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Hasani H, Sun J, Zhu SI, Rong Q, Willomitzer F, Amor R, McConnell G, Cossairt O, Goodhill GJ. Whole-brain imaging of freely-moving zebrafish. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1127574. [PMID: 37139528 PMCID: PMC10150962 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1127574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the holy grails of neuroscience is to record the activity of every neuron in the brain while an animal moves freely and performs complex behavioral tasks. While important steps forward have been taken recently in large-scale neural recording in rodent models, single neuron resolution across the entire mammalian brain remains elusive. In contrast the larval zebrafish offers great promise in this regard. Zebrafish are a vertebrate model with substantial homology to the mammalian brain, but their transparency allows whole-brain recordings of genetically-encoded fluorescent indicators at single-neuron resolution using optical microscopy techniques. Furthermore zebrafish begin to show a complex repertoire of natural behavior from an early age, including hunting small, fast-moving prey using visual cues. Until recently work to address the neural bases of these behaviors mostly relied on assays where the fish was immobilized under the microscope objective, and stimuli such as prey were presented virtually. However significant progress has recently been made in developing brain imaging techniques for zebrafish which are not immobilized. Here we discuss recent advances, focusing particularly on techniques based on light-field microscopy. We also draw attention to several important outstanding issues which remain to be addressed to increase the ecological validity of the results obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Hasani
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Jipeng Sun
- Department of Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Shuyu I. Zhu
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Qiangzhou Rong
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Florian Willomitzer
- Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Rumelo Amor
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Gail McConnell
- Centre for Biophotonics, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver Cossairt
- Department of Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Geoffrey J. Goodhill
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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2
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Tomar M, Beros J, Meloni B, Rodger J. Interactions between Guidance Cues and Neuronal Activity: Therapeutic Insights from Mouse Models. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24086966. [PMID: 37108129 PMCID: PMC10138948 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24086966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Topographic mapping of neural circuits is fundamental in shaping the structural and functional organization of brain regions. This developmentally important process is crucial not only for the representation of different sensory inputs but also for their integration. Disruption of topographic organization has been associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders. The aim of this review is to highlight the mechanisms involved in creating and refining such well-defined maps in the brain with a focus on the Eph and ephrin families of axon guidance cues. We first describe the transgenic models where ephrin-A expression has been manipulated to understand the role of these guidance cues in defining topography in various sensory systems. We further describe the behavioral consequences of lacking ephrin-A guidance cues in these animal models. These studies have given us unexpected insight into how neuronal activity is equally important in refining neural circuits in different brain regions. We conclude the review by discussing studies that have used treatments such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to manipulate activity in the brain to compensate for the lack of guidance cues in ephrin-knockout animal models. We describe how rTMS could have therapeutic relevance in neurodevelopmental disorders with disrupted brain organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maitri Tomar
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Jamie Beros
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Bruno Meloni
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Jennifer Rodger
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
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3
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Zhu SI, Goodhill GJ. From perception to behavior: The neural circuits underlying prey hunting in larval zebrafish. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1087993. [PMID: 36817645 PMCID: PMC9928868 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1087993] [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: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A key challenge for neural systems is to extract relevant information from the environment and make appropriate behavioral responses. The larval zebrafish offers an exciting opportunity for studying these sensing processes and sensory-motor transformations. Prey hunting is an instinctual behavior of zebrafish that requires the brain to extract and combine different attributes of the sensory input and form appropriate motor outputs. Due to its small size and transparency the larval zebrafish brain allows optical recording of whole-brain activity to reveal the neural mechanisms involved in prey hunting and capture. In this review we discuss how the larval zebrafish brain processes visual information to identify and locate prey, the neural circuits governing the generation of motor commands in response to prey, how hunting behavior can be modulated by internal states and experience, and some outstanding questions for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyu I. Zhu
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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4
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Topographic map formation and the effects of NMDA receptor blockade in the developing visual system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2107899119. [PMID: 35193956 PMCID: PMC8872792 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2107899119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying the emergence of topographic organization in sensory maps has been constrained by spatial limitations of traditional anatomical and physiological techniques early in development in many animal models. Here, we have applied a high-resolution, noninvasive, in vivo calcium imaging approach to study the nascent retinotopic map in the larval Xenopus laevis retinotectal system. We performed longitudinal functional imaging of the three-dimensional organization of emerging retinotopic maps and assessed the effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blockade on map formation. Our results provide insights into early retinotopic map emergence and the role of NMDA receptors in the refinement of topographic gradients. The development of functional topography in the developing brain follows a progression from initially coarse to more precisely organized maps. To examine the emergence of topographically organized maps in the retinotectal system, we performed longitudinal visual receptive field mapping by calcium imaging in the optic tectum of GCaMP6-expressing transgenic Xenopus laevis tadpoles. At stage 42, just 1 d after retinal axons arrived in the optic tectum, a clear retinotopic azimuth map was evident. Animals were imaged over the following week at stages 45 and 48, over which time the tectal neuropil nearly doubled in length and exhibited more precise retinotopic organization. By microinjecting GCaMP6s messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) into one blastomere of two-cell stage embryos, we acquired bilateral mosaic tadpoles with GCaMP6s expression in postsynaptic tectal neurons on one side of the animal and in retinal ganglion cell axons crossing to the tectum on the opposite side. Longitudinal observation of retinotopic map emergence revealed the presence of orderly representations of azimuth and elevation as early as stage 42, although presynaptic inputs exhibited relatively less topographic organization than the postsynaptic component for the azimuth axis. Retinotopic gradients in the tectum became smoother between stages 42 and 45. Blocking N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor conductance by rearing tadpoles in MK-801 did not prevent the emergence of retinotopic maps, but it produced more discontinuous topographic gradients and altered receptive field characteristics. These results provide evidence that current through NMDA receptors is dispensable for coarse topographic ordering of retinotectal inputs but does contribute to the fine-scale organization of the retinotectal projection.
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5
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Rodríguez F, Quintero B, Amores L, Madrid D, Salas-Peña C, Salas C. Spatial Cognition in Teleost Fish: Strategies and Mechanisms. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:2271. [PMID: 34438729 PMCID: PMC8388456 DOI: 10.3390/ani11082271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Teleost fish have been traditionally considered primitive vertebrates compared to mammals and birds in regard to brain complexity and behavioral functions. However, an increasing amount of evidence suggests that teleosts show advanced cognitive capabilities including spatial navigation skills that parallel those of land vertebrates. Teleost fish rely on a multiplicity of sensory cues and can use a variety of spatial strategies for navigation, ranging from relatively simple body-centered orientation responses to allocentric or "external world-centered" navigation, likely based on map-like relational memory representations of the environment. These distinct spatial strategies are based on separate brain mechanisms. For example, a crucial brain center for egocentric orientation in teleost fish is the optic tectum, which can be considered an essential hub in a wider brain network responsible for the generation of egocentrically referenced actions in space. In contrast, other brain centers, such as the dorsolateral telencephalic pallium of teleost fish, considered homologue to the hippocampal pallium of land vertebrates, seem to be crucial for allocentric navigation based on map-like spatial memory. Such hypothetical relational memory representations endow fish's spatial behavior with considerable navigational flexibility, allowing them, for example, to perform shortcuts and detours.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Cosme Salas
- Laboratorio de Psicobiología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41018 Sevilla, Spain; (F.R.); (B.Q.); (L.A.); (D.M.); (C.S.-P.)
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6
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Avitan L, Pujic Z, Mölter J, Zhu S, Sun B, Goodhill GJ. Spontaneous and evoked activity patterns diverge over development. eLife 2021; 10:e61942. [PMID: 33871351 PMCID: PMC8075578 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The immature brain is highly spontaneously active. Over development this activity must be integrated with emerging patterns of stimulus-evoked activity, but little is known about how this occurs. Here we investigated this question by recording spontaneous and evoked neural activity in the larval zebrafish tectum from 4 to 15 days post-fertilisation. Correlations within spontaneous and evoked activity epochs were comparable over development, and their neural assemblies refined in similar ways. However, both the similarity between evoked and spontaneous assemblies, and also the geometric distance between spontaneous and evoked patterns, decreased over development. At all stages of development, evoked activity was of higher dimension than spontaneous activity. Thus, spontaneous and evoked activity do not converge over development in this system, and these results do not support the hypothesis that spontaneous activity evolves to form a Bayesian prior for evoked activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilach Avitan
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
| | - Zac Pujic
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Jan Mölter
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Shuyu Zhu
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Biao Sun
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Geoffrey J Goodhill
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
- School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
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7
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Avitan L, Pujic Z, Mölter J, McCullough M, Zhu S, Sun B, Myhre AE, Goodhill GJ. Behavioral Signatures of a Developing Neural Code. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3352-3363.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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8
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Levy M, Sporns O, MacLean JN. Network Analysis of Murine Cortical Dynamics Implicates Untuned Neurons in Visual Stimulus Coding. Cell Rep 2020; 31:107483. [PMID: 32294431 PMCID: PMC7218481 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.03.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Unbiased and dense sampling of large populations of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) reveals two functional sub-populations: neurons tuned and untuned to drifting gratings. Whether functional interactions between these two groups contribute to the representation of visual stimuli is unclear. To examine these interactions, we summarize the population partial pairwise correlation structure as a directed and weighted graph. We find that tuned and untuned neurons have distinct topological properties, with untuned neurons occupying central positions in functional networks (FNs). Implementation of a decoder that utilizes the topology of these FNs yields accurate decoding of visual stimuli. We further show that decoding performance degrades comparably following manipulations of either tuned or untuned neurons. Our results demonstrate that untuned neurons are an integral component of V1 FNs and suggest that network interactions contain information about the stimulus that is accessible to downstream elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Levy
- Committee on Computational Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Olaf Sporns
- Indiana University Network Science Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Jason N MacLean
- Committee on Computational Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior.
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9
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Bolton AD, Haesemeyer M, Jordi J, Schaechtle U, Saad FA, Mansinghka VK, Tenenbaum JB, Engert F. Elements of a stochastic 3D prediction engine in larval zebrafish prey capture. eLife 2019; 8:e51975. [PMID: 31769753 PMCID: PMC6930116 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The computational principles underlying predictive capabilities in animals are poorly understood. Here, we wondered whether predictive models mediating prey capture could be reduced to a simple set of sensorimotor rules performed by a primitive organism. For this task, we chose the larval zebrafish, a tractable vertebrate that pursues and captures swimming microbes. Using a novel naturalistic 3D setup, we show that the zebrafish combines position and velocity perception to construct a future positional estimate of its prey, indicating an ability to project trajectories forward in time. Importantly, the stochasticity in the fish's sensorimotor transformations provides a considerable advantage over equivalent noise-free strategies. This surprising result coalesces with recent findings that illustrate the benefits of biological stochasticity to adaptive behavior. In sum, our study reveals that zebrafish are equipped with a recursive prey capture algorithm, built up from simple stochastic rules, that embodies an implicit predictive model of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Bolton
- Center for Brain ScienceHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | | | - Josua Jordi
- Center for Brain ScienceHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Ulrich Schaechtle
- Brain and Cognitive SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Feras A Saad
- Brain and Cognitive SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Vikash K Mansinghka
- Brain and Cognitive SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Joshua B Tenenbaum
- Brain and Cognitive SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Florian Engert
- Center for Brain ScienceHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
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10
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Abstract
Visual stimuli can evoke complex behavioral responses, but the underlying streams of neural activity in mammalian brains are difficult to follow because of their size. Here, I review the visual system of zebrafish larvae, highlighting where recent experimental evidence has localized the functional steps of visuomotor transformations to specific brain areas. The retina of a larva encodes behaviorally relevant visual information in neural activity distributed across feature-selective ganglion cells such that signals representing distinct stimulus properties arrive in different areas or layers of the brain. Motor centers in the hindbrain encode motor variables that are precisely tuned to behavioral needs within a given stimulus setting. Owing to rapid technological progress, larval zebrafish provide unique opportunities for obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the intermediate processing steps occurring between visual and motor centers, revealing how visuomotor transformations are implemented in a vertebrate brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann H. Bollmann
- Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology I, Faculty of Biology, and Bernstein Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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11
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Boulanger-Weill J, Sumbre G. Functional Integration of Newborn Neurons in the Zebrafish Optic Tectum. Front Cell Dev Biol 2019; 7:57. [PMID: 31058148 PMCID: PMC6477100 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurogenesis persists during adulthood in restricted parts of the vertebrate brain. In the optic tectum (OT) of the zebrafish larva, newborn neurons are continuously added and contribute to visual information processing. Recent studies have started to describe the functional development and fate of newborn neurons in the OT. Like the mammalian brain, newborn neurons in the OT require sensory inputs for their integration into local networks and survival. Recent findings suggest that the functional development of newborn neurons requires both activity-dependent and hard-wired mechanisms for proper circuit integration. Here, we review these findings and argue that the study of neurogenesis in non-mammalian species will help elucidate the general mechanisms of circuit assembly following neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Boulanger-Weill
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Germán Sumbre
- Institut de Biologie de l’ENS (IBENS), Département de Biologie, École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
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12
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Triplett MA, Goodhill GJ. Probabilistic Encoding Models for Multivariate Neural Data. Front Neural Circuits 2019; 13:1. [PMID: 30745864 PMCID: PMC6360288 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2019.00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A key problem in systems neuroscience is to characterize how populations of neurons encode information in their patterns of activity. An understanding of the encoding process is essential both for gaining insight into the origins of perception and for the development of brain-computer interfaces. However, this characterization is complicated by the highly variable nature of neural responses, and thus usually requires probabilistic methods for analysis. Drawing on techniques from statistical modeling and machine learning, we review recent methods for extracting important variables that quantitatively describe how sensory information is encoded in neural activity. In particular, we discuss methods for estimating receptive fields, modeling neural population dynamics, and inferring low dimensional latent structure from a population of neurons, in the context of both electrophysiology and calcium imaging data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Geoffrey J. Goodhill
- Queensland Brain Institute and School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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13
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Ponce-Alvarez A, Jouary A, Privat M, Deco G, Sumbre G. Whole-Brain Neuronal Activity Displays Crackling Noise Dynamics. Neuron 2018; 100:1446-1459.e6. [PMID: 30449656 PMCID: PMC6307982 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that the brain operates at a critical point in which phases of order and disorder coexist, producing emergent patterned dynamics at all scales and optimizing several brain functions. Here, we combined light-sheet microscopy with GCaMP zebrafish larvae to study whole-brain dynamics in vivo at near single-cell resolution. We show that spontaneous activity propagates in the brain's three-dimensional space, generating scale-invariant neuronal avalanches with time courses and recurrence times that exhibit statistical self-similarity at different magnitude, temporal, and frequency scales. This suggests that the nervous system operates close to a non-equilibrium phase transition, where a large repertoire of spatial, temporal, and interactive modes can be supported. Finally, we show that gap junctions contribute to the maintenance of criticality and that, during interactions with the environment (sensory inputs and self-generated behaviors), the system is transiently displaced to a more ordered regime, conceivably to limit the potential sensory representations and motor outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Ponce-Alvarez
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 08005, Spain.
| | - Adrien Jouary
- Institut de biologie de l'Ecole normale supérieure (IBENS), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris 75005, France; Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
| | - Martin Privat
- Institut de biologie de l'Ecole normale supérieure (IBENS), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris 75005, France
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Computational Neuroscience Group, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 08005, Spain; Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona 08010, Spain; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany; School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Germán Sumbre
- Institut de biologie de l'Ecole normale supérieure (IBENS), Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris 75005, France.
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14
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Helmbrecht TO, dal Maschio M, Donovan JC, Koutsouli S, Baier H. Topography of a Visuomotor Transformation. Neuron 2018; 100:1429-1445.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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15
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Avitan L, Goodhill GJ. Code Under Construction: Neural Coding Over Development. Trends Neurosci 2018; 41:599-609. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2018.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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16
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Marachlian E, Avitan L, Goodhill GJ, Sumbre G. Principles of Functional Circuit Connectivity: Insights From Spontaneous Activity in the Zebrafish Optic Tectum. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:46. [PMID: 29977193 PMCID: PMC6021757 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain is continuously active, even in the absence of external stimulation. In the optic tectum of the zebrafish larva, this spontaneous activity is spatially organized and reflects the circuit's functional connectivity. The structure of the spontaneous activity displayed patterns associated with aspects of the larva's preferences when engaging in complex visuo-motor behaviors, suggesting that the tectal circuit is adapted for the circuit's functional role in detecting visual cues and generating adequate motor behaviors. Further studies in sensory deprived larvae suggest that the basic structure of the functional connectivity patterns emerges even in the absence of retinal inputs, but that its fine structure is affected by visual experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiliano Marachlian
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
| | - Lilach Avitan
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Geoffrey J Goodhill
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Germán Sumbre
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
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17
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Thompson AW, Scott EK. Characterisation of sensitivity and orientation tuning for visually responsive ensembles in the zebrafish tectum. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34887. [PMID: 27713561 PMCID: PMC5054398 DOI: 10.1038/srep34887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory coding relies on ensembles of co-active neurons, but these ensembles change from trial to trial of the same stimulus. This is due in part to wide variability in the responsiveness of neurons within these ensembles, with some neurons responding regularly to a stimulus while others respond inconsistently. The specific functional properties that cause neurons to respond more or less consistently have not been thoroughly explored. Here, we have examined neuronal ensembles in the zebrafish tectum responsive to repeated presentations of a visual stimulus, and have explored how these populations change when the orientation or brightness of the stimulus is altered. We found a continuum of response probabilities across the neurons in the visual ensembles, with the most responsive neurons focused toward the spatial centre of the ensemble. As the visual stimulus was made dimmer, these neurons remained active, suggesting higher overall responsiveness. However, these cells appeared to represent the most consistent end of a continuum, rather than a functionally distinct “core” of highly responsive neurons. Reliably responsive cells were broadly tuned to a range of stimulus orientations suggesting that, at least for this stimulus property, tight stimulus tuning was not responsible for their consistent responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- A W Thompson
- School of Biomedical Sciences The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - E K Scott
- School of Biomedical Sciences The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.,The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
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