Electrophysiological In Vitro Study of Long-Range Signal Transmission by Astrocytic Networks

Astrocytes are diverse brain cells that form large networks communicating via gap junctions and chemical transmitters. Despite recent advances, the functions of astrocytic networks in information processing in the brain are not fully understood. In culture, brain slices, and in vivo, astrocytes, and neurons grow in tight association, making it challenging to establish whether signals that spread within astrocytic networks communicate with neuronal groups at distant sites, or whether astrocytes solely respond to their local environments. A multi-electrode array (MEA)-based device called AstroMEA is designed to separate neuronal and astrocytic networks, thus allowing to study the transfer of chemical and/or electrical signals transmitted via astrocytic networks capable of changing neuronal electrical behavior. AstroMEA demonstrates that cortical astrocytic networks can induce a significant upregulation in the firing frequency of neurons in response to a theta-burst charge-balanced biphasic current stimulation (5 pulses of 100 Hz × 10 with 200 ms intervals, 2 s total duration) of a separate neuronal-astrocytic group in the absence of direct neuronal contact. This result corroborates the view of astrocytic networks as a parallel mechanism of signal transmission in the brain that is separate from the neuronal connectome. Translationally, it highlights the importance of astrocytic network protection as a treatment target.

Transcription factor combinations that define human astrocyte identity encode significant variation of maturity and function

Increasing evidence indicates that cellular identity can be reduced to the distinct gene regulatory networks controlled by transcription factors (TFs). However, redundancy exists in these states as different combinations of TFs can induce broadly similar cell types. We previously demonstrated that by overcoming gene silencing, it is possible to deterministically reprogram human pluripotent stem cells directly into cell types of various lineages. In the present study we leverage the consistency and precision of our approach to explore four different TF combinations encoding astrocyte identity, based on previously published reports. Analysis of the resulting induced astrocytes (iAs) demonstrated that all four cassettes generate cells with the typical morphology of in vitro astrocytes, which expressed astrocyte-specific markers. The transcriptional profiles of all four iAs clustered tightly together and displayed similarities with mature human astrocytes, although maturity levels differed between cells. Importantly, we found that the TF cassettes induced iAs with distinct differences with regards to their cytokine response and calcium signaling. In vivo transplantation of selected iAs into immunocompromised rat brains demonstrated long term stability and integration. In conclusion, all four TF combinations were able to induce stable astrocyte-like cells that were morphologically similar but showed subtle differences with respect to their transcriptome. These subtle differences translated into distinct differences with regards to cell function, that could be related to maturation state and/or regional identity of the resulting cells. This insight opens an opportunity to precision-engineer cells to meet functional requirements, for example, in the context of therapeutic cell transplantation.

Low sulfated heparan sulfate mimetic differentially affects repair in immune-mediated and toxin-induced experimental models of demyelination

There is an urgent need for therapies that target the multicellular pathology of central nervous system (CNS) disease. Modified, nonanticoagulant heparins mimic the heparan sulfate glycan family and are known regulators of multiple cellular processes. In vitro studies have demonstrated that low sulfated modified heparin mimetics (LS-mHeps) drive repair after CNS demyelination. Herein, we test LS-mHep7 (an in vitro lead compound) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and cuprizone-induced demyelination. In EAE, LS-mHep7 treatment resulted in faster recovery and rapidly reduced inflammation which was accompanied by restoration of animal weight. LS-mHep7 treatment had no effect on remyelination or on OLIG2 positive oligodendrocyte numbers within the corpus callosum in the cuprizone model. Further in vitro investigation confirmed that LS-mHep7 likely mediates its pro-repair effect in the EAE model by sequestering inflammatory cytokines, such as CCL5 which are upregulated during immune-mediated inflammatory attacks. These data support the future clinical translation of this next generation modified heparin as a treatment for CNS diseases with active immune system involvement.

Axonal response of mitochondria to demyelination and complex IV activity within demyelinated axons in experimental models of multiple sclerosis

AIMS

Axonal injury in multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental models is most frequently detected in acutely demyelinating lesions. We recently reported a compensatory neuronal response, where mitochondria move to the acutely demyelinated axon and increase the mitochondrial content following lysolecithin-induced demyelination. We termed this homeostatic phenomenon, which is also evident in MS, the axonal response of mitochondria to demyelination (ARMD). The aim of this study is to determine whether ARMD is consistently evident in experimental demyelination and how its perturbation relates to axonal injury.

METHODS

In the present study, we assessed axonal mitochondrial content as well as axonal mitochondrial respiratory chain complex IV activity (cytochrome c oxidase or COX) of axons and related these to axonal injury in nine different experimental disease models. We used immunofluorescent histochemistry as well as sequential COX histochemistry followed by immunofluorescent labelling of mitochondria and axons.

RESULTS

We found ARMD a consistent and robust phenomenon in all experimental disease models. The increase in mitochondrial content within demyelinated axons, however, was not always accompanied by a proportionate increase in complex IV activity, particularly in highly inflammatory models such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Axonal complex IV activity inversely correlated with the extent of axonal injury in experimental disease models.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that ARMD is a consistent and prominent feature and emphasise the importance of complex IV activity in the context of ARMD, especially in autoimmune inflammatory demyelination, paving the way for the development of novel neuroprotective therapies.

Motor and higher-order functions topography of the human dentate nuclei identified with tractography and clustering methods

Deep gray matter nuclei are the synaptic relays, responsible to route signals between specific brain areas. Dentate nuclei (DNs) represent the main output channel of the cerebellum and yet are often unexplored especially in humans. We developed a multimodal MRI approach to identify DNs topography on the basis of their connectivity as well as their microstructural features. Based on results, we defined DN parcellations deputed to motor and to higher-order functions in humans in vivo. Whole-brain probabilistic tractography was performed on 25 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project to infer DN parcellations based on their connectivity with either the cerebral or the cerebellar cortex, in turn. A third DN atlas was created inputting microstructural diffusion-derived metrics in an unsupervised fuzzy c-means classification algorithm. All analyses were performed in native space, with probability atlas maps generated in standard space. Cerebellar lobule-specific connectivity identified one motor parcellation, accounting for about 30% of the DN volume, and two non-motor parcellations, one cognitive and one sensory, which occupied the remaining volume. The other two approaches provided overlapping results in terms of geometrical distribution with those identified with cerebellar lobule-specific connectivity, although with some differences in volumes. A gender effect was observed with respect to motor areas and higher-order function representations. This is the first study that indicates that more than half of the DN volumes is involved in non-motor functions and that connectivity-based and microstructure-based atlases provide complementary information. These results represent a step-ahead for the interpretation of pathological conditions involving cerebro-cerebellar circuits.

Creating a clinical platform for carbon-13 studies using the sodium-23 and proton resonances

PURPOSE

Calibration of hyperpolarized 13 C-MRI is limited by the low signal from endogenous carbon-containing molecules and consequently requires 13 C-enriched external phantoms. This study investigated the feasibility of using either 23 Na-MRI or 1 H-MRI to calibrate the 13 C excitation.

METHODS

Commercial 13 C-coils were used to estimate the transmit gain and center frequency for 13 C and 23 Na resonances. Simulations of the transmit B1 profile of a Helmholtz loop were performed. Noise correlation was measured for both nuclei. A retrospective analysis of human data assessing the use of the 1 H resonance to predict [1-13 C]pyruvate center frequency was also performed. In vivo experiments were undertaken in the lower limbs of 6 pigs following injection of hyperpolarized 13 C-pyruvate.

RESULTS

The difference in center frequencies and transmit gain between tissue 23 Na and [1-13 C]pyruvate was reproducible, with a mean scale factor of 1.05179 ± 0.00001 and 10.4 ± 0.2 dB, respectively. Utilizing the 1 H water peak, it was possible to retrospectively predict the 13 C-pyruvate center frequency with a standard deviation of only 11 Hz sufficient for spectral-spatial excitation-based studies.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrate the feasibility of using the 23 Na and 1 H resonances to calibrate the 13 C transmit B1 using commercially available 13 C-coils. The method provides a simple approach for in vivo calibration and could improve clinical workflow.