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Gasalla P, Manahan-Vaughan D, Dwyer DM, Hall J, Méndez-Couz M. Characterisation of the neural basis underlying appetitive extinction & renewal in Cacna1c rats. Neuropharmacology 2023; 227:109444. [PMID: 36724867 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109444] [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: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed impairments in Cacna1c ± heterozygous animals (a gene that encodes the Cav 1.2 L-type voltage-gated calcium channels and is implicated in risk for multiple neuropsychiatric disorders) in aversive forms of learning, such as latent inhibition, reversal learning or context discrimination. However, the role of Cav 1.2 L-type voltage-gated calcium channels in extinction of appetitive associations remains under-investigated. Here, we used an appetitive Pavlovian conditioning task and evaluated extinction learning (EL) with a change of context from that of training and test (ABA) and without such a change (AAA) in Cacna1c ± male rats versus their wild-type (WT) littermates. In addition, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization of somatic immediate early genes (IEGs) Arc and Homer1a expression to scrutinize associated changes in the medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Cacna1c ± animals successfully adapt their responses by engaging in appetitive EL and renewal. However, the regional IEG expression profile changed. For the EL occurring in the same context, Cacna1c ± animals presented higher IEG expression in the infralimbic cortex and the central amygdala than controls. The prelimbic region presented a larger neural ensemble in Cacna1c ± than WT animals, co-labelled for the time window of EL in the original context and prolonged exposure to the unrewarded context. With a context change, the Cacna1c ± infralimbic region displayed higher IEG expression during renewal than controls. Taken together, our findings provide novel evidence of distinct brain activation patterns occurring in Cacna1c ± rats after appetitive extinction and renewal despite preserved behavioral responses. This article is part of the Special Issue on "L-type calcium channel mechanisms in neuropsychiatric disorders".
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Gasalla
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK; School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Denise Manahan-Vaughan
- Dept. Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Building MA 4/158, 44780, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dominic Michael Dwyer
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience & Mental Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Marta Méndez-Couz
- Dept. Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstraße 150, Building MA 4/158, 44780, Bochum, Germany.
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2
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Rayan A, Donoso JR, Mendez-Couz M, Dolón L, Cheng S, Manahan-Vaughan D. Learning shifts the preferred theta phase of gamma oscillations in CA1. Hippocampus 2022; 32:695-704. [PMID: 35920344 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Hippocampal neuronal oscillations reflect different cognitive processes and can therefore be used to dissect the role of hippocampal subfields in learning and memory. In particular, it has been suggested that encoding and retrieval is associated with slow gamma (25-55 Hz) and fast gamma (60-100 Hz) oscillations, respectively, which appear in a nested manner at specific phases of the ongoing theta oscillations (4-12 Hz). However, the relationship between memory demand and the theta phase of gamma oscillations remains unclear. Here, we assessed the theta phase preference of gamma oscillations in the CA1 region, at the starting and junction zones of a T-maze, while rats were learning an appetitive task. We found that the theta phase preference of slow gamma showed a ~180° phase shift when animals switched from novice to skilled performance during task acquisition. This phase-shift was not present at the junction zone, where animals chose a right or left turn within the T-maze, suggesting that a recall/decision process had already taken place at the starting zone. Our findings indicate that slow gamma oscillations support both encoding and retrieval, depending on the theta phase at which they occur. These properties are particularly evident prior to cognitive engagement in an acquired spatial task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelrahman Rayan
- Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - José R Donoso
- Faculty of Computer Science, Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Marta Mendez-Couz
- Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Laura Dolón
- Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sen Cheng
- Faculty of Computer Science, Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Méndez-Couz M, González-Pardo H, Arias JL, Conejo NM. Hippocampal neuropeptide Y 2 receptor blockade improves spatial memory retrieval and modulates limbic brain metabolism. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 187:107561. [PMID: 34838984 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The neuropeptide Y (NPY) is broadly distributed in the central nervous system (CNS), and it has been related to neuroprotective functions. NPY seems to be an important component to counteract brain damage and cognitive impairment mediated by drugs of abuse and neurodegenerative diseases, and both NPY and its Y2 receptor (Y2R) are highly expressed in the hippocampus, critical for learning and memory. We have recently demonstrated its influence on cognitive functions; however, the specific mechanism and involved brain regions where NPY modulates spatial memory by acting on Y2R remain unclear. METHODS Here, we examined the involvement of the hippocampal NPY Y2R in spatial memory and associated changes in brain metabolism by bilateral administration of the selective antagonist BIIE0246 into the rat dorsal hippocampus. To further evaluate the relationship between memory functions and neuronal activity, we analysed the regional expression of the mitochondrial enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) as an index of oxidative metabolic capacity in limbic and non-limbic brain regions. RESULTS The acute blockade of NPY Y2R significantly improved spatial memory recall in rats trained in the Morris water maze that matched metabolic activity changes in spatial memory processing regions. Specifically, CCO activity changes were found in the dentate gyrus of the dorsal hippocampus and CA1 subfield of the ventral hippocampus, the infralimbic region of the PFC and the mammillary bodies. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the NPY hippocampal system, through its Y2R receptor, influences spatial memory recall (retrieval) and exerts control over patterns of brain activation that are relevant for associative learning, probably mediated by Y2R modulation of long-term potentiation and long-term depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Méndez-Couz
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Pl. Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; Dept. Neurophysiology. Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum. Universitätsstraße, 150. Building MA 01/551, 44780 Bochum, Germany.
| | - Héctor González-Pardo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Pl. Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jorge L Arias
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Pl. Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Nélida M Conejo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Pl. Feijoo s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33006 Oviedo, Spain
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Donoso JR, Packheiser J, Pusch R, Lederer Z, Walther T, Uengoer M, Lachnit H, Güntürkün O, Cheng S. Emergence of complex dynamics of choice due to repeated exposures to extinction learning. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:1279-1297. [PMID: 33978856 PMCID: PMC8492564 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01521-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Extinction learning, the process of ceasing an acquired behavior in response to altered reinforcement contingencies, is not only essential for survival in a changing environment, but also plays a fundamental role in the treatment of pathological behaviors. During therapy and other forms of training involving extinction, subjects are typically exposed to several sessions with a similar structure. The effects of this repeated exposure are not well understood. Here, we studied the behavior of pigeons across several sessions of a discrimination-learning task in context A, extinction in context B, and a return to context A to test the context-dependent return of the learned responses (ABA renewal). By focusing on individual learning curves across animals, we uncovered a session-dependent variability of behavior: (1) during extinction, pigeons preferred the unrewarded alternative choice in one-third of the sessions, predominantly during the first one. (2) In later sessions, abrupt transitions of behavior at the onset of context B emerged, and (3) the renewal effect decayed as sessions progressed. We show that the observed results can be parsimoniously accounted for by a computational model based only on associative learning between stimuli and actions. Our work thus demonstrates the critical importance of studying the trial-by-trial dynamics of learning in individual sessions, and the power of “simple” associative learning processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- José R Donoso
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Julian Packheiser
- Department of Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Roland Pusch
- Department of Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Zhiyin Lederer
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Thomas Walther
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Metin Uengoer
- Department of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Harald Lachnit
- Department of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sen Cheng
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
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Hoang TH, Böge J, Manahan-Vaughan D. Hippocampal subfield-specific Homer1a expression is triggered by learning-facilitated long-term potentiation and long-term depression at medial perforant path synapses. Hippocampus 2021; 31:897-915. [PMID: 33964041 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Learning about general aspects, or content details, of space results in differentiated neuronal information encoding within the proximodistal axis of the hippocampus. These processes are tightly linked to long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Here, we explored the precise sites of encoding of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus that are mediated by information throughput from the perforant path. We assessed nuclear Homer1a-expression that was triggered by electrophysiological induction of short and long forms of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and compared it to Homer1a-expression that was triggered by LTP and LTD enabled by different forms of spatial learning. Plasticity responses were induced by patterned stimulation of the perforant path and were recorded in the dentate gyrus (DG) of freely behaving rats. We used fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect experience-dependent nuclear encoding of Homer1a in proximodistal hippocampal subfields. Induction of neither STP nor STD resulted in immediate early gene (IEG) encoding. Electrophysiological induction of robust LTP, or LTD, resulted in highly significant and widespread induction of nuclear Homer1a in all hippocampal subfields. LTP that was facilitated by novel spatial exploration triggered similar widespread Homer1a-expression. The coupling of synaptic depression with the exploration of a novel configuration of landmarks resulted in localized IEG expression in the proximal CA3 region and the lower (infrapyramidal) blade of the DG. Our findings support that synaptic plasticity induction via perforant path inputs promotes widespread hippocampal information encoding. Furthermore, novel spatial exploration promotes the selection of a hippocampal neuronal network by means of LTP that is distributed in an experience-dependent manner across all hippocampus subfields. This network may be modified during spatial content learning by LTD in specific hippocampal subfields. Thus, long-term plasticity-inducing events result in IEG expression that supports establishment and/or restructuring of neuronal networks that are necessary for long-term information storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thu-Huong Hoang
- Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.,International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Juliane Böge
- Medical Faculty, Department of Neurophysiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Méndez-Couz M, Krenzek B, Manahan-Vaughan D. Genetic Depletion of BDNF Impairs Extinction Learning of a Spatial Appetitive Task in the Presence or Absence of the Acquisition Context. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:658686. [PMID: 33994970 PMCID: PMC8119774 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.658686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) supports neuronal survival, growth, and differentiation and is involved in forms of hippocampus-dependent and independent learning, as well as hippocampus-dependent learning. Extinction learning comprises active inhibition of no-longer relevant learned information, in conjunction with a decreased response of a previously learned behavior. It is highly dependent on context, and evidence exists that it requires hippocampal activation. The participation of BDNF in memory processing is experience-dependent. For example, BDNF has been associated with synaptic plasticity needed for spatial learning, and it is involved in acquisition and extinction learning of fear conditioning. However, little is known about its role in spatial appetitive extinction learning. In this study, we evaluated to what extent BDNF contributes to spatial appetitive extinction learning in the presence (ABA) or absence (AAA) of exposure to the acquisition context. Daily training, of BDNF+/--mice or their wildtype (WT) littermates, to reach acquisition criterion in a T-maze, resulted in a similar performance outcome. However, extinction learning was delayed in the AAA, and impaired in the ABA-paradigm compared to performance in WT littermates. Trial-by-trial learning analysis indicated differences in the integration of the context into extinction learning by BDNF+/--mice compared to WT littermates. Taken together, these results support an important role for BDNF in processes that relate to information updating and retrieval that in turn are crucial for effective extinction learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Méndez-Couz
- Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Beate Krenzek
- Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Walther T, Diekmann N, Vijayabaskaran S, Donoso JR, Manahan-Vaughan D, Wiskott L, Cheng S. Context-dependent extinction learning emerging from raw sensory inputs: a reinforcement learning approach. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2713. [PMID: 33526840 PMCID: PMC7851139 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81157-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The context-dependence of extinction learning has been well studied and requires the hippocampus. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are still poorly understood. Using memory-driven reinforcement learning and deep neural networks, we developed a model that learns to navigate autonomously in biologically realistic virtual reality environments based on raw camera inputs alone. Neither is context represented explicitly in our model, nor is context change signaled. We find that memory-intact agents learn distinct context representations, and develop ABA renewal, whereas memory-impaired agents do not. These findings reproduce the behavior of control and hippocampal animals, respectively. We therefore propose that the role of the hippocampus in the context-dependence of extinction learning might stem from its function in episodic-like memory and not in context-representation per se. We conclude that context-dependence can emerge from raw visual inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Walther
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Nicolas Diekmann
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - José R Donoso
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | | | - Laurenz Wiskott
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sen Cheng
- Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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Méndez-Couz M, Manahan-Vaughan D, Silva AP, González-Pardo H, Arias JL, Conejo NM. Metaplastic contribution of neuropeptide Y receptors to spatial memory acquisition. Behav Brain Res 2020; 396:112864. [PMID: 32827566 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is highly abundant in the brain and is released as a co-transmitter with plasticity-related neurotransmitters such as glutamate, GABA and noradrenaline. Functionally, its release is associated with appetite, anxiety, and stress regulation. NPY acting on Y2 receptors (Y2R), facilitates fear extinction, suggesting a role in associative memory. Here, we explored to what extent NPY action at Y2R contributes to hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and found that dorsal intrahippocampal receptor antagonism improved spatial reference memory acquired in a water maze in rats, without affecting anxiety levels, or spontaneous motor activity. Water maze training resulted in an increase of Y2R, but not Y1R expression in the hippocampus. By contrast, in the prefrontal cortex there was a decrease in Y2R, and an increase of Y1R expression. Our results indicate that neuropeptide Y2R are significantly involved in hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and that receptor expression is dynamically regulated by this learning experience. Effects are consistent with a metaplastic contribution of NPY receptors to cumulative spatial learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Méndez-Couz
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Spain; Ruhr University Bochum, Medical Faculty, Dept. Neurophysiology, Bochum, Germany.
| | | | - Ana Paula Silva
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine and Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Héctor González-Pardo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Spain
| | - Jorge Luis Arias
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Spain
| | - Nélida María Conejo
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Neurociencias del Principado de Asturias (INEUROPA), University of Oviedo, Spain
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