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Callahan JW, Morales JC, Atherton JF, Wang D, Kostic S, Bevan MD. Movement-related increases in subthalamic activity optimize locomotion. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114495. [PMID: 39068661 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114495] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is traditionally thought to restrict movement. Lesion or prolonged STN inhibition increases movement vigor and propensity, while optogenetic excitation has opposing effects. However, STN neurons often exhibit movement-related increases in firing. To address this paradox, STN activity was recorded and manipulated in head-fixed mice at rest and during self-initiated and self-paced treadmill locomotion. We found that (1) most STN neurons (type 1) exhibit locomotion-dependent increases in activity, with half firing preferentially during the propulsive phase of the contralateral locomotor cycle; (2) a minority of STN neurons exhibit dips in activity or are uncorrelated with movement; (3) brief optogenetic inhibition of the lateral STN (where type 1 neurons are concentrated) slows and prematurely terminates locomotion; and (4) in Q175 Huntington's disease mice, abnormally brief, low-velocity locomotion is associated with type 1 hypoactivity. Together, these data argue that movement-related increases in STN activity contribute to optimal locomotor performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua W Callahan
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Juan Carlos Morales
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Jeremy F Atherton
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Dorothy Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Selena Kostic
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Mark D Bevan
- Department of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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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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Callahan JW, Morales JC, Atherton JF, Wang D, Kostic S, Bevan MD. Movement-related increases in subthalamic activity optimize locomotion. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.07.570617. [PMID: 38105984 PMCID: PMC10723456 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.07.570617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is traditionally thought to restrict movement. Lesion or prolonged STN inhibition increases movement vigor and propensity, while ontogenetic excitation typically has opposing effects. Subthalamic and motor activity are also inversely correlated in movement disorders. However, most STN neurons exhibit movement-related increases in firing. To address this paradox, STN activity was recorded and manipulated in head-fixed mice at rest and during self-initiated treadmill locomotion. The majority of STN neurons (type 1) exhibited locomotion-dependent increases in activity, with half encoding the locomotor cycle. A minority of neurons exhibited dips in activity or were uncorrelated with movement. Brief optogenetic inhibition of the dorsolateral STN (where type 1 neurons are concentrated) slowed and prematurely terminated locomotion. In Q175 Huntington's disease mice abnormally brief, low-velocity locomotion was specifically associated with type 1 hyperactivity. Together these data argue that movement-related increases in STN activity contribute to optimal locomotor performance.
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Boeken OJ, Cieslik EC, Langner R, Markett S. Characterizing functional modules in the human thalamus: coactivation-based parcellation and systems-level functional decoding. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1811-1834. [PMID: 36547707 PMCID: PMC10516793 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02603-w] [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: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The human thalamus relays sensory signals to the cortex and facilitates brain-wide communication. The thalamus is also more directly involved in sensorimotor and various cognitive functions but a full characterization of its functional repertoire, particularly in regard to its internal anatomical structure, is still outstanding. As a putative hub in the human connectome, the thalamus might reveal its functional profile only in conjunction with interconnected brain areas. We therefore developed a novel systems-level Bayesian reverse inference decoding that complements the traditional neuroinformatics approach towards a network account of thalamic function. The systems-level decoding considers the functional repertoire (i.e., the terms associated with a brain region) of all regions showing co-activations with a predefined seed region in a brain-wide fashion. Here, we used task-constrained meta-analytic connectivity-based parcellation (MACM-CBP) to identify thalamic subregions as seed regions and applied the systems-level decoding to these subregions in conjunction with functionally connected cortical regions. Our results confirm thalamic structure-function relationships known from animal and clinical studies and revealed further associations with language, memory, and locomotion that have not been detailed in the cognitive neuroscience literature before. The systems-level decoding further uncovered large systems engaged in autobiographical memory and nociception. We propose this novel decoding approach as a useful tool to detect previously unknown structure-function relationships at the brain network level, and to build viable starting points for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ole J Boeken
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Molecular Psychology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Edna C Cieslik
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Markett
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Molecular Psychology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 18, 12489, Berlin, Germany
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Emergence of Distinct Neural Subspaces in Motor Cortical Dynamics during Volitional Adjustments of Ongoing Locomotion. J Neurosci 2022; 42:9142-9157. [PMID: 36283830 PMCID: PMC9761674 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0746-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to modulate ongoing walking gait with precise, voluntary adjustments is what allows animals to navigate complex terrains. However, how the nervous system generates the signals to precisely control the limbs while simultaneously maintaining locomotion is poorly understood. One potential strategy is to distribute the neural activity related to these two functions into distinct cortical activity coactivation subspaces so that both may be conducted simultaneously without disruptive interference. To investigate this hypothesis, we recorded the activity of primary motor cortex in male nonhuman primates during obstacle avoidance on a treadmill. We found that the same neural population was active during both basic unobstructed locomotion and volitional obstacle avoidance movements. We identified the neural modes spanning the subspace of the low-dimensional dynamics in primary motor cortex and found a subspace that consistently maintains the same cyclic activity throughout obstacle stepping, despite large changes in the movement itself. All of the variance corresponding to this large change in movement during the obstacle avoidance was confined to its own distinct subspace. Furthermore, neural decoders built for ongoing locomotion did not generalize to decoding obstacle avoidance during locomotion. Our findings suggest that separate underlying subspaces emerge during complex locomotion that coordinates ongoing locomotor-related neural dynamics with volitional gait adjustments. These findings may have important implications for the development of brain-machine interfaces.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Locomotion and precise, goal-directed movements are two distinct movement modalities with known differing requirements of motor cortical input. Previous studies have characterized the cortical activity during obstacle avoidance while walking in rodents and felines, but, to date, no such studies have been completed in primates. Additionally, in any animal model, it is unknown how these two movements are represented in primary motor cortex (M1) low-dimensional dynamics when both activities are performed at the same time, such as during obstacle avoidance. We developed a novel obstacle avoidance paradigm in freely moving nonhuman primates and discovered that the rhythmic locomotion-related dynamics and the voluntary, gait-adjustment movement separate into distinct subspaces in M1 cortical activity. Our analysis of decoding generalization may also have important implications for the development of brain-machine interfaces.
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Beloozerova IN, Nilaweera WU, Viana Di Prisco G, Marlinski V. Signals from posterior parietal area 5 to motor cortex during locomotion. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:1014-1043. [PMID: 35383368 PMCID: PMC9930630 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Area 5 of the parietal cortex is part of the "dorsal stream" cortical pathway which processes visual information for action. The signals that area 5 ultimately conveys to motor cortex, the main area providing output to the spinal cord, are unknown. We analyzed area 5 neuronal activity during vision-independent locomotion on a flat surface and vision-dependent locomotion on a horizontal ladder in cats focusing on corticocortical neurons (CCs) projecting to motor cortex from the upper and deeper cortical layers and compared it to that of neighboring unidentified neurons (noIDs). We found that upon transition from vision-independent to vision-dependent locomotion, the low discharge of CCs in layer V doubled and the proportion of cells with 2 bursts per stride tended to increase. In layer V, the group of 2-bursters developed 2 activity peaks that coincided with peaks of gaze shifts along the surface away from the animal, described previously. One-bursters and either subpopulation in supragranular layers did not transmit any clear unified stride-related signal to the motor cortex. Most CC group activities did not mirror those of their noID counterparts. CCs with receptive fields on the shoulder, elbow, or wrist/paw discharged in opposite phases with the respective groups of pyramidal tract neurons of motor cortex, the cortico-spinal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina N Beloozerova
- Corresponding author: School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 555 14th Street, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
| | - Wijitha U Nilaweera
- Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA,Des Moines Area Community College, 2006 South Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny, IA, 50023, USA
| | - Gonzalo Viana Di Prisco
- Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University, 320 West 15th Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Vladimir Marlinski
- Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA
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Sigurdsson HP, Yarnall AJ, Galna B, Lord S, Alcock L, Lawson RA, Colloby SJ, Firbank MJ, Taylor J, Pavese N, Brooks DJ, O'Brien JT, Burn DJ, Rochester L. Gait‐Related Metabolic Covariance Networks at Rest in Parkinson's Disease. Mov Disord 2022; 37:1222-1234. [PMID: 35285068 PMCID: PMC9314598 DOI: 10.1002/mds.28977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Gait impairments are characteristic motor manifestations and significant predictors of poor quality of life in Parkinson's disease (PD). Neuroimaging biomarkers for gait impairments in PD could facilitate effective interventions to improve these symptoms and are highly warranted. Objective The aim of this study was to identify neural networks of discrete gait impairments in PD. Methods Fifty‐five participants with early‐stage PD and 20 age‐matched healthy volunteers underwent quantitative gait assessment deriving 12 discrete spatiotemporal gait characteristics and [18F]‐2‐fluoro‐2‐deoxyglucose‐positron emission tomography measuring resting cerebral glucose metabolism. A multivariate spatial covariance approach was used to identify metabolic brain networks that were related to discrete gait characteristics in PD. Results In PD, we identified two metabolic gait‐related covariance networks. The first correlated with mean step velocity and mean step length (pace gait network), which involved relatively increased and decreased metabolism in frontal cortices, including the dorsolateral prefrontal and orbital frontal, insula, supplementary motor area, ventrolateral thalamus, cerebellum, and cuneus. The second correlated with swing time variability and step time variability (temporal variability gait network), which included relatively increased and decreased metabolism in sensorimotor, superior parietal cortex, basal ganglia, insula, hippocampus, red nucleus, and mediodorsal thalamus. Expression of both networks was significantly elevated in participants with PD relative to healthy volunteers and were not related to levodopa dosage or motor severity. Conclusions We have identified two novel gait‐related brain networks of altered glucose metabolism at rest. These gait networks could serve as a potential neuroimaging biomarker of gait impairments in PD and facilitate development of therapeutic strategies for these disabling symptoms. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilmar P. Sigurdsson
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - Alison J. Yarnall
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - Brook Galna
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
- Health Futures Institute Murdoch University Perth Australia
| | - Sue Lord
- Auckland University of Technology Auckland New Zealand
| | - Lisa Alcock
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - Rachael A. Lawson
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - Sean J. Colloby
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Firbank
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - John‐Paul Taylor
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Pavese
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Aarhus University Hospital Aarhus Denmark
| | - David J. Brooks
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Aarhus University Hospital Aarhus Denmark
| | - John T. O'Brien
- Department of Psychiatry University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - David J. Burn
- Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
| | - Lynn Rochester
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Newcastle upon Tyne United Kingdom
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Beloozerova IN. Neuronal activity reorganization in motor cortex for successful locomotion after a lesion in the ventrolateral thalamus. J Neurophysiol 2022; 127:56-85. [PMID: 34731070 PMCID: PMC8742732 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00191.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Thalamic stroke leads to ataxia if the cerebellum-receiving ventrolateral thalamus (VL) is affected. The compensation mechanisms for this deficit are not well understood, particularly the roles that single neurons and specific neuronal subpopulations outside the thalamus play in recovery. The goal of this study was to clarify neuronal mechanisms of the motor cortex involved in mitigation of ataxia during locomotion when part of the VL is inactivated or lesioned. In freely ambulating cats, we recorded the activity of neurons in layer V of the motor cortex as the cats walked on a flat surface and horizontally placed ladder. We first reversibly inactivated ∼10% of the VL unilaterally using glutamatergic transmission antagonist CNQX and analyzed how the activity of motor cortex reorganized to support successful locomotion. We next lesioned 50%-75% of the VL bilaterally using kainic acid and analyzed how the activity of motor cortex reorganized when locomotion recovered. When a small part of the VL was inactivated, the discharge rates of motor cortex neurons decreased, but otherwise the activity was near normal, and the cats walked fairly well. Individual neurons retained their ability to respond to the demand for accuracy during ladder locomotion; however, most changed their response. When the VL was lesioned, the cat walked normally on the flat surface but was ataxic on the ladder for several days after lesion. When ladder locomotion normalized, neuronal discharge rates on the ladder were normal, and the shoulder-related group was preferentially active during the stride's swing phase.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first analysis of reorganization of the activity of single neurons and subpopulations of neurons related to the shoulder, elbow, or wrist, as well as fast- and slow-conducting pyramidal tract neurons in the motor cortex of animals walking before and after inactivation or lesion in the thalamus. The results offer unique insights into the mechanisms of spontaneous recovery after thalamic stroke, potentially providing guidance for new strategies to alleviate locomotor deficits after stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina N. Beloozerova
- 1School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia,2Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona
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Logiaco L, Abbott LF, Escola S. Thalamic control of cortical dynamics in a model of flexible motor sequencing. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109090. [PMID: 34077721 PMCID: PMC8449509 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [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: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural mechanisms that generate an extensible library of motor motifs and flexibly string them into arbitrary sequences are unclear. We developed a model in which inhibitory basal ganglia output neurons project to thalamic units that are themselves bidirectionally connected to a recurrent cortical network. We model the basal ganglia inhibitory patterns as silencing some thalamic neurons while leaving others disinhibited and free to interact with cortex during specific motifs. We show that a small number of disinhibited thalamic neurons can control cortical dynamics to generate specific motor output in a noise-robust way. Additionally, a single "preparatory" thalamocortical network can produce fast cortical dynamics that support rapid transitions between any pair of learned motifs. If the thalamic units associated with each sequence component are segregated, many motor outputs can be learned without interference and then combined in arbitrary orders for the flexible production of long and complex motor sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laureline Logiaco
- Zuckerman Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - L F Abbott
- Zuckerman Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sean Escola
- Zuckerman Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
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