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Jacobs EAK, Ryu S. Larval zebrafish as a model for studying individual variability in translational neuroscience research. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1143391. [PMID: 37424749 PMCID: PMC10328419 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1143391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The larval zebrafish is a popular model for translational research into neurological and psychiatric disorders due to its conserved vertebrate brain structures, ease of genetic and experimental manipulation and small size and scalability to large numbers. The possibility of obtaining in vivo whole-brain cellular resolution neural data is contributing important advances into our understanding of neural circuit function and their relation to behavior. Here we argue that the larval zebrafish is ideally poised to push our understanding of how neural circuit function relates to behavior to the next level by including considerations of individual differences. Understanding variability across individuals is particularly relevant for tackling the variable presentations that neuropsychiatric conditions frequently show, and it is equally elemental if we are to achieve personalized medicine in the future. We provide a blueprint for investigating variability by covering examples from humans and other model organisms as well as existing examples from larval zebrafish. We highlight recent studies where variability may be hiding in plain sight and suggest how future studies can take advantage of existing paradigms for further exploring individual variability. We conclude with an outlook on how the field can harness the unique strengths of the zebrafish model to advance this important impending translational question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina A. K. Jacobs
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Soojin Ryu
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Living Systems Institute, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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Jacobs EAK, Steinmetz NA, Peters AJ, Carandini M, Harris KD. Cortical State Fluctuations during Sensory Decision Making. Curr Biol 2020; 30:4944-4955.e7. [PMID: 33096037 PMCID: PMC7758730 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.09.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In many behavioral tasks, cortex enters a desynchronized state where low-frequency fluctuations in population activity are suppressed. The precise behavioral correlates of desynchronization and its global organization are unclear. One hypothesis holds that desynchronization enhances stimulus coding in the relevant sensory cortex. Another hypothesis holds that desynchronization reflects global arousal, such as task engagement. Here, we trained mice on tasks where task engagement could be distinguished from sensory accuracy. Using widefield calcium imaging, we found that performance-related desynchronization was global and correlated better with engagement than with accuracy. Consistent with this link between desynchronization and engagement, rewards had a long-lasting desynchronizing effect. To determine whether engagement-related state changes depended on the relevant sensory modality, we trained mice on visual and auditory tasks and found that in both cases desynchronization was global, including regions such as somatomotor cortex. We conclude that variations in low-frequency fluctuations are predominately global and related to task engagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina A K Jacobs
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | - Nicholas A Steinmetz
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Andrew J Peters
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Matteo Carandini
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Kenneth D Harris
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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Abstract
Studies have shown that adolescents are more likely than adults to take risks in the presence of peers than when alone, and that young adolescents' risk perception is more influenced by other teenagers than by adults. The current fMRI study investigated the effect of social influence on risk perception in female adolescents (aged 12-14) and adults (aged 23-29). Participants rated the riskiness of everyday situations and were then informed about the (alleged) risk ratings of a social influence group (teenagers or adults), before rating each situation again. The results showed that adolescents adjusted their ratings to conform with others more than adults did, and both age groups were influenced more by adults than by teenagers. When there was a conflict between the participants' own risk ratings and the ratings of the social influence group, activation was increased in the posterior medial frontal cortex, dorsal cingulate cortex and inferior frontal gyrus in both age groups. In addition, there was greater activation during no-conflict situations in the right middle frontal gyrus and bilateral parietal cortex in adults compared with adolescents. These results suggest that there are behavioral and neural differences between adolescents and adults in conflict and no-conflict social situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J Knoll
- University College London , London, WC, UK
| | - A Gaule
- University College London , London, WC, UK
| | - A Lazari
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford , UK
| | | | - S J Blakemore
- University College London , London, WC, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge , UK
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Burgess CP, Lak A, Steinmetz NA, Zatka-Haas P, Bai Reddy C, Jacobs EAK, Linden JF, Paton JJ, Ranson A, Schröder S, Soares S, Wells MJ, Wool LE, Harris KD, Carandini M. High-Yield Methods for Accurate Two-Alternative Visual Psychophysics in Head-Fixed Mice. Cell Rep 2017; 20:2513-2524. [PMID: 28877482 PMCID: PMC5603732 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.08.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Revised: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Research in neuroscience increasingly relies on the mouse, a mammalian species that affords unparalleled genetic tractability and brain atlases. Here, we introduce high-yield methods for probing mouse visual decisions. Mice are head-fixed, facilitating repeatable visual stimulation, eye tracking, and brain access. They turn a steering wheel to make two alternative choices, forced or unforced. Learning is rapid thanks to intuitive coupling of stimuli to wheel position. The mouse decisions deliver high-quality psychometric curves for detection and discrimination and conform to the predictions of a simple probabilistic observer model. The task is readily paired with two-photon imaging of cortical activity. Optogenetic inactivation reveals that the task requires mice to use their visual cortex. Mice are motivated to perform the task by fluid reward or optogenetic stimulation of dopamine neurons. This stimulation elicits a larger number of trials and faster learning. These methods provide a platform to accurately probe mouse vision and its neural basis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Armin Lak
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Peter Zatka-Haas
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, London, UK
| | - Charu Bai Reddy
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Elina A K Jacobs
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | | | - Adam Ranson
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Sylvia Schröder
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Sofia Soares
- Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Miles J Wells
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Lauren E Wool
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Kenneth D Harris
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Matteo Carandini
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Steinmetz NA, Buetfering C, Lecoq J, Lee CR, Peters AJ, Jacobs EAK, Coen P, Ollerenshaw DR, Valley MT, de Vries SEJ, Garrett M, Zhuang J, Groblewski PA, Manavi S, Miles J, White C, Lee E, Griffin F, Larkin JD, Roll K, Cross S, Nguyen TV, Larsen R, Pendergraft J, Daigle T, Tasic B, Thompson CL, Waters J, Olsen S, Margolis DJ, Zeng H, Hausser M, Carandini M, Harris KD. Aberrant Cortical Activity in Multiple GCaMP6-Expressing Transgenic Mouse Lines. eNeuro 2017; 4:ENEURO.0207-17.2017. [PMID: 28932809 PMCID: PMC5604087 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0207-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Transgenic mouse lines are invaluable tools for neuroscience but, as with any technique, care must be taken to ensure that the tool itself does not unduly affect the system under study. Here we report aberrant electrical activity, similar to interictal spikes, and accompanying fluorescence events in some genotypes of transgenic mice expressing GCaMP6 genetically encoded calcium sensors. These epileptiform events have been observed particularly, but not exclusively, in mice with Emx1-Cre and Ai93 transgenes, of either sex, across multiple laboratories. The events occur at >0.1 Hz, are very large in amplitude (>1.0 mV local field potentials, >10% df/f widefield imaging signals), and typically cover large regions of cortex. Many properties of neuronal responses and behavior seem normal despite these events, although rare subjects exhibit overt generalized seizures. The underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon remain unclear, but we speculate about possible causes on the basis of diverse observations. We encourage researchers to be aware of these activity patterns while interpreting neuronal recordings from affected mouse lines and when considering which lines to study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A. Steinmetz
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Christina Buetfering
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Christian R. Lee
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ
| | - Andrew J. Peters
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Philip Coen
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Jun Zhuang
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | | | | | - Jesse Miles
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | - Casey White
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | - Eric Lee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | | | | | - Kate Roll
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | - Sissy Cross
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jack Waters
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | - Shawn Olsen
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA
| | - David J. Margolis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ
| | | | - Michael Hausser
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
- Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matteo Carandini
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kenneth D. Harris
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
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