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Wang HC, Feldman DE. Degraded tactile coding in the Cntnap2 mouse model of autism. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114612. [PMID: 39110592 PMCID: PMC11396660 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114612] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Atypical sensory processing is common in autism, but how neural coding is disrupted in sensory cortex is unclear. We evaluate whisker touch coding in L2/3 of somatosensory cortex (S1) in Cntnap2-/- mice, which have reduced inhibition. This classically predicts excess pyramidal cell spiking, but this remains controversial, and other deficits may dominate. We find that c-fos expression is elevated in S1 of Cntnap2-/- mice under spontaneous activity conditions but is comparable to that of control mice after whisker stimulation, suggesting normal sensory-evoked spike rates. GCaMP8m imaging from L2/3 pyramidal cells shows no excess whisker responsiveness, but it does show multiple signs of degraded somatotopic coding. This includes broadened whisker-tuning curves, a blurred whisker map, and blunted whisker point representations. These disruptions are greater in noisy than in sparse sensory conditions. Tuning instability across days is also substantially elevated in Cntnap2-/-. Thus, Cntnap2-/- mice show no excess sensory-evoked activity, but a degraded and unstable tactile code in S1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Chin Wang
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Daniel E Feldman
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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2
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Beletskiy A, Zolotar A, Fortygina P, Chesnokova E, Uroshlev L, Balaban P, Kolosov P. Downregulation of Ribosomal Protein Genes Is Revealed in a Model of Rat Hippocampal Neuronal Culture Activation with GABA(A)R/GlyRa2 Antagonist Picrotoxin. Cells 2024; 13:383. [PMID: 38474347 DOI: 10.3390/cells13050383] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Long-read transcriptome sequencing provides us with a convenient tool for the thorough study of biological processes such as neuronal plasticity. Here, we aimed to perform transcriptional profiling of rat hippocampal primary neuron cultures after stimulation with picrotoxin (PTX) to further understand molecular mechanisms of neuronal activation. To overcome the limitations of short-read RNA-Seq approaches, we performed an Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION-based long-read sequencing and transcriptome assembly of rat primary hippocampal culture mRNA at three time points after the PTX activation. We used a specific approach to exclude uncapped mRNAs during sample preparation. Overall, we found 23,652 novel transcripts in comparison to reference annotations, out of which ~6000 were entirely novel and mostly transposon-derived loci. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEG) showed that 3046 genes were differentially expressed, of which 2037 were upregulated and 1009 were downregulated at 30 min after the PTX application, with only 446 and 13 genes differentially expressed at 1 h and 5 h time points, respectively. Most notably, multiple genes encoding ribosomal proteins, with a high basal expression level, were downregulated after 30 min incubation with PTX; we suggest that this indicates redistribution of transcriptional resources towards activity-induced genes. Novel loci and isoforms observed in this study may help us further understand the functional mRNA repertoire in neuronal plasticity processes. Together with other NGS techniques, differential gene expression analysis of sequencing data obtained using MinION platform might provide a simple method to optimize further study of neuronal plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Beletskiy
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasia Zolotar
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia
| | - Polina Fortygina
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Chesnokova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia
| | - Leonid Uroshlev
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia
| | - Pavel Balaban
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia
| | - Peter Kolosov
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 117485 Moscow, Russia
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, The Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
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Montanari R, Alegre-Cortés J, Alonso-Andrés A, Cabrera-Moreno J, Navarro I, García-Frigola C, Sáez M, Reig R. Callosal inputs generate side-invariant receptive fields in the barrel cortex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi3728. [PMID: 38019920 PMCID: PMC10686559 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi3728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Barrel cortex integrates contra- and ipsilateral whiskers' inputs. While contralateral inputs depend on the thalamocortical innervation, ipsilateral ones are thought to rely on callosal axons. These are more abundant in the barrel cortex region bordering with S2 and containing the row A-whiskers representation, the row lying nearest to the facial midline. Here, we ask what role this callosal axonal arrangement plays in ipsilateral tactile signaling. We found that novel object exploration with ipsilateral whiskers confines c-Fos expression within the highly callosal subregion. Targeting this area with in vivo patch-clamp recordings revealed neurons with uniquely strong ipsilateral responses dependent on the corpus callosum, as assessed by tetrodotoxin silencing and by optogenetic activation of the contralateral hemisphere. Still, in this area, stimulation of contra- or ipsilateral row A-whiskers evoked an indistinguishable response in some neurons, mostly located in layers 5/6, indicating their involvement in the midline representation of the whiskers' sensory space.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jorge Cabrera-Moreno
- Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC (Alicante), Avenida Santiago Ramón y Cajal s.n., 03550, Spain
| | | | - Cristina García-Frigola
- Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC (Alicante), Avenida Santiago Ramón y Cajal s.n., 03550, Spain
| | - María Sáez
- Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC (Alicante), Avenida Santiago Ramón y Cajal s.n., 03550, Spain
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4
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Wang HC, Feldman DE. Degraded tactile coding in the Cntnap2 mouse model of autism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.29.560240. [PMID: 37808857 PMCID: PMC10557772 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.29.560240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Atypical sensory processing in autism involves altered neural circuit function and neural coding in sensory cortex, but the nature of coding disruption is poorly understood. We characterized neural coding in L2/3 of whisker somatosensory cortex (S1) of Cntnap2-/- mice, an autism model with pronounced hypofunction of parvalbumin (PV) inhibitory circuits. We tested for both excess spiking, which is often hypothesized in autism models with reduced inhibition, and alterations in somatotopic coding, using c-fos immunostaining and 2-photon calcium imaging in awake mice. In Cntnap2-/- mice, c-fos-(+) neuron density was elevated in L2/3 of S1 under spontaneous activity conditions, but comparable to control mice after whisker stimulation, suggesting that sensory-evoked spiking was relatively normal. 2-photon GCaMP8m imaging in L2/3 pyramidal cells revealed no increase in whisker-evoked response magnitude, but instead showed multiple signs of degraded somatotopic coding. These included broadening of whisker tuning curves, blurring of the whisker map, and blunting of the point representation of each whisker. These altered properties were more pronounced in noisy than sparse sensory conditions. Tuning instability, assessed over 2-3 weeks of longitudinal imaging, was also significantly increased in Cntnap2-/- mice. Thus, Cntnap2-/- mice show no excess spiking, but a degraded and unstable tactile code in S1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Chin Wang
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Daniel E. Feldman
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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5
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Li X, Hao S, Zou S, Tu X, Kong W, Jiang T, Chen JG. Cortex-restricted deletion of Foxp1 impairs barrel formation and induces aberrant tactile responses in a mouse model of autism. Mol Autism 2023; 14:34. [PMID: 37691105 PMCID: PMC10494400 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00567-0] [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: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many children and young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display touch defensiveness or avoidance (hypersensitivity), or engage in sensory seeking by touching people or objects (hyposensitivity). Abnormal sensory responses have also been noticed in mice lacking ASD-associated genes. Tactile sensory information is normally processed by the somatosensory system that travels along the thalamus to the primary somatosensory cortex. The neurobiology behind tactile sensory abnormalities, however, is not fully understood. METHODS We employed cortex-specific Foxp1 knockout (Foxp1-cKO) mice as a model of autism in this study. Tactile sensory deficits were measured by the adhesive removal test. The mice's behavior and neural activity were further evaluated by the whisker nuisance test and c-Fos immunofluorescence, respectively. We also studied the dendritic spines and barrel formation in the primary somatosensory cortex by Golgi staining and immunofluorescence. RESULTS Foxp1-cKO mice had a deferred response to the tactile environment. However, the mice exhibited avoidance behavior and hyper-reaction following repeated whisker stimulation, similar to a fight-or-flight response. In contrast to the wild-type, c-Fos was activated in the basolateral amygdala but not in layer IV of the primary somatosensory cortex of the cKO mice. Moreover, Foxp1 deficiency in cortical neurons altered the dendrite development, reduced the number of dendritic spines, and disrupted barrel formation in the somatosensory cortex, suggesting impaired somatosensory processing may underlie the aberrant tactile responses. LIMITATIONS It is still unclear how the defective thalamocortical connection gives rise to the hyper-reactive response. Future experiments with electrophysiological recording are needed to analyze the role of thalamo-cortical-amygdala circuits in the disinhibiting amygdala and enhanced fearful responses in the mouse model of autism. CONCLUSIONS Foxp1-cKO mice have tactile sensory deficits while exhibit hyper-reactivity, which may represent fearful and emotional responses controlled by the amygdala. This study presents anatomical evidence for reduced thalamocortical connectivity in a genetic mouse model of ASD and demonstrates that the cerebral cortex can be the origin of atypical sensory behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People's Republic of China
| | - Shishuai Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People's Republic of China
| | - Shimin Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomeng Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People's Republic of China
| | - Weixi Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People's Republic of China
| | - Tian Jiang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Wenling Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenling, 317500, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie-Guang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Visual Science, Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325027, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, People's Republic of China.
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6
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Tactile information from the vibrissal system modulates hippocampal functioning. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2022.100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Grabowska A, Sas-Nowosielska H, Wojtas B, Holm-Kaczmarek D, Januszewicz E, Yushkevich Y, Czaban I, Trzaskoma P, Krawczyk K, Gielniewski B, Martin-Gonzalez A, Filipkowski RK, Olszynski KH, Bernas T, Szczepankiewicz AA, Sliwinska MA, Kanhema T, Bramham CR, Bokota G, Plewczynski D, Wilczynski GM, Magalska A. Activation-induced chromatin reorganization in neurons depends on HDAC1 activity. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110352. [PMID: 35172152 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110352] [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: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial chromatin organization is crucial for transcriptional regulation and might be particularly important in neurons since they dramatically change their transcriptome in response to external stimuli. We show that stimulation of neurons causes condensation of large chromatin domains. This phenomenon can be observed in vitro in cultured rat hippocampal neurons as well as in vivo in the amygdala and hippocampal neurons. Activity-induced chromatin condensation is an active, rapid, energy-dependent, and reversible process. It involves calcium-dependent pathways but is independent of active transcription. It is accompanied by the redistribution of posttranslational histone modifications and rearrangements in the spatial organization of chromosome territories. Moreover, it leads to the reorganization of nuclear speckles and active domains located in their proximity. Finally, we find that the histone deacetylase HDAC1 is the key regulator of this process. Our results suggest that HDAC1-dependent chromatin reorganization constitutes an important level of transcriptional regulation in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Grabowska
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Cell Motility, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hanna Sas-Nowosielska
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Cell Motility, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bartosz Wojtas
- Laboratory of Sequencing, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dagmara Holm-Kaczmarek
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Cell Motility, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Januszewicz
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systemic Neuromorphology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Yana Yushkevich
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Cell Motility, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Iwona Czaban
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systemic Neuromorphology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Pawel Trzaskoma
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systemic Neuromorphology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Krawczyk
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systemic Neuromorphology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bartlomiej Gielniewski
- Laboratory of Sequencing, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ana Martin-Gonzalez
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systemic Neuromorphology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, San Juan de Alicante, 03550 Alicante, Spain
| | - Robert Kuba Filipkowski
- Behavior and Metabolism Research Laboratory, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Hubert Olszynski
- Behavior and Metabolism Research Laboratory, Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tytus Bernas
- Laboratory of Imaging Tissue Structure and Function, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland; Department of Anatomy and Neurology, VCU School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
| | - Andrzej Antoni Szczepankiewicz
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systemic Neuromorphology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Alicja Sliwinska
- Laboratory of Imaging Tissue Structure and Function, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tambudzai Kanhema
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Clive R Bramham
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
| | - Grzegorz Bokota
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; Institute of Informatics, University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Dariusz Plewczynski
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland; Faculty of Mathematics and Information Science, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-662 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Marek Wilczynski
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systemic Neuromorphology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Adriana Magalska
- Laboratory of Molecular Basis of Cell Motility, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
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Tomé DF, Sadeh S, Clopath C. Coordinated hippocampal-thalamic-cortical communication crucial for engram dynamics underneath systems consolidation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:840. [PMID: 35149680 PMCID: PMC8837777 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28339-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Systems consolidation refers to the time-dependent reorganization of memory representations or engrams across brain regions. Despite recent advancements in unravelling this process, the exact mechanisms behind engram dynamics and the role of associated pathways remain largely unknown. Here we propose a biologically-plausible computational model to address this knowledge gap. By coordinating synaptic plasticity timescales and incorporating a hippocampus-thalamus-cortex circuit, our model is able to couple engram reactivations across these regions and thereby reproduce key dynamics of cortical and hippocampal engram cells along with their interdependencies. Decoupling hippocampal-thalamic-cortical activity disrupts systems consolidation. Critically, our model yields testable predictions regarding hippocampal and thalamic engram cells, inhibitory engrams, thalamic inhibitory input, and the effect of thalamocortical synaptic coupling on retrograde amnesia induced by hippocampal lesions. Overall, our results suggest that systems consolidation emerges from coupled reactivations of engram cells in distributed brain regions enabled by coordinated synaptic plasticity timescales in multisynaptic subcortical-cortical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sadra Sadeh
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Claudia Clopath
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Lee J, Urban-Ciecko J, Park E, Zhu M, Myal SE, Margolis DJ, Barth AL. FosGFP expression does not capture a sensory learning-related engram in superficial layers of mouse barrel cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2112212118. [PMID: 34930843 PMCID: PMC8719899 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2112212118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Immediate-early gene (IEG) expression has been used to identify small neural ensembles linked to a particular experience, based on the principle that a selective subset of activated neurons will encode specific memories or behavioral responses. The majority of these studies have focused on "engrams" in higher-order brain areas where more abstract or convergent sensory information is represented, such as the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, or amygdala. In primary sensory cortex, IEG expression can label neurons that are responsive to specific sensory stimuli, but experience-dependent shaping of neural ensembles marked by IEG expression has not been demonstrated. Here, we use a fosGFP transgenic mouse to longitudinally monitor in vivo expression of the activity-dependent gene c-fos in superficial layers (L2/3) of primary somatosensory cortex (S1) during a whisker-dependent learning task. We find that sensory association training does not detectably alter fosGFP expression in L2/3 neurons. Although training broadly enhances thalamocortical synaptic strength in pyramidal neurons, we find that synapses onto fosGFP+ neurons are not selectively increased by training; rather, synaptic strengthening is concentrated in fosGFP- neurons. Taken together, these data indicate that expression of the IEG reporter fosGFP does not facilitate identification of a learning-specific engram in L2/3 in barrel cortex during whisker-dependent sensory association learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiseok Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - Joanna Urban-Ciecko
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Eunsol Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - Mo Zhu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - Stephanie E Myal
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
| | - David J Margolis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854
| | - Alison L Barth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213;
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10
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Balasco L, Pagani M, Pangrazzi L, Chelini G, Ciancone Chama AG, Shlosman E, Mattioni L, Galbusera A, Iurilli G, Provenzano G, Gozzi A, Bozzi Y. Abnormal Whisker-Dependent Behaviors and Altered Cortico-Hippocampal Connectivity in Shank3b-/- Mice. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:3042-3056. [PMID: 34791077 PMCID: PMC9290535 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal tactile response is an integral feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), and hypo-responsiveness to tactile stimuli is often associated with the severity of ASDs core symptoms. Patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), caused by mutations in the SHANK3 gene, show ASD-like symptoms associated with aberrant tactile responses. The neural underpinnings of these abnormalities are still poorly understood. Here we investigated, in Shank3b−/− adult mice, the neural substrates of whisker-guided behaviors, a key component of rodents’ interaction with the surrounding environment. We assessed whisker-dependent behaviors in Shank3b−/− adult mice and age-matched controls, using the textured novel object recognition (tNORT) and whisker nuisance (WN) test. Shank3b−/− mice showed deficits in whisker-dependent texture discrimination in tNORT and behavioral hypo-responsiveness to repetitive whisker stimulation in WN. Sensory hypo-responsiveness was accompanied by a significantly reduced activation of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and hippocampus, as measured by c-fos mRNA induction, a proxy of neuronal activity following whisker stimulation. Moreover, resting-state fMRI showed a significantly reduced S1-hippocampal connectivity in Shank3b mutants, in the absence of altered connectivity between S1 and other somatosensory areas. Impaired crosstalk between hippocampus and S1 might underlie Shank3b−/− hypo-reactivity to whisker-dependent cues, highlighting a potentially generalizable somatosensory dysfunction in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Balasco
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Marco Pagani
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Luca Pangrazzi
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Gabriele Chelini
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | | | - Evgenia Shlosman
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Mattioni
- Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Alberto Galbusera
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Giuliano Iurilli
- Systems Neurobiology Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Giovanni Provenzano
- Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gozzi
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Yuri Bozzi
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, TN, Italy.,CNR Neuroscience Institute, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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11
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Wang C, Liu H, Li K, Wu ZZ, Wu C, Yu JY, Gong Q, Fang P, Wang XX, Duan SM, Wang H, Gu Y, Hu J, Pan BX, Schmidt MV, Liu YJ, Wang XD. Tactile modulation of memory and anxiety requires dentate granule cells along the dorsoventral axis. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6045. [PMID: 33247136 PMCID: PMC7695841 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19874-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Touch can positively influence cognition and emotion, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that tactile experience enrichment improves memory and alleviates anxiety by remodeling neurons along the dorsoventral axis of the dentate gyrus (DG) in adult mice. Tactile enrichment induces differential activation and structural modification of neurons in the dorsal and ventral DG, and increases the presynaptic input from the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC), which is reciprocally connected with the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), to tactile experience-activated DG neurons. Chemogenetic activation of tactile experience-tagged dorsal and ventral DG neurons enhances memory and reduces anxiety respectively, whereas inactivation of these neurons or S1-innervated LEC neurons abolishes the beneficial effects of tactile enrichment. Moreover, adulthood tactile enrichment attenuates early-life stress-induced memory deficits and anxiety-related behavior. Our findings demonstrate that enriched tactile experience retunes the pathway from S1 to DG and enhances DG neuronal plasticity to modulate cognition and emotion. Touch can positively modulate cognitive performance and emotional response. Here the authors demonstrate that enriched tactile experience improves memory and reduces anxiety in adult mice by remodelling the pathway from the primary somatosensory cortex to the dentate gyrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kun Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhen-Zhen Wu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chen Wu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing-Ying Yu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qian Gong
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ping Fang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xing-Xing Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Technische Universität München/Klinikum Rechts der Isar, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Shu-Min Duan
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao Wang
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan Gu
- Center of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ji Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 201210, Shanghai, China
| | - Bing-Xing Pan
- Laboratory of Fear and Anxiety Disorders, Institute of Life Science, Nanchang University, 330031, Nanchang, China
| | | | - Yi-Jun Liu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Dong Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058, Hangzhou, China. .,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310058, Hangzhou, China.
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12
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Andreoli E, Petrenko V, Constanthin PE, Contestabile A, Bocchi R, Egervari K, Quairiaux C, Salmon P, Kiss JZ. Transplanted Embryonic Neurons Improve Functional Recovery by Increasing Activity in Injured Cortical Circuits. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:4708-4725. [PMID: 32266929 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Transplantation of appropriate neuronal precursors after injury is a promising strategy to reconstruct cortical circuits, but the efficiency of these approaches remains limited. Here, we applied targeted apoptosis to selectively ablate layer II/III pyramidal neurons in the rat juvenile cerebral cortex and attempted to replace lost neurons with their appropriate embryonic precursors by transplantation. We demonstrate that grafted precursors do not migrate to replace lost neurons but form vascularized clusters establishing reciprocal synaptic contacts with host networks and show functional integration. These heterotopic neuronal clusters significantly enhance the activity of the host circuits without causing epileptic seizures and attenuate the apoptotic injury-induced functional deficits in electrophysiological and behavioral tests. Chemogenetic activation of grafted neurons further improved functional recovery, and the persistence of the graft was necessary for maintaining restored functions in adult animals. Thus, implanting neuronal precursors capable to form synaptically integrated neuronal clusters combined with activation-based approaches represents a useful strategy for helping long-term functional recovery following brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgenia Andreoli
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Volodymyr Petrenko
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Paul Eugène Constanthin
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Contestabile
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Riccardo Bocchi
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kristof Egervari
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Charles Quairiaux
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Patrick Salmon
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jozsef Zoltan Kiss
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 Rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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13
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Layer 6b Is Driven by Intracortical Long-Range Projection Neurons. Cell Rep 2020; 30:3492-3505.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
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14
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Γ-Aminobutyric acid in adult brain: an update. Behav Brain Res 2019; 376:112224. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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15
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Pizzo R, Lamarca A, Sassoè-Pognetto M, Giustetto M. Structural Bases of Atypical Whisker Responses in a Mouse Model of CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder. Neuroscience 2019; 445:130-143. [PMID: 31472213 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mutations in the CDKL5 (cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5) gene cause CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD), a severe neurodevelopmental syndrome where patients exhibit early-onset seizures, intellectual disability, stereotypies, limited or absent speech, autism-like symptoms and sensory impairments. Mounting evidences indicate that disrupted sensory perception and processing represent core signs also in mouse models of CDD; however we have very limited knowledge on their underlying causes. In this study, we investigated how CDKL5 deficiency affects synaptic organization and experience-dependent plasticity in the thalamo-cortical (TC) pathway carrying whisker-related tactile information to the barrel cortex (BC). By using synapse-specific antibodies and confocal microscopy, we found that Cdkl5-KO mice display a lower density of TC synapses in the BC that was paralleled by a reduction of cortico-cortical (CC) connections compared to wild-type mice. These synaptic defects were accompanied by reduced BC activation, as shown by a robust decrease of c-fos immunostaining, and atypical behavioral responses to whisker-mediated tactile stimulation. Notably, a 2-day paradigm of enriched whisker stimulation rescued both number and configuration of excitatory synapses in Cdkl5-KO mice, restored cortical activity and normalized behavioral responses to wild-type mice levels. Our findings disclose a novel and unsuspected role of CDKL5 in controlling the organization and experience-induced modifications of excitatory connections in the BC and indicate how mutations of CDKL5 produce failures in higher-order processing of somatosensory stimuli. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Animal Models of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Pizzo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Corso Massimo D'Azeglio 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - A Lamarca
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Corso Massimo D'Azeglio 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - M Sassoè-Pognetto
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Corso Massimo D'Azeglio 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; National Institute of Neuroscience-Italy, Corso Massimo D'Azeglio 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - M Giustetto
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Corso Massimo D'Azeglio 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; National Institute of Neuroscience-Italy, Corso Massimo D'Azeglio 52, 10126 Turin, Italy.
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16
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Yang H, Shan W, Zhu F, Yu T, Fan J, Guo A, Li F, Yang X, Wang Q. C-Fos mapping and EEG characteristics of multiple mice brain regions in pentylenetetrazol-induced seizure mice model. Neurol Res 2019; 41:749-761. [PMID: 31038018 DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2019.1610839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose: To confirm different local brain activities characterized in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizure model. Methods: we induced seizure response by a single dose of PTZ injection (45 mg/kg, i.p.). Local activity was recorded in different brain regions by EEG in time and c-Fos staining at different time points (0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h) after PTZ treatment. Results: EEG recordings showed distinctive features of activation in different brain areas. With the aggravation of behavioral manifestations of seizures, the frequency and amplitude of the discharges on EEG were increasing gradually. The epileptic response on EEG immediately ended after reaching the maximum stage of seizures, followed by a short period of suppression. The labeling of c-Fos was enhanced in the medial prefrontal cortex, the piriform cortex, the amygdala, hippocampal CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus, but inapparent in the striatum. The most potent changes in c-Fos were observed in cortex, amygdala nuclei, and dentate gyrus. EEG and c-Fos immunolabeling in neuronal activation showed discrepancies in the striatum. For each brain region, the maximum c-Fos labeling was observed at 2 h after injection and diminished at 4 h. The level of c-Fos immunoreactivity was even lower than the control group, which was accompanied by increased labeling of parvalbumin neurons (PVNs). Conclusions: These findings validated PTZ-induced seizure as a seizure model with a specific spatial-temporal profile. Neuronal activity was enhanced and then subsequently inhibited during seizure evolution. Abbreviations: AEDs: anti-epileptic drugs; AF: Alexa Fluor; CA1: Cornu Ammonis area 1; CA3: Cornu Ammonis area 3; DAB, 3: 3P-diaminobenzidine; DAPI: 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; DG: dentate gyrus; EEG: electroencephalogram; GABA: gamma-aminobutyric acid; IEG: immediate early gene; mPFC: medial prefrontal cortex; NAc: nucleus accumbens; PB: phosphate buffer; PBS: phosphate buffered saline; PBST: phosphate buffered saline with Tween; PFA, paraformaldehyde; PTZ: pentylenetetrazol; PVN: parvalbumin neuron; ROI: regions of interest; SE: status epilepticus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huajun Yang
- a Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing , P.R.China.,b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China.,c National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological Diseases , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Wei Shan
- a Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing , P.R.China.,b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China.,c National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological Diseases , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Fei Zhu
- a Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing , P.R.China.,b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China.,c National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological Diseases , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Tingting Yu
- a Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing , P.R.China.,b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China.,c National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological Diseases , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Jingjing Fan
- a Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing , P.R.China.,b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China.,c National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological Diseases , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Anchen Guo
- b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China.,c National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological Diseases , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Fei Li
- d Beijing institute of pharmacology and toxicology , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Xiaofeng Yang
- b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China
| | - Qun Wang
- a Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing , P.R.China.,b Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders , Beijing , P.R.China.,c National Center for Clinical Medicine of Neurological Diseases , Beijing , P.R.China
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17
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Chelini G, Zerbi V, Cimino L, Grigoli A, Markicevic M, Libera F, Robbiati S, Gadler M, Bronzoni S, Miorelli S, Galbusera A, Gozzi A, Casarosa S, Provenzano G, Bozzi Y. Aberrant Somatosensory Processing and Connectivity in Mice Lacking Engrailed-2. J Neurosci 2019; 39:1525-1538. [PMID: 30593497 PMCID: PMC6381254 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0612-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Overreactivity and defensive behaviors in response to tactile stimuli are common symptoms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Similarly, somatosensory hypersensitivity has also been described in mice lacking ASD-associated genes such as Fmr1 (fragile X mental retardation protein 1). Fmr1 knock-out mice also show reduced functional connectivity between sensory cortical areas, which may represent an endogenous biomarker for their hypersensitivity. Here, we measured whole-brain functional connectivity in Engrailed-2 knock-out (En2-/-) adult mice, which show a lower expression of Fmr1 and anatomical defects common to Fmr1 knock-outs. MRI-based resting-state functional connectivity in adult En2-/- mice revealed significantly reduced synchronization in somatosensory-auditory/associative cortices and dorsal thalamus, suggesting the presence of aberrant somatosensory processing in these mutants. Accordingly, when tested in the whisker nuisance test, En2-/- but not WT mice of both sexes showed fear behavior in response to repeated whisker stimulation. En2-/- mice undergoing this test exhibited decreased c-Fos-positive neurons (a marker of neuronal activity) in layer IV of the primary somatosensory cortex and increased immunoreactive cells in the basolateral amygdala compared with WT littermates. Conversely, when tested in a sensory maze, En2-/- and WT mice spent a comparable time in whisker-guided exploration, indicating that whisker-mediated behaviors are otherwise preserved in En2 mutants. Therefore, fearful responses to somatosensory stimuli in En2-/- mice are accompanied by reduced basal connectivity of sensory regions, reduced activation of somatosensory cortex, and increased activation of the basolateral amygdala, suggesting that impaired somatosensory processing is a common feature in mice lacking ASD-related genes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Overreactivity to tactile stimuli is a common symptom in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Recent studies performed in mice bearing ASD-related mutations confirmed these findings. Here, we evaluated the behavioral response to whisker stimulation in mice lacking the ASD-related gene Engrailed-2 (En2-/- mice). Compared with WT controls, En2-/- mice showed reduced functional connectivity in the somatosensory cortex, which was paralleled by fear behavior, reduced activation of somatosensory cortex, and increased activation of the basolateral amygdala in response to repeated whisker stimulation. These results suggest that impaired somatosensory signal processing is a common feature in mice harboring ASD-related mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Chelini
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Valerio Zerbi
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luca Cimino
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Andrea Grigoli
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Marija Markicevic
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Libera
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Sergio Robbiati
- Model Organisms Facility, Center for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Mattia Gadler
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Silvia Bronzoni
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Silvia Miorelli
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Alberto Galbusera
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy, and
| | - Alessandro Gozzi
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy, and
| | - Simona Casarosa
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Giovanni Provenzano
- Center for Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, 38123 Trento, Italy,
| | - Yuri Bozzi
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy,
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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18
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Robakiewicz I, Polak M, Rawska M, Alberski D, Polowy R, Wytrychiewicz K, Syperek M, Matysiak J, Filipkowski RK. Stimulus-seeking in rats is accompanied by increased c-Fos expression in hippocampal CA1 as well as short 22 kHz and flat 50 kHz calls. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2019. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2019-029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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19
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A novel environment-evoked transcriptional signature predicts reactivity in single dentate granule neurons. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3084. [PMID: 30082781 PMCID: PMC6079101 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05418-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Activity-induced remodeling of neuronal circuits is critical for memory formation. This process relies in part on transcription, but neither the rate of activity nor baseline transcription is equal across neuronal cell types. In this study, we isolated mouse hippocampal populations with different activity levels and used single nucleus RNA-seq to compare their transcriptional responses to activation. One hour after novel environment exposure, sparsely active dentate granule (DG) neurons had a much stronger transcriptional response compared to more highly active CA1 pyramidal cells and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) interneurons. Activity continued to impact transcription in DG neurons up to 5 h, with increased heterogeneity. By re-exposing the mice to the same environment, we identified a unique transcriptional signature that selects DG neurons for reactivation upon re-exposure to the same environment. These results link transcriptional heterogeneity to functional heterogeneity and identify a transcriptional correlate of memory encoding in individual DG neurons. Single nuclei RNA-seq has been used to characterize transcriptional signature of environment-related activity in cells of the dentate gyrus. Here the authors use this approach to show that whether a neuron will be reactivated in response to re-exposure to a previous environment can be predicted by its transcriptional signature.
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20
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D'Alessandro LM, Harrison RV. Changes to Neural Activation Patterns (c-fos Labeling) in Chinchilla Auditory Midbrain following Neonatal Exposure to an Enhanced Sound Environment. Neural Plast 2018; 2018:7160362. [PMID: 30123254 PMCID: PMC6079364 DOI: 10.1155/2018/7160362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2017] [Revised: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory brain regions show neuroplastic changes following deficits or experimental augmentation of peripheral input during a neonatal period. We have previously shown reorganization of cortical tonotopic maps after neonatal cochlear lesions or exposure to an enhanced acoustic environment. Such experiments probe the cortex and show reorganization, but it is unclear if such changes are intrinsically cortical or reflect projections from modified subcortical regions. Here, we ask whether an enhanced neonatal acoustic environment can induce midbrain (inferior colliculus (IC)) changes. Neonatal chinchillas were chronically exposed to a 70 dB SPL narrowband (2 ± 0.25 kHz) sound stimulus for 4 weeks. In line with previous studies, we hypothesized that such exposure would induce widening of the 2 kHz tonotopic map region in IC. To probe c-fos expression in IC (central nucleus), sound-exposed and nonexposed animals were stimulated with a 2 kHz stimulus for 90 minutes. In sound-exposed subjects, we find no change in the width of the 2 kHz tonotopic region; thus, our hypothesis is not supported. However, we observed a significant increase in the number of c-fos-labeled neurons over a broad region of best frequencies. These data suggest that neonatal sound exposure can modify midbrain regions and thus change the way neurons in IC respond to sound stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. D'Alessandro
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A8
- Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 3G9
- The Auditory Science Laboratory, Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada M5G 1X8
| | - Robert V. Harrison
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 1A8
- Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5S 3G9
- The Auditory Science Laboratory, Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada M5G 1X8
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada M5G 2N2
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21
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Heiss JK, Barrett J, Yu Z, Haas LT, Kostylev MA, Strittmatter SM. Early Activation of Experience-Independent Dendritic Spine Turnover in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:3660-3674. [PMID: 27365298 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptic loss is critical in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the dynamics of synapse turnover are poorly defined. We imaged dendritic spines in transgenic APPswe/PSen1∆E9 (APP/PS1) cerebral cortex. Dendritic spine turnover is increased far from plaque in aged APP/PS1 mice, and in young APP/PS1 mice prior to plaque formation. Dysregulation occurs in the presence of soluble Aβ oligomer and requires cellular prion protein (PrPC). APP/PS1 mice lack responsiveness of spine turnover to sensory stimulation. Critically, enhanced spine turnover is coupled with the loss of persistent spines starting early and continuing with age. To evaluate mechanisms of experience-independent supranormal spine turnover, we analyzed the transcriptome of young APP/PS1 mouse brain when turnover is altered but synapse density and memory are normal, and plaque and inflammation are absent. Early PrPC-dependent expression changes occur in synaptic and lipid-metabolizing genes. Thus, pathologic synaptic dysregulation underlying AD begins at a young age prior to Aβ plaque.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline K Heiss
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration & Repair, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven CT 06520, USA
| | - Joshua Barrett
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration & Repair, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Zizi Yu
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration & Repair, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Laura T Haas
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration & Repair, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Mikhail A Kostylev
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration & Repair, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Stephen M Strittmatter
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration & Repair, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA.,Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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22
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Gonzalez-Perez O, López-Virgen V, Ibarra-Castaneda N. Permanent Whisker Removal Reduces the Density of c-Fos+ Cells and the Expression of Calbindin Protein, Disrupts Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Affects Spatial-Memory-Related Tasks. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:132. [PMID: 29867365 PMCID: PMC5962760 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial vibrissae, commonly known as whiskers, are the main sensitive tactile system in rodents. Whisker stimulation triggers neuronal activity that promotes neural plasticity in the barrel cortex (BC) and helps create spatial maps in the adult hippocampus. Moreover, activity-dependent inputs and calcium homeostasis modulate adult neurogenesis. Therefore, the neuronal activity of the BC possibly regulates hippocampal functions and neurogenesis. To assess whether tactile information from facial whiskers may modulate hippocampal functions and neurogenesis, we permanently eliminated whiskers in CD1 male mice and analyzed the effects in cellular composition, molecular expression and memory processing in the adult hippocampus. Our data indicated that the permanent deprivation of whiskers reduced in 4-fold the density of c-Fos+ cells (a calcium-dependent immediate early gene) in cornu ammonis subfields (CA1, CA2 and CA3) and 4.5-fold the dentate gyrus (DG). A significant reduction in the expression of calcium-binding proteincalbindin-D28k was also observed in granule cells of the DG. Notably, these changes coincided with an increase in apoptosis and a decrease in the proliferation of neural precursor cells in the DG, which ultimately reduced the number of Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)+NeuN+ mature neurons generated after whisker elimination. These abnormalities in the hippocampus were associated with a significant impairment of spatial memory and navigation skills. This is the first evidence indicating that tactile inputs from vibrissal follicles strongly modify the expression of c-Fos and calbindin in the DG, disrupt different aspects of hippocampal neurogenesis, and support the notion that spatial memory and navigation skills strongly require tactile information in the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Gonzalez-Perez
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico.,El Colegio de Colima, Colima, Mexico
| | - Verónica López-Virgen
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico.,Medical Sciences PhD Program, School of Medicine, University of Colima, Colima, Mexico
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Lin X, Itoga CA, Taha S, Li MH, Chen R, Sami K, Berton F, Francesconi W, Xu X. c-Fos mapping of brain regions activated by multi-modal and electric foot shock stress. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 8:92-102. [PMID: 29560385 PMCID: PMC5857493 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Real-world stressors are complex and multimodal, involving physical, psychological, and social dimensions. However, the brain networks that mediate stress responses to these stimuli need to be further studied. We used c-Fos mapping in mice to characterize brain circuits activated by exposure to a single episode of multimodal stress (MMS), and compared these to circuits activated by electric foot shocks (EFS). We focused on characterizing c-Fos activity in stress-relevant brain regions including the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). We also assessed stress-induced activation of CRH-positive neurons in each of these structures. MMS and EFS activated an overlapping network of brain regions with a similar time course. c-Fos expression within the PVN and the BNST peaked 30–60 min after exposure to both MMS and EFS, and returned to baseline levels within 24 h. Quantification of c-Fos expression within BNST subregions revealed that while c-Fos expression peaked in all subregions 30–60 min after MMS and EFS exposure, the neuronal density of c-Fos expression was significantly higher in the dorsomedial and ventral BNST relative to the dorsolateral BNST. Our preliminary assessment indicated that a great majority of MMS or EFS-activated neurons in the PVN were CRH-positive (>87%); in contrast, about 6–35% of activated neurons in the BNST were CRH-positive. Our findings indicate that both MMS and EFS are effective at activating stress-relevant brain areas and support the use of MMS as an effective approach for studying multidimensional stress in animal models. The results also reveal that the PVN and BNST are part of a common neural circuit substrate involved in neural processing related to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiao Lin
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-1275, United States
| | - Christy A Itoga
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-1275, United States
| | - Sharif Taha
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5820, United States
| | - Ming H Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-1275, United States
| | - Ryan Chen
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-1275, United States
| | - Kirolos Sami
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-1275, United States
| | - Fulvia Berton
- Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Walter Francesconi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Xiangmin Xu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-1275, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2715, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-4025, United States
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Jaworski J, Kalita K, Knapska E. c-Fos and neuronal plasticity: the aftermath of Kaczmarek’s theory. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2018. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2018-027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Kole K, Scheenen W, Tiesinga P, Celikel T. Cellular diversity of the somatosensory cortical map plasticity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 84:100-115. [PMID: 29183683 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Sensory maps are representations of the sensory epithelia in the brain. Despite the intuitive explanatory power behind sensory maps as being neuronal precursors to sensory perception, and sensory cortical plasticity as a neural correlate of perceptual learning, molecular mechanisms that regulate map plasticity are not well understood. Here we perform a meta-analysis of transcriptional and translational changes during altered whisker use to nominate the major molecular correlates of experience-dependent map plasticity in the barrel cortex. We argue that brain plasticity is a systems level response, involving all cell classes, from neuron and glia to non-neuronal cells including endothelia. Using molecular pathway analysis, we further propose a gene regulatory network that could couple activity dependent changes in neurons to adaptive changes in neurovasculature, and finally we show that transcriptional regulations observed in major brain disorders target genes that are modulated by altered sensory experience. Thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms of experience-dependent plasticity of sensory maps might help to unravel the cellular events that shape brain plasticity in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen Kole
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Neuroinformatics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Wim Scheenen
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Tiesinga
- Department of Neuroinformatics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tansu Celikel
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Del Cid-Pellitero E, Plavski A, Mainville L, Jones BE. Homeostatic Changes in GABA and Glutamate Receptors on Excitatory Cortical Neurons during Sleep Deprivation and Recovery. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:17. [PMID: 28408870 PMCID: PMC5374161 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal activity is regulated in a homeostatic manner through changes in inhibitory GABA and excitatory glutamate (Glu) AMPA (A) receptors (GluARs). Using immunofluorescent staining, we examined whether calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIα (CaMKIIα)-labeled (+) excitatory neurons in the barrel cortex undergo such homeostatic regulation following enforced waking with associated cortical activation during the day when mice normally sleep the majority of the time. Sleep deprived mice were prevented from falling asleep by unilateral whisker stimulation and sleep recovery (SR) mice allowed to sleep freely following deprivation. In parallel with changes in c-Fos reflecting changes in activity, (β2-3 subunits of) GABAA Rs were increased on the membrane of CaMKIIα+ neurons with enforced waking and returned to baseline levels with SR in barrel cortex on sides both contra- and ipsilateral to the whisker stimulation. The GABAAR increase was correlated with increased gamma electroencephalographic (EEG) activity across conditions. On the other hand, (GluA1 subunits of) AMPA Rs were progressively removed from the membrane of CaMKIIα+ neurons by (Rab5+) early endosomes during enforced waking and returned to the membrane by (Rab11+) recycling endosomes during SR. The internalization of the GluA1Rs paralleled the expression of Arc, which mediates homeostatic regulation of AMPA receptors through an endocytic pathway. The reciprocal changes in GluA1Rs relative to GABAARs suggest homeostatic down-scaling during enforced waking and sensory stimulation and restorative up-scaling during recovery sleep. Such homeostatic changes with sleep-wake states and their associated cortical activities could stabilize excitability and activity in excitatory cortical neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Del Cid-Pellitero
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological InstituteMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anton Plavski
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological InstituteMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lynda Mainville
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological InstituteMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Barbara E Jones
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal Neurological InstituteMontreal, QC, Canada
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Roohbakhsh A, Shamsizadeh A, Arababadi MK, Ayoobi F, Fatemi I, Allahtavakoli M, Mohammad-Zadeh M. Tactile learning in rodents: Neurobiology and neuropharmacology. Life Sci 2016; 147:1-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2016.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2015] [Revised: 12/28/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Liu W, Crews FT. Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure enhances ethanol activation of the nucleus accumbens while blunting the prefrontal cortex responses in adult rat. Neuroscience 2015; 293:92-108. [PMID: 25727639 PMCID: PMC4821202 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Revised: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 02/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The brain continues to develop through adolescence when excessive alcohol consumption is prevalent in humans. We hypothesized that binge drinking doses of ethanol during adolescence will cause changes in brain ethanol responses that persist into adulthood. To test this hypothesis Wistar rats were treated with an adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE; 5 g/kg, i.g. 2 days on-2 days off; P25-P54) model of underage drinking followed by 25 days of abstinence during maturation to young adulthood (P80). Using markers of neuronal activation c-Fos, EGR1, and phophorylated extracellar signal regulated kinase (pERK1/2), adult responses to a moderate and binge drinking ethanol challenge, e.g., 2 or 4 g/kg, were determined. Adult rats showed dose dependent increases in neuronal activation markers in multiple brain regions during ethanol challenge. Brain regional responses correlated are consistent with anatomical connections. AIE led to marked decreases in adult ethanol PFC (prefrontal cortex) and blunted responses in the amygdala. Binge drinking doses led to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) activation that correlated with the ventral tegmental area (VTA) activation. In contrast to other brain regions, AIE enhanced the adult NAc response to binge drinking doses. These studies suggest that adolescent alcohol exposure causes long-lasting changes in brain responses to alcohol that persist into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Liu
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB 7178, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7178, United States.
| | - F T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB 7178, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7178, United States.
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Khodadad A, Adelson PD, Lifshitz J, Thomas TC. The time course of activity-regulated cytoskeletal (ARC) gene and protein expression in the whisker-barrel circuit using two paradigms of whisker stimulation. Behav Brain Res 2015; 284:249-56. [PMID: 25682931 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Revised: 12/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Immediate early genes have previously demonstrated a rapid increase in gene expression after various behavioral paradigms. The main focus of this article is to identify a molecular marker of circuit activation after manual whisker stimulation or exploration of a novel environment. To this end, we investigated the dynamics of ARC transcription in adult male rats during whisker somatosensation throughout the whisker barrel circuit. At various time points, tissue was biopsied from the ventral posterior medial nucleus (VPM) of the thalamus, primary somatosensory barrel field (S1BF) cortex and hippocampus for quantification using real-time PCR and western blot. Our results show that there were no significant differences in ARC gene or protein expression in the VPM after both types of stimulation. However, manual whisker stimulation resulted in increased ARC gene expression at 15, 30, 60 and 300 min in the S1BF, and 15 min in the hippocampus (p<0.05). Also, exploration of a novel environment resulted in increased ARC mRNA expression at 15 and 30 min in the S1BF and at 15 min in the hippocampus (p<0.05). The type of stimulation (manual versus exploration of a novel environment) influenced the magnitude of ARC gene expression in the S1BF (p<0.05). These data are the first to demonstrate that ARC is a specific, quantifiable and input dependent molecular marker of circuit activation which can serve to quantify the impact of brain injury and subsequent rehabilitation on whisker sensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Khodadad
- Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital- Phoenix, AZ; Department of Child Health, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, AZ; Department of Neuroscience, University of Strasbourg, France.
| | - P David Adelson
- Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital- Phoenix, AZ; Department of Child Health, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, AZ; Neuroscience Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
| | - Jonathan Lifshitz
- Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital- Phoenix, AZ; Department of Child Health, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, AZ; Phoenix VA Healthcare System- Phoenix, AZ; Neuroscience Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
| | - Theresa Currier Thomas
- Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital- Phoenix, AZ; Department of Child Health, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, AZ; Phoenix VA Healthcare System- Phoenix, AZ.
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30
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D'Alessandro LM, Harrison RV. Excitatory and inhibitory tonotopic bands in chinchilla inferior colliculus revealed by c-fos immuno-labeling. Hear Res 2014; 316:122-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2014.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Lacoste B, Comin CH, Ben-Zvi A, Kaeser PS, Xu X, Costa LDF, Gu C. Sensory-related neural activity regulates the structure of vascular networks in the cerebral cortex. Neuron 2014; 83:1117-30. [PMID: 25155955 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.07.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Neurovascular interactions are essential for proper brain function. While the effect of neural activity on cerebral blood flow has been extensively studied, whether or not neural activity influences vascular patterning remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that neural activity promotes the formation of vascular networks in the early postnatal mouse barrel cortex. Using a combination of genetics, imaging, and computational tools to allow simultaneous analysis of neuronal and vascular components, we found that vascular density and branching were decreased in the barrel cortex when sensory input was reduced by either a complete deafferentation, a genetic impairment of neurotransmitter release at thalamocortical synapses, or a selective reduction of sensory-related neural activity by whisker plucking. In contrast, enhancement of neural activity by whisker stimulation led to an increase in vascular density and branching. The finding that neural activity is necessary and sufficient to trigger alterations of vascular networks reveals an important feature of neurovascular interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Lacoste
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cesar H Comin
- IFSC, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Ayal Ben-Zvi
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pascal S Kaeser
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaoyin Xu
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Chenghua Gu
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Kawashima T, Okuno H, Bito H. A new era for functional labeling of neurons: activity-dependent promoters have come of age. Front Neural Circuits 2014; 8:37. [PMID: 24795570 PMCID: PMC4005930 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2014.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic labeling of neurons with a specific response feature is an emerging technology for precise dissection of brain circuits that are functionally heterogeneous at the single-cell level. While immediate early gene mapping has been widely used for decades to identify brain regions which are activated by external stimuli, recent characterization of the promoter and enhancer elements responsible for neuronal activity-dependent transcription have opened new avenues for live imaging of active neurons. Indeed, these advancements provided the basis for a growing repertoire of novel experiments to address the role of active neuronal networks in cognitive behaviors. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the usage and development of activity-dependent promoters and discuss the future directions of this expanding new field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Kawashima
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoTokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Okuno
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoTokyo, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Bito
- Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of TokyoTokyo, Japan
- Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology AgencySaitama, Japan
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Chu YF, Yen CT, Lee LJ. Neonatal whisker clipping alters behavior, neuronal structure and neural activity in adult rats. Behav Brain Res 2012; 238:124-33. [PMID: 23098795 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Revised: 10/09/2012] [Accepted: 10/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Early experience plays critical roles during the development of sensory systems. For example, neonatal surgical manipulations of the whiskers in rodents lead to altered neural activity and behaviors later in life. However, while surgical procedures damage the sensory pathway; it is hard to examine the impact of whisker deprivation on adult animals. To address this issue, we performed a neonatal whisker clipping (WC0-3) paradigm, a non-invasive procedure, from the day of birth (P0) to postnatal day (P) 3, and examined behavioral performances in their adult age. With fully regrown whiskers, the WC0-3 rats exhibited shorter crossable distance than controls in a gap-crossing task, suggesting a defect in their whisker-specific tactile function. In their somatosensory cortex, the layer IV spiny stellate neurons had reduced dendritic complexity and spine density. After exploration in a novel environment, the expression of an activity-dependent immediate early gene, c-fos, increased dramatically in the somatosensory cortex. However, in WC0-3 rats, the number of c-Fos positive cells was less than those in control rats, indicating a fault in transducing sensory-related neural activity between cortical layers in WC0-3 rats. Together, our results demonstrate the roles of early tactile experience on the establishment of layer-specific excitatory connection in the barrel cortex. Early sensory insufficiency would leave long-lasting functional deficits in the sensory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Fei Chu
- Graduate Institute of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Luyten L, Casteels C, Vansteenwegen D, van Kuyck K, Koole M, Van Laere K, Nuttin B. Micro-positron emission tomography imaging of rat brain metabolism during expression of contextual conditioning. J Neurosci 2012; 32:254-63. [PMID: 22219287 PMCID: PMC6621336 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3701-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Revised: 10/13/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Using (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose microPET imaging, we investigated the neurocircuitry of contextual anxiety versus control in awake, conditioned rats (n = 7-10 per group). In addition, we imaged a group expressing cued fear. Simultaneous measurements of startle amplitude and freezing time were used to assess conditioning. To the best of our knowledge, no neuroimaging studies in conditioned rats have been conducted thus far, although visualizing and quantifying the metabolism of the intact brain in behaving animals is clearly of interest. In addition, more insight into the neurocircuitry involved in contextual anxiety may stimulate the development of new treatments for anxiety disorders. Our main finding was hypermetabolism in a cluster comprising the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) in rats expressing contextual anxiety compared with controls. Analysis of a subset of rats showing the best behavioral results (n = 5 per subgroup) confirmed this finding. We also observed hypermetabolism in the same cluster in rats expressing contextual anxiety compared with rats expressing cued fear. Our results provide novel evidence for a role of the BST in the expression of contextual anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Luyten
- Division of Experimental Neurosurgery and Neuroanatomy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Kaliszewska A, Bijata M, Kaczmarek L, Kossut M. Experience-Dependent Plasticity of the Barrel Cortex in Mice Observed with 2-DG Brain Mapping and c-Fos: Effects of MMP-9 KO. Cereb Cortex 2011; 22:2160-70. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhr303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Pyramidal neurons are "neurogenic hubs" in the neurovascular coupling response to whisker stimulation. J Neurosci 2011; 31:9836-47. [PMID: 21734275 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4943-10.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The whisker-to-barrel cortex is widely used to study neurovascular coupling, but the cellular basis that underlies the perfusion changes is still largely unknown. Here, we identified neurons recruited by whisker stimulation in the rat somatosensory cortex using double immunohistochemistry for c-Fos and markers of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, and investigated in vivo their contribution along with that of astrocytes in the evoked perfusion response. Whisker stimulation elicited cerebral blood flow (CBF) increases concomitantly with c-Fos upregulation in pyramidal cells that coexpressed cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and GABA interneurons that coexpressed vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and/or choline acetyltransferase, but not somatostatin or parvalbumin. The evoked CBF response was decreased by blockade of NMDA (MK-801, -37%), group I metabotropic glutamate (MPEP+LY367385, -40%), and GABA-A (picrotoxin, -31%) receptors, but not by GABA-B, VIP, or muscarinic receptor antagonism. Picrotoxin decreased stimulus-induced somatosensory evoked potentials and CBF responses. Combined blockade of GABA-A and NMDA receptors yielded an additive decreasing effect (-61%) of the evoked CBF compared with each antagonist alone, demonstrating cooperation of both excitatory and inhibitory systems in the hyperemic response. Blockade of prostanoid synthesis by inhibiting COX-2 (indomethacin, NS-398), expressed by ∼40% of pyramidal cells but not by astrocytes, impaired the CBF response (-50%). The hyperemic response was also reduced (-40%) after inhibition of astroglial oxidative metabolism or epoxyeicosatrienoic acids synthesis. These results demonstrate that changes in pyramidal cell activity, sculpted by specific types of inhibitory GABA interneurons, drive the CBF response to whisker stimulation and, further, that metabolically active astrocytes are also required.
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Cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonism prevents neurochemical and behavioural deficits induced by chronic phencyclidine. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2011; 14:17-28. [PMID: 20196921 DOI: 10.1017/s1461145710000209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical and laboratory studies suggest that the endocannabinoid system is involved in schizophrenia disorders. Recent evidence indicates that cannabinoid receptor (CB1) antagonists have a pharmacological profile similar to antipsychotic drugs. We investigated the behavioural and biochemical effects of the CB1 antagonist AM251 in a phencyclidine (PCP) animal paradigm modelling the cognitive deficit and some negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Chronic AM251 (0.5 mg/kg for 3 wk) improved the PCP-altered recognition memory, as indicated by a significant amelioration of the discrimination index compared to chronic PCP alone (2.58 mg/kg for 1 month). AM251 also reversed the PCP-induced increase in immobility in the forced swim test resembling avolition, a negative sign of schizophrenia. In order to analyse the mechanisms underlying these behaviours, we studied the effects of AM251 on the endocannabinoid system (in terms of CB1 receptor density and functional activity and endocannabinoid levels) and c-Fos protein expression. The antagonist counteracted the alterations in CB1 receptor function induced by PCP in selected cerebral regions involved in schizophrenia. In addition, in the prefrontal cortex, the key region in the integration of cognitive and negative functions, AM251 markedly raised anandamide levels and reversed the PCP-induced increase of 2-arachidonoylglycerol concentrations. Finally, chronic AM251 fully reversed the PCP-elicited expression of c-Fos protein in the prefrontal cortical region. These findings suggest an antipsychotic-like profile of the CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist which, by restoring the function of the endocannabinoid system, might directly or indirectly normalize some of the neurochemical maladaptations present in this schizophrenia-like animal model.
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Recent and remote memory recalls modulate different sets of stereotypical interlaminar correlations in Arc/Arg3.1 mRNA expression in cortical areas. Brain Res 2010; 1352:118-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.06.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2010] [Revised: 05/21/2010] [Accepted: 06/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Hallett H, Churchill L, Taishi P, De A, Krueger JM. Whisker stimulation increases expression of nerve growth factor- and interleukin-1beta-immunoreactivity in the rat somatosensory cortex. Brain Res 2010; 1333:48-56. [PMID: 20338152 PMCID: PMC2879054 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.03.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2009] [Revised: 03/12/2010] [Accepted: 03/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Activity-dependent changes in cortical protein expression may mediate long-term physiological processes such as sleep and neural connectivity. In this study we determined the number of nerve growth factor (NGF)- and interleukin-1beta (IL1beta)-immunoreactive (IR) cells in the somatosensory cortex (Sctx) in response to 2 h of mystacial whisker stimulation. Manual whisker stimulation for 2 h increased the number of NGF-IR cells within layers II-V in activated Sctx columns, identified by enhanced Fos-IR. IL1beta-IR neurons increased within layers II-III and V-VI in these activated columns and IL1beta-IR astrocytes increased in layers I, II-III and V as well as the external capsule beneath the activated columns. These whisker-stimulated increases in the Sctx did not occur in the auditory cortex. These data demonstrate that expression of NGF or IL1beta in Sctx neurons and IL1beta in Sctx astrocytes is, in part, afferent input-dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Hallett
- Dept. of Veterinary & Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Sleep and Performance Research Center, Program in Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520
- WWAMI Program at the University of Washington Medical School, Pullman, WA
| | - Lynn Churchill
- Dept. of Veterinary & Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Sleep and Performance Research Center, Program in Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520
| | - Ping Taishi
- Dept. of Veterinary & Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Sleep and Performance Research Center, Program in Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520
| | - Alok De
- Dept. of Veterinary & Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Sleep and Performance Research Center, Program in Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520
- Dept. of OB/Gyn, School of Medicine, *University of Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
| | - James M. Krueger
- Dept. of Veterinary & Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Sleep and Performance Research Center, Program in Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520
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Wada M, Higo N, Moizumi S, Kitazawa S. c-Fos expression during temporal order judgment in mice. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10483. [PMID: 20463958 PMCID: PMC2864740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2010] [Accepted: 04/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuronal mechanisms for ordering sensory signals in time still need to be clarified despite a long history of research. To address this issue, we recently developed a behavioral task of temporal order judgment in mice. In the present study, we examined the expression of c-Fos, a marker of neural activation, in mice just after they carried out the temporal order judgment task. The expression of c-Fos was examined in C57BL/6N mice (male, n = 5) that were trained to judge the order of two air-puff stimuli delivered bilaterally to the right and left whiskers with stimulation intervals of 50–750 ms. The mice were rewarded with a food pellet when they responded by orienting their head toward the first stimulus (n = 2) or toward the second stimulus (n = 3) after a visual “go” signal. c-Fos-stained cell densities of these mice (test group) were compared with those of two control groups in coronal brain sections prepared at bregma −2, −1, 0, +1, and +2 mm by applying statistical parametric mapping to the c-Fos immuno-stained sections. The expression of c-Fos was significantly higher in the test group than in the other groups in the bilateral barrel fields of the primary somatosensory cortex, the left secondary somatosensory cortex, the dorsal part of the right secondary auditory cortex. Laminar analyses in the primary somatosensory cortex revealed that c-Fos expression in the test group was most evident in layers II and III, where callosal fibers project. The results suggest that temporal order judgment involves processing bilateral somatosensory signals through the supragranular layers of the primary sensory cortex and in the multimodal sensory areas, including marginal zone between the primary somatosensory cortex and the secondary sensory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Wada
- Department of Physiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
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41
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Doron G, Rosenblum K. c-Fos expression is elevated in GABAergic interneurons of the gustatory cortex following novel taste learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2010; 94:21-9. [PMID: 20307677 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2010.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2009] [Revised: 03/07/2010] [Accepted: 03/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Long-term sensory memories are considered to be stored in the relevant cortical region subserving the given modality. We and others have recently identified a series of molecular alterations in the gustatory cortex (GC) of the rat at different time intervals following novel taste learning. Some of these correlative modifications were also necessary for taste memory acquisition and/or consolidation. However, very little is known about the localization of these molecular modifications within the GC or about the functional activation of the GC hours after novel taste learning. Here, we hypothesize that inhibitory interneurons are activated in the GC on a scale of hours following learning and used c-Fos expression and confocal microscopy with different markers to test this hypothesis. We found that GABAergic interneurons are activated in the GC in correlation with novel taste learning. The activation was evident in the deep but not superficial layers of the dysgranular insular cortex. These results suggest that the GABAergic machinery in the deep layers of the GC participates in the processing of taste information hours after learning, and provide evidence for the involvement of a local cortical circuit not only during acquisition of new information but also during off-line processing and consolidation of taste information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Doron
- Department of Neurobiology and Ethology, Faculty for Science, University of Haifa, Haifa 30905, Israel
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Zuo DY, Cao Y, Zhang L, Wang HF, Wu YL. Effects of acute and chronic administration of MK-801 on c-Fos protein expression in mice brain regions implicated in schizophrenia with or without clozapine. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2009; 33:290-5. [PMID: 19121361 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2008.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2008] [Revised: 11/26/2008] [Accepted: 12/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of acute and chronic administration of the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists MK-801 on c-Fos protein expression in different brain regions of mice with or without clozapine. MK-801 (0.6 mg/kg) acute administration produced a significant increase in the expression of c-Fos protein in the layers III-IV of posterior cingulate and retrosplenial (PC/RS) cortex, which was consistent with the previous reports. Moreover, we presented a new finding that MK-801 (0.6 mg/kg) chronic administration for 8 days produced a significant increase of c-Fos protein expression in the PC/RS cortex, prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hypothalamus of mice. Among that, c-Fos protein expression in the PC/RS cortex of mice was most significant. Compared to acute administration, we found that MK-801 chronic administration significantly increased the expression of c-Fos protein in the PC/RS cortex, PFC and hypothalamus. Furthermore, pretreatment of mice with clozapine significantly decreased the expression of c-Fos protein induced by MK-801 acute and chronic administration. These results suggest that c-Fos protein, the marker of neuronal activation, might play an important role in the chronic pathophysiological process of schizophrenic model induced by NMDA receptor antagonist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai-Ying Zuo
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Mailbox 41, Wenhua Road 103, Shenyang, 110016, China
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Hartwig CL, Worrell J, Levine RB, Ramaswami M, Sanyal S. Normal dendrite growth in Drosophila motor neurons requires the AP-1 transcription factor. Dev Neurobiol 2008; 68:1225-42. [PMID: 18548486 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.20655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
During learning and memory formation, information flow through networks is regulated significantly through structural alterations in neurons. Dendrites, sites of signal integration, are key targets of activity-mediated modifications. Although local mechanisms of dendritic growth ensure synapse-specific changes, global mechanisms linking neural activity to nuclear gene expression may have profound influences on neural function. Fos, being an immediate-early gene, is ideally suited to be an initial transducer of neural activity, but a precise role for the AP-1 transcription factor in dendrite growth remains to be elucidated. Here we measure changes in the dendritic fields of identified Drosophila motor neurons in vivo and in primary culture to investigate the role of the immediate-early transcription factor AP-1 in regulating endogenous and activity-induced dendrite growth. Our data indicate that (a) increased neural excitability or depolarization stimulates dendrite growth, (b) AP-1 (a Fos, Jun hetero-dimer) is required for normal motor neuron dendritic growth during development and in response to activity induction, and (c) neuronal Fos protein levels are rapidly but transiently induced in motor neurons following neural activity. Taken together, these results show that AP-1 mediated transcription is important for dendrite growth, and that neural activity influences global dendritic growth through a gene-expression dependent mechanism gated by AP-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cortnie L Hartwig
- Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
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44
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Churchill L, Rector DM, Yasuda K, Fix C, Rojas MJ, Yasuda T, Krueger JM. Tumor necrosis factor alpha: activity dependent expression and promotion of cortical column sleep in rats. Neuroscience 2008; 156:71-80. [PMID: 18694809 PMCID: PMC2654198 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.06.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2008] [Revised: 06/06/2008] [Accepted: 06/28/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Cortical surface evoked potentials (SEPs) are larger during sleep and characterize a sleep-like state in cortical columns. Since tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) may be involved in sleep regulation and is produced as a consequence of waking activity, we tested the hypothesis that direct application of TNF to the cortex will induce a sleep-like state within cortical columns and enhance SEP amplitudes. We found that microinjection of TNF onto the surface of the rat somatosensory cortex enhanced whisker stimulation-induced SEP amplitude relative to a control heat-inactivated TNF microinjection. We also determined if whisker stimulation enhanced endogenous TNF expression. TNF immunoreactivity (IR) was visualized after 2 h of deflection of a single whisker on each side. The number of TNF-IR cells increased in layers II-IV of the activated somatosensory barrel column. In two separate studies, unilateral deflection of multiple whiskers for 2 h increased the number of TNF-IR cells in layers II-V in columns that also exhibited enhanced cellular ongogene (Fos-IR). TNF-IR also colocalized with NeuN-IR suggesting that TNF expression was in neurons. Collectively these data are consistent with the hypotheses that TNF is produced in response to neural activity and in turn enhances the probability of a local sleep-like state as determined by increases in SEP amplitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Churchill
- Department of VCAPP, Program in Neuroscience, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, PO Box 646520, Pullman, WA 99164-6520, USA
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Chang Y, Yan LH, Zhang FK, Gong KR, Liu MG, Xiao Y, Xie F, Fu H, Chen J. Spatiotemporal characteristics of pain-associated neuronal activities in primary somatosensory cortex induced by peripheral persistent nociception. Neurosci Lett 2008; 448:134-8. [PMID: 18805459 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.08.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2008] [Revised: 07/11/2008] [Accepted: 08/28/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The primary somatosensory cortex (S1 area) is one of the key brain structures for central processing of somatic noxious information to produce pain perception. However, so far, the spatiotemporal characteristics of neuronal activities associated with peripheral persistent nociception have rarely been studied. In the present report, we used c-Fos as a neuronal marker to analyze spatial and temporal patterns of pain-related neuronal activities within the S1 area of rats subjecting to subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of bee venom (BV) solution, a well-established animal model of persistent pain. In naïve and saline-treated rats, c-Fos-labeled neurons were diffusely and sparsely distributed in the hindlimb region of S1 area. Following s.c. BV injection, c-Fos-labeled neurons became densely increased in superficial layers (II-III) and less increased in deep layers (IV-VI). The mean number of c-Fos positive neurons in the layers II-III began to increase at 1h and reached a peak at 2h after BV treatment that was followed by a gradual decrease afterward. The time course of c-Fos expression in the layers IV-VI was in parallel with that of the superficial layers, but with a much lower density and magnitude. The present results demonstrated that BV-induced peripheral persistent nociception could evoke increased neuronal activities in the S1 area with predominant localization in layers II-III.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chang
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, PR China
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46
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Knapska E, Radwanska K, Werka T, Kaczmarek L. Functional internal complexity of amygdala: focus on gene activity mapping after behavioral training and drugs of abuse. Physiol Rev 2007; 87:1113-73. [PMID: 17928582 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00037.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is a heterogeneous brain structure implicated in processing of emotions and storing the emotional aspects of memories. Gene activity markers such as c-Fos have been shown to reflect both neuronal activation and neuronal plasticity. Herein, we analyze the expression patterns of gene activity markers in the amygdala in response to either behavioral training or treatment with drugs of abuse and then we confront the results with data on other approaches to internal complexity of the amygdala. c-Fos has been the most often studied in the amygdala, showing specific expression patterns in response to various treatments, most probably reflecting functional specializations among amygdala subdivisions. In the basolateral amygdala, c-Fos expression appears to be consistent with the proposed role of this nucleus in a plasticity of the current stimulus-value associations. Within the medial part of the central amygdala, c-Fos correlates with acquisition of alimentary/gustatory behaviors. On the other hand, in the lateral subdivision of the central amygdala, c-Fos expression relates to attention and vigilance. In the medial amygdala, c-Fos appears to be evoked by emotional novelty of the experimental situation. The data on the other major subdivisions of the amygdala are scarce. In conclusion, the studies on the gene activity markers, confronted with other approaches involving neuroanatomy, physiology, and the lesion method, have revealed novel aspects of the amygdala, especially pointing to functional heterogeneity of this brain region that does not fit very well into contemporarily active debate on serial versus parallel information processing within the amygdala.
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Dewachter I, Filipkowski RK, Priller C, Ris L, Neyton J, Croes S, Terwel D, Gysemans M, Devijver H, Borghgraef P, Godaux E, Kaczmarek L, Herms J, Van Leuven F. Deregulation of NMDA-receptor function and down-stream signaling in APP[V717I] transgenic mice. Neurobiol Aging 2007; 30:241-56. [PMID: 17673336 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2007.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2007] [Revised: 06/13/2007] [Accepted: 06/15/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Evidence is accumulating for a role for amyloid peptides in impaired synaptic plasticity and cognition, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We here analyzed the effects of amyloid peptides on NMDA-receptor function in vitro and in vivo. A synthetic amyloid peptide preparation containing monomeric and oligomeric A beta (1-42) peptides was used and demonstrated to bind to synapses expressing NMDA-receptors in cultured hippocampal and cortical neurons. Pre-incubation of primary neuronal cultures with A beta peptides significantly inhibited NMDA-receptor function, albeit not by a direct pharmacological inhibition of NMDA-receptors, since acute application of A beta peptides did not change NMDA-receptor currents in autaptic hippocampal cultures nor in xenopus oocytes expressing recombinant NMDA-receptors. Pre-incubation of primary neuronal cultures with A beta peptides however decreased NR2B-immunoreactive synaptic spines and surface expression of NR2B containing NMDA-receptors. Furthermore, we extended these findings for the first time in vivo, demonstrating decreased concentrations of NMDA-receptor subunit NR2B and PSD-95 as well as activated alpha-CaMKII in postsynaptic density preparations of APP[V717I] transgenic mice. This was associated with impaired NMDA-dependent LTP and decreased NMDA- and AMPA-receptor currents in hippocampal CA1 region in APP[V717I] transgenic mice. In addition, induction of c-Fos following cued and contextual fear conditioning was significantly impaired in the basolateral amygdala and hippocampus of APP[V717I] transgenic mice. Our data demonstrate defects in NMDA-receptor function and learning dependent signaling cascades in vivo in APP[V717I] transgenic mice and point to decreased surface expression of NMDA-receptors as a mechanism involved in early synaptic defects in APP[V717I] transgenic mice in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Dewachter
- Experimental Genetics Group, LEGT_EGG, K.U.Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg ON1-06.602, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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48
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Herry C, Bach DR, Esposito F, Di Salle F, Perrig WJ, Scheffler K, Lüthi A, Seifritz E. Processing of temporal unpredictability in human and animal amygdala. J Neurosci 2007; 27:5958-66. [PMID: 17537966 PMCID: PMC6672268 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5218-06.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala has been studied extensively for its critical role in associative fear conditioning in animals and humans. Noxious stimuli, such as those used for fear conditioning, are most effective in eliciting behavioral responses and amygdala activation when experienced in an unpredictable manner. Here, we show, using a translational approach in mice and humans, that unpredictability per se without interaction with motivational information is sufficient to induce sustained neural activity in the amygdala and to elicit anxiety-like behavior. Exposing mice to mere temporal unpredictability within a time series of neutral sound pulses in an otherwise neutral sensory environment increased expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos and prevented rapid habituation of single neuron activity in the basolateral amygdala. At the behavioral level, unpredictable, but not predictable, auditory stimulation induced avoidance and anxiety-like behavior. In humans, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that temporal unpredictably causes sustained neural activity in amygdala and anxiety-like behavior as quantified by enhanced attention toward emotional faces. Our findings show that unpredictability per se is an important feature of the sensory environment influencing habituation of neuronal activity in amygdala and emotional behavior and indicate that regulation of amygdala habituation represents an evolutionary-conserved mechanism for adapting behavior in anticipation of temporally unpredictable events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Herry
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R. Bach
- University Hospital of Psychiatry Bern, 3000 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fabrizio Esposito
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80127 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Di Salle
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Maastricht, 6200 Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Walter J. Perrig
- Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, 3000 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Scheffler
- MR Physics, Department of Medical Radiology, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland, and
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- University Hospital of Psychiatry Bern, 3000 Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Basel, 4025 Basel, Switzerland
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Abstract
Since their detection in the early 1980s immediate-early genes (most of them being inducible transcription factors) have been regarded as molecular keys to the orchestration of late-effector genes that ultimately would enable functional and structural adaptation of the brain to changing external and internal demands. This is called neuronal plasticity and it has been intensively studied in the somatosensory (barrel) cortex of rodents. This brain region is intimately involved in the processing and probably also the storage of tactile information, stemming from the large facial whiskers, necessary for object detection or spatial navigation in the environment. On the other hand, several of the inducible transcription factors have been found to function as neuronal activity markers providing a cellular resolution, thus, enabling the cell-type specific mapping of activated neuronal circuits. Some recent data on both topics in the rodent barrel cortex will be presented in this topical review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen F Staiger
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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50
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Siucinska E, Kossut M. Short-term sensory learning does not alter parvalbumin neurons in the barrel cortex of adult mice: A double-labeling study. Neuroscience 2006; 138:715-24. [PMID: 16413119 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.11.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2005] [Revised: 11/09/2005] [Accepted: 11/16/2005] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
We have previously reported that a classical conditioning paradigm involving stimulation of a row of facial vibrissae produced expansion of the cortical representation of the activated vibrissae ("trained row"), this was demonstrated by labeling with 2-deoxyglucose in layer IV of the barrel cortex. We have also shown that functional reorganization of the primary somatosensory cortex is accompanied by an increase in the density of small GABAergic cells and glutamate decarboxylase 67-positive neurons in the hollows of barrels representing the "trained row." GABA neurons of the rat neocortex co-localize with calcium-binding proteins [parvalbumin, carletinin, calbindin D28k] and neuropeptides (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, somatostatin). In the present study we have examined GABAergic parvalbumin-positive, interneurons in the cortical representation of "trained" facial vibrissae after short-term aversive training, in order to determine whether the observed changes in glutamate decarboxylase 67-positive neurons are accompanied by changes in parvalbumin-positive neurons. Using double immunofluorescent staining, it was found that (i) all parvalbumin-positive neurons in the barrel hollows were glutamate decarboxylase 67-positive, (ii) following aversive training density of glutamate decarboxylase 67-positive neurons in barrel hollows increased significantly compared with controls and (iii) density glutamate decarboxylase 67-positive/parvalbumin-positive neurons in "trained" barrel hollows did not change compared with controls. This study is the first to demonstrate that the density of double-labeled glutamate decarboxylase 67-positive/parvalbumin-positive neurons does not alter during cortical plasticity, thus suggesting that some other population (i.e. parvalbumin negative) of GABAergic interneurons is involved in learning-dependent changes in layer IV of the barrel cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Siucinska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, ul. Pasteura 3, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
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