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Anstey NJ, Kapgal V, Tiwari S, Watson TC, Toft AKH, Dando OR, Inkpen FH, Baxter PS, Kozić Z, Jackson AD, He X, Nawaz MS, Kayenaat A, Bhattacharya A, Wyllie DJA, Chattarji S, Wood ER, Hardt O, Kind PC. Imbalance of flight-freeze responses and their cellular correlates in the Nlgn3 -/y rat model of autism. Mol Autism 2022; 13:34. [PMID: 35850732 PMCID: PMC9290228 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00511-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mutations in the postsynaptic transmembrane protein neuroligin-3 are highly correlative with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and intellectual disabilities (IDs). Fear learning is well studied in models of these disorders, however differences in fear response behaviours are often overlooked. We aim to examine fear behaviour and its cellular underpinnings in a rat model of ASD/ID lacking Nlgn3. METHODS This study uses a range of behavioural tests to understand differences in fear response behaviour in Nlgn3-/y rats. Following this, we examined the physiological underpinnings of this in neurons of the periaqueductal grey (PAG), a midbrain area involved in flight-or-freeze responses. We used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from ex vivo PAG slices, in addition to in vivo local-field potential recordings and electrical stimulation of the PAG in wildtype and Nlgn3-/y rats. We analysed behavioural data with two- and three-way ANOVAS and electrophysiological data with generalised linear mixed modelling (GLMM). RESULTS We observed that, unlike the wildtype, Nlgn3-/y rats are more likely to response with flight rather than freezing in threatening situations. Electrophysiological findings were in agreement with these behavioural outcomes. We found in ex vivo slices from Nlgn3-/y rats that neurons in dorsal PAG (dPAG) showed intrinsic hyperexcitability compared to wildtype. Similarly, stimulating dPAG in vivo revealed that lower magnitudes sufficed to evoke flight behaviour in Nlgn3-/y than wildtype rats, indicating the functional impact of the increased cellular excitability. LIMITATIONS Our findings do not examine what specific cell type in the PAG is likely responsible for these phenotypes. Furthermore, we have focussed on phenotypes in young adult animals, whilst the human condition associated with NLGN3 mutations appears during the first few years of life. CONCLUSIONS We describe altered fear responses in Nlgn3-/y rats and provide evidence that this is the result of a circuit bias that predisposes flight over freeze responses. Additionally, we demonstrate the first link between PAG dysfunction and ASD/ID. This study provides new insight into potential pathophysiologies leading to anxiety disorders and changes to fear responses in individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha J Anstey
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Vijayakumar Kapgal
- Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,The University of Transdisciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Shashank Tiwari
- Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Thomas C Watson
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Anna K H Toft
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Owen R Dando
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Felicity H Inkpen
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Paul S Baxter
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Zrinko Kozić
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Adam D Jackson
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Xin He
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Mohammad Sarfaraz Nawaz
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Aiman Kayenaat
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,The University of Transdisciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Aditi Bhattacharya
- Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - David J A Wyllie
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Sumantra Chattarji
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Emma R Wood
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India
| | - Oliver Hardt
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK.,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.,Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 1B1, Canada
| | - Peter C Kind
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Hugh Robson Building, 5 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK. .,Centre for Brain Development and Repair, InStem, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560065, India.
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Wright NC, Borden PY, Liew YJ, Bolus MF, Stoy WM, Forest CR, Stanley GB. Rapid Cortical Adaptation and the Role of Thalamic Synchrony during Wakefulness. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5421-5439. [PMID: 33986072 PMCID: PMC8221593 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3018-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid sensory adaptation is observed across all sensory systems, and strongly shapes sensory percepts in complex sensory environments. Yet despite its ubiquity and likely necessity for survival, the mechanistic basis is poorly understood. A wide range of primarily in vitro and anesthetized studies have demonstrated the emergence of adaptation at the level of primary sensory cortex, with only modest signatures in earlier stages of processing. The nature of rapid adaptation and how it shapes sensory representations during wakefulness, and thus the potential role in perceptual adaptation, is underexplored, as are the mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon. To address these knowledge gaps, we recorded spiking activity in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and the upstream ventral posteromedial (VPm) thalamic nucleus in the vibrissa pathway of awake male and female mice, and quantified responses to whisker stimuli delivered in isolation and embedded in an adapting sensory background. We found that cortical sensory responses were indeed adapted by persistent sensory stimulation; putative excitatory neurons were profoundly adapted, and inhibitory neurons only modestly so. Further optogenetic manipulation experiments and network modeling suggest this largely reflects adaptive changes in synchronous thalamic firing combined with robust engagement of feedforward inhibition, with little contribution from synaptic depression. Taken together, these results suggest that cortical adaptation in the regime explored here results from changes in the timing of thalamic input, and the way in which this differentially impacts cortical excitation and feedforward inhibition, pointing to a prominent role of thalamic gating in rapid adaptation of primary sensory cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rapid adaptation of sensory activity strongly shapes representations of sensory inputs across all sensory pathways over the timescale of seconds, and has profound effects on sensory perception. Despite its ubiquity and theoretical role in the efficient encoding of complex sensory environments, the mechanistic basis is poorly understood, particularly during wakefulness. In this study in the vibrissa pathway of awake mice, we show that cortical representations of sensory inputs are strongly shaped by rapid adaptation, and that this is mediated primarily by adaptive gating of the thalamic inputs to primary sensory cortex and the differential way in which these inputs engage cortical subpopulations of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel C Wright
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Peter Y Borden
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Yi Juin Liew
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 and Beijing University, Beijing China 100871
| | - Michael F Bolus
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - William M Stoy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Craig R Forest
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
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