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Whyte CJ, Redinbaugh MJ, Shine JM, Saalmann YB. Thalamic contributions to the state and contents of consciousness. Neuron 2024; 112:1611-1625. [PMID: 38754373 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.019] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Consciousness can be conceptualized as varying along at least two dimensions: the global state of consciousness and the content of conscious experience. Here, we highlight the cellular and systems-level contributions of the thalamus to conscious state and then argue for thalamic contributions to conscious content, including the integrated, segregated, and continuous nature of our experience. We underscore vital, yet distinct roles for core- and matrix-type thalamic neurons. Through reciprocal interactions with deep-layer cortical neurons, matrix neurons support wakefulness and determine perceptual thresholds, whereas the cortical interactions of core neurons maintain content and enable perceptual constancy. We further propose that conscious integration, segregation, and continuity depend on the convergent nature of corticothalamic projections enabling dimensionality reduction, a thalamic reticular nucleus-mediated divisive normalization-like process, and sustained coherent activity in thalamocortical loops, respectively. Overall, we conclude that the thalamus plays a central topological role in brain structures controlling conscious experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Whyte
- Centre for Complex Systems, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - James M Shine
- Centre for Complex Systems, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yuri B Saalmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, USA
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Su C, Mendes-Platt RF, Alonso JM, Swadlow HA, Bereshpolova Y. Visual Corticotectal Neurons in Awake Rabbits: Receptive Fields and Driving Monosynaptic Thalamocortical Inputs. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1945232024. [PMID: 38485258 PMCID: PMC11079980 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1945-23.2024] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus receives powerful synaptic inputs from corticotectal neurons in the visual cortex. The function of these corticotectal neurons remains largely unknown due to a limited understanding of their response properties and connectivity. Here, we use antidromic methods to identify corticotectal neurons in awake male and female rabbits, and measure their axonal conduction times, thalamic inputs and receptive field properties. All corticotectal neurons responded to sinusoidal drifting gratings with a nonlinear (nonsinusoidal) increase in mean firing rate but showed pronounced differences in their ON-OFF receptive field structures that we classified into three groups, Cx, S2, and S1. Cx receptive fields had highly overlapping ON and OFF subfields as classical complex cells, S2 had largely separated ON and OFF subfields as classical simple cells, and S1 had a single ON or OFF subfield. Thus, all corticotectal neurons are homogeneous in their nonlinear spatial summation but very heterogeneous in their spatial integration of ON and OFF inputs. The Cx type had the fastest conducting axons, the highest spontaneous activity, and the strongest and fastest visual responses. The S2 type had the highest orientation selectivity, and the S1 type had the slowest conducting axons. Moreover, our cross-correlation analyses found that a subpopulation of corticotectal neurons with very fast conducting axons and high spontaneous firing rates (largely "Cx" type) receives monosynaptic input from retinotopically aligned thalamic neurons. This previously unrecognized fast-conducting thalamic-mediated corticotectal pathway may provide specialized information to superior colliculus and prime recipient neurons for subsequent corticotectal or retinal synaptic input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuyi Su
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
| | | | - Jose-Manuel Alonso
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY-Optometry, New York, New York
| | - Harvey A Swadlow
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY-Optometry, New York, New York
| | - Yulia Bereshpolova
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
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Shin D, Kim CN, Ross J, Hennick KM, Wu SR, Paranjape N, Leonard R, Wang JC, Keefe MG, Pavlovic BJ, Donohue KC, Moreau C, Wigdor EM, Larson HH, Allen DE, Cadwell CR, Bhaduri A, Popova G, Bearden CE, Pollen AA, Jacquemont S, Sanders SJ, Haussler D, Wiita AP, Frost NA, Sohal VS, Nowakowski TJ. Thalamocortical organoids enable in vitro modeling of 22q11.2 microdeletion associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. Cell Stem Cell 2024; 31:421-432.e8. [PMID: 38382530 PMCID: PMC10939828 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.01.010] [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: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Thalamic dysfunction has been implicated in multiple psychiatric disorders. We sought to study the mechanisms by which abnormalities emerge in the context of the 22q11.2 microdeletion, which confers significant genetic risk for psychiatric disorders. We investigated early stages of human thalamus development using human pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids and show that the 22q11.2 microdeletion underlies widespread transcriptional dysregulation associated with psychiatric disorders in thalamic neurons and glia, including elevated expression of FOXP2. Using an organoid co-culture model, we demonstrate that the 22q11.2 microdeletion mediates an overgrowth of thalamic axons in a FOXP2-dependent manner. Finally, we identify ROBO2 as a candidate molecular mediator of the effects of FOXP2 overexpression on thalamic axon overgrowth. Together, our study suggests that early steps in thalamic development are dysregulated in a model of genetic risk for schizophrenia and contribute to neural phenotypes in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Shin
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Chang N Kim
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jayden Ross
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kelsey M Hennick
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sih-Rong Wu
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Neha Paranjape
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA
| | - Rachel Leonard
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jerrick C Wang
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Matthew G Keefe
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Bryan J Pavlovic
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kevin C Donohue
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Clara Moreau
- Sainte Justine Research Center, University of Montréal, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Institute for Neuroimaging and Informatics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Emilie M Wigdor
- Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
| | - H Hanh Larson
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Denise E Allen
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Cathryn R Cadwell
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Aparna Bhaduri
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Galina Popova
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Integrative Center for Neurogenetics, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Departments of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Alex A Pollen
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sebastien Jacquemont
- Sainte Justine Research Center, University of Montréal, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
| | - David Haussler
- UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA; Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Arun P Wiita
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Nicholas A Frost
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
| | - Vikaas S Sohal
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Tomasz J Nowakowski
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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Gonzalo-Martín E, Alonso-Martínez C, Sepúlveda LP, Clasca F. Micropopulation mapping of the mouse parafascicular nucleus connections reveals diverse input-output motifs. Front Neuroanat 2024; 17:1305500. [PMID: 38260117 PMCID: PMC10800635 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2023.1305500] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction In primates, including humans, the centromedian/parafascicular (CM-Pf) complex is a key thalamic node of the basal ganglia system. Deep brain stimulation in CM-Pf has been applied for the treatment of motor disorders such as Parkinson's disease or Tourette syndrome. Rodents have become widely used models for the study of the cellular and genetic mechanisms of these and other motor disorders. However, the equivalence between the primate CM-Pf and the nucleus regarded as analogous in rodents (Parafascicular, Pf) remains unclear. Methods Here, we analyzed the neurochemical architecture and carried out a brain-wide mapping of the input-output motifs in the mouse Pf at micropopulation level using anterograde and retrograde labeling methods. Specifically, we mapped and quantified the sources of cortical and subcortical input to different Pf subregions, and mapped and compared the distribution and terminal structure of their axons. Results We found that projections to Pf arise predominantly (>75%) from the cerebral cortex, with an unusually strong (>45%) Layer 5b component, which is, in part, contralateral. The intermediate layers of the superior colliculus are the main subcortical input source to Pf. On its output side, Pf neuron axons predominantly innervate the striatum. In a sparser fashion, they innervate other basal ganglia nuclei, including the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and the cerebral cortex. Differences are evident between the lateral and medial portions of Pf, both in chemoarchitecture and in connectivity. Lateral Pf axons innervate territories of the striatum, STN and cortex involved in the sensorimotor control of different parts of the contralateral hemibody. In contrast, the mediodorsal portion of Pf innervates oculomotor-limbic territories in the above three structures. Discussion Our data thus indicate that the mouse Pf consists of several neurochemically and connectively distinct domains whose global organization bears a marked similarity to that described in the primate CM-Pf complex.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Francisco Clasca
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Autónoma de Madrid University, Madrid, Spain
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Vaughn MJ, Laswick Z, Wang H, Haas JS. Functionally Distinct Circuits Are Linked by Heterocellular Electrical Synapses in the Thalamic Reticular Nucleus. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0269-23.2023. [PMID: 38164593 PMCID: PMC10849028 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0269-23.2023] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) inhibits sensory thalamocortical relay neurons and is a key regulator of sensory attention as well as sleep and wake states. Recent developments have identified two distinct genetic subtypes of TRN neurons, calbindin-expressing (CB) and somatostatin-expressing (SOM) neurons. These subtypes differ in localization within the TRN, electrophysiological properties, and importantly, targeting of thalamocortical relay channels. CB neurons send inhibition to and receive excitation from first-order thalamic relay nuclei, while SOM neurons send inhibition to and receive excitation from higher-order thalamic areas. These differences create distinct channels of information flow. It is unknown whether TRN neurons form electrical synapses between SOM and CB neurons and consequently bridge first-order and higher-order thalamic channels. Here, we use GFP reporter mice to label and record from CB-expressing and SOM-expressing TRN neurons. We confirm that GFP expression properly differentiates TRN subtypes based on electrophysiological differences, and we identified electrical synapses between pairs of neurons with and without common GFP expression for both CB and SOM types. That is, electrical synapses link both within and across subtypes of neurons in the TRN, forming either homocellular or heterocellular synapses. Therefore, we conclude that electrical synapses within the TRN provide a substrate for functionally linking thalamocortical first-order and higher-order channels within the TRN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell J Vaughn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem 18015, Pennsylvania
| | - Zachary Laswick
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem 18015, Pennsylvania
| | - Huaixing Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem 18015, Pennsylvania
| | - Julie S Haas
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem 18015, Pennsylvania
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Dura-Bernal S, Griffith EY, Barczak A, O'Connell MN, McGinnis T, Moreira JVS, Schroeder CE, Lytton WW, Lakatos P, Neymotin SA. Data-driven multiscale model of macaque auditory thalamocortical circuits reproduces in vivo dynamics. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113378. [PMID: 37925640 PMCID: PMC10727489 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113378] [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: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We developed a detailed model of macaque auditory thalamocortical circuits, including primary auditory cortex (A1), medial geniculate body (MGB), and thalamic reticular nucleus, utilizing the NEURON simulator and NetPyNE tool. The A1 model simulates a cortical column with over 12,000 neurons and 25 million synapses, incorporating data on cell-type-specific neuron densities, morphology, and connectivity across six cortical layers. It is reciprocally connected to the MGB thalamus, which includes interneurons and core and matrix-layer-specific projections to A1. The model simulates multiscale measures, including physiological firing rates, local field potentials (LFPs), current source densities (CSDs), and electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Laminar CSD patterns, during spontaneous activity and in response to broadband noise stimulus trains, mirror experimental findings. Physiological oscillations emerge spontaneously across frequency bands comparable to those recorded in vivo. We elucidate population-specific contributions to observed oscillation events and relate them to firing and presynaptic input patterns. The model offers a quantitative theoretical framework to integrate and interpret experimental data and predict its underlying cellular and circuit mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvador Dura-Bernal
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
| | - Erica Y Griffith
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.
| | - Annamaria Barczak
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Monica N O'Connell
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Tammy McGinnis
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Joao V S Moreira
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Charles E Schroeder
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - William W Lytton
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Peter Lakatos
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samuel A Neymotin
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Department Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Morais PLAG, Rubio-Garrido P, de Lima RM, Córdoba-Claros A, de Nascimento ES, Cavalcante JS, Clascá F. The Arousal-Related "Central Thalamus" Stimulation Site Simultaneously Innervates Multiple High-Level Frontal and Parietal Areas. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7812-7821. [PMID: 37758474 PMCID: PMC10648518 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1216-23.2023] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In human and nonhuman primates, deep brain stimulation applied at or near the internal medullary lamina of the thalamus [a region referred to as "central thalamus," (CT)], but not at nearby thalamic sites, elicits major changes in the level of consciousness, even in some minimally conscious brain-damaged patients. The mechanisms behind these effects remain mysterious, as the connections of CT had not been specifically mapped in primates. In marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) of both sexes, we labeled the axons originating from each of the various CT neuronal populations and analyzed their arborization patterns in the cerebral cortex and striatum. We report that, together, these CT populations innervate an array of high-level frontal, posterior parietal, and cingulate cortical areas. Some populations simultaneously target the frontal, parietal, and cingulate cortices, while others predominantly target the dorsal striatum. Our data indicate that CT stimulation can simultaneously engage a heterogeneous set of projection systems that, together, target the key nodes of the attention, executive control, and working-memory networks of the brain. Increased functional connectivity in these networks has been previously described as a signature of consciousness.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In human and nonhuman primates, deep brain stimulation at a specific site near the internal medullary lamina of the thalamus ["central thalamus," (CT)] had been shown to restore arousal and awareness in anesthetized animals, as well as in some brain-damaged patients. The mechanisms behind these effects remain mysterious, as CT connections remain poorly defined in primates. In marmoset monkeys, we mapped with sensitive axon-labeling methods the pathways originated from CT. Our data indicate that stimulation applied in CT can simultaneously engage a heterogeneous set of projection systems that, together, target several key nodes of the attention, executive control, and working-memory networks of the brain. Increased functional connectivity in these networks has been previously described as a signature of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo L A G Morais
- Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, RN CEP 59078-900, Natal, Brazil
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Mengxing L, Lerma-Usabiaga G, Clascá F, Paz-Alonso PM. High-Resolution Tractography Protocol to Investigate the Pathways between Human Mediodorsal Thalamic Nucleus and Prefrontal Cortex. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7780-7798. [PMID: 37709539 PMCID: PMC10648582 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0721-23.2023] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal studies have established that the mediodorsal nucleus (MD) of the thalamus is heavily and reciprocally connected with all areas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In humans, however, these connections are difficult to investigate. High-resolution imaging protocols capable of reliably tracing the axonal tracts linking the human MD with each of the PFC areas may thus be key to advance our understanding of the variation, development, and plastic changes of these important circuits, in health and disease. Here, we tested in adult female and male humans the reliability of a new reconstruction protocol based on in vivo diffusion MRI to trace, measure, and characterize the fiber tracts interconnecting the MD with 39 human PFC areas per hemisphere. Our protocol comprised the following three components: (1) defining regions of interest; (2) preprocessing diffusion data; and, (3) modeling white matter tracts and tractometry. This analysis revealed largely separate PFC territories of reciprocal MD-PFC tracts bearing striking resemblance with the topographic layout observed in macaque connection-tracing studies. We then examined whether our protocol could reliably reconstruct each of these MD-PFC tracts and their profiles across test and retest sessions. Results revealed that this protocol was able to trace and measure, in both left and right hemispheres, the trajectories of these 39 area-specific axon bundles with good-to-excellent test-retest reproducibility. This protocol, which has been made publicly available, may be relevant for cognitive neuroscience and clinical studies of normal and abnormal PFC function, development, and plasticity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Reciprocal MD-PFC interactions are critical for complex human cognition and learning. Reliably tracing, measuring and characterizing MD-PFC white matter tracts using high-resolution noninvasive methods is key to assess individual variation of these systems in humans. Here, we propose a high-resolution tractography protocol that reliably reconstructs 39 area-specific MD-PFC white matter tracts per hemisphere and quantifies structural information from diffusion MRI data. This protocol revealed a detailed mapping of thalamocortical and corticothalamic MD-PFC tracts in four different PFC territories (dorsal, medial, orbital/frontal pole, inferior frontal) showing structural connections resembling those observed in tracing studies with macaques. Furthermore, our automated protocol revealed high test-retest reproducibility and is made publicly available, constituting a step forward in mapping human MD-PFC circuits in clinical and academic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Mengxing
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Garikoitz Lerma-Usabiaga
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Francisco Clascá
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Autónoma de Madrid University, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro M Paz-Alonso
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, 20009 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
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9
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Haley MS, Fontanini A, Maffei A. Inhibitory Gating of Thalamocortical Inputs onto Rat Gustatory Insular Cortex. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7294-7306. [PMID: 37704374 PMCID: PMC10621769 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2255-22.2023] [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: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In primary gustatory cortex (GC), a subregion of the insular cortex, neurons show anticipatory activity, encode taste identity and palatability, and their activity is related to decision-making. Inactivation of the gustatory thalamus, the parvicellular region of the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus (VPMpc), dramatically reduces GC taste responses, consistent with the hypothesis that VPMpc-GC projections carry taste information. Recordings in awake rodents reported that taste-responsive neurons can be found across GC, without segregated spatial mapping, raising the possibility that projections from the taste thalamus may activate GC broadly. In addition, we have shown that cortical inhibition modulates the integration of thalamic and limbic inputs, revealing a potential role for GABA transmission in gating sensory information to GC. Despite this wealth of information at the system level, the synaptic organization of the VPMpc-GC circuit has not been investigated. Here, we used optogenetic activation of VPMpc afferents to GC in acute slice preparations from rats of both sexes to investigate the synaptic properties and organization of VPMpc afferents in GC and their modulation by cortical inhibition. We hypothesized that VPMpc-GC synapses are distributed across GC, but show laminar- and cell-specific properties, conferring computationally flexibility to how taste information is processed. We also found that VPMpc-GC synaptic responses are strongly modulated by the activity regimen of VPMpc afferents, as well as by cortical inhibition activating GABAA and GABAB receptors onto VPMpc terminals. These results provide a novel insight into the complex features of thalamocortical circuits for taste processing.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report that the input from the primary taste thalamus to the primary gustatory cortex (GC) shows distinct properties compared with primary thalamocortical synapses onto other sensory areas. Ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus afferents in GC make synapses with excitatory neurons distributed across all cortical layers and display frequency-dependent short-term plasticity to repetitive stimulation; thus, they do not fit the classic distinction between drivers and modulators typical of other sensory thalamocortical circuits. Thalamocortical activation of GC is gated by cortical inhibition, providing local corticothalamic feedback via presynaptic ionotropic and metabotropic GABA receptors. The connectivity and inhibitory control of thalamocortical synapses in GC highlight unique features of the thalamocortical circuit for taste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa S Haley
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Alfredo Fontanini
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
- Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Arianna Maffei
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
- Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794
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10
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Borra E, Rizzo M, Luppino G. Gradients of thalamic connectivity in the macaque lateral prefrontal cortex. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 17:1239426. [PMID: 37908780 PMCID: PMC10613699 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2023.1239426] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In the primate brain, the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPF) is a large, heterogeneous region critically involved in the cognitive control of behavior, consisting of several connectionally and functionally distinct areas. Studies in macaques provided evidence for distinctive patterns of cortical connectivity between architectonic areas located at different dorsoventral levels and for rostrocaudal gradients of parietal and frontal connections in the three main architectonic LPF areas: 46d, 46v, and 12r. In the present study, based on tracer injections placed at different dorsoventral and rostrocaudal cortical levels, we have examined the thalamic projections to the LPF to examine to what extent fine-grained connectional gradients of cortical connectivity are reflected in the topography of thalamo-LPF projections. The results showed mapping onto the nucleus medialis dorsalis (MD), by far the major source of thalamic input to the LPF, of rostral-to-caudal LPF zones, in which MD zones projecting to more caudal LPF sectors are located more rostral than those projecting to intermediate LPF sectors. Furthermore, the MD zones projecting to the rostral LPF sectors tended to be much more extensive in the rostrocaudal direction. One rostrolateral MD sector appeared to be a common source of projections to caudal prefrontal areas involved in the oculomotor frontal domain, a more caudal and ventral MD sector to a large extent of the ventral LPF, and middle and dorsal MD sectors to most of the dorsal LPF. Additional topographically organized projections to LPF areas originated from the nucleus pulvinaris medialis and projections from the nucleus anterior medialis selectively targeted more rostral sectors of LPF. Thus, the present data suggest that the topography of the MD-LPF projections does not adhere to simple topological rules, but is mainly organized according to functional criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Giuseppe Luppino
- Neuroscience Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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11
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Leva TM, Whitmire CJ. Thermosensory thalamus: parallel processing across model organisms. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1210949. [PMID: 37901427 PMCID: PMC10611468 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1210949] [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: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The thalamus acts as an interface between the periphery and the cortex, with nearly every sensory modality processing information in the thalamocortical circuit. Despite well-established thalamic nuclei for visual, auditory, and tactile modalities, the key thalamic nuclei responsible for innocuous thermosensation remains under debate. Thermosensory information is first transduced by thermoreceptors located in the skin and then processed in the spinal cord. Temperature information is then transmitted to the brain through multiple spinal projection pathways including the spinothalamic tract and the spinoparabrachial tract. While there are fundamental studies of thermal transduction via thermosensitive channels in primary sensory afferents, thermal representation in the spinal projection neurons, and encoding of temperature in the primary cortical targets, comparatively little is known about the intermediate stage of processing in the thalamus. Multiple thalamic nuclei have been implicated in thermal encoding, each with a corresponding cortical target, but without a consensus on the role of each pathway. Here, we review a combination of anatomy, physiology, and behavioral studies across multiple animal models to characterize the thalamic representation of temperature in two proposed thermosensory information streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias M. Leva
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Clarissa J. Whitmire
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
- Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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12
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Wolf MC, Butner KS, Brinkley EB, Campo JB, Olejniczak P, Mader EC. Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus With Generalized Spike-and-Wave Discharges: Pathophysiological and Nosological Considerations. Cureus 2023; 15:e47401. [PMID: 37869047 PMCID: PMC10589733 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.47401] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Absence status epilepticus (ASE) is the most common type of status epilepticus in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE). Like absence seizure, ASE is characterized by generalized spike-and-wave discharges (GSWDs) on the electroencephalogram (EEG). Once considered specific for IGE, GSWDs have increasingly been observed in other forms of epilepsy, as well as in patients with no prior epilepsy. Here, we report three patients with different types of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) in which the EEG correlate was GSWDs: a 44-year-old woman with juvenile absence epilepsy who manifested ASE, a 73-year-old woman with anoxic brain injury complicated by NCSE with well-formed GSWDs (as seen in IGE and de novo ASE), and a 41-year-old woman with frontal lobe epilepsy who developed focal NCSE with impaired consciousness. Evidently, patients with generalized epilepsy, focal epilepsy, and no prior epilepsy can all manifest NCSE with similar electroclinical characteristics, i.e., GSWDs and impaired consciousness. This observation adds to the existing evidence that seizures, whether classified as focal or generalized, often involve focal and generalized elements in their pathophysiology. To fully understand seizure pathophysiology, we must steer away from the focal-versus-generalized paradigm that has dominated the nosology of seizures and epilepsy for a very long time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison C Wolf
- Electrodiagnostic Technology, LCMC Health, New Orleans, USA
| | | | | | | | - Piotr Olejniczak
- Neurology, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA
| | - Edward C Mader
- Neurology, Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA
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13
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Alexandratou A, Virjee RI, Ghare A, Sefcikova V, Micallef C, Mancini L, Waraich M, Davies DC, Keeble H, Samandouras G. Intraoperative stimulation mapping of thalamocortical tracts in asleep and awake settings: novel electrophysiological, anatomical, and tractographic paradigms. J Neurosurg 2023; 139:873-880. [PMID: 36708535 DOI: 10.3171/2022.12.jns221689] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Despite the disabling deficits of motor apraxia and sensory ataxia resulting from intraoperative injury of the superior thalamocortical tracts (TCTs), region-specific electrophysiological localization is currently lacking. Herein, the authors describe a novel TCT mapping paradigm. METHODS Three patients, 1 asleep and 2 awake, underwent glioma resection affecting primarily the somatosensory cortex and underlying TCT. Stimulation was performed at the median, ulnar, and posterior tibial nerves. Parameters comprised single anodal pulses (duration 200-500 μsec, 2.1-4.7 Hz) with a current ranging from 10 to 25 mA. Recordings were captured with a bipolar stimulation probe, avoiding the classic collision technique. Positive localization sites were used to tractographically reconstruct the TCT in the third case. RESULTS Employing one electrophysiological paradigm, the TCT was localized subcortically in all 3 cases by using a bipolar probe, peak range of 19.6-29.2 msec, trough of 23.3-34.8 msec, stimulation range of 10-25 mA. In the last case, tractographic reconstruction of the TCT validated a highly accurate TCT localization within a specific region of the posterior limb of the internal capsule. CONCLUSIONS The authors describe the first electrophysiological technique for intraoperative localization and protection of the TCT in both asleep and awake craniotomies with tractographic validation, while avoiding the collision paradigm. None of the above paradigms have been previously reported. More data are required to further validate this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Alexandratou
- 1Neurosciences Department, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London
| | | | - Aisha Ghare
- 3Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom
| | - Viktoria Sefcikova
- 2UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London
- 4The University of Queensland Medical School, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | | | - Manni Waraich
- 6Neuroanaesthesia, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London
| | - D Ceri Davies
- 7Department of Surgery and Cancer, Human Anatomy Unit, Imperial College London; and
| | | | - George Samandouras
- 2UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London
- 3Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom
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14
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Swanson OK, Yevoo PE, Richard D, Maffei A. Altered Thalamocortical Signaling in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6021-6034. [PMID: 37527923 PMCID: PMC10451150 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2871-20.2023] [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: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Activation of the primary motor cortex (M1) is important for the execution of skilled movements and motor learning, and its dysfunction contributes to the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). A well-accepted idea in PD research, albeit not tested experimentally, is that the loss of midbrain dopamine leads to decreased activation of M1 by the motor thalamus. Here, we report that midbrain dopamine loss altered motor thalamus input in a laminar- and cell type-specific fashion and induced laminar-specific changes in intracortical synaptic transmission. Frequency-dependent changes in synaptic dynamics were also observed. Our results demonstrate that loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons alters thalamocortical activation of M1 in both male and female mice, and provide novel insights into circuit mechanisms for motor cortex dysfunction in a mouse model of PD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Loss of midbrain dopamine neurons increases inhibition from the basal ganglia to the motor thalamus, suggesting that it may ultimately lead to reduced activation of primary motor cortex (M1). In contrast with this line of thinking, analysis of M1 activity in patients and animal models of Parkinson's disease report hyperactivation of this region. Our results are the first report that midbrain dopamine loss alters the input-output function of M1 through laminar and cell type specific effects. These findings support and expand on the idea that loss of midbrain dopamine reduces motor cortex activation and provide experimental evidence that reconciles reduced thalamocortical input with reports of altered activation of motor cortex in patients with Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia K Swanson
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Priscilla E Yevoo
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Dave Richard
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
| | - Arianna Maffei
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York-Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794
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15
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Kong Q, Sacca V, Walker K, Hodges S, Kong J. Thalamocortical Mechanisms Underlying Real and Imagined Acupuncture. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1830. [PMID: 37509469 PMCID: PMC10377130 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11071830] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Both acupuncture and imagery have shown potential for chronic pain management. However, the mechanisms underlying their analgesic effects remain unclear. This study aims to explore the thalamocortical mechanisms underlying acupuncture and video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT), a combination of acupuncture and guided imagery, using the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of three thalamic subdivisions-the ventral posterolateral thalamus (VPL), mediodorsal thalamus (MD), and motor thalamus subregion (Mthal)-associated with somatosensory, limbic, and motor circuity. Twenty-seven healthy individuals participated in a within-subject randomized crossover design study. Results showed that compared to sham acupuncture, real acupuncture altered the rsFC between the thalamus and default mode network (DMN) (i.e., mPFC, PCC, and precuneus), as well as the prefrontal and somatosensory cortex (SI/SII). Compared to the VGAIT control, VGAIT demonstrated greater rsFC between the thalamus and key nodes within the interoceptive network (i.e., anterior insula, ACC, PFC, and SI/SII), as well as the motor and sensory cortices (i.e., M1, SMA, and temporal/occipital cortices). Furthermore, compared to real acupuncture, VGAIT demonstrated increased rsFC between the thalamus (VPL/MD/Mthal) and task-positive network (TPN). Further correlations between differences in rsFC and changes in the heat or pressure pain threshold were also observed. These findings suggest that both acupuncture- and VGAIT-induced analgesia are associated with thalamocortical networks. Elucidating the underlying mechanism of VGAIT and acupuncture may facilitate their development, particularly VGAIT, which may be used as a potential remote-delivered pain management approach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jian Kong
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
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16
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Giampiccolo D, Binding LP, Caciagli L, Rodionov R, Foulon C, de Tisi J, Granados A, Finn R, Dasgupta D, Xiao F, Diehl B, Torzillo E, Van Dijk J, Taylor PN, Koepp M, McEvoy AW, Baxendale S, Chowdhury F, Duncan JS, Miserocchi A. Thalamostriatal disconnection underpins long-term seizure freedom in frontal lobe epilepsy surgery. Brain 2023; 146:2377-2388. [PMID: 37062539 PMCID: PMC10232243 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Around 50% of patients undergoing frontal lobe surgery for focal drug-resistant epilepsy become seizure free post-operatively; however, only about 30% of patients remain seizure free in the long-term. Early seizure recurrence is likely to be caused by partial resection of the epileptogenic lesion, whilst delayed seizure recurrence can occur even if the epileptogenic lesion has been completely excised. This suggests a coexistent epileptogenic network facilitating ictogenesis in close or distant dormant epileptic foci. As thalamic and striatal dysregulation can support epileptogenesis and disconnection of cortico-thalamostriatal pathways through hemispherotomy or neuromodulation can improve seizure outcome regardless of focality, we hypothesize that projections from the striatum and the thalamus to the cortex may contribute to this common epileptogenic network. To this end, we retrospectively reviewed a series of 47 consecutive individuals who underwent surgery for drug-resistant frontal lobe epilepsy. We performed voxel-based and tractography disconnectome analyses to investigate shared patterns of disconnection associated with long-term seizure freedom. Seizure freedom after 3 and 5 years was independently associated with disconnection of the anterior thalamic radiation and anterior cortico-striatal projections. This was also confirmed in a subgroup of 29 patients with complete resections, suggesting these pathways may play a critical role in supporting the development of novel epileptic networks. Our study indicates that network dysfunction in frontal lobe epilepsy may extend beyond the resection and putative epileptogenic zone. This may be critical in the pathogenesis of delayed seizure recurrence as thalamic and striatal networks may promote epileptogenesis and disconnection may underpin long-term seizure freedom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Giampiccolo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Institute of Neuroscience, Cleveland Clinic London, London SW1X 7HY, UK
| | - Lawrence P Binding
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Department of Computer Science, Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London WC1V 6LJ, UK
| | - Lorenzo Caciagli
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Roman Rodionov
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Chris Foulon
- Department of Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jane de Tisi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Alejandro Granados
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Roisin Finn
- Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Debayan Dasgupta
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Fenglai Xiao
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Beate Diehl
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Emma Torzillo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jan Van Dijk
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Peter N Taylor
- Interdisciplinary Computing and Complex BioSystems Group, School of Computing, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5TG, UK
| | - Matthias Koepp
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Andrew W McEvoy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Institute of Neuroscience, Cleveland Clinic London, London SW1X 7HY, UK
| | - Sallie Baxendale
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Fahmida Chowdhury
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - John S Duncan
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Anna Miserocchi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Victor Horsley Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London WC1N 3BG, UK
- Institute of Neuroscience, Cleveland Clinic London, London SW1X 7HY, UK
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17
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Wilson S, Pietsch M, Cordero-Grande L, Christiaens D, Uus A, Karolis VR, Kyriakopoulou V, Colford K, Price AN, Hutter J, Rutherford MA, Hughes EJ, Counsell SJ, Tournier JD, Hajnal JV, Edwards AD, O’Muircheartaigh J, Arichi T. Spatiotemporal tissue maturation of thalamocortical pathways in the human fetal brain. eLife 2023; 12:e83727. [PMID: 37010273 PMCID: PMC10125021 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83727] [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: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of connectivity between the thalamus and maturing cortex is a fundamental process in the second half of human gestation, establishing the neural circuits that are the basis for several important brain functions. In this study, we acquired high-resolution in utero diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from 140 fetuses as part of the Developing Human Connectome Project, to examine the emergence of thalamocortical white matter over the second to third trimester. We delineate developing thalamocortical pathways and parcellate the fetal thalamus according to its cortical connectivity using diffusion tractography. We then quantify microstructural tissue components along the tracts in fetal compartments that are critical substrates for white matter maturation, such as the subplate and intermediate zone. We identify patterns of change in the diffusion metrics that reflect critical neurobiological transitions occurring in the second to third trimester, such as the disassembly of radial glial scaffolding and the lamination of the cortical plate. These maturational trajectories of MR signal in transient fetal compartments provide a normative reference to complement histological knowledge, facilitating future studies to establish how developmental disruptions in these regions contribute to pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siân Wilson
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Maximilian Pietsch
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Lucilio Cordero-Grande
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Biomedical Image Technologies, ETSI Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de MadridMadridSpain
- Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN)MadridSpain
| | - Daan Christiaens
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT/PSI), Katholieke Universiteit LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Alena Uus
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College London, St. Thomas' HospitalLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Vyacheslav R Karolis
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Vanessa Kyriakopoulou
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Kathleen Colford
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Anthony N Price
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jana Hutter
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Mary A Rutherford
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Emer J Hughes
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Serena J Counsell
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jacques-Donald Tournier
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Joseph V Hajnal
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - A David Edwards
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Tomoki Arichi
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Children’s Neurosciences, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation TrustLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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18
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Weiner VS, Zhou DW, Kahali P, Stephen EP, Peterfreund RA, Aglio LS, Szabo MD, Eskandar EN, Salazar-Gomez AF, Sampson AL, Cash SS, Brown EN, Purdon PL. Propofol disrupts alpha dynamics in functionally distinct thalamocortical networks during loss of consciousness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2207831120. [PMID: 36897972 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207831120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
During propofol-induced general anesthesia, alpha rhythms measured using electroencephalography undergo a striking shift from posterior to anterior, termed anteriorization, where the ubiquitous waking alpha is lost and a frontal alpha emerges. The functional significance of alpha anteriorization and the precise brain regions contributing to the phenomenon are a mystery. While posterior alpha is thought to be generated by thalamocortical circuits connecting nuclei of the sensory thalamus with their cortical partners, the thalamic origins of the propofol-induced alpha remain poorly understood. Here, we used human intracranial recordings to identify regions in sensory cortices where propofol attenuates a coherent alpha network, distinct from those in the frontal cortex where it amplifies coherent alpha and beta activities. We then performed diffusion tractography between these identified regions and individual thalamic nuclei to show that the opposing dynamics of anteriorization occur within two distinct thalamocortical networks. We found that propofol disrupted a posterior alpha network structurally connected with nuclei in the sensory and sensory associational regions of the thalamus. At the same time, propofol induced a coherent alpha oscillation within prefrontal cortical areas that were connected with thalamic nuclei involved in cognition, such as the mediodorsal nucleus. The cortical and thalamic anatomy involved, as well as their known functional roles, suggests multiple means by which propofol dismantles sensory and cognitive processes to achieve loss of consciousness.
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19
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Wang CF, Yang JW, Zhuang ZH, Hsing HW, Luhmann HJ, Chou SJ. Activity-dependent feedback regulation of thalamocortical axon development by Lhx2 in cortical layer 4 neurons. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1693-1707. [PMID: 35512682 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac166] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishing neuronal circuits requires interactions between pre- and postsynaptic neurons. While presynaptic neurons were shown to play instructive roles for the postsynaptic neurons, how postsynaptic neurons provide feedback to regulate the presynaptic neuronal development remains elusive. To elucidate the mechanisms for circuit formation, we study the development of barrel cortex (the primary sensory cortex, S1), whose development is instructed by presynaptic thalamocortical axons (TCAs). In the first postnatal weeks, TCA terminals arborize in layer (L) 4 to fill in the barrel center, but it is unclear how TCA development is regulated. Here, we reported that the deletion of Lhx2 specifically in the cortical neurons in the conditional knockout (cKO) leads to TCA arborization defects, which is accompanied with deficits in sensory-evoked and spontaneous cortical activities and impaired lesion-induced plasticity following early whisker follicle ablation. Reintroducing Lhx2 back in L4 neurons in cKO ameliorated TCA arborization and plasticity defects. By manipulating L4 neuronal activity, we further demonstrated that Lhx2 induces TCA arborization via an activity-dependent mechanism. Additionally, we identified the extracellular signaling protein Sema7a as an activity-dependent downstream target of Lhx2 in regulating TCA branching. Thus, we discovered a bottom-up feedback mechanism for the L4 neurons to regulate TCA development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Fang Wang
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica (NPAS), Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jenq-Wei Yang
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Zi-Hui Zhuang
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica (NPAS), Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiang-Wei Hsing
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica (NPAS), Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Heiko J Luhmann
- Institute of Physiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Shen-Ju Chou
- Neuroscience Program of Academia Sinica (NPAS), Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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20
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Huerga-Gómez I, Martini FJ, López-Bendito G. Building thalamic neuronal networks during mouse development. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1098913. [PMID: 36817644 PMCID: PMC9936079 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1098913] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The thalamic nuclear complex contains excitatory projection neurons and inhibitory local neurons, the two cell types driving the main circuits in sensory nuclei. While excitatory neurons are born from progenitors that reside in the proliferative zone of the developing thalamus, inhibitory local neurons are born outside the thalamus and they migrate there during development. In addition to these cell types, which occupy most of the thalamus, there are two small thalamic regions where inhibitory neurons target extra-thalamic regions rather than neighboring neurons, the intergeniculate leaflet and the parahabenular nucleus. Like excitatory thalamic neurons, these inhibitory neurons are derived from progenitors residing in the developing thalamus. The assembly of these circuits follows fine-tuned genetic programs and it is coordinated by extrinsic factors that help the cells find their location, associate with thalamic partners, and establish connections with their corresponding extra-thalamic inputs and outputs. In this review, we bring together what is currently known about the development of the excitatory and inhibitory components of the thalamocortical sensory system, in particular focusing on the visual pathway and thalamic interneurons in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Huerga-Gómez
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC), Sant Joan d’Alacant, Spain
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21
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Quast KB, Reh RK, Caiati MD, Kopell N, McCarthy MM, Hensch TK. Rapid synaptic and gamma rhythm signature of mouse critical period plasticity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2123182120. [PMID: 36598942 PMCID: PMC9926253 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2123182120] [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: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-life experience enduringly sculpts thalamocortical (TC) axons and sensory processing. Here, we identify the very first synaptic targets that initiate critical period plasticity, heralded by altered cortical oscillations. Monocular deprivation (MD) acutely induced a transient (<3 h) peak in EEG γ-power (~40 Hz) specifically within the visual cortex, but only when the critical period was open (juvenile mice or adults after dark-rearing, Lynx1-deletion, or diazepam-rescued GAD65-deficiency). Rapid TC input loss onto parvalbumin-expressing (PV) inhibitory interneurons (but not onto nearby pyramidal cells) was observed within hours of MD in a TC slice preserving the visual pathway - again once critical periods opened. Computational TC modeling of the emergent γ-rhythm in response to MD delineated a cortical interneuronal gamma (ING) rhythm in networks of PV-cells bearing gap junctions at the start of the critical period. The ING rhythm effectively dissociated thalamic input from cortical spiking, leading to rapid loss of previously strong TC-to-PV connections through standard spike-timing-dependent plasticity rules. As a consequence, previously silent TC-to-PV connections could strengthen on a slower timescale, capturing the gradually increasing γ-frequency and eventual fade-out over time. Thus, ING enables cortical dynamics to transition from being dominated by the strongest TC input to one that senses the statistics of population TC input after MD. Taken together, our findings reveal the initial synaptic events underlying critical period plasticity and suggest that the fleeting ING accompanying a brief sensory perturbation may serve as a robust readout of TC network state with which to probe developmental trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen B. Quast
- Department of Molecular Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Rebecca K. Reh
- Department of Molecular Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Maddalena D. Caiati
- Department of Molecular Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
| | - Nancy Kopell
- Department of Mathematics, Boston University, Boston, MA02215
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo113, Japan
| | - Michelle M. McCarthy
- Department of Mathematics, Boston University, Boston, MA02215
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo113, Japan
| | - Takao K. Hensch
- Department of Molecular Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA02138
- FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo113, Japan
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22
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Bieber M, Schwerin S, Kreuzer M, Klug C, Henzler M, Schneider G, Haseneder R, Kratzer S. s-ketamine enhances thalamocortical and corticocortical synaptic transmission in acute murine brain slices via increased AMPA-receptor-mediated pathways. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:1044536. [PMID: 36618009 PMCID: PMC9814968 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.1044536] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite ongoing research efforts and routine clinical use, the neuronal mechanisms underlying the anesthesia-induced loss of consciousness are still under debate. Unlike most anesthetics, ketamine increases thalamic and cortical activity. Ketamine is considered to act via a NMDA-receptor antagonism-mediated reduction of inhibition, i.e., disinhibition. Intact interactions between the thalamus and cortex constitute a prerequisite for the maintenance of consciousness and are thus a promising target for anesthetics to induce loss of consciousness. In this study, we aim to characterize the influence of s-ketamine on the thalamocortical network using acute brain-slice preparation. We performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from pyramidal neurons in cortical lamina IV and thalamocortical relay neurons in acute brain slices from CB57BL/6N mice. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were obtained via electrical stimulation of the cortex with a bipolar electrode that was positioned to lamina II/III (electrically induced EPSPs, eEPSPs) or via optogenetic activation of thalamocortical relay neurons (optogenetically induced EPSPs, oEPSPs). Intrinsic neuronal properties (like resting membrane potential, membrane threshold for action potential generation, input resistance, and tonic action potential frequency), as well as NMDA-receptor-dependent and independent spontaneous GABAA-receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) were evaluated. Wilcoxon signed-rank test (level of significance < 0.05) served as a statistical test and Cohen's U3_1 was used to determine the actual effect size. Within 20 min, s-ketamine (5 μM) significantly increased both intracortical eEPSPs as well as thalamocortical oEPSPs. NMDA-receptor-mediated intracortical eEPSPs were significantly reduced. Intrinsic neuronal properties of cortical pyramidal neurons from lamina IV and thalamocortical relay neurons in the ventrobasal thalamic complex were not substantially affected. Neither a significant effect on NMDA-receptor-dependent GABAA sIPSCs (thought to underly a disinhibitory effect) nor a reduction of NMDA-receptor independent GABAA sIPSCs was observed. Both thalamocortical and intracortical AMPA-receptor-mediated EPSPs were significantly increased.In conclusion, our findings show no evidence for a NMDA-receptor antagonism-based disinhibition, but rather suggest an enhanced thalamocortical and intracortical synaptic transmission, which appears to be driven via increased AMPA-receptor-mediated transmission.
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23
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Borden PY, Wright NC, Morrissette AE, Jaeger D, Haider B, Stanley GB. Thalamic bursting and the role of timing and synchrony in thalamocortical signaling in the awake mouse. Neuron 2022; 110:2836-2853.e8. [PMID: 35803270 PMCID: PMC9464711 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The thalamus controls transmission of sensory signals from periphery to cortex, ultimately shaping perception. Despite this significant role, dynamic thalamic gating and the consequences for downstream cortical sensory representations have not been well studied in the awake brain. We optogenetically modulated the ventro-posterior-medial thalamus in the vibrissa pathway of the awake mouse and measured spiking activity in the thalamus and activity in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) using extracellular electrophysiology and genetically encoded voltage imaging. Thalamic hyperpolarization significantly enhanced thalamic sensory-evoked bursting; however, surprisingly, the S1 cortical response was not amplified, but instead, timing precision was significantly increased, spatial activation more focused, and there was an increased synchronization of cortical inhibitory neurons. A thalamocortical network model implicates the modulation of precise timing of feedforward thalamic population spiking, presenting a highly sensitive, timing-based gating of sensory signaling to the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Y Borden
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Nathaniel C Wright
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | | | - Dieter Jaeger
- Emory University, Department of Biology, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Bilal Haider
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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24
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Khdour HY, Kondabolu K, Khadka A, Assous M, Tepper JM, Tran TS, Polack PO. Neuropilin 2/Plexin-A3 Receptors Regulate the Functional Connectivity and the Excitability in the Layers 4 and 5 of the Cerebral Cortex. J Neurosci 2022; 42:4828-4840. [PMID: 35534225 PMCID: PMC9188426 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1965-21.2022] [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: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The functions of cortical networks are progressively established during development by series of events shaping the neuronal connectivity. Synaptic elimination, which consists of removing the supernumerary connections generated during the earlier stages of cortical development, is one of the latest stages in neuronal network maturation. The semaphorin 3F coreceptors neuropilin 2 (Nrp2) and plexin-A3 (PlxnA3) may play an important role in the functional maturation of the cerebral cortex by regulating the excess dendritic spines on cortical excitatory neurons. Yet, the identity of the connections eliminated under the control of Nrp2/PlxnA3 signaling is debated, and the importance of this synaptic refinement for cortical functions remains poorly understood. Here, we show that Nrp2/PlxnA3 controls the spine densities in layer 4 (L4) and on the apical dendrite of L5 neurons of the sensory and motor cortices. Using a combination of neuroanatomical, ex vivo electrophysiology, and in vivo functional imaging techniques in Nrp2 and PlxnA3 KO mice of both sexes, we disprove the hypothesis that Nrp2/PlxnA3 signaling is required to maintain the ectopic thalamocortical connections observed during embryonic development. We also show that the absence of Nrp2/PlxnA3 signaling leads to the hyperexcitability and excessive synchronization of the neuronal activity in L5 and L4 neuronal networks, suggesting that this system could participate in the refinement of the recurrent corticocortical connectivity in those layers. Altogether, our results argue for a role of semaphorin-Nrp2/PlxnA3 signaling in the proper maturation and functional connectivity of the cerebral cortex, likely by controlling the refinement of recurrent corticocortical connections.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The function of a neuronal circuit is mainly determined by the connections that neurons establish with one another during development. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the establishment of the functional connectivity is fundamental to comprehend how network functions are implemented, and to design treatments aiming at restoring damaged neuronal circuits. Here, we show that the cell surface receptors for the family of semaphorin guidance cues neuropilin 2 (Nrp2) and plexin-A3 (PlxnA3) play an important role in shaping the functional connectivity of the cerebral cortex likely by trimming the recurrent connections in layers 4 and 5. By removing the supernumerary inputs generated during early development, Nrp2/PlxnA3 signaling reduces the neuronal excitability and participates in the maturation of the cortical network functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussain Y Khdour
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
- Behavioral and Neural Sciences Graduate Program, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Krishnakanth Kondabolu
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Alina Khadka
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Maxime Assous
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - James M Tepper
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Tracy S Tran
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
| | - Pierre-Olivier Polack
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102
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25
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Monko T, Rebertus J, Stolley J, Salton SR, Nakagawa Y. Thalamocortical axons regulate neurogenesis and laminar fates in the early sensory cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2201355119. [PMID: 35613048 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201355119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
This study addresses how the cerebral cortex is partitioned into specialized areas during development. Although both early embryonic patterning and postnatal synaptic input from sensory thalamic nuclei are known to be critical, early roles of thalamic axons in area-specific regulation of cortical neurogenesis are poorly understood. We examined this by developing a genetic mouse model in which thalamocortical projections fail to properly form during embryogenesis, and found these axons are required not only for an enhanced production of superficial layer neurons but also for promoting the layer 4 cell fate, a hallmark of the primary sensory cortex. These findings provide a mechanism by which thalamocortical axons complement the intrinsic programs of neurogenesis and early fate specification. Area-specific axonal projections from the mammalian thalamus shape unique cellular organization in target areas in the adult neocortex. How these axons control neurogenesis and early neuronal fate specification is poorly understood. By using mutant mice lacking the majority of thalamocortical axons, we show that these axons are required for the production and specification of the proper number of layer 4 neurons in primary sensory areas by the neonatal stage. Part of these area-specific roles is played by the thalamus-derived molecule, VGF. Our work reveals that extrinsic cues from sensory thalamic projections have an early role in the formation of cortical cytoarchitecture by enhancing the production and specification of layer 4 neurons.
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26
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Miller-Hansen AJ, Sherman SM. Conserved patterns of functional organization between cortex and thalamus in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2201481119. [PMID: 35588455 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201481119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
SignificanceNeuroanatomical tracing provides just a partial picture of information flow in the brain, because excitatory synapses are not all equal. Some strongly drive postsynaptic targets to transfer information, whereas others weakly modulate their responsiveness. Here, we show conserved patterns of synaptic function across somatosensory and visual thalamocortical circuits in mice involving higher-order thalamic nuclei. These nuclei serve as hubs in transthalamic or cortico-thalamo-cortical pathways. We report that feedforward transthalamic circuits in the somatosensory and visual systems operate to efficiently transmit information, whereas feedback transthalamic circuits act to modulate their target areas. These patterns may generalize to other brain systems and show how methods of synapse physiology and molecular biology can inform the exploration of brain circuitry and information processing.
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27
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Nashef A, Cohen O, Perlmutter SI, Prut Y. A cerebellar origin of feedforward inhibition to the motor cortex in non-human primates. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110803. [PMID: 35545040 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Voluntary movements are driven by coordinated activity across a large population of motor cortical neurons. Formation of this activity is controlled by local interactions and long-range inputs. How remote areas of the brain communicate with motor cortical neurons to effectively drive movement remains unclear. We address this question by studying the cerebellar-thalamocortical system. We find that thalamic input to the motor cortex triggers feedforward inhibition by contacting inhibitory cells via highly effective GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors and that, during task performance, the activity of parvalbumin (PV) and pyramidal cells exhibits relations comparable with movement parameters. We also find that the movement-related activity of PV interneurons precedes firing of pyramidal cells. This counterintuitive sequence of events, where inhibitory cells are recruited more strongly and before excitatory cells, may amplify the cortical effect of cerebellar signals in a way that exceeds their sheer synaptic efficacy by suppressing other inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdulraheem Nashef
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, IMRIC and ELSC, The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Oren Cohen
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, IMRIC and ELSC, The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Steve I Perlmutter
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics and Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Box 357330, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Yifat Prut
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, IMRIC and ELSC, The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.
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28
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Sokhadze G, Campbell PW, Charalambakis N, Govindaiah G, Guido W, McGee AW. Cre driver mouse lines for thalamocortical circuit mapping. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:1049-1063. [PMID: 34545582 PMCID: PMC9891227 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Subpopulations of neurons and associated neural circuits can be targeted in mice with genetic tools in a highly selective manner for visualization and manipulation. However, there are not well-defined Cre "driver" lines that target the expression of Cre recombinase to thalamocortical (TC) neurons. Here, we characterize three Cre driver lines for the nuclei of the dorsal thalamus: Oligodendrocyte transcription factor 3 (Olig3)-Cre, histidine decarboxylase (HDC)-Cre, and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-Cre. We examined the postnatal distribution of Cre expression for each of these lines with the Cre-dependent reporter CAG-tdTomato (Ai9). Cre-dependent expression of tdTomato reveals that Olig3-Cre expresses broadly within the thalamus, including TC neurons and interneurons, while HDC-Cre and CRH-Cre each have unique patterns of expression restricted to TC neurons within and across the sensory relay nuclei of the dorsal thalamus. Cre expression is present by the time of natural birth in all three lines, underscoring their utility for developmental studies. To demonstrate the utility of these Cre drivers for studying sensory TC circuitry, we targeted the expression of channelrhodopsin-2 to thalamus from the CAG-COP4*H134R/EYFP (Ai32) allele with either HDC-Cre or CRH-Cre. Optogenetic activation of TC afferents in primary visual cortex was sufficient to measure frequency-dependent depression. Thus, these Cre drivers provide selective Cre-dependent gene expression in thalamus suitable for both anatomical and functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guela Sokhadze
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville Kentucky USA
| | - Peter W. Campbell
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville Kentucky USA
| | - Naomi Charalambakis
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville Kentucky USA
| | - Gubbi Govindaiah
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville Kentucky USA
| | - William Guido
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville Kentucky USA
| | - Aaron W. McGee
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology University of Louisville School of Medicine Louisville Kentucky USA
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29
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Holley SM, Oikonomou KD, Swift CM, Mohan L, Matthews B, Vega O, Mkrtchyan G, Cepeda C, Levine MS. Thalamocortical Projections Are Significantly Impaired in the R6/2 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO. [PMID: 35667848 DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0103-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
As Huntington's disease (HD) progresses, there is a significant loss of neurons in the striatum in addition to a distinct thinning of the cerebral cortex. Despite an early presence of sensorimotor deficits in patients with HD, electrophysiological studies designed to assess the integrity of thalamocortical circuits are sparse. Using the R6/2 mouse model of HD, we provide evidence of reduced connectivity between thalamic cells and their targeted cortical regions. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings from ventral anterolateral nucleus (VAL; motor) and ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM; somatosensory) thalamic neurons in ex vivo brain slices of R6/2 and wild-type (WT) mice revealed that cells in both thalamic nuclei of R6/2 mice exhibited significant differences in passive and active cell membrane properties (smaller cell membrane capacitances, faster decay time constants and increased input resistances) compared with WT cells. Although only cells in the VPM of symptomatic R6/2 mice had more depolarized resting membrane potentials compared with WTs, cells in both nuclei displayed increased excitability in symptomatic, but not presymptomatic, R6/2 mice. Optical activation of VAL and VPM terminals elicited smaller magnitude current responses in cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs) in both motor cortex (M1CTX) and somatosensory barrel cortex (BCTX) of symptomatic R6/2 mice compared with CPNs in WT mice. Furthermore, we observed a decrease in the frequency of thalamocortical excitatory quantal events in R6/2 BCTX CPNs, with no genotype-dependent differences in AMPA:NMDA response amplitude ratios. These data suggest there is a decrease in the transmission of thalamocortical information that is likely because of impaired neurotransmitter release.
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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: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 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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31
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Zhuang J, Wang Y, Ouellette ND, Turschak EE, Larsen RS, Takasaki KT, Daigle TL, Tasic B, Waters J, Zeng H, Reid RC. Laminar distribution and arbor density of two functional classes of thalamic inputs to primary visual cortex. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109826. [PMID: 34644562 PMCID: PMC8572142 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Motion/direction-sensitive and location-sensitive neurons are the two major functional types in mouse visual thalamus that project to the primary visual cortex (V1). It is under debate whether motion/direction-sensitive inputs preferentially target the superficial layers in V1, as opposed to the location-sensitive inputs, which preferentially target the middle layers. Here, by using calcium imaging to measure the activity of motion/direction-sensitive and location-sensitive axons in V1, we find evidence against these cell-type-specific laminar biases at the population level. Furthermore, using an approach to reconstruct axon arbors with identified in vivo response types, we show that, at the single-axon level, the motion/direction-sensitive axons project more densely to the middle layers than the location-sensitive axons. Overall, our results demonstrate that motion/direction-sensitive thalamic neurons project extensively to the middle layers of V1 at both the population and single-cell levels, providing further insight into the organization of thalamocortical projection in the mouse visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhuang
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
| | - Yun Wang
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | | | - Rylan S Larsen
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | - Tanya L Daigle
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Bosiljka Tasic
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Jack Waters
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Hongkui Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - R Clay Reid
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
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32
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Alipio JB, Haga C, Fox ME, Arakawa K, Balaji R, Cramer N, Lobo MK, Keller A. Perinatal Fentanyl Exposure Leads to Long-Lasting Impairments in Somatosensory Circuit Function and Behavior. J Neurosci 2021; 41:3400-17. [PMID: 33853934 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2470-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One consequence of the opioid epidemic are lasting neurodevelopmental sequelae afflicting adolescents exposed to opioids in the womb. A translationally relevant and developmentally accurate preclinical model is needed to understand the behavioral, circuit, network, and molecular abnormalities resulting from this exposure. By employing a novel preclinical model of perinatal fentanyl exposure, our data reveal that fentanyl has several dose-dependent, developmental consequences to somatosensory function and behavior. Newborn male and female mice exhibit signs of withdrawal and sensory-related deficits that extend at least to adolescence. As fentanyl exposure does not affect dams' health or maternal behavior, these effects result from the direct actions of perinatal fentanyl on the pups' developing brain. At adolescence, exposed mice exhibit reduced adaptation to sensory stimuli, and a corresponding impairment in primary somatosensory (S1) function. In vitro electrophysiology demonstrates a long-lasting reduction in S1 synaptic excitation, evidenced by decreases in release probability, NMDA receptor-mediated postsynaptic currents, and frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs), as well as increased frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs). In contrast, anterior cingulate cortical neurons exhibit an opposite phenotype, with increased synaptic excitation. Consistent with these changes, electrocorticograms (ECoGs) reveal suppressed ketamine-evoked γ oscillations. Morphologic analysis of S1 pyramidal neurons indicate reduced dendritic complexity, dendritic length, and soma size. Further, exposed mice exhibited abnormal cortical mRNA expression of key receptors involved in synaptic transmission and neuronal growth and development, changes that were consistent with the electrophysiological and morphologic changes. These findings demonstrate the lasting sequelae of perinatal fentanyl exposure on sensory processing and function.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This is the first study to show that exposure to fentanyl in the womb results in behavioral, circuitry, and synaptic effects that last at least to adolescence. We also show, for the first time, that this exposure has different, lasting effects on synapses in different cortical areas.
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33
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Hay YA, Deperrois N, Fuchsberger T, Quarrell TM, Koerling AL, Paulsen O. Thalamus mediates neocortical Down state transition via GABA B-receptor-targeting interneurons. Neuron 2021; 109:2682-2690.e5. [PMID: 34314698 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Slow-wave sleep is characterized by near-synchronous alternation of active Up states and quiescent Down states in the neocortex. Although the cortex itself can maintain these oscillations, the full expression of Up-Down states requires intact thalamocortical circuits. Sensory thalamic input can drive the cortex into an Up state. Here we show that midline thalamic neurons terminate Up states synchronously across cortical areas. Combining local field potential, single-unit, and patch-clamp recordings in conjunction with optogenetic stimulation and silencing in mice in vivo, we report that thalamic input mediates Down transition via activation of layer 1 neurogliaform inhibitory neurons acting on GABAB receptors. These results strengthen the evidence that thalamocortical interactions are essential for the full expression of slow-wave sleep, show that Down transition is an active process mediated by cortical GABAB receptors, and demonstrate that thalamus synchronizes Down transitions across cortical areas during natural slow-wave sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Audrey Hay
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
| | - Nicolas Deperrois
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Tanja Fuchsberger
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Thomas Matthew Quarrell
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Anna-Lucia Koerling
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Ole Paulsen
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Physiological Laboratory, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
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Ibrahim BA, Murphy CA, Yudintsev G, Shinagawa Y, Banks MI, Llano DA. Corticothalamic gating of population auditory thalamocortical transmission in mouse. eLife 2021; 10:e56645. [PMID: 34028350 PMCID: PMC8186908 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms that govern thalamocortical transmission are poorly understood. Recent data have shown that sensory stimuli elicit activity in ensembles of cortical neurons that recapitulate stereotyped spontaneous activity patterns. Here, we elucidate a possible mechanism by which gating of patterned population cortical activity occurs. In this study, sensory-evoked all-or-none cortical population responses were observed in the mouse auditory cortex in vivo and similar stochastic cortical responses were observed in a colliculo-thalamocortical brain slice preparation. Cortical responses were associated with decreases in auditory thalamic synaptic inhibition and increases in thalamic synchrony. Silencing of corticothalamic neurons in layer 6 (but not layer 5) or the thalamic reticular nucleus linearized the cortical responses, suggesting that layer 6 corticothalamic feedback via the thalamic reticular nucleus was responsible for gating stochastic cortical population responses. These data implicate a corticothalamic-thalamic reticular nucleus circuit that modifies thalamic neuronal synchronization to recruit populations of cortical neurons for sensory representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baher A Ibrahim
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
| | - Caitlin A Murphy
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsin-MadisonUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsin-MadisonUnited States
| | - Georgiy Yudintsev
- Neuroscience Program, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
| | - Yoshitaka Shinagawa
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
| | - Matthew I Banks
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsin-MadisonUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsin-MadisonUnited States
| | - Daniel A Llano
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
- Neuroscience Program, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
- College of Medicine, University of IllinoisUrbana-ChampaignUnited States
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35
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Mahn M, Saraf-Sinik I, Patil P, Pulin M, Bitton E, Karalis N, Bruentgens F, Palgi S, Gat A, Dine J, Wietek J, Davidi I, Levy R, Litvin A, Zhou F, Sauter K, Soba P, Schmitz D, Lüthi A, Rost BR, Wiegert JS, Yizhar O. Efficient optogenetic silencing of neurotransmitter release with a mosquito rhodopsin. Neuron 2021; 109:1621-1635.e8. [PMID: 33979634 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Information is carried between brain regions through neurotransmitter release from axonal presynaptic terminals. Understanding the functional roles of defined neuronal projection pathways requires temporally precise manipulation of their activity. However, existing inhibitory optogenetic tools have low efficacy and off-target effects when applied to presynaptic terminals, while chemogenetic tools are difficult to control in space and time. Here, we show that a targeting-enhanced mosquito homolog of the vertebrate encephalopsin (eOPN3) can effectively suppress synaptic transmission through the Gi/o signaling pathway. Brief illumination of presynaptic terminals expressing eOPN3 triggers a lasting suppression of synaptic output that recovers spontaneously within minutes in vitro and in vivo. In freely moving mice, eOPN3-mediated suppression of dopaminergic nigrostriatal afferents induces a reversible ipsiversive rotational bias. We conclude that eOPN3 can be used to selectively suppress neurotransmitter release at presynaptic terminals with high spatiotemporal precision, opening new avenues for functional interrogation of long-range neuronal circuits in vivo.
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36
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Abstract
The thalamic rostral intralaminar nuclei (rILN) are a contiguous band of neurons that include the central medial, paracentral, and central lateral nuclei. The rILN differ from both thalamic relay nuclei, such as the lateral geniculate nucleus, and caudal intralaminar nuclei, such as the parafascicular nucleus, in afferent and efferent connectivity as well as physiological and synaptic properties. rILN activity is associated with a range of neural functions and behaviors, including arousal, pain, executive function, and action control. Here, we review this evidence supporting a role for the rILN in integrating arousal, executive and motor feedback information. In light of rILN projections out to the striatum, amygdala, and sensory as well as executive cortices, we propose that such a function enables the rILN to modulate cognitive and motor resources to meet task-dependent behavioral engagement demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara K Cover
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Brian N Mathur
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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37
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Alipio JB, Haga C, Fox ME, Arakawa K, Balaji R, Cramer N, Lobo MK, Keller A. Perinatal Fentanyl Exposure Leads to Long-Lasting Impairments in Somatosensory Circuit Function and Behavior. J Neurosci 2021; 41:3400-3417. [PMID: 33853934 PMCID: PMC8051687 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2470-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One consequence of the opioid epidemic are lasting neurodevelopmental sequelae afflicting adolescents exposed to opioids in the womb. A translationally relevant and developmentally accurate preclinical model is needed to understand the behavioral, circuit, network, and molecular abnormalities resulting from this exposure. By employing a novel preclinical model of perinatal fentanyl exposure, our data reveal that fentanyl has several dose-dependent, developmental consequences to somatosensory function and behavior. Newborn male and female mice exhibit signs of withdrawal and sensory-related deficits that extend at least to adolescence. As fentanyl exposure does not affect dams' health or maternal behavior, these effects result from the direct actions of perinatal fentanyl on the pups' developing brain. At adolescence, exposed mice exhibit reduced adaptation to sensory stimuli, and a corresponding impairment in primary somatosensory (S1) function. In vitro electrophysiology demonstrates a long-lasting reduction in S1 synaptic excitation, evidenced by decreases in release probability, NMDA receptor-mediated postsynaptic currents, and frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs), as well as increased frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs). In contrast, anterior cingulate cortical neurons exhibit an opposite phenotype, with increased synaptic excitation. Consistent with these changes, electrocorticograms (ECoGs) reveal suppressed ketamine-evoked γ oscillations. Morphologic analysis of S1 pyramidal neurons indicate reduced dendritic complexity, dendritic length, and soma size. Further, exposed mice exhibited abnormal cortical mRNA expression of key receptors involved in synaptic transmission and neuronal growth and development, changes that were consistent with the electrophysiological and morphologic changes. These findings demonstrate the lasting sequelae of perinatal fentanyl exposure on sensory processing and function.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This is the first study to show that exposure to fentanyl in the womb results in behavioral, circuitry, and synaptic effects that last at least to adolescence. We also show, for the first time, that this exposure has different, lasting effects on synapses in different cortical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason B Alipio
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Catherine Haga
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Megan E Fox
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Keiko Arakawa
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Rakshita Balaji
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Nathan Cramer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Mary Kay Lobo
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Asaf Keller
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
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38
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Banks PJ, Warburton EC, Bashir ZI. Plasticity in Prefrontal Cortex Induced by Coordinated Synaptic Transmission Arising from Reuniens/Rhomboid Nuclei and Hippocampus. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 2:tgab029. [PMID: 34296174 PMCID: PMC8152950 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleus reuniens and rhomboid nuclei of the thalamus (ReRh) are reciprocally connected to a range of higher order cortices including hippocampus (HPC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The physiological function of ReRh is well predicted by requirement for interactions between mPFC and HPC, including associative recognition memory, spatial navigation, and working memory. Although anatomical and electrophysiological evidence suggests ReRh makes excitatory synapses in mPFC there is little data on the physiological properties of these projections, or whether ReRh and HPC target overlapping cell populations and, if so, how they interact. We demonstrate in ex vivo mPFC slices that ReRh and HPC afferent inputs converge onto more than two-thirds of layer 5 pyramidal neurons, show that ReRh, but not HPC, undergoes marked short-term plasticity during theta frequency transmission, and that HPC, but not ReRh, afferents are subject to neuromodulation by acetylcholine acting via muscarinic receptor M2. Finally, we demonstrate that pairing HPC followed by ReRh (but not pairing ReRh followed by HPC) at theta frequency induces associative, NMDA receptor dependent synaptic plasticity in both inputs to mPFC. These data provide vital physiological phenotypes of the synapses of this circuit and provide a novel mechanism for HPC-ReRh-mPFC encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Banks
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - E Clea Warburton
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Zafar I Bashir
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
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39
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Inserra A, De Gregorio D, Rezai T, Lopez-Canul MG, Comai S, Gobbi G. Lysergic acid diethylamide differentially modulates the reticular thalamus, mediodorsal thalamus, and infralimbic prefrontal cortex: An in vivo electrophysiology study in male mice. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:469-482. [PMID: 33645311 PMCID: PMC8058830 DOI: 10.1177/0269881121991569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The reticular thalamus gates thalamocortical information flow via finely tuned inhibition of thalamocortical cells in the mediodorsal thalamus. Brain imaging studies in humans show that the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) modulates activity and connectivity within the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit, altering consciousness. However, the electrophysiological effects of LSD on the neurons in these brain areas remain elusive. METHODS We employed in vivo extracellular single-unit recordings in anesthetized adult male mice to investigate the dose-response effects of cumulative LSD doses (5-160 µg/kg, intraperitoneal) upon reticular thalamus GABAergic neurons, thalamocortical relay neurons of the mediodorsal thalamus, and pyramidal neurons of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex. RESULTS LSD decreased spontaneous firing and burst-firing activity in 50% of the recorded reticular thalamus neurons in a dose-response fashion starting at 10 µg/kg. Another population of neurons (50%) increased firing and burst-firing activity starting at 40 µg/kg. This modulation was accompanied by an increase in firing and burst-firing activity of thalamocortical neurons in the mediodorsal thalamus. On the contrary, LSD excited infralimbic prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons only at the highest dose tested (160 µg/kg). The dopamine D2 receptor (D2) antagonist haloperidol administered after LSD increased burst-firing activity in the reticular thalamus neurons inhibited by LSD, decreased firing and burst-firing activity in the mediodorsal thalamus, and showed a trend towards further increasing the firing activity of neurons of the infralimbic prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSION LSD modulates firing and burst-firing activity of reticular thalamus neurons and disinhibits mediodorsal thalamus relay neurons at least partially in a D2-mediated fashion. These effects of LSD on thalamocortical gating could explain its consciousness-altering effects in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Inserra
- Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Danilo De Gregorio
- Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Tamim Rezai
- Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Stefano Comai
- Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Gabriella Gobbi
- Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Qc, Canada
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40
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Abstract
Sensory signals from the outside world are transduced at the periphery, passing through thalamus before reaching cortex, ultimately giving rise to the sensory representations that enable us to perceive the world. The thalamocortical circuit is particularly sensitive to the temporal precision of thalamic spiking due to highly convergent synaptic connectivity. Thalamic neurons can exhibit burst and tonic modes of firing that strongly influence timing within the thalamus. The impact of these changes in thalamic state on sensory encoding in the cortex, however, remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of thalamic state on timing in the thalamocortical circuit of the vibrissa pathway in the anesthetized rat. We optogenetically hyperpolarized thalamus while recording single unit activity in both thalamus and cortex. Tonic spike-triggered analysis revealed temporally precise thalamic spiking that was locked to weak white-noise sensory stimuli, whereas thalamic burst spiking was associated with a loss in stimulus-locked temporal precision. These thalamic state-dependent changes propagated to cortex such that the cortical timing precision was diminished during the hyperpolarized (burst biased) thalamic state. Although still sensory driven, the cortical neurons became significantly less precisely locked to the weak white-noise stimulus. The results here suggests a state-dependent differential regulation of spike timing precision in the thalamus that could gate what signals are ultimately propagated to cortex.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The majority of sensory signals are transmitted through the thalamus. There is growing evidence of complex thalamic gating through coordinated firing modes that have a strong impact on cortical sensory representations. Optogenetic hyperpolarization of thalamus pushed it into burst firing that disrupted precise time-locked sensory signaling, with a direct impact on the downstream cortical encoding, setting the stage for a timing-based thalamic gate of sensory signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa J Whitmire
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Yi Juin Liew
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.,Joint PhD Program in Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology-Emory University-Peking University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Garrett B Stanley
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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41
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Chen C, Wang X, Cao S, Zhang J, Wang Z, Pan W, Yang J, Tian Y, Qiu B, Wei Q, Wang K. Thalamocortical Functional Connectivity in Patients With White Matter Hyperintensities. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:632237. [PMID: 33815090 PMCID: PMC8012554 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.632237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH)s is a very common neuroradiological manifestation in the elderly and is an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. As we all know, the thalamocortical circuit plays an important part in cognition regulation. However, the role of this circuit in WMHs and its related cognitive deficits is still unclear. Method: Eighty WMH patients and 37 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the current study. WMH patients were divided into a mild WMH group (n = 33) and moderate-severe WMH group (n = 47) according to Fazekas scores. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data of all participants were collected for thalamocortical functional connectivity (FC) analysis. The analysis was performed in two steps. First, the whole cerebral cortex was divided into six regions of interest (ROIs), which were used as seeds to investigate the changes of FC with the thalamus. Then, the subregion of the thalamus generated in the previous step was used as the seed for FC analysis with the whole brain. Results: In the first step of FC analysis, it was found that precentral gyrus (PrCG)-interthalamic adhesion (ITA) FC values in moderate-severe WMH group were higher than those in HC and mild WMH groups. However, when compared with the HC group, the increase of PrCG-ITA FC values in mild WMH group was not statistically significant. In the second step of FC analysis, the ITA was set as the seed, and compared with the HC group, the results showed that the FC values of the ITA-medial frontal gyrus (MFG) in mild group and moderate-severe WMH groups were significantly increased. In addition, the FC values in moderate-severe group were significantly higher than those in mild group. Finally, it was also found that FC values (PrCG-ITA and ITA-MFG) were significantly correlated with neuropsychological test results for multiple cognitive functions such as memory, execution and attention in WMH patients. Conclusion: Abnormal thalamocortical FC was closely related with cognitive impairments in WMH patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaojing Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Shanshan Cao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Zhiqi Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Wen Pan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Jinying Yang
- Laboratory Center for Information Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Yanghua Tian
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China
| | - Bensheng Qiu
- Hefei National Lab for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and the Centers for Biomedical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Qiang Wei
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China.,The College of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China
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42
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Molnár B, Sere P, Bordé S, Koós K, Zsigri N, Horváth P, Lőrincz ML. Cell Type-Specific Arousal-Dependent Modulation of Thalamic Activity in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 2:tgab020. [PMID: 34296165 PMCID: PMC8152899 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
State-dependent thalamocortical activity is important for sensory coding, oscillations, and cognition. The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) relays visual information to the cortex, but the state-dependent spontaneous activity of LGN neurons in awake behaving animals remains controversial. Using a combination of pupillometry, extracellular, and intracellular recordings from identified LGN neurons in behaving mice, we show that thalamocortical (TC) neurons and interneurons are distinctly correlated to arousal forming two complementary coalitions. Intracellular recordings indicated that the membrane potential of LGN TC neurons was tightly correlated to fluctuations in pupil size. Inactivating the corticothalamic feedback to the LGN suppressed the arousal dependency of LGN neurons. Taken together, our results show that LGN neuronal membrane potential and action potential output are dynamically linked to arousal-dependent brain states in awake mice, and this might have important functional implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedek Molnár
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Neuroscience, Faculty of Sciences, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Péter Sere
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Neuroscience, Faculty of Sciences, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Sándor Bordé
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Neuroscience, Faculty of Sciences, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Koós
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Centre, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Nikolett Zsigri
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Péter Horváth
- Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Biological Research Centre, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Magor L Lőrincz
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Neuroscience, Faculty of Sciences, University of Szeged, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
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43
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Desai NV, Varela C. Distinct burst properties contribute to the functional diversity of thalamic nuclei. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3726-3750. [PMID: 33723858 PMCID: PMC8440663 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Thalamic neurons fire spikes in two modes, burst and tonic. The function of burst firing is unclear, but the evidence suggests that bursts are more effective at activating cortical cells, and that postinhibition rebound bursting contributes to thalamocortical oscillations during sleep. Bursts are considered stereotyped signals; however, there is limited evidence regarding how burst properties compare across thalamic nuclei of different functional or anatomical organization. Here, we used whole-cell patch clamp recordings and compartmental modeling to investigate the properties of bursts in six sensory thalamic nuclei, to study the mechanisms that can lead to different burst properties, and to assess the implications of different burst properties for thalamocortical transmission and oscillatory functions. We found that bursts in higher-order cells on average had higher number of spikes and longer latency to the first spike. Additionally, burst features in first-order neurons were determined by sensory modality. Shifting the voltage-dependence and density of the T-channel conductance in a compartmental model replicates the burst properties from the intracellular recordings, pointing to molecular mechanisms that can generate burst diversity. Furthermore, the model predicts that bursts with higher number of spikes will drastically reduce the effectiveness of thalamocortical transmission. In addition, the latency to burst limited the rebound oscillatory frequency in modeled cells. These results demonstrate that burst properties vary according to the thalamocortical hierarchy and with sensory modality. The findings imply that, while in burst mode, thalamocortical transmission and firing frequency will be determined by the number of spikes and latency to burst.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Vasant Desai
- Psychology Department, Jupiter Life Sciences Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | - Carmen Varela
- Psychology Department, Jupiter Life Sciences Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
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44
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Cheng H, Liu J. Concurrent brain parcellation and connectivity estimation via co-clustering of resting state fMRI data: A novel approach. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:2477-2489. [PMID: 33615651 PMCID: PMC8090776 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Connectional topography mapping has been gaining widespread attention in human brain imaging studies. However, existing methods might not effectively utilize the information from neuroimaging data, thus hindering the understanding of the underlying connectional organization in the brain and uncovering the optimal clustering number from the data. In this study, we propose a novel method for the automated construction of inherent functional connectivity topography in a data‐driven manner by leveraging the power of co‐clustering‐based on resting state fMRI (rs‐fMRI) data. We propose the co‐clustering‐based method not only for concurrently parcellating two interconnected brain regions of interest (ROIs) under consideration into functionally homogenous subregions, but also for estimating the connectivity between these subregions from the two brain ROIs. In particular, we first model the connectional topography mapping as a co‐clustering‐based bipartite graph partitioning problem for constructing the inherent functional connectivity topography between the two interconnected brain ROIs. We also adopt an objective criterion, that is, silhouette width index measuring clustering quality, for determining the optimal number of clusters. The proposed method has been validated for mapping thalamocortical connectional topography based on rs‐fMRI data of 57 subjects. Validation results have demonstrated that our method identified the optimal solution with five pairs of mutually connected subregions of the thalamocortical system from the rs‐fMRI data, and could yield more meaningful, interpretable, and homogenous connectional topography than existing methods. The proposed method was further validated by the high symmetry of the mapped connectional topography between two hemispheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hewei Cheng
- Research Center of Biomedical Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Laboratory of Digital Medical Equipment and Systems, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Medical Electronics & Information Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Research Institute of Education Development, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
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45
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Rahimi-Nasrabadi H, Jin J, Mazade R, Pons C, Najafian S, Alonso JM. Image luminance changes contrast sensitivity in visual cortex. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108692. [PMID: 33535047 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate measures of contrast sensitivity are important for evaluating visual disease progression and for navigation safety. Previous measures suggested that cortical contrast sensitivity was constant across widely different luminance ranges experienced indoors and outdoors. Against this notion, here, we show that luminance range changes contrast sensitivity in both cat and human cortex, and the changes are different for dark and light stimuli. As luminance range increases, contrast sensitivity increases more within cortical pathways signaling lights than those signaling darks. Conversely, when the luminance range is constant, light-dark differences in contrast sensitivity remain relatively constant even if background luminance changes. We show that a Naka-Rushton function modified to include luminance range and light-dark polarity accurately replicates both the statistics of light-dark features in natural scenes and the cortical responses to multiple combinations of contrast and luminance. We conclude that differences in light-dark contrast increase with luminance range and are largest in bright environments.
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46
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Jeschke M, Happel MFK, Tziridis K, Krauss P, Schilling A, Schulze H, Ohl FW. Acute and Long-Term Circuit-Level Effects in the Auditory Cortex After Sound Trauma. Front Neurosci 2021; 14:598406. [PMID: 33469416 PMCID: PMC7813782 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.598406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Harmful environmental sounds are a prevailing source of chronic hearing impairments, including noise induced hearing loss, hyperacusis, or tinnitus. How these symptoms are related to pathophysiological damage to the sensory receptor epithelia and its effects along the auditory pathway, have been documented in numerous studies. An open question concerns the temporal evolution of maladaptive changes after damage and their manifestation in the balance of thalamocortical and corticocortical input to the auditory cortex (ACx). To address these issues, we investigated the loci of plastic reorganizations across the tonotopic axis of the auditory cortex of male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) acutely after a sound trauma and after several weeks. We used a residual current-source density analysis to dissociate adaptations of intracolumnar input and horizontally relayed corticocortical input to synaptic populations across cortical layers in ACx. A pure tone-based sound trauma caused acute changes of subcortical inputs and corticocortical inputs at all tonotopic regions, particularly showing a broad reduction of tone-evoked inputs at tonotopic regions around the trauma frequency. At other cortical sites, the overall columnar activity acutely decreased, while relative contributions of lateral corticocortical inputs increased. After 4-6 weeks, cortical activity in response to the altered sensory inputs showed a general increase of local thalamocortical input reaching levels higher than before the trauma. Hence, our results suggest a detailed mechanism for overcompensation of altered frequency input in the auditory cortex that relies on a changing balance of thalamocortical and intracortical input and along the frequency gradient of the cortical tonotopic map.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Jeschke
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology (IBIO), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU), Magdeburg, Germany
- Cognitive Hearing in Primates Group, Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Auditory Neuroscience Göttingen, University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Max F. K. Happel
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology (IBIO), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU), Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Konstantin Tziridis
- Experimental Otolaryngology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Patrick Krauss
- Experimental Otolaryngology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Achim Schilling
- Experimental Otolaryngology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Holger Schulze
- Experimental Otolaryngology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Frank W. Ohl
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Biology (IBIO), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (OVGU), Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany
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47
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Drobyshevsky A, Miller MJ, Li L, Dixon CJ, Venkatasubramanian PN, Wyrwicz AM, Aksenov DP. Behavior and Regional Cortical BOLD Signal Fluctuations Are Altered in Adult Rabbits After Neonatal Volatile Anesthetic Exposure. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:571486. [PMID: 33192256 PMCID: PMC7645165 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.571486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Neonatal and infant exposure to volatile anesthetics has been associated with long-term learning, memory, and behavioral deficits. Although early anesthesia exposure has been linked to a number of underlying structural abnormalities, functional changes associated with these impairments remain poorly understood. To investigate the relationship between functional alteration in neuronal circuits and learning deficiency, resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) connectivity was examined in adolescent rabbits exposed to general anesthesia as neonates (1 MAC isoflurane for 2 h on postnatal days P8, P11, and P14) and unanesthetized controls before and after training with a trace eyeblink classical conditioning (ECC) paradigm. Long-range connectivity was measured between several key regions of interest (ROIs), including primary and secondary somatosensory cortices, thalamus, hippocampus, and cingulate. In addition, metrics of regional BOLD fluctuation amplitudes and coherence, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), and regional homogeneity (ReHo) were calculated. Our results showed that the trace ECC learning rate was significantly lower in the anesthesia-exposed group. No anesthesia-related changes in long-range connectivity, fALFF, or ReHo were found between any ROIs. However, ALFF was significantly higher in anesthesia-exposed rabbits in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices, and ALFF in those areas was a significant predictor of the learning performance for trace ECC. The absence of anesthesia-related changes in long-range thalamocortical connectivity indicates that functional thalamocortical input is not affected. Higher ALFF in the somatosensory cortex may indicate the developmental disruption of cortical neuronal circuits after neonatal anesthesia exposure, including excessive neuronal synchronization that may underlie the observed cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Drobyshevsky
- Department of Pediatrics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Mike J Miller
- Department of Radiology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Limin Li
- Department of Radiology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Conor J Dixon
- Department of Radiology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, United States
| | | | - Alice M Wyrwicz
- Department of Radiology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Daniil P Aksenov
- Department of Radiology, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, United States
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48
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Clark EA, Rutlin M, Capano LS, Aviles S, Saadon JR, Taneja P, Zhang Q, Bullis JB, Lauer T, Myers E, Schulmann A, Forrest D, Nelson SB. Cortical RORβ is required for layer 4 transcriptional identity and barrel integrity. eLife 2020; 9:e52370. [PMID: 32851975 PMCID: PMC7492084 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid-related orphan receptor beta (RORβ) is a transcription factor (TF) and marker of layer 4 (L4) neurons, which are distinctive both in transcriptional identity and the ability to form aggregates such as barrels in rodent somatosensory cortex. However, the relationship between transcriptional identity and L4 cytoarchitecture is largely unknown. We find RORβ is required in the cortex for L4 aggregation into barrels and thalamocortical afferent (TCA) segregation. Interestingly, barrel organization also degrades with age in wildtype mice. Loss of RORβ delays excitatory input and disrupts gene expression and chromatin accessibility, with down-regulation of L4 and up-regulation of L5 genes, suggesting a disruption in cellular specification. Expression and binding site accessibility change for many other TFs, including closure of neurodevelopmental TF binding sites and increased expression and binding capacity of activity-regulated TFs. Lastly, a putative target of RORβ, Thsd7a, is down-regulated without RORβ, and Thsd7a knock-out alone disrupts TCA organization in adult barrels.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, Surface/chemistry
- Antigens, Surface/genetics
- Antigens, Surface/metabolism
- Female
- Male
- Membrane Proteins/chemistry
- Membrane Proteins/genetics
- Membrane Proteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Neurons/chemistry
- Neurons/cytology
- Neurons/metabolism
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 2/chemistry
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 2/genetics
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 2/metabolism
- Somatosensory Cortex/chemistry
- Somatosensory Cortex/cytology
- Somatosensory Cortex/metabolism
- Somatosensory Cortex/physiology
- Thalamus/chemistry
- Thalamus/metabolism
- Transcription Factors/chemistry
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Transcriptome/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin A Clark
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Michael Rutlin
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Lucia S Capano
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Samuel Aviles
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Jordan R Saadon
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Praveen Taneja
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Qiyu Zhang
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - James B Bullis
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Timothy Lauer
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | - Emma Myers
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
| | | | - Douglas Forrest
- Laboratory of Endocrinology and Receptor Biology, National Institutes of Health, NIDDKBethesdaUnited States
| | - Sacha B Nelson
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Brandeis UniversityWalthamUnited States
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49
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Augustinaite S, Kuhn B. Complementary Ca 2+ Activity of Sensory Activated and Suppressed Layer 6 Corticothalamic Neurons Reflects Behavioral State. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3945-3960.e5. [PMID: 32822605 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.07.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Layer 6 (L6) corticothalamic neurons project to thalamus, where they are thought to regulate sensory information transmission to cortex. However, the activity of these neurons during different behavioral states has not been described. Here, we imaged calcium changes in visual cortex L6 primary corticothalamic neurons with two-photon microscopy in head-fixed mice in response to passive viewing during a range of behavioral states, from locomotion to sleep. In addition to a substantial fraction of quiet neurons, we found sensory-activated and suppressed neurons, comprising two functionally distinct L6 feedback channels. Quiet neurons could be dynamically recruited to one or another functional channel, and the opposite, functional neurons could become quiet under different stimulation conditions or behavior states. The state dependence of neuronal activity was heterogeneous with respect to locomotion or level of alertness, although the average activity was largest during highest vigilance within populations of functional neurons. Interestingly, complementary activity of these distinct populations kept the overall corticothalamic feedback relatively constant during any given behavioral state. Thereby, in addition to sensory and non-sensory information, a constant activity level characteristic of behavioral state is conveyed to thalamus, where it can regulate signal transmission from the periphery to cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigita Augustinaite
- Optical Neuroimaging Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, 904-0495 Okinawa, Japan.
| | - Bernd Kuhn
- Optical Neuroimaging Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, 904-0495 Okinawa, Japan.
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50
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Mazade R, Jin J, Pons C, Alonso JM. Functional Specialization of ON and OFF Cortical Pathways for Global-Slow and Local-Fast Vision. Cell Rep 2020; 27:2881-2894.e5. [PMID: 31167135 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual information is processed in the cortex by ON and OFF pathways that respond to light and dark stimuli. Responses to darks are stronger, faster, and driven by a larger number of cortical neurons than responses to lights. Here, we demonstrate that these light-dark cortical asymmetries reflect a functional specialization of ON and OFF pathways for different stimulus properties. We show that large long-lasting stimuli drive stronger cortical responses when they are light, whereas small fast stimuli drive stronger cortical responses when they are dark. Moreover, we show that these light-dark asymmetries are preserved under a wide variety of luminance conditions that range from photopic to low mesopic light. Our results suggest that ON and OFF pathways extract different spatiotemporal information from visual scenes, making OFF local-fast signals better suited to maximize visual acuity and ON global-slow signals better suited to guide the eye movements needed for retinal image stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reece Mazade
- Department of Biological and Visual Sciences, SUNY College of Optometry, New York, NY 10036, USA
| | - Jianzhong Jin
- Department of Biological and Visual Sciences, SUNY College of Optometry, New York, NY 10036, USA
| | - Carmen Pons
- Department of Biological and Visual Sciences, SUNY College of Optometry, New York, NY 10036, USA
| | - Jose-Manuel Alonso
- Department of Biological and Visual Sciences, SUNY College of Optometry, New York, NY 10036, USA.
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