as an auditory learned threat. Importantly, perturbing this pathway compromises defensive responses to both forms of threats, in that animals fail to switch from exploratory to defensive behavior. Despite the shared pathway between the two forms of threat processing, we observed noticeable differences. Blocking β-adrenergic receptors impairs the defensive response to the innate but not the learned threats. This reduced defensive response, surprisingly, is reflected in the suppression of the activity exclusively in the BLA as the thalamic input response remains intact. Our side-by-side examination highlights the similarities and differences between innate and learned threat-processing, thus providing new fundamental insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Khalil
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Islam Faress
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Noëmie Mermet-Joret
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Peter Kerwin
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Multiscale Sensory Structure Laboratory, National Institute of GeneticsMishimaJapan
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)MishimaJapan
| | - Sadegh Nabavi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- DANDRITE, The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory – PROMEMO, Danish National Research Foundation, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
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20
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Wu Q, Zhang Y. Neural Circuit Mechanisms Involved in Animals' Detection of and Response to Visual Threats. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:994-1008. [PMID: 36694085 PMCID: PMC10264346 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01021-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Evading or escaping from predators is one of the most crucial issues for survival across the animal kingdom. The timely detection of predators and the initiation of appropriate fight-or-flight responses are innate capabilities of the nervous system. Here we review recent progress in our understanding of innate visually-triggered defensive behaviors and the underlying neural circuit mechanisms, and a comparison among vinegar flies, zebrafish, and mice is included. This overview covers the anatomical and functional aspects of the neural circuits involved in this process, including visual threat processing and identification, the selection of appropriate behavioral responses, and the initiation of these innate defensive behaviors. The emphasis of this review is on the early stages of this pathway, namely, threat identification from complex visual inputs and how behavioral choices are influenced by differences in visual threats. We also briefly cover how the innate defensive response is processed centrally. Based on these summaries, we discuss coding strategies for visual threats and propose a common prototypical pathway for rapid innate defensive responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiwen Wu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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21
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Lal NK, Le P, Aggarwal S, Zhang A, Wang K, Qi T, Pang Z, Yang D, Nudell V, Yeo GW, Banks AS, Ye L. Xiphoid nucleus of the midline thalamus controls cold-induced food seeking. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.16.533067. [PMID: 36993706 PMCID: PMC10055253 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.16.533067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Maintaining body temperature is calorically expensive for endothermic animals. Mammals eat more in the cold to compensate for energy expenditure, but the neural mechanism underlying this coupling is not well understood. Through behavioral and metabolic analyses, we found that mice dynamically switch between energy conservation and food-seeking states in the cold, the latter of which is primarily driven by energy expenditure rather than the sensation of cold. To identify the neural mechanisms underlying cold-induced food seeking, we use whole-brain cFos mapping and found that the xiphoid (Xi), a small nucleus in the midline thalamus, was selectively activated by prolonged cold associated with elevated energy expenditure but not with acute cold exposure. In vivo calcium imaging showed that Xi activity correlates with food-seeking episodes in cold conditions. Using activity-dependent viral strategies, we found that optogenetic and chemogenetic stimulation of cold-activated Xi neurons recapitulated cold-induced feeding, whereas their inhibition suppressed it. Mechanistically, Xi encodes a context-dependent valence switch promoting food-seeking behaviors in cold but not warm conditions. Furthermore, these behaviors are mediated by a Xi to nucleus accumbens projection. Our results establish Xi as a key region for controlling cold-induced feeding, an important mechanism for maintaining energy homeostasis in endothermic animals.
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22
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Wang F, Chen Y, Lin Y, Wang X, Li K, Han Y, Wu J, Shi X, Zhu Z, Long C, Hu X, Duan S, Gao Z. A parabrachial to hypothalamic pathway mediates defensive behavior. eLife 2023; 12:85450. [PMID: 36930206 PMCID: PMC10023160 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Defensive behaviors are critical for animal's survival. Both the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) have been shown to be involved in defensive behaviors. However, whether there are direct connections between them to mediate defensive behaviors remains unclear. Here, by retrograde and anterograde tracing, we uncover that cholecystokinin (CCK)-expressing neurons in the lateral PBN (LPBCCK) directly project to the PVN. By in vivo fiber photometry recording, we find that LPBCCK neurons actively respond to various threat stimuli. Selective photoactivation of LPBCCK neurons promotes aversion and defensive behaviors. Conversely, photoinhibition of LPBCCK neurons attenuates rat or looming stimuli-induced flight responses. Optogenetic activation of LPBCCK axon terminals within the PVN or PVN glutamatergic neurons promotes defensive behaviors. Whereas chemogenetic and pharmacological inhibition of local PVN neurons prevent LPBCCK-PVN pathway activation-driven flight responses. These data suggest that LPBCCK neurons recruit downstream PVN neurons to actively engage in flight responses. Our study identifies a previously unrecognized role for the LPBCCK-PVN pathway in controlling defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yuge Chen
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yuxin Lin
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Xuze Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Kaiyuan Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yong Han
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Jintao Wu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Xingyi Shi
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Zhenggang Zhu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Chaoying Long
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Xiaojun Hu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Shumin Duan
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- Institute for Translational Brain Research, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan UniversityShanghaiChina
- The Institute of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Zhejiang University City CollegeHangzhouChina
- Chuanqi Research and Development Center of Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Zhihua Gao
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Labotatory of Brain-machine intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
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23
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Berry MH, Moldavan M, Garrett T, Meadows M, Cravetchi O, White E, Leffler J, von Gersdorff H, Wright KM, Allen CN, Sivyer B. A melanopsin ganglion cell subtype forms a dorsal retinal mosaic projecting to the supraoptic nucleus. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1492. [PMID: 36932080 PMCID: PMC10023714 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36955-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual input to the hypothalamus from intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) influences several functions including circadian entrainment, body temperature, and sleep. ipRGCs also project to nuclei such as the supraoptic nucleus (SON), which is involved in systemic fluid homeostasis, maternal behavior, social behaviors, and appetite. However, little is known about the SON-projecting ipRGCs or their relationship to well-characterized ipRGC subtypes. Using a GlyT2Cre mouse line, we show a subtype of ipRGCs restricted to the dorsal retina that selectively projects to the SON. These ipRGCs tile a dorsal region of the retina, forming a substrate for encoding ground luminance. Optogenetic activation of their axons demonstrates they release the neurotransmitter glutamate in multiple regions, including the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and SON. Our results challenge the idea that ipRGC dendrites overlap to optimize photon capture and suggests non-image forming vision operates to sample local regions of the visual field to influence diverse behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Berry
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Michael Moldavan
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Tavita Garrett
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Marc Meadows
- Neuroscience Graduate program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Olga Cravetchi
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Elizabeth White
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Joseph Leffler
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Henrique von Gersdorff
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Kevin M Wright
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Charles N Allen
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Benjamin Sivyer
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
- Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
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24
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Jhang J, Liu S, O’Keefe DD, Han S. A top-down slow breathing circuit that alleviates negative affect. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.25.529925. [PMID: 36909649 PMCID: PMC10002623 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.25.529925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Breathing is profoundly influenced by both behavior and emotion1-4 and is the only physiological parameter that can be volitionally controlled4-6. This indicates the presence of cortical-to-brainstem pathways that directly control brainstem breathing centers, but the neural circuit mechanisms of top-down breathing control remain poorly understood. Here, we identify neurons in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) that project to the pontine reticular nucleus caudalis (PnC) and function to slow breathing rates. Optogenetic activation of this corticopontine pathway (dACC→PnC neurons) in mice slows breathing and alleviates behaviors associated with negative emotions without altering valence. Calcium responses of dACC→PnC neurons are tightly correlated with changes in breathing patterns entrained by behaviors, such as drinking. Activity is also elevated when mice find relief from an anxiety-provoking environment and slow their breathing pattern. Further, GABAergic inhibitory neurons within the PnC that receive direct input from dACC neurons decrease breathing rate by projecting to pontomedullary breathing centers. They also send collateral projections to anxiety-related structures in the forebrain, thus comprising a neural network that modulates breathing and negative affect in parallel. These analyses greatly expand our understanding of top-down breathing control and reveal circuit-based mechanisms by which slow breathing and anxiety relief are regulated together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinho Jhang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Shijia Liu
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Present Address: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David D. O’Keefe
- Research Development Department, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sung Han
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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25
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Experimenter familiarization is a crucial prerequisite for assessing behavioral outcomes and reduces stress in mice not only under chronic pain conditions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2289. [PMID: 36759654 PMCID: PMC9911644 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29052-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Rodent behavior is affected by different environmental conditions. These do not only comprise experimental and housing conditions but also familiarization with the experimenter. However, specific effects on pain-related behavior and chronic pain conditions have not been examined. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the impact of different housing conditions, using individually ventilated and standard open top cages, inverted day-night cycles, and experimenter familiarization on male mice following peripheral neuropathy using the spared nerve injury (SNI) model. Using a multimodal approach, we evaluated evoked pain-related- using von Frey hair filaments, measured gait pattern with the CatWalk system, assessed anxiety- and depression-like behavior with the Elevated plus maze and tail suspension test, measured corticosterone metabolite levels in feces and utilized an integrative approach for relative-severity-assessment. Mechanical sensitivity differed between the cage systems and experimenter familiarization and was affected in both sham and SNI mice. Experimenter familiarization and an inverted day-night cycle reduced mechanical hypersensitivity in SNI and sham mice. SNI mice of the inverted day-night group displayed the slightest pronounced alterations in gait pattern in the Catwalk test. Anxiety-related behavior was only found in SNI mice of experimenter-familiarized mice compared to the sham controls. In addition, familiarization reduced the stress level measured by fecal corticosteroid metabolites caused by the pain and the behavioral tests. Although no environmental condition significantly modulated the severity in SNI mice, it influenced pain-affected phenotypes and is, therefore, crucial for designing and interpreting preclinical pain studies. Moreover, environmental conditions should be considered more in the reporting guidelines, described in more detail, and discussed as a potential influence on pain phenotypes.
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26
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Tryon SC, Bratsch-Prince JX, Warren JW, Jones GC, McDonald AJ, Mott DD. Differential Regulation of Prelimbic and Thalamic Transmission to the Basolateral Amygdala by Acetylcholine Receptors. J Neurosci 2023; 43:722-735. [PMID: 36535767 PMCID: PMC9899087 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2545-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdalar anterior basolateral nucleus (BLa) plays a vital role in emotional behaviors. This region receives dense cholinergic projections from basal forebrain which are critical in regulating neuronal activity in BLa. Cholinergic signaling in BLa has also been shown to modulate afferent glutamatergic inputs to this region. However, these studies, which have used cholinergic agonists or prolonged optogenetic stimulation of cholinergic fibers, may not reflect the effect of physiological acetylcholine release in the BLa. To better understand these effects of acetylcholine, we have used electrophysiology and optogenetics in male and female mouse brain slices to examine cholinergic regulation of afferent BLa input from cortex and midline thalamic nuclei. Phasic ACh release evoked by single pulse stimulation of cholinergic terminals had a biphasic effect on transmission at cortical input, producing rapid nicotinic receptor-mediated facilitation followed by slower mAChR-mediated depression. In contrast, at this same input, sustained ACh elevation through application of the cholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine suppressed glutamatergic transmission through mAChRs only. This suppression was not observed at midline thalamic nuclei inputs to BLa. In agreement with this pathway specificity, the mAChR agonist, muscarine more potently suppressed transmission at inputs from prelimbic cortex than thalamus. Muscarinic inhibition at prelimbic cortex input required presynaptic M4 mAChRs, while at thalamic input it depended on M3 mAChR-mediated stimulation of retrograde endocannabinoid signaling. Muscarinic inhibition at both pathways was frequency-dependent, allowing only high-frequency activity to pass. These findings demonstrate complex cholinergic regulation of afferent input to BLa that is pathway-specific and frequency-dependent.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cholinergic modulation of the basolateral amygdala regulates formation of emotional memories, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we show, using mouse brain slices, that ACh differentially regulates afferent transmission to the BLa from cortex and midline thalamic nuclei. Fast, phasic ACh release from a single optical stimulation biphasically regulates glutamatergic transmission at cortical inputs through nicotinic and muscarinic receptors, suggesting that cholinergic neuromodulation can serve precise, computational roles in the BLa. In contrast, sustained ACh elevation regulates cortical input through muscarinic receptors only. This muscarinic regulation is pathway-specific with cortical input inhibited more strongly than midline thalamic nuclei input. Specific targeting of these cholinergic receptors may thus provide a therapeutic strategy to bias amygdalar processing and regulate emotional memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Tryon
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Joshua X Bratsch-Prince
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - James W Warren
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Grace C Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - David D Mott
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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27
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Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, Weed L, Nouriani B, Jo B, Holl G, Zeitzer JM, Spiegel D, Huberman AD. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:100895. [PMID: 36630953 PMCID: PMC9873947 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Controlled breathwork practices have emerged as potential tools for stress management and well-being. Here, we report a remote, randomized, controlled study (NCT05304000) of three different daily 5-min breathwork exercises compared with an equivalent period of mindfulness meditation over 1 month. The breathing conditions are (1) cyclic sighing, which emphasizes prolonged exhalations; (2) box breathing, which is equal duration of inhalations, breath retentions, and exhalations; and (3) cyclic hyperventilation with retention, with longer inhalations and shorter exhalations. The primary endpoints are improvement in mood and anxiety as well as reduced physiological arousal (respiratory rate, heart rate, and heart rate variability). Using a mixed-effects model, we show that breathwork, especially the exhale-focused cyclic sighing, produces greater improvement in mood (p < 0.05) and reduction in respiratory rate (p < 0.05) compared with mindfulness meditation. Daily 5-min cyclic sighing has promise as an effective stress management exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melis Yilmaz Balban
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Eric Neri
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Manuela M. Kogon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, Stanford Health Care, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Lara Weed
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Bita Nouriani
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Booil Jo
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gary Holl
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jamie M. Zeitzer
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care Service, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - David Spiegel
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Center for Stress and Health, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Andrew D. Huberman
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,BioX, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Corresponding author
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28
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Lan YQ, Yu MB, Zhan ZY, Huang YR, Zhao LW, Quan YD, Li ZJ, Sun DF, Wu YL, Wu HY, Liu ZT, Wu KL. Use of a tissue clearing technique combined with retrograde trans-synaptic viral tracing to evaluate changes in mouse retinorecipient brain regions following optic nerve crush. Neural Regen Res 2023; 18:913-921. [DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.353852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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29
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Xie X, Gong S, Sun N, Zhu J, Xu X, Xu Y, Li X, Du Z, Liu X, Zhang J, Gong W, Si K. Contextual Fear Learning and Extinction in the Primary Visual Cortex of Mice. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:29-40. [PMID: 35704211 PMCID: PMC9849540 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00889-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear memory contextualization is critical for selecting adaptive behavior to survive. Contextual fear conditioning (CFC) is a classical model for elucidating related underlying neuronal circuits. The primary visual cortex (V1) is the primary cortical region for contextual visual inputs, but its role in CFC is poorly understood. Here, our experiments demonstrated that bilateral inactivation of V1 in mice impaired CFC retrieval, and both CFC learning and extinction increased the turnover rate of axonal boutons in V1. The frequency of neuronal Ca2+ activity decreased after CFC learning, while CFC extinction reversed the decrease and raised it to the naïve level. Contrary to control mice, the frequency of neuronal Ca2+ activity increased after CFC learning in microglia-depleted mice and was maintained after CFC extinction, indicating that microglial depletion alters CFC learning and the frequency response pattern of extinction-induced Ca2+ activity. These findings reveal a critical role of microglia in neocortical information processing in V1, and suggest potential approaches for cellular-based manipulation of acquired fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoke Xie
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310012, China
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
- Intelligent Optics & Photonics Research Center, Jiaxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing, 314001, China
| | - Shangyue Gong
- Department of Neurosurgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Ning Sun
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Jiazhu Zhu
- Intelligent Optics & Photonics Research Center, Jiaxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing, 314001, China
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Xiaobin Xu
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Yongxian Xu
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Xiaojing Li
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Zhenhong Du
- Intelligent Optics & Photonics Research Center, Jiaxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing, 314001, China
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Xuanting Liu
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Jianmin Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310012, China
| | - Wei Gong
- Department of Neurosurgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
| | - Ke Si
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
- Intelligent Optics & Photonics Research Center, Jiaxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing, 314001, China.
- MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science & Brain-Machine Integration, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310012, China.
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30
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Liu X, Feng X, Huang H, Huang K, Xu Y, Ye S, Tseng YT, Wei P, Wang L, Wang F. Male and female mice display consistent lifelong ability to address potential life-threatening cues using different post-threat coping strategies. BMC Biol 2022; 20:281. [PMID: 36522765 PMCID: PMC9753375 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01486-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences ranging from physiological functions to pathological disorders are developmentally hard-wired in a broad range of animals, from invertebrates to humans. These differences ensure that animals can display appropriate behaviors under a variety of circumstances, such as aggression, hunting, sleep, mating, and parental care, which are often thought to be important in the acquisition of resources, including territory, food, and mates. Although there are reports of an absence of sexual dimorphism in the context of innate fear, the question of whether there is sexual dimorphism of innate defensive behavior is still an open question. Therefore, an in-depth investigation to determine whether there are sex differences in developmentally hard-wired innate defensive behaviors in life-threatening circumstances is warranted. RESULTS We found that innate defensive behavioral responses to potentially life-threatening stimuli between males and females were indistinguishable over their lifespan. However, by using 3 dimensional (3D)-motion learning framework analysis, we found that males and females showed different behavioral patterns after escaping to the refuge. Specifically, the defensive "freezing" occurred primarily in males, whereas females were more likely to return directly to exploration. Moreover, there were also no estrous phase differences in innate defensive behavioral responses after looming stimuli. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that visually-evoked innate fear behavior is highly conserved throughout the lifespan in both males and females, while specific post-threat coping strategies depend on sex. These findings indicate that innate fear behavior is essential to both sexes and as such, there are no evolutionary-driven sex differences in defensive ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Liu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaolong Feng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hongren Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yang Xu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shuwei Ye
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yu-Ting Tseng
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Pengfei Wei
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
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31
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Hashimoto M, Brito SI, Venner A, Pasqualini AL, Yang TL, Allen D, Fuller PM, Anthony TE. Lateral septum modulates cortical state to tune responsivity to threat stimuli. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111521. [PMID: 36288710 PMCID: PMC9645245 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sudden unexpected environmental changes capture attention and, when perceived as potentially dangerous, evoke defensive behavioral states. Perturbations of the lateral septum (LS) can produce extreme hyperdefensiveness even to innocuous stimuli, but how this structure influences stimulus-evoked defensive responses and threat perception remains unclear. Here, we show that Crhr2-expressing neurons in mouse LS exhibit phasic activation upon detection of threatening but not rewarding stimuli. Threat-stimulus-driven activity predicts the probability but not vigor or type of defensive behavior evoked. Although necessary for and sufficient to potentiate stimulus-triggered defensive responses, LSCrhr2 neurons do not promote specific behaviors. Rather, their stimulation elicits negative valence and physiological arousal. Moreover, LSCrhr2 activity tracks brain state fluctuations and drives cortical activation and rapid awakening in the absence of threat. Together, our findings suggest that LS directs bottom-up modulation of cortical function to evoke preparatory defensive internal states and selectively enhance responsivity to threat-related stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Hashimoto
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Salvador Ignacio Brito
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anne Venner
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Amanda Loren Pasqualini
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tracy Lulu Yang
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David Allen
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Patrick Michael Fuller
- Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Todd Erryl Anthony
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Somatostatin-Positive Neurons in the Rostral Zona Incerta Modulate Innate Fear-Induced Defensive Response in Mice. Neurosci Bull 2022; 39:245-260. [PMID: 36260252 PMCID: PMC9905479 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00958-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Defensive behaviors induced by innate fear or Pavlovian fear conditioning are crucial for animals to avoid threats and ensure survival. The zona incerta (ZI) has been demonstrated to play important roles in fear learning and fear memory, as well as modulating auditory-induced innate defensive behavior. However, whether the neuronal subtypes in the ZI and specific circuits can mediate the innate fear response is largely unknown. Here, we found that somatostatin (SST)-positive neurons in the rostral ZI of mice were activated by a visual innate fear stimulus. Optogenetic inhibition of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI resulted in reduced flight responses to an overhead looming stimulus. Optogenetic activation of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI induced fear-like defensive behavior including increased immobility and bradycardia. In addition, we demonstrated that manipulation of the GABAergic projections from SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI to the downstream nucleus reuniens (Re) mediated fear-like defensive behavior. Retrograde trans-synaptic tracing also revealed looming stimulus-activated neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) that projected to the Re-projecting SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI (SC-ZIrSST-Re pathway). Together, our study elucidates the function of SST-positive neurons in the rostral ZI and the SC-ZIrSST-Re tri-synaptic circuit in mediating the innate fear response.
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Vertes RP, Linley SB, Rojas AKP. Structural and functional organization of the midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:964644. [PMID: 36082310 PMCID: PMC9445584 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.964644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The midline and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus form a major part of the "limbic thalamus;" that is, thalamic structures anatomically and functionally linked with the limbic forebrain. The midline nuclei consist of the paraventricular (PV) and paratenial nuclei, dorsally and the rhomboid and nucleus reuniens (RE), ventrally. The rostral intralaminar nuclei (ILt) consist of the central medial (CM), paracentral (PC) and central lateral (CL) nuclei. We presently concentrate on RE, PV, CM and CL nuclei of the thalamus. The nucleus reuniens receives a diverse array of input from limbic-related sites, and predominantly projects to the hippocampus and to "limbic" cortices. The RE participates in various cognitive functions including spatial working memory, executive functions (attention, behavioral flexibility) and affect/fear behavior. The PV receives significant limbic-related afferents, particularly the hypothalamus, and mainly distributes to "affective" structures of the forebrain including the bed nucleus of stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens and the amygdala. Accordingly, PV serves a critical role in "motivated behaviors" such as arousal, feeding/consummatory behavior and drug addiction. The rostral ILt receives both limbic and sensorimotor-related input and distributes widely over limbic and motor regions of the frontal cortex-and throughout the dorsal striatum. The intralaminar thalamus is critical for maintaining consciousness and directly participates in various sensorimotor functions (visuospatial or reaction time tasks) and cognitive tasks involving striatal-cortical interactions. As discussed herein, while each of the midline and intralaminar nuclei are anatomically and functionally distinct, they collectively serve a vital role in several affective, cognitive and executive behaviors - as major components of a brainstem-diencephalic-thalamocortical circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert P. Vertes
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
| | - Stephanie B. Linley
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
- Department of Psychological Science, University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA, United States
| | - Amanda K. P. Rojas
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United States
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Kang SJ, Liu S, Ye M, Kim DI, Pao GM, Copits BA, Roberts BZ, Lee KF, Bruchas MR, Han S. A central alarm system that gates multi-sensory innate threat cues to the amygdala. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111222. [PMID: 35977501 PMCID: PMC9420642 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception of threats is essential for survival. Previous findings suggest that parallel pathways independently relay innate threat signals from different sensory modalities to multiple brain areas, such as the midbrain and hypothalamus, for immediate avoidance. Yet little is known about whether and how multi-sensory innate threat cues are integrated and conveyed from each sensory modality to the amygdala, a critical brain area for threat perception and learning. Here, we report that neurons expressing calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the parvocellular subparafascicular nucleus in the thalamus and external lateral parabrachial nucleus in the brainstem respond to multi-sensory threat cues from various sensory modalities and relay negative valence to the lateral and central amygdala, respectively. Both CGRP populations and their amygdala projections are required for multi-sensory threat perception and aversive memory formation. The identification of unified innate threat pathways may provide insights into developing therapeutic candidates for innate fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukjae J Kang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shijia Liu
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Mao Ye
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Dong-Il Kim
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gerald M Pao
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Bryan A Copits
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Benjamin Z Roberts
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kuo-Fen Lee
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Center of Excellence in the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Departments of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, and Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sung Han
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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Brady RG, Rogers CE, Prochaska T, Kaplan S, Lean RE, Smyser TA, Shimony JS, Slavich GM, Warner BB, Barch DM, Luby JL, Smyser CD. The Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Neighborhood Crime on Neonatal Functional Connectivity. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:139-148. [PMID: 35428496 PMCID: PMC9257309 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal exposure to adversity during pregnancy has been found to affect infant brain development; however, the specific effect of prenatal crime exposure on neonatal brain connectivity remains unclear. Based on existing research, we hypothesized that living in a high-crime neighborhood during pregnancy would affect neonatal frontolimbic connectivity over and above other individual- and neighborhood-level adversity and that these associations would be mediated by maternal psychosocial stress. METHODS Participants included 399 pregnant women, recruited as part of the eLABE (Early Life Adversity, Biological Embedding, and Risk for Developmental Precursors of Mental Disorders) study. In the neonatal period, 319 healthy, nonsedated infants were scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (repetition time = 800 ms; echo time = 37 ms; voxel size = 2.0 × 2.0 × 2.0 mm3; multiband = 8) on a Prisma 3T scanner and had at least 10 minutes of high-quality data. Crime data at the block group level were obtained from Applied Geographic Solution. Linear regressions and mediation models tested associations between crime, frontolimbic connectivity, and psychosocial stress. RESULTS Living in a neighborhood with high property crime during pregnancy was related to weaker neonatal functional connectivity between the thalamus-anterior default mode network (aDMN) (β = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.25 to -0.04, p = .008). Similarly, high neighborhood violent crime was related to weaker functional connectivity between the thalamus-aDMN (β = -0.16, 95% CI = -0.29 to -0.04, p = .01) and amygdala-hippocampus (β = -0.16, 95% CI = -0.29 to -0.03, p = .02), controlling for other types of adversity. Psychosocial stress partially mediated relationships between the thalamus-aDMN and both violent and property crime. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that prenatal exposure to crime is associated with weaker neonatal limbic and frontal functional brain connections, providing another reason for targeted public policy interventions to reduce crime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca G Brady
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Cynthia E Rogers
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Trinidi Prochaska
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Sydney Kaplan
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Rachel E Lean
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Tara A Smyser
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Joshua S Shimony
- Mallinckrot Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - George M Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Barbara B Warner
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Mallinckrot Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Joan L Luby
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Christopher D Smyser
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Mallinckrot Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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Demars F, Todorova R, Makdah G, Forestier A, Krebs MO, Godsil BP, Jay TM, Wiener SI, Pompili MN. Post-trauma behavioral phenotype predicts the degree of vulnerability to fear relapse after extinction in male rats. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3180-3188.e4. [PMID: 35705096 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Current treatments for trauma-related disorders remain ineffective for many patients.1,2 Fear extinction deficiency is a prominent feature of these diseases,3 and many behavioral treatments rely on extinction training.4,5 However, in many patients, therapy is followed by a relapse of symptoms, and the underpinnings of such interindividual variations in vulnerability to relapse remain unknown.6-8 Here, we modeled interindividual differences in post-therapy fear relapse with an ethologically relevant trauma recovery paradigm. After fear conditioning, male rats underwent fear extinction while foraging in a large enriched arena, permitting the expression of a wide spectrum of behaviors. An automated multidimensional behavioral assessment revealed that post-conditioning fear response profiles clustered into two groups: some animals expressed fear by freezing more, whereas others darted more, as if fleeing from danger. Remarkably, the tendency of an animal to dart or to freeze after CS presentation during the first extinction session was, respectively, associated with stronger or weaker fear renewal. Moreover, genome-wide transcriptional profiling revealed that these groups differentially regulated specific sets of genes, some of which were previously implicated in anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Our results suggest that post-trauma behavioral phenotypes and the associated gene expression landscapes can serve as markers of fear relapse susceptibility and thus may be instrumental for future development of more effective treatments for psychiatric patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Demars
- Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris (IPNP)-INSERM U1266, Institut de Psychiatrie-CNRS GDR3557, GHU Psychiatrie Neurosciences, Université Paris Cité, 102-108 Rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Ralitsa Todorova
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie (CIRB)-CNRS UMR 7241-INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Université PSL, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Gabriel Makdah
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie (CIRB)-CNRS UMR 7241-INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Université PSL, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Faculté de Médecine Lyon Est, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France
| | - Antonin Forestier
- Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris (IPNP)-INSERM U1266, Institut de Psychiatrie-CNRS GDR3557, GHU Psychiatrie Neurosciences, Université Paris Cité, 102-108 Rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France; Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Marie-Odile Krebs
- Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris (IPNP)-INSERM U1266, Institut de Psychiatrie-CNRS GDR3557, GHU Psychiatrie Neurosciences, Université Paris Cité, 102-108 Rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Bill P Godsil
- Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris (IPNP)-INSERM U1266, Institut de Psychiatrie-CNRS GDR3557, GHU Psychiatrie Neurosciences, Université Paris Cité, 102-108 Rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Thérèse M Jay
- Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris (IPNP)-INSERM U1266, Institut de Psychiatrie-CNRS GDR3557, GHU Psychiatrie Neurosciences, Université Paris Cité, 102-108 Rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Sidney I Wiener
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie (CIRB)-CNRS UMR 7241-INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Université PSL, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Marco N Pompili
- Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris (IPNP)-INSERM U1266, Institut de Psychiatrie-CNRS GDR3557, GHU Psychiatrie Neurosciences, Université Paris Cité, 102-108 Rue de la Santé, 75014 Paris, France; Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie (CIRB)-CNRS UMR 7241-INSERM U1050, Collège de France, Université PSL, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France.
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Han Y, Huang K, Chen K, Pan H, Ju F, Long Y, Gao G, Wu R, Wang A, Wang L, Wei P. MouseVenue3D: A Markerless Three-Dimension Behavioral Tracking System for Matching Two-Photon Brain Imaging in Free-Moving Mice. Neurosci Bull 2022; 38:303-317. [PMID: 34637091 PMCID: PMC8975979 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00778-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the connection between brain and behavior in animals requires precise monitoring of their behaviors in three-dimensional (3-D) space. However, there is no available three-dimensional behavior capture system that focuses on rodents. Here, we present MouseVenue3D, an automated and low-cost system for the efficient capture of 3-D skeleton trajectories in markerless rodents. We improved the most time-consuming step in 3-D behavior capturing by developing an automatic calibration module. Then, we validated this process in behavior recognition tasks, and showed that 3-D behavioral data achieved higher accuracy than 2-D data. Subsequently, MouseVenue3D was combined with fast high-resolution miniature two-photon microscopy for synchronous neural recording and behavioral tracking in the freely-moving mouse. Finally, we successfully decoded spontaneous neuronal activity from the 3-D behavior of mice. Our findings reveal that subtle, spontaneous behavior modules are strongly correlated with spontaneous neuronal activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaning Han
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ke Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hongli Pan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Furong Ju
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yueyue Long
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Gao Gao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Honam University, Gwangju, 62399, South Korea
| | - Runlong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Aimin Wang
- Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Peking University, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Pengfei Wei
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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Pessoa L, Medina L, Desfilis E. Refocusing neuroscience: moving away from mental categories and towards complex behaviours. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200534. [PMID: 34957851 PMCID: PMC8710886 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental terms-such as perception, cognition, action, emotion, as well as attention, memory, decision-making-are epistemically sterile. We support our thesis based on extensive comparative neuroanatomy knowledge of the organization of the vertebrate brain. Evolutionary pressures have moulded the central nervous system to promote survival. Careful characterization of the vertebrate brain shows that its architecture supports an enormous amount of communication and integration of signals, especially in birds and mammals. The general architecture supports a degree of 'computational flexibility' that enables animals to cope successfully with complex and ever-changing environments. Here, we suggest that the vertebrate neuroarchitecture does not respect the boundaries of standard mental terms, and propose that neuroscience should aim to unravel the dynamic coupling between large-scale brain circuits and complex, naturalistic behaviours. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Loreta Medina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida Fundació Dr. Pifarré (IRBLleida), University of Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
| | - Ester Desfilis
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida Fundació Dr. Pifarré (IRBLleida), University of Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain
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Zhou B, Li Z, Kim S, Lafferty J, Clark DA. Shallow neural networks trained to detect collisions recover features of visual loom-selective neurons. eLife 2022; 11:72067. [PMID: 35023828 PMCID: PMC8849349 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals have evolved sophisticated visual circuits to solve a vital inference problem: detecting whether or not a visual signal corresponds to an object on a collision course. Such events are detected by specific circuits sensitive to visual looming, or objects increasing in size. Various computational models have been developed for these circuits, but how the collision-detection inference problem itself shapes the computational structures of these circuits remains unknown. Here, inspired by the distinctive structures of LPLC2 neurons in the visual system of Drosophila, we build anatomically-constrained shallow neural network models and train them to identify visual signals that correspond to impending collisions. Surprisingly, the optimization arrives at two distinct, opposing solutions, only one of which matches the actual dendritic weighting of LPLC2 neurons. Both solutions can solve the inference problem with high accuracy when the population size is large enough. The LPLC2-like solutions reproduces experimentally observed LPLC2 neuron responses for many stimuli, and reproduces canonical tuning of loom sensitive neurons, even though the models are never trained on neural data. Thus, LPLC2 neuron properties and tuning are predicted by optimizing an anatomically-constrained neural network to detect impending collisions. More generally, these results illustrate how optimizing inference tasks that are important for an animal's perceptual goals can reveal and explain computational properties of specific sensory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baohua Zhou
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Zifan Li
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Sunnie Kim
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - John Lafferty
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Damon A Clark
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, United States
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40
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Mechanically evoked defensive attack is controlled by GABAergic neurons in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:72-85. [PMID: 34980925 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00985-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Innate defensive behaviors triggered by environmental threats are important for animal survival. Among these behaviors, defensive attack toward threatening stimuli (for example, predators) is often the last line of defense. How the brain regulates defensive attack remains poorly understood. Here we show that noxious mechanical force in an inescapable context is a key stimulus for triggering defensive attack in laboratory mice. Mechanically evoked defensive attacks were abrogated by photoinhibition of vGAT+ neurons in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus (AHN). The vGAT+ AHN neurons encoded the intensity of mechanical force and were innervated by brain areas relevant to pain and attack. Activation of these neurons triggered biting attacks toward a predator while suppressing ongoing behaviors. The projection from vGAT+ AHN neurons to the periaqueductal gray might be one AHN pathway participating in mechanically evoked defensive attack. Together, these data reveal that vGAT+ AHN neurons encode noxious mechanical stimuli and regulate defensive attack in mice.
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41
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Fratzl A, Koltchev AM, Vissers N, Tan YL, Marques-Smith A, Stempel AV, Branco T, Hofer SB. Flexible inhibitory control of visually evoked defensive behavior by the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. Neuron 2021; 109:3810-3822.e9. [PMID: 34614420 PMCID: PMC8648186 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Animals can choose to act upon, or to ignore, sensory stimuli, depending on circumstance and prior knowledge. This flexibility is thought to depend on neural inhibition, through suppression of inappropriate and disinhibition of appropriate actions. Here, we identified the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), an inhibitory prethalamic area, as a critical node for control of visually evoked defensive responses in mice. The activity of vLGN projections to the medial superior colliculus (mSC) is modulated by previous experience of threatening stimuli, tracks the perceived threat level in the environment, and is low prior to escape from a visual threat. Optogenetic stimulation of the vLGN abolishes escape responses, and suppressing its activity lowers the threshold for escape and increases risk-avoidance behavior. The vLGN most strongly affects visual threat responses, potentially via modality-specific inhibition of mSC circuits. Thus, inhibitory vLGN circuits control defensive behavior, depending on an animal’s prior experience and its anticipation of danger in the environment. Activity of vLGN axons in the mSC reflects the previous experience of threat The vLGN bidirectionally controls escape from visual threat Activating the vLGN specifically reduces the activity of visual units in mSC Activating vLGN axons in the mSC specifically suppresses escape from visual threat
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Fratzl
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alice M Koltchev
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nicole Vissers
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yu Lin Tan
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andre Marques-Smith
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - A Vanessa Stempel
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tiago Branco
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sonja B Hofer
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, London, UK.
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Tiger M, Gärde M, Tateno A, Matheson GJ, Sakayori T, Nogami T, Moriya H, Varnäs K, Arakawa R, Okubo Y. A positron emission tomography study of the serotonin1B receptor effect of electroconvulsive therapy for severe major depressive episodes. J Affect Disord 2021; 294:645-651. [PMID: 34332365 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.07.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for depressive disorders, although its molecular mechanism of action is unknown. The serotonin 1B (5-HT1B) receptor is a potential target for treatment of depression and low 5-HT1B receptor binding in limbic regions has been reported in previous positron emission tomography (PET) studies of depression. METHODS The objective of this longitudinal PET study was to examine the effect of ECT for depression on 5-HT1B receptor binding. Fifteen hospitalized patients with major depressive episodes were examined with PET and the 5-HT1B receptor selective radioligand [11C]AZ10419369, before and after ECT. Fifteen controls matched for age and sex were examined. Limbic regions with previously reported low 5-HT1B receptor binding in depression and a dorsal brain stem region were selected. RESULTS Thirteen patients completed the study according to protocol. Eleven out of thirteen patients responded to ECT. 5-HT1B receptor binding in hippocampus increased with 30 % after ECT (p=0.021). Using linear mixed effects modelling, we observed increases in 5-HT1B receptor binding following ECT with a moderate to large effect size, which did not differ significantly between regions. In an exploratory analysis, strong correlations between changes in 5-HT1B receptor binding and agitation scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale after ECT were observed. LIMITATIONS Albeit representative of a PET study, the sample size is still small and there are potential confounding effects of medication. CONCLUSIONS Increased 5-HT1B receptor binding was observed following ECT for depression, corresponding to previous findings of increased 5-HT1B receptor binding in hippocampus after rapid acting ketamine for treatment resistant depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Tiger
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Martin Gärde
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Amane Tateno
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Granville J Matheson
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Takeshi Sakayori
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Nogami
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroki Moriya
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Katarina Varnäs
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ryosuke Arakawa
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiro Okubo
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
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A cell-ECM mechanism for connecting the ipsilateral eye to the brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2104343118. [PMID: 34654745 PMCID: PMC8545493 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2104343118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinct features of the visual world are transmitted from the retina to the brain through anatomically segregated circuits. Despite this being an organizing principle of visual pathways in mammals, we lack an understanding of the signaling mechanisms guiding axons of different types of retinal neurons into segregated layers of brain regions. We explore this question by identifying how axons from the ipsilateral retina innervate a specific lamina of the superior colliculus. Our studies reveal a unique cell–extracellular matrix recognition mechanism that specifies precise targeting of these axons to the superior colliculus. Loss of this mechanism not only resulted in the absence of this eye-specific visual circuit, but it led to an impairment of innate predatory visual behavior as well. Information about features in the visual world is parsed by circuits in the retina and is then transmitted to the brain by distinct subtypes of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Axons from RGC subtypes are stratified in retinorecipient brain nuclei, such as the superior colliculus (SC), to provide a segregated relay of parallel and feature-specific visual streams. Here, we sought to identify the molecular mechanisms that direct the stereotyped laminar targeting of these axons. We focused on ipsilateral-projecting subtypes of RGCs (ipsiRGCs) whose axons target a deep SC sublamina. We identified an extracellular glycoprotein, Nephronectin (NPNT), whose expression is restricted to this ipsiRGC-targeted sublamina. SC-derived NPNT and integrin receptors expressed by ipsiRGCs are both required for the targeting of ipsiRGC axons to the deep sublamina of SC. Thus, a cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) recognition mechanism specifies precise laminar targeting of ipsiRGC axons and the assembly of eye-specific parallel visual pathways.
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Salay LD, Huberman AD. Divergent outputs of the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus mediate visually evoked defensive behaviors. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109792. [PMID: 34610302 PMCID: PMC10954303 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid alternations between exploration and defensive reactions require ongoing risk assessment. How visual cues and internal states flexibly modulate the selection of behaviors remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN)-a major retinorecipient structure-is a critical node in the network controlling defensive behaviors to visual threats. We find that vLGNGABA neuron activity scales with the intensity of environmental illumination and is modulated by behavioral state. Chemogenetic activation of vLGNGABA neurons reduces freezing, whereas inactivation dramatically extends the duration of freezing to visual threats. Perturbations of vLGN activity disrupt exploration in brightly illuminated environments. We describe both a vLGN→nucleus reuniens (Re) circuit and a vLGN→superior colliculus (SC) circuit, which exert opposite influences on defensive responses. These findings reveal roles for genetic- and projection-defined vLGN subpopulations in modulating the expression of behavioral threat responses according to internal state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey D Salay
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrew D Huberman
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; BioX, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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45
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Guo X, Zhou J, Starr C, Mohns EJ, Li Y, Chen EP, Yoon Y, Kellner CP, Tanaka K, Wang H, Liu W, Pasquale LR, Demb JB, Crair MC, Chen B. Preservation of vision after CaMKII-mediated protection of retinal ganglion cells. Cell 2021; 184:4299-4314.e12. [PMID: 34297923 PMCID: PMC8530265 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the sole output neurons that transmit visual information from the retina to the brain. Diverse insults and pathological states cause degeneration of RGC somas and axons leading to irreversible vision loss. A fundamental question is whether manipulation of a key regulator of RGC survival can protect RGCs from diverse insults and pathological states, and ultimately preserve vision. Here, we report that CaMKII-CREB signaling is compromised after excitotoxic injury to RGC somas or optic nerve injury to RGC axons, and reactivation of this pathway robustly protects RGCs from both injuries. CaMKII activity also promotes RGC survival in the normal retina. Further, reactivation of CaMKII protects RGCs in two glaucoma models where RGCs degenerate from elevated intraocular pressure or genetic deficiency. Last, CaMKII reactivation protects long-distance RGC axon projections in vivo and preserves visual function, from the retina to the visual cortex, and visually guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinzheng Guo
- Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jing Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Christopher Starr
- Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ethan J Mohns
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Yidong Li
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | | | - Yonejung Yoon
- Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Christopher P Kellner
- Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kohichi Tanaka
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, School of Biomedical Sciences and Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hongbing Wang
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Louis R Pasquale
- Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jonathan B Demb
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Michael C Crair
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Bo Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Low IIC, Williams AH, Campbell MG, Linderman SW, Giocomo LM. Dynamic and reversible remapping of network representations in an unchanging environment. Neuron 2021; 109:2967-2980.e11. [PMID: 34363753 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in the medial entorhinal cortex alter their firing properties in response to environmental changes. This flexibility in neural coding is hypothesized to support navigation and memory by dividing sensory experience into unique episodes. However, it is unknown how the entorhinal circuit as a whole transitions between different representations when sensory information is not delineated into discrete contexts. Here we describe rapid and reversible transitions between multiple spatial maps of an unchanging task and environment. These remapping events were synchronized across hundreds of neurons, differentially affected navigational cell types, and correlated with changes in running speed. Despite widespread changes in spatial coding, remapping comprised a translation along a single dimension in population-level activity space, enabling simple decoding strategies. These findings provoke reconsideration of how the medial entorhinal cortex dynamically represents space and suggest a remarkable capacity of cortical circuits to rapidly and substantially reorganize their neural representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel I C Low
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Alex H Williams
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Malcolm G Campbell
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Scott W Linderman
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lisa M Giocomo
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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47
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Dynamical prefrontal population coding during defensive behaviours. Nature 2021; 595:690-694. [PMID: 34262175 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03726-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Coping with threatening situations requires both identifying stimuli that predict danger and selecting adaptive behavioural responses to survive1. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) is a critical structure that is involved in the regulation of threat-related behaviour2-4. However, it is unclear how threat-predicting stimuli and defensive behaviours are associated within prefrontal networks to successfully drive adaptive responses. Here we used a combination of extracellular recordings, neuronal decoding approaches, pharmacological and optogenetic manipulations to show that, in mice, threat representations and the initiation of avoidance behaviour are dynamically encoded in the overall population activity of dmPFC neurons. Our data indicate that although dmPFC population activity at stimulus onset encodes sustained threat representations driven by the amygdala, it does not predict action outcome. By contrast, transient dmPFC population activity before the initiation of action reliably predicts avoided from non-avoided trials. Accordingly, optogenetic inhibition of prefrontal activity constrained the selection of adaptive defensive responses in a time-dependent manner. These results reveal that the adaptive selection of defensive responses relies on a dynamic process of information linking threats with defensive actions, unfolding within prefrontal networks.
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48
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A thalamo-amygdalar circuit underlying the extinction of remote fear memories. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:964-974. [PMID: 34017129 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00856-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fear and trauma generate some of the longest-lived memories. Despite the corresponding need to understand how such memories can be attenuated, the underlying brain circuits remain unknown. Here, combining viral tracing, neuronal activity mapping, fiber photometry, chemogenetic and closed-loop optogenetic manipulations in mice, we show that the extinction of remote (30-day-old) fear memories depends on thalamic nucleus reuniens (NRe) inputs to the basolateral amygdala (BLA). We found that remote, but not recent (1-day-old), fear extinction activates NRe-to-BLA inputs, which become potentiated upon fear reduction. Furthermore, both monosynaptic NRe-to-BLA and total NRe activity increase shortly before freezing cessation, suggesting that the NRe registers and transmits safety signals to the BLA. Accordingly, pan-NRe and pathway-specific NRe-to-BLA inhibition impairs, whereas their activation facilitates, remote fear extinction. These findings identify the NRe as a crucial BLA regulator for extinction and provide the first functional description of the circuits underlying the attenuation of consolidated fear memories.
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49
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Benavidez NL, Bienkowski MS, Zhu M, Garcia LH, Fayzullina M, Gao L, Bowman I, Gou L, Khanjani N, Cotter KR, Korobkova L, Becerra M, Cao C, Song MY, Zhang B, Yamashita S, Tugangui AJ, Zingg B, Rose K, Lo D, Foster NN, Boesen T, Mun HS, Aquino S, Wickersham IR, Ascoli GA, Hintiryan H, Dong HW. Organization of the inputs and outputs of the mouse superior colliculus. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4004. [PMID: 34183678 PMCID: PMC8239028 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24241-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) receives diverse and robust cortical inputs to drive a range of cognitive and sensorimotor behaviors. However, it remains unclear how descending cortical input arising from higher-order associative areas coordinate with SC sensorimotor networks to influence its outputs. Here, we construct a comprehensive map of all cortico-tectal projections and identify four collicular zones with differential cortical inputs: medial (SC.m), centromedial (SC.cm), centrolateral (SC.cl) and lateral (SC.l). Further, we delineate the distinctive brain-wide input/output organization of each collicular zone, assemble multiple parallel cortico-tecto-thalamic subnetworks, and identify the somatotopic map in the SC that displays distinguishable spatial properties from the somatotopic maps in the neocortex and basal ganglia. Finally, we characterize interactions between those cortico-tecto-thalamic and cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic subnetworks. This study provides a structural basis for understanding how SC is involved in integrating different sensory modalities, translating sensory information to motor command, and coordinating different actions in goal-directed behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora L Benavidez
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Bienkowski
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Muye Zhu
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Luis H Garcia
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marina Fayzullina
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lei Gao
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ian Bowman
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lin Gou
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Neda Khanjani
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kaelan R Cotter
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laura Korobkova
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marlene Becerra
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Chunru Cao
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Monica Y Song
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Seita Yamashita
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amanda J Tugangui
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brian Zingg
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kasey Rose
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Darrick Lo
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas N Foster
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tyler Boesen
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hyun-Seung Mun
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sarvia Aquino
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ian R Wickersham
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Giorgio A Ascoli
- Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Houri Hintiryan
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hong-Wei Dong
- Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- UCLA Brain Research & Artificial Intelligence Nexus, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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50
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Berson D. Keep both eyes on the prize: Hunting mice use binocular vision and specialized retinal neurons to capture prey. Neuron 2021; 109:1418-1420. [PMID: 33957069 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In this issue of Neuron, Johnson et al. show that mice rely on binocular vision when hunting insect prey. Specific types of retinal output neurons support this behavior. They have functional properties and brain connections well-suited to their role.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Berson
- Department of Neuroscience, Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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