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Hernández-Martín N, Martínez MG, Bascuñana P, Fernández de la Rosa R, García-García L, Gómez F, Solas M, Martín ED, Pozo MA. Astrocytic Ca 2+ activation by chemogenetics mitigates the effect of kainic acid-induced excitotoxicity on the hippocampus. Glia 2024. [PMID: 39188024 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
Astrocytes play a multifaceted role regulating brain glucose metabolism, ion homeostasis, neurotransmitters clearance, and water dynamics being essential in supporting synaptic function. Under different pathological conditions such as brain stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders, excitotoxicity plays a crucial role, however, the contribution of astrocytic activity in protecting neurons from excitotoxicity-induced damage is yet to be fully understood. In this work, we evaluated the effect of astrocytic activation by Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) on brain glucose metabolism in wild-type (WT) mice, and we investigated the effects of sustained astrocyte activation following an insult induced by intrahippocampal (iHPC) kainic acid (KA) injection using 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, along with behavioral test, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and histochemistry. Astrocytic Ca2+ activation increased the 18F-FDG uptake, but this effect was not found when the study was performed in knock out mice for type-2 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (Ip3r2-/-) nor in floxed mice to abolish glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression in hippocampal astrocytes (GLUT1ΔGFAP). Sustained astrocyte activation after KA injection reversed the brain glucose hypometabolism, restored hippocampal function, prevented neuronal death, and increased hippocampal GABA levels. The findings of our study indicate that astrocytic GLUT1 function is crucial for regulating brain glucose metabolism. Astrocytic Ca2+ activation has been shown to promote adaptive changes that significantly contribute to mitigating the effects of KA-induced damage. This evidence suggests a protective role of activated astrocytes against KA-induced excitotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nira Hernández-Martín
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Pablo Bascuñana
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rubén Fernández de la Rosa
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Bioimac, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis García-García
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisca Gómez
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacognosia y Botánica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maite Solas
- Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | | | - Miguel A Pozo
- Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Lyuboslavsky P, Ordemann GJ, Kizimenko A, Brumback AC. Two contrasting mediodorsal thalamic circuits target the mouse medial prefrontal cortex. J Neurophysiol 2024; 131:876-890. [PMID: 38568510 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00456.2023] [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: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
At the heart of the prefrontal network is the mediodorsal (MD) thalamus. Despite the importance of MD in a broad range of behaviors and neuropsychiatric disorders, little is known about the physiology of neurons in MD. We injected the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of adult wild-type mice. We prepared acute brain slices and used current clamp electrophysiology to measure and compare the intrinsic properties of the neurons in MD that project to mPFC (MD→mPFC neurons). We show that MD→mPFC neurons are located predominantly in the medial (MD-M) and lateral (MD-L) subnuclei of MD. MD-L→mPFC neurons had shorter membrane time constants and lower membrane resistance than MD-M→mPFC neurons. Relatively increased hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel activity in MD-L neurons accounted for the difference in membrane resistance. MD-L neurons had a higher rheobase that resulted in less readily generated action potentials compared with MD-M→mPFC neurons. In both cell types, HCN channels supported generation of burst spiking. Increased HCN channel activity in MD-L neurons results in larger after-hyperpolarization potentials compared with MD-M neurons. These data demonstrate that the two populations of MD→mPFC neurons have divergent physiologies and support a differential role in thalamocortical information processing and potentially behavior.NEW & NOTEWORTHY To realize the potential of circuit-based therapies for psychiatric disorders that localize to the prefrontal network, we need to understand the properties of the populations of neurons that make up this network. The mediodorsal (MD) thalamus has garnered attention for its roles in executive functioning and social/emotional behaviors mediated, at least in part, by its projections to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here, we identify and compare the physiology of the projection neurons in the two MD subnuclei that provide ascending inputs to mPFC in mice. Differences in intrinsic excitability between the two populations of neurons suggest that neuromodulation strategies targeting the prefrontal thalamocortical network will have differential effects on these two streams of thalamic input to mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polina Lyuboslavsky
- Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
- Center for Learning and Memory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Gregory J Ordemann
- Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
- Center for Learning and Memory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Alena Kizimenko
- Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
- Center for Learning and Memory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Audrey C Brumback
- Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
- Center for Learning and Memory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
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3
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Lakshminarasimhan KJ, Xie M, Cohen JD, Sauerbrei BA, Hantman AW, Litwin-Kumar A, Escola S. Specific connectivity optimizes learning in thalamocortical loops. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114059. [PMID: 38602873 PMCID: PMC11104520 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114059] [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: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Thalamocortical loops have a central role in cognition and motor control, but precisely how they contribute to these processes is unclear. Recent studies showing evidence of plasticity in thalamocortical synapses indicate a role for the thalamus in shaping cortical dynamics through learning. Since signals undergo a compression from the cortex to the thalamus, we hypothesized that the computational role of the thalamus depends critically on the structure of corticothalamic connectivity. To test this, we identified the optimal corticothalamic structure that promotes biologically plausible learning in thalamocortical synapses. We found that corticothalamic projections specialized to communicate an efference copy of the cortical output benefit motor control, while communicating the modes of highest variance is optimal for working memory tasks. We analyzed neural recordings from mice performing grasping and delayed discrimination tasks and found corticothalamic communication consistent with these predictions. These results suggest that the thalamus orchestrates cortical dynamics in a functionally precise manner through structured connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marjorie Xie
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Jeremy D Cohen
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27559, USA
| | - Britton A Sauerbrei
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Adam W Hantman
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27559, USA
| | - Ashok Litwin-Kumar
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Sean Escola
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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Delavari F, Sandini C, Kojovic N, Saccaro LF, Eliez S, Van De Ville D, Bolton TAW. Thalamic contributions to psychosis susceptibility: Evidence from co-activation patterns accounting for intra-seed spatial variability (μCAPs). Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26649. [PMID: 38520364 PMCID: PMC10960557 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26649] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The temporal variability of the thalamus in functional networks may provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. To address the complexity of the role of the thalamic nuclei in psychosis, we introduced micro-co-activation patterns (μCAPs) and employed this method on the human genetic model of schizophrenia 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). Participants underwent resting-state functional MRI and a data-driven iterative process resulting in the identification of six whole-brain μCAPs with specific activity patterns within the thalamus. Unlike conventional methods, μCAPs extract dynamic spatial patterns that reveal partially overlapping and non-mutually exclusive functional subparts. Thus, the μCAPs method detects finer foci of activity within the initial seed region, retaining valuable and clinically relevant temporal and spatial information. We found that a μCAP showing co-activation of the mediodorsal thalamus with brain-wide cortical regions was expressed significantly less frequently in patients with 22q11.2DS, and its occurrence negatively correlated with the severity of positive psychotic symptoms. Additionally, activity within the auditory-visual cortex and their respective geniculate nuclei was expressed in two different μCAPs. One of these auditory-visual μCAPs co-activated with salience areas, while the other co-activated with the default mode network (DMN). A significant shift of occurrence from the salience+visuo-auditory-thalamus to the DMN + visuo-auditory-thalamus μCAP was observed in patients with 22q11.2DS. Thus, our findings support existing research on the gatekeeping role of the thalamus for sensory information in the pathophysiology of psychosis and revisit the evidence of geniculate nuclei hyperconnectivity with the audio-visual cortex in 22q11.2DS in the context of dynamic functional connectivity, seen here as the specific hyper-occurrence of these circuits with the task-negative brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farnaz Delavari
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology LaboratoryUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
- Neuro‐X InstituteÉcole Polytechnique FÉdÉrale de LausanneGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Corrado Sandini
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology LaboratoryUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Nada Kojovic
- Autism Brain and Behavior Lab, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Luigi F. Saccaro
- Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry DepartmentUniversity of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
- Psychiatry DepartmentGeneva University HospitalGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Stephan Eliez
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology LaboratoryUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
- Department of Genetic Medicine and DevelopmentUniversity of Geneva School of MedicineGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Dimitri Van De Ville
- Neuro‐X InstituteÉcole Polytechnique FÉdÉrale de LausanneGenevaSwitzerland
- Department of Radiology and Medical InformaticsUniversity of Geneva (UNIGE)GenevaSwitzerland
| | - Thomas A. W. Bolton
- Neuro‐X InstituteÉcole Polytechnique FÉdÉrale de LausanneGenevaSwitzerland
- Connectomics Laboratory, Department of RadiologyCentre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV)LausanneSwitzerland
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5
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Wolff M, Halassa MM. The mediodorsal thalamus in executive control. Neuron 2024; 112:893-908. [PMID: 38295791 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Executive control, the ability to organize thoughts and action plans in real time, is a defining feature of higher cognition. Classical theories have emphasized cortical contributions to this process, but recent studies have reinvigorated interest in the role of the thalamus. Although it is well established that local thalamic damage diminishes cognitive capacity, such observations have been difficult to inform functional models. Recent progress in experimental techniques is beginning to enrich our understanding of the anatomical, physiological, and computational substrates underlying thalamic engagement in executive control. In this review, we discuss this progress and particularly focus on the mediodorsal thalamus, which regulates the activity within and across frontal cortical areas. We end with a synthesis that highlights frontal thalamocortical interactions in cognitive computations and discusses its functional implications in normal and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Wolff
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
| | - Michael M Halassa
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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Herrera CG, Tarokh L. A Thalamocortical Perspective on Sleep Spindle Alterations in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. CURRENT SLEEP MEDICINE REPORTS 2024; 10:103-118. [PMID: 38764858 PMCID: PMC11096120 DOI: 10.1007/s40675-024-00284-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions that affect the development and function of the nervous system, typically arising early in life. These disorders can have various genetic, environmental, and/or neural underpinnings, which can impact the thalamocortical system. Sleep spindles, brief bursts of oscillatory activity that occur during NREM sleep, provide a unique in vivo measure of the thalamocortical system. In this manuscript, we review the development of the thalamocortical system and sleep spindles in rodent models and humans. We then utilize this as a foundation to discuss alterations in sleep spindle activity in four of the most pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders-intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and schizophrenia. Recent Findings Recent work in humans has shown alterations in sleep spindles across several neurodevelopmental disorders. Simultaneously, rodent models have elucidated the mechanisms which may underlie these deficits in spindle activity. This review merges recent findings from these two separate lines of research to draw conclusions about the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Summary We speculate that deficits in the thalamocortical system associated with neurodevelopmental disorders are exquisitely reflected in sleep spindle activity. We propose that sleep spindles may represent a promising biomarker for drug discovery, risk stratification, and treatment monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Gutierrez Herrera
- Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 25, Bern, Switzerland
- Center for Experimental Neurology, Department of Neurology, Inselspital University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Rosenbühlgasse 17, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedical Research (DBMR), Inselspital University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 24 CH-3008 Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Leila Tarokh
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Haus A, 3000, Bern, Switzerland
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, Haus A, 3000, Bern, Switzerland
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Bakoyiannis I, Ducourneau EG, N'diaye M, Fermigier A, Ducroix-Crepy C, Bosch-Bouju C, Coutureau E, Trifilieff P, Ferreira G. Obesogenic diet induces circuit-specific memory deficits in mice. eLife 2024; 13:e80388. [PMID: 38436653 PMCID: PMC10911750 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80388] [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: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Obesity is associated with neurocognitive dysfunction, including memory deficits. This is particularly worrisome when obesity occurs during adolescence, a maturational period for brain structures critical for cognition. In rodent models, we recently reported that memory impairments induced by obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD) intake during the periadolescent period can be reversed by chemogenetic manipulation of the ventral hippocampus (vHPC). Here, we used an intersectional viral approach in HFD-fed male mice to chemogenetically inactivate specific vHPC efferent pathways to nucleus accumbens (NAc) or medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during memory tasks. We first demonstrated that HFD enhanced activation of both pathways after training and that our chemogenetic approach was effective in normalizing this activation. Inactivation of the vHPC-NAc pathway rescued HFD-induced deficits in recognition but not location memory. Conversely, inactivation of the vHPC-mPFC pathway restored location but not recognition memory impairments produced by HFD. Either pathway manipulation did not affect exploration or anxiety-like behaviour. These findings suggest that HFD intake throughout adolescence impairs different types of memory through overactivation of specific hippocampal efferent pathways and that targeting these overactive pathways has therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Bakoyiannis
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
| | - Eva Gunnel Ducourneau
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
| | - Mateo N'diaye
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
| | - Alice Fermigier
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
| | - Celine Ducroix-Crepy
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
| | - Clementine Bosch-Bouju
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
| | | | - Pierre Trifilieff
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
| | - Guillaume Ferreira
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, F-33077BordeauxFrance
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Zheng Y, Xie L, Huang Z, Peng J, Huang S, Guo R, Huang J, Lin Z, Zhuang Z, Yin J, Hou Z, Ma S. Functional dysconnectivity and microstructural impairment of the cortico-thalamo-cortical network in women with rheumatoid arthritis: A multimodal MRI study. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24725. [PMID: 38304809 PMCID: PMC10830510 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24725] [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: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Cognitive deficits are common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the effective connectivity and structural alterations of the core brain regions in RA patients with cognitive impairment. Methods Twenty-four female patients with RA and twenty-four healthy controls were enrolled. We analyzed abnormal brain activity patterns using functional MRI during the Iowa gambling task (IGT) and core regions effective connectivity using dynamic causal model (DCM). Structural alterations of white matter volume (WMV) and gray matter volume (GMV) were detected using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Results RA patients showed altered activation patterns of the cortico-thalamo-cortical network, increased coupling strength from the left ventromedial prefrontal gyrus to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the ACC to the right thalamus, and decreased connectivity from the thalamus to left hippocampus. VBM structural analysis showed increased GMV in the bilateral orbital frontal gyrus, bilateral hippocampus and right putamen, and reduced GMV and WMV in the bilateral thalamus in RA patients. Right thalamic GMV and WMV were positively correlated with the right thalamus-to-hippocampus connective strength. Additionally, the bold signal, GMV and WMV of the right thalamus were positively correlated with cognitive performance (IGT score) in RA patients. Conclusion Results suggest a structural and functional deficiency in the cortico-thalamo-cortical network, which is characterized by increased ACC-to-thalamus strength and reduced thalamus-to-hippocampus coupling in RA patients. The cognitive dysfunction may be the result of compensatory measures against imbalanced cortico-thalamic-cortical coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanmin Zheng
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Lei Xie
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zikai Huang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Jianhua Peng
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Shuxin Huang
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Ruiwei Guo
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Jinzhuang Huang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zhirong Lin
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zelin Zhuang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Jingjing Yin
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Zhiduo Hou
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Shuhua Ma
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
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Piquet R, Faugère A, Parkes SL. A hippocampo-cortical pathway detects changes in the validity of an action as a predictor of reward. Curr Biol 2024; 34:24-35.e4. [PMID: 38101404 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Much research has been dedicated to understanding the psychological and neural bases of goal-directed action, yet the relationship between context and goal-directed action is not well understood. Here, we used excitotoxic lesions, chemogenetics, and circuit-specific manipulations to demonstrate the role of the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) in contextual learning that supports sensitivity to action-outcome contingencies, a hallmark of goal-directed action. We found that chemogenetic inhibition of the ventral, but not dorsal, hippocampus attenuated sensitivity to instrumental contingency degradation. We then tested the hypothesis that this deficit was due to an inability to discern the relative validity of the action compared with the context as a predictor of reward. Using latent inhibition and Pavlovian context conditioning, we confirm that degradation of action-outcome contingencies relies on intact context-outcome learning and show that this learning is dependent on vHPC. Finally, we show that chemogenetic inhibition of vHPC terminals in the medial prefrontal cortex also impairs both instrumental contingency degradation and context-outcome learning. These results implicate a hippocampo-cortical pathway in adapting to changes in instrumental contingencies and indicate that the psychological basis of this deficit is an inability to learn the predictive value of the context. Our findings contribute to a broader understanding of the neural bases of goal-directed action and its contextual regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Piquet
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000 Bordeaux, France
| | | | - Shauna L Parkes
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, 33000 Bordeaux, France.
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Sequeira MK, Swanson AM, Kietzman HW, Gourley SL. Cocaine and habit training cause dendritic spine rearrangement in the prelimbic cortex. iScience 2023; 26:106240. [PMID: 37153443 PMCID: PMC10156587 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Successfully navigating dynamic environments requires organisms to learn the consequences of their actions. The prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL) formulates action-consequence memories and is modulated by addictive drugs like cocaine. We trained mice to obtain food rewards and then unexpectedly withheld reinforcement, triggering new action-consequence memory. New memory was disrupted by cocaine when delivered immediately following non-reinforcement, but not when delayed, suggesting that cocaine disrupted memory consolidation. Cocaine also rapidly inactivated cofilin, a primary regulator of the neuronal actin cytoskeleton. This observation led to the discovery that cocaine also within the time of memory consolidation elevated dendritic spine elimination and blunted spine formation rates on excitatory PL neurons, culminating in thin-type spine attrition. Training drug-naive mice to utilize inflexible response strategies also eliminated thin-type dendritic spines. Thus, cocaine may disrupt action-consequence memory, at least in part, by recapitulating neurobiological sequalae occurring in the formation of inflexible habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle K. Sequeira
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Andrew M. Swanson
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Henry W. Kietzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
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11
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Hanganu-Opatz IL, Klausberger T, Sigurdsson T, Nieder A, Jacob SN, Bartos M, Sauer JF, Durstewitz D, Leibold C, Diester I. Resolving the prefrontal mechanisms of adaptive cognitive behaviors: A cross-species perspective. Neuron 2023; 111:1020-1036. [PMID: 37023708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) enables a staggering variety of complex behaviors, such as planning actions, solving problems, and adapting to new situations according to external information and internal states. These higher-order abilities, collectively defined as adaptive cognitive behavior, require cellular ensembles that coordinate the tradeoff between the stability and flexibility of neural representations. While the mechanisms underlying the function of cellular ensembles are still unclear, recent experimental and theoretical studies suggest that temporal coordination dynamically binds prefrontal neurons into functional ensembles. A so far largely separate stream of research has investigated the prefrontal efferent and afferent connectivity. These two research streams have recently converged on the hypothesis that prefrontal connectivity patterns influence ensemble formation and the function of neurons within ensembles. Here, we propose a unitary concept that, leveraging a cross-species definition of prefrontal regions, explains how prefrontal ensembles adaptively regulate and efficiently coordinate multiple processes in distinct cognitive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana L Hanganu-Opatz
- Institute of Developmental Neurophysiology, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Hamburg Center of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas Klausberger
- Center for Brain Research, Division of Cognitive Neurobiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Torfi Sigurdsson
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Simon N Jacob
- Translational Neurotechnology Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marlene Bartos
- Institute for Physiology I, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Jonas-Frederic Sauer
- Institute for Physiology I, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Daniel Durstewitz
- Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health & Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Leibold
- Faculty of Biology, Bernstein Center Freiburg, BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Ilka Diester
- Optophysiology - Optogenetics and Neurophysiology, IMBIT // BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
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12
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Angulo Salavarria MM, Dell’Amico C, D’Agostino A, Conti L, Onorati M. Cortico-thalamic development and disease: From cells, to circuits, to schizophrenia. Front Neuroanat 2023; 17:1130797. [PMID: 36935652 PMCID: PMC10019505 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2023.1130797] [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: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The human brain is the most complex structure generated during development. Unveiling the ontogenesis and the intrinsic organization of specific neural networks may represent a key to understanding the physio-pathological aspects of different brain areas. The cortico-thalamic and thalamo-cortical (CT-TC) circuits process and modulate essential tasks such as wakefulness, sleep and memory, and their alterations may result in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. These pathologies are reported to affect specific neural populations but may also broadly alter physiological connections and thus dysregulate brain network generation, communication, and function. More specifically, the CT-TC system is reported to be severely affected in disorders impacting superior brain functions, such as schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders or epilepsy. In this review, the focus will be on CT development, and the models exploited to uncover and comprehend its molecular and cellular mechanisms. In parallel to animal models, still fundamental to unveil human neural network establishment, advanced in vitro platforms, such as brain organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells, will be discussed. Indeed, organoids and assembloids represent unique tools to study and accelerate fundamental research in CT development and its dysfunctions. We will then discuss recent cutting-edge contributions, including in silico approaches, concerning ontogenesis, specification, and function of the CT-TC circuitry that generates connectivity maps in physiological and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia Dell’Amico
- Unit of Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Armando D’Agostino
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, Milan, Italy
| | - Luciano Conti
- Department of Cellular, Computational, and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Marco Onorati
- Unit of Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Marco Onorati,
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13
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Perry BAL, Mendez JC, Mitchell AS. Cortico-thalamocortical interactions for learning, memory and decision-making. J Physiol 2023; 601:25-35. [PMID: 35851953 PMCID: PMC10087288 DOI: 10.1113/jp282626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The thalamus and cortex are interconnected both functionally and anatomically and share a common developmental trajectory. Interactions between the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and different parts of the prefrontal cortex are essential in cognitive processes, such as learning and adaptive decision-making. Cortico-thalamocortical interactions involving other dorsal thalamic nuclei, including the anterior thalamus and pulvinar, also influence these cognitive processes. Our work, and that of others, indicates a crucial influence of these interdependent cortico-thalamocortical neural networks that contributes actively to the processing of information within the cortex. Each of these thalamic nuclei also receives potent subcortical inputs that are likely to provide additional influences on their regulation of cortical activity. Here, we highlight our current neuroscientific research aimed at establishing when cortico-MD thalamocortical neural network communication is vital within the context of a rapid learning and memory discrimination task. We are collecting evidence of MD-prefrontal cortex neural network communication in awake, behaving male rhesus macaques. Given the prevailing evidence, further studies are needed to identify both broad and specific mechanisms that govern how the MD, anterior thalamus and pulvinar cortico-thalamocortical interactions support learning, memory and decision-making. Current evidence shows that the MD (and the anterior thalamus) are crucial for frontotemporal communication, and the pulvinar is crucial for frontoparietal communication. Such work is crucial to advance our understanding of the neuroanatomical and physiological bases of these brain functions in humans. In turn, this might offer avenues to develop effective treatment strategies to improve the cognitive deficits often observed in many debilitating neurological disorders and diseases and in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brook A L Perry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Juan Carlos Mendez
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Anna S Mitchell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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14
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Dutrow EV, Serpell JA, Ostrander EA. Domestic dog lineages reveal genetic drivers of behavioral diversification. Cell 2022; 185:4737-4755.e18. [PMID: 36493753 PMCID: PMC10478034 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Selective breeding of domestic dogs has generated diverse breeds often optimized for performing specialized tasks. Despite the heritability of breed-typical behavioral traits, identification of causal loci has proven challenging due to the complexity of canine population structure. We overcome longstanding difficulties in identifying genetic drivers of canine behavior by developing a framework for understanding relationships between breeds and the behaviors that define them, utilizing genetic data for over 4,000 domestic, semi-feral, and wild canids and behavioral survey data for over 46,000 dogs. We identify ten major canine genetic lineages and their behavioral correlates and show that breed diversification is predominantly driven by non-coding regulatory variation. We determine that lineage-associated genes converge in neurodevelopmental co-expression networks, identifying a sheepdog-associated enrichment for interrelated axon guidance functions. This work presents a scaffold for canine diversification that positions the domestic dog as an unparalleled system for revealing the genetic origins of behavioral diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily V Dutrow
- Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - James A Serpell
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Elaine A Ostrander
- Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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15
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Fredericksen KE, Samuelsen CL. Neural Representation of Intraoral Olfactory and Gustatory Signals by the Mediodorsal Thalamus in Alert Rats. J Neurosci 2022; 42:8136-8153. [PMID: 36171086 PMCID: PMC9636993 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0674-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The mediodorsal thalamus is a multimodal region involved in a variety of cognitive behaviors, including olfactory attention, odor discrimination, and the hedonic perception of flavors. Although the mediodorsal thalamus forms connections with principal regions of the olfactory and gustatory networks, its role in processing olfactory and gustatory signals originating from the mouth remains unclear. Here, we recorded single-unit activity in the mediodorsal thalamus of behaving female rats during the intraoral delivery of individual odors, individual tastes, and odor-taste mixtures. Our results are the first to demonstrate that neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus dynamically encode chemosensory signals originating from the mouth. This chemoselective population is broadly tuned, exhibits excited and suppressed responses, and responds to odor-taste mixtures differently than an odor or taste alone. Furthermore, a subset of chemoselective neurons encodes the palatability-related features of tastes and may represent associations between previously experienced odor-taste pairs. Our results further demonstrate the multidimensionality of the mediodorsal thalamus and provide additional evidence of its involvement in processing chemosensory information important for ingestive behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The perception of food relies on the concurrent processing of olfactory and gustatory signals originating from the mouth. The mediodorsal thalamus is a higher-order thalamic nucleus involved in a variety of chemosensory-dependent behaviors and connects the olfactory and gustatory cortices with the prefrontal cortex. However, it is unknown how neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus process intraoral chemosensory signals. Using tetrode recordings in alert rats, our results are the first to show that neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus dynamically represent olfactory and gustatory signals from the mouth. Our findings are consistent with the mediodorsal thalamus being a key node between sensory and prefrontal cortical areas for processing chemosensory information underlying ingestive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E Fredericksen
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292
| | - Chad L Samuelsen
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292
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16
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The mediodorsal thalamus supports adaptive responding based on stimulus-outcome associations. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 3:100057. [PMID: 36281274 PMCID: PMC9587292 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2022.100057] [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: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to engage into flexible behaviors is crucial in dynamic environments. We recently showed that in addition to the well described role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), its thalamic input from the submedius thalamic nucleus (Sub) also contributes to adaptive responding during Pavlovian degradation. In the present study, we examined the role of the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) which is the other main thalamic input to the OFC. To this end, we assessed the effect of both pre- and post-training MD lesions in rats performing a Pavlovian contingency degradation task. Pre-training lesions mildly impeded the establishment of stimulus-outcome associations during the initial training of Pavlovian conditioning without interfering with Pavlovian degradation training when the sensory feedback provided by the outcome rewards were available to animals. However, we found that both pre- and post-training MD lesions produced a selective impairment during a test conducted under extinction conditions, during which only current mental representation could guide behavior. Altogether, these data suggest a role for the MD in the successful encoding and representation of Pavlovian associations.
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17
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Hummos A, Wang BA, Drammis S, Halassa MM, Pleger B. Thalamic regulation of frontal interactions in human cognitive flexibility. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010500. [PMID: 36094955 PMCID: PMC9499289 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions across frontal cortex are critical for cognition. Animal studies suggest a role for mediodorsal thalamus (MD) in these interactions, but the computations performed and direct relevance to human decision making are unclear. Here, inspired by animal work, we extended a neural model of an executive frontal-MD network and trained it on a human decision-making task for which neuroimaging data were collected. Using a biologically-plausible learning rule, we found that the model MD thalamus compressed its cortical inputs (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dlPFC) underlying stimulus-response representations. Through direct feedback to dlPFC, this thalamic operation efficiently partitioned cortical activity patterns and enhanced task switching across different contingencies. To account for interactions with other frontal regions, we expanded the model to compute higher-order strategy signals outside dlPFC, and found that the MD offered a more efficient route for such signals to switch dlPFC activity patterns. Human fMRI data provided evidence that the MD engaged in feedback to dlPFC, and had a role in routing orbitofrontal cortex inputs when subjects switched behavioral strategy. Collectively, our findings contribute to the emerging evidence for thalamic regulation of frontal interactions in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Hummos
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Bin A. Wang
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Collaborative Research Centre 874 "Integration and Representation of Sensory Processes", Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sabrina Drammis
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michael M. Halassa
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Burkhard Pleger
- Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Collaborative Research Centre 874 "Integration and Representation of Sensory Processes", Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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18
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Mair RG, Francoeur MJ, Krell EM, Gibson BM. Where Actions Meet Outcomes: Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Central Thalamus, and the Basal Ganglia. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:928610. [PMID: 35864847 PMCID: PMC9294389 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.928610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) interacts with distributed networks that give rise to goal-directed behavior through afferent and efferent connections with multiple thalamic nuclei and recurrent basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits. Recent studies have revealed individual roles for different thalamic nuclei: mediodorsal (MD) regulation of signaling properties in mPFC neurons, intralaminar control of cortico-basal ganglia networks, ventral medial facilitation of integrative motor function, and hippocampal functions supported by ventral midline and anterior nuclei. Large scale mapping studies have identified functionally distinct cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical subnetworks that provide a structural basis for understanding information processing and functional heterogeneity within the basal ganglia. Behavioral analyses comparing functional deficits produced by lesions or inactivation of specific thalamic nuclei or subregions of mPFC or the basal ganglia have elucidated the interdependent roles of these areas in adaptive goal-directed behavior. Electrophysiological recordings of mPFC neurons in rats performing delayed non-matching-to position (DNMTP) and other complex decision making tasks have revealed populations of neurons with activity related to actions and outcomes that underlie these behaviors. These include responses related to motor preparation, instrumental actions, movement, anticipation and delivery of action outcomes, memory delay, and spatial context. Comparison of results for mPFC, MD, and ventral pallidum (VP) suggest critical roles for mPFC in prospective processes that precede actions, MD for reinforcing task-relevant responses in mPFC, and VP for providing feedback about action outcomes. Synthesis of electrophysiological and behavioral results indicates that different networks connecting mPFC with thalamus and the basal ganglia are organized to support distinct functions that allow organisms to act efficiently to obtain intended outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G. Mair
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Miranda J. Francoeur
- Neural Engineering and Translation Labs, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Erin M. Krell
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Brett M. Gibson
- Department of Psychology, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
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19
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Griffiths BJ, Zaehle T, Repplinger S, Schmitt FC, Voges J, Hanslmayr S, Staudigl T. Rhythmic interactions between the mediodorsal thalamus and prefrontal cortex precede human visual perception. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3736. [PMID: 35768419 PMCID: PMC9243108 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31407-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamus is much more than a simple sensory relay. High-order thalamic nuclei, such as the mediodorsal thalamus, exert a profound influence over animal cognition. However, given the difficulty of directly recording from the thalamus in humans, next-to-nothing is known about thalamic and thalamocortical contributions to human cognition. To address this, we analysed simultaneously-recorded thalamic iEEG and whole-head MEG in six patients (plus MEG recordings from twelve healthy controls) as they completed a visual detection task. We observed that the phase of both ongoing mediodorsal thalamic and prefrontal low-frequency activity was predictive of perceptual performance. Critically however, mediodorsal thalamic activity mediated prefrontal contributions to perceptual performance. These results suggest that it is thalamocortical interactions, rather than cortical activity alone, that is predictive of upcoming perceptual performance and, more generally, highlights the importance of accounting for the thalamus when theorising about cortical contributions to human cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Griffiths
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Tino Zaehle
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Repplinger
- Department of Neurology, Otto-von Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
- ESF International Graduate School on Analysis, Imaging and Modelling of Neuronal and Inflammatory Processes, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Jürgen Voges
- Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Simon Hanslmayr
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute for Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Tobias Staudigl
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
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20
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Latapie H, Kilic O, Thórisson KR, Wang P, Hammer P. Neurosymbolic Systems of Perception and Cognition: The Role of Attention. Front Psychol 2022; 13:806397. [PMID: 35668960 PMCID: PMC9163389 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.806397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A cognitive architecture aimed at cumulative learning must provide the necessary information and control structures to allow agents to learn incrementally and autonomously from their experience. This involves managing an agent's goals as well as continuously relating sensory information to these in its perception-cognition information processing stack. The more varied the environment of a learning agent is, the more general and flexible must be these mechanisms to handle a wider variety of relevant patterns, tasks, and goal structures. While many researchers agree that information at different levels of abstraction likely differs in its makeup and structure and processing mechanisms, agreement on the particulars of such differences is not generally shared in the research community. A dual processing architecture (often referred to as System-1 and System-2) has been proposed as a model of cognitive processing, and they are often considered as responsible for low- and high-level information, respectively. We posit that cognition is not binary in this way and that knowledge at any level of abstraction involves what we refer to as neurosymbolic information, meaning that data at both high and low levels must contain both symbolic and subsymbolic information. Further, we argue that the main differentiating factor between the processing of high and low levels of data abstraction can be largely attributed to the nature of the involved attention mechanisms. We describe the key arguments behind this view and review relevant evidence from the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Latapie
- Emerging Technologies and Incubation, Cisco Systems, San Jose, CA, United States
| | - Ozkan Kilic
- Emerging Technologies and Incubation, Cisco Systems, San Jose, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Ozkan Kilic
| | - Kristinn R. Thórisson
- Icelandic Institute for Intelligent Machines and Department of Computer Science, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Pei Wang
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Patrick Hammer
- Center for Digital Futures, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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21
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Ouhaz Z, Perry BAL, Nakamura K, Mitchell AS. Mediodorsal Thalamus Is Critical for Updating during Extradimensional Shifts But Not Reversals in the Attentional Set-Shifting Task. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0162-21.2022. [PMID: 35105661 PMCID: PMC8906789 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0162-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility, attributed to frontal cortex, is vital for navigating the complexities of everyday life. The mediodorsal thalamus (MD), interconnected to frontal cortex, may influence cognitive flexibility. Here, male rats performed an attentional set-shifting task measuring intradimensional (ID) and extradimensional (ED) shifts in sensory discriminations. MD lesion rats needed more trials to learn the rewarded sensory dimension. However, once the choice response strategy was established, learning further two-choice discriminations in the same sensory dimension, and reversals of the reward contingencies in the same dimension, were unimpaired. Critically though, MD lesion rats were impaired during the ED shift, when they must rapidly update the optimal choice response strategy. Behavioral analyses showed MD lesion rats had significantly reduced correct within-trial second choice responses. This evidence shows that transfer of information via the MD is critical when rapid within-trial updates in established choice response strategies are required after a rule change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakaria Ouhaz
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
- Institut Supérieur des Professions Infirmières et Techniques de la Santé, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
| | - Brook A L Perry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
| | - Kouichi Nakamura
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TH, United Kingdom
| | - Anna S Mitchell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
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22
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Xu C, Hou G, He T, Ruan Z, Chen J, Wei Z, Seger CA, Chen Q, Peng Z. Imbalance in Functional and Structural Connectivity Underlying Goal-Directed and Habitual Learning Systems in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:3690-3705. [PMID: 34905765 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
An imbalance between the goal-directed and habitual learning systems has been proposed to underlie compulsivity in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In addition, the overall balance between these systems may be influenced by stress hormones. We examined the multimodal networks underlying these dual learning systems. Both functional and structural measures indicated reduced connectivity within the goal-directed subnetwork (FC: P = 0.042; SC-FN: P = 0.014) and reduced connectivity between the goal-directed and habitual subnetworks (FC: P = 0.014; SC-FA: P = 0.052), but no differences within the habitual subnetwork in patients with OCD compared with controls. Path modeling indicated that anatomical connectivity in the goal-directed subnetwork influenced compulsive symptoms (R2 = 0.41), whereas functional connectivity within the habit subnetwork and between goal-directed and habitual subnetworks influenced obsessive symptoms (R2 = 0.63). In addition, the relationship between anatomical connectivity in the goal-directed subnetwork and compulsion was moderated by the stress hormone ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), such that at low levels of ACTH greater connectivity resulted in lower compulsion, but at high levels of ACTH this relationship was reversed. These results provide new insights into the neural correlates of the imbalance between dual learning systems, and their relationship with symptom dimensions in patients with OCD. It may further support the reconceptualization of OCD as "compulsive-obsessive disorder," with a greater focus on the transdiagnostic dimension of compulsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanyong Xu
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Institute of Maternity and Child Medical Research, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518047, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Gangqiang Hou
- Department of Radiology, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Tingxin He
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Zhongqiang Ruan
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Jierong Chen
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Institute of Maternity and Child Medical Research, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518047, China
| | - Zhen Wei
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Institute of Maternity and Child Medical Research, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen 518047, China
| | - Carol A Seger
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.,Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Qi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Ziwen Peng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.,Department of Child Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen University School of Medicine, Shenzhen 518061, China
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23
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Jiang Y, Patton MH, Zakharenko SS. A Case for Thalamic Mechanisms of Schizophrenia: Perspective From Modeling 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:769969. [PMID: 34955759 PMCID: PMC8693383 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.769969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic psychiatric disorder that devastates the lives of millions of people worldwide. The disease is characterized by a constellation of symptoms, ranging from cognitive deficits, to social withdrawal, to hallucinations. Despite decades of research, our understanding of the neurobiology of the disease, specifically the neural circuits underlying schizophrenia symptoms, is still in the early stages. Consequently, the development of therapies continues to be stagnant, and overall prognosis is poor. The main obstacle to improving the treatment of schizophrenia is its multicausal, polygenic etiology, which is difficult to model. Clinical observations and the emergence of preclinical models of rare but well-defined genomic lesions that confer substantial risk of schizophrenia (e.g., 22q11.2 microdeletion) have highlighted the role of the thalamus in the disease. Here we review the literature on the molecular, cellular, and circuitry findings in schizophrenia and discuss the leading theories in the field, which point to abnormalities within the thalamus as potential pathogenic mechanisms of schizophrenia. We posit that synaptic dysfunction and oscillatory abnormalities in neural circuits involving projections from and within the thalamus, with a focus on the thalamocortical circuits, may underlie the psychotic (and possibly other) symptoms of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stanislav S. Zakharenko
- Division of Neural Circuits and Behavior, Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
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24
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Vaasjo LO, Han X, Thurmon AN, Tiemroth AS, Berndt H, Korn M, Figueroa A, Reyes R, Feliciano-Ramos PA, Galazo MJ. Characterization and manipulation of Corticothalamic neurons in associative cortices using Syt6-Cre transgenic mice. J Comp Neurol 2021; 530:1020-1048. [PMID: 34617601 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Corticothalamic interactions between associative cortices and higher order thalamic nuclei are involved in high-cognitive functions such as decision-making and working memory. Corticothalamic neurons (CTn) in the prefrontal cortex and other associative areas have been much less studied than their counterparts in the primary sensory areas. The availability of characterized transgenic tools to study CTn in associative areas will facilitate their study and contribute to overcome the scarcity of data about their properties, network dynamics, and contribution to cognitive functions. Here, we characterized the Syt6-Cre (KI148Gsat/Mmud) transgenic mouse line, by tracking expression of a Cre-mediated reporter. In this line, Cre-reporter is strongly expressed in the prefrontal, motor, cingulate, and retrosplenial cortices, as well as in other brain areas including the cerebellum and the olfactory tubercle. Cortical expression starts embryonically and reaches the adult expression pattern by postnatal day 15. In the cortex, Cre-reporter is expressed by layer 6-CTn and by layer 5-CTn to a lesser extent. We quantified Syt6-Cre+ CTn axon varicosities to estimate the distribution and density of putative corticothalamic driver and modulator inputs to thalamic nuclei in the medial, midline, intralaminar, anterior, and motor groups. Also, we characterized the effect of optogenetic stimulation of Syt6-Cre+ neurons in the activity of the prefrontal cortex. CTn stimulation in the prefrontal cortex induces an oscillatory activity in the local field potential that resembles the cortical downstates typically observed during slow-wave sleep or quiet wake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee O Vaasjo
- Neuroscience Program, Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Xiao Han
- Neuroscience Program, Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Abbigail N Thurmon
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Alina S Tiemroth
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Hallie Berndt
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Madelyn Korn
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Alexandra Figueroa
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Rosa Reyes
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Pedro A Feliciano-Ramos
- Department Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maria J Galazo
- Neuroscience Program, Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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25
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Thalamic connectivity system across psychiatric disorders: Current status and clinical implications. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 2:332-340. [PMID: 36324665 PMCID: PMC9616255 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamic connectivity system, with the thalamus as the central node, enables transmission of the brain’s neural computations via extensive connections to cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar regions. Emerging reports suggest deficits in this system across multiple psychiatric disorders, making it a unique network of high translational and transdiagnostic utility in mapping neural alterations that potentially contribute to symptoms and disturbances in psychiatric patients. However, despite considerable research effort, it is still debated how this system contributes to psychiatric disorders. This review characterizes current knowledge regarding thalamic connectivity system deficits in psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder, across multiple levels of the system. We identify the presence of common and distinct patterns of deficits in the thalamic connectivity system in major psychiatric disorders and assess their nature and characteristics. Specifically, this review assembles evidence for the hypotheses of 1) thalamic microstructure, particularly in the mediodorsal nucleus, as a state marker of psychosis; 2) thalamo-prefrontal connectivity as a trait marker of psychosis; and 3) thalamo-somatosensory/parietal connectivity as a possible marker of general psychiatric illness. Furthermore, possible mechanisms contributing to thalamocortical dysconnectivity are explored. We discuss current views on the contributions of cerebellar-thalamic connectivity to the thalamic connectivity system and propose future studies to examine its effects at multiple levels, from the molecular (e.g., glutamatergic) to the behavioral (e.g., cognition), to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the disturbances observed in psychiatric disorders.
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26
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Mease RA, Gonzalez AJ. Corticothalamic Pathways From Layer 5: Emerging Roles in Computation and Pathology. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:730211. [PMID: 34566583 PMCID: PMC8458899 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.730211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Large portions of the thalamus receive strong driving input from cortical layer 5 (L5) neurons but the role of this important pathway in cortical and thalamic computations is not well understood. L5-recipient "higher-order" thalamic regions participate in cortico-thalamo-cortical (CTC) circuits that are increasingly recognized to be (1) anatomically and functionally distinct from better-studied "first-order" CTC networks, and (2) integral to cortical activity related to learning and perception. Additionally, studies are beginning to elucidate the clinical relevance of these networks, as dysfunction across these pathways have been implicated in several pathological states. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding L5 CTC networks across sensory modalities and brain regions, particularly studies leveraging cell-type-specific tools that allow precise experimental access to L5 CTC circuits. We aim to provide a focused and accessible summary of the anatomical, physiological, and computational properties of L5-originating CTC networks, and outline their underappreciated contribution in pathology. We particularly seek to connect single-neuron and synaptic properties to network (dys)function and emerging theories of cortical computation, and highlight information processing in L5 CTC networks as a promising focus for computational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A. Mease
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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27
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Perry BAL, Lomi E, Mitchell AS. Thalamocortical interactions in cognition and disease: the mediodorsal and anterior thalamic nuclei. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:162-177. [PMID: 34216651 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN) are two adjacent brain nodes that support our ability to make decisions, learn, update information, form and retrieve memories, and find our way around. The MD and PFC work in partnerships to support cognitive processes linked to successful learning and decision-making, while the ATN and extended hippocampal system together coordinate the encoding and retrieval of memories and successful spatial navigation. Yet, while these distinctions may appear to be segregated, both the MD and ATN together support our higher cognitive functions as they regulate and are influenced by interconnected fronto-temporal neural networks and subcortical inputs. Our review focuses on recent studies in animal models and in humans. This evidence is re-shaping our understanding of the importance of MD and ATN cortico-thalamocortical pathways in influencing complex cognitive functions. Given the evidence from clinical settings and neuroscience research labs, the MD and ATN should be considered targets for effective treatments in neuropsychiatric diseases and disorders and neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brook A L Perry
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, The Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
| | - Eleonora Lomi
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, The Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
| | - Anna S Mitchell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, The Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, OX1 3SR, United Kingdom.
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28
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Oyama K, Hori Y, Nagai Y, Miyakawa N, Mimura K, Hirabayashi T, Inoue KI, Suhara T, Takada M, Higuchi M, Minamimoto T. Chemogenetic dissection of the primate prefronto-subcortical pathways for working memory and decision-making. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/26/eabg4246. [PMID: 34162548 PMCID: PMC8221616 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg4246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The primate prefrontal cortex (PFC) is situated at the core of higher brain functions via neural circuits such as those linking the caudate nucleus and mediodorsal thalamus. However, the distinctive roles of these prefronto-subcortical pathways remain elusive. Combining in vivo neuronal projection mapping with chemogenetic synaptic silencing, we reversibly dissected key pathways from dorsolateral part of the PFC (dlPFC) to the dorsal caudate (dCD) and lateral mediodorsal thalamus (MDl) individually in single monkeys. We found that silencing the bilateral dlPFC-MDl projections, but not the dlPFC-dCD projections, impaired performance in a spatial working memory task. Conversely, silencing the unilateral dlPFC-dCD projection, but not the unilateral dlPFC-MDl projection, altered preference in a decision-making task. These results revealed dissociable roles of the prefronto-subcortical pathways in working memory and decision-making, representing the technical advantage of imaging-guided pathway-selective chemogenetic manipulation for dissecting neural circuits underlying cognitive functions in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Oyama
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Yukiko Hori
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Yuji Nagai
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Naohisa Miyakawa
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Koki Mimura
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Hirabayashi
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Inoue
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Suhara
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Masahiko Takada
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Makoto Higuchi
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
| | - Takafumi Minamimoto
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555 Japan.
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29
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Shapiro LP, Pitts EG, Li DC, Barbee BR, Hinton EA, Bassell GJ, Gross C, Gourley SL. The PI3-Kinase p110β Isoform Controls Severity of Cocaine-Induced Sequelae and Alters the Striatal Transcriptome. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:959-969. [PMID: 33773752 PMCID: PMC8202243 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The PI3-kinase (PI3K) complex is a well-validated target for mitigating cocaine-elicited sequelae, but pan-PI3K inhibitors are not viable long-term treatment options. The PI3K complex is composed of p110 catalytic and regulatory subunits, which can be individually manipulated for therapeutic purposes. However, this possibility has largely not been explored in behavioral contexts. METHODS Here, we inhibited PI3K p110β in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of cocaine-exposed mice. Behavioral models for studying relapse, sensitization, and decision-making biases were paired with protein quantification, RNA sequencing, and cell type-specific chemogenetic manipulation and RNA quantification to determine whether and how inhibiting PI3K p110β confers resilience to cocaine. RESULTS Viral-mediated PI3K p110β silencing reduced cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking by half, blocked locomotor sensitization, and restored mPFC synaptic marker content after exposure to cocaine. Cocaine blocked the ability of mice to select actions based on their consequences, and p110β inhibition restored this ability. Silencing dopamine D2 receptor-expressing excitatory mPFC neurons mimicked cocaine, impairing goal-seeking behavior, and again, p110β inhibition restored goal-oriented action. We verified the presence of p110β in mPFC neurons projecting to the dorsal striatum and orbitofrontal cortex and found that inhibiting p110β in the mPFC altered the expression of functionally defined gene clusters within the dorsal striatum and not orbitofrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS Subunit-selective PI3K silencing potently mitigates drug seeking, sensitization, and decision-making biases after exposure to cocaine. We suggest that inhibiting PI3K p110β provides neuroprotection against cocaine by triggering coordinated corticostriatal adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren P. Shapiro
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University,Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center
| | - Elizabeth G. Pitts
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Dan C. Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Britton R. Barbee
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology, Emory University,Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center
| | - Elizabeth A. Hinton
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University
| | - Gary J. Bassell
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University,Department of Cell Biology, Emory University
| | - Christina Gross
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Yerkes National Primate Research Center,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Emory University,Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
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30
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Mair RG, Francoeur MJ, Gibson BM. Central Thalamic-Medial Prefrontal Control of Adaptive Responding in the Rat: Many Players in the Chamber. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:642204. [PMID: 33897387 PMCID: PMC8060444 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.642204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has robust afferent and efferent connections with multiple nuclei clustered in the central thalamus. These nuclei are elements in large-scale networks linking mPFC with the hippocampus, basal ganglia, amygdala, other cortical areas, and visceral and arousal systems in the brainstem that give rise to adaptive goal-directed behavior. Lesions of the mediodorsal nucleus (MD), the main source of thalamic input to middle layers of PFC, have limited effects on delayed conditional discriminations, like DMTP and DNMTP, that depend on mPFC. Recent evidence suggests that MD sustains and amplifies neuronal responses in mPFC that represent salient task-related information and is important for detecting and encoding contingencies between actions and their consequences. Lesions of rostral intralaminar (rIL) and ventromedial (VM) nuclei produce delay-independent impairments of egocentric DMTP and DNMTP that resemble effects of mPFC lesions on response speed and accuracy: results consistent with projections of rIL to striatum and VM to motor cortices. The ventral midline and anterior thalamic nuclei affect allocentric spatial cognition and memory consistent with their connections to mPFC and hippocampus. The dorsal midline nuclei spare DMTP and DNMTP. They have been implicated in behavioral-state control and response to salient stimuli in associative learning. mPFC functions are served during DNMTP by discrete populations of neurons with responses related to motor preparation, movements, lever press responses, reinforcement anticipation, reinforcement delivery, and memory delay. Population analyses show that different responses are timed so that they effectively tile the temporal interval from when DNMTP trials are initiated until the end. Event-related responses of MD neurons during DNMTP are predominantly related to movement and reinforcement, information important for DNMTP choice. These responses closely mirror the activity of mPFC neurons with similar responses. Pharmacological inactivation of MD and adjacent rIL affects the expression of diverse action- and outcome-related responses of mPFC neurons. Lesions of MD before training are associated with a shift away from movement-related responses in mPFC important for DNMTP choice. These results suggest that MD has short-term effects on the expression of event-related activity in mPFC and long-term effects that tune mPFC neurons to respond to task-specific information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G Mair
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Miranda J Francoeur
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States.,Neural Engineering and Translation Lab, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Brett M Gibson
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
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31
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de Kloet SF, Bruinsma B, Terra H, Heistek TS, Passchier EMJ, van den Berg AR, Luchicchi A, Min R, Pattij T, Mansvelder HD. Bi-directional regulation of cognitive control by distinct prefrontal cortical output neurons to thalamus and striatum. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1994. [PMID: 33790281 PMCID: PMC8012364 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22260-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) steers goal-directed actions and withholds inappropriate behavior. Dorsal and ventral mPFC (dmPFC/vmPFC) circuits have distinct roles in cognitive control, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we use neuroanatomical tracing techniques, in vitro electrophysiology, chemogenetics and fiber photometry in rats engaged in a 5-choice serial reaction time task to characterize dmPFC and vmPFC outputs to distinct thalamic and striatal subdomains. We identify four spatially segregated projection neuron populations in the mPFC. Using fiber photometry we show that these projections distinctly encode behavior. Postsynaptic striatal and thalamic neurons differentially process synaptic inputs from dmPFC and vmPFC, highlighting mechanisms that potentially amplify distinct pathways underlying cognitive control of behavior. Chemogenetic silencing of dmPFC and vmPFC projections to lateral and medial mediodorsal thalamus subregions oppositely regulate cognitive control. In addition, dmPFC neurons projecting to striatum and thalamus divergently regulate cognitive control. Collectively, we show that mPFC output pathways targeting anatomically and functionally distinct striatal and thalamic subregions encode bi-directional command of cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sybren F de Kloet
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Bastiaan Bruinsma
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Huub Terra
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tim S Heistek
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Emma M J Passchier
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Child Neurology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alexandra R van den Berg
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Antonio Luchicchi
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier Min
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Child Neurology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tommy Pattij
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Huibert D Mansvelder
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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32
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Nelson AJD. The anterior thalamic nuclei and cognition: A role beyond space? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:1-11. [PMID: 33737105 PMCID: PMC8363507 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Anterior thalamic nuclei important for specific classes of temporal discriminations. Anterior thalamic nuclei required for hippocampal-dependent contextual processes. Critical role for anterior thalamic nuclei in selective attention. Significance of anterior thalamic – anterior cingulate interactions.
The anterior thalamic nuclei are a vital node within hippocampal-diencephalic-cingulate circuits that support spatial learning and memory. Reflecting this interconnectivity, the overwhelming focus of research into the cognitive functions of the anterior thalamic nuclei has been spatial processing. However, there is increasing evidence that the functions of the anterior thalamic nuclei extend beyond the spatial realm. This work has highlighted how these nuclei are required for certain classes of temporal discrimination as well as their importance for processing other contextual information; revealing parallels with the non-spatial functions of the hippocampal formation. Yet further work has shown how the anterior thalamic nuclei may be important for other forms of non-spatial learning, including a critical role for these nuclei in attentional mechanisms. This evidence signals the need to reconsider the functions of the anterior thalamic within the framework of their wider connections with sites including the anterior cingulate cortex that subserve non-spatial functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J D Nelson
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, Wales, UK.
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33
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Bubb EJ, Aggleton JP, O’Mara SM, Nelson AJD. Chemogenetics Reveal an Anterior Cingulate-Thalamic Pathway for Attending to Task-Relevant Information. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:2169-2186. [PMID: 33251536 PMCID: PMC7945017 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In a changing environment, organisms need to decide when to select items that resemble previously rewarded stimuli and when it is best to switch to other stimulus types. Here, we used chemogenetic techniques to provide causal evidence that activity in the rodent anterior cingulate cortex and its efferents to the anterior thalamic nuclei modulate the ability to attend to reliable predictors of important outcomes. Rats completed an attentional set-shifting paradigm that first measures the ability to master serial discriminations involving a constant stimulus dimension that reliably predicts reinforcement (intradimensional-shift), followed by the ability to shift attention to a previously irrelevant class of stimuli when reinforcement contingencies change (extradimensional-shift). Chemogenetic disruption of the anterior cingulate cortex (Experiment 1) as well as selective disruption of anterior cingulate efferents to the anterior thalamic nuclei (Experiment 2) impaired intradimensional learning but facilitated 2 sets of extradimensional-shifts. This pattern of results signals the loss of a corticothalamic system for cognitive control that preferentially processes stimuli resembling those previously associated with reward. Previous studies highlight a separate medial prefrontal system that promotes the converse pattern, that is, switching to hitherto inconsistent predictors of reward when contingencies change. Competition between these 2 systems regulates cognitive flexibility and choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma J Bubb
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
| | - John P Aggleton
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Shane M O’Mara
- Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin D02 PN40, Ireland
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34
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Bari BA, Cohen JY. Dynamic decision making and value computations in medial frontal cortex. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 158:83-113. [PMID: 33785157 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Dynamic decision making requires an intact medial frontal cortex. Recent work has combined theory and single-neuron measurements in frontal cortex to advance models of decision making. We review behavioral tasks that have been used to study dynamic decision making and algorithmic models of these tasks using reinforcement learning theory. We discuss studies linking neurophysiology and quantitative decision variables. We conclude with hypotheses about the role of other cortical and subcortical structures in dynamic decision making, including ascending neuromodulatory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilal A Bari
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jeremiah Y Cohen
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
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35
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Biria M, Cantonas LM, Banca P. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 49:231-268. [PMID: 33751502 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2020_201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterised by structural and functional deficits in the cortico-striato-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) circuitry and abnormal neurochemical changes are thought to modulate these deficits. The hypothesis that an imbalanced concentration of the brain neurotransmitters, in particular glutamate (Glu) and gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA), could impair the normal functioning of the CSTC, thus leading to OCD symptoms, has been tested in humans using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and positron emission tomography (PET). This chapter summarises these neurochemical findings and represents an attempt to condense such scattered literature. We also discuss potential challenges in the field that may explain the inconsistent findings and suggest ways to overcome them. There is some convergent research from MRS pointing towards abnormalities in the brain concentration of neurometabolite markers of neuronal integrity, such as N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline (Cho). Lower NAA levels have been found in dorsal and rostral ACC of OCD patients (as compared to healthy volunteers), which increase after CBT and SSRI treatment, and higher Cho concentration has been reported in the thalamus of the OCD brain. However, findings for other neurometabolites are very inconsistent. Studies have reported abnormalities in the concentrations of creatine (Cr), GABA, glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), Ins (myo-inositol), and serotonin (5-HT), but most of the results were not replicated. The question remains whether the NAA and Cho findings are genuinely the only neurochemical abnormalities in OCD or whether the lack of consistent findings for the other neurometabolites is caused by the lower magnetic field (1-3 Tesla (T)) used by the studies conducted so far, their small sample sizes or a lack of proper control for medication effects. To answer these questions and to further inform the biological underpinning of the symptoms and the cognitive problems at the basis of OCD we need better controlled studies using clear medicated vs unmedicated groups, larger sample sizes, stronger magnetic fields (e.g. at 7 T), and more consistency in the definition of the regions of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjan Biria
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | | | - Paula Banca
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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36
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Wolff M, Morceau S, Folkard R, Martin-Cortecero J, Groh A. A thalamic bridge from sensory perception to cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 120:222-235. [PMID: 33246018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The ability to adapt to dynamic environments requires tracking multiple signals with variable sensory salience and fluctuating behavioral relevance. This complex process requires integrative crosstalk between sensory and cognitive brain circuits. Functional interactions between cortical and thalamic regions are now considered essential for both sensory perception and cognition but a clear account of the functional link between sensory and cognitive circuits is currently lacking. This review aims to document how thalamic nuclei may effectively act as a bridge allowing to fuse perceptual and cognitive events into meaningful experiences. After highlighting key aspects of thalamocortical circuits such as the classic first-order/higher-order dichotomy, we consider the role of the thalamic reticular nucleus from directed attention to cognition. We next summarize research relying on Pavlovian learning paradigms, showing that both first-order and higher-order thalamic nuclei contribute to associative learning. Finally, we propose that modulator inputs reaching all thalamic nuclei may be critical for integrative purposes when environmental signals are computed. Altogether, the thalamus appears as the bridge linking perception, cognition and possibly affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Wolff
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France; University of Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.
| | - S Morceau
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France; University of Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - R Folkard
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, INF 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - J Martin-Cortecero
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, INF 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Groh
- Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical Biophysics, Heidelberg University, INF 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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37
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Vázquez-Hernández N, Martínez-Torres NI, González-Burgos I. Plastic changes to dendritic spines in the cerebellar and prefrontal cortices underlie the decline in motor coordination and working memory during successful aging. Behav Brain Res 2020; 400:113014. [PMID: 33309738 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Old age is the last stage of life and by taking a multidimensional view of aging, Neuroscientists have been able to characterize pathological or successful aging. Psychomotor and cognitive performance are recognized as two major domains of successful aging, with a loss of motor coordination and working memory deficits two of the most characteristic features of elderly people. Dendritic spines in both the cerebellar and prefrontal cortices diminish in aging, yet the plastic changes in dendritic spines have not been related to behavioral performance neither the changes in the cerebellar or prefrontal cortices. As such, motor coordination and visuospatial working memory (vsWM) was evaluated here in aged, 22-month-old rats, calculating the density of spines and the proportion of the different types of spines. These animals performed erratically and slowly in a motor coordination-related paradigm, and the vsWM was resolved deficiently. Spine density was reduced in aged animals, and the proportional density of each of the spine types studied diminished in both the brain regions studied. The loss of dendritic spines and particularly, the changes in the proportional density of the different spine types could underlie, at least in part, the behavioral deficits observed during aging. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the plastic changes in different dendritic spine types that might underlie the behavioral alterations in motor and cognitive abilities associated with aging. Further neurochemical and molecular studies will help better understand the functional significance of the plastic changes to dendritic spines in both successful and pathological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Vázquez-Hernández
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Guadalajara, Jal, Mexico
| | - N I Martínez-Torres
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Guadalajara, Jal, Mexico; Centro Universitario del Norte, Universidad de Guadalajara, Colotlán, Jal, Mexico
| | - I González-Burgos
- División de Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Guadalajara, Jal, Mexico.
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38
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Mukherjee A, Bajwa N, Lam NH, Porrero C, Clasca F, Halassa MM. Variation of connectivity across exemplar sensory and associative thalamocortical loops in the mouse. eLife 2020; 9:e62554. [PMID: 33103997 PMCID: PMC7644223 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamus engages in sensation, action, and cognition, but the structure underlying these functions is poorly understood. Thalamic innervation of associative cortex targets several interneuron types, modulating dynamics and influencing plasticity. Is this structure-function relationship distinct from that of sensory thalamocortical systems? Here, we systematically compared function and structure across a sensory and an associative thalamocortical loop in the mouse. Enhancing excitability of mediodorsal thalamus, an associative structure, resulted in prefrontal activity dominated by inhibition. Equivalent enhancement of medial geniculate excitability robustly drove auditory cortical excitation. Structurally, geniculate axons innervated excitatory cortical targets in a preferential manner and with larger synaptic terminals, providing a putative explanation for functional divergence. The two thalamic circuits also had distinct input patterns, with mediodorsal thalamus receiving innervation from a diverse set of cortical areas. Altogether, our findings contribute to the emerging view of functional diversity across thalamic microcircuits and its structural basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arghya Mukherjee
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Navdeep Bajwa
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Norman H Lam
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - César Porrero
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Autónoma de Madrid UniversityMadridSpain
| | - Francisco Clasca
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Autónoma de Madrid UniversityMadridSpain
| | - Michael M Halassa
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchCambridgeUnited States
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
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39
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Alderson TH, Bokde ALW, Kelso JAS, Maguire L, Coyle D. Metastable neural dynamics underlies cognitive performance across multiple behavioural paradigms. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:3212-3234. [PMID: 32301561 PMCID: PMC7375112 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite resting state networks being associated with a variety of cognitive abilities, it remains unclear how these local areas act in concert to express particular cognitive operations. Theoretical and empirical accounts indicate that large-scale resting state networks reconcile dual tendencies towards integration and segregation by operating in a metastable regime of their coordination dynamics. Metastability may confer important behavioural qualities by binding distributed local areas into large-scale neurocognitive networks. We tested this hypothesis by analysing fMRI data in a large cohort of healthy individuals (N = 566) and comparing the metastability of the brain's large-scale resting network architecture at rest and during the performance of several tasks. Metastability was estimated using a well-defined collective variable capturing the level of 'phase-locking' between large-scale networks over time. Task-based reasoning was principally characterised by high metastability in cognitive control networks and low metastability in sensory processing areas. Although metastability between resting state networks increased during task performance, cognitive ability was more closely linked to spontaneous activity. High metastability in the intrinsic connectivity of cognitive control networks was linked to novel problem solving or fluid intelligence, but was less important in tasks relying on previous experience or crystallised intelligence. Crucially, subjects with resting architectures similar or 'pre-configured' to a task-general arrangement demonstrated superior cognitive performance. Taken together, our findings support a key linkage between the spontaneous metastability of large-scale networks in the cerebral cortex and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H. Alderson
- Intelligent Systems Research CentreUlster UniversityAntrimUnited Kingdom
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUnited States
| | - Arun L. W. Bokde
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems Group, Discipline of Psychiatry, School of MedicineTrinity College DublinDublinIreland
| | - J. A. Scott Kelso
- Intelligent Systems Research CentreUlster UniversityAntrimUnited Kingdom
- Center for Complex Systems and Brain SciencesFlorida Atlantic UniversityBoca RatonFloridaUnited States
| | - Liam Maguire
- Intelligent Systems Research CentreUlster UniversityAntrimUnited Kingdom
| | - Damien Coyle
- Intelligent Systems Research CentreUlster UniversityAntrimUnited Kingdom
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40
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Li SJ, Lo YC, Lai HY, Lin SH, Lin HC, Lin TC, Chang CW, Chen TC, Chin-Jung Hsieh C, Yang SH, Chiu FM, Kuo CH, Chen YY. Uncovering the Modulatory Interactions of Brain Networks in Cognition with Central Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Neuroscience 2020; 440:65-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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41
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Cerpa JC, Marchand AR, Salafranque Y, Pape JR, Kremer EJ, Coutureau E. Targeting Catecholaminergic Systems in Transgenic Rats With a CAV-2 Vector Harboring a Cre-Dependent DREADD Cassette. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:121. [PMID: 32719584 PMCID: PMC7347982 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00121] [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: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Techniques that allow the manipulation of specific neural circuits have greatly increased in the past few years. DREADDs (Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs) provide an elegant way to manipulate individual brain structures and/or neural circuits, including neuromodulatory pathways. Considerable efforts have been made to increase cell-type specificity of DREADD expression while decreasing possible limitations due to multiple viral vectors injections. In line with this, a retrograde canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) vector carrying a Cre-dependent DREADD cassette has been recently developed. In combination with Cre-driver transgenic animals, the vector allows one to target neuromodulatory pathways with cell-type specificity. In the present study, we specifically targeted catecholaminergic pathways by injecting the vector in knock-in rat line containing Cre recombinase cassette under the control of the tyrosine hydroxylase promoter. We assessed the efficacy of infection of the nigrostriatal pathway and the catecholaminergic pathways ascending to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and found cell-type-specific DREADD expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan-Carlos Cerpa
- CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France.,Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Alain R Marchand
- CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France.,Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Yoan Salafranque
- CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France.,Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jean-Rémi Pape
- CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France.,Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Eric J Kremer
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Etienne Coutureau
- CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux, France.,Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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42
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Prefrontal regulation of behavioural control: Evidence from learning theory and translational approaches in rodents. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:27-41. [PMID: 32707346 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.010] [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: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Everyday activities require adaptive decision-making and control over our actions to achieve our goals. Sub-regions within the cortex are widely reported to regulate these choices. Here we review rodent studies from two disparate fields of instrumental action control - goal-directed and habitual responding, and impulsive and compulsive behaviour. Our aim was to compare findings across the spectrum, from precision associative learning to translational studies of action control. The evidence suggests that each cortical sub-region performs different roles depending on task requirements and, within tasks, clear dissociations exist between regions. Rather than synthesizing a single role or function for a given region, we should consider regions to be capable of many different functions. Further investigation of cortico-cortical connections and the pattern of input and output circuitry within each region may be needed to identify unique process-specific pathways. Despite differences in the scope and purpose of these two fields, integrating evidence across tasks provides a broader context for testing hypotheses about the role of cortical regions in adaptive actions and decision-making.
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43
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Mediodorsal Thalamus Contributes to the Timing of Instrumental Actions. J Neurosci 2020; 40:6379-6388. [PMID: 32493711 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0695-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of time is critical to adaptive behavior. While prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia have been implicated in interval timing in the seconds to minutes range, little is known about the role of the mediodorsal thalamus (MD), which is a key component of the limbic cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loop. In this study, we tested the role of the MD in timing, using an operant temporal production task in male mice. In this task, that the expected timing of available rewards is indicated by lever pressing. Inactivation of the MD with muscimol produced rightward shifts in peak pressing on probe trials as well as increases in peak spread, thus significantly altering both temporal accuracy and precision. Optogenetic inhibition of glutamatergic projection neurons in the MD also resulted in similar changes in timing. The observed effects were found to be independent of significant changes in movement. Our findings suggest that the MD is a critical component of the neural circuit for interval timing, without playing a direct role in regulating ongoing performance.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The mediodorsal nucleus (MD) of the thalamus is strongly connected with the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, areas which have been implicated in interval timing. Previous work has shown that the MD contributes to working memory and learning of action-outcome contingencies, but its role in behavioral timing is poorly understood. Using an operant temporal production task, we showed that inactivation of the MD significantly impaired timing behavior.
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44
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Conn KA, Burne THJ, Kesby JP. Subcortical Dopamine and Cognition in Schizophrenia: Looking Beyond Psychosis in Preclinical Models. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:542. [PMID: 32655348 PMCID: PMC7325949 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is characterized by positive, negative and cognitive symptoms. All current antipsychotic treatments feature dopamine-receptor antagonism that is relatively effective at addressing the psychotic (positive) symptoms of schizophrenia. However, there is no clear evidence that these medications improve the negative or cognitive symptoms, which are the greatest predictors of functional outcomes. One of the most robust pathophysiological observations in patients with schizophrenia is increased subcortical dopamine neurotransmission, primarily in the associative striatum. This brain area has an important role in a range of cognitive processes. Dopamine is also known to play a major part in regulating a number of cognitive functions impaired in schizophrenia but much of this research has been focused on cortical dopamine. Emerging research highlights the strong influence subcortical dopamine has on a range of cognitive domains, including attention, reward learning, goal-directed action and decision-making. Nonetheless, the precise role of the associative striatum in the cognitive impairments observed in schizophrenia remains poorly understood, presenting an opportunity to revisit its contribution to schizophrenia. Without a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction, treatment development remains at a standstill. For this reason, improved preclinical animal models are needed if we are to understand the complex relationship between subcortical dopamine and cognition. A range of new techniques are facillitating the discrete manipulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission and measurements of cognitive performance, which can be investigated using a variety of sensitive translatable tasks. This has the potential to aid the successful incorporation of recent clinical research to address the lack of treatment strategies for cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. This review will give an overview on the current state of research focused on subcortical dopamine and cognition in the context of schizophrenia research. We also discuss future strategies and approaches aimed at improving the translational outcomes for the treatment of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyna-Anne Conn
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Thomas H J Burne
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.,Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia
| | - James P Kesby
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.,QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia
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45
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Woon EP, Sequeira MK, Barbee BR, Gourley SL. Involvement of the rodent prelimbic and medial orbitofrontal cortices in goal-directed action: A brief review. J Neurosci Res 2020; 98:1020-1030. [PMID: 31820488 PMCID: PMC7392403 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Goal-directed action refers to selecting behaviors based on the expectation that they will be reinforced with desirable outcomes. It is typically conceptualized as opposing habit-based behaviors, which are instead supported by stimulus-response associations and insensitive to consequences. The prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PL) is positioned along the medial wall of the rodent prefrontal cortex. It is indispensable for action-outcome-driven (goal-directed) behavior, consolidating action-outcome relationships and linking contextual information with instrumental behavior. In this brief review, we will discuss the growing list of molecular factors involved in PL function. Ventral to the PL is the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). We will also summarize emerging evidence from rodents (complementing existing literature describing humans) that it too is involved in action-outcome conditioning. We describe experiments using procedures that quantify responding based on reward value, the likelihood of reinforcement, or effort requirements, touching also on experiments assessing food consumption more generally. We synthesize these findings with the argument that the mOFC is essential to goal-directed action when outcome value information is not immediately observable and must be recalled and inferred.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen P. Woon
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
| | - Michelle K. Sequeira
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
| | - Britton R. Barbee
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Shannon L. Gourley
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Translational and Social Neuroscience
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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46
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Lavoie A, Liu BH. Canine Adenovirus 2: A Natural Choice for Brain Circuit Dissection. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:9. [PMID: 32174812 PMCID: PMC7056889 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Canine adenovirus-2 (CAV) is a canine pathogen that has been used in a variety of applications, from vaccines against more infectious strains of CAV to treatments for neurological disorders. With recent engineering, CAV has become a natural choice for neuroscientists dissecting the connectivity and function of brain circuits. Specifically, as a reliable genetic vector with minimal immunogenic and cytotoxic reactivity, CAV has been used for the retrograde transduction of various types of projection neurons. Consequently, CAV is particularly useful when studying the anatomy and functions of long-range projections. Moreover, combining CAV with conditional expression and transsynaptic tracing results in the ability to study circuits with cell- and/or projection-type specificity. Lastly, with the well-documented knowledge of viral transduction, new innovations have been developed to increase the transduction efficiency of CAV and circumvent its tropism, expanding the potential of CAV for circuit analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréanne Lavoie
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bao-Hua Liu
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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47
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Delevich K, Jaaro-Peled H, Penzo M, Sawa A, Li B. Parvalbumin Interneuron Dysfunction in a Thalamo-Prefrontal Cortical Circuit in Disc1 Locus Impairment Mice. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0496-19.2020. [PMID: 32029441 PMCID: PMC7054897 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0496-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered cortical excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance resulting from abnormal parvalbumin interneuron (PV IN) function is a proposed pathophysiological mechanism of schizophrenia and other major psychiatric disorders. Preclinical studies have indicated that disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 (Disc1) is a useful molecular lead to address the biology of prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dependent cognition and PV IN function. To date, PFC inhibitory circuit function has not been investigated in depth in Disc1 locus impairment (LI) mouse models. Therefore, we used a Disc1 LI mouse model to investigate E-I balance in medial PFC (mPFC) circuits. We found that inhibition onto layer 2/3 excitatory pyramidal neurons in the mPFC was significantly reduced in Disc1 LI mice. This reduced inhibition was accompanied by decreased GABA release from local PV, but not somatostatin (SOM) INs, and by impaired feedforward inhibition (FFI) in the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) to mPFC circuit. Our mechanistic findings of abnormal PV IN function in a Disc1 LI model provide insight into biology that may be relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Delevich
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
| | - Hanna Jaaro-Peled
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Mario Penzo
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Bo Li
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
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Huerta-Ocampo I, Hacioglu-Bay H, Dautan D, Mena-Segovia J. Distribution of Midbrain Cholinergic Axons in the Thalamus. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0454-19.2019. [PMID: 31882534 PMCID: PMC6957312 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0454-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholinergic transmission is essential for adaptive behavior and has been suggested to play a central role in the modulation of brain states by means of the modulation of thalamic neurons. Midbrain cholinergic neurons from the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) and the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) provide dense innervation of the thalamus, but a detailed connectivity mapping is missing. Using conditional tracing of midbrain cholinergic axons in the rat, together with a detailed segmentation of thalamic structures, we show that projections arising in PPN and LDT are topographically organized along the entire extent of the thalamus. PPN cholinergic neurons preferentially innervate thalamic relay structures, whereas LDT cholinergic neurons preferentially target thalamic limbic nuclei. Moreover, both PPN and LDT provide a dense innervation of the intralaminar thalamic nuclei. Notably, we observe a differential synaptic density that functionally dissociates between PPN and LDT innervation. Our results show that midbrain cholinergic neurons innervate virtually all thalamic structures and this innervation is functionally segregated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Icnelia Huerta-Ocampo
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102
- MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TH, United Kingdom
| | - Husniye Hacioglu-Bay
- MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TH, United Kingdom
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Marmara University, 34854 Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Daniel Dautan
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102
| | - Juan Mena-Segovia
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102
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49
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Morceau S, Piquet R, Wolff M, Parkes SL. Targeting Reciprocally Connected Brain Regions Through CAV-2 Mediated Interventions. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:303. [PMID: 31920534 PMCID: PMC6914697 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
An important issue in contemporary neuroscience is to identify functional principles at play within neural circuits. The reciprocity of the connections between two distinct brain areas appears as an intriguing feature of some of these circuits. This organization has been viewed as "re-entry," a process whereby two or more brain regions concurrently stimulate and are stimulated by each other, thus supporting the synchronization of neural firing required for rapid neural integration. However, until relatively recently, it was not possible to provide a comprehensive functional assessment of such reciprocal pathways. In this Brief Research Report, we highlight the use of a chemogenetic strategy to target projection-defined neurons in reciprocally connected areas through CAV-2 mediated interventions in the rat. Specifically, we targeted the bidirectional pathways between the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the mediodorsal thalamus, as well as those connecting the insular cortex (IC) and the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA). These data showcase the usefulness of CAV-2-related strategies to address circuit-level issues. Moreover, we illustrate the inherent limitation of Cre-dependent adeno-associated virues (AAVs) with "leaked" expression of the gene of interest in the absence of Cre and highlight the need for appropriate control conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Morceau
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Robin Piquet
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Mathieu Wolff
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Shauna L Parkes
- CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France.,Université de Bordeaux, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
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50
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Schreiner DC, Renteria R, Gremel CM. Fractionating the all-or-nothing definition of goal-directed and habitual decision-making. J Neurosci Res 2019; 98:998-1006. [PMID: 31642551 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Goal-directed and habitual decision-making are fundamental processes that support the ongoing adaptive behavior. There is a growing interest in examining their disruption in psychiatric disease, often with a focus on a disease shifting control from one process to the other, usually a shift from goal-directed to habitual control. However, several different experimental procedures can be used to probe whether decision-making is under goal-directed or habitual control, including outcome devaluation and contingency degradation. These different experimental procedures may recruit diverse behavioral and neural processes. Thus, there are potentially many opportunities for these disease phenotypes to manifest as alterations to both goal-directed and habitual controls. In this review, we highlight the examples of behavioral and neural circuit divergence and similarity, and suggest that interpretation based on behavioral processes recruited during testing may leave more room for goal-directed and habitual decision-making to coexist. Furthermore, this may improve our understanding of precisely what the involved neural mechanisms underlying aspects of goal-directed and habitual behavior are, as well as how disease affects behavior and these circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew C Schreiner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Rafael Renteria
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Christina M Gremel
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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