Opto nongenetics inhibition of neuronal firing

Terahertz Photons Improve Cognitive Functions in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious psychosis leading to cognitive impairment. To restore cognitive functions for patients, the main treatments are based on medication or rehabilitation training but with limited effectiveness and strong side effects. Here, we demonstrate a new treatment approach for PTSD by using terahertz (THz) photons stimulating the hippocampal CA3 subregion. We verified that this method can nonthermally restore cognitive function in PTSD rats in vivo. After THz photon irradiation, the PTSD rats' recognitive index improved by about 10% in a novel object recognition test, the PTSD rats' accuracy improved by about 100% in a shuttler box test, the PTSD rats' numbers to identify target box was about 5 times lower in a Barnes maze test, and the rate of staying in new arm increased by approximately 40% in a Y-maze test. Further experimental studies found that THz photon (34.5 THz) irradiation could improve the expression of NR2B (increased by nearly 40%) and phosphorylated NR2B (increased by about 50%). In addition, molecular dynamics simulations showed that THz photons at a frequency of 34.5 THz are mainly absorbed by the pocket of glutamate receptors rather than by glutamate molecules. Moreover, the binding between glutamate receptors and glutamate molecules was increased by THz photons. This study offers a nondrug, nonthermal approach to regulate the binding between the excitatory neurotransmitter (glutamate) and NR2B. By increasing synaptic plasticity, it effectively improves the cognitive function of animals with PTSD, providing a promising treatment strategy for NR2B-related cognitive disorders.

Spatio-temporal activation patterns of neuronal population evoked by optostimulation and the comparison to electrical microstimulation

Optostimulation and electrical microstimulation are well-established techniques that enable to artificially stimulate the brain. While the activation patterns evoked by microstimulation in cortical network are well characterized, much less is known for optostimulation. Specifically, the activation maps of neuronal population at the membrane potential level and direct measurements of these maps were barely reported. In addition, only a few studies compared the activation patterns evoked by microstimulation and optostimulation. In this study we addressed these issues by applying optostimulation in the barrel cortex of anesthetized rats after a short (ShortExp) or a long (LongExp) opsin expression time and compared it to microstimulation. We measured the membrane potential of neuronal populations at high spatial (meso-scale) and temporal resolution using voltage-sensitive dye imaging. Longer optostimulation pulses evoked higher neural responses spreading over larger region relative to short pulses. Interestingly, similar optostimulation pulses evoked stronger and more prolonged population response in the LongExp vs. the ShortExp condition. Finally, the spatial activation patterns evoked in the LongExp condition showed an intermediate state, with higher resemblance to the microstimulation at the stimulation site. Therefore, short microstimulation and optostimulation can induce wide spread activation, however the effects of optostimulation depend on the opsin expression time.

Whole-brain mapping of effective connectivity by fMRI with cortex-wide patterned optogenetics

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with optogenetic neural manipulation is a powerful tool that enables brain-wide mapping of effective functional networks. To achieve flexible manipulation of neural excitation throughout the mouse cortex, we incorporated spatiotemporal programmable optogenetic stimuli generated by a digital micromirror device into an MRI scanner via an optical fiber bundle. This approach offered versatility in space and time in planning the photostimulation pattern, combined with in situ optical imaging and cell-type-specific or circuit-specific genetic targeting in individual mice. Brain-wide effective connectivity obtained by fMRI with optogenetic stimulation of atlas-based cortical regions is generally congruent with anatomically defined axonal tracing data but is affected by the types of anesthetics that act selectively on specific connections. fMRI combined with flexible optogenetics opens a new path to investigate dynamic changes in functional brain states in the same animal through high-throughput brain-wide effective connectivity mapping.

Exploring relationships between autistic traits and body temperature, circadian rhythms, and age

The number of clinical diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing annually. Interestingly, the human body temperature has also been reported to gradually decrease over the decades. An imbalance in the activation of the excitatory and inhibitory neurons is assumed to be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD. Neurophysiological evidence showed that brain activity decreases as cortical temperature increases, suggesting that an increase in brain temperature enhances the inhibitory neural mechanisms. Behavioral characteristics specific to clinical ASD were observed to be moderated when people with the diagnoses had a fever. To explore the possible relationship between ASD and body temperature in the general population, we conducted a survey study using a large population-based sample (N ~ 2000, in the age groups 20s to 70s). Through two surveys, multiple regression analyses did not show significant relationships between axillary temperatures and autistic traits measured by questionnaires (Autism Spectrum (AQ) and Empathy/Systemizing Quotients), controlling for covariates of age and self-reported circadian rhythms. Conversely, we consistently observed a negative relationship between AQ and age. People with higher AQ scores tended to have stronger eveningness. Our findings contribute to the understanding of age-related malleability and the irregularity of circadian rhythms related to autistic traits.

Effects of discontinuous blue light stimulation on the electrophysiological properties of neurons lacking opsin expression in vitro: Implications for optogenetic experiments

Neuronal sensitivity to light stimulation can be a significant confounding factor for assays that use light to study neuronal processes, such as optogenetics and fluorescent imaging. While continuous one-photon (1P) blue light stimulation has been shown to be responsible for a decrease in firing activity in several neuronal subtypes, discontinuous 1P blue light stimulation commonly used in optogenetic experiments is supposed to have a negligible action. In the present report, we tested experimentally this theoretical prediction by assessing the effects produced by the most commonly used patterns of discontinuous 1P light stimulation on several electrophysiological parameters in brain slices. We found that, compared with continuous stimulation, the artefactual effect of light is reduced when discontinuous stimulation is used, especially when the duty cycle and light power are low.

Long-range GABAergic projections contribute to cortical feedback control of sensory processing

In the olfactory system, the olfactory cortex sends glutamatergic projections back to the first stage of olfactory processing, the olfactory bulb (OB). Such corticofugal excitatory circuits - a canonical circuit motif described in all sensory systems- dynamically adjust early sensory processing. Here, we uncover a corticofugal inhibitory feedback to OB, originating from a subpopulation of GABAergic neurons in the anterior olfactory cortex and innervating both local and output OB neurons. In vivo imaging and network modeling showed that optogenetic activation of cortical GABAergic projections drives a net subtractive inhibition of both spontaneous and odor-evoked activity in local as well as output neurons. In output neurons, stimulation of cortical GABAergic feedback enhances separation of population odor responses in tufted cells, but not mitral cells. Targeted pharmacogenetic silencing of cortical GABAergic axon terminals impaired discrimination of similar odor mixtures. Thus, corticofugal GABAergic projections represent an additional circuit motif in cortical feedback control of sensory processing.

Bidirectional modulation of evoked synaptic transmission by pulsed infrared light

Infrared (IR) neuromodulation (INM) has been demonstrated as a novel modulation modality of neuronal excitability. However, the effects of pulsed IR light on synaptic transmission have not been investigated systematically. In this report, the IR light (2 μm) is used to directly modulate evoked synaptic transmission at the crayfish opener neuromuscular junction. The extracellularly recorded terminal action potentials (tAPs) and evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) modulated by localized IR light illumination (500 ms, 3–13 mW) aimed at the synapses are analyzed. The impact of a single IR light pulse on the presynaptic Ca²⁺ influx is monitored with Ca²⁺ indicators. The EPSC amplitude is enhanced, and its rising phase is accelerated under relatively low IR light power levels and localized temperature rises. Increasing the IR light power reversibly suppresses and eventually blocks the EPSCs. Meanwhile, the synaptic delay, tAP amplitude, and presynaptic Ca²⁺ influx decrease monotonously with higher IR light power. It is demonstrated for the first time that IR light illumination has bidirectional effects on evoked synaptic transmission. These results highlight the efficacy and flexibility of using pulsed IR light to directly control synaptic transmission and advance our understanding of INM of neural networks.

A Transmissive Theory of Brain Function: Implications for Health, Disease, and Consciousness

Identifying a complete, accurate model of brain function would allow neuroscientists and clinicians to make powerful neuropsychological predictions and diagnoses as well as develop more effective treatments to mitigate or reverse neuropathology. The productive model of brain function, which has been dominant in the field for centuries, cannot easily accommodate some higher-order neural processes associated with consciousness and other neuropsychological phenomena. However, in recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the brain is highly receptive to and readily emits electromagnetic (EM) fields and light. Indeed, brain tissues can generate endogenous, complex EM fields and ultraweak photon emissions (UPEs) within the visible and near-visible EM spectra. EM-based neural mechanisms, such as ephaptic coupling and non-visual optical brain signaling, expand canonical neural signaling modalities and are beginning to disrupt conventional models of brain function. Here, we present an evidence-based argument for the existence of brain processes that are caused by the transmission of extracerebral, EM signals and recommend experimental strategies with which to test the hypothesis. We argue for a synthesis of productive and transmissive models of brain function and discuss implications for the study of consciousness, brain health, and disease.

Questionable Research Practices, Low Statistical Power, and Other Obstacles to Replicability: Why Preclinical Neuroscience Research Would Benefit from Registered Reports

Replicability, the degree to which a previous scientific finding can be repeated in a distinct set of data, has been considered an integral component of institutionalized scientific practice since its inception several hundred years ago. In the past decade, large-scale replication studies have demonstrated that replicability is far from favorable, across multiple scientific fields. Here, I evaluate this literature and describe contributing factors including the prevalence of questionable research practices (QRPs), misunderstanding of p-values, and low statistical power. I subsequently discuss how these issues manifest specifically in preclinical neuroscience research. I conclude that these problems are multifaceted and difficult to solve, relying on the actions of early and late career researchers, funding sources, academic publishers, and others. I assert that any viable solution to the problem of substandard replicability must include changing academic incentives, with adoption of registered reports being the most immediately impactful and pragmatic strategy. For animal research in particular, comprehensive reporting guidelines that document potential sources of sensitivity for experimental outcomes is an essential addition.

Upstream γ-synchronization enhances odor processing in downstream neurons

γ-oscillatory activity is ubiquitous across brain areas. Numerous studies have suggested that γ-synchrony is likely to enhance the transmission of sensory information. However, direct causal evidence is still lacking. Here, we test this hypothesis in the mouse olfactory system, where local GABAergic granule cells (GCs) in the olfactory bulb shape mitral/tufted cell (MTC) excitatory output from the olfactory bulb. By optogenetically modulating GC activity, we successfully dissociate MTC γ-synchronization from its firing rates. Recording of odor responses in downstream piriform cortex neurons shows that increasing MTC γ-synchronization enhances cortical neuron odor-evoked firing rates, reduces response variability, and improves odor ensemble representation. These gains occur despite a reduction in MTC firing rates. Furthermore, reducing MTC γ-synchronization without changing the MTC firing rates, by suppressing GC activity, degrades piriform cortex odor-evoked responses. These findings provide causal evidence that increased γ-synchronization enhances the transmission of sensory information between two brain regions.

Optocapacitance: physical basis and its application

The observation that membrane capacitance increases with temperature has led to the development of new methods of neuronal stimulation using light. The optocapacitive effect refers to a light-induced change in capacitance produced by the heating of the membrane through a photothermal effect. This change in capacitance manifests as a current, named optocapacitive current that depolarizes cells and therefore can be used to stimulate excitable tissues. Here, we discuss how optocapacitance arises from basic membrane properties, the characteristics of the optocapacitive current, its use for neuronal stimulation, and the challenges for its application in vivo.

In vivoblue light illumination for optogenetic inhibition: effect on local temperature and excitability of the rat hippocampus

Objective.The blue light-activated inhibitory opsin, stGtACR2, is gaining prominence as a neuromodulatory tool due its ability to shunt-inhibit neurons and is being frequently used inin vivoexperimentation. However, experiments involving stGtACR2 use longer durations of blue light pulses, which inadvertently heat up the local brain tissue and confound experimental results. Therefore, the heating effects of illumination parameters used forin vivooptogenetic inhibition must be evaluated.Approach.To assess blue light (473 nm)-induced heating of the brain, we used a computational model as well as direct temperature measurements using a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The effects of different light power densities (LPDs) and pulse durations on evoked potentials (EP) recorded from dentate gyrus were assessed. For opsin-negative rats, LPDs between 127 and 636 mW mm^-2and pulse durations between 20 and 5120 ms were tested while for stGtACR2 expressing rats, LPD of 127 mW mm^-2and pulse durations between 20 and 640 ms were tested.Main results.Increasing LPDs and pulse durations logarithmically increased the peak temperature and significantly decreased the population spike (PS) amplitude and latencies of EPs. For a pulse duration of 5120 ms, the tissue temperature increased by 0.6 °C-3.4 °C. All tested LPDs decreased the PS amplitude in opsin-negative rats, but 127 mW mm^-2had comparatively minimal effects and a significant effect of increasing light pulse duration was seen from 320 ms and beyond. This corresponded with an average temperature increase of 0.2 °C-1.1 °C at the recorded site. Compared to opsin-negative rats, illumination in stGtACR2-expressing rats resulted in much greater inhibition of EPs.Significance.Our study demonstrates that light-induced heating of the brain can be accurately measuredin vivousing FBG sensors. Such light-induced heating alone can affect neuronal excitability. Useful neuromodulation by the activation of stGtACR2 is still possible while minimizing thermal effects.

The past, present and future of Registered Reports

Registered Reports are a form of empirical publication in which study proposals are peer reviewed and pre-accepted before research is undertaken. By deciding which articles are published based on the question, theory and methods, Registered Reports offer a remedy for a range of reporting and publication biases. Here, we reflect on the history, progress and future prospects of the Registered Reports initiative and offer practical guidance for authors, reviewers and editors. We review early evidence that Registered Reports are working as intended, while at the same time acknowledging that they are not a universal solution for irreproducibility. We also consider how the policies and practices surrounding Registered Reports are changing, or must change in the future, to address limitations and adapt to new challenges. We conclude that Registered Reports are promoting reproducibility, transparency and self-correction across disciplines and may help reshape how society evaluates research and researchers.

Non-invasive, opsin-free mid-infrared modulation activates cortical neurons and accelerates associative learning

Neurostimulant drugs or magnetic/electrical stimulation techniques can overcome attention deficits, but these drugs or techniques are weakly beneficial in boosting the learning capabilities of healthy subjects. Here, we report a stimulation technique, mid-infrared modulation (MIM), that delivers mid-infrared light energy through the opened skull or even non-invasively through a thinned intact skull and can activate brain neurons in vivo without introducing any exogeneous gene. Using c-Fos immunohistochemistry, in vivo single-cell electrophysiology and two-photon Ca²⁺ imaging in mice, we demonstrate that MIM significantly induces firing activities of neurons in the targeted cortical area. Moreover, mice that receive MIM targeting to the auditory cortex during an auditory associative learning task exhibit a faster learning speed (~50% faster) than control mice. Together, this non-invasive, opsin-free MIM technique is demonstrated with potential for modulating neuronal activity.

Brain Temperature Alters Contributions of Excitatory and Inhibitory Inputs to Evoked Field Potentials in the Rat Frontal Cortex

Changes in brain temperature have been reported to affect various brain functions. However, little is known about the effects of temperature on the neural activity at the network level, where multiple inputs are integrated. In this study, we recorded cortical evoked potentials while altering the local brain temperature in anesthetized rats. We delivered electrical stimulations to the midbrain dopamine area and measured the evoked potentials in the frontal cortex, the temperature of which was locally altered using a thermal control device. We focused on the maximum negative peaks, which was presumed to result mainly from polysynaptic responses, to examine the effect of local temperature on network activity. We showed that focal cortical cooling increased the amplitude of evoked potentials (negative correlation, >17°C); further cooling decreased their amplitude. This relationship would be graphically represented as an inverted-U-shaped curve. The pharmacological blockade of GABAergic inhibitory inputs eliminated the negative correlation (>17°C) and even showed a positive correlation when the concentration of GABA_A receptor antagonist was sufficiently high. Blocking the glutamatergic excitatory inputs decreased the amplitude but did not cause such inversion. Our results suggest that the negative correlation between the amplitude of evoked potentials and the near-physiological local temperature is caused by the alteration of the balance of contribution between excitatory and inhibitory inputs to the evoked potentials, possibly due to higher temperature sensitivity of inhibitory inputs.

Noisy Light Augments the Na+ Current in Somatosensory Pyramidal Neurons of Optogenetic Transgenic Mice

In previous reports, we developed a method to apply Brownian optogenetic noise-photostimulation (BONP, 470 nm) up to 0.67 mW on the barrel cortex of in vivo ChR2 transgenic mice. In such studies, we found that the BONP produces an increase in the evoked field potentials and the neuronal responses of pyramidal neurons induced by somatosensory mechanical stimulation. Here we extended such findings by examining whether the same type of BONP augments the Na⁺ current amplitude elicited by voltage-clamp ramps of dissociated pyramidal neurons from the somatosensory cortex of ChR2 transgenic and wild type mice. We found that in all neurons from the ChR2 transgenic mice, but none of the wild type mice, the peak amplitude of a TTX-sensitive Na⁺ current and its inverse of latency exhibited inverted U-like graphs as a function of the BONP level. It means that an intermediate level of BONP increases both the peak amplitude of the Na⁺ current and its inverse of latency. Our research suggests that the impact of BONP on the Na⁺ channels of pyramidal neurons could be associated with the observed augmentation-effects in our previous in vivo preparation. Moreover, it provides caution information for the use of an appropriate range of light intensity, <0.67 mW, which could avoid opto non-genetics (also termed “optonongenetic”) related responses due to light-induced temperature changes.

Optonongenetic enhancement of activity in primary cortical neurons

It has been recently demonstrated that the exposure of naive neuronal cells to light-at the basis of optogenetic techniques and calcium imaging measurements-may alter neuronal firing. Indeed, understanding the effect of light on nongenetically modified neurons is crucial for a correct interpretation of calcium imaging and optogenetic experiments. Here we investigated the effect of continuous visible LED light exposure (490 nm, $ 0.18 {-} 1.3\;{\rm mW}/{{\rm mm}^2} $0.18-1.3mW/mm²) on spontaneous activity of primary neuronal networks derived from the early postnatal mouse cortex. We demonstrated, by calcium imaging and patch clamp experiments, that illumination higher than $ 1.0\;{\rm mW}/{{\rm mm}^2} $1.0mW/mm² causes an enhancement of network activity in cortical cultures. We investigated the possible origin of the phenomena by blocking the transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel, demonstrating a complex connection between this temperature-dependent channel and the measured effect. The results presented here shed light on an exogenous artifact, potentially present in all calcium imaging experiments, that should be taken into account in the analysis of fluorescence data.

Photosensitive inhibition of the GABA system in vitro

In the central nervous system (CNS), γ–aminobutyric acid A (GABA_A) receptors mediate two types of inhibitory effects. Phasic inhibition involves the activation of synaptic GABA_A receptors, and tonic inhibition is mediated by extrasynaptic GABA_A receptors. GABA_A receptors are important regulators of neuronal activity and are involved in a range of neurological disorders. In this study, we conducted sIPSCs recordings on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in WT SD rats and found that exposure to blue light could specifically block the tonic inhibition and sIPSCs, and regulate neuronal activity. These observations indicate the existence of a non-opsin photosensitive pathway that regulates the GABA inhibitory system in the CNS.

Blue Light Increases Neuronal Activity-Regulated Gene Expression in the Absence of Optogenetic Proteins

Optogenetics is widely used to control diverse cellular functions with light, requiring experimenters to expose cells to bright light. Because extended exposure to visible light can be toxic to cells, it is important to characterize the effects of light stimulation on cellular function in the absence of optogenetic proteins. Here we exposed mouse cortical cultures with no exogenous optogenetic proteins to several hours of flashing blue, red, or green light. We found that exposing these cultures to as short as 1 h of blue light, but not red or green light, results in an increase in the expression of neuronal activity-regulated genes. Our findings suggest that blue light stimulation is ill suited to long-term optogenetic experiments, especially those that measure transcription, and they emphasize the importance of performing light-only control experiments in samples without optogenetic proteins.

Optogenetics in Brain Research: From a Strategy to Investigate Physiological Function to a Therapeutic Tool

Dissecting the functional roles of neuronal circuits and their interaction is a crucial step in basic neuroscience and in all the biomedical field. Optogenetics is well-suited to this purpose since it allows us to study the functionality of neuronal networks on multiple scales in living organisms. This tool was recently used in a plethora of studies to investigate physiological neuronal circuit function in addition to dysfunctional or pathological conditions. Moreover, optogenetics is emerging as a crucial technique to develop new rehabilitative and therapeutic strategies for many neurodegenerative diseases in pre-clinical models. In this review, we discuss recent applications of optogenetics, starting from fundamental research to pre-clinical applications. Firstly, we described the fundamental components of optogenetics, from light-activated proteins to light delivery systems. Secondly, we showed its applications to study neuronal circuits in physiological or pathological conditions at the cortical and subcortical level, in vivo. Furthermore, the interesting findings achieved using optogenetics as a therapeutic and rehabilitative tool highlighted the potential of this technique for understanding and treating neurological diseases in pre-clinical models. Finally, we showed encouraging results recently obtained by applying optogenetics in human neuronal cells in-vitro.

Thermal constraints on in vivo optogenetic manipulations

A key assumption of optogenetics is that light only affects opsin-expressing neurons. However, illumination invariably heats tissue, and many physiological processes are temperature-sensitive. Commonly used illumination protocols increased the temperature by 0.2-2 °C and suppressed spiking in multiple brain regions. In the striatum, light delivery activated an inwardly rectifying potassium conductance and biased rotational behavior. Thus, careful consideration of light-delivery parameters is required, as even modest intracranial heating can confound interpretation of optogenetic experiments.