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Eradath MK, Pinsk MA, Kastner S. A causal role for the pulvinar in coordinating task-independent cortico-cortical interactions. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3772-3784. [PMID: 34013540 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The pulvinar is the largest nucleus in the primate thalamus and has topographically organized connections with multiple cortical areas, thereby forming extensive cortico-pulvino-cortical input-output loops. Neurophysiological studies have suggested a role for these transthalamic pathways in regulating information transmission between cortical areas. However, evidence for a causal role of the pulvinar in regulating cortico-cortical interactions is sparse and it is not known whether pulvinar's influences on cortical networks are task-dependent or, alternatively, reflect more basic large-scale network properties that maintain functional connectivity across networks regardless of active task demands. In the current study, under passive viewing conditions, we conducted simultaneous electrophysiological recordings from ventral (area V4) and dorsal (lateral intraparietal area [LIP]) nodes of macaque visual system, while reversibly inactivating the dorsal part of the lateral pulvinar (dPL), which shares common anatomical connectivity with V4 and LIP, to probe a causal role of the pulvinar. Our results show a significant reduction in local field potential phase coherence between LIP and V4 in low frequencies (4-15 Hz) following muscimol injection into dPL. At the local level, no significant changes in firing rates or LFP power were observed in LIP or in V4 following dPL inactivation. Synchronization between pulvinar spikes and cortical LFP phase decreased in low frequencies (4-15 Hz) both in LIP and V4, while the low frequency synchronization between LIP spikes and pulvinar phase increased. These results indicate a causal role for pulvinar in synchronizing neural activity between interconnected cortical nodes of a large-scale network, even in the absence of an active task state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoj K Eradath
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Mark A Pinsk
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sabine Kastner
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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2
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Cha M, Lee KH, Lee BH. Astroglial changes in the zona incerta in response to motor cortex stimulation in a rat model of chronic neuropathy. Sci Rep 2020; 10:943. [PMID: 31969638 PMCID: PMC6976635 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57797-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although astrocytes are known to regulate synaptic transmission and affect new memory formation by influencing long-term potentiation and functional synaptic plasticity, their role in pain modulation is poorly understood. Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) has been used to reduce neuropathic pain through the incertothalamic pathway, including the primary motor cortex (M1) and the zona incerta (ZI). However, there has been no in-depth study of these modulatory effects and region-specific changes in neural plasticity. In this study, we investigated the effects of MCS-induced pain modulation as well as the relationship between the ZI neuroplasticity and MCS-induced pain alleviation in neuropathic pain (NP). MCS-induced threshold changes were evaluated after daily MCS. Then, the morphological changes of glial cells were compared by tissue staining. In order to quantify the neuroplasticity, MAP2, PSD95, and synapsin in the ZI and M1 were measured and analyzed with western blot. In behavioral test, repetitive MCS reduced NP in nerve-injured rats. We also observed recovered GFAP expression in the NP with MCS rats. In the NP with sham MCS rats, increased CD68 level was observed. In the NP with MCS group, increased mGluR1 expression was observed. Analysis of synaptogenesis-related molecules in the M1 and ZI revealed that synaptic changes occured in the M1, and increased astrocytes in the ZI were more closely associated with pain alleviation after MCS. Our findings suggest that MCS may modulate the astrocyte activities in the ZI and synaptic changes in the M1. Our results may provide new insight into the important and numerous roles of astrocytes in the formation and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myeounghoon Cha
- Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Hee Lee
- Department of Dental Hygiene, Division of Health Science, Dongseo University, Busan, 47011, Republic of Korea
| | - Bae Hwan Lee
- Department of Physiology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, Brain Research Institute, Epilepsy Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
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Activation of the Intrinsic Pain Inhibitory Circuit from the Midcingulate Cg2 to Zona Incerta Alleviates Neuropathic Pain. J Neurosci 2019; 39:9130-9144. [PMID: 31604834 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1683-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is one of the most common and notorious neurological diseases. The changes in cerebral structures after nerve injury and the corresponding contributions to neuropathic pain are not well understood. Here we found that the majority of glutamatergic neurons in the area 2 of midcingulate cortex (MCC Cg2Glu) were inhibited by painful stimulation in male mice. Optogenetic manipulation revealed that these neurons were tonically involved in the inhibitory modulation of multimodal nociception. We further identified the projections to GABAergic neurons in the zona incerta (ZIGABA) mediated the pain inhibitory role. However, MCC Cg2Glu became hypoactive after nerve injury. Although a brief activation of the MCC Cg2Glu to ZIGABA circuit was able to relieve the aversiveness associated with spontaneous ongoing pain, consecutive activation of the circuit was required to alleviate neuropathic allodynia. In contrast, glutamatergic neurons in the area 1 of MCC played opposite roles in pain modulation. They became hyperactive after nerve injury and only consecutive inhibition of their activity relieved allodynia. These results demonstrate that MCC Cg2Glu constitute a component of intrinsic pain inhibitory circuitry and their hypoactivity underlies neuropathic pain. We propose that selective and persistent activation of the MCC Cg2Glu to ZIGABA circuit may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for this disease.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Glutamatergic neurons in the area 2 of midcingulate cortex (MCC Cg2Glu) are tonically involved in the intrinsic pain inhibition via projecting to GABAergic neurons in the zona incerta. They are hypoactive after nerve injury. Selective activation of the circuit compensates the reduction of its analgesic strength and relieves neuropathic pain. Therefore, MCC Cg2Glu and the related analgesic circuit may serve as therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain. In contrast, MCC Cg1Glu have an opposite role in pain modulation and become hyperactive after nerve injury. The present study provides novel evidence for the concept that neuropathic pain is associated with the dysfunction of endogenous pain modulatory system and new perspective on the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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Garret M, Du Z, Chazalon M, Cho YH, Baufreton J. Alteration of GABAergic neurotransmission in Huntington's disease. CNS Neurosci Ther 2018; 24:292-300. [PMID: 29464851 DOI: 10.1111/cns.12826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hereditary Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by cell dysfunction and death in the brain, leading to progressive cognitive, psychiatric, and motor impairments. Despite molecular and cellular descriptions of the effects of the HD mutation, no effective pharmacological treatment is yet available. In addition to well-established alterations of glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems, it is becoming clear that the GABAergic systems are also impaired in HD. GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and GABAergic neurotransmission has been postulated to be modified in many neurological and psychiatric diseases. In addition, GABAergic neurotransmission is the target of many drugs that are in wide clinical use. Here, we summarize data demonstrating the occurrence of alterations of GABAergic markers in the brain of HD carriers as well as in rodent models of the disease. In particular, we pinpoint HD-related changes in the expression of GABAA receptors (GABAA Rs). On the basis that a novel GABA pharmacology of GABAA Rs established with more selective drugs is emerging, we argue that clinical treatments acting specifically on GABAergic neurotransmission may be an appropriate strategy for improving symptoms linked to the HD mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Garret
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Zhuowei Du
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Marine Chazalon
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France.,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - Yoon H Cho
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jérôme Baufreton
- Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France.,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR 5293, Bordeaux, France
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Moon HC, Park YS. Reduced GABAergic neuronal activity in zona incerta causes neuropathic pain in a rat sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury model. J Pain Res 2017; 10:1125-1134. [PMID: 28546770 PMCID: PMC5436785 DOI: 10.2147/jpr.s131104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The zona incerta (ZI) is below the ventral tier of the thalamus and has a strong influence selectively in higher-order thalamic relays. Although neuropathic pain has been suggested to result from reduced gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and GABAergic signaling in the ZI, the mechanisms remain unclear. Here, the role of GABA and GABAergic signaling was investigated in the ZI in neuropathic pain using sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Single-unit neuronal activity was recorded, and microdialysis was performed in the ZI of CCI rats and sham-treated rats in vivo. This study also compared ZI neuronal activity after treatment with saline, the GABAA receptor agonist (muscimol), or the GABAA receptor antagonist (bicuculline). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION CCI rats exhibited hypersensitivity to pain as evidenced by decreased hind paw withdrawal threshold and latency. CCI rats also showed reduced GABA level and decreased neuronal activity in the ZI compared with sham-treated rats. Treatment with GABAA receptor agonist, but not GABAA receptor antagonist, ameliorated pain hypersensitivity and increased the firing rate (spikes/s) of ZI neurons in CCI rats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Young Seok Park
- Department of Medical Neuroscience
- Department of Neurosurgery, Neurofuture Laboratory, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea
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Park A, Li Y, Masri R, Keller A. Presynaptic and extrasynaptic regulation of posterior nucleus of thalamus. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118:507-519. [PMID: 28331010 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00862.2016] [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: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The posterior nucleus of thalamus (PO) is a higher-order nucleus involved in sensorimotor processing, including nociception. An important characteristic of PO is its wide range of activity profiles that vary across states of arousal, thought to underlie differences in somatosensory perception subject to attention and degree of consciousness. Furthermore, PO loses the ability to downregulate its activity level in some forms of chronic pain, suggesting that regulatory mechanisms underlying the normal modulation of PO activity may be pathologically altered. However, the mechanisms responsible for regulating such a wide dynamic range of activity are unknown. Here, we test a series of hypotheses regarding the function of several presynaptic receptors on both GABAergic and glutamatergic afferents targeting PO in mouse, using acute slice electrophysiology. We found that presynaptic GABAB receptors are present on both GABAergic and glutamatergic terminals in PO, but only those on GABAergic terminals are tonically active. We also found that release from GABAergic terminals, but not glutamatergic terminals, is suppressed by cholinergic activation and that a subpopulation of GABAergic terminals is regulated by cannabinoids. Finally, we discovered the presence of tonic currents mediated by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in PO that are heterogeneously distributed across the nucleus. Thus we demonstrate that multiple regulatory mechanisms concurrently exist in PO, and we propose that regulation of inhibition, rather than excitation, is the more consequential mechanism by which PO activity can be regulated.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The posterior nucleus of thalamus (PO) is a key sensorimotor structure, whose activity is tightly regulated by inhibition from several nuclei. Maladaptive plasticity in this inhibition leads to severe pathologies, including chronic pain. We reveal here, for the first time in PO, multiple regulatory mechanisms that modulate synaptic transmission within PO. These findings may lead to targeted therapies for chronic pain and other disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Park
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; and
| | - Ying Li
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; and
| | - Radi Masri
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; and.,Department of Endodontics, Periodontics and Prosthodontics, University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Dentistry, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Asaf Keller
- Program in Neuroscience and Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; and
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Zhang C, Chen RX, Zhang Y, Wang J, Liu FY, Cai J, Liao FF, Xu FQ, Yi M, Wan Y. Reduced GABAergic transmission in the ventrobasal thalamus contributes to thermal hyperalgesia in chronic inflammatory pain. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41439. [PMID: 28150719 PMCID: PMC5288727 DOI: 10.1038/srep41439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventrobasal (VB) thalamus is innervated by GABAergic afferents from the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) and participates in nociception. But how the TRN-VB pathway regulates pain is not fully understood. In the present study, we reported decreased extracellular GABA levels in the VB of rats with CFA-induced chronic inflammatory pain, measured by microdialysis with HPLC analysis. In vitro whole-cell patch-clamp recording showed decreased amplitudes of tonic currents, increased frequencies of mIPSCs, and increased paired-pulse ratios in thalamic slices from chronic inflammatory rats (7 days). Microinjection of the GABAAR agonist muscimol and optogenetic activation of the TRN-VB pathway relieved thermal hyperalgesia in chronic inflammatory pain. By contrast, microinjecting the extrasynaptic GABAAR agonist THIP or selective knockout of synaptic GABAAR γ2 subunits aggravated thermal hyperalgesia in the chronic stage of inflammatory pain. Our findings indicate that reduced GABAergic transmission in the VB contributes to thermal hyperalgesia in chronic inflammatory pain, which could be a synaptic target for pharmacotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan Zhang
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China.,Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, P.R. China
| | - Rong-Xiang Chen
- Research Center for Medicine and Biology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, 563000, P.R. China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China
| | - Jie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, P.R. China
| | - Feng-Yu Liu
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China
| | - Jie Cai
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China
| | - Fei-Fei Liao
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China
| | - Fu-Qiang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, P.R. China
| | - Ming Yi
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China.
| | - You Wan
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China. .,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health and Family Planning Commission, Beijing, 100191, P.R. China.
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Moon HC, Lee YJ, Cho CB, Park YS. Suppressed GABAergic signaling in the zona incerta causes neuropathic pain in a thoracic hemisection spinal cord injury rat model. Neurosci Lett 2016; 632:55-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.08.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Revised: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Kammermeier S, Pittard D, Hamada I, Wichmann T. Effects of high-frequency stimulation of the internal pallidal segment on neuronal activity in the thalamus in parkinsonian monkeys. J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:2869-2881. [PMID: 27683881 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00104.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation of the internal globus pallidus (GPi) is a major treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease. The effects of this intervention on electrical activity patterns in targets of GPi output, specifically in the thalamus, are poorly understood. The experiments described here examined these effects using electrophysiological recordings in two Rhesus monkeys rendered moderately parkinsonian through treatment with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), after sampling control data in the same animals. Analysis of spontaneous spiking activity of neurons in the basal ganglia-receiving areas of the ventral thalamus showed that MPTP-induced parkinsonism is associated with a reduction of firing rates of segments of the data that contained neither bursts nor decelerations, and with increased burst firing. Spectral analyses revealed an increase of power in the 3- to 13-Hz band and a reduction in the γ-range in the spiking activity of these neurons. Electrical stimulation of the ventrolateral motor territory of GPi with macroelectrodes, mimicking deep brain stimulation in parkinsonian patients (bipolar electrodes, 0.5 mm intercontact distance, biphasic stimuli, 120 Hz, 100 μs/phase, 200 μA), had antiparkinsonian effects. The stimulation markedly reduced oscillations in thalamic firing in the 13- to 30-Hz range and uncoupled the spiking activity of recorded neurons from simultaneously recorded local field potential (LFP) activity. These results confirm that oscillatory and nonoscillatory characteristics of spontaneous activity in the basal ganglia receiving ventral thalamus are altered in MPTP-induced parkinsonism. Electrical stimulation of GPi did not entrain thalamic activity but changed oscillatory activity in the ventral thalamus and altered the relationship between spikes and simultaneously recorded LFPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Kammermeier
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Damien Pittard
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ikuma Hamada
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Thomas Wichmann
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; .,School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; and.,Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson's Disease Research, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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