1
|
Desai NS, Zhong C, Kim R, Talmage DA, Role LW. A simple MATLAB toolbox for analyzing calcium imaging data in vitro and in vivo. J Neurosci Methods 2024; 409:110202. [PMID: 38906335 PMCID: PMC11289828 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2024.110202] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fluorescence imaging of calcium dynamics in neuronal populations is powerful because it offers a way of relating the activity of individual cells to the broader population of nearby cells. The method's growth across neuroscience has particularly been driven by the introduction of sophisticated mathematical techniques related to motion correction, image registration, cell detection, spike estimation, and population characterization. However, for many researchers, making good use of these techniques has been difficult because they have been devised by different workers and impose differing - and sometimes stringent - technical requirements on those who seek to use them. NEW METHOD We have built a simple toolbox of analysis routines that encompass the complete workflow for analyzing calcium imaging data. The workflow begins with preprocessing of data, includes motion correction and longitudinal image registration, detects active cells using constrained non-negative matrix factorization, and offers multiple options for estimating spike times and characterizing population activity. The routines can be navigated through a simple graphical user interface. Although written in MATLAB, a standalone version for researchers who do not have access to MATLAB is included. RESULTS We have used the toolbox on two very different preparations: spontaneously active brain slices and microendoscopic imaging from deep structures in awake behaving mice. In both cases, the toolbox offered a seamless flow from raw data all the way through to prepared graphs. CONCLUSION The field of calcium imaging has benefited from the development of numerous innovative mathematical techniques. Here we offer a simple toolbox that allows ordinary researchers to fully exploit these techniques.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niraj S Desai
- Circuits, Synapses, and Molecular Signaling Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 90892, USA.
| | - Chongbo Zhong
- Circuits, Synapses, and Molecular Signaling Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 90892, USA
| | - Ronald Kim
- Genetics of Neuronal Signaling Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 90892, USA
| | - David A Talmage
- Genetics of Neuronal Signaling Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 90892, USA
| | - Lorna W Role
- Circuits, Synapses, and Molecular Signaling Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 90892, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ahmadpour N, Kantroo M, Stobart MJ, Meza-Resillas J, Shabanipour S, Parra-Nuñez J, Salamovska T, Muzaleva A, O'Hara F, Erickson D, Di Gaetano B, Carrion-Falgarona S, Weber B, Lamont A, Lavine NE, Kauppinen TM, Jackson MF, Stobart JL. Cortical astrocyte N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors influence whisker barrel activity and sensory discrimination in mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1571. [PMID: 38383567 PMCID: PMC10882001 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45989-3] [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: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes express ionotropic receptors, including N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). However, the contribution of NMDARs to astrocyte-neuron interactions, particularly in vivo, has not been elucidated. Here we show that a knockdown approach to selectively reduce NMDARs in mouse cortical astrocytes decreases astrocyte Ca2+ transients evoked by sensory stimulation. Astrocyte NMDAR knockdown also impairs nearby neuronal circuits by elevating spontaneous neuron activity and limiting neuronal recruitment, synchronization, and adaptation during sensory stimulation. Furthermore, this compromises the optimal processing of sensory information since the sensory acuity of the mice is reduced during a whisker-dependent tactile discrimination task. Lastly, we rescue the effects of astrocyte NMDAR knockdown on neurons and improve the tactile acuity of the animal by supplying exogenous ATP. Overall, our findings show that astrocytes can respond to nearby neuronal activity via their NMDAR, and that these receptors are an important component for purinergic signaling that regulate astrocyte-neuron interactions and cortical sensory discrimination in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Meher Kantroo
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Anna Muzaleva
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Finnegan O'Hara
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Dustin Erickson
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Bruno Di Gaetano
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | | | - Bruno Weber
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alana Lamont
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- PrairieNeuro Research Center, Health Sciences Center, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Natalie E Lavine
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- PrairieNeuro Research Center, Health Sciences Center, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Tiina M Kauppinen
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- PrairieNeuro Research Center, Health Sciences Center, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Michael F Jackson
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- PrairieNeuro Research Center, Health Sciences Center, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Jillian L Stobart
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
- Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sharma H, Azouz R. Global and local neuronal coding of tactile information in the barrel cortex. Front Neurosci 2024; 17:1291864. [PMID: 38249584 PMCID: PMC10796699 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1291864] [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: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
During tactile sensation in rodents, the whisker movements across surfaces give rise to intricate whisker motions that encompass discrete and transient stick-slip events, effectively conveying valuable information regarding surface properties. These surface characteristics are transformed into cortical neuronal responses. This study examined the coding strategies underlying these transformations in rat whiskers. We found that changes in surface coarseness modified the number and magnitude of stick-slip events, which in turn both modulated properties of neuronal responses. Global changes in the number of stick-slip events primarily affected neuronal discharge rates and the degree of neuronal synchronization. In contrast, local changes in the magnitude of stick-slip events affected the transformation of these kinematic and kinetic characteristics into neuronal discharges. Most cortical neurons exhibited surface coarseness selectivity through global and local stick-slip event properties. However, this selectivity varied across coding strategies in the same neurons, given that each coding strategy reflected different aspects of changes in whisker-surface interactions. The degree of spatial similarity in surface coarseness preference in adjacently recorded neurons differed among these coding strategies. Adjacently recorded neurons exhibited the same surface coarseness preference in their firing rates but not through other coding strategies. Through these results, we were able to show that local stick-slip event properties contribute to texture discrimination, complementing and surpassing global coding in this context. These findings suggest that the representation of surface coarseness in the cortex may rely on concurrent coding strategies that integrate tactile information across different spatiotemporal scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Rony Azouz
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Southern District, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
de Kock CPJ, Feldmeyer D. Shared and divergent principles of synaptic transmission between cortical excitatory neurons in rodent and human brain. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2023; 15:1274383. [PMID: 37731775 PMCID: PMC10508294 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2023.1274383] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Information transfer between principal neurons in neocortex occurs through (glutamatergic) synaptic transmission. In this focussed review, we provide a detailed overview on the strength of synaptic neurotransmission between pairs of excitatory neurons in human and laboratory animals with a specific focus on data obtained using patch clamp electrophysiology. We reach two major conclusions: (1) the synaptic strength, measured as unitary excitatory postsynaptic potential (or uEPSP), is remarkably consistent across species, cortical regions, layers and/or cell-types (median 0.5 mV, interquartile range 0.4-1.0 mV) with most variability associated with the cell-type specific connection studied (min 0.1-max 1.4 mV), (2) synaptic function cannot be generalized across human and rodent, which we exemplify by discussing the differences in anatomical and functional properties of pyramidal-to-pyramidal connections within human and rodent cortical layers 2 and 3. With only a handful of studies available on synaptic transmission in human, it is obvious that much remains unknown to date. Uncovering the shared and divergent principles of synaptic transmission across species however, will almost certainly be a pivotal step toward understanding human cognitive ability and brain function in health and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christiaan P. J. de Kock
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dirk Feldmeyer
- Research Center Juelich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
- Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance, Translational Brain Medicine (JARA Brain), Aachen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Buchholz MO, Gastone Guilabert A, Ehret B, Schuhknecht GFP. How synaptic strength, short-term plasticity, and input synchrony contribute to neuronal spike output. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011046. [PMID: 37068099 PMCID: PMC10153727 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurons integrate from thousands of synapses whose strengths span an order of magnitude. Intriguingly, in mouse neocortex, the few 'strong' synapses are formed between similarly tuned cells, suggesting they determine spiking output. This raises the question of how other computational primitives, including 'background' activity from the many 'weak' synapses, short-term plasticity, and temporal factors contribute to spiking. We used paired recordings and extracellular stimulation experiments to map excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitudes and paired-pulse ratios of synaptic connections formed between pyramidal neurons in layer 2/3 (L2/3) of barrel cortex. While net short-term plasticity was weak, strong synaptic connections were exclusively depressing. Importantly, we found no evidence for clustering of synaptic properties on individual neurons. Instead, EPSPs and paired-pulse ratios of connections converging onto the same cells spanned the full range observed across L2/3, which critically constrains theoretical models of cortical filtering. To investigate how different computational primitives of synaptic information processing interact to shape spiking, we developed a computational model of a pyramidal neuron in the excitatory L2/3 circuitry, which was constrained by our experiments and published in vivo data. We found that strong synapses were substantially depressed during ongoing activation and their ability to evoke correlated spiking primarily depended on their high temporal synchrony and high firing rates observed in vivo. However, despite this depression, their larger EPSP amplitudes strongly amplified information transfer and responsiveness. Thus, our results contribute to a nuanced framework of how cortical neurons exploit synergies between temporal coding, synaptic properties, and noise to transform synaptic inputs into spikes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moritz O Buchholz
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Benjamin Ehret
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gregor F P Schuhknecht
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lin Y, Zhang XJ, Yang J, Li S, Li L, Lv X, Ma J, Shi SH. Developmental neuronal origin regulates neocortical map formation. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112170. [PMID: 36842085 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory neurons in the neocortex exhibit distinct functional selectivity to constitute the neural map. While neocortical map of the visual cortex in higher mammals is clustered, it displays a striking "salt-and-pepper" pattern in rodents. However, little is known about the origin and basis of the interspersed neocortical map. Here we report that the intricate excitatory neuronal kinship-dependent synaptic connectivity influences precise functional map organization in the mouse primary visual cortex. While sister neurons originating from the same neurogenic radial glial progenitors (RGPs) preferentially develop synapses, cousin neurons derived from amplifying RGPs selectively antagonize horizontal synapse formation. Accordantly, cousin neurons in similar layers exhibit clear functional selectivity differences, contributing to a salt-and-pepper architecture. Removal of clustered protocadherins (cPCDHs), the largest subgroup of the diverse cadherin superfamily, eliminates functional selectivity differences between cousin neurons and alters neocortical map organization. These results suggest that developmental neuronal origin regulates neocortical map formation via cPCDHs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Lin
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xin-Jun Zhang
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jiajun Yang
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shuo Li
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Laura Li
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiaohui Lv
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jian Ma
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Song-Hai Shi
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sharma H, Azouz R. Coexisting neuronal coding strategies in the barrel cortex. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:4986-5004. [PMID: 35149866 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
During tactile sensation by rodents, whisker movements across surfaces generate complex whisker motions, including discrete, transient stick-slip events, which carry information about surface properties. The characteristics of these events and how the brain encodes this tactile information remain enigmatic. We found that cortical neurons show a mixture of synchronized and nontemporally correlated spikes in their tactile responses. Synchronous spikes convey the magnitude of stick-slip events by numerous aspects of temporal coding. These spikes show preferential selectivity for kinetic and kinematic whisker motion. By contrast, asynchronous spikes in each neuron convey the magnitude of stick-slip events by their discharge rates, response probability, and interspike intervals. We further show that the differentiation between these two types of activity is highly dependent on the magnitude of stick-slip events and stimulus and response history. These results suggest that cortical neurons transmit multiple components of tactile information through numerous coding strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hariom Sharma
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Rony Azouz
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Filipchuk A, Schwenkgrub J, Destexhe A, Bathellier B. Awake perception is associated with dedicated neuronal assemblies in the cerebral cortex. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1327-1338. [PMID: 36171431 PMCID: PMC9534770 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01168-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Neural activity in the sensory cortex combines stimulus responses and ongoing activity, but it remains unclear whether these reflect the same underlying dynamics or separate processes. In the present study, we show in mice that, during wakefulness, the neuronal assemblies evoked by sounds in the auditory cortex and thalamus are specific to the stimulus and distinct from the assemblies observed in ongoing activity. By contrast, under three different anesthetics, evoked assemblies are indistinguishable from ongoing assemblies in the cortex. However, they remain distinct in the thalamus. A strong remapping of sensory responses accompanies this dynamic state change produced by anesthesia. Together, these results show that the awake cortex engages dedicated neuronal assemblies in response to sensory inputs, which we suggest is a network correlate of sensory perception. Filipchuk et al. show that when awake mice perceive sounds, the auditory cortex produces sound-specific neuronal assemblies distinct from its ongoing activity, whereas under anesthesia sound-evoked assemblies are indistinguishable from ongoing activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anton Filipchuk
- Paris-Saclay University, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, Saclay, France.,Healthy Mind, Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Paris, France
| | - Joanna Schwenkgrub
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, INSERM, Institut de l'Audition, Paris, France
| | - Alain Destexhe
- Paris-Saclay University, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, Saclay, France.
| | - Brice Bathellier
- Paris-Saclay University, CNRS, Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience, Saclay, France. .,Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, INSERM, Institut de l'Audition, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Grienberger C, Giovannucci A, Zeiger W, Portera-Cailliau C. Two-photon calcium imaging of neuronal activity. NATURE REVIEWS. METHODS PRIMERS 2022; 2:67. [PMID: 38124998 PMCID: PMC10732251 DOI: 10.1038/s43586-022-00147-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
In vivo two-photon calcium imaging (2PCI) is a technique used for recording neuronal activity in the intact brain. It is based on the principle that, when neurons fire action potentials, intracellular calcium levels rise, which can be detected using fluorescent molecules that bind to calcium. This Primer is designed for scientists who are considering embarking on experiments with 2PCI. We provide the reader with a background on the basic concepts behind calcium imaging and on the reasons why 2PCI is an increasingly powerful and versatile technique in neuroscience. The Primer explains the different steps involved in experiments with 2PCI, provides examples of what ideal preparations should look like and explains how data are analysed. We also discuss some of the current limitations of the technique, and the types of solutions to circumvent them. Finally, we conclude by anticipating what the future of 2PCI might look like, emphasizing some of the analysis pipelines that are being developed and international efforts for data sharing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Grienberger
- Department of Biology and Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Andrea Giovannucci
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - William Zeiger
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Portera-Cailliau
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Moroni M, Brondi M, Fellin T, Panzeri S. SmaRT2P: a software for generating and processing smart line recording trajectories for population two-photon calcium imaging. Brain Inform 2022; 9:18. [PMID: 35927517 PMCID: PMC9352634 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-022-00166-4] [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: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Two-photon fluorescence calcium imaging allows recording the activity of large neural populations with subcellular spatial resolution, but it is typically characterized by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and poor accuracy in detecting single or few action potentials when large number of neurons are imaged. We recently showed that implementing a smart line scanning approach using trajectories that optimally sample the regions of interest increases both the SNR fluorescence signals and the accuracy of single spike detection in population imaging in vivo. However, smart line scanning requires highly specialised software to design recording trajectories, interface with acquisition hardware, and efficiently process acquired data. Furthermore, smart line scanning needs optimized strategies to cope with movement artefacts and neuropil contamination. Here, we develop and validate SmaRT2P, an open-source, user-friendly and easy-to-interface Matlab-based software environment to perform optimized smart line scanning in two-photon calcium imaging experiments. SmaRT2P is designed to interface with popular acquisition software (e.g., ScanImage) and implements novel strategies to detect motion artefacts, estimate neuropil contamination, and minimize their impact on functional signals extracted from neuronal population imaging. SmaRT2P is structured in a modular way to allow flexibility in the processing pipeline, requiring minimal user intervention in parameter setting. The use of SmaRT2P for smart line scanning has the potential to facilitate the functional investigation of large neuronal populations with increased SNR and accuracy in detecting the discharge of single and few action potentials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monica Moroni
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, UniTn, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 38068, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - Marco Brondi
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences-UNIPD, Università Degli Studi Di Padova, 35121, Padua, Italy.,Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), Università Degli Studi Di Padova, 35129, Padua, Italy
| | - Tommaso Fellin
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Stefano Panzeri
- Neural Computation Laboratory, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, UniTn, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 38068, Rovereto, Italy. .,Department of Excellence for Neural Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 20251, Hamburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Akemann W, Wolf S, Villette V, Mathieu B, Tangara A, Fodor J, Ventalon C, Léger JF, Dieudonné S, Bourdieu L. Fast optical recording of neuronal activity by three-dimensional custom-access serial holography. Nat Methods 2022; 19:100-110. [PMID: 34949810 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-021-01329-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Optical recording of neuronal activity in three-dimensional (3D) brain circuits at cellular and millisecond resolution in vivo is essential for probing information flow in the brain. While random-access multiphoton microscopy permits fast optical access to neuronal targets in three dimensions, the method is challenged by motion artifacts when recording from behaving animals. Therefore, we developed three-dimensional custom-access serial holography (3D-CASH). Built on a fast acousto-optic light modulator, 3D-CASH performs serial sampling at 40 kHz from neurons at freely selectable 3D locations. Motion artifacts are eliminated by targeting each neuron with a size-optimized pattern of excitation light covering the cell body and its anticipated displacement field. Spike rates inferred from GCaMP6f recordings in visual cortex of awake mice tracked the phase of a moving bar stimulus with higher spike correlation between intra compared to interlaminar neuron pairs. 3D-CASH offers access to the millisecond correlation structure of in vivo neuronal activity in 3D microcircuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Walther Akemann
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Wolf
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Physique de l'ENS (LPENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Villette
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Benjamin Mathieu
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Astou Tangara
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Jozsua Fodor
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Cathie Ventalon
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Jean-François Léger
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Dieudonné
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Bourdieu
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abdelfattah AS, Ahuja S, Akkin T, Allu SR, Brake J, Boas DA, Buckley EM, Campbell RE, Chen AI, Cheng X, Čižmár T, Costantini I, De Vittorio M, Devor A, Doran PR, El Khatib M, Emiliani V, Fomin-Thunemann N, Fainman Y, Fernandez-Alfonso T, Ferri CGL, Gilad A, Han X, Harris A, Hillman EMC, Hochgeschwender U, Holt MG, Ji N, Kılıç K, Lake EMR, Li L, Li T, Mächler P, Miller EW, Mesquita RC, Nadella KMNS, Nägerl UV, Nasu Y, Nimmerjahn A, Ondráčková P, Pavone FS, Perez Campos C, Peterka DS, Pisano F, Pisanello F, Puppo F, Sabatini BL, Sadegh S, Sakadzic S, Shoham S, Shroff SN, Silver RA, Sims RR, Smith SL, Srinivasan VJ, Thunemann M, Tian L, Tian L, Troxler T, Valera A, Vaziri A, Vinogradov SA, Vitale F, Wang LV, Uhlířová H, Xu C, Yang C, Yang MH, Yellen G, Yizhar O, Zhao Y. Neurophotonic tools for microscopic measurements and manipulation: status report. NEUROPHOTONICS 2022; 9:013001. [PMID: 35493335 PMCID: PMC9047450 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.9.s1.013001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Neurophotonics was launched in 2014 coinciding with the launch of the BRAIN Initiative focused on development of technologies for advancement of neuroscience. For the last seven years, Neurophotonics' agenda has been well aligned with this focus on neurotechnologies featuring new optical methods and tools applicable to brain studies. While the BRAIN Initiative 2.0 is pivoting towards applications of these novel tools in the quest to understand the brain, this status report reviews an extensive and diverse toolkit of novel methods to explore brain function that have emerged from the BRAIN Initiative and related large-scale efforts for measurement and manipulation of brain structure and function. Here, we focus on neurophotonic tools mostly applicable to animal studies. A companion report, scheduled to appear later this year, will cover diffuse optical imaging methods applicable to noninvasive human studies. For each domain, we outline the current state-of-the-art of the respective technologies, identify the areas where innovation is needed, and provide an outlook for the future directions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S. Abdelfattah
- Brown University, Department of Neuroscience, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
| | - Sapna Ahuja
- University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Taner Akkin
- University of Minnesota, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
| | - Srinivasa Rao Allu
- University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Joshua Brake
- Harvey Mudd College, Department of Engineering, Claremont, California, United States
| | - David A. Boas
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Erin M. Buckley
- Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Emory University, Department of Pediatrics, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Robert E. Campbell
- University of Tokyo, Department of Chemistry, Tokyo, Japan
- University of Alberta, Department of Chemistry, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Anderson I. Chen
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Xiaojun Cheng
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Tomáš Čižmár
- Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Irene Costantini
- University of Florence, European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, Department of Biology, Florence, Italy
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo De Vittorio
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano, Italy
| | - Anna Devor
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Patrick R. Doran
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Mirna El Khatib
- University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | | | - Natalie Fomin-Thunemann
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Yeshaiahu Fainman
- University of California San Diego, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Tomas Fernandez-Alfonso
- University College London, Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher G. L. Ferri
- University of California San Diego, Departments of Neurosciences, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Ariel Gilad
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute for Medical Research Israel–Canada, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Xue Han
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Andrew Harris
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Brain Sciences, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Ute Hochgeschwender
- Central Michigan University, Department of Neuroscience, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States
| | - Matthew G. Holt
- University of Porto, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Porto, Portugal
| | - Na Ji
- University of California Berkeley, Department of Physics, Berkeley, California, United States
| | - Kıvılcım Kılıç
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Evelyn M. R. Lake
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
| | - Lei Li
- California Institute of Technology, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Pasadena, California, United States
| | - Tianqi Li
- University of Minnesota, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
| | - Philipp Mächler
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Evan W. Miller
- University of California Berkeley, Departments of Chemistry and Molecular & Cell Biology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, California, United States
| | | | | | - U. Valentin Nägerl
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience University of Bordeaux & CNRS, Bordeaux, France
| | - Yusuke Nasu
- University of Tokyo, Department of Chemistry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Axel Nimmerjahn
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Petra Ondráčková
- Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Francesco S. Pavone
- National Institute of Optics, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- University of Florence, European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, Department of Physics, Florence, Italy
| | - Citlali Perez Campos
- Columbia University, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, New York, United States
| | - Darcy S. Peterka
- Columbia University, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, New York, United States
| | - Filippo Pisano
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano, Italy
| | - Ferruccio Pisanello
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies, Arnesano, Italy
| | - Francesca Puppo
- University of California San Diego, Departments of Neurosciences, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Bernardo L. Sabatini
- Harvard Medical School, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Sanaz Sadegh
- University of California San Diego, Departments of Neurosciences, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Sava Sakadzic
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Shy Shoham
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Tech4Health and Neuroscience Institutes, New York, New York, United States
| | - Sanaya N. Shroff
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - R. Angus Silver
- University College London, Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth R. Sims
- Sorbonne University, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Spencer L. Smith
- University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Santa Barbara, California, United States
| | - Vivek J. Srinivasan
- New York University Langone Health, Departments of Ophthalmology and Radiology, New York, New York, United States
| | - Martin Thunemann
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Lei Tian
- Boston University, Departments of Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Lin Tian
- University of California Davis, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Davis, California, United States
| | - Thomas Troxler
- University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Antoine Valera
- University College London, Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alipasha Vaziri
- Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Neurotechnology and Biophysics, New York, New York, United States
- The Rockefeller University, The Kavli Neural Systems Institute, New York, New York, United States
| | - Sergei A. Vinogradov
- University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Flavia Vitale
- Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, Departments of Neurology, Bioengineering, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Lihong V. Wang
- California Institute of Technology, Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Pasadena, California, United States
| | - Hana Uhlířová
- Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Chris Xu
- Cornell University, School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Ithaca, New York, United States
| | - Changhuei Yang
- California Institute of Technology, Departments of Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering and Medical Engineering, Pasadena, California, United States
| | - Mu-Han Yang
- University of California San Diego, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Gary Yellen
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurobiology, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Ofer Yizhar
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Brain Sciences, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yongxin Zhao
- Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Biological Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Huang C, Zeldenrust F, Celikel T. Cortical Representation of Touch in Silico. Neuroinformatics 2022; 20:1013-1039. [PMID: 35486347 PMCID: PMC9588483 DOI: 10.1007/s12021-022-09576-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
With its six layers and ~ 12,000 neurons, a cortical column is a complex network whose function is plausibly greater than the sum of its constituents'. Functional characterization of its network components will require going beyond the brute-force modulation of the neural activity of a small group of neurons. Here we introduce an open-source, biologically inspired, computationally efficient network model of the somatosensory cortex's granular and supragranular layers after reconstructing the barrel cortex in soma resolution. Comparisons of the network activity to empirical observations showed that the in silico network replicates the known properties of touch representations and whisker deprivation-induced changes in synaptic strength induced in vivo. Simulations show that the history of the membrane potential acts as a spatial filter that determines the presynaptic population of neurons contributing to a post-synaptic action potential; this spatial filtering might be critical for synaptic integration of top-down and bottom-up information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chao Huang
- grid.9647.c0000 0004 7669 9786Department of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fleur Zeldenrust
- grid.5590.90000000122931605Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Tansu Celikel
- grid.5590.90000000122931605Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Lyall EH, Mossing DP, Pluta SR, Chu YW, Dudai A, Adesnik H. Synthesis of a comprehensive population code for contextual features in the awake sensory cortex. eLife 2021; 10:e62687. [PMID: 34723796 PMCID: PMC8598168 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How cortical circuits build representations of complex objects is poorly understood. Individual neurons must integrate broadly over space, yet simultaneously obtain sharp tuning to specific global stimulus features. Groups of neurons identifying different global features must then assemble into a population that forms a comprehensive code for these global stimulus properties. Although the logic for how single neurons summate over their spatial inputs has been well explored in anesthetized animals, how large groups of neurons compose a flexible population code of higher-order features in awake animals is not known. To address this question, we probed the integration and population coding of higher-order stimuli in the somatosensory and visual cortices of awake mice using two-photon calcium imaging across cortical layers. We developed a novel tactile stimulator that allowed the precise measurement of spatial summation even in actively whisking mice. Using this system, we found a sparse but comprehensive population code for higher-order tactile features that depends on a heterogeneous and neuron-specific logic of spatial summation beyond the receptive field. Different somatosensory cortical neurons summed specific combinations of sensory inputs supra-linearly, but integrated other inputs sub-linearly, leading to selective responses to higher-order features. Visual cortical populations employed a nearly identical scheme to generate a comprehensive population code for contextual stimuli. These results suggest that a heterogeneous logic of input-specific supra-linear summation may represent a widespread cortical mechanism for the synthesis of sparse higher-order feature codes in neural populations. This may explain how the brain exploits the thalamocortical expansion of dimensionality to encode arbitrary complex features of sensory stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Evan H Lyall
- Biophysics Graduate GroupBerkeleyUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Daniel P Mossing
- Biophysics Graduate GroupBerkeleyUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Scott R Pluta
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Yun Wen Chu
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Amir Dudai
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of JerusalemJerusalemIsrael
| | - Hillel Adesnik
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyBerkeleyUnited States
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Varani S, Vecchia D, Zucca S, Forli A, Fellin T. Stimulus Feature-Specific Control of Layer 2/3 Subthreshold Whisker Responses by Layer 4 in the Mouse Primary Somatosensory Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1419-1436. [PMID: 34448808 PMCID: PMC8971086 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the barrel field of the rodent primary somatosensory cortex (S1bf), excitatory cells in layer 2/3 (L2/3) display sparse firing but reliable subthreshold response during whisker stimulation. Subthreshold responses encode specific features of the sensory stimulus, for example, the direction of whisker deflection. According to the canonical model for the flow of sensory information across cortical layers, activity in L2/3 is driven by layer 4 (L4). However, L2/3 cells receive excitatory inputs from other regions, raising the possibility that L4 partially drives L2/3 during whisker stimulation. To test this hypothesis, we combined patch-clamp recordings from L2/3 pyramidal neurons in S1bf with selective optogenetic inhibition of L4 during passive whisker stimulation in both anesthetized and awake head-restrained mice. We found that L4 optogenetic inhibition did not abolish the subthreshold whisker-evoked response nor it affected spontaneous membrane potential fluctuations of L2/3 neurons. However, L4 optogenetic inhibition decreased L2/3 subthreshold responses to whisker deflections in the preferred direction, and it increased L2/3 responses to stimuli in the nonpreferred direction, leading to a change in the direction tuning. Our results contribute to reveal the circuit mechanisms underlying the processing of sensory information in the rodent S1bf.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Varani
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Dania Vecchia
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Stefano Zucca
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Angelo Forli
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Tommaso Fellin
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Environmental Enrichment Sharpens Sensory Acuity by Enhancing Information Coding in Barrel Cortex and Premotor Cortex. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0309-20.2021. [PMID: 33893166 PMCID: PMC8143018 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0309-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) is beneficial to sensory functions. Thus, elucidating the neural mechanism underlying improvement of sensory stimulus discrimination is important for developing therapeutic strategies. We aim to advance the understanding of such neural mechanism. We found that tactile enrichment improved tactile stimulus feature discrimination. The neural correlate of such improvement was revealed by analyzing single-cell information coding in both the primary somatosensory cortex and the premotor cortex of awake behaving animals. Our results show that EE enhances the decision-information coding capacity of cells that are tuned to adjacent whiskers, and of premotor cortical cells.
Collapse
|
17
|
Barz CS, Garderes PM, Ganea DA, Reischauer S, Feldmeyer D, Haiss F. Functional and Structural Properties of Highly Responsive Somatosensory Neurons in Mouse Barrel Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:4533-4553. [PMID: 33963394 PMCID: PMC8408454 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Sparse population activity is a well-known feature of supragranular sensory neurons in neocortex. The mechanisms underlying sparseness are not well understood because a direct link between the neurons activated in vivo, and their cellular properties investigated in vitro has been missing. We used two-photon calcium imaging to identify a subset of neurons in layer L2/3 (L2/3) of mouse primary somatosensory cortex that are highly active following principal whisker vibrotactile stimulation. These high responders (HRs) were then tagged using photoconvertible green fluorescent protein for subsequent targeting in the brain slice using intracellular patch-clamp recordings and biocytin staining. This approach allowed us to investigate the structural and functional properties of HRs that distinguish them from less active control cells. Compared to less responsive L2/3 neurons, HRs displayed increased levels of stimulus-evoked and spontaneous activity, elevated noise and spontaneous pairwise correlations, and stronger coupling to the population response. Intrinsic excitability was reduced in HRs, while we found no evidence for differences in other electrophysiological and morphological parameters. Thus, the choice of which neurons participate in stimulus encoding may be determined largely by network connectivity rather than by cellular structure and function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C S Barz
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-10, Research Centre Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance - Translational Brain Medicine, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,IZKF Aachen, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - P M Garderes
- IZKF Aachen, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Department of Neuropathology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Unit of Neural Circuits Dynamics and Decision Making, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - D A Ganea
- IZKF Aachen, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Department of Neuropathology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Biomedical Department, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - S Reischauer
- Medical Clinic I, (Cardiology/Angiology) and Campus Kerckhoff, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35390 Giessen Germany.,Department of Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany.,Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - D Feldmeyer
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-10, Research Centre Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance - Translational Brain Medicine, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Haiss
- IZKF Aachen, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Department of Neuropathology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Department of Ophthalmology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Unit of Neural Circuits Dynamics and Decision Making, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bandet MV, Dong B, Winship IR. Distinct patterns of activity in individual cortical neurons and local networks in primary somatosensory cortex of mice evoked by square-wave mechanical limb stimulation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0236684. [PMID: 33914738 PMCID: PMC8084136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial forms of mechanical limb stimulation are used within multiple fields of study to determine the level of cortical excitability and to map the trajectory of neuronal recovery from cortical damage or disease. Square-wave mechanical or electrical stimuli are often used in these studies, but a characterization of sensory-evoked response properties to square-waves with distinct fundamental frequencies but overlapping harmonics has not been performed. To distinguish between somatic stimuli, the primary somatosensory cortex must be able to represent distinct stimuli with unique patterns of activity, even if they have overlapping features. Thus, mechanical square-wave stimulation was used in conjunction with regional and cellular imaging to examine regional and cellular response properties evoked by different frequencies of stimulation. Flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging was used to map the somatosensory cortex of anaesthetized C57BL/6 mice, and in vivo two-photon Ca2+ imaging was used to define patterns of neuronal activation during mechanical square-wave stimulation of the contralateral forelimb or hindlimb at various frequencies (3, 10, 100, 200, and 300 Hz). The data revealed that neurons within the limb associated somatosensory cortex responding to various frequencies of square-wave stimuli exhibit stimulus-specific patterns of activity. Subsets of neurons were found to have sensory-evoked activity that is either primarily responsive to single stimulus frequencies or broadly responsive to multiple frequencies of limb stimulation. High frequency stimuli were shown to elicit more population activity, with a greater percentage of the population responding and greater percentage of cells with high amplitude responses. Stimulus-evoked cell-cell correlations within these neuronal networks varied as a function of frequency of stimulation, such that each stimulus elicited a distinct pattern that was more consistent across multiple trials of the same stimulus compared to trials at different frequencies of stimulation. The variation in cortical response to different square-wave stimuli can thus be represented by the population pattern of supra-threshold Ca2+ transients, the magnitude and temporal properties of the evoked activity, and the structure of the stimulus-evoked correlation between neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mischa V. Bandet
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Neurochemical Research Unit, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bin Dong
- Neurochemical Research Unit, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ian R. Winship
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Neurochemical Research Unit, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Wang M, Liao X, Li R, Liang S, Ding R, Li J, Zhang J, He W, Liu K, Pan J, Zhao Z, Li T, Zhang K, Li X, Lyu J, Zhou Z, Varga Z, Mi Y, Zhou Y, Yan J, Zeng S, Liu JK, Konnerth A, Nelken I, Jia H, Chen X. Single-neuron representation of learned complex sounds in the auditory cortex. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4361. [PMID: 32868773 PMCID: PMC7459331 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18142-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The sensory responses of cortical neuronal populations following training have been extensively studied. However, the spike firing properties of individual cortical neurons following training remain unknown. Here, we have combined two-photon Ca2+ imaging and single-cell electrophysiology in awake behaving mice following auditory associative training. We find a sparse set (~5%) of layer 2/3 neurons in the primary auditory cortex, each of which reliably exhibits high-rate prolonged burst firing responses to the trained sound. Such bursts are largely absent in the auditory cortex of untrained mice. Strikingly, in mice trained with different multitone chords, we discover distinct subsets of neurons that exhibit bursting responses specifically to a chord but neither to any constituent tone nor to the other chord. Thus, our results demonstrate an integrated representation of learned complex sounds in a small subset of cortical neurons. Using a combination of two-photon imaging and single-cell electrophysiology, the authors discover that associative learning induces the emergence of a unique subset of neurons in the auditory cortex, exhibiting high-rate bursting responses to the learned complex sounds but not to any of the constituents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meng Wang
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.,Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of Ministry of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Xiang Liao
- Center for Neurointelligence, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400030, China.
| | - Ruijie Li
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Shanshan Liang
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Ran Ding
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Jingcheng Li
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Jianxiong Zhang
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Wenjing He
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Ke Liu
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Junxia Pan
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Zhikai Zhao
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Tong Li
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Kuan Zhang
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Xingyi Li
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.,Center for Neurointelligence, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400030, China
| | - Jing Lyu
- Brain Research Instrument Innovation Center, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, 215163, China
| | - Zhenqiao Zhou
- Brain Research Instrument Innovation Center, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, 215163, China
| | - Zsuzsanna Varga
- Institute of Neuroscience and the SyNergy Cluster, Technical University Munich, 80802, Munich, Germany
| | - Yuanyuan Mi
- Center for Neurointelligence, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400030, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- Advanced Institute for Brain and Intelligence, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Junan Yan
- Advanced Institute for Brain and Intelligence, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China
| | - Shaoqun Zeng
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics of Ministry of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Jian K Liu
- Centre for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Arthur Konnerth
- Institute of Neuroscience and the SyNergy Cluster, Technical University Munich, 80802, Munich, Germany
| | - Israel Nelken
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, and the Department of Neurobiology, Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel
| | - Hongbo Jia
- Brain Research Instrument Innovation Center, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, 215163, China. .,Institute of Neuroscience and the SyNergy Cluster, Technical University Munich, 80802, Munich, Germany. .,Advanced Institute for Brain and Intelligence, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China.
| | - Xiaowei Chen
- Brain Research Center and State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns, and Combined Injury, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China. .,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Malvaut S, Constantinescu VS, Dehez H, Doric S, Saghatelyan A. Deciphering Brain Function by Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy in Freely Behaving Animals. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:819. [PMID: 32848576 PMCID: PMC7432153 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal behavior is regulated by environmental stimuli and is shaped by the activity of neural networks, underscoring the importance of assessing the morpho-functional properties of different populations of cells in freely behaving animals. In recent years, a number of optical tools have been developed to monitor and modulate neuronal and glial activity at the protein, cellular, or network level and have opened up new avenues for studying brain function in freely behaving animals. Tools such as genetically encoded sensors and actuators are now commonly used for studying brain activity and function through their expression in different neuronal ensembles. In parallel, microscopy has also made major progress over the last decades. The advent of miniature microscopes (mini-microscopes also called mini-endoscopes) has become a method of choice for studying brain activity at the cellular and network levels in different brain regions of freely behaving mice. This technique also allows for longitudinal investigations while animals carrying the microscope on their head are performing behavioral tasks. In this review, we will discuss mini-endoscopic imaging and the advantages that these devices offer to research. We will also discuss current limitations of and potential future improvements in mini-endoscopic imaging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Malvaut
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Universite Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Vlad-Stefan Constantinescu
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Universite Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | | | - Sead Doric
- Doric Lenses Inc., Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Armen Saghatelyan
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Universite Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Burkhanova G, Chernova K, Khazipov R, Sheroziya M. Effects of Cortical Cooling on Activity Across Layers of the Rat Barrel Cortex. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:52. [PMID: 32848644 PMCID: PMC7417609 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Moderate cortical cooling is known to suppress slow oscillations and to evoke persistent cortical activity. However, the cooling-induced changes in electrical activity across cortical layers remain largely unknown. Here, we performed multi-channel local field potential (LFP) and multi-unit activity (MUA) recordings with linear silicone probes through the layers of single cortical barrel columns in urethane-anesthetized rats under normothermia (38°C) and during local cortical surface cooling (30°C). During cortically generated slow oscillations, moderate cortical cooling decreased delta wave amplitude, delta-wave occurrence, the duration of silent states, and delta wave-locked MUA synchronization. Moderate cortical cooling increased total time spent in the active state and decreased total time spent in the silent state. Cooling-evoked changes in the MUA firing rate in cortical layer 5 (L5) varied from increase to decrease across animals, and the polarity of changes in L5 MUA correlated with changes in total time spent in the active state. The decrease in temperature reduced MUA firing rates in all other cortical layers. Sensory-evoked MUA responses also decreased during cooling through all cortical layers. The cooling-dependent slowdown was detected at the fast time-scale with a decreased frequency of sensory-evoked high-frequency oscillations (HFO). Thus, moderate cortical cooling suppresses slow oscillations and desynchronizes neuronal activity through all cortical layers, and is associated with reduced firing across all cortical layers except L5, where cooling induces variable and non-consistent changes in neuronal firing, which are common features of the transition from slow-wave synchronization to desynchronized activity in the barrel cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kseniya Chernova
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Roustem Khazipov
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia.,Aix Marseille University, INSERM, INMED, Marseille, France
| | - Maxim Sheroziya
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Latifi S, Mitchell S, Habibey R, Hosseini F, Donzis E, Estrada-Sánchez AM, Nejad HR, Levine M, Golshani P, Carmichael ST. Neuronal Network Topology Indicates Distinct Recovery Processes after Stroke. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:6363-6375. [PMID: 32728724 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa191] [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: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite substantial recent progress in network neuroscience, the impact of stroke on the distinct features of reorganizing neuronal networks during recovery has not been defined. Using a functional connections-based approach through 2-photon in vivo calcium imaging at the level of single neurons, we demonstrate for the first time the functional connectivity maps during motion and nonmotion states, connection length distribution in functional connectome maps and a pattern of high clustering in motor and premotor cortical networks that is disturbed in stroke and reconstitutes partially in recovery. Stroke disrupts the network topology of connected inhibitory and excitatory neurons with distinct patterns in these 2 cell types and in different cortical areas. These data indicate that premotor cortex displays a distinguished neuron-specific recovery profile after stroke.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shahrzad Latifi
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Simon Mitchell
- Cancer Research Department, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, BN1 9PX, Brighton, UK
| | - Rouhollah Habibey
- Technische Universität Dresden, CRTD - Center for Regenerative Therapies at TU Dresden, D-01307, Dresden, German
| | | | - Elissa Donzis
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, UCLA School of Medicine, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los
| | - Ana María Estrada-Sánchez
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, UCLA School of Medicine, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los.,Divisioìn de Biologiìa Molecular, Instituto Potosino de Investigacioìn Cientiìfica y Tecnoloìgica (IPICYT), Camino a la presa San Joseì No. 2055, Colonia Lomas 4a seccioìn, C.P. 78216, San Luis Potosiì, Mexico
| | - H Rezaei Nejad
- Tufts University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, MA 02155, USA
| | - Michael Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, UCLA School of Medicine, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los
| | - Peyman Golshani
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.,Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, UCLA School of Medicine, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los
| | - S Thomas Carmichael
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Gaucher Q, Panniello M, Ivanov AZ, Dahmen JC, King AJ, Walker KM. Complexity of frequency receptive fields predicts tonotopic variability across species. eLife 2020; 9:53462. [PMID: 32420865 PMCID: PMC7269667 DOI: 10.7554/elife.53462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary cortical areas contain maps of sensory features, including sound frequency in primary auditory cortex (A1). Two-photon calcium imaging in mice has confirmed the presence of these global tonotopic maps, while uncovering an unexpected local variability in the stimulus preferences of individual neurons in A1 and other primary regions. Here we show that local heterogeneity of frequency preferences is not unique to rodents. Using two-photon calcium imaging in layers 2/3, we found that local variance in frequency preferences is equivalent in ferrets and mice. Neurons with multipeaked frequency tuning are less spatially organized than those tuned to a single frequency in both species. Furthermore, we show that microelectrode recordings may describe a smoother tonotopic arrangement due to a sampling bias towards neurons with simple frequency tuning. These results help explain previous inconsistencies in cortical topography across species and recording techniques.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Gaucher
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mariangela Panniello
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Aleksandar Z Ivanov
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Johannes C Dahmen
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J King
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kerry Mm Walker
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Method for spike detection from microelectrode array recordings contaminated by artifacts of simultaneous two-photon imaging. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0221510. [PMID: 31430357 PMCID: PMC6701834 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The simultaneous utilization of electrophysiological recordings and two-photon imaging allows the observation of neural activity in a high temporal and spatial resolution at the same time. The three dimensional monitoring of morphological features near the microelectrode array makes the observation more precise and complex. In vitro experiments were performed on mice neocortical slices expressing the GCaMP6 genetically encoded calcium indicator for monitoring the neural activity with two-photon microscopy around the implanted microelectrodes. A special filtering algorithm was used for data analysis to eliminate the artefacts caused by the imaging laser. Utilization of a special filtering algorithm allowed us to detect and sort single unit activities from simultaneous two-photon imaging and electrophysiological measurement.
Collapse
|
25
|
Adibi M. Whisker-Mediated Touch System in Rodents: From Neuron to Behavior. Front Syst Neurosci 2019; 13:40. [PMID: 31496942 PMCID: PMC6712080 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2019.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A key question in systems neuroscience is to identify how sensory stimuli are represented in neuronal activity, and how the activity of sensory neurons in turn is “read out” by downstream neurons and give rise to behavior. The choice of a proper model system to address these questions, is therefore a crucial step. Over the past decade, the increasingly powerful array of experimental approaches that has become available in non-primate models (e.g., optogenetics and two-photon imaging) has spurred a renewed interest for the use of rodent models in systems neuroscience research. Here, I introduce the rodent whisker-mediated touch system as a structurally well-established and well-organized model system which, despite its simplicity, gives rise to complex behaviors. This system serves as a behaviorally efficient model system; known as nocturnal animals, along with their olfaction, rodents rely on their whisker-mediated touch system to collect information about their surrounding environment. Moreover, this system represents a well-studied circuitry with a somatotopic organization. At every stage of processing, one can identify anatomical and functional topographic maps of whiskers; “barrelettes” in the brainstem nuclei, “barreloids” in the sensory thalamus, and “barrels” in the cortex. This article provides a brief review on the basic anatomy and function of the whisker system in rodents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Adibi
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Tactile Perception and Learning Lab, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy.,Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
LeMessurier AM, Laboy-Juárez KJ, McClain K, Chen S, Nguyen T, Feldman DE. Enrichment drives emergence of functional columns and improves sensory coding in the whisker map in L2/3 of mouse S1. eLife 2019; 8:46321. [PMID: 31418693 PMCID: PMC6697414 DOI: 10.7554/elife.46321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory maps in layer (L) 2/3 of rodent cortex lack precise functional column boundaries, and instead exhibit locally heterogeneous (salt-and-pepper) tuning superimposed on smooth global topography. Could this organization be a byproduct of impoverished experience in laboratory housing? We compared whisker map somatotopy in L2/3 and L4 excitatory cells of somatosensory (S1) cortex in normally housed vs. tactile-enriched mice, using GCaMP6s imaging. Normally housed mice had a dispersed, salt-and-pepper whisker map in L2/3, but L4 was more topographically precise. Enrichment (P21 to P46-71) sharpened whisker tuning and decreased, but did not abolish, local tuning heterogeneity. In L2/3, enrichment strengthened and sharpened whisker point representations, and created functional boundaries of tuning similarity and noise correlations at column edges. Thus, enrichment drives emergence of functional columnar topography in S1, and reduces local tuning heterogeneity. These changes predict better touch detection by neural populations within each column.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy M LeMessurier
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Keven J Laboy-Juárez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Kathryn McClain
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Shilin Chen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Theresa Nguyen
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Daniel E Feldman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Lebedeva J, Zakharov A, Burkhanova G, Chernova K, Khazipov R. The Effects of NMDA Receptor Blockade on Sensory-Evoked Responses in Superficial Layers of the Rat Barrel Cortex. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:259. [PMID: 31231195 PMCID: PMC6567857 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmission of excitation from L4 to L2/3 is a part of a canonical circuit of cortical sensory signal processing. While synapses from L4 to L2/3 are mediated by both AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors, previous studies suggested that sensory-evoked excitation of neurons in supragranular layers is almost entirely mediated by NMDA receptors. Here, we readdressed this question using extracellular recordings of sensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and multiple unit activity (MUA) in the rat barrel cortex. We found that blockade of NMDA receptors using the selective antagonist dAPV profoundly inhibited the late part of L2/3 SEP, the associated sink, and MUA response but did not affect its initial part. Our results indicate that both non-NMDA and NMDA receptors are involved in sensory signal transmission from L4 to L2/3. While non-NMDA receptors mediate fast transmission of sensory signals, NMDA-Rs are importantly involved in the generation of the late phase of the sensory-evoked response in supragranular layers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Lebedeva
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Andrey Zakharov
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia.,Department of Physiology, Kazan State Medical University, Kazan, Russia
| | | | - Kseniya Chernova
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Roustem Khazipov
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia.,Aix Marseille University, INSERM, INMED, Marseille, France
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Ovsepian SV. The dark matter of the brain. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:973-983. [PMID: 30659350 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01835-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The bulk of brain energy expenditure is allocated for maintenance of perpetual intrinsic activity of neurons and neural circuits. Long-term electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies in anesthetized and behaving animals show, however, that the great majority of nerve cells in the intact brain do not fire action potentials, i.e., are permanently silent. Herein, I review emerging data suggesting massive redundancy of nerve cells in mammalian nervous system, maintained in inhibited state at high energetic costs. Acquired in the course of evolution, these collections of dormant neurons and circuits evade routine functional undertakings, and hence, keep out of the reach of natural selection. Under penetrating stress and disease, however, they occasionally switch in active state and drive a variety of neuro-psychiatric symptoms and behavioral abnormalities. The increasing evidence for widespread occurrence of silent neurons warrants careful revision of functional models of the brain and entails unforeseen reserves for rehabilitation and plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saak V Ovsepian
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic. .,Faculty of Medicine at Charles University, 116 36, Prague, Czech Republic. .,Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany. .,Munich School of Bioengineering, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany. .,International Centre for Neurotherapeutics, Dublin City University, Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Superficial Layers Suppress the Deep Layers to Fine-tune Cortical Coding. J Neurosci 2019; 39:2052-2064. [PMID: 30651326 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1459-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The descending microcircuit from layer 2/3 (L2/3) to layer 5 (L5) is one of the strongest excitatory pathways in the cortex, presumably forming a core component of its feedforward hierarchy. To date, however, no experiments have selectively tested the impact of L2/3 activity on L5 during active sensation. We used optogenetic, cell-type-specific manipulation of L2/3 neurons in the barrel cortex of actively sensing mice (of either sex) to elucidate the significance of this pathway to sensory coding in L5. Contrary to standard models, activating L2/3 predominantly suppressed spontaneous activity in L5, whereas deactivating L2/3 mainly facilitated touch responses in L5. Somatostatin interneurons are likely important to this suppression because their optogenetic deactivation significantly altered the functional impact of L2/3 onto L5. The net effect of L2/3 was to enhance the stimulus selectivity and expand the range of L5 output. These data imply that the core cortical pathway increases the selectivity and expands the range of cortical output through feedforward inhibition.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The primary sensory cortex contains six distinct layers that interact to form the basis of our perception. While rudimentary patterns of connectivity between the layers have been outlined quite extensively in vitro, functional relationships in vivo, particularly during active sensation, remain poorly understood. We used cell-type-specific optogenetics to test the functional relationship between layer 2/3 and layer 5. Surprisingly, we discovered that L2/3 primarily suppresses cortical output from L5. The recruitment of somatostatin-positive interneurons is likely fundamental to this relationship. The net effect of this translaminar suppression is to enhance the selectivity and expand the range of receptive fields, therefore potentially sharpening the perception of space.
Collapse
|
30
|
Hayashi A, Yoshida T, Ohki K. Cell Type Specific Representation of Vibro-tactile Stimuli in the Mouse Primary Somatosensory Cortex. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:109. [PMID: 30618647 PMCID: PMC6307530 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the processing of whisker deflections in the barrel area of the rodent primary somatosensory cortex (S1) has been studied extensively, how cutaneous vibro-tactile stimuli are processed in the rodent S1 outside the barrel area has not been fully examined. Particularly, the cell-type specific representation of multiple vibration frequencies in genetically identified inhibitory cells in the S1 has not been examined. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we examined the responses to vibration stimuli of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the S1 hind limb area of male and female mice. The excitatory cells showed relatively sharp selectivity to vibration stimuli, whereas the inhibitory cells exhibited less selectivity. The excitatory and inhibitory cells with different preferred stimuli were intermingled in a “salt and pepper” manner. Furthermore, the noise correlation tended to be especially strong in excitatory-inhibitory and inhibitory-inhibitory cell pairs that have similar stimulus selectivity. These results suggest that excitatory cells tend to represent specific stimulus information and work together with similarly tuned inhibitory cells as a functionally connected network.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Hayashi
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takashi Yoshida
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,CREST, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenichi Ohki
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.,Department of Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,CREST, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Tokyo, Japan.,International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Studies (UTIAS), Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Azarfar A, Calcini N, Huang C, Zeldenrust F, Celikel T. Neural coding: A single neuron's perspective. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 94:238-247. [PMID: 30227142 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
What any sensory neuron knows about the world is one of the cardinal questions in Neuroscience. Information from the sensory periphery travels across synaptically coupled neurons as each neuron encodes information by varying the rate and timing of its action potentials (spikes). Spatiotemporally correlated changes in this spiking regimen across neuronal populations are the neural basis of sensory representations. In the somatosensory cortex, however, spiking of individual (or pairs of) cortical neurons is only minimally informative about the world. Recent studies showed that one solution neurons implement to counteract this information loss is adapting their rate of information transfer to the ongoing synaptic activity by changing the membrane potential at which spike is generated. Here we first introduce the principles of information flow from the sensory periphery to the primary sensory cortex in a model sensory (whisker) system, and subsequently discuss how the adaptive spike threshold gates the intracellular information transfer from the somatic post-synaptic potential to action potentials, controlling the information content of communication across somatosensory cortical neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Azarfar
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour Radboud University, the Netherlands
| | - Niccoló Calcini
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour Radboud University, the Netherlands
| | - Chao Huang
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour Radboud University, the Netherlands
| | - Fleur Zeldenrust
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour Radboud University, the Netherlands
| | - Tansu Celikel
- Department of Neurophysiology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour Radboud University, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Crandall SR, Patrick SL, Cruikshank SJ, Connors BW. Infrabarrels Are Layer 6 Circuit Modules in the Barrel Cortex that Link Long-Range Inputs and Outputs. Cell Rep 2018; 21:3065-3078. [PMID: 29241536 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The rodent somatosensory cortex includes well-defined examples of cortical columns-the barrel columns-that extend throughout the cortical depth and are defined by discrete clusters of neurons in layer 4 (L4) called barrels. Using the cell-type-specific Ntsr1-Cre mouse line, we found that L6 contains infrabarrels, readily identifiable units that align with the L4 barrels. Corticothalamic (CT) neurons and their local axons cluster within the infrabarrels, whereas corticocortical (CC) neurons are densest between infrabarrels. Optogenetic experiments showed that CC cells received robust input from somatosensory thalamic nuclei, whereas CT cells received much weaker thalamic inputs. We also found that CT neurons are intrinsically less excitable, revealing that both synaptic and intrinsic mechanisms contribute to the low firing rates of CT neurons often reported in vivo. In summary, infrabarrels are discrete cortical circuit modules containing two partially separated excitatory networks that link long-distance thalamic inputs with specific outputs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shane R Crandall
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
| | - Saundra L Patrick
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Scott J Cruikshank
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Barry W Connors
- Department of Neuroscience, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
LeMessurier AM, Feldman DE. Plasticity of population coding in primary sensory cortex. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 53:50-56. [PMID: 29775823 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
That experience shapes sensory tuning in primary sensory cortex is well understood. But effective neural population codes depend on more than just sensory tuning. Recent population imaging and recording studies have characterized population codes in sensory cortex, and tracked how they change with sensory manipulations and training on perceptual learning tasks. These studies confirm sensory tuning changes, but also reveal other features of plasticity, including sensory gain modulation, restructuring of firing correlations, and differential routing of information to output pathways. Unexpectedly strong day-to-day variation exists in single-neuron sensory tuning, which stabilizes during learning. These are novel dimensions of plasticity in sensory cortex, which refine population codes during learning, but whose mechanisms are unknown.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy M LeMessurier
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, United States
| | - Daniel E Feldman
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Handa T, Takekawa T, Harukuni R, Isomura Y, Fukai T. Medial Frontal Circuit Dynamics Represents Probabilistic Choices for Unfamiliar Sensory Experience. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:3818-3831. [PMID: 28184411 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons in medial frontal cortex (MFC) receive sensory signals that are crucial for decision-making behavior. While decision-making is easy for familiar sensory signals, it becomes more elaborative when sensory signals are less familiar to animals. It remains unclear how the population of neurons enables the coordinate transformation of such a sensory input into ambiguous choice responses. Furthermore, whether and how cortical oscillations temporally coordinate neuronal firing during this transformation has not been extensively studied. Here, we recorded neuronal population responses to familiar or unfamiliar auditory cues in rat MFC and computed their probabilistic evolution. Population responses to familiar sounds organize into neuronal trajectories containing multiplexed sensory, motor, and choice information. Unfamiliar sounds, in contrast, evoke trajectories that travel under the guidance of familiar paths and eventually diverge to unique decision states. Local field potentials exhibited beta- (15-20 Hz) and gamma-band (50-60 Hz) oscillations to which neuronal firing showed modest phase locking. Interestingly, gamma oscillation, but not beta oscillation, increased its power abruptly at some timepoint by which neural trajectories for different choices were near maximally separated. Our results emphasize the importance of the evolution of neural trajectories in rapid probabilistic decisions that utilize unfamiliar sensory information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Handa
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Takashi Takekawa
- Faculty of Informatics, Kogakuin University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8677, Japan
| | - Rie Harukuni
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Yoshikazu Isomura
- Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan
| | - Tomoki Fukai
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Martini FJ, Molano-Mazón M, Maravall M. Interspersed Distribution of Selectivity to Kinematic Stimulus Features in Supragranular Layers of Mouse Barrel Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:3782-3789. [PMID: 28334121 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the primary sensory regions of neocortex have heterogeneous response properties. The spatial arrangement of neurons with particular response properties is a key aspect of population representations and can shed light on how local circuits are wired. Here, we investigated how neurons with sensitivity to different kinematic features of whisker stimuli are distributed across local circuits in supragranular layers of the barrel cortex. Using 2-photon calcium population imaging in anesthetized mice, we found that nearby neurons represent diverse kinematic features, providing a rich population representation at the local scale. Neurons interspersed in space therefore responded differently to a common stimulus kinematic feature. Conversely, neurons with similar feature selectivity were located no closer to each other than predicted by a random distribution null hypothesis. This finding relied on defining a null hypothesis that was specific for testing the spatial distribution of tuning across neurons. We also measured how neurons sensitive to specific features were distributed relative to barrel boundaries, and found no systematic organization. Our results are compatible with randomly distributed selectivity to kinematic features, with no systematic ordering superimposed upon the whisker map.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco J Martini
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante UMH-CSIC, Avda. Ramón y Cajal s/n, Campus de San Juan, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant, Spain
| | - Manuel Molano-Mazón
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante UMH-CSIC, Avda. Ramón y Cajal s/n, Campus de San Juan, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant, Spain.,Laboratory of Neural Computation, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Miguel Maravall
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante UMH-CSIC, Avda. Ramón y Cajal s/n, Campus de San Juan, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant, Spain.,Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Structured networks support sparse traveling waves in rodent somatosensory cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:5277-5282. [PMID: 29712831 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1710202115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons responding to different whiskers are spatially intermixed in the superficial layer 2/3 (L2/3) of the rodent barrel cortex, where a single whisker deflection activates a sparse, distributed neuronal population that spans multiple cortical columns. How the superficial layer of the rodent barrel cortex is organized to support such distributed sensory representations is not clear. In a computer model, we tested the hypothesis that sensory representations in L2/3 of the rodent barrel cortex are formed by activity propagation horizontally within L2/3 from a site of initial activation. The model explained the observed properties of L2/3 neurons, including the low average response probability in the majority of responding L2/3 neurons, and the existence of a small subset of reliably responding L2/3 neurons. Sparsely propagating traveling waves similar to those observed in L2/3 of the rodent barrel cortex occurred in the model only when a subnetwork of strongly connected neurons was immersed in a much larger network of weakly connected neurons.
Collapse
|
37
|
Naumann RK, Preston-Ferrer P, Brecht M, Burgalossi A. Structural modularity and grid activity in the medial entorhinal cortex. J Neurophysiol 2018. [PMID: 29513150 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00574.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Following the groundbreaking discovery of grid cells, the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) has become the focus of intense anatomical, physiological, and computational investigations. Whether and how grid activity maps onto cell types and cortical architecture is still an open question. Fundamental similarities in microcircuits, function, and connectivity suggest a homology between rodent MEC and human posteromedial entorhinal cortex. Both are specialized for spatial processing and display similar cellular organization, consisting of layer 2 pyramidal/calbindin cell patches superimposed on scattered stellate neurons. Recent data indicate the existence of a further nonoverlapping modular system (zinc patches) within the superficial MEC layers. Zinc and calbindin patches have been shown to receive largely segregated inputs from the presubiculum and parasubiculum. Grid cells are also clustered in the MEC, and we discuss possible structure-function schemes on how grid activity could map onto cortical patch systems. We hypothesize that in the superficial layers of the MEC, anatomical location can be predictive of function; thus relating functional properties and neuronal morphologies to the cortical modules will be necessary for resolving how grid activity maps onto cortical architecture. Imaging or cell identification approaches in freely moving animals will be required for testing this hypothesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert K Naumann
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Humboldt University of Berlin , Berlin , Germany.,Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main , Germany.,Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen University Town, Nanshan District, Shenzhen , China
| | | | - Michael Brecht
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Humboldt University of Berlin , Berlin , Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases , Berlin , Germany
| | - Andrea Burgalossi
- Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience , Tübingen , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Sharifian S, Homaei A, Hemmati R, B Luwor R, Khajeh K. The emerging use of bioluminescence in medical research. Biomed Pharmacother 2018; 101:74-86. [PMID: 29477474 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.02.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bioluminescence is the light produced by a living organism and is commonly emitted by sea life with Ca2+-regulated photoproteins being the most responsible for bioluminescence emission. Marine coelenterates provide important functions involved in essential purposes such as defense, feeding, and breeding. In this review, the main characteristics of marine photoproteins including aequorin, clytin, obelin, berovin, pholasin and symplectin from different marine organisms will be discussed. We will focused on the recent use of recombinant photoproteins in different biomedical research fields including the measurement of Ca2+ in different intracellular compartments of animal cells, as labels in the design and development of binding assays. This review will also outline how bioluminescent photoproteins have been used in a plethora of analytical methods including ultra-sensitive assays and in vivo imaging of cellular processes. Due to their unique properties including elective intracellular distribution, wide dynamic range, high signal-to-noise ratio and low Ca2+-buffering effect, recombinant photoproteins represent a promising future analytical tool in several in vitro and in vivo experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sana Sharifian
- Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Ahmad Homaei
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
| | - Roohullah Hemmati
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Rodney B Luwor
- Department of Surgery, Level 5, Clinical Sciences Building, The University of Melbourne, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC 3050, Australia
| | - Khosro Khajeh
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Single-Cell Stimulation in Barrel Cortex Influences Psychophysical Detection Performance. J Neurosci 2018; 38:2057-2068. [PMID: 29358364 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2155-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A single whisker stimulus elicits action potentials in a sparse subset of neurons in somatosensory cortex. The precise contribution of these neurons to the animal's perception of a whisker stimulus is unknown. Here we show that single-cell stimulation in rat barrel cortex of both sexes influences the psychophysical detection of a near-threshold whisker stimulus in a cell type-dependent manner, without affecting false alarm rate. Counterintuitively, stimulation of single fast-spiking putative inhibitory neurons increased detection performance. Single-cell stimulation of putative excitatory neurons failed to change detection performance, except for a small subset of deep-layer neurons that were highly sensitive to whisker stimulation and that had an unexpectedly strong impact on detection performance. These findings indicate that the perceptual impact of excitatory barrel cortical neurons relates to their firing response to whisker stimulation and that strong activity in a single highly sensitive neuron in barrel cortex can already enhance sensory detection. Our data suggest that sensory detection is based on a decoding mechanism that lends a disproportionally large weight to interneurons and to deep-layer neurons showing a strong response to sensory stimulation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rat whisker somatosensory cortex contains a variety of neuronal cell types with distinct anatomical and physiological characteristics. How each of these different cell types contribute to the animal's perception of whisker stimuli is unknown. We explored this question by using a powerful electrophysiological stimulation technique that allowed us to target and stimulate single neurons with different sensory response types in whisker cortex. In awake, behaving animals, trained to detect whisker stimulation, only costimulation of single fast-spiking inhibitory neurons or single deep-layer excitatory neurons with strong responses to whisker stimulation enhanced detection performance. Our data demonstrate that single cortical neurons can have measurable impact on the detection of sensory stimuli and suggest a decoding mechanism based on select cell types.
Collapse
|
40
|
Abstract
Somatosensory areas containing topographic maps of the body surface are a major feature of parietal cortex. In primates, parietal cortex contains four somatosensory areas, each with its own map, with the primary cutaneous map in area 3b. Rodents have at least three parietal somatosensory areas. Maps are not isomorphic to the body surface, but magnify behaviorally important skin regions, which include the hands and face in primates, and the whiskers in rodents. Within each map, intracortical circuits process tactile information, mediate spatial integration, and support active sensation. Maps may also contain fine-scale representations of touch submodalities, or direction of tactile motion. Functional representations are more overlapping than suggested by textbook depictions of map topography. The whisker map in rodent somatosensory cortex is a canonic system for studying cortical microcircuits, sensory coding, and map plasticity. Somatosensory maps are plastic throughout life in response to altered use or injury. This chapter reviews basic principles and recent findings in primate, human, and rodent somatosensory maps.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Harding-Forrester
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Daniel E Feldman
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Barrel Cortex: What is it Good for? Neuroscience 2018; 368:3-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
|
42
|
O'Donnell C, Gonçalves JT, Portera-Cailliau C, Sejnowski TJ. Beyond excitation/inhibition imbalance in multidimensional models of neural circuit changes in brain disorders. eLife 2017; 6:26724. [PMID: 29019321 PMCID: PMC5663477 DOI: 10.7554/elife.26724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A leading theory holds that neurodevelopmental brain disorders arise from imbalances in excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) brain circuitry. However, it is unclear whether this one-dimensional model is rich enough to capture the multiple neural circuit alterations underlying brain disorders. Here, we combined computational simulations with analysis of in vivo two-photon Ca2+ imaging data from somatosensory cortex of Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice, a model of Fragile-X Syndrome, to test the E/I imbalance theory. We found that: (1) The E/I imbalance model cannot account for joint alterations in the observed neural firing rates and correlations; (2) Neural circuit function is vastly more sensitive to changes in some cellular components over others; (3) The direction of circuit alterations in Fmr1 KO mice changes across development. These findings suggest that the basic E/I imbalance model should be updated to higher dimensional models that can better capture the multidimensional computational functions of neural circuits. In many brain disorders, from autism to schizophrenia, the anatomy of the brain appears remarkably unchanged. This implies that the problem may reside in how neurons communicate with one another. Unfortunately, neuroscientists know little about how brain activity might differ from normal in these disorders, or how specific changes in activity give rise to symptoms. One leading theory, first proposed over a decade ago, is that these disorders reflect an imbalance in the activity of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Excitatory neurons activate their targets, whereas inhibitory neurons suppress or silence them. While studies in mice have lent support to this theory, they have not yet culminated in new treatments for brain disorders. One limitation of the excitation-inhibition imbalance theory is that it is one-dimensional. It assumes that there is an optimal balance of excitation and inhibition, and that brain disorders can be arranged in an imaginary line on either side of this optimum. Disorders to the right of the optimum, such as epilepsy and some forms of autism, feature too much excitation. Disorders to the left, such as the developmental disorder Rett syndrome, feature too much inhibition. But can diverse brain disorders really be classified on the basis of a single property, or do scientists need to consider other factors? To find out, O’Donnell et al. analyzed recordings of brain activity from genetically modified mice with the mutation that causes fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited learning disability and autism. The mice showed changes in their overall brain activity compared to control animals. Their neurons also tended to fire in a more synchronized manner. A computer simulation revealed that an imbalance in excitation and inhibition alone could not explain these changes. Yet, a more complex simulation incorporating extra properties of neural circuits did a better job of explaining the altered neural activity seen in the mice. O’Donnell et al. propose that this more advanced multi-dimensional model of changes in neural circuits could be used to screen candidate drugs before testing them in patients. In principle, the model could even help with designing drugs or other interventions by making it easier for researchers to target more precisely the changes in neural circuits that occur in brain disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cian O'Donnell
- Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, United States
| | - J Tiago Gonçalves
- Dominick Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States.,Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Carlos Portera-Cailliau
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, United States.,Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Terrence J Sejnowski
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, United States.,Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Bale MR, Maravall M. Organization of sensory feature selectivity in the whisker system. Neuroscience 2017; 368:70-80. [PMID: 28918260 PMCID: PMC5798594 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in the whisker system are selective to spatial and dynamical properties – features – of sensory stimuli. At each stage of the pathway, different neurons encode distinct features, generating a rich population representation. Whisker touch is robustly represented; neurons respond to touch-driven fast fluctuations in forces at the whisker base. Cortical neurons have more complex and context-dependent selectivity than subcortical, e.g., to collective whisker motion. Understanding how these signals are integrated to construct whisker-mediated percepts requires further research.
Our sensory receptors are faced with an onslaught of different environmental inputs. Each sensory event or encounter with an object involves a distinct combination of physical energy sources impinging upon receptors. In the rodent whisker system, each primary afferent neuron located in the trigeminal ganglion innervates and responds to a single whisker and encodes a distinct set of physical stimulus properties – features – corresponding to changes in whisker angle and shape and the consequent forces acting on the whisker follicle. Here we review the nature of the features encoded by successive stages of processing along the whisker pathway. At each stage different neurons respond to distinct features, such that the population as a whole represents diverse properties. Different neuronal types also have distinct feature selectivity. Thus, neurons at the same stage of processing and responding to the same whisker nevertheless play different roles in representing objects contacted by the whisker. This diversity, combined with the precise timing and high reliability of responses, enables populations at each stage to represent a wide range of stimuli. Cortical neurons respond to more complex stimulus properties – such as correlated motion across whiskers – than those at early subcortical stages. Temporal integration along the pathway is comparatively weak: neurons up to barrel cortex (BC) are sensitive mainly to fast (tens of milliseconds) fluctuations in whisker motion. The topographic organization of whisker sensitivity is paralleled by systematic organization of neuronal selectivity to certain other physical features, but selectivity to touch and to dynamic stimulus properties is distributed in “salt-and-pepper” fashion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Bale
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom
| | - Miguel Maravall
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QG, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Kwon SE, Tsytsarev V, Erzurumlu RS, O'Connor DH. Organization of orientation-specific whisker deflection responses in layer 2/3 of mouse somatosensory cortex. Neuroscience 2017; 368:46-56. [PMID: 28827090 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The rodent whisker-barrel system is characterized by its patterned somatotopic mapping between the sensory periphery and multiple regions of the brain. While somatotopy in the whisker system is established, we know far less about how preferences for stimulus orientation or other features are organized. Mouse somatosensation is an increasingly popular model for circuit-based dissection of perceptual decision making and learning, yet our understanding of how stimulus feature representations are organized in the cortex is incomplete. Here, we used in vivo two-photon calcium imaging to monitor activity of populations of layer (L) 2/3 neurons in the mouse primary somatosensory cortex during deflections of a single whisker in two orthogonal orientations (azimuthal or elevational). We split the population response to whisker deflections into an orientation-specific component and a non-specific component that reflected overall excitability in response to deflection of a single whisker. Orientation-specific responses were organized in a locally heterogeneous and spatially distributed manner. Correlations in the stimulus-independent trial-to-trial variability of pairs of neurons were higher among neurons that preferred the same orientation. These correlations depended on similarity in both orientation-specific and non-specific components of responses to single-whisker deflections. Our results shed light on L2/3 organization in mouse somatosensory cortex, and lay a foundation for dissecting circuit mechanisms of perceptual learning and decision-making during orientation discrimination tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sung Eun Kwon
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Vassiliy Tsytsarev
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Reha S Erzurumlu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Daniel H O'Connor
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Brain Science Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Lee S, Meyer JF, Park J, Smirnakis SM. Visually Driven Neuropil Activity and Information Encoding in Mouse Primary Visual Cortex. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 11:50. [PMID: 28785207 PMCID: PMC5519560 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical neuropil modulations recorded by calcium imaging reflect the activity of large aggregates of axo-dendritic processes and synaptic compartments from a large number of neurons. The organization of this activity impacts neuronal firing but is not well understood. Here we used in vivo 2-photon imaging with Oregon Green Bapta (OGB) and GCaMP6s to study neuropil visual responses to moving gratings in layer 2/3 of mouse area V1. We found neuropil responses to be strongly modulated and more reliable than neighboring somatic activity. Furthermore, stimulus independent modulations in neuropil activity, i.e., noise correlations, were highly coherent across the cortical surface, up to distances of at least 200 μm. Pairwise neuropil-to-neuropil-patch noise correlation strength was much higher than cell-to-cell noise correlation strength and depended strongly on brain state, decreasing in quiet wakefulness relative to light anesthesia. The profile of neuropil noise correlation strength decreased gently with distance, dropping by ~11% at a distance of 200 μm. This was comparatively slower than the profile of cell-to-cell noise correlations, which dropped by ~23% at 200 μm. Interestingly, in spite of the “salt & pepper” organization of orientation and direction encoding across mouse V1 neurons, populations of neuropil patches, even of moderately large size (radius ~100 μm), showed high accuracy for discriminating perpendicularly moving gratings. This was commensurate to the accuracy of corresponding cell populations. The dynamic, stimulus dependent, nature of neuropil activity further underscores the need to carefully separate neuropil from cell soma activity in contemporary imaging studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sangkyun Lee
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's HospitalBoston, MA, United States.,Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, United States
| | - Jochen F Meyer
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of MedicineHouston, TX, United States
| | - Jiyoung Park
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of MedicineHouston, TX, United States
| | - Stelios M Smirnakis
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's HospitalBoston, MA, United States.,Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, United States.,Veterans Administration HospitalBoston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Tactile Defensiveness and Impaired Adaptation of Neuronal Activity in the Fmr1 Knock-Out Mouse Model of Autism. J Neurosci 2017; 37:6475-6487. [PMID: 28607173 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0651-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory hypersensitivity is a common symptom in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), including fragile X syndrome (FXS), and frequently leads to tactile defensiveness. In mouse models of ASDs, there is mounting evidence of neuronal and circuit hyperexcitability in several brain regions, which could contribute to sensory hypersensitivity. However, it is not yet known whether or how sensory stimulation might trigger abnormal sensory processing at the circuit level or abnormal behavioral responses in ASD mouse models, especially during an early developmental time when experience-dependent plasticity shapes such circuits. Using a novel assay, we discovered exaggerated motor responses to whisker stimulation in young Fmr1 knock-out (KO) mice (postnatal days 14-16), a model of FXS. Adult Fmr1 KO mice actively avoided a stimulus that was innocuous to wild-type controls, a sign of tactile defensiveness. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging of layer 2/3 barrel cortex neurons expressing GCaMP6s, we found no differences between wild-type and Fmr1 KO mice in overall whisker-evoked activity, though 45% fewer neurons in young Fmr1 KO mice responded in a time-locked manner. Notably, we identified a pronounced deficit in neuronal adaptation to repetitive whisker stimulation in both young and adult Fmr1 KO mice. Thus, impaired adaptation in cortical sensory circuits is a potential cause of tactile defensiveness in autism.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We use a novel paradigm of repetitive whisker stimulation and in vivo calcium imaging to assess tactile defensiveness and barrel cortex activity in young and adult Fmr1 knock-out mice, the mouse model of fragile X syndrome (FXS). We describe evidence of tactile defensiveness, as well as a lack of L2/3 neuronal adaptation in barrel cortex, during whisker stimulation. We propose that a defect in sensory adaptation within local neuronal networks, beginning at a young age and continuing into adulthood, likely contributes to sensory overreactivity in FXS and perhaps other ASDs.
Collapse
|
47
|
Lecrux C, Sandoe CH, Neupane S, Kropf P, Toussay X, Tong XK, Lacalle-Aurioles M, Shmuel A, Hamel E. Impact of Altered Cholinergic Tones on the Neurovascular Coupling Response to Whisker Stimulation. J Neurosci 2017; 37:1518-1531. [PMID: 28069927 PMCID: PMC6705676 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1784-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Revised: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain imaging techniques that use vascular signals to map changes in neuronal activity rely on the coupling between electrophysiology and hemodynamics, a phenomenon referred to as "neurovascular coupling" (NVC). It is unknown whether this relationship remains reliable under altered brain states associated with acetylcholine (ACh) levels, such as attention and arousal and in pathological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. We therefore assessed the effects of varying ACh tone on whisker-evoked NVC responses in rat barrel cortex, measured by cerebral blood flow (CBF) and neurophysiological recordings (local field potentials, LFPs). We found that acutely enhanced ACh tone significantly potentiated whisker-evoked CBF responses through muscarinic ACh receptors and concurrently facilitated neuronal responses, as illustrated by increases in the amplitude and power in high frequencies of the evoked LFPs. However, the cellular identity of the activated neuronal network within the responsive barrel was unchanged, as characterized by c-Fos upregulation in pyramidal cells and GABA interneurons coexpressing vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. In contrast, chronic ACh deprivation hindered whisker-evoked CBF responses and the amplitude and power in most frequency bands of the evoked LFPs and reduced the rostrocaudal extent and area of the activated barrel without altering its identity. Correlations between LFP power and CBF, used to estimate NVC, were enhanced under high ACh tone and disturbed significantly by ACh depletion. We conclude that ACh is not only a facilitator but also a prerequisite for the full expression of sensory-evoked NVC responses, indicating that ACh may alter the fidelity of hemodynamic signals in assessing changes in evoked neuronal activity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neurovascular coupling, defined as the tight relationship between activated neurons and hemodynamic responses, is a fundamental brain function that underlies hemodynamic-based functional brain imaging techniques. However, the impact of altered brain states on this relationship is largely unknown. We therefore investigated how acetylcholine (ACh), known to drive brain states of attention and arousal and to be deficient in pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease, would alter neurovascular coupling responses to sensory stimulation. Whereas acutely increased ACh enhanced neuronal responses and the resulting hemodynamic signals, chronic loss of cholinergic input resulted in dramatic impairments in both types of sensory-evoked signals. We conclude that ACh is not only a potent modulator but also a requirement for the full expression of sensory-evoked neurovascular coupling responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clotilde Lecrux
- Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Research and
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging Signals, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4
| | | | - Sujaya Neupane
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging Signals, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4
| | - Pascal Kropf
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging Signals, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4
| | | | | | | | - Amir Shmuel
- Laboratory of Brain Imaging Signals, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2B4
| | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Bovetti S, Moretti C, Zucca S, Dal Maschio M, Bonifazi P, Fellin T. Simultaneous high-speed imaging and optogenetic inhibition in the intact mouse brain. Sci Rep 2017; 7:40041. [PMID: 28053310 PMCID: PMC5215385 DOI: 10.1038/srep40041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetically encoded calcium indicators and optogenetic actuators can report and manipulate the activity of specific neuronal populations. However, applying imaging and optogenetics simultaneously has been difficult to establish in the mammalian brain, even though combining the techniques would provide a powerful approach to reveal the functional organization of neural circuits. Here, we developed a technique based on patterned two-photon illumination to allow fast scanless imaging of GCaMP6 signals in the intact mouse brain at the same time as single-photon optogenetic inhibition with Archaerhodopsin. Using combined imaging and electrophysiological recording, we demonstrate that single and short bursts of action potentials in pyramidal neurons can be detected in the scanless modality at acquisition frequencies up to 1 kHz. Moreover, we demonstrate that our system strongly reduces the artifacts in the fluorescence detection that are induced by single-photon optogenetic illumination. Finally, we validated our technique investigating the role of parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons in the control of spontaneous cortical dynamics. Monitoring the activity of cellular populations on a precise spatiotemporal scale while manipulating neuronal activity with optogenetics provides a powerful tool to causally elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying circuit function in the intact mammalian brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Serena Bovetti
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Claudio Moretti
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Stefano Zucca
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Marco Dal Maschio
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | - Paolo Bonifazi
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Italy-Israel Joint Neuroscience Laboratory, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.,Computational Neuroimaging Lab, BioCruces Health Research Institute, Plaza de Cruces, s/n E-48903, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Tommaso Fellin
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Schultz SR, Copeland CS, Foust AJ, Quicke P, Schuck R. Advances in two photon scanning and scanless microscopy technologies for functional neural circuit imaging. PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE. INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS 2017; 105:139-157. [PMID: 28757657 PMCID: PMC5526632 DOI: 10.1109/jproc.2016.2577380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent years have seen substantial developments in technology for imaging neural circuits, raising the prospect of large scale imaging studies of neural populations involved in information processing, with the potential to lead to step changes in our understanding of brain function and dysfunction. In this article we will review some key recent advances: improved fluorophores for single cell resolution functional neuroimaging using a two photon microscope; improved approaches to the problem of scanning active circuits; and the prospect of scanless microscopes which overcome some of the bandwidth limitations of current imaging techniques. These advances in technology for experimental neuroscience have in themselves led to technical challenges, such as the need for the development of novel signal processing and data analysis tools in order to make the most of the new experimental tools. We review recent work in some active topics, such as region of interest segmentation algorithms capable of demixing overlapping signals, and new highly accurate algorithms for calcium transient detection. These advances motivate the development of new data analysis tools capable of dealing with spatial or spatiotemporal patterns of neural activity, that scale well with pattern size.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon R Schultz
- Center for Neurotechnology and Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London, South Kensington, LondonSW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Caroline S Copeland
- Center for Neurotechnology and Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London, South Kensington, LondonSW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Amanda J Foust
- Center for Neurotechnology and Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London, South Kensington, LondonSW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Peter Quicke
- Center for Neurotechnology and Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London, South Kensington, LondonSW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Renaud Schuck
- Center for Neurotechnology and Department of Bioengineering Imperial College London, South Kensington, LondonSW7 2AZ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Ranjbar-Slamloo Y, Arabzadeh E. High-velocity stimulation evokes "dense" population response in layer 2/3 vibrissal cortex. J Neurophysiol 2016; 117:1218-1228. [PMID: 28003414 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00815.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Supragranular layers of sensory cortex are known to exhibit sparse firing. In rodent vibrissal cortex, a small fraction of neurons in layer 2 and 3 (L2/3) respond to whisker stimulation. In this study, we combined whole cell recording and two-photon imaging in anesthetized mice and quantified the synaptic response and spiking profile of L2/3 neurons. Previous literature has shown that neurons across layers of vibrissal cortex are tuned to the velocity of whisker movement. We therefore used a broad range of stimuli that included the standard range of velocities (0-1.2 deg/ms) and extended to a "sharp" high-velocity deflection (3.8 deg/ms). Consistent with previous literature, whole cell recording revealed a sparse response to the standard range of velocities: although all recorded cells showed tuning to velocity in their postsynaptic potentials, only a small fraction produced stimulus-evoked spikes. In contrast, the sharp stimulus evoked reliable spiking in the majority of neurons. The action potential threshold of spikes evoked by the sharp stimulus was significantly lower than that of the spontaneous spikes. Juxtacellular recordings confirmed that application of sharp stimulus to single or multiple whiskers produced temporally precise spiking with minimal trial-to-trial spike count variability (Fano factors equal or close to the theoretical minimum). Two-photon imaging further confirmed that most neurons that were not responsive to the standard deflections responded to the sharp stimulus. Altogether, our results indicate that sparseness in L2/3 cortex depends on the choice of stimulus: strong single- or multiwhisker stimulation can induce the transition from sparse to "dense" population response.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In superficial layers of sensory cortex, only a small fraction of neurons fire most of the spontaneous and sensory evoked spikes. However, the functional relevance of such "sparse" activity remains unknown. We found that a "dense" population response is evoked by high-velocity micromotions applied to whiskers. Our results suggest that flashes of precisely timed population response on an almost silent background can provide a high capacity for coding of ecologically salient stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yadollah Ranjbar-Slamloo
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia; and.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, Australia
| | - Ehsan Arabzadeh
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia; and .,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, Australia
| |
Collapse
|