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Canepari M, Ross WN. Spatial and temporal aspects of neuronal calcium and sodium signals measured with low-affinity fluorescent indicators. Pflugers Arch 2024; 476:39-48. [PMID: 37798555 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-023-02865-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Low-affinity fluorescent indicators for Ca2+ or Na+ allow measuring the dynamics of intracellular concentration of these ions with little perturbation from physiological conditions because they are weak buffers. When using synthetic indicators, which are small molecules with fast kinetics, it is also possible to extract spatial and temporal information on the sources of ion transients, their localization, and their disposition. This review examines these important aspects from the biophysical point of view, and how they have been recently exploited in neurophysiological studies. We first analyze the environment where Ca2+ and Na+ indicators are inserted, highlighting the interpretation of the two different signals. Then, we address the information that can be obtained by analyzing the rising phase and the falling phase of the Ca2+ and Na+ transients evoked by different stimuli, focusing on the kinetics of ionic currents and on the spatial interpretation of these measurements, especially on events in axons and dendritic spines. Finally, we suggest how Ca2+ or Na+ imaging using low-affinity synthetic fluorescent indicators can be exploited in future fundamental or applied research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Canepari
- LIPhy, CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38000, Grenoble, France.
- Laboratories of Excellence, Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, Valbonne, France.
- Institut National de la Santé et Recherche Médicale, Paris, France.
| | - William N Ross
- Department of Physiology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
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Righes Marafiga J, Calcagnotto ME. Electrophysiology of Dendritic Spines: Information Processing, Dynamic Compartmentalization, and Synaptic Plasticity. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 34:103-141. [PMID: 37962795 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-36159-3_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
For many years, synaptic transmission was considered as information transfer between presynaptic neuron and postsynaptic cell. At the synaptic level, it was thought that dendritic arbors were only receiving and integrating all information flow sent along to the soma, while axons were primarily responsible for point-to-point information transfer. However, it is important to highlight that dendritic spines play a crucial role as postsynaptic components in central nervous system (CNS) synapses, not only integrating and filtering signals to the soma but also facilitating diverse connections with axons from many different sources. The majority of excitatory connections from presynaptic axonal terminals occurs on postsynaptic spines, although a subset of GABAergic synapses also targets spine heads. Several studies have shown the vast heterogeneous morphological, biochemical, and functional features of dendritic spines related to synaptic processing. In this chapter (adding to the relevant data on the biophysics of spines described in Chap. 1 of this book), we address the up-to-date functional dendritic characteristics assessed through electrophysiological approaches, including backpropagating action potentials (bAPs) and synaptic potentials mediated in dendritic and spine compartmentalization, as well as describing the temporal and spatial dynamics of glutamate receptors in the spines related to synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseane Righes Marafiga
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maria Elisa Calcagnotto
- Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
- Graduate Program in Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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Biggs LM, Meredith M. Functional connectivity of intercalated nucleus with medial amygdala: A circuit relevant for chemosignal processing. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2022; 12:170-181. [PMID: 35199098 PMCID: PMC8850325 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Medial amygdala processes social/reproductive chemosensory input, and its projections to preoptic and hypothalamic areas evoke appropriate behavioral and physiological responses. We and others have shown that different chemosensory signals elicit differential responses in medial amygdala subregions and in adjacent main intercalated nucleus (mICN). The largely GABAergic mICN receives no direct chemosensory input but, as we show, mICN has functional circuit connections with medial amygdala that could be responsible both for mICN chemosensitivity and for a feedforward inhibitory effect on posterior medial amygdala; which, in turn would affect chemosignal response. mICN is subject to inhibition by dopamine and is probably regulated by neuropeptides and input from frontal cortex. Thus, mICN is in position to modify chemosensory processing in medial amygdala and behavioral responses to social signals, according to internal brain state. Patch-clamp recordings from neurons in each relevant nucleus in horizontal brain-slices, with electrical stimulation in adjacent nuclei, reveal multiple functional connections between medial amygdala subregions and mICN. We highlight a triangular circuit which may underlie mICN chemosensitivity and its potential for modifying chemosensory information transmitted to basal forebrain. Anterior medial amygdala, which receives most of the chemosensory input, connects to posterior medial amygdala directly and both areas send information on to basal forebrain. Anterior medial amygdala can also modulate posterior medial amygdala indirectly via the mICN side-loop, which also provides a pathway for modulation by cortical input or, when inhibited by dopamine, could allow a more automatic response - as proposed for other amygdala circuits with similar ICN side loops.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Meredith
- Program in Neuroscience and Dept. Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
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Biró ÁA, Brémaud A, Falck J, Ruiz AJ. A-type K + channels impede supralinear summation of clustered glutamatergic inputs in layer 3 neocortical pyramidal neurons. Neuropharmacology 2018; 140:86-99. [PMID: 30009837 PMCID: PMC6137074 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
A-type K+ channels restrain the spread of incoming signals in tufted and apical dendrites of pyramidal neurons resulting in strong compartmentalization. However, the exact subunit composition and functional significance of K+ channels expressed in small diameter proximal dendrites remain poorly understood. We focus on A-type K+ channels expressed in basal and oblique dendrites of cortical layer 3 pyramidal neurons, in ex vivo brain slices from young adult mice. Blocking putative Kv4 subunits with phrixotoxin-2 enhances depolarizing potentials elicited by uncaging RuBi-glutamate at single dendritic spines. A concentration of 4-aminopyridine reported to block Kv1 has no effect on such responses. 4-aminopyridine and phrixotoxin-2 increase supralinear summation of glutamatergic potentials evoked by synchronous activation of clustered spines. The effect of 4-aminopyridine on glutamate responses is simulated in a computational model where the dendritic A-type conductance is distributed homogeneously or in a linear density gradient. Thus, putative Kv4-containing channels depress excitatory inputs at single synapses. The additional recruitment of Kv1 subunits might require the synchronous activation of multiple inputs to regulate the gain of signal integration. We focus on A-type K+ channels expressed in oblique and basal dendrites. Putative Kv4 subunits depress excitatory signals generated by single spine excitation. Kv4 and Kv1 regulate supralinear signal integration at clustered dendritic spines. A computational model simulates Kv-mediated modulation of dendritic integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ágota A Biró
- UCL School of Pharmacy, Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
| | - Antoine Brémaud
- UCL School of Pharmacy, Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Falck
- UCL School of Pharmacy, Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom
| | - Arnaud J Ruiz
- UCL School of Pharmacy, Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, United Kingdom.
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Nanda S, Chen H, Das R, Bhattacharjee S, Cuntz H, Torben-Nielsen B, Peng H, Cox DN, De Schutter E, Ascoli GA. Design and implementation of multi-signal and time-varying neural reconstructions. Sci Data 2018; 5:170207. [PMID: 29360104 PMCID: PMC5779069 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2017.207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Several efficient procedures exist to digitally trace neuronal structure from light microscopy, and mature community resources have emerged to store, share, and analyze these datasets. In contrast, the quantification of intracellular distributions and morphological dynamics is not yet standardized. Current widespread descriptions of neuron morphology are static and inadequate for subcellular characterizations. We introduce a new file format to represent multichannel information as well as an open-source Vaa3D plugin to acquire this type of data. Next we define a novel data structure to capture morphological dynamics, and demonstrate its application to different time-lapse experiments. Importantly, we designed both innovations as judicious extensions of the classic SWC format, thus ensuring full back-compatibility with popular visualization and modeling tools. We then deploy the combined multichannel/time-varying reconstruction system on developing neurons in live Drosophila larvae by digitally tracing fluorescently labeled cytoskeletal components along with overall dendritic morphology as they changed over time. This same design is also suitable for quantifying dendritic calcium dynamics and tracking arbor-wide movement of any subcellular substrate of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Nanda
- Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, & Plasticity, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | - Hanbo Chen
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Ravi Das
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | | | - Hermann Cuntz
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI), Frankfurt/Main D-60528, Germany
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Frankfurt/Main D-60438, Germany
| | | | - Hanchuan Peng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Daniel N. Cox
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | | | - Giorgio A. Ascoli
- Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, & Plasticity, Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
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