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Colombi I, Nieus T, Massimini M, Chiappalone M. Spontaneous and Perturbational Complexity in Cortical Cultures. Brain Sci 2021; 11:1453. [PMID: 34827452 PMCID: PMC8615728 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111453] [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: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissociated cortical neurons in vitro display spontaneously synchronized, low-frequency firing patterns, which can resemble the slow wave oscillations characterizing sleep in vivo. Experiments in humans, rodents, and cortical slices have shown that awakening or the administration of activating neuromodulators decrease slow waves, while increasing the spatio-temporal complexity of responses to perturbations. In this study, we attempted to replicate those findings using in vitro cortical cultures coupled with micro-electrode arrays and chemically treated with carbachol (CCh), to modulate sleep-like activity and suppress slow oscillations. We adapted metrics such as neural complexity (NC) and the perturbational complexity index (PCI), typically employed in animal and human brain studies, to quantify complexity in simplified, unstructured networks, both during resting state and in response to electrical stimulation. After CCh administration, we found a decrease in the amplitude of the initial response and a marked enhancement of the complexity during spontaneous activity. Crucially, unlike in cortical slices and intact brains, PCI in cortical cultures displayed only a moderate increase. This dissociation suggests that PCI, a measure of the complexity of causal interactions, requires more than activating neuromodulation and that additional factors, such as an appropriate circuit architecture, may be necessary. Exploring more structured in vitro networks, characterized by the presence of strong lateral connections, recurrent excitation, and feedback loops, may thus help to identify the features that are more relevant to support causal complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Colombi
- Brain Development and Disease Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy;
| | - Thierry Nieus
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy; (T.N.); (M.M.)
| | - Marcello Massimini
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy; (T.N.); (M.M.)
- IRCCS, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, 20148 Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Chiappalone
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and System Engineering, 16145 Genova, Italy
- Rehab Technologies Lab., Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
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2
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Moriya F, Shimba K, Kotani K, Jimbo Y. Change in Evoked Response of Mature Neuronal Network to Spatial Pattern Stimulation by Immature Neurons. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2020; 2019:2141-2144. [PMID: 31946324 DOI: 10.1109/embc.2019.8857483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is known to enhance pattern separation. However, the effect of adult neurogenesis on spatial pattern separation at the cellular assembly level is unclear. In order to elucidate how newborn and immature neurons change learning of spatial pattern of mature neuronal network, we evaluated evoked response to two types of spatial patterns of the cultured hippocampal network with or without added neural stem cells by using electrical stimulation on microelectrode array. Results show that the existence of newborn and immature neurons changed evoked response of mature neuronal network to both trained and untrained patterns, suggesting that the presence of immature neurons may contribute to production of the change that mature neuronal network enhances LTP and excitation to stimuli.
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3
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Weber AI, Fairhall AL. The role of adaptation in neural coding. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 58:135-140. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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4
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Teppola H, Aćimović J, Linne ML. Unique Features of Network Bursts Emerge From the Complex Interplay of Excitatory and Inhibitory Receptors in Rat Neocortical Networks. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:377. [PMID: 31555093 PMCID: PMC6742722 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous network activity plays a fundamental role in the formation of functional networks during early development. The landmark of this activity is the recurrent emergence of intensive time-limited network bursts (NBs) rapidly spreading across the entire dissociated culture in vitro. The main excitatory mediators of NBs are glutamatergic alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) and N-Methyl-D-aspartic-acid receptors (NMDARs) that express fast and slow ion channel kinetics, respectively. The fast inhibition of the activity is mediated through gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs). Although the AMPAR, NMDAR and GABAAR kinetics have been biophysically characterized in detail at the monosynaptic level in a variety of brain areas, the unique features of NBs emerging from the kinetics and the complex interplay of these receptors are not well understood. The goal of this study is to analyze the contribution of fast GABAARs on AMPAR- and NMDAR- mediated spontaneous NB activity in dissociated neonatal rat cortical cultures at 3 weeks in vitro. The networks were probed by both acute and gradual application of each excitatory receptor antagonist and combinations of acute excitatory and inhibitory receptor antagonists. At the same time, the extracellular network-wide activity was recorded with microelectrode arrays (MEAs). We analyzed the characteristic NB measures extracted from NB rate profiles and the distributions of interspike intervals, interburst intervals, and electrode recruitment time as well as the similarity of spatio-temporal patterns of network activity under different receptor antagonists. We show that NBs were rapidly initiated and recruited as well as diversely propagated by AMPARs and temporally and spatially maintained by NMDARs. GABAARs reduced the spiking frequency in AMPAR-mediated networks and dampened the termination of NBs in NMDAR-mediated networks as well as slowed down the recruitment of activity in all networks. Finally, we show characteristic super bursts composed of slow NBs with highly repetitive spatio-temporal patterns in gradually AMPAR blocked networks. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to unravel in detail how the three main mediators of synaptic transmission uniquely shape the NB characteristics, such as the initiation, maintenance, recruitment and termination of NBs in cortical cell cultures in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Teppola
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jugoslava Aćimović
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Marja-Leena Linne
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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5
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Keren H, Partzsch J, Marom S, Mayr CG. A Biohybrid Setup for Coupling Biological and Neuromorphic Neural Networks. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:432. [PMID: 31133779 PMCID: PMC6517490 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Developing technologies for coupling neural activity and artificial neural components, is key for advancing neural interfaces and neuroprosthetics. We present a biohybrid experimental setting, where the activity of a biological neural network is coupled to a biomimetic hardware network. The implementation of the hardware network (denoted NeuroSoC) exhibits complex dynamics with a multiplicity of time-scales, emulating 2880 neurons and 12.7 M synapses, designed on a VLSI chip. This network is coupled to a neural network in vitro, where the activities of both the biological and the hardware networks can be recorded, processed, and integrated bidirectionally in real-time. This experimental setup enables an adjustable and well-monitored coupling, while providing access to key functional features of neural networks. We demonstrate the feasibility to functionally couple the two networks and to implement control circuits to modify the biohybrid activity. Overall, we provide an experimental model for neuromorphic-neural interfaces, hopefully to advance the capability to interface with neural activity, and with its irregularities in pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Keren
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Network Biology Research Laboratory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Institute of Circuits and Systems, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Johannes Partzsch
- Institute of Circuits and Systems, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Shimon Marom
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Network Biology Research Laboratory, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Christian G Mayr
- Institute of Circuits and Systems, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
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6
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Van De Vijver S, Missault S, Van Soom J, Van Der Veken P, Augustyns K, Joossens J, Dedeurwaerdere S, Giugliano M. The effect of pharmacological inhibition of Serine Proteases on neuronal networks in vitro. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6796. [PMID: 31065460 PMCID: PMC6485206 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6796] [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: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons are embedded in an extracellular matrix (ECM), which functions both as a scaffold and as a regulator of neuronal function. The ECM is in turn dynamically altered through the action of serine proteases, which break down its constituents. This pathway has been implicated in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and of neuronal intrinsic excitability. In this study, we determined the short-term effects of interfering with proteolytic processes in the ECM, with a newly developed serine protease inhibitor. We monitored the spontaneous electrophysiological activity of in vitro primary rat cortical cultures, using microelectrode arrays. While pharmacological inhibition at a low dosage had no significant effect, at elevated concentrations it altered significantly network synchronization and functional connectivity but left unaltered single-cell electrical properties. These results suggest that serine protease inhibition affects synaptic properties, likely through its actions on the ECM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastiaan Van De Vijver
- Molecular, Cellular, and Network Excitability, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Stephan Missault
- Experimental Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience and Otolaryngology, Department of Translational Neurosciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Van Soom
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Pieter Van Der Veken
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Koen Augustyns
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Jurgen Joossens
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Stefanie Dedeurwaerdere
- Laboratory of Experimental Haematology, VAXINFECTIO, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
| | - Michele Giugliano
- Molecular, Cellular, and Network Excitability, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Flanders, Belgium
- Neuroscience sector, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste, Italy
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7
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Abstract
The firing rate of neuronal spiking in vitro and in vivo significantly varies over extended timescales, characterized by long-memory processes and complex statistics, and appears in spontaneous as well as evoked activity upon repeated stimulus presentation. These variations in response features and their statistics, in face of repeated instances of a given physical input, are ubiquitous in all levels of brain-behavior organization. They are expressed in single neuron and network response variability but even appear in variations of subjective percepts or psychophysical choices and have been described as stemming from history-dependent, stochastic, or rate-determined processes.But what are the sources underlying these temporally rich variations in firing rate? Are they determined by interactions of the nervous system as a whole, or do isolated, single neurons or neuronal networks already express these fluctuations independent of higher levels? These questions motivated the application of a method that allows for controlled and specific long-term activation of a single neuron or neuronal network, isolated from higher levels of cortical organization.This chapter highlights the research done in cultured cortical networks to study (1) the inherent non-stationarity of neuronal network activity, (2) single neuron response fluctuations and underlying processes, and (3) the interface layer between network and single cell, the non-stationary efficacy of the ensemble of synapses impinging onto the observed neuron.
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8
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Panuccio G, Colombi I, Chiappalone M. Recording and Modulation of Epileptiform Activity in Rodent Brain Slices Coupled to Microelectrode Arrays. J Vis Exp 2018. [PMID: 29863681 PMCID: PMC6101224 DOI: 10.3791/57548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common partial complex epileptic syndrome and the least responsive to medications. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising approach when pharmacological treatment fails or neurosurgery is not recommended. Acute brain slices coupled to microelectrode arrays (MEAs) represent a valuable tool to study neuronal network interactions and their modulation by electrical stimulation. As compared to conventional extracellular recording techniques, they provide the added advantages of a greater number of observation points and a known inter-electrode distance, which allow studying the propagation path and speed of electrophysiological signals. However, tissue oxygenation may be greatly impaired during MEA recording, requiring a high perfusion rate, which comes at the cost of decreased signal-to-noise ratio and higher oscillations in the experimental temperature. Electrical stimulation further stresses the brain tissue, making it difficult to pursue prolonged recording/stimulation epochs. Moreover, electrical modulation of brain slice activity needs to target specific structures/pathways within the brain slice, requiring that electrode mapping be easily and quickly performed live during the experiment. Here, we illustrate how to perform the recording and electrical modulation of 4-aminopyridine (4AP)-induced epileptiform activity in rodent brain slices using planar MEAs. We show that the brain tissue obtained from mice outperforms rat brain tissue and is thus better suited for MEA experiments. This protocol guarantees the generation and maintenance of a stable epileptiform pattern that faithfully reproduces the electrophysiological features observed with conventional field potential recording, persists for several hours, and outlasts sustained electrical stimulation for prolonged epochs. Tissue viability throughout the experiment is achieved thanks to the use of a small-volume custom recording chamber allowing for laminar flow and quick solution exchange even at low (1 mL/min) perfusion rates. Quick MEA mapping for real-time monitoring and selection of stimulating electrodes is performed by a custom graphic user interface (GUI).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Panuccio
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia;
| | - Ilaria Colombi
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
| | - Michela Chiappalone
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Rehab Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
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9
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Hassink GC, Raiss CC, Segers-Nolten IMJ, van Wezel RJA, Subramaniam V, le Feber J, Claessens MMAE. Exogenous α-synuclein hinders synaptic communication in cultured cortical primary rat neurons. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193763. [PMID: 29565978 PMCID: PMC5863964 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid aggregates of the protein α-synuclein (αS) called Lewy Bodies (LB) and Lewy Neurites (LN) are the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. We have previously shown that high extracellular αS concentrations can be toxic to cells and that neurons take up αS. Here we aimed to get more insight into the toxicity mechanism associated with high extracellular αS concentrations (50-100 μM). High extracellular αS concentrations resulted in a reduction of the firing rate of the neuronal network by disrupting synaptic transmission, while the neuronal ability to fire action potentials was still intact. Furthermore, many cells developed αS deposits larger than 500 nm within five days, but otherwise appeared healthy. Synaptic dysfunction clearly occurred before the establishment of large intracellular deposits and neuronal death, suggesting that an excessive extracellular αS concentration caused synaptic failure and which later possibly contributed to neuronal death.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. C. Hassink
- Clinical Neurophysiology, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
- Biomedical Signal and Systems, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - C. C. Raiss
- Nanobiophysics Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - I. M. J. Segers-Nolten
- Nanobiophysics Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - R. J. A. van Wezel
- Biomedical Signal and Systems, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
- Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Postbus, The Netherlands
| | - V. Subramaniam
- Nanobiophysics Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - J. le Feber
- Clinical Neurophysiology, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
- Biomedical Signal and Systems, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - M. M. A. E. Claessens
- Clinical Neurophysiology, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, Postbus, Enschede, the Netherlands
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10
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Honey CJ, Newman EL, Schapiro AC. Switching between internal and external modes: A multiscale learning principle. Netw Neurosci 2017; 1:339-356. [PMID: 30090870 PMCID: PMC6063714 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Brains construct internal models that support perception, prediction, and action in the external world. Individual circuits within a brain also learn internal models of the local world of input they receive, in order to facilitate efficient and robust representation. How are these internal models learned? We propose that learning is facilitated by continual switching between internally biased and externally biased modes of processing. We review computational evidence that this mode-switching can produce an error signal to drive learning. We then consider empirical evidence for the instantiation of mode-switching in diverse neural systems, ranging from subsecond fluctuations in the hippocampus to wake-sleep alternations across the whole brain. We hypothesize that these internal/external switching processes, which occur at multiple scales, can drive learning at each scale. This framework predicts that (a) slower mode-switching should be associated with learning of more temporally extended input features and (b) disruption of switching should impair the integration of new information with prior information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Honey
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ehren L. Newman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Anna C. Schapiro
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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11
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Tanaka Y, Isomura T, Shimba K, Kotani K, Jimbo Y. Neurogenesis Enhances Response Specificity to Spatial Pattern Stimulation in Hippocampal Cultures. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2017; 64:2555-2561. [DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2016.2639468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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12
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Hazan H, Ziv NE. Closed Loop Experiment Manager (CLEM)-An Open and Inexpensive Solution for Multichannel Electrophysiological Recordings and Closed Loop Experiments. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:579. [PMID: 29093659 PMCID: PMC5651259 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing need for multichannel electrophysiological systems that record from and interact with neuronal systems in near real-time. Such systems are needed, for example, for closed loop, multichannel electrophysiological/optogenetic experimentation in vivo and in a variety of other neuronal preparations, or for developing and testing neuro-prosthetic devices, to name a few. Furthermore, there is a need for such systems to be inexpensive, reliable, user friendly, easy to set-up, open and expandable, and possess long life cycles in face of rapidly changing computing environments. Finally, they should provide powerful, yet reasonably easy to implement facilities for developing closed-loop protocols for interacting with neuronal systems. Here, we survey commercial and open source systems that address these needs to varying degrees. We then present our own solution, which we refer to as Closed Loop Experiments Manager (CLEM). CLEM is an open source, soft real-time, Microsoft Windows desktop application that is based on a single generic personal computer (PC) and an inexpensive, general-purpose data acquisition board. CLEM provides a fully functional, user-friendly graphical interface, possesses facilities for recording, presenting and logging electrophysiological data from up to 64 analog channels, and facilities for controlling external devices, such as stimulators, through digital and analog interfaces. Importantly, it includes facilities for running closed-loop protocols written in any programming language that can generate dynamic link libraries (DLLs). We describe the application, its architecture and facilities. We then demonstrate, using networks of cortical neurons growing on multielectrode arrays (MEA) that despite its reliance on generic hardware, its performance is appropriate for flexible, closed-loop experimentation at the neuronal network level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hananel Hazan
- Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.,Network Biology Research Laboratories, Lorry Lokey Center for Life Sciences and Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Noam E Ziv
- Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.,Network Biology Research Laboratories, Lorry Lokey Center for Life Sciences and Engineering, Technion, Haifa, Israel
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13
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Emergence and maintenance of excitability: kinetics over structure. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2016; 40:66-71. [PMID: 27400289 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2016.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2016] [Revised: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The capacity to generate action potentials in neurons and other excitable cells requires tuning of both ionic channel expression and kinetics in a large parameter space. Alongside studies that extend traditional focus on control-based regulation of structural parameters (channel densities), there is a budding interest in self-organization of kinetic parameters. In this picture, ionic channels are continually forced by activity in-and-out of a pool of states not available for the mechanism of excitability. The process, acting on expressed structure, provides a bed for generation of a spectrum of excitability modes. Driven by microscopic fluctuations over a broad range of temporal scales, self-organization of kinetic parameters enriches the concepts and tools used in the study of development of excitability.
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14
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Pulizzi R, Musumeci G, Van den Haute C, Van De Vijver S, Baekelandt V, Giugliano M. Brief wide-field photostimuli evoke and modulate oscillatory reverberating activity in cortical networks. Sci Rep 2016; 6:24701. [PMID: 27099182 PMCID: PMC4838830 DOI: 10.1038/srep24701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell assemblies manipulation by optogenetics is pivotal to advance neuroscience and neuroengineering. In in vivo applications, photostimulation often broadly addresses a population of cells simultaneously, leading to feed-forward and to reverberating responses in recurrent microcircuits. The former arise from direct activation of targets downstream, and are straightforward to interpret. The latter are consequence of feedback connectivity and may reflect a variety of time-scales and complex dynamical properties. We investigated wide-field photostimulation in cortical networks in vitro, employing substrate-integrated microelectrode arrays and long-term cultured neuronal networks. We characterized the effect of brief light pulses, while restricting the expression of channelrhodopsin to principal neurons. We evoked robust reverberating responses, oscillating in the physiological gamma frequency range, and found that such a frequency could be reliably manipulated varying the light pulse duration, not its intensity. By pharmacology, mathematical modelling, and intracellular recordings, we conclude that gamma oscillations likely emerge as in vivo from the excitatory-inhibitory interplay and that, unexpectedly, the light stimuli transiently facilitate excitatory synaptic transmission. Of relevance for in vitro models of (dys)functional cortical microcircuitry and in vivo manipulations of cell assemblies, we give for the first time evidence of network-level consequences of the alteration of synaptic physiology by optogenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocco Pulizzi
- Theoretical Neurobiology &Neuroengineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Gabriele Musumeci
- Theoretical Neurobiology &Neuroengineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Chris Van den Haute
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Viral Vector Core, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Veerle Baekelandt
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Gene Therapy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michele Giugliano
- Theoretical Neurobiology &Neuroengineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, S1 4DP Sheffield, UK.,Laboratory of Neural Microcircuitry, Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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15
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Suresh J, Radojicic M, Pesce LL, Bhansali A, Wang J, Tryba AK, Marks JD, van Drongelen W. Network burst activity in hippocampal neuronal cultures: the role of synaptic and intrinsic currents. J Neurophysiol 2016; 115:3073-89. [PMID: 26984425 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00995.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of this work was to define the contributions of intrinsic and synaptic mechanisms toward spontaneous network-wide bursting activity, observed in dissociated rat hippocampal cell cultures. This network behavior is typically characterized by short-duration bursts, separated by order of magnitude longer interburst intervals. We hypothesize that while short-timescale synaptic processes modulate spectro-temporal intraburst properties and network-wide burst propagation, much longer timescales of intrinsic membrane properties such as persistent sodium (Nap) currents govern burst onset during interburst intervals. To test this, we used synaptic receptor antagonists picrotoxin, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), and 3-(2-carboxypiperazine-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonate (CPP) to selectively block GABAA, AMPA, and NMDA receptors and riluzole to selectively block Nap channels. We systematically compared intracellular activity (recorded with patch clamp) and network activity (recorded with multielectrode arrays) in eight different synaptic connectivity conditions: GABAA + NMDA + AMPA, NMDA + AMPA, GABAA + AMPA, GABAA + NMDA, AMPA, NMDA, GABAA, and all receptors blocked. Furthermore, we used mixed-effects modeling to quantify the aforementioned independent and interactive synaptic receptor contributions toward spectro-temporal burst properties including intraburst spike rate, burst activity index, burst duration, power in the local field potential, network connectivity, and transmission delays. We found that blocking intrinsic Nap currents completely abolished bursting activity, demonstrating their critical role in burst onset within the network. On the other hand, blocking different combinations of synaptic receptors revealed that spectro-temporal burst properties are uniquely associated with synaptic functionality and that excitatory connectivity is necessary for the presence of network-wide bursting. In addition to confirming the critical contribution of direct excitatory effects, mixed-effects modeling also revealed distinct combined (nonlinear) contributions of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic activity to network bursting properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyothsna Suresh
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Committee on Computational Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois;
| | - Mihailo Radojicic
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Lorenzo L Pesce
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; The Computation Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; and
| | - Anita Bhansali
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Janice Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Andrew K Tryba
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jeremy D Marks
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Committee on Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Wim van Drongelen
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Committee on Computational Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; The Computation Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; and Committee on Neurobiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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16
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Segura I, Lange C, Knevels E, Moskalyuk A, Pulizzi R, Eelen G, Chaze T, Tudor C, Boulegue C, Holt M, Daelemans D, Matondo M, Ghesquière B, Giugliano M, Ruiz de Almodovar C, Dewerchin M, Carmeliet P. The Oxygen Sensor PHD2 Controls Dendritic Spines and Synapses via Modification of Filamin A. Cell Rep 2016; 14:2653-67. [PMID: 26972007 PMCID: PMC4805856 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.02.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal function is highly sensitive to changes in oxygen levels, but how hypoxia affects dendritic spine formation and synaptogenesis is unknown. Here we report that hypoxia, chemical inhibition of the oxygen-sensing prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHDs), and silencing of Phd2 induce immature filopodium-like dendritic protrusions, promote spine regression, reduce synaptic density, and decrease the frequency of spontaneous action potentials independently of HIF signaling. We identified the actin cross-linker filamin A (FLNA) as a target of PHD2 mediating these effects. In normoxia, PHD2 hydroxylates the proline residues P2309 and P2316 in FLNA, leading to von Hippel-Lindau (VHL)-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. In hypoxia, PHD2 inactivation rapidly upregulates FLNA protein levels because of blockage of its proteasomal degradation. FLNA upregulation induces more immature spines, whereas Flna silencing rescues the immature spine phenotype induced by PHD2 inhibition. The oxygen sensor PHD2 is present in dendritic spines PHD2 inhibition by hypoxia reduces spine maturation, synaptic density, and activity Through hydroxylation, PHD2 targets filamin A for proteasomal degradation Filamin A stabilization promotes dendritic spine remodeling
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Affiliation(s)
- Inmaculada Segura
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christian Lange
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ellen Knevels
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anastasiya Moskalyuk
- Laboratory of Theoretical Neurobiology and Neuroengineering, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Rocco Pulizzi
- Laboratory of Theoretical Neurobiology and Neuroengineering, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Guy Eelen
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thibault Chaze
- Proteomics Platform, Institute Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | | | - Cyril Boulegue
- Proteomics Platform, Institute Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Matthew Holt
- Laboratory of Glia Biology, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk Daelemans
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Bart Ghesquière
- Metabolomics Core Facility, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michele Giugliano
- Laboratory of Theoretical Neurobiology and Neuroengineering, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Ruiz de Almodovar
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mieke Dewerchin
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Peter Carmeliet
- Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Laboratory of Angiogenesis and Vascular Metabolism, Vesalius Research Center, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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17
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le Feber J, Witteveen T, van Veenendaal TM, Dijkstra J. Repeated stimulation of cultured networks of rat cortical neurons induces parallel memory traces. Learn Mem 2015; 22:594-603. [PMID: 26572650 PMCID: PMC4749732 DOI: 10.1101/lm.039362.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
During systems consolidation, memories are spontaneously replayed favoring information transfer from hippocampus to neocortex. However, at present no empirically supported mechanism to accomplish a transfer of memory from hippocampal to extra-hippocampal sites has been offered. We used cultured neuronal networks on multielectrode arrays and small-scale computational models to study the effect of memory replay on the formation of memory traces. We show that input-deprived networks develop an activity⇔connectivity balance where dominant activity patterns support current connectivity. Electrical stimulation at one electrode disturbs this balance and induces connectivity changes. Intrinsic forces in recurrent networks lead to a new equilibrium with activity patterns that include the stimulus response. The new connectivity is no longer disrupted by this stimulus, indicating that networks memorize it. A different stimulus again induces connectivity changes upon first application but not subsequently, demonstrating the formation of a second memory trace. Returning to the first stimulus does not affect connectivity, indicating parallel storage of both traces. A computer model robustly reproduced experimental results, suggesting that spike-timing-dependent plasticity and short time depression suffice to store parallel memory traces, even in networks without particular circuitry constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost le Feber
- Department of Biomedical Signals and Systems, University of Twente, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Twente, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
| | - Tim Witteveen
- Department of Biomedical Signals and Systems, University of Twente, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
| | - Tamar M van Veenendaal
- Department of Biomedical Signals and Systems, University of Twente, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands Department of Radiology, Maastricht University, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht 6200 MD, The Netherlands
| | - Jelle Dijkstra
- Department of Biomedical Signals and Systems, University of Twente, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technical Medicine, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
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18
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Braun E, Marom S. Universality, complexity and the praxis of biology: Two case studies. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES 2015; 53:68-72. [PMID: 25903120 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The phenomenon of biology provides a prime example for a naturally occurring complex system. The approach to this complexity reflects the tension between a reductionist, reverse-engineering stance, and more abstract, systemic ones. Both of us are reductionists, but our observations challenge reductionism, at least the naive version of it. Here we describe the challenge, focusing on two universal characteristics of biological complexity: two-way microscopic-macroscopic degeneracy, and lack of time scale separation within and between levels of organization. These two features and their consequences for the praxis of experimental biology, reflect inherent difficulties in separating the dynamics of any given level of organization from the coupled dynamics of all other levels, including the environment within which the system is embedded. Where these difficulties are not deeply acknowledged, the impacts of fallacies that are inherent to naive reductionism are significant. In an era where technology enables experimental high-resolution access to numerous observables, the challenge faced by the mature reductionist-identification of relevant microscopic variables-becomes more demanding than ever. The demonstrations provided here are taken from two very different biological realizations: populations of microorganisms and populations of neurons, thus making the lesson potentially general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erez Braun
- Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
| | - Shimon Marom
- Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel.
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19
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Biró I, Giugliano M. A reconfigurable visual-programming library for real-time closed-loop cellular electrophysiology. Front Neuroinform 2015; 9:17. [PMID: 26157385 PMCID: PMC4477165 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2015.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of the software platforms for cellular electrophysiology are limited in terms of flexibility, hardware support, ease of use, or re-configuration and adaptation for non-expert users. Moreover, advanced experimental protocols requiring real-time closed-loop operation to investigate excitability, plasticity, dynamics, are largely inaccessible to users without moderate to substantial computer proficiency. Here we present an approach based on MATLAB/Simulink, exploiting the benefits of LEGO-like visual programming and configuration, combined to a small, but easily extendible library of functional software components. We provide and validate several examples, implementing conventional and more sophisticated experimental protocols such as dynamic-clamp or the combined use of intracellular and extracellular methods, involving closed-loop real-time control. The functionality of each of these examples is demonstrated with relevant experiments. These can be used as a starting point to create and support a larger variety of electrophysiological tools and methods, hopefully extending the range of default techniques and protocols currently employed in experimental labs across the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- István Biró
- Theoretical Neurobiology and Neuroengineering, University of AntwerpAntwerpen, Belgium
| | - Michele Giugliano
- Theoretical Neurobiology and Neuroengineering, University of AntwerpAntwerpen, Belgium
- Department of Computer Science, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
- Laboratory for Neural Microcircuitry, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneLausanne, Switzerland
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20
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Peelaerts W, Bousset L, Van der Perren A, Moskalyuk A, Pulizzi R, Giugliano M, Van den Haute C, Melki R, Baekelandt V. α-Synuclein strains cause distinct synucleinopathies after local and systemic administration. Nature 2015; 522:340-4. [DOI: 10.1038/nature14547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 801] [Impact Index Per Article: 89.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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