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Leon LES, Brown AM, Kaku H, Sillitoe RV. Purkinje cell dysfunction causes disrupted sleep in ataxic mice. Dis Model Mech 2024:dmm.050379. [PMID: 38563553 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050379] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Purkinje cell dysfunction disrupts movement and causes disorders such as ataxia. Recent evidence suggests that Purkinje cell dysfunction may also alter sleep regulation. Here, we used an ataxic mouse model generated by silencing Purkinje cell neurotransmission (L7Cre;Vgatfx/fx) to better understand how cerebellar dysfunction impacts sleep physiology. We focused our analysis on sleep architecture and electrocorticography (ECoG) patterns based on their relevance to extracting physiological measurements during sleep. We found that circadian activity is unaltered in the mutant mice, although their sleep parameters and ECoG patterns are modified. The L7Cre;Vgatfx/fx mutant mice have decreased wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, while non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is increased. The mutants have an extended latency to REM sleep, which is also observed in human ataxia patients. Spectral analysis of ECoG signals revealed alterations in the power distribution across different frequency bands defining sleep. Therefore, Purkinje cell dysfunction may influence wakefulness and equilibrium of distinct sleep stages in ataxia. Our findings posit a connection between cerebellar dysfunction and disrupted sleep and underscore the importance of examining cerebellar circuit function in sleep disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E Salazar Leon
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Amanda M Brown
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Heet Kaku
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Roy V Sillitoe
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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2
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Bussi IL, Ben-Hamo M, Salazar Leon LE, Casiraghi LP, Zhang VY, Neitz AF, Lee J, Takahashi JS, Kim JJ, de la Iglesia HO. The circadian molecular clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus is necessary but not sufficient for fear entrainment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316841121. [PMID: 38502706 PMCID: PMC10990155 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316841121] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
We show that nocturnal aversive stimuli presented to mice while they are eating and drinking outside of their safe nest can entrain circadian behaviors, leading to a shift toward daytime activity. We also show that the canonical molecular circadian clock is necessary for fear entrainment and that an intact molecular clockwork in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the site of the central circadian pacemaker, is necessary but not sufficient to sustain fear entrainment of circadian rhythms. Our results demonstrate that entrainment of a circadian clock by cyclic fearful stimuli can lead to severely mistimed circadian behavior that persists even after the aversive stimulus is removed. Together, our findings support the interpretation that circadian and sleep symptoms associated with fear and anxiety disorders are, in part, the output of a fear-entrained clock, and provide a mechanistic insight into this clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana L. Bussi
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-1800
| | - Miriam Ben-Hamo
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-1800
| | | | | | - Victor Y. Zhang
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-1800
| | - Alexandra F. Neitz
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-1800
- Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-7275
| | - Jeffrey Lee
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-1800
| | - Joseph S. Takahashi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX75390-9111
- HHMI, Chevy Chase, MD 20815
| | - Jeansok J. Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-1525
| | - Horacio O. de la Iglesia
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-1800
- Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195-7275
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Beckinghausen J, Ortiz-Guzman J, Lin T, Bachman B, Salazar Leon LE, Liu Y, Heck DH, Arenkiel BR, Sillitoe RV. Author Correction: The cerebellum contributes to generalized seizures by altering activity in the ventral posteromedial nucleus. Commun Biol 2024; 7:186. [PMID: 38365939 PMCID: PMC10873329 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05885-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn Beckinghausen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joshua Ortiz-Guzman
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin Bachman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Luis E Salazar Leon
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, 103515 University Dr., Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Detlef H Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, 103515 University Dr., Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Benjamin R Arenkiel
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Roy V Sillitoe
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA.
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Leon LES, Kim LH, Sillitoe RV. Cerebellar deep brain stimulation as a dual-function therapeutic for restoring movement and sleep in dystonic mice. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.30.564790. [PMID: 37961355 PMCID: PMC10635001 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.30.564790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Dystonia arises with cerebellar dysfunction, which plays a key role in the emergence of multiple pathophysiological deficits that range from abnormal movements and postures to disrupted sleep. Current therapeutic interventions typically do not simultaneously address both the motor and non-motor (sleep-related) symptoms of dystonia, underscoring the necessity for a multi-functional therapeutic strategy. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effectively used to reduce motor symptoms in dystonia, with existing parallel evidence arguing for its potential to correct sleep disturbances. However, the simultaneous efficacy of DBS for improving sleep and motor dysfunction, specifically by targeting the cerebellum, remains underexplored. Here, we test the effect of cerebellar DBS in two genetic mouse models with dystonia that exhibit sleep defects- Ptf1a Cre ;Vglut2 fx/fx and Pdx1 Cre ;Vglut2 fx/fx -which have overlapping cerebellar circuit miswiring defects but differing severity in motor phenotypes. By targeting DBS to the cerebellar fastigial and interposed nuclei, we modulated sleep dysfunction by enhancing sleep quality and timing in both models. This DBS paradigm improved wakefulness (decreased) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (increased) in both mutants. Additionally, the latency to reach REM sleep, a deficit observed in human dystonia patients, was reduced in both models. Cerebellar DBS also induced alterations in the electrocorticogram (ECoG) patterns that define sleep states. As expected, DBS reduced the severe dystonic twisting motor symptoms that are observed in the Ptf1a Cre ;Vglut2 fx/fx mutant mice. These findings highlight the potential for using cerebellar DBS to improve sleep and reduce motor dysfunction in dystonia and uncover its potential as a dual-effect in vivo therapeutic strategy.
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Beckinghausen J, Ortiz-Guzman J, Lin T, Bachman B, Salazar Leon LE, Liu Y, Heck DH, Arenkiel BR, Sillitoe RV. The cerebellum contributes to generalized seizures by altering activity in the ventral posteromedial nucleus. Commun Biol 2023; 6:731. [PMID: 37454228 PMCID: PMC10349834 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05100-w] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Thalamo-cortical networks are central to seizures, yet it is unclear how these circuits initiate seizures. We test whether a facial region of the thalamus, the ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM), is a source of generalized, convulsive motor seizures and if convergent VPM input drives the behavior. To address this question, we devise an in vivo optogenetic mouse model to elicit convulsive motor seizures by driving these inputs and perform single-unit recordings during awake, convulsive seizures to define the local activity of thalamic neurons before, during, and after seizure onset. We find dynamic activity with biphasic properties, raising the possibility that heterogenous activity promotes seizures. Virus tracing identifies cerebellar and cerebral cortical afferents as robust contributors to the seizures. Of these inputs, only microinfusion of lidocaine into the cerebellar nuclei blocks seizure initiation. Our data reveal the VPM as a source of generalized convulsive seizures, with cerebellar input providing critical signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn Beckinghausen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joshua Ortiz-Guzman
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin Bachman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Luis E Salazar Leon
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, 103515 University Dr., Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Detlef H Heck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, 103515 University Dr., Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Benjamin R Arenkiel
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Roy V Sillitoe
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute of Texas Children's Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX, USA.
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Salazar Leon LE, Brown AM, Kaku H, Sillitoe RV. Purkinje cell dysfunction causes disrupted sleep in ataxic mice. bioRxiv 2023:2023.07.03.547586. [PMID: 37461479 PMCID: PMC10350025 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.03.547586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Purkinje cell dysfunction causes movement disorders such as ataxia, however, recent evidence suggests that Purkinje cell dysfunction may also alter sleep regulation. Here, we used an ataxia mouse model generated by silencing Purkinje cell neurotransmission ( L7 Cre ;Vgat fx/fx ) to better understand how cerebellar dysfunction impacts sleep physiology. We focused our analysis on sleep architecture and electrocorticography (ECoG) patterns based on their relevance to extracting physiological measurements during sleep. We found that circadian activity is unaltered in the mutant mice, although their sleep parameters and ECoG patterns are modified. The L7 Cre ;Vgat fx/fx mutant mice have decreased wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, while non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is increased. The mutant mice have an extended latency to REM sleep, which is also observed in human ataxia patients. Spectral analysis of ECoG signals revealed alterations in the power distribution across different frequency bands defining sleep. Therefore, Purkinje cell dysfunction may influence wakefulness and equilibrium of distinct sleep stages in ataxia. Our findings posit a connection between cerebellar dysfunction and disrupted sleep and underscore the importance of examining cerebellar circuit function in sleep disorders. Summary Statement Utilizing a precise genetic mouse model of ataxia, we provide insights into the cerebellum's role in sleep regulation, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for motor disorders-related sleep disruptions.
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Bussi IL, Ben-Hamo M, Leon LES, Casiraghi LP, Zhang VY, Neitz AF, Lee J, Takahashi JS, Kim JJ, de la Iglesia HO. The circadian molecular clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus is necessary but not sufficient for fear entrainment in the mouse. bioRxiv 2023:2023.06.26.546624. [PMID: 37425771 PMCID: PMC10327100 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.26.546624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Nocturnal aversive stimuli presented to mice during eating and drinking outside of their safe nest can entrain circadian behaviors, leading to a shift toward daytime activity. We show that the canonical molecular circadian clock is necessary for fear entrainment and that an intact molecular clockwork in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the site of the central circadian pacemaker, is necessary but not sufficient to sustain fear entrainment of circadian rhythms. Our results demonstrate that entrainment of a circadian clock by cyclic fearful stimuli can lead to severely mistimed circadian behavior that persists even after the aversive stimulus is removed. Together, our results support the interpretation that circadian and sleep symptoms associated with fear and anxiety disorders may represent the output of a fear-entrained clock. One-Sentence Summary Cyclic fearful stimuli can entrain circadian rhythms in mice, and the molecular clock within the central circadian pacemaker is necessary but not sufficient for fear-entrainment.
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Leon LES, Sillitoe RV. Disrupted sleep in dystonia depends on cerebellar function but not motor symptoms in mice. bioRxiv 2023:2023.02.09.527916. [PMID: 36798256 PMCID: PMC9934608 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Although dystonia is the third most common movement disorder, patients often also experience debilitating nonmotor defects including impaired sleep. The cerebellum is a central component of a "dystonia network" that plays various roles in sleep regulation. Importantly, the primary driver of sleep impairments in dystonia remains poorly understood. The cerebellum, along with other nodes in the motor circuit, could disrupt sleep. However, it is unclear how the cerebellum might alter sleep and mobility. To disentangle the impact of cerebellar dysfunction on motion and sleep, we generated two mouse genetic models of dystonia that have overlapping cerebellar circuit miswiring but show differing motor phenotype severity: Ptf1a Cre ;Vglut2 fx/fx and Pdx1 Cre ;Vglut2 fx/fx mice. In both models, excitatory climbing fiber to Purkinje cell neurotransmission is blocked, but only the Ptf1a Cre ;Vglut2 fx/fx mice have severe twisting. Using in vivo ECoG and EMG recordings we found that both mutants spend greater time awake and in NREM sleep at the expense of REM sleep. The increase in awake time is driven by longer awake bouts rather than an increase in bout number. We also found a longer latency to reach REM in both mutants, which is similar to what is reported in human dystonia. We uncovered independent but parallel roles for cerebellar circuit dysfunction and motor defects in promoting sleep quality versus posture impairments in dystonia.
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Brown AM, Lackey EP, Salazar Leon LE, Rey Hipolito AG, Beckinghausen J, Lin T, Sillitoe RV. Electromyography as a Method for Distinguishing Dystonia in Mice. Adv Neurobiol 2023; 31:71-91. [PMID: 37338697 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-26220-3_5] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Electromyography (EMG) methods allow quantitative analyses of motor function. The techniques include intramuscular recordings that are performed in vivo. However, recording muscle activity in freely moving mice, particularly in models of motor disease, often creates challenges that prevent the acquisition of clean signals. Recording preparations must be stable enough for the experimenter to collect an adequate number of signals for statistical analyses. Instability results in a low signal-to-noise ratio that prohibits proper isolation of EMG signals from the target muscle during the behavior of interest. Such insufficient isolation prevents the analysis of full electrical potential waveforms. In this case, resolving the shape of a waveform to differentiate individual spikes and bursts of muscle activity can be difficult. A common source of instability is an inadequate surgery. Poor surgical techniques cause blood loss, tissue damage, poor healing, encumbered movement, and unstable implantation of the electrodes. Here, we describe an optimized surgical procedure that ensures electrode stability for in vivo muscle recordings. We implement our technique to obtain recordings from agonist and antagonist muscle pairs in the hindlimbs of freely moving adult mice. We validate the stability of our method by holding EMG recordings during dystonic behavior. Our approach is ideal for studying normal and abnormal motor function in actively behaving mice and valuable for recording intramuscular activity when considerable motion is expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Brown
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Elizabeth P Lackey
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Luis E Salazar Leon
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alejandro G Rey Hipolito
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jaclyn Beckinghausen
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Roy V Sillitoe
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
- Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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Zhou J, Van der Heijden ME, Salazar Leon LE, Lin T, Miterko LN, Kizek DJ, Perez RM, Pavešković M, Brown AM, Sillitoe RV. Propranolol Modulates Cerebellar Circuit Activity and Reduces Tremor. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233889. [PMID: 36497147 PMCID: PMC9740691 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Tremor is the most common movement disorder. Several drugs reduce tremor severity, but no cures are available. Propranolol, a β-adrenergic receptor blocker, is the leading treatment for tremor. However, the in vivo circuit mechanisms by which propranolol decreases tremor remain unclear. Here, we test whether propranolol modulates activity in the cerebellum, a key node in the tremor network. We investigated the effects of propranolol in healthy control mice and Car8wdl/wdl mice, which exhibit pathophysiological tremor and ataxia due to cerebellar dysfunction. Propranolol reduced physiological tremor in control mice and reduced pathophysiological tremor in Car8wdl/wdl mice to control levels. Open field and footprinting assays showed that propranolol did not correct ataxia in Car8wdl/wdl mice. In vivo recordings in awake mice revealed that propranolol modulates the spiking activity of control and Car8wdl/wdl Purkinje cells. Recordings in cerebellar nuclei neurons, the targets of Purkinje cells, also revealed altered activity in propranolol-treated control and Car8wdl/wdl mice. Next, we tested whether propranolol reduces tremor through β1 and β2 adrenergic receptors. Propranolol did not change tremor amplitude or cerebellar nuclei activity in β1 and β2 null mice or Car8wdl/wdl mice lacking β1 and β2 receptor function. These data show that propranolol can modulate cerebellar circuit activity through β-adrenergic receptors and may contribute to tremor therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy Zhou
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Meike E. Van der Heijden
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Luis E. Salazar Leon
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lauren N. Miterko
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Dominic J. Kizek
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ross M. Perez
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Matea Pavešković
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Amanda M. Brown
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Roy V. Sillitoe
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, 1250 Moursund Street, Suite 1325, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Program in Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-832-824-8913
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Abstract
Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder. It causes debilitating twisting postures that are accompanied by repetitive and sometimes intermittent co- or over-contractions of agonist and antagonist muscles. Historically diagnosed as a basal ganglia disorder, dystonia is increasingly considered a network disorder involving various brain regions including the cerebellum. In certain etiologies of dystonia, aberrant motor activity is generated in the cerebellum and the abnormal signals then propagate through a “dystonia circuit” that includes the thalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebral cortex. Importantly, it has been reported that non-motor defects can accompany the motor symptoms; while their severity is not always correlated, it is hypothesized that common pathways may nevertheless be disrupted. In particular, circadian dysfunction and disordered sleep are common non-motor patient complaints in dystonia. Given recent evidence suggesting that the cerebellum contains a circadian oscillator, displays sleep-stage-specific neuronal activity, and sends robust long-range projections to several subcortical regions involved in circadian rhythm regulation, disordered sleep in dystonia may result from cerebellum-mediated dysfunction of the dystonia circuit. Here, we review the evidence linking dystonia, cerebellar network dysfunction, and cerebellar involvement in sleep. Together, these ideas may form the basis for the development of improved pharmacological and surgical interventions that could take advantage of cerebellar circuitry to restore normal motor function as well as non-motor (sleep) behaviors in dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E. Salazar Leon
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
| | - Roy V. Sillitoe
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Roy V. Sillitoe, Tel: 832-824-8913, Fax: 832-825-1251,
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Van Der Heijden ME, Gill JS, Rey Hipolito AG, Salazar Leon LE, Sillitoe RV. Quantification of Behavioral Deficits in Developing Mice With Dystonic Behaviors. Dystonia 2022; 1:10494. [PMID: 36960404 PMCID: PMC10032351 DOI: 10.3389/dyst.2022.10494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence from structural imaging studies in patients, the function of dystonia-causing genes, and the comorbidity of neuronal and behavioral defects all suggest that pediatric-onset dystonia is a neurodevelopmental disorder. However, to fully appreciate the contribution of altered development to dystonia, a mechanistic understanding of how networks become dysfunctional is required for early-onset dystonia. One current hurdle is that many dystonia animal models are ideally suited for studying adult phenotypes, as the neurodevelopmental features can be subtle or are complicated by broad developmental deficits. Furthermore, most assays that are used to measure dystonia are not suited for developing postnatal mice. Here, we characterize the early-onset dystonia in Ptf1a Cre ;Vglut2 fl/fl mice, which is caused by the absence of neurotransmission from inferior olive neurons onto cerebellar Purkinje cells. We investigate motor control with two paradigms that examine how altered neural function impacts key neurodevelopmental milestones seen in postnatal pups (postnatal day 7-11). We find that Ptf1a Cre ;Vglut2 fl/fl mice have poor performance on the negative geotaxis assay and the surface righting reflex. Interestingly, we also find that Ptf1a Cre ;Vglut2 fl/fl mice make fewer ultrasonic calls when socially isolated from their nests. Ultrasonic calls are often impaired in rodent models of autism spectrum disorders, a condition that can be comorbid with dystonia. Together, we show that these assays can serve as useful quantitative tools for investigating how neural dysfunction during development influences neonatal behaviors in a dystonia mouse model. Our data implicate a shared cerebellar circuit mechanism underlying dystonia-related motor signs and social impairments in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike E. Van Der Heijden
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jason S. Gill
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Alejandro G. Rey Hipolito
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Luis E. Salazar Leon
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Roy V. Sillitoe
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Correspondence: Roy V. Sillitoe,
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