Reduction in neural performance following recovery from anoxic stress is mimicked by AMPK pathway activation

Low Glycolysis Is Neuroprotective during Anoxic Spreading Depolarization (SD) and Reoxygenation in Locusts

Migratory locusts enter a reversible hypometabolic coma to survive environmental anoxia, wherein the cessation of CNS activity is driven by spreading depolarization (SD). While glycolysis is recognized as a crucial anaerobic energy source contributing to animal anoxia tolerance, its influence on the anoxic SD trajectory and recovery outcomes remains poorly understood. We investigated the effects of varying glycolytic capacity on adult female locust anoxic SD parameters, using glucose or the glycolytic inhibitors 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG) or monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). Surprisingly, 2DG treatment shared similarities with glucose yet had opposite effects compared with MIA. Specifically, although SD onset was not affected, both glucose and 2DG expedited the recovery of CNS electrical activity during reoxygenation, whereas MIA delayed it. Additionally, glucose and MIA, but not 2DG, increased tissue damage and neural cell death following anoxia-reoxygenation. Notably, glucose-induced injuries were associated with heightened CO2 output during the early phase of reoxygenation. Conversely, 2DG resulted in a bimodal response, initially dampening CO2 output and gradually increasing it throughout the recovery period. Given the discrepancies between effects of 2DG and MIA, the current results require cautious interpretations. Nonetheless, our findings present evidence that glycolysis is not a critical metabolic component in either anoxic SD onset or recovery and that heightened glycolysis during reoxygenation may exacerbate CNS injuries. Furthermore, we suggest that locust anoxic recovery is not solely dependent on energy availability, and the regulation of metabolic flux during early reoxygenation may constitute a strategy to mitigate damage.

A cold and quiet brain: mechanisms of insect CNS arrest at low temperatures

Exposure to cold causes insects to enter a chill coma at species-specific temperatures and such temperature sensitivity contributes to geographic distribution and phenology. Coma results from abrupt spreading depolarization (SD) of neural tissue in the integrative centers of the CNS. SD abolishes neuronal signaling and the operation of neural circuits, like an off switch for the CNS. Turning off the CNS by allowing ion gradients to collapse will conserve energy and may offset negative consequences of temporary immobility. SD is modified by prior experience via rapid cold hardening (RCH) or cold acclimation which alter properties of K_v channels, Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and Na⁺/K⁺/2Cl^- cotransporter. The stress hormone octopamine mediates RCH. Future progress depends on developing a more complete understanding of ion homeostasis in and of the insect CNS.

Rapid cold hardening increases axonal Na+/K+-ATPase activity and enhances performance of a visual motion detection circuit in Locusta migratoria

Rapid cold hardening (RCH) is a type of phenotypic plasticity that delays the occurrence of chill coma in insects. Chill coma is mediated by a spreading depolarization of neurons and glia in the CNS, triggered by a failure of ion homeostasis. We used biochemical and electrophysiological approaches in the locust, Locusta migratoria, to test the hypothesis that the protection afforded by RCH is mediated by activation of the Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) in neural tissue. RCH did not affect NKA activity measured in a biochemical assay of homogenized thoracic ganglia. However, RCH hyperpolarized the axon of a visual interneuron (DCMD) and increased the amplitude of an activity-dependent hyperpolarization (ADH) shown previously to be blocked by ouabain. RCH also improved performance of the visual circuitry presynaptic to DCMD to minimize habituation and increase excitability. We conclude that RCH enhances in situ NKA activity in the nervous system but also affects other neuronal properties that promote visual processing in locusts.

Effects of body size and lung type on desiccation resistance, hypoxia tolerance and thermal preference in two terrestrial isopods species

Terrestrial isopods have evolved adaptations to reduce water loss, which is necessary for life in low humidity environments. However, the evolution of a waterproofed cuticle to prevent loss of water to the environment could also impede oxygen uptake from the environment. We therefore postulate an evolutionary trade-off between water retention and gas exchange in this group of soil animals. The outcome of this trade-off is expected to be affected by both differences across species (different types of lung) and differences within species (body size and resulting surface area to volume ratios). To test these ideas, we compared two sympatric isopods: Porcellio scaber and Oniscus asellus. While P. scaber possesses covered lungs typical for drier habitats, O. asellus has simple open respiratory fields which are in direct contact with external air. For each species, we assessed how individuals across a broad range in body size differed in their hypoxia and desiccation tolerance. In addition, we assessed how hypoxia and low humidity affected their thermal preference. We found clear effects of species identity and body size on tolerance to hypoxia and low humidity. Desiccation resistance was tightly linked to water loss rates (R² = 0.96) and strongly resembled the interspecific pattern across 20 isopod species. However, our results did not support the postulated trade-off. Tolerance to hypoxia and low humidity covaried, both increasing with body size and being higher in P. scaber. Thermal preference was affected by both hypoxia and low humidity, but not by body size. Our study increases understanding of the ecophysiology of both species, which can be useful in explaining the geographical distribution and use of microhabitats of isopod species in a climate change context.

Neural shutdown under stress: an evolutionary perspective on spreading depolarization

Neural function depends on maintaining cellular membrane potentials as the basis for electrical signaling. Yet, in mammals and insects, neuronal and glial membrane potentials can reversibly depolarize to zero, shutting down neural function by the process of spreading depolarization (SD) that collapses the ion gradients across membranes. SD is not evident in all metazoan taxa with centralized nervous systems. We consider the occurrence and similarities of SD in different animals and suggest that it is an emergent property of nervous systems that have evolved to control complex behaviors requiring energetically expensive, rapid information processing in a tightly regulated extracellular environment. Whether SD is beneficial or not in mammals remains an open question. However, in insects, it is associated with the response to harsh environments and may provide an energetic advantage that improves the chances of survival. The remarkable similarity of SD in diverse taxa supports a model systems approach to understanding the mechanistic underpinning of human neuropathology associated with migraine, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.

Chill coma in the locust, Locusta migratoria, is initiated by spreading depolarization in the central nervous system

The ability of chill-sensitive insects to function at low temperatures limits their geographic ranges. They have species-specific temperatures below which movements become uncoordinated prior to entering a reversible state of neuromuscular paralysis. In spite of decades of research, which in recent years has focused on muscle function, the role of neural mechanisms in determining chill coma is unknown. Spreading depolarization (SD) is a phenomenon that causes a shutdown of neural function in the integrating centres of the central nervous system. We investigated the role of SD in the process of entering chill coma in the locust, Locusta migratoria. We used thermolimit respirometry and electromyography in whole animals and extracellular and intracellular recording techniques in semi-intact preparations to characterize neural events during chilling. We show that chill-induced SD in the central nervous system is the mechanism underlying the critical thermal minimum for coordinated movement in locusts. This finding will be important for understanding how insects adapt and acclimate to changing environmental temperatures.

Food deprivation and prior anoxic coma have opposite effects on the activity of a visual interneuron in the locust

We compared how different metabolic stressors, anoxic coma and food deprivation, affected signaling in neural tissue. We used the locust's Descending Contralateral Movement Detector (DCMD) interneuron because its large axon, high firing frequencies, and rapid conduction velocity make it energetically expensive. We exposed locusts to a 30min anoxic coma or 1day of food deprivation and found contrasting effects on signaling within the axon. After a prior anoxic coma, the DCMD fired fewer high-frequency (>200Hz) action potentials (APs) (Control: 12.4±1.6; Coma: 6.3±0.9) with a reduction in axonal conduction velocity (CV) at all frequencies (∼4-8%) when presented with a standard looming visual stimulus. Prior anoxic coma was also associated with a loss of supernormal conduction by reducing both the number of supernormal APs and the firing frequency with the highest CV. Initially, food deprivation caused a significant increase in the number of low- and high-frequency APs with no differences observed in CV. After controlling for isolation, food deprivation resulted in an increase in high-frequency APs (>200Hz: Control: 17.1±1.7; Food-deprived: 19.9±1.3) and an increase in relative conduction velocity for frequencies >150Hz (∼2%). Action potentials of food-deprived animals had a smaller half-width (Control: 0.45±0.02ms; Food-deprived: 0.40±0.01ms) and decay time (Control: 0.62±0.03ms; Food-deprived: 0.54±0.02ms). Our data indicate that the effects of metabolic stress on neural signaling can be stressor-dependent.

Ionic mechanisms maintaining action potential conduction velocity at high firing frequencies in an unmyelinated axon

The descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) is a high‐performance interneuron in locusts with an axon capable of transmitting action potentials (AP) at more than 500 Hz. We investigated biophysical mechanisms for fidelity of high‐frequency transmission in this axon. We measured conduction velocities (CVs) at room temperature during exposure to 10 mmol/L cadmium, a calcium current antagonist, and found significant reduction in CV with reduction at frequencies >200 Hz of ~10%. Higher temperatures induced greater CV reductions during exposure to cadmium across all frequencies of ~20–30%. Intracellular recordings during 15 min of exposure to cadmium or nickel, also a calcium current antagonist, revealed an increase in the magnitude of the afterhyperpolarization potential (AHP) and the time to recover to baseline after the AHP (Medians for Control: −19.8%; Nickel: 167.2%; Cadmium: 387.2%), that could be due to a T‐type calcium current. However, the removal of extracellular calcium did not mimic divalent cation exposure suggesting calcium currents are not the cause of the AHP increase. Computational modeling showed that the effects of the divalent cations could be modeled with a persistent sodium current which could be blocked by high concentrations of divalent cations. Persistent sodium current shortened the AHP duration in our models and increased CV for high‐frequency APs. We suggest that faithful, high‐frequency axonal conduction in the DCMD is enabled by a mechanism that shortens the AHP duration like a persistent or resurgent sodium current.

Octopamine stabilizes conduction reliability of an unmyelinated axon during hypoxic stress

Mechanisms that could mitigate the effects of hypoxia on neuronal signaling are incompletely understood. We show that axonal performance of a locust visual interneuron varied depending on oxygen availability. To induce hypoxia, tracheae supplying the thoracic nervous system were surgically lesioned and action potentials in the axon of the descending contralateral movement detector (DCMD) neuron passing through this region were monitored extracellularly. The conduction velocity and fidelity of action potentials decreased throughout a 45-min experiment in hypoxic preparations, whereas conduction reliability remained constant when the tracheae were left intact. The reduction in conduction velocity was exacerbated for action potentials firing at high instantaneous frequencies. Bath application of octopamine mitigated the loss of conduction velocity and fidelity. Action potential conduction was more vulnerable in portions of the axon passing through the mesothoracic ganglion than in the connectives between ganglia, indicating that hypoxic modulation of the extracellular environment of the neuropil has an important role to play. In intact locusts, octopamine and its antagonist, epinastine, had effects on the entry to, and recovery from, anoxic coma consistent with octopamine increasing overall neural performance during hypoxia. These effects could have functional relevance for the animal during periods of environmental or activity-induced hypoxia.

Na+-K+-ATPase trafficking induced by heat shock pretreatment correlates with increased resistance to anoxia in locusts

The sensitivity of insect nervous systems to anoxia can be modulated genetically and pharmacologically, but the cellular mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. We examined the effect of a heat shock pretreatment (HS) on the sensitivity of the locust (Locusta migratoria) nervous system to anoxia induced by water immersion. Prior HS made locusts more resistant to anoxia by increasing the time taken to enter a coma and by reducing the time taken to recover the ability to stand. Anoxic comas were accompanied by surges of extracellular potassium ions in the neuropile of the metathoracic ganglion, and HS reduced the time taken for clearance of excess extracellular potassium ions. This could not be attributed to a decrease in the activity of protein kinase G, which was increased by HS. In homogenates of the metathoracic ganglion, HS had only a mild effect on the activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase. However, we demonstrated that HS caused a threefold increase in the immunofluorescent localization of the α-subunit of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in metathoracic neuronal plasma membranes relative to background labeling of the nucleus. We conclude that HS induced trafficking of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase into neuronal plasma membranes and suggest that this was at least partially responsible for the increased resistance to anoxia and the increased rate of recovery of neural function after a disturbance of K(+) homeostasis.