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Wang W, Yin C, Wen S, Liu Z, Wang B, Zeng B, Sun L, Zhou X, Zhong S, Zhang J, Ma W, Wu Q, Wang X. DCX knockout ferret reveals a neurogenic mechanism in cortical development. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114508. [PMID: 39018244 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114508] [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: 12/25/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Lissencephaly is a rare brain malformation for which our understanding remains limited due to the absence of suitable animal models that accurately represent human phenotypes. Here, we establish doublecortin (DCX) knockout ferrets as a model that faithfully replicates key features of the disorder. We reveal the critical roles of DCX in neural progenitor cell proliferation and radial glial fiber extension, processes essential for normal cortical development. Utilizing single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics, we provide a detailed atlas of the lissencephalic cortex, illustrating disrupted neuronal lamination and the specific interactions between inhibitory and excitatory neurons. These findings enhance our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying lissencephaly and highlight the potential of DCX knockout ferrets as a valuable tool for neurodevelopmental research, offering insights into both the pathology of lissencephaly and the general principles of brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | | | - Shaonan Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zeyuan Liu
- Changping Laboratory, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Bosong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Bo Zeng
- Changping Laboratory, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Le Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Xin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China; Changping Laboratory, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Suijuan Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China; Changping Laboratory, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Junjing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Wenji Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qian Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China; Changping Laboratory, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Xiaoqun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Beijing 100875, China; State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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2
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Ross G, Radtke-Schuller S, Frohlich F. Ferret as a model system for studying the anatomy and function of the prefrontal cortex: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105701. [PMID: 38718987 PMCID: PMC11162921 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105701] [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: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
There is a lack of consensus on anatomical nomenclature, standards of documentation, and functional equivalence of the frontal cortex between species. There remains a major gap between human prefrontal function and interpretation of findings in the mouse brain that appears to lack several key prefrontal areas involved in cognition and psychiatric illnesses. The ferret is an emerging model organism that has gained traction as an intermediate model species for the study of top-down cognitive control and other higher-order brain functions. However, this research has yet to benefit from synthesis. Here, we provide a summary of all published research pertaining to the frontal and/or prefrontal cortex of the ferret across research scales. The targeted location within the ferret brain is summarized visually for each experiment, and the anatomical terminology used at time of publishing is compared to what would be the appropriate term to use presently. By doing so, we hope to improve clarity in the interpretation of both previous and future publications on the comparative study of frontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Ross
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Carolina Center for Neurostimulation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Susanne Radtke-Schuller
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Carolina Center for Neurostimulation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Flavio Frohlich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Carolina Center for Neurostimulation, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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3
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Singh A, Del-Valle-Anton L, de Juan Romero C, Zhang Z, Ortuño EF, Mahesh A, Espinós A, Soler R, Cárdenas A, Fernández V, Lusby R, Tiwari VK, Borrell V. Gene regulatory landscape of cerebral cortex folding. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn1640. [PMID: 38838158 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn1640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Folding of the cerebral cortex is a key aspect of mammalian brain development and evolution, and defects are linked to severe neurological disorders. Primary folding occurs in highly stereotyped patterns that are predefined in the cortical germinal zones by a transcriptomic protomap. The gene regulatory landscape governing the emergence of this folding protomap remains unknown. We characterized the spatiotemporal dynamics of gene expression and active epigenetic landscape (H3K27ac) across prospective folds and fissures in ferret. Our results show that the transcriptomic protomap begins to emerge at early embryonic stages, and it involves cell-fate signaling pathways. The H3K27ac landscape reveals developmental cell-fate restriction and engages known developmental regulators, including the transcription factor Cux2. Manipulating Cux2 expression in cortical progenitors changed their proliferation and the folding pattern in ferret, caused by selective transcriptional changes as revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing analyses. Our findings highlight the key relevance of epigenetic mechanisms in defining the patterns of cerebral cortex folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Singh
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Science, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Lucia Del-Valle-Anton
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
| | - Camino de Juan Romero
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
| | - Ziyi Zhang
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Science, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Eduardo Fernández Ortuño
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
| | - Arun Mahesh
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Science, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Alexandre Espinós
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
| | - Rafael Soler
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
| | - Adrián Cárdenas
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
| | - Virginia Fernández
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
| | - Ryan Lusby
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Science, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Vijay K Tiwari
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Science, Queens University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
- Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS), Odense M, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Víctor Borrell
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Miguel Hernández, Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Spain
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4
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Garcia KE, Wang X, Santiago SE, Bakshi S, Barnes AP, Kroenke CD. Longitudinal MRI of the developing ferret brain reveals regional variations in timing and rate of growth. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae172. [PMID: 38679479 PMCID: PMC11056283 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Normative ferret brain development was characterized using magnetic resonance imaging. Brain growth was longitudinally monitored in 10 ferrets (equal numbers of males and females) from postnatal day 8 (P8) through P38 in 6-d increments. Template T2-weighted images were constructed at each age, and these were manually segmented into 12 to 14 brain regions. A logistic growth model was used to fit data from whole brain volumes and 8 of the individual regions in both males and females. More protracted growth was found in males, which results in larger brains; however, sex differences were not apparent when results were corrected for body weight. Additionally, surface models of the developing cortical plate were registered to one another using the anatomically-constrained Multimodal Surface Matching algorithm. This, in turn, enabled local logistic growth parameters to be mapped across the cortical surface. A close similarity was observed between surface area expansion timing and previous reports of the transverse neurogenic gradient in ferrets. Regional variation in the extent of surface area expansion and the maximum expansion rate was also revealed. This characterization of normative brain growth over the period of cerebral cortex folding may serve as a reference for ferret studies of brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara E Garcia
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Evansville, IN 47715, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, United States
| | - Xiaojie Wang
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, United States
| | - Sarah E Santiago
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | - Stuti Bakshi
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, United States
| | - Anthony P Barnes
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, United States
| | - Christopher D Kroenke
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, United States
- Oregon Health and Science Advanced Imaging Research Center, Portland, OR 97239, United States
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5
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Barresi M, Hickmott RA, Bosakhar A, Quezada S, Quigley A, Kawasaki H, Walker D, Tolcos M. Toward a better understanding of how a gyrified brain develops. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae055. [PMID: 38425213 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae055] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The size and shape of the cerebral cortex have changed dramatically across evolution. For some species, the cortex remains smooth (lissencephalic) throughout their lifetime, while for other species, including humans and other primates, the cortex increases substantially in size and becomes folded (gyrencephalic). A folded cortex boasts substantially increased surface area, cortical thickness, and neuronal density, and it is therefore associated with higher-order cognitive abilities. The mechanisms that drive gyrification in some species, while others remain lissencephalic despite many shared neurodevelopmental features, have been a topic of investigation for many decades, giving rise to multiple perspectives of how the gyrified cerebral cortex acquires its unique shape. Recently, a structurally unique germinal layer, known as the outer subventricular zone, and the specialized cell type that populates it, called basal radial glial cells, were identified, and these have been shown to be indispensable for cortical expansion and folding. Transcriptional analyses and gene manipulation models have provided an invaluable insight into many of the key cellular and genetic drivers of gyrification. However, the degree to which certain biomechanical, genetic, and cellular processes drive gyrification remains under investigation. This review considers the key aspects of cerebral expansion and folding that have been identified to date and how theories of gyrification have evolved to incorporate this new knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikaela Barresi
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
- ACMD, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Regent Street, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia
| | - Ryan Alexander Hickmott
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
- ACMD, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Regent Street, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia
| | - Abdulhameed Bosakhar
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Sebastian Quezada
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Anita Quigley
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
- ACMD, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Regent Street, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, La Trobe Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Regent Street, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia
| | - Hiroshi Kawasaki
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Takara-machi 13-1, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - David Walker
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Mary Tolcos
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
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6
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Sawada K, Kamiya S, Kobayashi T. Neonatal Exposure to Lipopolysaccharide Promotes Neurogenesis of Subventricular Zone Progenitors in the Developing Neocortex of Ferrets. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14962. [PMID: 37834410 PMCID: PMC10573966 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914962] [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: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a natural agonist of toll-like receptor 4 that serves a role in innate immunity. The current study evaluated the LPS-mediated regulation of neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) progenitors, that is, the basal radial glia and intermediate progenitors (IPs), in ferrets. Ferret pups were subcutaneously injected with LPS (500 μg/g of body weight) on postnatal days (PDs) 6 and 7. Furthermore, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) were administered on PDs 5 and 7, respectively, to label the post-proliferative and proliferating cells in the inner SVZ (iSVZ) and outer SVZ (oSVZ). A significantly higher density of BrdU single-labeled proliferating cells was observed in the iSVZ of LPS-exposed ferrets than in controls but not in post-proliferative EdU single-labeled and EdU/BrdU double-labeled self-renewing cells. BrdU single-labeled cells exhibited a lower proportion of Tbr2 immunostaining in LPS-exposed ferrets (22.2%) than in controls (42.6%) and a higher proportion of Ctip2 immunostaining in LPS-exposed ferrets (22.2%) than in controls (8.6%). The present findings revealed that LPS modified the neurogenesis of SVZ progenitors. Neonatal LPS exposure facilitates the proliferation of SVZ progenitors, followed by the differentiation of Tbr2-expressing IPs into Ctip2-expressing immature neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura 300-0051, Japan
| | - Shiori Kamiya
- Department of Regulation Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan; (S.K.); (T.K.)
| | - Tetsuya Kobayashi
- Department of Regulation Biology, Faculty of Science, Saitama University, Saitama 338-8570, Japan; (S.K.); (T.K.)
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Massimo M, Long KR. Orchestrating human neocortex development across the scales; from micro to macro. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 130:24-36. [PMID: 34583893 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
How our brains have developed to perform the many complex functions that make us human has long remained a question of great interest. Over the last few decades, many scientists from a wide range of fields have tried to answer this question by aiming to uncover the mechanisms that regulate the development of the human neocortex. They have approached this on different scales, focusing microscopically on individual cells all the way up to macroscopically imaging entire brains within living patients. In this review we will summarise these key findings and how they fit together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Massimo
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine R Long
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom.
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8
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Lossi L. Anatomical features for an adequate choice of the experimental animal model in biomedicine: III. Ferret, goat, sheep, and horse. Ann Anat 2022; 244:151978. [PMID: 35787443 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2022.151978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The anatomical characteristics of each of the many species today employed in biomedical research are very important when selecting the correct animal model(s), especially for conducting translational research. In previous papers, these features have been considered for fish (D'Angelo et al. Ann. Anat, 2016, 205:75), the most common laboratory rodents, rabbits, and pigs (Lossi et al. 2016). I here follow this line of discussion by dealing with the importance of proper knowledge of ferrets, goats, sheep, and horses' main anatomical features in translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lossi
- University of Turin, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Turin, Italy; INN, Istituto Nazionale di Neuroscienze, Turin, Italy.
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Sawada K, Kamiya S, Aoki I. The Proliferation of Dentate Gyrus Progenitors in the Ferret Hippocampus by Neonatal Exposure to Valproic Acid. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:736313. [PMID: 34650400 PMCID: PMC8505998 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.736313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal and neonatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) is associated with human autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can alter the development of several brain regions, such as the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and amygdala. Neonatal VPA exposure induces ASD-like behavioral abnormalities in a gyrencephalic mammal, ferret, but it has not been evaluated in brain regions other than the cerebral cortex in this animal. This study aimed to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of brain abnormalities induced by developmental VPA exposure in ferrets. We examined gross structural changes in the hippocampus and tracked proliferative cells by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling following VPA administration to ferret infants on postnatal days (PDs) 6 and 7 at 200 μg/g of body weight. Ex vivo short repetition time/time to echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with high spatial resolution at 7-T was obtained from the fixed brain of PD 20 ferrets. The hippocampal volume estimated using MRI-based volumetry was not significantly different between the two groups of ferrets, and optical comparisons on coronal magnetic resonance images revealed no differences in gross structures of the hippocampus between VPA-treated and control ferrets. BrdU-labeled cells were observed throughout the hippocampus of both two groups at PD 20. BrdU-labeled cells were immunopositive for Sox2 (>70%) and almost immunonegative for NeuN, S100 protein, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. BrdU-labeled Sox2-positive progenitors were abundant, particularly in the subgranular layer of the dentate gyrus (DG), and were denser in VPA-treated ferrets. When BrdU-labeled Sox2-positive progenitors were examined at 2 h after the second VPA administration on PD 7, their density in the granular/subgranular layer and hilus of the DG was significantly greater in VPA-treated ferrets compared to controls. The findings suggest that VPA exposure to ferret infants facilitates the proliferation of DG progenitors, supplying excessive progenitors for hippocampal adult neurogenesis to the subgranular layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Japan
| | - Shiori Kamiya
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Japan
| | - Ichio Aoki
- Department of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan.,Institute for Quantum Life Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
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Gilardi C, Kalebic N. The Ferret as a Model System for Neocortex Development and Evolution. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:661759. [PMID: 33996819 PMCID: PMC8118648 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.661759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The neocortex is the largest part of the cerebral cortex and a key structure involved in human behavior and cognition. Comparison of neocortex development across mammals reveals that the proliferative capacity of neural stem and progenitor cells and the length of the neurogenic period are essential for regulating neocortex size and complexity, which in turn are thought to be instrumental for the increased cognitive abilities in humans. The domesticated ferret, Mustela putorius furo, is an important animal model in neurodevelopment for its complex postnatal cortical folding, its long period of forebrain development and its accessibility to genetic manipulation in vivo. Here, we discuss the molecular, cellular, and histological features that make this small gyrencephalic carnivore a suitable animal model to study the physiological and pathological mechanisms for the development of an expanded neocortex. We particularly focus on the mechanisms of neural stem cell proliferation, neuronal differentiation, cortical folding, visual system development, and neurodevelopmental pathologies. We further discuss the technological advances that have enabled the genetic manipulation of the ferret in vivo. Finally, we compare the features of neocortex development in the ferret with those of other model organisms.
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11
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Sawada K, Kamiya S, Aoki I. Neonatal valproic acid exposure produces altered gyrification related to increased parvalbumin-immunopositive neuron density with thickened sulcal floors. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250262. [PMID: 33878144 PMCID: PMC8057614 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Valproic acid (VPA) treatment is associated with autism spectrum disorder in humans, and ferrets can be used as a model to test this; so far, it is not known whether ferrets react to developmental VPA exposure with gyrencephalic abnormalities. The current study characterized gyrification abnormalities in ferrets following VPA exposure during neonatal periods, corresponding to the late stage of cortical neurogenesis as well as the early stage of sulcogyrogenesis. Ferret pups received intraperitoneal VPA injections (200 μg/g of body weight) on postnatal days (PD) 6 and 7. BrdU was administered simultaneously at the last VPA injection. Ex vivo MRI-based morphometry demonstrated significantly lower gyrification index (GI) throughout the cortex in VPA-treated ferrets (1.265 ± 0.027) than in control ferrets (1.327 ± 0.018) on PD 20, when primary sulcogyrogenesis is complete. VPA-treated ferrets showed significantly smaller sulcal-GIs in the rostral suprasylvian sulcus and splenial sulcus but a larger lateral sulcus surface area than control ferrets. The floor cortex of the inner stratum of both the rostral suprasylvian and splenial sulci and the outer stratum of the lateral sulcus showed a relatively prominent expansion. Parvalbumin-positive neuron density was significantly greater in the expanded cortical strata of sulcal floors in VPA-treated ferrets, regardless of the BrdU-labeled status. Thus, VPA exposure during the late stage of cortical neurogenesis may alter gyrification, primarily in the frontal and parietotemporal cortical divisions. Altered gyrification may thicken the outer or inner stratum of the cerebral cortex by increasing parvalbumin-positive neuron density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
- * E-mail: (KS); (IA)
| | - Shiori Kamiya
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Ichio Aoki
- Department of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, NIRS, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST), Chib, Japan
- * E-mail: (KS); (IA)
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Abstract
The asymmetry of the cerebral sulcal morphology is particularly obvious in higher primates. The sulcal asymmetry in macaque monkeys, a genus of the Old World monkeys, in our previous studies and others is summarized, and its evolutionary significance is speculated. Cynomolgus macaques displayed fetal sulcation and gyration symmetrically, and the sulcal asymmetry appeared after adolescence. Population-level rightward asymmetry was revealed in the length of arcuate sulcus (ars) and the surface area of superior temporal sulcus (sts) in adult macaques. When compared to other nonhuman primates, the superior postcentral sulcus (spcs) was left-lateralized in chimpanzees, opposite of the direction of asymmetry in the ars, anatomically-identical to the spcs, in macaques. This may be associated with handedness: either right-handedness in chimpanzees or left-handedness/ambidexterity in macaques. The rightward asymmetry in the sts surface area was seen in macaques, and it was similar to humans. However, no left/right side differences were identified in the sts morphology among great apes, which suggests the evolutionary discontinuity of the sts asymmetry. The diversity of the cortical lateralization among primate species suggests that the sulcal asymmetry reflects the species-related specialization of the cortical morphology and function, which is facilitated by evolutionary expansion in higher primates.
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13
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Differential distributions of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the sulci and gyri of the adult ferret cerebral cortex. Neuroreport 2019; 30:993-997. [PMID: 31464840 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Although accumulating evidence suggests that there are significant anatomical and histological differences between the sulci and gyri of the cerebral cortex, whether there is a difference in the distribution of interneurons between the two cortical regions remains largely unknown. In this study, we systematically compared the distributions of parvalbumin-positive interneurons among three neighboring gyrus and sulcus pairs-coronal gyrus and cruciate sulcus, anterior ectosylvian gyrus and rostral suprasylvian sulcus, and posterior ectosylvian gyrus and pseudosylvian sulcus-in the adult ferret cerebral cortex. We proposed a method to partition sulci and gyri into several specific subregions through the deepest points of the sulci and the highest points of gyri in the inner and outer cortical contours of coronal sections. We found that the density of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in the gyri was significantly higher than that in the sulci. Further study revealed that the density of PV interneurons in superficial cortical layers (layers 2/3 and layer 4) was comparable among the three pairs of sulci and gyri. However, the density of parvalbumin-positive interneurons in cortical layers 5/6 was significantly higher in gyri than in sulci. These results indicate that parvalbumin-positive interneurons are differently distributed in infragranular layers of cortical sulci and gyri.
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14
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Sawada K. Follow-up study of subventricular zone progenitors with multiple rounds of cell division during sulcogyrogenesis in the ferret cerebral cortex. IBRO Rep 2019; 7:42-51. [PMID: 31453408 PMCID: PMC6702350 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibror.2019.07.1720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The subventricular zone (SVZ) of the developing cerebral cortex appears transiently during cortical neurogenesis and is known as the second proliferative zone that contains intermediate progenitor cells and self-renewable neuronal stem cells-the so-called basal radial glia (bRG). The present study attempted to track the differentiation and migration dynamics of SVZ progenitors undergoing multiple cell divisions at the late stage of neurogenesis in a course of sulcogyrogenesis in the ferret, a gyrencephalic mammal. Ferret pups were given a 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) injection on postnatal day (PD) 5 followed by a 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) injection on PD 7. The 48 h interval between EdU and BrdU injections covered the minimum times for the first and second S-phase of self-renewing bRG. Two h after BrdU injection, EdU/BrdU-double labeled cells were found in the inner or outer SVZ (iSVZ and oSVZ), more than 80% of which were Sox2-positive. Furthermore, 95.8% of EdU/BrdU-double labeled Sox2-positive progenitors in the iSVZ and 84.2% in the oSVZ were also Pax6-positive, defining these progenitors as bRG. On PD 20, all EdU/BrdU-double labeled cells were NeuN-immunopositive, and more than 60% of these were parvalbumin-immunopositive. EdU/BrdU-double labeled neurons were distributed densely in the superficial portion of the outer cortical stratum. Cluster analysis divided the gyral and sulcal regions into higher and lower density groups, respectively, based on the diversity of the cortical density of EdU/BrdU-double labeled neurons. The higher density group included the gyral and sulcal regions of the prefrontal, parietooccipital and/or cingulate cortex, corresponding to cortical regions associated with evolutionary expansion. Although a limited population of neurons within a narrow time window of cortical neurogenesis was tracked, the present findings suggest that neurons derived from bRG at the late stage of neurogenesis express parvalbumin during corticohistogenesis. Due to the diversity of sulcogyral distributions, neurons derived from bRG may be implicated in evolutionary cortical expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki 300-0051, Japan
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15
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Das A, Takahashi E. Characterization of White Matter Tracts by Diffusion MR Tractography in Cat and Ferret that Have Similar Gyral Patterns. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:1338-1347. [PMID: 28334159 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The developmental relationships between gyral structures and white matter tracts have long been debated, but it is still difficult to discern whether they influence each other's development or are causally related. To explore this topic, this study used cats and ferrets as models for species that share similar gyral folding patterns and imaged with diffusion magnetic resonance imaging to compare white matter innervations in homologous gyri and other brain regions. Adult cat and ferret brains were analyzed via diffusion spectrum imaging tractography and homologous regions of interest were compared. Although similar genetic lineage and gyral structures would suggest analogous white matter tracts, tractography reveals significantly differing white matter connectivity in both the visual and auditory cortices. Similarities in connectivity were concentrated primarily in the highly conserved cerebellar region. These results correlate well with existing histological and functional studies of both species. Our results indicate that, while the 2 species may share similar gyral structures, they utilize different white matter connectivity; suggesting that while species may share similar gyral structures, they can develop different underlying white matter connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avilash Das
- Medical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.,Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Fetal-Neonatal Brain Imaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emi Takahashi
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Fetal-Neonatal Brain Imaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
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16
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Kalebic N, Gilardi C, Albert M, Namba T, Long KR, Kostic M, Langen B, Huttner WB. Human-specific ARHGAP11B induces hallmarks of neocortical expansion in developing ferret neocortex. eLife 2018; 7:e41241. [PMID: 30484771 PMCID: PMC6303107 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary increase in size and complexity of the primate neocortex is thought to underlie the higher cognitive abilities of humans. ARHGAP11B is a human-specific gene that, based on its expression pattern in fetal human neocortex and progenitor effects in embryonic mouse neocortex, has been proposed to have a key function in the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex. Here, we study the effects of ARHGAP11B expression in the developing neocortex of the gyrencephalic ferret. In contrast to its effects in mouse, ARHGAP11B markedly increases proliferative basal radial glia, a progenitor cell type thought to be instrumental for neocortical expansion, and results in extension of the neurogenic period and an increase in upper-layer neurons. Consequently, the postnatal ferret neocortex exhibits increased neuron density in the upper cortical layers and expands in both the radial and tangential dimensions. Thus, human-specific ARHGAP11B can elicit hallmarks of neocortical expansion in the developing ferret neocortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nereo Kalebic
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
| | - Carlotta Gilardi
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
| | - Mareike Albert
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
| | - Takashi Namba
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
| | - Katherine R Long
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
| | - Milos Kostic
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
| | - Barbara Langen
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
| | - Wieland B Huttner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and GeneticsDresdenGermany
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17
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Maternal Immune Activation Alters Adult Behavior, Gut Microbiome and Juvenile Brain Oscillations in Ferrets. eNeuro 2018; 5:eN-NWR-0313-18. [PMID: 30406186 PMCID: PMC6220580 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0313-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal immune activation (MIA) has been identified as a causal factor in psychiatric disorders by epidemiological studies in humans and mechanistic studies in rodent models. Addressing this gap in species between mice and human will accelerate the understanding of the role of MIA in the etiology of psychiatric disorders. Here, we provide the first study of MIA in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo), an animal model with a rich history of developmental investigations due to the similarities in developmental programs and cortical organization with primates. We found that after MIA by injection of PolyIC in the pregnant mother animal, the adult offspring exhibited reduced social behavior, less eye contact with humans, decreased recognition memory, a sex-specific increase in amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion, and altered gut microbiome. We also studied the neurophysiological properties of the MIA ferrets in development by in-vivo recordings of the local field potential (LFP) from visual cortex in five- to six-week-old animals, and found that the spontaneous and sensory-evoked LFP had decreased power, especially in the gamma frequency band. Overall, our results provide the first evidence for the detrimental effect of MIA in ferrets and support the use of the ferret as an intermediate model species for the study of disorders with neurodevelopmental origin.
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18
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Snyder JM, Wood TR, Corry K, Moralejo DH, Parikh P, Juul SE. Ontogeny of white matter, toll-like receptor expression, and motor skills in the neonatal ferret. Int J Dev Neurosci 2018; 70:25-33. [PMID: 29791868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation caused by perinatal infection, superimposed with hypoxia and/or hyperoxia, appears to be important in the pathogenesis of preterm neonatal encephalopathy, with white matter particularly vulnerable during the third trimester. The associated inflammatory response is at least partly mediated through Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent mechanisms. Immunohistochemistry, gene expression, and behavioral studies were used to characterize white matter development and determine TLR3 and TLR4 expression and accumulation in the neonatal ferret brain. Expression of markers of white matter development increased significantly between postnatal day (P)1 and P10 (NG2, PDGFRα) or P15 (Olig2), and either remained elevated (NG2), or decreased again at P40 (PDGFRα, Olig2). Olig2 immunostaining within the internal capsule was also greatest at P15. Myelin basic protein (MBP) immunostaining and mRNA expression increased markedly from P15 to P40 and into adulthood, which correlated with increasing performance on behavioral tests (negative geotaxis, cliff aversion, righting reflex, and catwalk gait analysis). TLR4 and TLR3 positive staining was low at all ages, but TLR3 and TLR4 mRNA expression both increased significantly from P1 to P40. Following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and hypoxia/hyperoxia exposure at P10, meningeal and parenchymal inflammation was seen, including an increase in TLR4 positive cells. These data suggest that the neuroinflammation associated with prematurity could be modeled in the newborn ferret.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Snyder
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Thomas R Wood
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Kylie Corry
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Daniel H Moralejo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Pratik Parikh
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Sandra E Juul
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
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19
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Johnson MB, Sun X, Kodani A, Borges-Monroy R, Girskis KM, Ryu SC, Wang PP, Patel K, Gonzalez DM, Woo YM, Yan Z, Liang B, Smith RS, Chatterjee M, Coman D, Papademetris X, Staib LH, Hyder F, Mandeville JB, Grant PE, Im K, Kwak H, Engelhardt JF, Walsh CA, Bae BI. Aspm knockout ferret reveals an evolutionary mechanism governing cerebral cortical size. Nature 2018; 556:370-375. [PMID: 29643508 PMCID: PMC6095461 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0035-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The human cerebral cortex is distinguished by its large size and abundant
gyrification, or folding, yet the evolutionary mechanisms driving cortical size
and structure are unknown. While genes essential for cortical developmental
expansion have been identified from the genetics of human primary microcephaly
(“small head”, associated with reduced brain size and
intellectual disability)1,
studies of these genes in mice, whose smooth cortex is one thousand times
smaller than that of humans, have provided limited insight. Mutations of
abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated
(ASPM), the most common recessive microcephaly gene, reduce
cortical volume by ≥50% in humans2–4, but have little effect in mice5–9, likely reflecting evolutionarily divergent functions of
ASPM10,11. We used genome editing to
create a germline knockout (KO) of Aspm in the ferret
(Mustela putorius furo), a species with a larger, gyrified
cortex and greater neural progenitor cell (NPC) diversity12–14 than mice, and closer Aspm protein sequence homology to
human. Aspm KO ferrets exhibit severe microcephaly
(25–40% decreases in brain weight), reflecting reduced cortical
surface area without significant change in cortical thickness, as in human
patients3,4, suggesting loss of “cortical
units”. The mutant ferret fetal cortex displays a massive premature
displacement of ventricular radial glial cells (VRG) to the outer subventricular
zone (OSVZ), where many resemble outer radial glia (ORG), an NPC subtype
essentially absent in mice and implicated in cerebral cortical expansion in
primates12–16. These data suggest an
evolutionary mechanism whereby Aspm regulates cortical expansion by controlling
the affinity of VRG for the ventricular surface, thus modulating the ratio of
VRG, the most undifferentiated cell type, to ORG, a more differentiated
progenitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Johnson
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xingshen Sun
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,National Ferret Resource and Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Andrew Kodani
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebeca Borges-Monroy
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kelly M Girskis
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven C Ryu
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter P Wang
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Komal Patel
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Dilenny M Gonzalez
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yu Mi Woo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Ziying Yan
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,National Ferret Resource and Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Bo Liang
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,National Ferret Resource and Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Richard S Smith
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Manavi Chatterjee
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Daniel Coman
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center (MRRC), Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Quantitative Neuroscience with Magnetic Resonance (QNMR) Core Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xenophon Papademetris
- Quantitative Neuroscience with Magnetic Resonance (QNMR) Core Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lawrence H Staib
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Fahmeed Hyder
- Magnetic Resonance Research Center (MRRC), Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Quantitative Neuroscience with Magnetic Resonance (QNMR) Core Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Joseph B Mandeville
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - P Ellen Grant
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kiho Im
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hojoong Kwak
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - John F Engelhardt
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Center for Gene Therapy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.,National Ferret Resource and Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Byoung-Il Bae
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. .,Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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20
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Toro R, Bakker R, Delzescaux T, Evans A, Tiesinga P. FIIND: Ferret Interactive Integrated Neurodevelopment Atlas. RESEARCH IDEAS AND OUTCOMES 2018. [DOI: 10.3897/rio.4.e25312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The first days after birth in ferrets provide a privileged view of the development of a complex mammalian brain. Unlike mice, ferrets develop a rich pattern of deep neocortical folds and cortico- cortical connections. Unlike humans and other primates, whose brains are well differentiated and folded at birth, ferrets are born with a very immature and completely smooth neocortex: folds, neocortical regionalisation and cortico-cortical connectivity develop in ferrets during the first postnatal days. After a period of fast neocortical expansion, during which brain volume increases by up to a factor of 4 in 2 weeks, the ferret brain reaches its adult volume at about 6 weeks of age. Ferrets could thus become a major animal model to investigate the neurobiological correlates of the phenomena observed in human neuroimaging. Many of these phenomena, such as the relationship between brain folding, cortico-cortical connectivity and neocortical regionalisation cannot be investigated in mice, but could be investigated in ferrets.
Our aim is to provide the research community with a detailed description of the development of a complex brain, necessary to better understand the nature of human neuroimaging data, create models of brain development, or analyse the relationship between multiple spatial scales. We have already started a project to constitute an open, collaborative atlas of ferret brain development, integrating multi-modal and multi-scale data. We have acquired data for 28 ferrets (4 animals per time point from P0 to adults), using high-resolution MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We have developed an open-source pipeline to segment and produce – online – 3D reconstructions of brain MRI data.
We propose to process the brains of 16 of our specimens (from P0 to P16) using high-throughput 3D histology, staining for cytoarchitectonic landmarks, neuronal progenitors and neurogenesis. This would allow us to relate the MRI data that we have already acquired with multi-dimensional cell-scale information. Brains will be sectioned at 25 μm, stained, scanned at 0.25 μm of resolution, and processed for real-time multi-scale visualisation. We will extend our current web-platform to integrate an interactive multi-scale visualisation of the data. Using our combined expertise in computational neuroanatomy, multi-modal neuroimaging, neuroinformatics, and the development of inter-species atlases, we propose to build an open-source web platform to allow the collaborative, online, creation of atlases of the development of the ferret brain. The web platform will allow researchers to access and visualise interactively the MRI and histology data. It will also allow researchers to create collaborative, human curated, 3D segmentations of brain structures, as well as vectorial atlases. Our work will provide a first integrated atlas of ferret brain development, and the basis for an open platform for the creation of collaborative multi-modal, multi-scale, multi-species atlases.
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21
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Khalil R, Contreras-Ramirez V, Levitt JB. Postnatal refinement of interareal feedforward projections in ferret visual cortex. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 223:2303-2322. [PMID: 29476239 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1632-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
We studied the postnatal refinement of feedforward (FF) projections from ferret V1 to multiple cortical targets during the period around eye opening. Our goal was to establish (a) whether the developmental refinement of FF projections parallels that of feedback (FB) cortical circuits, and (b) whether FF pathways from V1 to different target areas refine with a similar rate. We injected the tracer CTb into V1 of juvenile ferrets, and visualized the pattern of labeled axon terminals in extrastriate cortex. Bouton density of FF projections to target areas 18, 19, and 21 declined steadily from 4 to 8 weeks postnatal. However, in area Ssy this decline was delayed somewhat, not occurring until after 6 weeks. During this postnatal period, mean interbouton intervals along individual FF axons to all visual areas increased, and we observed a concomitant moderate decrease in axon density in areas 18, 21, and Ssy. These data suggest that FF circuits linking V1 to its main extrastriate targets remodel largely synchronously in the weeks following eye opening, that FF and FB cortical circuits share a broadly similar developmental timecourse, and that postnatal visual experience is critical for the refinement of both FF and FB cortical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reem Khalil
- Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Department, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.,Department of Biology MR526, City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY, 10031, USA.,Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | | | - Jonathan B Levitt
- Department of Biology MR526, City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY, 10031, USA. .,Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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22
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Sawada K, Aoki I. Biphasic aspect of sexually dimorphic ontogenetic trajectory of gyrification in the ferret cerebral cortex. Neuroscience 2017; 364:71-81. [PMID: 28935238 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The present study characterized quantitatively sexual dimorphic development of gyrification by MRI-based morphometry. High spatial-resolution 3D MR images (using RARE sequence with short TR and minimum TE setting) were acquired from fixed brain of male and female ferrets at postnatal days (PDs) 4-90 using 7-tesla preclinical MRI system. The gyrification index was evaluated either throughout the cerebral cortex (global GI) or in representative primary sulci (sulcal GI). The global GI increased linearly from PD 4, and reached a peak at PD 42, marking 1.486±0.018 in males and 1.460±0.010 in females, respectively. Sexual difference was obtained by greater global GI in males than in females on PD 21 and thereafter. Rostrocaudal GI distribution revealed an overall male-over-female sulcal infolding throughout the cortex on PD 21. Then, an adult pattern of sexually dimorphic cortical convolution was achieved so that gyrification in the temporo-parieto-occipital region was more progressive in males than in females on PD 42, and slightly extended posteriorly in males until PD 90. In the sulcal GI, sulcus-specific male-over-female GI was revealed in the rhinal fissure, and presylvian sulcus on PD 42, and additionally in the coronal, splenial, lateral, and caudal suprasylvian sulci on PD 90. The current results suggest that age-related sexual dimorphism of the gyrification was biphasic in the ferret cortex. A male-over-female gyrification was allometric by PD 21, and was thereafter specific to primary sulci located on phylogenetically newer multimodal cortical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki 300-0051, Japan.
| | - I Aoki
- Department of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, QST, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
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23
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Sawada K, Fukunishi K, Kashima M, Imai N, Saito S, Aoki I, Fukui Y. Regional difference in sulcal infolding progression correlated with cerebral cortical expansion in cynomolgus monkey fetuses. Congenit Anom (Kyoto) 2017; 57:114-117. [PMID: 28109019 DOI: 10.1111/cga.12209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Revised: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The present study aimed to specify the cerebral sulci developed by cortical expansion in cynomolgus monkey fetuses. The degree of sulcal infolding was evaluated by the gyrification index (GI), which was quantified using ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging. The correlation of cortical volume with the sulcal GI was most frequent during embryonic days (EDs) 100 to 120. Interestingly, the high correlation was marked during EDs 140 to 150 in restricted primary sulci in prefrontal, parietotemporal and medial temporal regions. The present results suggest that cortical expansion is involved in gyral demarcation by sulcal infolding, followed by the sulcal infolding progression in phylogenetically-newer cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Fukunishi
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | | | - Noritaka Imai
- Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Saito
- Department of Medical Physics and Engineering, Division of Health Sciences, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.,Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ichio Aoki
- Department of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, QST, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Fukui
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
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24
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Hatakeyama J, Sato H, Shimamura K. Developing guinea pig brain as a model for cortical folding. Dev Growth Differ 2017; 59:286-301. [PMID: 28585227 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The cerebral cortex in mammals, the neocortex specifically, is highly diverse among species with respect to its size and morphology, likely reflecting the immense adaptiveness of this lineage. In particular, the pattern and number of convoluted ridges and fissures, called gyri and sulci, respectively, on the surface of the cortex are variable among species and even individuals. However, little is known about the mechanism of cortical folding, although there have been several hypotheses proposed. Recent studies on embryonic neurogenesis revealed the differences in cortical progenitors as a critical factor of the process of gyrification. Here, we investigated the gyrification processes using developing guinea pig brains that form a simple but fundamental pattern of gyri. In addition, we established an electroporation-mediated gene transfer method for guinea pig embryos. We introduce the guinea pig brain as a useful model system to understand the mechanisms and basic principle of cortical folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hatakeyama
- Department of Brain Morphogenesis, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Haruka Sato
- Department of Brain Morphogenesis, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Kenji Shimamura
- Department of Brain Morphogenesis, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
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25
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Imam A, Ajao MS, Bhagwandin A, Ihunwo AO, Manger PR. The brain of the tree pangolin (Manis tricuspis
). I. General appearance of the central nervous system. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2571-2582. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aminu Imam
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
- Department of Anatomy; Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin; Ilorin Nigeria
| | - Moyosore S. Ajao
- Department of Anatomy; Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin; Ilorin Nigeria
| | - Adhil Bhagwandin
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Amadi O. Ihunwo
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
| | - Paul R. Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand; Johannesburg Republic of South Africa
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26
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Age-Dependent Sexually-Dimorphic Asymmetric Development of the Ferret Cerebellar Cortex. Symmetry (Basel) 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/sym9030040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
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27
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Zhou ZC, Salzwedel AP, Radtke-Schuller S, Li Y, Sellers KK, Gilmore JH, Shih YYI, Fröhlich F, Gao W. Resting state network topology of the ferret brain. Neuroimage 2016; 143:70-81. [PMID: 27596024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) has emerged as a versatile tool for non-invasive measurement of functional connectivity patterns in the brain. RsfMRI brain dynamics in rodents, non-human primates, and humans share similar properties; however, little is known about the resting state functional connectivity patterns in the ferret, an animal model with high potential for developmental and cognitive translational study. To address this knowledge-gap, we performed rsfMRI on anesthetized ferrets using a 9.4T MRI scanner, and subsequently performed group-level independent component analysis (gICA) to identify functionally connected brain networks. Group-level ICA analysis revealed distributed sensory, motor, and higher-order networks in the ferret brain. Subsequent connectivity analysis showed interconnected higher-order networks that constituted a putative default mode network (DMN), a network that exhibits altered connectivity in neuropsychiatric disorders. Finally, we assessed ferret brain topological efficiency using graph theory analysis and found that the ferret brain exhibits small-world properties. Overall, these results provide additional evidence for pan-species resting-state networks, further supporting ferret-based studies of sensory and cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Charles Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Andrew P Salzwedel
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States
| | - Susanne Radtke-Schuller
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Yuhui Li
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Kristin K Sellers
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Yen-Yu Ian Shih
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Small Animal Imaging Facility, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Flavio Fröhlich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Neurobiology Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - Wei Gao
- Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States.
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28
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Horiuchi-Hirose M, Sawada K. Differential cortical laminar structure revealed by NeuN immunostaining and myeloarchitecture between sulcal and gyral regions independent of sexual dimorphisms in the ferret cerebrum. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2016; 299:1003-11. [PMID: 27144367 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to quantitatively clarify differences in laminar structure and myeloarchitecture of sulcal and gyral regions of the cerebral cortex of ferrets. Histological sections of cerebrum from male and female ferrets at postnatal day 90 were made at the coronal plane, and were immunostained with anti-NeuN or anti-myelin basic protein (MBP). Thickness was estimated in the entire depth or three strata, that is, layer I, outer (layers II-III) and inner (layers IV-VI) strata of the neocortex in representative five sulcal and seven gyral regions. As with the entire cortical depth, outer and inner strata were significantly thinner in the sulcal bottoms than in the gyral crowns, whereas layer I had about twofold greater thickness in the sulcal bottoms. However, thicknesses of the entire cortical depth and each cortical stratum were not statistically different among five sulcal regions or seven gyral regions examined. By MBP immunostaining, myelin fibers ran tangentially through the superficial regions of layer I in gyral crowns. Those fibers were relatively denser in gyri of frontal and temporal regions, and relatively sparse in gyri of parietal and occipital regions, although their density in any gyri was not different between sexes. These results show a differential laminar structure and myeloarchitecture between the sulcal and gyral regions of the ferret cerebral cortex present in both sexes. Myelination of layer I tangential fibers varied among primary gyri and was weaker in phylogenetically higher-order cortical gyri. Anat Rec, 299:1003-1011, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miwa Horiuchi-Hirose
- Department of Nursing, Ibaraki Christian University, Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan.,Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
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29
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Effects of developmental alcohol and valproic acid exposure on play behavior of ferrets. Int J Dev Neurosci 2016; 52:75-81. [PMID: 27208641 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2016.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 03/11/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to alcohol and valproic acid (VPA) during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and fetal valproate syndrome, respectively. Altered social behavior is a hallmark of both these conditions and there is ample evidence showing that developmental exposure to alcohol and VPA affect social behavior in rodents. However, results from rodent models are somewhat difficult to translate to humans owing to the substantial differences in brain development, morphology, and connectivity. Since the cortex folding pattern is closely related to its specialization and that social behavior is strongly influenced by cortical structures, here we studied the effects of developmental alcohol and VPA exposure on the play behavior of the ferret, a gyrencephalic animal known for its playful nature. Animals were injected with alcohol (3.5g/kg, i.p.), VPA (200mg/kg, i.p.) or saline (i.p) every other day during the brain growth spurt period, between postnatal days 10 and 30. The play behavior of pairs of the same experimental group was evaluated 3 weeks later. Both treatments induced significant behavioral differences compared to controls. Alcohol and VPA exposed ferrets played less than saline treated ones, but while animals from the alcohol group displayed a delay in start playing with each other, VPA treated ones spent most of the time close to one another without playing. These findings not only extend previous results on the effects of developmental exposure to alcohol and VPA on social behavior, but make the ferret a great model to study the underlying mechanisms of social interaction.
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30
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Sukhinin DI, Engel AK, Manger P, Hilgetag CC. Building the Ferretome. Front Neuroinform 2016; 10:16. [PMID: 27242503 PMCID: PMC4861729 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2016.00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Databases of structural connections of the mammalian brain, such as CoCoMac (cocomac.g-node.org) or BAMS (https://bams1.org), are valuable resources for the analysis of brain connectivity and the modeling of brain dynamics in species such as the non-human primate or the rodent, and have also contributed to the computational modeling of the human brain. Another animal model that is widely used in electrophysiological or developmental studies is the ferret; however, no systematic compilation of brain connectivity is currently available for this species. Thus, we have started developing a database of anatomical connections and architectonic features of the ferret brain, the Ferret(connect)ome, www.Ferretome.org. The Ferretome database has adapted essential features of the CoCoMac methodology and legacy, such as the CoCoMac data model. This data model was simplified and extended in order to accommodate new data modalities that were not represented previously, such as the cytoarchitecture of brain areas. The Ferretome uses a semantic parcellation of brain regions as well as a logical brain map transformation algorithm (objective relational transformation, ORT). The ORT algorithm was also adopted for the transformation of architecture data. The database is being developed in MySQL and has been populated with literature reports on tract-tracing observations in the ferret brain using a custom-designed web interface that allows efficient and validated simultaneous input and proofreading by multiple curators. The database is equipped with a non-specialist web interface. This interface can be extended to produce connectivity matrices in several formats, including a graphical representation superimposed on established ferret brain maps. An important feature of the Ferretome database is the possibility to trace back entries in connectivity matrices to the original studies archived in the system. Currently, the Ferretome contains 50 reports on connections comprising 20 injection reports with more than 150 labeled source and target areas, the majority reflecting connectivity of subcortical nuclei and 15 descriptions of regional brain architecture. We hope that the Ferretome database will become a useful resource for neuroinformatics and neural modeling, and will support studies of the ferret brain as well as facilitate advances in comparative studies of mesoscopic brain connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitrii I Sukhinin
- Department of Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas K Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf Hamburg, Germany
| | - Paul Manger
- School of Anatomical Science, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Claus C Hilgetag
- Department of Computational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany; Department of Health Sciences, Boston University, BostonMA, USA
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31
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Sawada K, Horiuchi-Hirose M, Saito S, Aoki I. Male prevalent enhancement of leftward asymmetric development of the cerebellar cortex in ferrets (Mustela putorius). Laterality 2015; 20:723-37. [PMID: 26102223 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2015.1047379] [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] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The present study was conducted in MRI-based volumetry to characterize the sexual dimorphism of the cerebellum in young adult ferrets. High spatial resolution 3D anatomical MRI at 7-tesla were acquired ex vivo from fixed cerebella of 90-day-old male and female ferrets. The 3D morphology and topology of cerebellar structures were reproduced well by volume-rendered images obtained from MRI. Volume of the whole cerebellum was significantly larger in males than in females. The cerebellar cortex was further divided into five transverse domains: the anterior zone (AZ; lobules I-V), central zone anterior (lobule VI), central zone posterior (CZp; lobule VII), posterior zone (PZ; lobules VIII-IXa) and nodular zone (NZ; lobules IXb -X). Significantly greater volumes in males than in females were detected bilaterally in the AZ, CZp, and NZ, and leftward in PZ. Notably, the significant volume asymmetry was detected leftward in the CZp of males. By asymmetry quotient analysis, the counterclockwise torque asymmetry of the cerebellum was revealed, and it was more striking in males than in females. The present results suggest that sexual dimorphism of the ferret cerebellum is characterized by enhancing the leftward laterality in the CZp in males, forming the distinctive counterclockwise torque asymmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Sawada
- a Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences , Tsukuba International University , Tsuchiura, Ibaraki, Japan
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32
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Empie K, Rangarajan V, Juul SE. Is the ferret a suitable species for studying perinatal brain injury? Int J Dev Neurosci 2015; 45:2-10. [PMID: 26102988 PMCID: PMC4793918 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2015.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Revised: 05/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Ferret brain architecture, composition, and development are similar to humans. Postnatal ferret brain development is comparable to that of premature infants. Ferrets have potential to model preterm and term neonatal brain injury. Ferrets may fulfill the need for an intermediate model species of neurodevelopment. Many opportunities exist to expand the use of ferrets as research subjects.
Complications of prematurity often disrupt normal brain development and/or cause direct damage to the developing brain, resulting in poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Physiologically relevant animal models of perinatal brain injury can advance our understanding of these influences and thereby provide opportunities to develop therapies and improve long-term outcomes. While there are advantages to currently available small animal models, there are also significant drawbacks that have limited translation of research findings to humans. Large animal models such as newborn pig, sheep and nonhuman primates have complex brain development more similar to humans, but these animals are expensive, and developmental testing of sheep and piglets is limited. Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) are born lissencephalic and undergo postnatal cortical folding to form complex gyrencephalic brains. This review examines whether ferrets might provide a novel intermediate animal model of neonatal brain disease that has the benefit of a gyrified, altricial brain in a small animal. It summarizes attributes of ferret brain growth and development that make it an appealing animal in which to model perinatal brain injury. We postulate that because of their innate characteristics, ferrets have great potential in neonatal neurodevelopmental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Empie
- Department of Neonatology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | | | - Sandra E Juul
- Department of Neonatology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
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33
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Sawada K, Horiuchi-Hirose M, Saito S, Aoki I. Sexual dimorphism of sulcal morphology of the ferret cerebrum revealed by MRI-based sulcal surface morphometry. Front Neuroanat 2015; 9:55. [PMID: 25999821 PMCID: PMC4422084 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2015.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2014] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study quantitatively assessed sexual dimorphism of cortical convolution and sulcal morphology in young adult ferrets by MRI-based sulcal surface morphometry. Ex vivo T1-weighted (short TR/TE) MRI of the ferret cerebrum was acquired with high spatial resolution at 7-tesla. The degree of cortical convolution, evaluated quantitatively based on 3D MRI data by sulcation index (SI), was significantly greater in males (0.553 ± 0.036) than in females (0.502 ± 0.043) (p < 0.001). The rostrocaudal distribution of the cortical convolution revealed a greater convolution in the frontal region of the cortex in males than in females and by a posterior extension of the convolution in the temporo-parieto-occipital region of males. Although the cerebral width in the frontal region was not different between sexes, the rhinal fissure and rostral region of splenial sulcus were more infolded in males than in females. On the contrary, the cerebral width was greater in males in the temporo-parieto-occipital region, and male-prominent posterior extension of infolding was noted in the lateral sulcus, caudal suprasylvian sulcus, pesudosylvian sulcus, hippocampal sulcus, and the caudal region of splenial sulcus. Notably, the caudal descending region of lateral sulcus was clearly infolded in males, but obscured in females. The present results suggest a region-related sexual dimorphism of the sulcal infolding, which is reflected by local cortical expansion in the ferret cerebrum. In particular, male-favored sulcal infolding with expansion of the temporo-parieto-occipital neocortex may be relevant to the human cerebral cortex regarding visuo-spatial and emotion processing, which are known to differ between sexes. The present results will provide fundamental information assessing sex-related changes in the regional sulcal infolding, when ferrets with experimentally-induced gyrification abnormality will be used as models for male-prevalent or male-earlier-onset neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University Tsuchiura, Japan
| | - Miwa Horiuchi-Hirose
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University Tsuchiura, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Saito
- Division of Health Sciences, Department of Medical Engineering, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Suita, Japan ; Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka University Suita, Japan
| | - Ichio Aoki
- Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences Chiba, Japan
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34
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Sakamoto K, Sawada K, Fukunishi K, Noritaka I, Sakata-Haga H, Yoshihiro F. Postnatal Change in Sulcal Length Asymmetry in Cerebrum of Cynomolgus Monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2013; 297:200-7. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhito Sakamoto
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology; University of Tokushima Graduate School Institute of Health Biosciences; Tokushima Japan
- Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd; Kagoshima Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Sawada
- Department of Physical Therapy; Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University; Tsuchiura Ibaraki Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Fukunishi
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology; University of Tokushima Graduate School Institute of Health Biosciences; Tokushima Japan
| | - Imai Noritaka
- Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd; Kagoshima Japan
| | - Hiromi Sakata-Haga
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology; University of Tokushima Graduate School Institute of Health Biosciences; Tokushima Japan
| | - Fukui Yoshihiro
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology; University of Tokushima Graduate School Institute of Health Biosciences; Tokushima Japan
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35
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MRI-based morphometric characterizations of sexual dimorphism of the cerebrum of ferrets (Mustela putorius). Neuroimage 2013; 83:294-306. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Revised: 05/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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36
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Sawada K, Hikishima K, Murayama AY, Okano HJ, Sasaki E, Okano H. Fetal sulcation and gyrification in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) obtained by ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging. Neuroscience 2013; 257:158-74. [PMID: 24220690 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.10.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2013] [Revised: 10/25/2013] [Accepted: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study characterized fetal sulcation patterns and gyrification in the cerebrum of the New World monkey group, common marmosets, using a 3D T2-weighted high-resolution anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence from the fixed brain at 7-tesla ex vivo. Fetal sulcation in the marmoset cerebrum began to indent the lateral fissure and hippocampal sulcus in gestational week (GW) 12, and then the following sulci emerged: the callosal and calcarine sulci on GW 15; the superior temporal sulcus on GW 17; and the circular and occipitotemporal sulci on GW 18. The degree of cortical convolution was evaluated quantitatively based on 2D MRI slices by the gyrification index (GI) and based on 3D MRI data by sulcation index (SI). Both the mean GI and SI increased from GW 16, and were closely correlated with the cortical volume and the cortical surface area during fetal periods (their correlation coefficients marked more than 0.95). After birth, both the mean GI and SI decreased slightly by 2years of age, whereas the cortical volume and surface area continuously increased. Notably, histological analysis showed that the outer subventricular zone (oSVZ) in non-sulcal regions was thicker than that in the presumptive calcarine sulcal region on GW 13, preceding the infolding of the calcarine sulcus. The present results showed definite sulcal infolding on the cerebral cortical surface of the marmosets, with similar pattern and sequence of their emergences to other higher-order primates such as macaques and humans. Differential expansion of the oSVZ may be involved in gyral convolution and sulcal infolding in the developing cerebrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Sawada
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Japan.
| | - K Hikishima
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; Central Institute for Experimental Animals, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - A Y Murayama
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; RIKEN Keio University Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Japan
| | - H J Okano
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - E Sasaki
- Central Institute for Experimental Animals, Kawasaki, Japan
| | - H Okano
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; RIKEN Keio University Joint Research Laboratory, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Japan.
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37
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Casanova MF, El-Baz AS, Kamat SS, Dombroski BA, Khalifa F, Elnakib A, Soliman A, Allison-McNutt A, Switala AE. Focal cortical dysplasias in autism spectrum disorders. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2013; 1:67. [PMID: 24252498 PMCID: PMC3893372 DOI: 10.1186/2051-5960-1-67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Previous reports indicate the presence of histological abnormalities in the brains of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) suggestive of a dysplastic process. In this study we identified areas of abnormal cortical thinning within the cerebral cortex of ASD individuals and examined the same for neuronal morphometric abnormalities by using computerized image analysis. Results The study analyzed celloidin-embedded and Nissl-stained serial full coronal brain sections of 7 autistic (ADI-R diagnosed) and 7 age/sex-matched neurotypicals. Sections were scanned and manually segmented before implementing an algorithm using Laplace’s equation to measure cortical width. Identified areas were then subjected to analysis for neuronal morphometry. Results of our study indicate the presence within our ASD population of circumscribed foci of diminished cortical width that varied among affected individuals both in terms of location and overall size with the frontal lobes being particularly involved. Spatial statistic indicated a reduction in size of neurons within affected areas. Granulometry confirmed the presence of smaller pyramidal cells and suggested a concomitant reduction in the total number of interneurons. Conclusions The neuropathology is consistent with a diagnosis of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). Results from the medical literature (e.g., heterotopias) and our own study suggest that the genesis of this cortical malformation seemingly resides in the heterochronic divisions of periventricular germinal cells. The end result is that during corticogenesis radially migrating neuroblasts (future pyramidal cells) are desynchronized in their development from those that follow a tangential route (interneurons). The possible presence of a pathological mechanism in common among different conditions expressing an autism-like phenotype argue in favor of considering ASD a “sequence” rather than a syndrome. Focal cortical dysplasias in ASD may serve to explain the high prevalence of seizures and sensory abnormalities in this patient population.
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