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Ghasemi M, Mehranfard N. Neuroprotective actions of norepinephrine in neurological diseases. Pflugers Arch 2024; 476:1703-1725. [PMID: 39136758 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-024-02999-w] [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: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 10/09/2024]
Abstract
Precise control of norepinephrine (NE) levels and NE-receptor interaction is crucial for proper function of the brain. Much evidence for this view comes from experimental studies that indicate an important role for NE in the pathophysiology and treatment of various conditions, including cognitive dysfunction, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and sleep disorders. NE provides neuroprotection against several types of insults in multiple ways. It abrogates oxidative stress, attenuates neuroinflammatory responses in neurons and glial cells, reduces neuronal and glial cell activity, promotes autophagy, and ameliorates apoptotic responses to a variety of insults. It is beneficial for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases because it improves the generation of neurotrophic factors, promotes neuronal survival, and plays an important role in the regulation of adult neurogenesis. This review aims to present the evidence supporting a principal role for NE in neuroprotection, and molecular mechanisms of neuroprotection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maedeh Ghasemi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Nasrin Mehranfard
- Nanokadeh Darooee Samen Private Joint Stock Company, Shafa Street, Urmia, 5715793731, Iran.
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2
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Kabanova A, Yang M, Logothetis NK, Eschenko O. Partial chemogenetic inhibition of the locus coeruleus due to heterogeneous transduction of noradrenergic neurons preserved auditory salience processing in wild-type rats. Eur J Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39349382 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2024] [Accepted: 09/09/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024]
Abstract
The acoustic startle reflex (ASR) and prepulse inhibition of the ASR (PPI) assess the efficiency of salience processing, a fundamental brain function that is impaired in many psychiatric conditions. Both ASR and PPI depend on noradrenergic transmission, yet the modulatory role of the locus coeruleus (LC) remains controversial. Clonidine (0.05 mg/kg, i.p.), an alpha2-adrenoreceptor agonist, strongly reduced the ASR amplitude. In contrast, chemogenetic LC inhibition only mildly suppressed the ASR and did affect the PPI in virus-transduced rats. The canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV2)-based vector carrying a gene cassette for the expression of inhibitory receptors (hM4Di) and noradrenergic cell-specific promoter (PRSx8) had high cell-type specificity (94.4 ± 3.1%) but resulted in heterogeneous virus transduction of DbH-positive LC neurons (range: 9.2-94.4%). Clozapine-N-oxide (CNO; 1 mg/kg, i.p.), a hM4Di actuator, caused the firing cessation of hM4Di-expressing LC neurons, yet complete inhibition of the entire population of LC neurons was not achieved. Case-based immunohistochemistry revealed that virus injections distal (> 150 μm) to the LC core resulted in partial LC transduction, while proximal (< 50 μm) injections caused neuronal loss due to virus neurotoxicity. Neither the ASR nor PPI differed between the intact and virus-transduced rats. Our results suggest that a residual activity of virus-non-transduced LC neurons might have been sufficient for mediating an unaltered ASR and PPI. Our study highlights the importance of a case-based assessment of the virus efficiency, specificity, and neurotoxicity for targeted cell populations and of considering these factors when interpreting behavioral effects in experiments employing chemogenetic modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kabanova
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mingyu Yang
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nikos K Logothetis
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
- International Center for Primate Brain Research, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Institute of Neuroscience (ION), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Division of Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Oxana Eschenko
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Nigro M, Tortorelli LS, Garad M, Dinh K, Zlebnik NE, Yang H. Locus coeruleus modulation of prefrontal dynamics and encoding of flexible rule switching. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.13.571356. [PMID: 38168151 PMCID: PMC10760137 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.13.571356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility, the ability to adjust behavioral strategies in response to changing environmental contingencies and internal demands, is fundamental to cognitive functions. Despite a large body of pharmacology and lesion studies, the underlying neurophysiological correlates and mechanisms that support flexible rule switching are under active investigation. To address this question, we trained mice to distinguish complex sensory cues comprising different perceptual dimensions (set shifting). Endoscopic calcium imaging revealed that medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons exhibited pronounced dynamic changes during rule switching. Notably, prominent encoding capacity in the mPFC was associated with switching across, but not within perceptual dimensions. We then showed the functional importance of the ascending input from the locus coeruleus (LC), as LC inhibition impaired rule switching behavior and impeded mPFC dynamic processes and encoding. Our results highlight the pivotal role of the mPFC in set shifting processes and demonstrate the profound impact of ascending neuromodulation on shaping prefrontal neural dynamics and behavioral flexibility.
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Wang X, Li Z, Wang X, Chen J, Guo Z, Qiao B, Qin L. Effects of Phasic Activation of Locus Ceruleus on Cortical Neural Activity and Auditory Discrimination Behavior. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1296232024. [PMID: 39134421 PMCID: PMC11391501 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1296-23.2024] [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: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the locus ceruleus (LC) is recognized as a crucial modulator for attention and perception by releasing norepinephrine into various cortical regions, the impact of LC-noradrenergic (LC-NE) modulation on auditory discrimination behavior remains elusive. In this study, we firstly recorded local field potential and single-unit activity in multiple cortical regions associated with auditory-motor processing, including the auditory cortex, posterior parietal cortex, secondary motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), in response to optogenetic activation (40 Hz and 0.5 s) of the LC-NE neurons in awake mice (male). We found that phasic LC stimulation induced a persistent high gamma oscillation (50-80 Hz) in the OFC. Phasic activation of LC-NE neurons also resulted in a corresponding increase in norepinephrine levels in the OFC, accompanied by a pupillary dilation response. Furthermore, when mice were performing a go/no-go auditory discrimination task, we optogeneticaly activated the neural projections from LC to OFC and revealed a shortened latency in behavioral responses to sound stimuli and an increased false alarm rate. These impulsive behavioral responses may be associated with the gamma neural activity in the OFC. These findings have broadened our understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in the role of LC in auditory-motor processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejiao Wang
- Department of Physiology, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Zijie Li
- Department of Physiology, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Xueru Wang
- School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Jingyu Chen
- Department of Physiology, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Ziyu Guo
- School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Bingqing Qiao
- School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
| | - Ling Qin
- School of Life Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China
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5
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Zouridis IS, Schmors L, Fischer KM, Berens P, Preston-Ferrer P, Burgalossi A. Juxtacellular recordings from identified neurons in the mouse locus coeruleus. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 60:3659-3676. [PMID: 38872397 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is the primary source of noradrenergic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. This small pontine nucleus consists of a densely packed nuclear core-which contains the highest density of noradrenergic neurons-embedded within a heterogeneous surround of non-noradrenergic cells. This local heterogeneity, together with the small size of the LC, has made it particularly difficult to infer noradrenergic cell identity based on extracellular sampling of in vivo spiking activity. Moreover, the relatively high cell density, background activity and synchronicity of LC neurons have made spike identification and unit isolation notoriously challenging. In this study, we aimed at bridging these gaps by performing juxtacellular recordings from single identified neurons within the mouse LC complex. We found that noradrenergic neurons (identified by tyrosine hydroxylase, TH, expression; TH-positive) and intermingled putatively non-noradrenergic (TH-negative) cells displayed similar morphologies and responded to foot shock stimuli with excitatory responses; however, on average, TH-positive neurons exhibited more prominent foot shock responses and post-activation firing suppression. The two cell classes also displayed different spontaneous firing rates, spike waveforms and temporal spiking properties. A logistic regression classifier trained on spontaneous electrophysiological features could separate the two cell classes with 76% accuracy. Altogether, our results reveal in vivo electrophysiological correlates of TH-positive neurons, which can be useful for refining current approaches for the classification of LC unit activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis S Zouridis
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lisa Schmors
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kathrin Maite Fischer
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Berens
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
- Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Tübingen AI Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Patricia Preston-Ferrer
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrea Burgalossi
- Institute of Neurobiology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany
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Liu Y(A, Nong Y, Feng J, Li G, Sajda P, Li Y, Wang Q. Phase synchrony between prefrontal noradrenergic and cholinergic signals indexes inhibitory control. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.17.594562. [PMID: 38798371 PMCID: PMC11118516 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.17.594562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Inhibitory control is a critical executive function that allows animals to suppress their impulsive behavior in order to achieve certain goals or avoid punishment. We investigated norepinephrine (NE) and acetylcholine (ACh) dynamics and population neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex during inhibitory control. Using fluorescent sensors to measure extracellular levels of NE and ACh, we simultaneously recorded the dynamics of prefrontal NE and ACh in mice performing an inhibitory control task. The prefrontal NE and ACh signals exhibited strong coherence at 0.4-0.8 Hz. Chemogenetic inhibition of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons that project to the basal forebrain region reduced inhibitory control performance to chance levels. However, this manipulation did not diminish the difference in NE/ACh signals between successful and failed trials; instead, it abolished the difference in NE-ACh phase synchrony between the successful and failed trials, indicating that NE-ACh phase synchrony is a task-relevant neuromodulatory feature. Chemogenetic inhibition of cholinergic neurons that project to the LC region did not impair the inhibitory control performance, nor did it abolish the difference in NE-ACh phase synchrony between successful or failed trials, further confirming the relevance of NE-ACh phase synchrony to inhibitory control. To understand the possible effect of NE-ACh synchrony on prefrontal population activity, we employed Neuropixels to record from the prefrontal cortex with and without inhibiting LC neurons that project to the basal forebrain during inhibitory control. The LC inhibition reduced the number of prefrontal neurons encoding inhibitory control. Demixed principal component analysis (dPCA) further revealed that population firing patterns representing inhibitory control were impaired by the LC inhibition. Disparities in NE-ACh phase synchrony relevant to inhibitory control occurred only in the prefrontal cortex, but not in the parietal cortex, somatosensory cortex, and the somatosensory thalamus. Taken together, these findings suggest that the LC modulates inhibitory control through its collective effect with cholinergic systems on population activity in the prefrontal cortex. Our results further revealed that NE-ACh phase synchrony is a critical neuromodulatory feature with important implications for cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang (Andy) Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Columbia University ET 351, 500 W. 120 Street, New York, NY 10027
| | - Yuhan Nong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Columbia University ET 351, 500 W. 120 Street, New York, NY 10027
| | - Jiesi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences Peking University
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, PR China
| | - Guochuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences Peking University
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, PR China
| | - Paul Sajda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Columbia University ET 351, 500 W. 120 Street, New York, NY 10027
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences Peking University
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, PR China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Columbia University ET 351, 500 W. 120 Street, New York, NY 10027
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7
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Lemercier CE, Krieger P, Manahan-Vaughan D. Dynamic modulation of mouse thalamocortical visual activity by salient sounds. iScience 2024; 27:109364. [PMID: 38523779 PMCID: PMC10959669 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual responses of the primary visual cortex (V1) are altered by sound. Sound-driven behavioral arousal suggests that, in addition to direct inputs from the primary auditory cortex (A1), multiple other sources may shape V1 responses to sound. Here, we show in anesthetized mice that sound (white noise, ≥70dB) drives a biphasic modulation of V1 visually driven gamma-band activity, comprising fast-transient inhibitory and slow, prolonged excitatory (A1-independent) arousal-driven components. An analogous yet quicker modulation of the visual response also occurred earlier in the visual pathway, at the level of the dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), where sound transiently inhibited the early phasic visual response and subsequently induced a prolonged increase in tonic spiking activity and gamma rhythmicity. Our results demonstrate that sound-driven modulations of visual activity are not exclusive to V1 and suggest that thalamocortical inputs from the dLGN to V1 contribute to shaping V1 visual response to sound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément E. Lemercier
- Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Patrik Krieger
- Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Denise Manahan-Vaughan
- Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
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Fan W, Engborg CB, Sciolino NR. Locus Ceruleus Dynamics Are Suppressed during Licking and Enhanced Postlicking Independent of Taste Novelty. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0535-23.2024. [PMID: 38649278 PMCID: PMC11036117 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0535-23.2024] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Attending to salient sensory attributes of food, such as tastes that are new, displeasing, or unexpected, allows the procurement of nutrients without food poisoning. Exposure to new tastes is known to increase norepinephrine (NE) release in taste processing forebrain areas, yet the central source for this release is unknown. Locus ceruleus norepinephrine neurons (LC-NE) emerge as a candidate in signaling salient information about taste, as other salient sensory stimuli (e.g., visual, auditory, somatosensation) are known to activate LC neurons. To determine if LC neurons are sensitive to features of taste novelty, we used fiber photometry to record LC-NE activity in water-restricted mice that voluntarily licked either novel or familiar substances of differential palatability (saccharine, citric acid). We observed that LC-NE activity was suppressed during lick bursts and transiently activated upon the termination of licking and that these dynamics were independent of the familiarity of the substance consumed. We next recorded LC dynamics during brief and unexpected consumption of tastants and found no increase in LC-NE activity, despite their responsiveness to visual and auditory stimuli, revealing selectivity in LC's responses to salient sensory information. Our findings suggest that LC activity during licking is not influenced by taste novelty, implicating a possible role for non-LC noradrenergic nuclei in signaling critical information about taste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Fan
- Departments of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
| | - Christopher B Engborg
- Departments of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
| | - Natale R Sciolino
- Departments of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
- Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
- Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
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Mondino A, González J, Li D, Mateos D, Osorio L, Cavelli M, Castro-Nin JP, Serantes D, Costa A, Vanini G, Mashour GA, Torterolo P. Urethane anaesthesia exhibits neurophysiological correlates of unconsciousness and is distinct from sleep. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:483-501. [PMID: 35545450 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Urethane is a general anaesthetic widely used in animal research. The state of urethane anaesthesia is unique because it alternates between macroscopically distinct electrographic states: a slow-wave state that resembles non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and an activated state with features of both REM sleep and wakefulness. Although it is assumed that urethane produces unconsciousness, this has been questioned because of states of cortical activation during drug exposure. Furthermore, the similarities and differences between urethane anaesthesia and physiological sleep are still unclear. In this study, we recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram in chronically prepared rats during natural sleep-wake states and during urethane anaesthesia. We subsequently analysed the power, coherence, directed connectivity and complexity of brain oscillations and found that EEG under urethane anaesthesia has clear signatures of unconsciousness, with similarities to other general anaesthetics. In addition, the EEG profile under urethane is different in comparison with natural sleep states. These results suggest that consciousness is disrupted during urethane. Furthermore, despite similarities that have led others to conclude that urethane is a model of sleep, the electrocortical traits of depressed and activated states during urethane anaesthesia differ from physiological sleep states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Mondino
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Joaquín González
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Duan Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Diego Mateos
- Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Coast-CONICET-UNL, CCT CONICET, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Autonomous University of Entre Ríos, Parana, Argentina
| | - Lucía Osorio
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Matías Cavelli
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Juan Pedro Castro-Nin
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Diego Serantes
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Alicia Costa
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Giancarlo Vanini
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - George A Mashour
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Pablo Torterolo
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Rodenkirch C, Wang Q. Optimization of Temporal Coding of Tactile Information in Rat Thalamus by Locus Coeruleus Activation. BIOLOGY 2024; 13:79. [PMID: 38392298 PMCID: PMC10886390 DOI: 10.3390/biology13020079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The brainstem noradrenergic nucleus, the locus coeruleus (LC), exerts heavy influences on sensory processing, perception, and cognition through its diffuse projections throughout the brain. Previous studies have demonstrated that LC activation modulates the response and feature selectivity of thalamic relay neurons. However, the extent to which LC modulates the temporal coding of sensory information in the thalamus remains mostly unknown. Here, we found that LC stimulation significantly altered the temporal structure of the responses of the thalamic relay neurons to repeated whisker stimulation. A substantial portion of events (i.e., time points where the stimulus reliably evoked spikes as evidenced by dramatic elevations in the firing rate of the spike density function) were removed during LC stimulation, but many new events emerged. Interestingly, spikes within the emerged events have a higher feature selectivity, and therefore transmit more information about a tactile stimulus, than spikes within the removed events. This suggests that LC stimulation optimized the temporal coding of tactile information to improve information transmission. We further reconstructed the original whisker stimulus from a population of thalamic relay neurons' responses and corresponding feature selectivity. As expected, we found that reconstruction from thalamic responses was more accurate using spike trains of thalamic neurons recorded during LC stimulation than without LC stimulation, functionally confirming LC optimization of the thalamic temporal code. Together, our results demonstrated that activation of the LC-NE system optimizes temporal coding of sensory stimulus in the thalamus, presumably allowing for more accurate decoding of the stimulus in the downstream brain structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Rodenkirch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, ET 351, 500 W. 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, ET 351, 500 W. 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA
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11
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Wilson LR, Plummer NW, Evsyukova IY, Patino D, Stewart CL, Smith KG, Konrad KS, Fry SA, Deal AL, Kilonzo VW, Panda S, Sciolino NR, Cushman JD, Jensen P. Partial or Complete Loss of Norepinephrine Differentially Alters Contextual Fear and Catecholamine Release Dynamics in Hippocampal CA1. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:51-60. [PMID: 38058990 PMCID: PMC10695841 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Contextual fear learning is heavily dependent on the hippocampus. Despite evidence that catecholamines contribute to contextual encoding and memory retrieval, the precise temporal dynamics of their release in the hippocampus during behavior is unknown. In addition, new animal models are required to probe the effects of altered catecholamine synthesis on release dynamics and contextual learning. Methods We generated 2 new mouse models of altered locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (NE) synthesis and utilized them together with GRABNE and GRABDA sensors and in vivo fiber photometry to investigate NE and dopamine (DA) release dynamics in the dorsal hippocampal CA1 during contextual fear conditioning. Results Aversive foot shock increased both NE and DA release in the dorsal CA1, while freezing behavior associated with recall of fear memory was accompanied by decreased release. Moreover, we found that freezing at the recent time point was sensitive to both partial and complete loss of locus coeruleus-NE synthesis throughout prenatal and postnatal development, similar to previous observations of mice with global loss of NE synthesis beginning postnatally. In contrast, freezing at the remote time point was compromised only by complete loss of locus coeruleus-NE synthesis beginning prenatally. Conclusions Overall, these findings provide novel insights into the role of NE in contextual fear and the precise temporal dynamics of both NE and DA during freezing behavior and highlight complex relationships between genotype, sex, and NE signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie R. Wilson
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
- Neurobehavioral Core Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Nicholas W. Plummer
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Irina Y. Evsyukova
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Daniela Patino
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Casey L. Stewart
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Kathleen G. Smith
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Kathryn S. Konrad
- Social and Scientific Systems, Inc., a DLH Holdings Corp Company, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Sydney A. Fry
- Neurobehavioral Core Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Alex L. Deal
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Victor W. Kilonzo
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Sambit Panda
- Neurobehavioral Core Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Natale R. Sciolino
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for System Genomics, Connecticut Institute for the Brain & Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
| | - Jesse D. Cushman
- Neurobehavioral Core Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Patricia Jensen
- Neurobiology Laboratory, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
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12
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Zammit N, Muscat R. Alpha/beta-gamma decoupling in methylphenidate medicated ADHD patients. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1267901. [PMID: 37841679 PMCID: PMC10570420 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1267901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
There is much interest to understand how different neural rhythms function, interact and are regulated. Here, we focus on WM delay gamma to investigate its coupling with alpha/beta rhythms and its neuromodulation by methylphenidate. We address this through the use of human EEG conducted in healthy and ADHD subjects which revealed ADHD-specific electrophysiological deficits and MPH-induced normalization of gamma amplitude and its coupling with alpha/beta rhythms. Decreased alpha/beta-gamma coupling is known to facilitate memory representations via disinhibition of gamma ensembles coding the maintained stimuli. Here, we present EEG evidence which suggests that these dynamics are sensitive to catecholaminergic neuromodulation. MPH decreased alpha/beta-gamma coupling and this was related to the increase in delay-relevant gamma activity evoked by the same drug. These results add further to the neuromodulatory findings that reflect an electrophysiological dimension to the well-known link between WM delay and catecholaminergic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nowell Zammit
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
| | - Richard Muscat
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
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13
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Bierwirth P, Antov MI, Stockhorst U. Oscillatory and non-oscillatory brain activity reflects fear expression in an immediate and delayed fear extinction task. Psychophysiology 2023:e14283. [PMID: 36906880 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14283] [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: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Fear extinction is pivotal for inhibiting fear responding to former threat-predictive stimuli. In rodents, short intervals between fear acquisition and extinction impair extinction recall compared to long intervals. This is called Immediate Extinction Deficit (IED). Importantly, human studies of the IED are sparse and its neurophysiological correlates have not been examined in humans. We, therefore, investigated the IED by recording electroencephalography (EEG), skin conductance responses (SCRs), an electrocardiogram (ECG), and subjective ratings of valence and arousal. Forty male participants were randomly assigned to extinction learning either 10 min after fear acquisition (immediate extinction) or 24 h afterward (delayed extinction). Fear and extinction recall were assessed 24 h after extinction learning. We observed evidence for an IED in SCR responses, but not in the ECG, subjective ratings, or in any assessed neurophysiological marker of fear expression. Irrespective of extinction timing (immediate vs. delayed), fear conditioning caused a tilt of the non-oscillatory background spectrum with decreased low-frequency power (<30 Hz) for threat-predictive stimuli. When controlling for this tilt, we observed a suppression of theta and alpha oscillations to threat-predictive stimuli, especially pronounced during fear acquisition. In sum, our data show that delayed extinction might be partially advantageous over immediate extinction in reducing sympathetic arousal (as assessed via SCR) to former threat-predictive stimuli. However, this effect was limited to SCR responses since all other fear measures were not affected by extinction timing. Additionally, we demonstrate that oscillatory and non-oscillatory activity is sensitive to fear conditioning, which has important implications for fear conditioning studies examining neural oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Bierwirth
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Martin I Antov
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Ursula Stockhorst
- Institute of Psychology, Experimental Psychology II and Biological Psychology, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
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14
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Gamma-band oscillations of pain and nociception: A systematic review and meta-analysis of human and rodent studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105062. [PMID: 36682424 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Pain-induced gamma-band oscillations (GBOs) are one of the most promising biomarkers of the pain experience. Although GBOs reliably encode pain perception across different individuals and species, considerable heterogeneity could be observed in the characteristics and functions of GBOs. However, such heterogeneity of GBOs and its underlying sources have rarely been detailed previously. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterize the temporal, frequential, and spatial characteristics of GBOs and summarize the functional significance of distinct GBOs. We found that GBO heterogeneity was mainly related to pain types, with a higher frequency (∼66 Hz) GBOs at the sensorimotor cortex elicited by phasic pain and a lower frequency (∼55 Hz) GBOs at the prefrontal cortex associated with tonic and chronic pains. Positive correlations between GBO magnitudes and pain intensity were observed in healthy participants. Notably, the characteristics and functions of GBOs seemed to be phylogenetically conserved across humans and rodents. Altogether, we provided a comprehensive description of heterogeneous GBOs in pain and nociception, laying the foundation for clinical applications of GBOs.
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15
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Bates MLS, Arner JR, Curtis AL, Valentino R, Bhatnagar S. Sex-specific alterations in corticotropin-releasing factor regulation of coerulear-cortical network activity. Neuropharmacology 2023; 223:109317. [PMID: 36334761 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC)-norepinephrine system is a stress responsive system that regulates arousal and cognitive functions through extensive projections, including to the prefrontal cortex. LC-cortical circuits are activated by stressors, and this activation is thought to contribute to stress-induced impairments in executive function. Because corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a mediator of stress-induced LC activation, we examined the effects of CRF administered into the LC of male and female rats on network activity of two functionally distinct regions of the PFC, the medial PFC (mPFC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Network activity, measured as local field potentials, was recorded in awake animals before and after intra-LC infusion of aCSF or CRF (2 or 20 ng). CRF had qualitatively distinct effects on network activity in males and females with respect to dose, region and timecourse. CRF (20 ng) produced a prominent theta oscillation (7-9 Hz) selectively in female rats shortly after LC infusion and 20 min later. In contrast, in male rats, CRF (2 and 20 ng) decreased the amplitude of power in the 4-6 Hz range in the mPFC 10 min after injection. Lastly, CRF (20 ng) increased mPFC-OFC coherence in females and decreased mPFC-OFC coherence in males. In sum, these results show sex differences in CRF modulation of the LC-norepinephrine system that regulates prefrontal cortical networks, which may underlie sex differences in cognitive and behavioral responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Shawn Bates
- Department of Psychology, California State University, Chico, 400 W. First St, Chico, CA, 95929, USA
| | - Jay R Arner
- Division of Stress Neurobiology, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Abramson Research Center, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3615 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Andre L Curtis
- Division of Stress Neurobiology, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Abramson Research Center, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3615 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Rita Valentino
- Division of Stress Neurobiology, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Abramson Research Center, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3615 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA; The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Seema Bhatnagar
- Division of Stress Neurobiology, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Abramson Research Center, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3615 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA; The Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
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16
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Hemmerich K, Lupiáñez J, Luna FG, Martín-Arévalo E. The mitigation of the executive vigilance decrement via HD-tDCS over the right posterior parietal cortex and its association with neural oscillations. Cereb Cortex 2023:6988102. [PMID: 36646467 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac540] [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: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Vigilance-maintaining a prolonged state of preparation to detect and respond to specific yet unpredictable environmental changes-usually decreases across prolonged tasks, causing potentially severe real-life consequences, which could be mitigated through transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The present study aimed at replicating previous mitigatory effects observed with anodal high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) over the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) while extending the analyses on electrophysiological measures associated with vigilance. In sum, 60 participants completed the ANTI-Vea task while receiving anodal (1.5 mA, n = 30) or sham (0 mA, n = 30) HD-tDCS over the rPPC for ~ 28 min. EEG recordings were completed before and after stimulation. Anodal HD-tDCS specifically mitigated executive vigilance (EV) and reduced the alpha power increment across time-on-task while increasing the gamma power increment. To further account for the observed behavioral and physiological outcomes, a new index of Alphaparietal/Gammafrontal is proposed. Interestingly, the increment of this Alphaparietal/Gammafrontal Index with time-on-task is associated with a steeper EV decrement in the sham group, which was mitigated by anodal HD-tDCS. We highlight the relevance of replicating mitigatory effects of tDCS and the need to integrate conventional and novel physiological measures to account for how anodal HD-tDCS can be used to modulate cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Hemmerich
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Juan Lupiáñez
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
| | - Fernando G Luna
- Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIPsi, CONICET-UNC), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5010, Argentina
| | - Elisa Martín-Arévalo
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada 18071, Spain
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17
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Engels-Domínguez N, Koops EA, Prokopiou PC, Van Egroo M, Schneider C, Riphagen JM, Singhal T, Jacobs HIL. State-of-the-art imaging of neuromodulatory subcortical systems in aging and Alzheimer's disease: Challenges and opportunities. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104998. [PMID: 36526031 PMCID: PMC9805533 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Primary prevention trials have shifted their focus to the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Autopsy data indicates that the neuromodulatory subcortical systems' (NSS) nuclei are specifically vulnerable to initial tau pathology, indicating that these nuclei hold great promise for early detection of AD in the context of the aging brain. The increasing availability of new imaging methods, ultra-high field scanners, new radioligands, and routine deep brain stimulation implants has led to a growing number of NSS neuroimaging studies on aging and neurodegeneration. Here, we review findings of current state-of-the-art imaging studies assessing the structure, function, and molecular changes of these nuclei during aging and AD. Furthermore, we identify the challenges associated with these imaging methods, important pathophysiologic gaps to fill for the AD NSS neuroimaging field, and provide future directions to improve our assessment, understanding, and clinical use of in vivo imaging of the NSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Engels-Domínguez
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Elouise A Koops
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Prokopis C Prokopiou
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maxime Van Egroo
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Christoph Schneider
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joost M Riphagen
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tarun Singhal
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heidi I L Jacobs
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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18
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Maness EB, Burk JA, McKenna JT, Schiffino FL, Strecker RE, McCoy JG. Role of the locus coeruleus and basal forebrain in arousal and attention. Brain Res Bull 2022; 188:47-58. [PMID: 35878679 PMCID: PMC9514025 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Experimental evidence has implicated multiple neurotransmitter systems in either the direct or indirect modulation of cortical arousal and attention circuitry. In this review, we selectively focus on three such systems: 1) norepinephrine (NE)-containing neurons of the locus coeruleus (LC), 2) acetylcholine (ACh)-containing neurons of the basal forebrain (BF), and 3) parvalbumin (PV)-containing gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons of the BF. Whereas BF-PV neurons serve as a rapid and transient arousal system, LC-NE and BF-ACh neuromodulation are typically activated on slower but longer-lasting timescales. Recent findings suggest that the BF-PV system serves to rapidly respond to even subtle sensory stimuli with a microarousal. We posit that salient sensory stimuli, such as those that are threatening or predict the need for a response, will quickly activate the BF-PV system and subsequently activate both the BF-ACh and LC-NE systems if the circumstances require longer periods of arousal and vigilance. We suggest that NE and ACh have overlapping psychological functions with the main difference being the precise internal/environmental sensory situations/contexts that recruit each neurotransmitter system - a goal for future research to determine. Implications of dysfunction of each of these three attentional systems for our understanding of neuropsychiatric conditions are considered. Finally, the contemporary availability of research tools to selectively manipulate and measure the activity of these distinctive neuronal populations promises to answer longstanding questions, such as how various arousal systems influence downstream decision-making and motor responding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eden B Maness
- VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, West Roxbury, MA 02132, USA.
| | - Joshua A Burk
- Department of Psychological Sciences, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA
| | - James T McKenna
- VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, West Roxbury, MA 02132, USA
| | - Felipe L Schiffino
- VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, West Roxbury, MA 02132, USA; Genetics and Aging Research Unit, McCance Center for Brain Health, Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Robert E Strecker
- VA Boston Healthcare System and Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, West Roxbury, MA 02132, USA.
| | - John G McCoy
- Department of Psychology, Stonehill College, Easton, MA 02357, USA.
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19
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Role of noradrenergic arousal for fear extinction processes in rodents and humans. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 194:107660. [PMID: 35870717 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Fear extinction is a learning mechanism that is pivotal for the inhibition of fear responses towards cues or contexts that no longer predict the occurrence of a threat. Failure of fear extinction leads to fear expression under safe conditions and is regarded to be a cardinal characteristic of many anxiety-related disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Importantly, the neurotransmitter noradrenaline was shown to be a potent modulator of fear extinction. Rodent studies demonstrated that excessive noradrenaline transmission after acute stress opens a time window of vulnerability, in which fear extinction learning results in attenuated long-term extinction success. In contrast, when excessive noradrenergic transmission subsides, well-coordinated noradrenaline transmission is necessary for the formation of a long-lasting extinction memory. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that the neuropeptide corticotropin releasing hormone (CRF), which strongly regulates noradrenaline transmission under conditions of acute stress, also impedes long-term extinction success. Recent rodent work - using sophisticated methods - provides evidence for a hypothetical mechanistic framework of how noradrenaline and CRF dynamically orchestrate the neural fear and extinction circuitry to attenuate or to improve fear extinction and extinction recall. Accordingly, we review the evidence from rodent studies linking noradrenaline and CRF to fear extinction learning and recall and derive the hypothetical mechanistic framework of how different levels of noradrenaline and CRF may create a time window of vulnerability which impedes successful long-term fear extinction. We also address evidence from human studies linking noradrenaline and fear extinction success. Moreover, we accumulate emerging approaches to non-invasively measure and manipulate the noradrenergic system in healthy humans. Finally, we emphasize the importance of future studies to account for sex (hormone) differences when examining the interaction between fear extinction, noradrenaline, and CRF. To conclude, NA's effects on fear extinction recall strongly depend on the arousal levels at the onset of fear extinction learning. Our review aimed at compiling the available (mainly rodent) data in a neurobiological framework, suited to derive testable hypotheses for future work in humans.
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20
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Feasibility of Canine Adenovirus Type 2 (CAV2) Based Vector for the Locus Coeruleus Optogenetic Activation in Non-Transgenic Rats: Implications for Functional Studies. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12070904. [PMID: 35884711 PMCID: PMC9319986 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12070904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus norepinephrine (LC-NE) system modulates many visceral and cognitive functions, while LC-NE dysfunction leads to neurological and neurodegenerative conditions such as sleep disorders, depression, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease. Innovative viral-vector and gene-engineering technology combined with the availability of cell-specific promoters enabled regional targeting and selective control over phenotypically specific populations of neurons. We transduced the LC-NE neurons in adult male rats by delivering the canine adenovirus type 2-based vector carrying the NE-specific promoter PRSx8 and a light-sensitive channelrhodopsin-2 receptor (ChR2) directly in the LC or retrogradely from the LC targets. The highest ChR2 expression level was achieved when the virus was delivered medially to the trigeminal pathway and ~100 μm lateral to the LC. The injections close or directly in the LC compromised the tissue integrity and NE cell phenotype. Retrograde labeling was more optimal given the transduction of projection-selective subpopulations. Our results highlight a limited inference of ChR2 expression from representative cases to the entire population of targeted cells. The actual fraction of manipulated neurons appears most essential for an adequate interpretation of the study outcome. The actual fraction of manipulated neurons appears most essential for an adequate interpretation of the study outcome. Thus, besides the cell-type specificity and the transduction efficiency, the between-subject variability in the proportion of the remaining viral-transduced targeted cell population must be considered in any functional connectivity study.
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21
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Distinct ensembles in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus are associated with diverse cortical states. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2116507119. [PMID: 35486692 PMCID: PMC9170047 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116507119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Brainstem locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic neurons produce an arousal-related state characterized by a broadband increase in high-frequency oscillations. This perspective was built upon electrical or optogenetic stimulation that artificially activates LC neurons synchronously. This has led to the conceptual model that LC activation is associated with a single cortical state. Here, we show that natural, spontaneously occurring LC single-unit activity consists of ensembles with largely nonoverlapping activation dynamics. Spontaneous activations of different LC ensembles are associated with different cortical states. Our results suggest that the role of the LC in controlling a single type of cortical state associated with arousal is an oversimplification. Instead, ensembles of LC neurons may control a diverse multitude of cortical states. The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is a controller of brain and behavioral states. Activating LC neurons en masse by electrical or optogenetic stimulation promotes a stereotypical “activated” cortical state of high-frequency oscillations. However, it has been recently reported that spontaneous activity of LC cell pairs has sparse yet structured time-averaged cross-correlations, which is unlike the highly synchronous neuronal activity evoked by stimulation. Therefore, LC population activity could consist of distinct multicell ensembles each with unique temporal evolution of activity. We used nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) to analyze large populations of simultaneously recorded LC single units in the rat LC. NMF identified ensembles of spontaneously coactive LC neurons and their activation time courses. Since LC neurons selectively project to specific forebrain regions, we hypothesized that distinct ensembles activate during different cortical states. To test this hypothesis, we calculated band-limited power and spectrograms of local field potentials in cortical area 24a aligned to spontaneous activations of distinct LC ensembles. A diversity of state modulations occurred around activation of different LC ensembles, including a typical activated state with increased high-frequency power as well as other states including decreased high-frequency power. Thus—in contrast to the stereotypical activated brain state evoked by en masse LC stimulation—spontaneous activation of distinct LC ensembles is associated with a multitude of cortical states.
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22
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Dahl MJ, Mather M, Werkle-Bergner M. Noradrenergic modulation of rhythmic neural activity shapes selective attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:38-52. [PMID: 34799252 PMCID: PMC8678372 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
During moments involving selective attention, the thalamus orchestrates the preferential processing of prioritized information by coordinating rhythmic neural activity within a distributed frontoparietal network. The timed release of neuromodulators from subcortical structures dynamically sculpts neural synchronization in thalamocortical networks to meet current attentional demands. In particular, noradrenaline modulates the balance of cortical excitation and inhibition, as reflected by thalamocortical alpha synchronization (~8-12 Hz). These neuromodulatory adjustments facilitate the selective processing of prioritized information. Thus, by disrupting effective rhythmic coordination in attention networks, age-related locus coeruleus (LC) degeneration can impair higher levels of neural processing. In sum, findings across different levels of analysis and modalities shed light on how the noradrenergic modulation of neural synchronization helps to shape selective attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Mara Mather
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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23
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Bostanciklioğlu M. Neuromodulation of Memory Formation and Extinction. Curr Neurovasc Res 2021; 17:319-326. [PMID: 32316891 DOI: 10.2174/1567202617999200421202818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Memory retrieval is mediated by discharges of acetylcholine, glutamate, gammaaminobutyric acid, norepinephrine, and serotonin/5-hydroxytryptamine circuits. These projections and memory interact through engram circuits, neurobiological traces of memory. Increased excitability in engram circuits of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus results in remote and recent memory retrievals, respectively. However, due to degenerated neurotransmitter projections, the excitability state of engram circuits is decreased in the patient with dementia; and thus, acquired- memory cannot be retrieved by natural cues. Here, we suggest that artificial neuropharmacological stimulations of the acquired-memory with an excitation potential higher than a natural cue can excite engram circuits in the medial prefrontal cortex, which results in the retrieval of lost memories in dementia. The neuropharmacological foundations of engram cell-mediated memory retrieval strategy in severe dementia, in line with this has also been explained. We particularly highlighted the close interactions between periaqueductal gray, locus coeruleus, raphe nuclei, and medial prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala as treatment targets for memory loss. Furthermore, the engram circuits projecting raphe nuclei, locus coeruleus, and pontomesencephalic tegmentum complex could be significant targets of memory editing and memory formation in the absence of experience, and a well-defined study of the neural events underlying the interaction of brain stem and memory will be relevant for such developments. We anticipate our perspective to be a starting point for more sophisticated in vivo models for neuropharmacological modulations of memory retrieval in Alzheimer's dementia.
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24
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Mather M. Noradrenaline in the aging brain: Promoting cognitive reserve or accelerating Alzheimer's disease? Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 116:108-124. [PMID: 34099360 PMCID: PMC8292227 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Many believe that engaging in novel and mentally challenging activities promotes brain health and prevents Alzheimer's disease in later life. However, mental stimulation may also have risks as well as benefits. As neurons release neurotransmitters, they often also release amyloid peptides and tau proteins into the extracellular space. These by-products of neural activity can aggregate into the tau tangle and amyloid plaque signatures of Alzheimer's disease. Over time, more active brain regions accumulate more pathology. Thus, increasing brain activity can have a cost. But the neuromodulator noradrenaline, released during novel and mentally stimulating events, may have some protective effects-as well as some negative effects. Via its inhibitory and excitatory effects on neurons and microglia, noradrenaline sometimes prevents and sometimes accelerates the production and accumulation of amyloid-β and tau in various brain regions. Both α2A- and β-adrenergic receptors influence amyloid-β production and tau hyperphosphorylation. Adrenergic activity also influences clearance of amyloid-β and tau. Furthermore, some findings suggest that Alzheimer's disease increases noradrenergic activity, at least in its early phases. Because older brains clear the by-products of synaptic activity less effectively, increased synaptic activity in the older brain risks accelerating the accumulation of Alzheimer's pathology more than it does in the younger brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Department of Psychology, & Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
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25
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Jiménez EC, Sierra-Marcos A, Romeo A, Hashemi A, Leonovych O, Bustos Valenzuela P, Solé Puig M, Supèr H. Altered Vergence Eye Movements and Pupil Response of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment During an Oddball Task. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 82:421-433. [PMID: 34024820 DOI: 10.3233/jad-201301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive deterioration of cognitive functions and may be preceded by mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Evidence shows changes in pupil and vergence responses related to cognitive processing of visual information. OBJECTIVE Here we test the hypothesis that MCI and AD are associated with specific patterns in vergence and pupil responses. METHODS We employed a visual oddball task. In the distractor condition (80%of the trials), a blue stimulus was presented whereas in the target condition (20%of trials) it was red. Participants (23 Controls, 33 MCI patients, and 18 AD patients) were instructed to press a button when a target appeared. RESULTS Participants briefly converged their eyes 200 ms after stimulus presentation. In controls, this transient peak response was followed by a delay response to targets but not to distractor stimuli. In the patient groups, delay responses to distractors were noticed. Consequently, the differential vergence response was strong in the control group, weak in the MCI group, and absent in the AD group. Pupils started to dilate 500-600 ms after the appearance of a target but slightly contracted after the presentation of a distractor. This differential pupil response was strongest in the AD group. CONCLUSION Our findings support the idea of a role of vergence and pupil responses in attention and reveal altered responses in MCI and AD patients. Further studies should assess the value of vergence and pupil measurements as an objective support tool for early diagnosis of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Carolina Jiménez
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,University of Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
| | - Alba Sierra-Marcos
- Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, Hospital Sanitas CIMA, Barcelona, Spain
| | - August Romeo
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amin Hashemi
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oleksii Leonovych
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Braingaze SL, Mataró, Spain
| | - Patricia Bustos Valenzuela
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Solé Puig
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hans Supèr
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UBNeuro), Barcelona, Spain.,Braingaze SL, Mataró, Spain.,Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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26
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Vergence eye movements during figure-ground perception. Conscious Cogn 2021; 92:103138. [PMID: 34022640 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Figure-ground, that is the segmentation of visual information into objects and their surrounding backgrounds, provides structure for visual attention. Recent evidence shows a novel role of vergence eye movements in visual attention. In the present work, vergence responses during figure-ground segregation tasks are psychophysically investigated. We show that during a figure-ground detection task, subjects convergence their eyes. Vergence eye movements are larger in figure trials than in ground trials. In detected figures trials, vergence are stronger than in trials where the figure went unnoticed. Moreover in figure trials, vergence responses are stronger to low-contrast figures than to high-contrast figures. We argue that these discriminative vergence responses have a role in figure-ground.
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Durán E, Yang M, Neves R, Logothetis NK, Eschenko O. Modulation of Prefrontal Cortex Slow Oscillations by Phasic Activation of the Locus Coeruleus. Neuroscience 2021; 453:268-279. [PMID: 33419514 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cortical slow rhythmic activity, a hallmark of deep sleep, is observed under urethane anesthesia. Synchronized fluctuations of the membrane excitability of a large neuronal population are reflected in the extracellular Local Field Potential (LFP), as high-amplitude slow (∼1 Hz) oscillations (SO). The SO-phase indicates the presence (Up) or absence (Down) of neuronal spiking. The cortical state is controlled by the input from thalamic and neuromodulatory centers, including the brainstem noradrenergic nucleus Locus Coeruleus (LC). The bidirectional modulation of neuronal excitability by noradrenaline (NA) is well known. We have previously shown that LC phasic activation caused transient excitability increase in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In the present study, we characterized the effect of LC phasic activation on the prefrontal population dynamics at a temporal scale of a single SO cycle. We applied short (0.2 s) trains of electric pulses (0.02-0.05 mA at 20-50 Hz) to the LC cell bodies and monitored a broadband (0.1 Hz-8 kHz) mPFC LFP in urethane-anesthetized rats. The direct electrical stimulation of LC (LC-DES), applied during the Up-phase, enhanced the firing probability in the mPFC by ∼20% and substantially prolonged Up-states in 56% of trials. The LC-DES applied during Down-phase caused a rapid Down-to-Up transition in 81.5% of trials. The LC-DES was more effective at a higher frequency, but not at a higher current. Our results suggest that transient NA release, coupled to SO, may promote synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation by sustaining a depolarized state in the mPFC neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Durán
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Mingyu Yang
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ricardo Neves
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Nikos K Logothetis
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany; Division of Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering, University of Manchester, M13 9PT Manchester, UK
| | - Oxana Eschenko
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tuebingen, Germany.
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28
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Totah NK, Logothetis NK, Eschenko O. Synchronous spiking associated with prefrontal high γ oscillations evokes a 5-Hz rhythmic modulation of spiking in locus coeruleus. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:1191-1201. [PMID: 33566743 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00677.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The brainstem noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) is reciprocally connected with the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Coupling between LC spiking and the depolarizing phase of slow (1-2 Hz) waves in PFC field potentials during sleep and anesthesia suggests that LC drives cortical state transition. Reciprocal LC-PFC connectivity should also allow interactions in the opposing (top-down) direction, but prior work has only studied prefrontal control over LC activity using electrical or optogenetic stimulation. Here, we describe the physiological characteristics of spontaneously occurring top-down LC-PFC interactions. We recorded LC multiunit activity (MUA) simultaneously with PFC single-unit and local field potential (LFP) activity in urethane-anesthetized rats. We observed cross-regional coupling between the phase of 5-Hz oscillations in LC-MUA and the power of PFC LFP 60-200 Hz high γ (hγ). Transient increases in PFC hγ power preceded peaks in the 5-Hz LC-MUA oscillation. Analysis of cross-regional transfer entropy demonstrated that the PFC hγ transients were predictive of a transient increase in LC-MUA. An ∼29 ms delay between these signals was consistent with the conduction velocity from the PFC to the LC. Finally, we showed that PFC hγ transients are associated with synchronized spiking of a subset (27%) of PFC single units. Our data suggest that PFC hγ transients may indicate the timing of the top-down excitatory input to LC, at least under conditions when LC neuronal population activity fluctuates rhythmically at 5 Hz. Synchronized PFC neuronal spiking that occurs during hγ transients may provide a previously unknown mode of top-down control over the LC.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to control activity in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC). Prior anatomical and prefrontal stimulation studies demonstrated the potential for PFC-LC interactions; however, it is unknown what types of PFC activity affect the LC. Here, we show that transient increases in PFC high γ power and associated changes in PFC unit-pair synchrony are a potential sign of top-down control over the LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson K Totah
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nikos K Logothetis
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.,Division of Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Oxana Eschenko
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
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29
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Phasic activation of the locus coeruleus attenuates the acoustic startle response by increasing cortical arousal. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1409. [PMID: 33446792 PMCID: PMC7809417 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80703-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
An alerting sound elicits the Acoustic Startle Response (ASR) that is dependent on the sound volume and organisms’ state, which is regulated by neuromodulatory centers. The locus coeruleus (LC) neurons respond to salient stimuli and noradrenaline release affects sensory processing, including auditory. The LC hyperactivity is detrimental for sensorimotor gating. We report here that priming microstimulation of the LC (100-ms at 20, 50, and 100 Hz) attenuated the ASR in rats. The ASR reduction scaled with frequency and 100 Hz-stimulation mimicked pre-exposure to a non-startling tone (prepulse). A rapid (~ 40 ms) EEG desynchronization following the LC stimulation suggested that the ASR reduction was due to elevated cortical arousal. The effects of LC stimulation on the ASR and EEG were consistent with systematic relationships between the ASR, awake/sleep state, and the cortical arousal level; for that matter, a lower ASR amplitude corresponded to a higher arousal level. Thus, the LC appears to modulate the ASR circuit via its diffuse ascending projections to the forebrain saliency network. The LC modulation directly in the brainstem and/or spinal cord may also play a role. Our findings suggest the LC as a part of the brain circuitry regulating the ASR, while underlying neurophysiological mechanisms require further investigation.
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30
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Vanneste S, Mohan A, Yoo HB, Huang Y, Luckey AM, McLeod SL, Tabet MN, Souza RR, McIntyre CK, Chapman S, Robertson IH, To WT. The peripheral effect of direct current stimulation on brain circuits involving memory. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/45/eaax9538. [PMID: 33148657 PMCID: PMC7673706 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax9538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
An ongoing debate surrounding transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the scalp is whether it modulates brain activity both directly and in a regionally constrained manner enough to positively affect symptoms in patients with neurological disorders. One alternative explanation is that direct current stimulation affects neural circuits mainly indirectly, i.e., via peripheral nerves. Here, we report that noninvasive direct current stimulation indirectly affects neural circuits via peripheral nerves. In a series of studies, we show that direct current stimulation can cause activation of the greater occipital nerve (ON-tDCS) and augments memory via the ascending fibers of the occipital nerve to the locus coeruleus, promoting noradrenaline release. This noradrenergic pathway plays a key role in driving hippocampal activity by modifying functional connectivity supporting the consolidation of a memory event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Vanneste
- Lab for Clinical and Integrative Neuroscience, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
- Center for Brain Health, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anusha Mohan
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Hye Bin Yoo
- Lab for Clinical and Integrative Neuroscience, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yuefeng Huang
- Lab for Clinical and Integrative Neuroscience, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Alison M Luckey
- Lab for Clinical and Integrative Neuroscience, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - S Lauren McLeod
- Lab for Clinical and Integrative Neuroscience, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Michel N Tabet
- Neurobiology of Memory Lab, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Rimenez R Souza
- Neurobiology of Memory Lab, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Christa K McIntyre
- Neurobiology of Memory Lab, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Sandra Chapman
- Center for Brain Health, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Ian H Robertson
- Center for Brain Health, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Wing Ting To
- Lab for Clinical and Integrative Neuroscience, School for Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
- Global Brain Health Institute, Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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31
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Bostanciklioğlu M. Unexpected awakenings in severe dementia from case reports to laboratory. Alzheimers Dement 2020; 17:125-136. [PMID: 33064369 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Case report notions of unexpected memory retrieval in patients with severe dementia near to death are starting to alter the central "irreversible" paradigm of dementia and locate dementia as a problem of memory retrieval, not consolidation. We suggest that the most likely central tenet of this paradoxical memory retrieval is the fluctuation of neuromodulators projecting from the brain stem to the medial prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. The neuromodulation-centric explanation of this phenomenon aims to open the "irreversible" paradigm of dementia up for discussion and suggest a plausible treatment strategy by questioning how the devastating process of death fluctuates memory performance in severe dementia. BACKGROUND Supporting demented patients, who are mostly unresponsive, without making demands or asking a question and regarding them as valuable human beings unexpectedly improve their memory performance around the time of death. NEW LUCIDITY HYPOTHESIS Around the time of death, neurological signs (hyper-arousal and -attention) of demented people point out that neurotransmitter discharges are dramatically changed. Relatively resistant neuromodulator circuits to neurodegeneration can maintain optimal levels of arousal and attention for memory processing. In this way, unexpected episodes of lucidity can be triggered. Also, corticotropin-releasing peptides might increase mental clarity by increasing the excitability of the neuromodulator circuits. The science of memory retrieval is more complicated and nuanced than retrieval observations in case reports, but the rapid development of new techniques holds promise for future understanding of lucidity in severe dementia. MAJOR CHALLENGE FOR THE MODEL There is no an animal or human model to test this hypothesis; however, the similarities between neurological signs (instantaneous cognitive fluctuations) of delirium and paradoxical lucidity could provide a unique window to understand neural events of terminal lucidity on a modified animal model of delirium. Likewise, similarities between unexpected consciousness signs of terminal lucidity and lucid dreaming suggest that lucid dreaming episodes might be considered a human model for terminal lucidity research.
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32
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Chronic Restraint Stress Affects Network Oscillations in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Mice. Neuroscience 2020; 437:172-183. [PMID: 32335214 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is vulnerable to stress. Its dysfunction is observed in psychiatric disorders manifested as alterations in network oscillations. Mechanisms linking stress load to disturbed emotional-cognitive behaviors are of essential importance to further elucidate therapeutic strategies for psychiatric diseases. Here, we analyzed the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) load in juvenile mice on kainic acid (KA)-induced network oscillations in ACC slice preparations and on the forced swim test (FST). The immobility time (IT) was shortened at the beginning of the FST in CRS mice. Power spectral density (PSD) obtained from KA-induced oscillations in field potentials in the superficial layers of the ACC were altered in slices from the CRS mice. The PSD was decreased in CRS mice at the alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (13-30 Hz), low gamma (30-50 Hz), and high gamma (50-80 Hz) components. Noradrenaline increased the PSD of the theta (3-8 Hz) components in both the control and CRS groups, and also in alpha components only in the CRS group. Dopamine did not modulate the PSD of any frequency components in the control mice, whereas it enhanced the PSD of theta and alpha components in CRS mice. It was suggested that chronic stress load affects the dynamics of the network oscillations in the ACC with enhanced cathecolaminergic modulation.
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33
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McBurney-Lin J, Sun Y, Tortorelli LS, Nguyen QAT, Haga-Yamanaka S, Yang H. Bidirectional pharmacological perturbations of the noradrenergic system differentially affect tactile detection. Neuropharmacology 2020; 174:108151. [PMID: 32445638 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The brain neuromodulatory systems heavily influence behavioral and cognitive processes. Previous work has shown that norepinephrine (NE), a classic neuromodulator mainly derived from the locus coeruleus (LC), enhances neuronal responses to sensory stimuli. However, the role of the LC-NE system in modulating perceptual task performance is not well understood. In addition, systemic perturbation of NE signaling has often been proposed to specifically target the LC in functional studies, yet the assumption that localized (specific) and systemic (nonspecific) perturbations of LC-NE have the same behavioral impact remains largely untested. In this study, we trained mice to perform a head-fixed, quantitative tactile detection task, and administered an α2 adrenergic receptor agonist or antagonist to pharmacologically down- or up-regulate LC-NE activity, respectively. We addressed the outstanding question of how bidirectional perturbations of LC-NE activity affect tactile detection, and tested whether localized and systemic drug treatments exert the same behavioral effects. We found that both localized and systemic suppression of LC-NE impaired tactile detection by reducing motivation. Surprisingly, while locally activating LC-NE enabled mice to perform in a near-optimal regime, systemic activation impaired behavior by promoting impulsivity. Our results demonstrate that localized silencing and activation of LC-NE differentially affect tactile detection, and that localized and systemic NE activation induce distinct behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim McBurney-Lin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Yina Sun
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Lucas S Tortorelli
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Quynh Anh T Nguyen
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Hongdian Yang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
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Janitzky K. Impaired Phasic Discharge of Locus Coeruleus Neurons Based on Persistent High Tonic Discharge-A New Hypothesis With Potential Implications for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Neurol 2020; 11:371. [PMID: 32477246 PMCID: PMC7235306 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small brainstem nucleus with widely distributed noradrenergic projections to the whole brain, and loss of LC neurons is a prominent feature of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). This article discusses the hypothesis that in early stages of neurodegenerative diseases, the discharge mode of LC neurons could be changed to a persistent high tonic discharge, which in turn might impair phasic discharge. Since phasic discharge of LC neurons is required for the release of high amounts of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain to promote anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, persistent high tonic discharge of LC neurons could be a key factor in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Transcutaneous vagal stimulation (t-VNS), a non-invasive technique that potentially increases phasic discharge of LC neurons, could therefore provide a non-pharmacological treatment approach in specific disease stages. This article focuses on LC vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases, discusses the hypothesis that a persistent high tonic discharge of LC neurons might affect neurodegenerative processes, and finally reflects on t-VNS as a potentially useful clinical tool in specific stages of AD and PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Janitzky
- Department of Neurology, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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35
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Increased ACh-Associated Immunoreactivity in Autonomic Centers in PTZ Kindling Model of Epilepsy. Biomedicines 2020; 8:biomedicines8050113. [PMID: 32397136 PMCID: PMC7277646 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8050113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental and clinical studies of cardiac pathology associated with epilepsy have demonstrated an impact on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, the underlying molecular mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Molecular investigation of the neurotransmitters related receptor and ion channel directing ANS might help in understanding the associated mechanism. In this paper, we investigated the role of acetylcholine (ACh), which demonstrates both sympathetic and parasympathetic roles in targeted expression in terms of the relevant receptor and ion channel. Inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels play a significant role in maintaining the resting membrane potential and controlling cell excitability and are prominently expressed in both the excitable and non-excitable tissues. The immunoreactivity of ACh-activated Kir3.1 channel and muscarinic ACh receptors (M2) in autonomic centers such as the brainstem, vagus nerve (VN) and atria of heart was confirmed by both histological staining and pathological tissue analysis. Significant upregulations of Kir3.1 and M2 receptors were observed in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-kindled epileptic rats for all related tissues investigated, whereas no pathological difference was observed. These findings provide proof-of-concept that changes in ACh-associated immunoreactivity might be linked to the ANS dysfunctions associated with epilepsy.
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Noradrenergic Responsiveness Supports Selective Attention across the Adult Lifespan. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4372-4390. [PMID: 32317388 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0398-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Selectively attending to relevant information while blocking out distractors is crucial for goal-directed behavior, yet with advancing age, deficits emerge in attentional selectivity. Decrements in attention have been associated with altered noradrenergic activity in animals. However, research linking noradrenergic functioning to attention in aging humans is scarce, likely reflecting long-standing methodological challenges in noninvasive assessments. We studied whether age-related differences in the noradrenergic system predict differences in attention. We measured pupil dilation, a noninvasive marker of arousal-related norepinephrine (NE) release, while concurrently recording the EEG of male younger (N = 39; 25.2 ± 3.2 years) and older adults (N = 38; 70.6 ± 2.7 years). Arousal was modulated on a trial-by-trial basis using fear-conditioned (CS+) stimuli. During conditioning, pupil and EEG markers related to heightened arousal were identified. Afterward, in a dichotic listening task, participants were cued to direct attention to either the left or right ear while highly similar syllable pairs were presented simultaneously to both ears. During the dichotic listening task, presentation of fear-conditioned stimuli reinstated the acquired arousal response, as reflected in pupil and EEG α-β band responses. Critically, pupil dilation to CS+ was correlated with stronger EEG α-β desynchronization, suggesting a common dependence on NE release. On a behavioral level, stronger arousal reactions were associated with better attention. In particular, structural equation modeling revealed that the responsiveness of the NE system is associated with attention on a latent construct level, measured by several indicator tasks. Overall, our results suggest that the responsiveness of the NE system supports attention across the lifespan.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In old age, the ability to selectively process relevant aspects of the environment fades. Animal research suggests that the neuromodulator norepinephrine helps to maintain selective attention. We tested younger and older adults across a variety of attention tasks. In addition, we used arousing stimuli to experimentally activate participants' noradrenergic system while recording pupillometry and EEG to infer its functional capacity. Older adults showed compromised attention and reduced noradrenergic responsiveness as indicated by interrelated pupil and EEG markers. Crucially, in both age groups, a more responsive noradrenergic system was strongly associated with attention. Our findings link animal and human studies on the neural underpinning of attention in aging and underscore the importance of the noradrenergic system in late-life cognition.
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Pais-Roldán P, Takahashi K, Sobczak F, Chen Y, Zhao X, Zeng H, Jiang Y, Yu X. Indexing brain state-dependent pupil dynamics with simultaneous fMRI and optical fiber calcium recording. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:6875-6882. [PMID: 32139609 PMCID: PMC7104268 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1909937117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pupillometry, a noninvasive measure of arousal, complements human functional MRI (fMRI) to detect periods of variable cognitive processing and identify networks that relate to particular attentional states. Even under anesthesia, pupil dynamics correlate with brain-state fluctuations, and extended dilations mark the transition to more arousable states. However, cross-scale neuronal activation patterns are seldom linked to brain state-dependent pupil dynamics. Here, we complemented resting-state fMRI in rats with cortical calcium recording (GCaMP-mediated) and pupillometry to tackle the linkage between brain-state changes and neural dynamics across different scales. This multimodal platform allowed us to identify a global brain network that covaried with pupil size, which served to generate an index indicative of the brain-state fluctuation during anesthesia. Besides, a specific correlation pattern was detected in the brainstem, at a location consistent with noradrenergic cell group 5 (A5), which appeared to be dependent on the coupling between different frequencies of cortical activity, possibly further indicating particular brain-state dynamics. The multimodal fMRI combining concurrent calcium recordings and pupillometry enables tracking brain state-dependent pupil dynamics and identifying unique cross-scale neuronal dynamic patterns under anesthesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Pais-Roldán
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany
- Medical Imaging Physics, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Forschungszentrum Juelich, 52425 Juelich, Germany
| | - Kengo Takahashi
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Filip Sobczak
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Yi Chen
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Xiaoning Zhao
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Hang Zeng
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Yuanyuan Jiang
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129
| | - Xin Yu
- High-Field Magnetic Resonance Department, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany;
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129
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Neuromodulation in circuits of aversive emotional learning. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1586-1597. [PMID: 31551602 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0503-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Emotional learning and memory are functionally and dysfunctionally regulated by the neuromodulatory state of the brain. While the role of excitatory and inhibitory neural circuits mediating emotional learning and its control have been the focus of much research, we are only now beginning to understand the more diffuse role of neuromodulation in these processes. Recent experimental studies of the acetylcholine, noradrenaline and dopamine systems in fear learning and extinction of fear responding provide surprising answers to key questions in neuromodulation. One area of research has revealed how modular organization, coupled with context-dependent coding modes, allows for flexible brain-wide or targeted neuromodulation. Other work has shown how these neuromodulators act in downstream targets to enhance signal-to-noise ratios and gain, as well as to bind distributed circuits through neuronal oscillations. These studies elucidate how different neuromodulatory systems regulate aversive emotional processing and reveal fundamental principles of neuromodulatory function.
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Brainstem atrophy in focal epilepsy destabilizes brainstem-brain interactions: Preliminary findings. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 23:101888. [PMID: 31203171 PMCID: PMC6580328 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background MR Imaging has shown atrophy in brainstem regions that were linked to autonomic dysfunction in epilepsy patients. The brainstem projects to and modulates the activation state of several wide-spread cortical/subcortical regions. The goal was to investigate 1. Impact of brainstem atrophy on gray matter connectivity of cortical/subcortical structures and autonomic control. 2. Impact on the modulation of cortical/subcortical functional connectivity. Methods 11 controls and 18 patients with non-lesional focal epilepsy (FE) underwent heart rate variability (HRV) measurements and a 3 T MRI (T1 in all subjects, task-free fMRI in 7 controls/ 12 FE). The brainstem was extracted, and atrophy assessed using deformation-based-morphometry. The age-corrected z-scores of the mean Jacobian determinants were extracted from 71 5x5x5 mm grids placed in brainstem regions associated with autonomic function. Cortical and non-brainstem subcortical gray matter atrophy was assessed with voxel-based-morphometry and mean age corrected z-scores of the modulated gray matter volumes extracted from 380 cortical/subcortical rois. The profile similarity index was used to characterize the impact of brainstem atrophy on gray matter connectivity. The fMRI was preprocessed in SPM12/Conn17 and the BOLD signal extracted from 398 ROIs (16 brainstem). A dynamic task-free analysis approach was used to identify activation states. Connectivity HRV relationship were assessed with Spearman rank correlations. Results HRV was negatively correlated with reduced brainstem right hippocampus/parahippocampus gray matter connectivity in controls (p < .05, FDR) and reduced brainstem to right parietal cortex, lingual gyrus, left hippocampus/amygdala, parahippocampus, temporal pole, and bilateral anterior thalamus connectivity in FE (p < .05, FDR). Dynamic task-free fMRI analysis identified 22 states. The strength of the functional brainstem/cortical connectivity of state 15 was negatively associated with HRV (r = −0.5, p = .03) and positively with decreased brainstem-cortical (0.49, p = .03) gray matter connectivity. Conclusion The findings of this small pilot study suggest that impaired brainstem-cortex gray matter connectivity in FE negatively affects the brainstem's ability to control cortical activation. Brainstem and cortical/subcortical gray matter (gm) connectivity is impaired in FE. FE is associated with an abnormal brain activation state in the interictal state. The severity of the gm impairment and of the abnormal brain state are correlated. GM connectivity impairment and abnormal brain activity affect HRV.
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Totah NK, Logothetis NK, Eschenko O. Noradrenergic ensemble-based modulation of cognition over multiple timescales. Brain Res 2019; 1709:50-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Totah NK, Neves RM, Panzeri S, Logothetis NK, Eschenko O. The Locus Coeruleus Is a Complex and Differentiated Neuromodulatory System. Neuron 2018; 99:1055-1068.e6. [PMID: 30122373 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 03/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Diffuse projections of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons and evidence of synchronous spiking have long been perceived as features of global neuromodulation. Recent studies demonstrated the possibility of targeted modulation by subsets of LC neurons. Non-global neuromodulation depends on target specificity and the differentiated spatiotemporal dynamics within LC. Here, we characterized interactions between 3,164 LC cell pairs in the rat LC under urethane anesthesia. Spike count correlations were near zero and only a small proportion of unit pairs had synchronized spontaneous (15%) or evoked (16%) discharge. We identified infra-slow (0.01-1 Hz) fluctuations of LC unit spike rate, which were also asynchronous across the population. Despite overall sparse population synchrony, we report the existence of LC ensembles and relate them to forebrain projection targets. We also show that spike waveform width was related to ensemble membership, propensity for synchronization, and interactions with cortex. Our findings suggest a partly differentiated and target-specific noradrenergic signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nelson K Totah
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Max-Planck-Ring 8, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Ricardo M Neves
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Max-Planck-Ring 8, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Laboratory of Neural Computation, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Bettini 31, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Nikos K Logothetis
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Max-Planck-Ring 8, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; Division of Imaging Science and Biomedical Engineering, University of Manchester, M13 9PT Manchester, UK
| | - Oxana Eschenko
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Max-Planck-Ring 8, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
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Jacob SN, Nienborg H. Monoaminergic Neuromodulation of Sensory Processing. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:51. [PMID: 30042662 PMCID: PMC6048220 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
All neuronal circuits are subject to neuromodulation. Modulatory effects on neuronal processing and resulting behavioral changes are most commonly reported for higher order cognitive brain functions. Comparatively little is known about how neuromodulators shape processing in sensory brain areas that provide the signals for downstream regions to operate on. In this article, we review the current knowledge about how the monoamine neuromodulators serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline influence the representation of sensory stimuli in the mammalian sensory system. We review the functional organization of the monoaminergic brainstem neuromodulatory systems in relation to their role for sensory processing and summarize recent neurophysiological evidence showing that monoamines have diverse effects on early sensory processing, including changes in gain and in the precision of neuronal responses to sensory inputs. We also highlight the substantial evidence for complementarity between these neuromodulatory systems with different patterns of innervation across brain areas and cortical layers as well as distinct neuromodulatory actions. Studying the effects of neuromodulators at various target sites is a crucial step in the development of a mechanistic understanding of neuronal information processing in the healthy brain and in the generation and maintenance of mental diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon N Jacob
- Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hendrikje Nienborg
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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