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Favier M, Martin Garcia E, Icick R, de Almeida C, Jehl J, Desplanque M, Zimmermann J, Henrion A, Mansouri-Guilani N, Mounier C, Ribeiro S, Henderson F, Geoffroy A, Mella S, Poirel O, Bernard V, Fabre V, Li Y, Rosenmund C, Jamain S, Vorspan F, Mourot A, Duriez P, Pinhas L, Maldonado R, Pietrancosta N, Daumas S, El Mestikawy S. The human VGLUT3-pT8I mutation elicits uneven striatal DA signaling, food or drug maladaptive consumption in male mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5691. [PMID: 38971801 PMCID: PMC11227582 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49371-1] [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: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic striatal interneurons (ChIs) express the vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3) which allows them to regulate the striatal network with glutamate and acetylcholine (ACh). In addition, VGLUT3-dependent glutamate increases ACh vesicular stores through vesicular synergy. A missense polymorphism, VGLUT3-p.T8I, was identified in patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) and eating disorders (EDs). A mouse line was generated to understand the neurochemical and behavioral impact of the p.T8I variant. In VGLUT3T8I/T8I male mice, glutamate signaling was unchanged but vesicular synergy and ACh release were blunted. Mutant male mice exhibited a reduced DA release in the dorsomedial striatum but not in the dorsolateral striatum, facilitating habit formation and exacerbating maladaptive use of drug or food. Increasing ACh tone with donepezil reversed the self-starvation phenotype observed in VGLUT3T8I/T8I male mice. Our study suggests that unbalanced dopaminergic transmission in the dorsal striatum could be a common mechanism between SUDs and EDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Favier
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
| | - Elena Martin Garcia
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Romain Icick
- Département de Psychiatrie et de Médecine Addictologique, DMU Neurosciences, APHP.Nord, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, F-75010, France
- INSERM U1144, "Therapeutic optimization in neuropsychopharmacology", Paris, F-75006, France
- Université Paris Cité, Inserm UMR-S1144, Paris, F-75006, France
- Neurobiologie Intégrative des Systèmes Cholinergiques, Département de Neurosciences, Institut Pasteur, Paris, F-75015, France
| | - Camille de Almeida
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Joachim Jehl
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
- Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS UMR 8249, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Mazarine Desplanque
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Johannes Zimmermann
- Neurocure NWFZ, Charite Universitaetsmedizin, Institut für Neurophysiologie, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Annabelle Henrion
- Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France
- Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Translational Neuropsychiatry, F-94010, Créteil, France
| | - Nina Mansouri-Guilani
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Coline Mounier
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Svethna Ribeiro
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Fiona Henderson
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Andrea Geoffroy
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Sebastien Mella
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Odile Poirel
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Véronique Bernard
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Véronique Fabre
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Christian Rosenmund
- Neurocure NWFZ, Charite Universitaetsmedizin, Institut für Neurophysiologie, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stéphane Jamain
- Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France
- Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Translational Neuropsychiatry, F-94010, Créteil, France
| | - Florence Vorspan
- Département de Psychiatrie et de Médecine Addictologique, DMU Neurosciences, APHP.Nord, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, F-75010, France
- INSERM U1144, "Therapeutic optimization in neuropsychopharmacology", Paris, F-75006, France
- Université Paris Cité, Inserm UMR-S1144, Paris, F-75006, France
| | - Alexandre Mourot
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
- Brain Plasticity Unit, CNRS UMR 8249, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Philibert Duriez
- GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences (CMME, Hospital Sainte-Anne), Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (INSERM UMR1266), Paris, France
| | - Leora Pinhas
- PHLIP Mental Health and Painless Medicine clinic, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rafael Maldonado
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology-Neurophar, Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nicolas Pietrancosta
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, École normale supérieure, PSL University, CNRS, Laboratoire des Biomolécules, LBM, 75005, Paris, France
- LCBPT, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR 8601, CNRS, Paris, 75006, France
| | - Stéphanie Daumas
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France
| | - Salah El Mestikawy
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H4H 1R3, Canada.
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), 75005, Paris, France.
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Memar S, Jiang E, Prado VF, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Prado MAM. Open science and data sharing in cognitive neuroscience with MouseBytes and MouseBytes. Sci Data 2023; 10:210. [PMID: 37059739 PMCID: PMC10104860 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02106-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Open access to rodent cognitive data has lagged behind the rapid generation of large open-access datasets in other areas of neuroscience, such as neuroimaging and genomics. One contributing factor has been the absence of uniform standardization in experiments and data output, an issue that has particularly plagued studies in animal models. Touchscreen-automated cognitive testing of animal models allows standardized outputs that are compatible with open-access sharing. Touchscreen datasets can be combined with different neuro-technologies such as fiber photometry, miniscopes, optogenetics, and MRI to evaluate the relationship between neural activity and behavior. Here we describe a platform that allows deposition of these data into an open-access repository. This platform, called MouseBytes, is a web-based repository that enables researchers to store, share, visualize, and analyze cognitive data. Here we present the architecture, structure, and the essential infrastructure behind MouseBytes. In addition, we describe MouseBytes+, a database that allows data from complementary neuro-technologies such as imaging and photometry to be easily integrated with behavioral data in MouseBytes to support multi-modal behavioral analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Memar
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
| | - Eric Jiang
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
| | - Marco A M Prado
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
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Su JH, Hu YW, Song YP, Yang Y, Li RY, Zhou KG, Hu L, Wan XH, Teng F, Jin LJ. Dystonia-like behaviors and impaired sensory-motor integration following neurotoxic lesion of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in mice. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1102837. [PMID: 37064180 PMCID: PMC10101329 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1102837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPTg) is a vital interface between the basal ganglia and cerebellum, participating in modulation of the locomotion and muscle tone. Pathological changes of the PPTg have been reported in patients and animal models of dystonia, while its effect and mechanism on the phenotyping of dystonia is still unknown. Methods In this study, a series of behavioral tests focusing on the specific deficits of dystonia were conducted for mice with bilateral and unilateral PPTg excitotoxic lesion, including the dystonia-like movements evaluation, different types of sensory-motor integrations, explorative behaviors and gait. In addition, neural dysfunctions including apoptosis, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and neural activation of PPTg-related motor areas in the basal ganglia, reticular formations and cerebellum were also explored. Results Both bilateral and unilateral lesion of the PPTg elicited dystonia-like behaviors featured by the hyperactivity of the hindlimb flexors. Moreover, proprioceptive and auditory sensory-motor integrations were impaired in bilaterally lesioned mice, while no overt alterations were found for the tactile sensory-motor integration, explorative behaviors and gait. Similar but milder behavioral deficits were found in the unilaterally lesioned mice, with an effective compensation was observed for the auditory sensory-motor integration. Histologically, no neural loss, apoptosis, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration were found in the substantia nigra pars compacta and caudate putamen (CPu) following PPTg lesion, while reduced neural activity was found in the dorsolateral part of the CPu and striatal indirect pathway-related structures including subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus internus and substantia nigra pars reticular. Moreover, the neural activity was decreased for the reticular formations such as pontine reticular nucleus, parvicellular reticular nucleus and gigantocellular reticular nucleus, while deep cerebellar nuclei were spared. Conclusion In conclusion, lesion of the PPTg could elicit dystonia-like behaviors through its effect on the balance of the striatal pathways and the reticular formations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Hui Su
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yao-Wen Hu
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun-Ping Song
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruo-Yu Li
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kai-Ge Zhou
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling Hu
- Department of Laboratory Animal Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin-Hua Wan
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Teng
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Fei Teng
| | - Ling-Jing Jin
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Ling-Jing Jin
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Northington FJ, Kratimenos P, Turnbill V, Flock DL, Asafu-Adjaye D, Chavez-Valdez R, Martin LJ. Basal forebrain magnocellular cholinergic systems are damaged in mice following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:1148-1163. [PMID: 34687459 PMCID: PMC9014889 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) causes lifelong neurologic disability. Despite the use of therapeutic hypothermia, memory deficits and executive functions remain severely affected. Cholinergic neurotransmission from the basal forebrain to neocortex and hippocampus is central to higher cortical functions. We examined the basal forebrain by light microscopy and reported loss of choline acetyltransferase-positive (ChAT)+ neurons, at postnatal day (P) 40, in the ipsilateral medial septal nucleus (MSN) after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in mice. There was no loss of ChAT+ neurons in the ipsilateral nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) and striatum. Ipsilateral striatal and nbM ChAT+ neurons were abnormal with altered immunoreactivity for ChAT, shrunken and crenated somas, and dysmorphic appearing dendrites. Using confocal images with 3D reconstruction, nbM ChAT+ dendrites in HI mice were shorter than sham (p = .0001). Loss of ChAT+ neurons in the MSN directly correlated with loss of ipsilateral hippocampal area. In the nbM and striatum, percentage of abnormal ChAT+ neurons correlated with loss of ipsilateral cerebral cortical and striatal area, respectively. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity increased in adjacent ipsilateral cerebral cortex and hippocampus and the increase was linearly related to loss of cortical and hippocampal area. Numbers and size of cathepsin D+ lysosomes increased in large neurons in the ipsilateral nbM. After neonatal HI, abnormalities were found throughout the major cholinergic systems in relationship to amount of forebrain area loss. There was also an upregulation of cathepsin D+ particles within the nbM. Cholinergic neuropathology may underlie the permanent dysfunction in learning, memory, and executive function after neonatal brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frances J. Northington
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Corresponding Author: CMSC 6-104, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287,
| | - Panagiotis Kratimenos
- Department of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Children’s National Hospital & The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C
| | - Victoria Turnbill
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Debra L. Flock
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Daniella Asafu-Adjaye
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Raul Chavez-Valdez
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lee J. Martin
- Department of Neuroscience, Pathology, and Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus guide reversal learning by signaling the changing reward contingency. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110437. [PMID: 35235804 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility enables effective switching between mental processes to generate appropriate responses. Cholinergic neurons (CNs) within the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) are associated with many functions, but their contribution to cognitive flexibility remains poorly understood. Here we measure PPN cholinergic activities using calcium indicators during the attentional set-shifting task. We find that PPN CNs exhibit increasing activities correlated with rewards during each stage and error trials in reversal stages, indicating sensitivity to rule switching. Inhibition of PPN cholinergic activity selectively impairs reversal learning, which improves with PPN CN activation. Activation of PPN CNs projecting to the substantia nigra pars compacta, mediodorsal thalamus, and parafascicular nucleus in a time-locked manner with reward improves reversal learning. Therefore, PPN CNs may encode not only reward signals but also the information of changing reward contingency that contributes to guiding reversal learning through output projections to multiple nuclei that participate in flexibility.
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Radulovic J, Ivkovic S, Adzic M. From chronic stress and anxiety to neurodegeneration: Focus on neuromodulation of the axon initial segment. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 184:481-495. [PMID: 35034756 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819410-2.00025-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
To adapt to the sustained demands of chronic stress, discrete brain circuits undergo structural and functional changes often resulting in anxiety disorders. In some individuals, anxiety disorders precede the development of motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) caused by degeneration of neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Here, we present a circuit framework for probing a causal link between chronic stress, anxiety, and PD, which postulates a central role of abnormal neuromodulation of the SN's axon initial segment by brainstem inputs. It is grounded in findings demonstrating that the earliest PD pathologies occur in the stress-responsive, emotion regulation network of the brainstem, which provides the SN with dense aminergic and cholinergic innervation. SN's axon initial segment (AIS) has unique features that support the sustained and bidirectional propagation of activity in response to synaptic inputs. It is therefore, especially sensitive to circuit-mediated stress-induced imbalance of neuromodulation, and thus a plausible initiating site of neurodegeneration. This could explain why, although secondary to pathophysiologies in other brainstem nuclei, SN degeneration is the most extensive. Consequently, the cardinal symptom of PD, severe motor deficits, arise from degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway rather than other brainstem nuclei. Understanding when and how circuit dysfunctions underlying anxiety can progress to neurodegeneration, raises the prospect of timed interventions for reversing, or at least impeding, the early pathophysiologies that lead to PD and possibly other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Radulovic
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein Medical College, Bronx, NY, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein Medical College, Bronx, NY, United States.
| | - Sanja Ivkovic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Miroslav Adzic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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Kondo-Takuma Y, Mizuno M, Tsuda Y, Madokoro Y, Suzuki K, Sato T, Takase H, Uchida Y, Adachi KI, Hida H, Borlongan CV, Matsukawa N. Reduction of acetylcholine in the hippocampus of hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide precursor protein knockout mice. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22072. [PMID: 34764402 PMCID: PMC8586363 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01667-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The cholinergic efferent network from the medial septal nucleus to the hippocampus plays an important role in learning and memory processes. This cholinergic projection can generate theta oscillations in the hippocampus to encode novel information. Hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide (HCNP), which induces acetylcholine (Ach) synthesis in the medial septal nuclei of an explant culture system, was purified from the soluble fraction of postnatal rat hippocampus. HCNP is processed from the N-terminal region of a 186-amino acid, 21-kDa HCNP precursor protein, also known as Raf kinase inhibitory protein and phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1. Here, we confirmed direct reduction of Ach release in the hippocampus of freely moving HCNP-pp knockout mice under an arousal state by the microdialysis method. The levels of vesicular acetylcholine transporter were also decreased in the hippocampus of these mice in comparison with those in control mice, suggesting there was decreased incorporation of Ach into the synaptic vesicle. These results potently indicate that HCNP may be a cholinergic regulator in the septo-hippocampal network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Kondo-Takuma
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Masayuki Mizuno
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Yo Tsuda
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Yuta Madokoro
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Kengo Suzuki
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Toyohiro Sato
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Takase
- Core Laboratory, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Yuto Uchida
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Adachi
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Hideki Hida
- Department of Neurophysiology and Brain Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Cesario V Borlongan
- Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Noriyuki Matsukawa
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan.
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Verification of a multi-function closed maze for the detection of affective disorder and spatial cognitive impairment in post-weaning socially isolated rats. Neurosci Lett 2021; 763:136192. [PMID: 34419504 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To verify a behavioral device for the detection of learning, memory, and affective disorders in post-weaning socially isolated rats. METHODS We tested the behavioral changes in post-weaning socially isolated rats using a multi-function closed maze, a self-developed behavioral device, against the classical mood disorder detection method, the IntelliCage system and Morris water maze. RESULTS In the multifunctional closed maze experiment, the spatial learning and memory ability of post-weaning socially isolated rats decreased, which was consistent with the results of the water maze and IntelliCage system. Furthermore, the behavioral changes in the post-weaning socially isolated rats in the multi-function closed maze test were the same as those of the forced swimming and open field tests, indicating that the rats had depression- and anxiety-like behaviors. CONCLUSION A multi-function closed maze can detect emotional changes, spatial learning ability, and memory ability.
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Lopez-Cruz L, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM, Heath CJ. Using touchscreen-delivered cognitive assessments to address the principles of the 3Rs in behavioral sciences. Lab Anim (NY) 2021; 50:174-184. [PMID: 34140683 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-021-00791-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite considerable advances in both in silico and in vitro approaches, in vivo studies that involve animal model systems remain necessary in many research disciplines. Neuroscience is one such area, with studies often requiring access to a complete nervous system capable of dynamically selecting between and then executing a full range of cognitive and behavioral outputs in response to a given stimulus or other manipulation. The involvement of animals in research studies is an issue of active public debate and concern and is therefore carefully regulated. Such regulations are based on the principles of the 3Rs of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. In the sub-specialty of behavioral neuroscience, Full/Absolute Replacement remains a major challenge, as the complete ex vivo recapitulation of a system as complex and dynamic as the nervous system has yet to be achieved. However, a number of very positive developments have occurred in this area with respect to Relative Replacement and to both Refinement and Reduction. In this review, we discuss the Refinement- and Reduction-related benefits yielded by the introduction of touchscreen-based behavioral assessment apparatus. We also discuss how data generated by a specific panel of behavioral tasks developed for this platform might substantially enhance monitoring of laboratory animal welfare and provide robust, quantitative comparisons of husbandry techniques to define and ensure maintenance of best practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lopez-Cruz
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. .,School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
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10
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Palmer D, Dumont JR, Dexter TD, Prado MAM, Finger E, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM. Touchscreen cognitive testing: Cross-species translation and co-clinical trials in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 182:107443. [PMID: 33895351 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Translating results from pre-clinical animal studies to successful human clinical trials in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease presents a significant challenge. While this issue is clearly multifaceted, the lack of reproducibility and poor translational validity of many paradigms used to assess cognition in animal models are central contributors to this challenge. Computer-automated cognitive test batteries have the potential to substantially improve translation between pre-clinical studies and clinical trials by increasing both reproducibility and translational validity. Given the structured nature of data output, computer-automated tests also lend themselves to increased data sharing and other open science good practices. Over the past two decades, computer automated, touchscreen-based cognitive testing methods have been developed for non-human primate and rodent models. These automated methods lend themselves to increased standardization, hence reproducibility, and have become increasingly important for the elucidation of the neurobiological basis of cognition in animal models. More recently, there have been increased efforts to use these methods to enhance translational validity by developing task batteries that are nearly identical across different species via forward (i.e., translating animal tasks to humans) and reverse (i.e., translating human tasks to animals) translation. An additional benefit of the touchscreen approach is that a cross-species cognitive test battery makes it possible to implement co-clinical trials-an approach developed initially in cancer research-for novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. Co-clinical trials bring together pre-clinical and early clinical studies, which facilitates testing of novel treatments in mouse models with underlying genetic or other changes, and can help to stratify patients on the basis of genetic, molecular, or cognitive criteria. This approach can help to determine which patients should be enrolled in specific clinical trials and can facilitate repositioning and/or repurposing of previously approved drugs. This has the potential to mitigate the resources required to study treatment responses in large numbers of human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Palmer
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Julie R Dumont
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tyler D Dexter
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Finger
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Lawson Health Research Institute, Ontario, Canada; Parkwood Institute, St. Josephs Health Care, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada; Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
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11
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Mineur YS, Picciotto MR. The role of acetylcholine in negative encoding bias: Too much of a good thing? Eur J Neurosci 2021; 53:114-125. [PMID: 31821620 PMCID: PMC7282966 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Optimal acetylcholine (ACh) signaling is important for sustained attention and facilitates learning and memory. At the same time, human and animal studies have demonstrated increased levels of ACh in the brain during depressive episodes and increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and reactivity to stress when ACh breakdown is impaired. While it is possible that the neuromodulatory roles of ACh in cognitive and affective processes are distinct, one possibility is that homeostatic levels of ACh signaling are necessary for appropriate learning, but overly high levels of cholinergic signaling promote encoding of stressful events, leading to the negative encoding bias that is a core symptom of depression. In this review, we outline this hypothesis and suggest potential neural pathways and underlying mechanisms that may support a role for ACh signaling in negative encoding bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann S. Mineur
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3 Floor Research, New Haven, CT 06508, USA
| | - Marina R. Picciotto
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3 Floor Research, New Haven, CT 06508, USA
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12
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Sullivan JA, Dumont JR, Memar S, Skirzewski M, Wan J, Mofrad MH, Ansari HZ, Li Y, Muller L, Prado VF, Prado MAM, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. New frontiers in translational research: Touchscreens, open science, and the mouse translational research accelerator platform. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12705. [PMID: 33009724 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases and other brain disorders are accompanied by impairments in high-level cognitive functions including memory, attention, motivation, and decision-making. Despite several decades of extensive research, neuroscience is little closer to discovering new treatments. Key impediments include the absence of validated and robust cognitive assessment tools for facilitating translation from animal models to humans. In this review, we describe a state-of-the-art platform poised to overcome these impediments and improve the success of translational research, the Mouse Translational Research Accelerator Platform (MouseTRAP), which is centered on the touchscreen cognitive testing system for rodents. It integrates touchscreen-based tests of high-level cognitive assessment with state-of-the art neurotechnology to record and manipulate molecular and circuit level activity in vivo in animal models during human-relevant cognitive performance. The platform also is integrated with two Open Science platforms designed to facilitate knowledge and data-sharing practices within the rodent touchscreen community, touchscreencognition.org and mousebytes.ca. Touchscreencognition.org includes the Wall, showcasing touchscreen news and publications, the Forum, for community discussion, and Training, which includes courses, videos, SOPs, and symposia. To get started, interested researchers simply create user accounts. We describe the origins of the touchscreen testing system, the novel lines of research it has facilitated, and its increasingly widespread use in translational research, which is attributable in part to knowledge-sharing efforts over the past decade. We then identify the unique features of MouseTRAP that stand to potentially revolutionize translational research, and describe new initiatives to partner with similar platforms such as McGill's M3 platform (m3platform.org).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A Sullivan
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Institute of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie R Dumont
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sara Memar
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miguel Skirzewski
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jinxia Wan
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Maryam H Mofrad
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Yulong Li
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lyle Muller
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
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13
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Jing M, Li Y, Zeng J, Huang P, Skirzewski M, Kljakic O, Peng W, Qian T, Tan K, Zou J, Trinh S, Wu R, Zhang S, Pan S, Hires SA, Xu M, Li H, Saksida LM, Prado VF, Bussey TJ, Prado MAM, Chen L, Cheng H, Li Y. An optimized acetylcholine sensor for monitoring in vivo cholinergic activity. Nat Methods 2020; 17:1139-1146. [PMID: 32989318 PMCID: PMC7606762 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-020-0953-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The ability to directly measure acetylcholine (ACh) release is an essential step toward understanding its physiological function. Here we optimized the GRABACh (GPCR-activation-based ACh) sensor to achieve substantially improved sensitivity in ACh detection, as well as reduced downstream coupling to intracellular pathways. The improved version of the ACh sensor retains the subsecond response kinetics, physiologically relevant affinity and precise molecular specificity for ACh of its predecessor. Using this sensor, we revealed compartmental ACh signals in the olfactory center of transgenic flies in response to external stimuli including odor and body shock. Using fiber photometry recording and two-photon imaging, our ACh sensor also enabled sensitive detection of single-trial ACh dynamics in multiple brain regions in mice performing a variety of behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Jing
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
| | - Yuexuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Jianzhi Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Pengcheng Huang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Miguel Skirzewski
- BrainsCAN Rodent Cognition Core, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ornela Kljakic
- Robarts Research Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medecine and Dentistry, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Wanling Peng
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Tongrui Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Zou
- Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Simon Trinh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Runlong Wu
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shichen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Sunlei Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Samuel A Hires
- Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Min Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Haohong Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Robarts Research Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medecine and Dentistry, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medecine and Dentistry, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Robarts Research Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medecine and Dentistry, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medecine and Dentistry, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Liangyi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Heping Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Research Unit of Mitochondria in Brain Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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14
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Romero-Leguizamón CR, Kohlmeier KA. Stress-related endogenous neuropeptides induce neuronal excitation in the Laterodorsal Tegmentum. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 38:86-97. [PMID: 32768153 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Stress is a physiological response that promotes maintenance of balance against harmful stimuli. Unfortunately, chronic activation of stress systems facilitates the development of psychiatric disorders. A stress-mediated hypercholinergic state could underlie this facilitation, as cholinergic mechanisms have been suggested to play a role in anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder (SUD). Stimulation by stress hormones, urocortin (Ucn1) or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), of the CRF receptor type 1 (CRFR1) of acetylcholine-containing neurons of the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) could be involved in modulation of cholinergic transmission during periods of stress hormone activation, which could play a role in psychiatric disorders as cholinergic LDT neurons project to, and control activity in, mood-, arousal- and SUD-controlling regions. The present study investigated for the first time the membrane effects and intracellular outcomes of CRFR1 activation by endogenous stress hormones on LDT neurons. Patch clamp recordings of immunohistochemically-identified cholinergic and non-cholinergic LDT neurons with concurrent calcium imaging were used to monitor cellular responses to CRFR1 stimulation with Ucn1 and CRF. Postsynaptically-mediated excitatory currents were elicited in LDT cholinergic neurons, accompanied by an enhancement in synaptic events. In addition, CRFR1 activation resulted in rises in intracellular calcium levels. CRFR1 stimulation recruited MAPK/ERK and SERCA-ATPase involved pathways. The data presented here provide the first evidence that Ucn1 and CRF exert pre and postsynaptic excitatory membrane actions on LDT cholinergic neurons that could underlie the hypercholinergic state associated with stress which could play a role in the heightened risk of psychiatric disorders associated with a chronic stress state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar R Romero-Leguizamón
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
| | - Kristi A Kohlmeier
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark.
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15
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Dumont JR, Salewski R, Beraldo F. Critical mass: The rise of a touchscreen technology community for rodent cognitive testing. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12650. [PMID: 32141694 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The rise in the number of users and institutions utilizing the rodent touchscreen technology for cognitive testing over the past decade has prompted the need for knowledge mobilization and community building. To address the needs of the growing touchscreen community, the first international touchscreen symposium was hosted at Western University. Attendees from around the world attended talks from expert neuroscientists using touchscreens to examine a vast array of questions regarding cognition and the nervous system. In addition to the symposium, a subset of attendees was invited to partake in a hands-on training course where they received touchscreen training covering both hardware and software components. Beyond the two touchscreen events, virtual platforms have been developed to further support touchscreen users: (a) Mousebytes.ca, which includes a data repository of rodent touchscreen tasks, and (b) Touchscreencognition.org, an online community with numerous training and community resources, perhaps most notably a forum where members can ask and answer questions. The advantages of the rodent touchscreen technology for cognitive neuroscience research has allowed neuroscientists from diverse backgrounds to test specific cognitive processes using well-validated and standardized apparatus, contributing to its rise in popularity and its relevance to modern neuroscience research. The commitment of the touchscreen community to data, task development and information sharing not only ensures an expansive future of the use of rodent touchscreen technology but additionally, quality research that will increase translation from preclinical studies to clinical successes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie R Dumont
- BrainsCAN, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ryan Salewski
- BrainsCAN, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Flavio Beraldo
- BrainsCAN, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Mantanona CP, Alsiö J, Elson JL, Fisher BM, Dalley JW, Bussey T, Pienaar IS. Altered motor, anxiety-related and attentional task performance at baseline associate with multiple gene copies of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter and related protein overexpression in ChAT::Cre+ rats. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:3095-3116. [PMID: 31506825 PMCID: PMC6875150 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01957-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Transgenic rodents expressing Cre recombinase cell specifically are used for exploring mechanisms regulating behavior, including those mediated by cholinergic signaling. However, it was recently reported that transgenic mice overexpressing a bacterial artificial chromosome containing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) gene, for synthesizing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, present with multiple vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) gene copies, resulting in altered cholinergic tone and accompanying behavioral abnormalities. Since ChAT::Cre+ rats, used increasingly for understanding the biological basis of CNS disorders, utilize the mouse ChAT promotor to control Cre recombinase expression, we assessed for similar genotypical and phenotypical differences in such rats compared to wild-type siblings. The rats were assessed for mouse VAChT copy number, VAChT protein expression levels and for sustained attention, response control and anxiety. Rats were also subjected to a contextual fear conditioning paradigm using an unconditional fear-inducing stimulus (electrical foot shocks), with blood samples taken at baseline, the fear acquisition phase and retention testing, for measuring blood plasma markers of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal gland (HPA)-axis activity. ChAT::Cre+ rats expressed multiple mouse VAChT gene copies, resulting in significantly higher VAChT protein expression, revealed anxiolytic behavior, hyperlocomotion and deficits in tasks requiring sustained attention. The HPA-axis was intact, with unaltered circulatory levels of acute stress-induced corticosterone, leptin and glucose. Our findings, therefore, reveal that in ChAT::Cre+ rats, VAChT overexpression associates with significant alterations of certain cognitive, motor and affective functions. Although highly useful as an experimental tool, it is essential to consider the potential effects of altered cholinergic transmission on baseline behavior in ChAT::Cre rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig P Mantanona
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Johan Alsiö
- Department of Psychology, The Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joanna L Elson
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Beth M Fisher
- Department of Psychology, The Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jeffrey W Dalley
- Department of Psychology, The Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Timothy Bussey
- Department of Psychology, The Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Ilse S Pienaar
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, BN1 9PH, UK.
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