1
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Shirdhankar RN, Malkemper EP. Cognitive maps and the magnetic sense in vertebrates. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 86:102880. [PMID: 38657284 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Navigation requires a network of neurons processing inputs from internally generated cues and external landmarks. Most studies on the neuronal basis of navigation in vertebrates have focused on rats and mice and the canonical senses vision, hearing, olfaction, and somatosensation. Some animals have evolved the ability to sense the Earth's magnetic field and use it for orientation. It can be expected that in these animals magnetic cues are integrated with other sensory cues in the cognitive map. We provide an overview of the behavioral evidence and brain regions involved in magnetic sensing in support of this idea, hoping that this will guide future experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runita N Shirdhankar
- Research Group Neurobiology of Magnetoreception, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - Caesar, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn 53175, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Brain and Behavior, Bonn, Germany
| | - E Pascal Malkemper
- Research Group Neurobiology of Magnetoreception, Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - Caesar, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn 53175, Germany.
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2
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Carvalho J, Fernandes FF, Shemesh N. Extensive topographic remapping and functional sharpening in the adult rat visual pathway upon first visual experience. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002229. [PMID: 37590177 PMCID: PMC10434970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of stability/plasticity balances during adulthood is pivotal for learning, disease, and recovery from injury. However, the brain-wide topography of sensory remapping remains unknown. Here, using a first-of-its-kind setup for delivering patterned visual stimuli in a rodent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, coupled with biologically inspired computational models, we noninvasively mapped brain-wide properties-receptive fields (RFs) and spatial frequency (SF) tuning curves-that were insofar only available from invasive electrophysiology or optical imaging. We then tracked the RF dynamics in the chronic visual deprivation model (VDM) of plasticity and found that light exposure progressively promoted a large-scale topographic remapping in adult rats. Upon light exposure, the initially unspecialized visual pathway progressively evidenced sharpened RFs (smaller and more spatially selective) and enhanced SF tuning curves. Our findings reveal that visual experience following VDM reshapes both structure and function of the visual system and shifts the stability/plasticity balance in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Carvalho
- Laboratory of Preclinical MRI, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Francisca F. Fernandes
- Laboratory of Preclinical MRI, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Noam Shemesh
- Laboratory of Preclinical MRI, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
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3
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Zhao ZD, Zhang L, Xiang X, Kim D, Li H, Cao P, Shen WL. Neurocircuitry of Predatory Hunting. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:817-831. [PMID: 36705845 PMCID: PMC10170020 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-01018-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Predatory hunting is an important type of innate behavior evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom. It is typically composed of a set of sequential actions, including prey search, pursuit, attack, and consumption. This behavior is subject to control by the nervous system. Early studies used toads as a model to probe the neuroethology of hunting, which led to the proposal of a sensory-triggered release mechanism for hunting actions. More recent studies have used genetically-trackable zebrafish and rodents and have made breakthrough discoveries in the neuroethology and neurocircuits underlying this behavior. Here, we review the sophisticated neurocircuitry involved in hunting and summarize the detailed mechanism for the circuitry to encode various aspects of hunting neuroethology, including sensory processing, sensorimotor transformation, motivation, and sequential encoding of hunting actions. We also discuss the overlapping brain circuits for hunting and feeding and point out the limitations of current studies. We propose that hunting is an ideal behavioral paradigm in which to study the neuroethology of motivated behaviors, which may shed new light on epidemic disorders, including binge-eating, obesity, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Dong Zhao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xinkuan Xiang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Daesoo Kim
- Department of Cognitive Brain Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, Daejeon, 34141, South Korea.
| | - Haohong Li
- MOE Frontier Research Center of Brain & Brain-machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre and Hangzhou Seventh People`s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China.
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Wei L Shen
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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4
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Modulation of cholinergic, GABA-ergic and glutamatergic components of superior colliculus affect REM sleep in rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 438:114177. [PMID: 36306944 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is associated with visual attention, spatial navigation, decision making, escape and approach responses, some of which are important for defence and survival in rodents. SC helps in initiating and controlling saccadic eye movements and gaze during wakefulness. It is also activated during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep associated rapid eye movements (REMs). To investigate the contribution of SC in sleep-wake behaviour, we have demonstrated that manipulation of SC with scopolamine, carbachol, muscimol, picrotoxin and MK-801 decreased the amount of REM sleep. We observed that scopolamine and picrotoxin as well as muscimol decreased REM sleep frequency. MK-801 decreased percent amount of REM sleep, however, neither the frequency nor the duration/episode was affected. The cholinergic and GABA-ergic modulation of SC affecting REM sleep may be involved in REM sleep associated visuo-spatial learning and memory consolidation, which however, need to be confirmed. Furthermore, the results suggest involvement of efferent from SC in modulation of sleep-waking via the brainstem sleep regulating areas.
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5
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Manohar S, Chen GD, Ding D, Liu L, Wang J, Chen YC, Chen L, Salvi R. Unexpected Consequences of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: Impaired Hippocampal Neurogenesis, Memory, and Stress. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:871223. [PMID: 35619926 PMCID: PMC9127992 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.871223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), caused by direct damage to the cochlea, reduces the flow of auditory information to the central nervous system, depriving higher order structures, such as the hippocampus with vital sensory information needed to carry out complex, higher order functions. Although the hippocampus lies outside the classical auditory pathway, it nevertheless receives acoustic information that influence its activity. Here we review recent results that illustrate how NIHL and other types of cochlear hearing loss disrupt hippocampal function. The hippocampus, which continues to generate new neurons (neurogenesis) in adulthood, plays an important role in spatial navigation, memory, and emotion. The hippocampus, which contains place cells that respond when a subject enters a specific location in the environment, integrates information from multiple sensory systems, including the auditory system, to develop cognitive spatial maps to aid in navigation. Acute exposure to intense noise disrupts the place-specific firing patterns of hippocampal neurons, “spatially disorienting” the cells for days. More traumatic sound exposures that result in permanent NIHL chronically suppresses cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the hippocampus; these structural changes are associated with long-term spatial memory deficits. Hippocampal neurons, which contain numerous glucocorticoid hormone receptors, are part of a complex feedback network connected to the hypothalamic-pituitary (HPA) axis. Chronic exposure to intense intermittent noise results in prolonged stress which can cause a persistent increase in corticosterone, a rodent stress hormone known to suppress neurogenesis. In contrast, a single intense noise exposure sufficient to cause permanent hearing loss produces only a transient increase in corticosterone hormone. Although basal corticosterone levels return to normal after the noise exposure, glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the hippocampus remain chronically elevated. Thus, NIHL disrupts negative feedback from the hippocampus to the HPA axis which regulates the release of corticosterone. Preclinical studies suggest that the noise-induced changes in hippocampal place cells, neurogenesis, spatial memory, and glucocorticoid receptors may be ameliorated by therapeutic interventions that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. These experimental results may provide new insights on why hearing loss is a risk factor for cognitive decline and suggest methods for preventing this decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senthilvelan Manohar
- Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Guang-Di Chen
- Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Dalian Ding
- Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Lijie Liu
- Department of Physiology, Medical College, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian Wang
- School of Communication Science and Disorders, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Yu-Chen Chen
- Department of Radiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Auditory Research Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Richard Salvi
- Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Richard Salvi
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6
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Alexander AS, Tung JC, Chapman GW, Conner AM, Shelley LE, Hasselmo ME, Nitz DA. Adaptive integration of self-motion and goals in posterior parietal cortex. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110504. [PMID: 35263604 PMCID: PMC9026715 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Rats readily switch between foraging and more complex navigational behaviors such as pursuit of other rats or prey. These tasks require vastly different tracking of multiple behaviorally significant variables including self-motion state. To explore whether navigational context modulates self-motion tracking, we examined self-motion tuning in posterior parietal cortex neurons during foraging versus visual target pursuit. Animals performing the pursuit task demonstrate predictive processing of target trajectories by anticipating and intercepting them. Relative to foraging, pursuit yields multiplicative gain modulation of self-motion tuning and enhances self-motion state decoding. Self-motion sensitivity in parietal cortex neurons is, on average, history dependent regardless of behavioral context, but the temporal window of self-motion integration extends during target pursuit. Finally, many self-motion-sensitive neurons conjunctively track the visual target position relative to the animal. Thus, posterior parietal cortex functions to integrate the location of navigationally relevant target stimuli into an ongoing representation of past, present, and future locomotor trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Alexander
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Janet C Tung
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - G William Chapman
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Allison M Conner
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Laura E Shelley
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michael E Hasselmo
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Douglas A Nitz
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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7
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Neural circuit control of innate behaviors. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:466-499. [PMID: 34985643 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-2043-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
All animals possess a plethora of innate behaviors that do not require extensive learning and are fundamental for their survival and propagation. With the advent of newly-developed techniques such as viral tracing and optogenetic and chemogenetic tools, recent studies are gradually unraveling neural circuits underlying different innate behaviors. Here, we summarize current development in our understanding of the neural circuits controlling predation, feeding, male-typical mating, and urination, highlighting the role of genetically defined neurons and their connections in sensory triggering, sensory to motor/motivation transformation, motor/motivation encoding during these different behaviors. Along the way, we discuss possible mechanisms underlying binge-eating disorder and the pro-social effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin, elucidating the clinical relevance of studying neural circuits underlying essential innate functions. Finally, we discuss some exciting brain structures recurrently appearing in the regulation of different behaviors, which suggests both divergence and convergence in the neural encoding of specific innate behaviors. Going forward, we emphasize the importance of multi-angle and cross-species dissections in delineating neural circuits that control innate behaviors.
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8
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Awathale SN, Waghade AM, Kawade HM, Jadhav G, Choudhary AG, Sagarkar S, Sakharkar AJ, Subhedar NK, Kokare DM. Neuroplastic Changes in the Superior Colliculus and Hippocampus in Self-rewarding Paradigm: Importance of Visual Cues. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 59:890-915. [PMID: 34797522 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02597-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Coincident excitation via different sensory modalities encoding objects of positive salience is known to facilitate learning and memory. With a view to dissect the contribution of visual cues in inducing adaptive neural changes, we monitored the lever press activity of a rat conditioned to self-administer sweet food pellets in the presence/absence of light cues. Application of light cues facilitated learning and consolidation of long-term memory. The superior colliculus (SC) of rats trained on light cue showed increased neuronal activity, dendritic branching, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein and mRNA expression. Concomitantly, the hippocampus showed augmented neurogenesis as well as BDNF protein and mRNA expression. While intra-SC administration of U0126 (inhibitor of ERK 1/2 and long-term memory) impaired memory formation, lidocaine (local anaesthetic) hindered memory recall. The light cue-dependent sweet food pellet self-administration was coupled with increased efflux of dopamine (DA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh). In conditioned rats, pharmacological inhibition of glutamatergic signalling in dentate gyrus (DG) reduced lever press activity, as well as DA and DOPAC secretion in the AcbSh. We suggest that the neuroplastic changes in the SC and hippocampus might represent memory engrams sculpted by visual cues encoding reward information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay N Awathale
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, 440 033, India
| | - Akash M Waghade
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, 440 033, India
| | - Harish M Kawade
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, 440 033, India
| | - Gouri Jadhav
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411 007, India
| | - Amit G Choudhary
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India
| | - Sneha Sagarkar
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411 007, India
| | - Amul J Sakharkar
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411 007, India
| | - Nishikant K Subhedar
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune, 411 008, India
| | - Dadasaheb M Kokare
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur, 440 033, India.
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9
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Huang M, Li D, Cheng X, Pei Q, Xie Z, Gu H, Zhang X, Chen Z, Liu A, Wang Y, Sun F, Li Y, Zhang J, He M, Xie Y, Zhang F, Qi X, Shang C, Cao P. The tectonigral pathway regulates appetitive locomotion in predatory hunting in mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4409. [PMID: 34285209 PMCID: PMC8292483 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24696-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Appetitive locomotion is essential for animals to approach rewards, such as food and prey. The neuronal circuitry controlling appetitive locomotion is unclear. In a goal-directed behavior-predatory hunting, we show an excitatory brain circuit from the superior colliculus (SC) to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) to enhance appetitive locomotion in mice. This tectonigral pathway transmits locomotion-speed signals to dopamine neurons and triggers dopamine release in the dorsal striatum. Synaptic inactivation of this pathway impairs appetitive locomotion but not defensive locomotion. Conversely, activation of this pathway increases the speed and frequency of approach during predatory hunting, an effect that depends on the activities of SNc dopamine neurons. Together, these data reveal that the SC regulates locomotion-speed signals to SNc dopamine neurons to enhance appetitive locomotion in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meizhu Huang
- grid.508040.9Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Dapeng Li
- grid.24696.3f0000 0004 0369 153XDepartment of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinyu Cheng
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Pei
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyong Xie
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huating Gu
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuerong Zhang
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zijun Chen
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Aixue Liu
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Wang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fangmiao Sun
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Li
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiayi Zhang
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Miao He
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Xie
- grid.256883.20000 0004 1760 8442Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology in Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei China
| | - Fan Zhang
- grid.256883.20000 0004 1760 8442Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology in Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei China
| | - Xiangbing Qi
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.12527.330000 0001 0662 3178Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Congping Shang
- grid.508040.9Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Peng Cao
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.12527.330000 0001 0662 3178Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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10
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Grieves RM, Jeffery KJ. The representation of space in the brain. Behav Processes 2017; 135:113-131. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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11
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Do the anterior and lateral thalamic nuclei make distinct contributions to spatial representation and memory? Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 133:69-78. [PMID: 27266961 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The anterior and lateral thalamus has long been considered to play an important role in spatial and mnemonic cognitive functions; however, it remains unclear whether each region makes a unique contribution to spatial information processing. We begin by reviewing evidence from anatomical studies and electrophysiological recordings which suggest that at least one of the functions of the anterior thalamus is to guide spatial orientation in relation to a global or distal spatial framework, while the lateral thalamus serves to guide behavior in relation to a local or proximal framework. We conclude by reviewing experimental work using targeted manipulations (lesion or neuronal silencing) of thalamic nuclei during spatial behavior and single-unit recordings from neuronal representations of space. Our summary of this literature suggests that although the evidence strongly supports a working model of spatial information processing involving the anterior thalamus, research regarding the role of the lateral thalamus is limited and requires further attention. We therefore identify a number of major gaps in this research and suggest avenues of future study that could potentially solidify our understanding of the relative roles of anterior and lateral thalamic regions in spatial representation and memory.
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12
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de Araujo MFP, Matsumoto J, Ono T, Nishijo H. An animal model of disengagement: Temporary inactivation of the superior colliculus impairs attention disengagement in rats. Behav Brain Res 2015. [PMID: 26196954 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The orienting attention network is responsible for prioritizing sensory input through overt or covert shifts of attention among targets. The ability to disengage attention is essential for the proper functioning of this network. In addition to its importance for proper orienting, deficits in disengagement have been recently implicated in autism disorders. Despite its importance, the neural mechanisms underlying disengagement processing are still poorly understood. In this study, the involvement of the superior colliculus (SC) in disengagement was investigated in unrestrained rats that had been trained in a two-alternative light-guided spatial choice task. At each trial, the rats had to choose one of two paths, leading either to a large or a small reward, based on 1 (single-cue) or 2 (double-cue) lights. The task consisted of serial trials with single- and/or double-cue lights, and rats could acquire a large reward if the rats chose infrequent lights when infrequent cue lights were presented after preceding frequent cue lights. Experiment 1 included trials with either single- or double-cue lights, and infrequent trials with double-cue lights required both attentional disengagement and shift of attention from preceding frequent single-cue lights, while experiment 2 included only trials with single-cue lights requiring shifts of attention but not attentional disengagement. The results indicated that temporary inactivation of the SC by muscimol injections selectively impaired performance on trials requiring disengagement. No impairment was observed on the other trials, in which attention disengagement was not required. The results provide the first evidence that the SC is necessary for attentional disengagement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Ferreira Pereira de Araujo
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan; Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience, Santos Dumont Institute, Rodovia RN 160, 3001 - Distrito Jundiaí, 59280-000 Macaíba, RN, Brazil
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Taketoshi Ono
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Sugitani, 2630, Toyama 930-0194, Japan.
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13
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Olivé I, Tempelmann C, Berthoz A, Heinze HJ. Increased functional connectivity between superior colliculus and brain regions implicated in bodily self-consciousness during the rubber hand illusion. Hum Brain Mapp 2014; 36:717-30. [PMID: 25346407 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Revised: 09/01/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bodily self-consciousness refers to bodily processes operating at personal, peripersonal, and extrapersonal spatial dimensions. Although the neural underpinnings of representations of personal and peripersonal space associated with bodily self-consciousness were thoroughly investigated, relatively few is known about the neural underpinnings of representations of extrapersonal space relevant for bodily self-consciousness. In the search to unravel brain structures generating a representation of the extrapersonal space relevant for bodily self-consciousness, we developed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to investigate the implication of the superior colliculus (SC) in bodily illusions, and more specifically in the rubber hand illusion (RHi), which constitutes an established paradigm to study the neural underpinnings of bodily self-consciousness. We observed activation of the colliculus ipsilateral to the manipulated hand associated with eliciting of RHi. A generalized form of context-dependent psychophysiological interaction analysis unravelled increased illusion-dependent functional connectivity between the SC and some of the main brain areas previously involved in bodily self-consciousness: right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), bilateral ventral premotor cortex (vPM), and bilateral postcentral gyrus. We hypothesize that the collicular map of the extrapersonal space interacts with maps of the peripersonal and personal space generated at rTPJ, vPM and the postcentral gyrus, producing a unified representation of space that is relevant for bodily self-consciousness. We suggest that processes of multisensory integration of bodily-related sensory inputs located in this unified representation of space constitute one main factor underpinning emergence of bodily self-consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isadora Olivé
- Universitätsklinik für Neurologie, Otto-von-Guerrick Universität Magdeburg, Leipziger Chaussee 44 39120 Magdeburg SA, Deutschland; Laboratoire de Physiologie de l'Action et de la Perception, UMR 7152, Collège de France CNRS. 11 Place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005, Paris, France
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Merker B. The efference cascade, consciousness, and its self: naturalizing the first person pivot of action control. Front Psychol 2013; 4:501. [PMID: 23950750 PMCID: PMC3738861 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The 20 billion neurons of the neocortex have a mere hundred thousand motor neurons by which to express cortical contents in overt behavior. Implemented through a staggered cortical "efference cascade" originating in the descending axons of layer five pyramidal cells throughout the neocortical expanse, this steep convergence accomplishes final integration for action of cortical information through a system of interconnected subcortical way stations. Coherent and effective action control requires the inclusion of a continually updated joint "global best estimate" of current sensory, motivational, and motor circumstances in this process. I have previously proposed that this running best estimate is extracted from cortical probabilistic preliminaries by a subcortical neural "reality model" implementing our conscious sensory phenomenology. As such it must exhibit first person perspectival organization, suggested to derive from formating requirements of the brain's subsystem for gaze control, with the superior colliculus at its base. Gaze movements provide the leading edge of behavior by capturing targets of engagement prior to contact. The rotation-based geometry of directional gaze movements places their implicit origin inside the head, a location recoverable by cortical probabilistic source reconstruction from the rampant primary sensory variance generated by the incessant play of collicularly triggered gaze movements. At the interface between cortex and colliculus lies the dorsal pulvinar. Its unique long-range inhibitory circuitry may precipitate the brain's global best estimate of its momentary circumstances through multiple constraint satisfaction across its afferents from numerous cortical areas and colliculus. As phenomenal content of our sensory awareness, such a global best estimate would exhibit perspectival organization centered on a purely implicit first person origin, inherently incapable of appearing as a phenomenal content of the sensory space it serves.
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15
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Clark BJ, Taube JS. Vestibular and attractor network basis of the head direction cell signal in subcortical circuits. Front Neural Circuits 2012; 6:7. [PMID: 22454618 PMCID: PMC3308332 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2012.00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2011] [Accepted: 02/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate navigation depends on a network of neural systems that encode the moment-to-moment changes in an animal's directional orientation and location in space. Within this navigation system are head direction (HD) cells, which fire persistently when an animal's head is pointed in a particular direction (Sharp et al., 2001a; Taube, 2007). HD cells are widely thought to underlie an animal's sense of spatial orientation, and research over the last 25+ years has revealed that this robust spatial signal is widely distributed across subcortical and cortical limbic areas. The purpose of the present review is to summarize some of the recent studies arguing that the origin of the HD signal resides subcortically, specifically within the reciprocal connections of the dorsal tegmental and lateral mammillary nuclei. Furthermore, we review recent work identifying "bursting" cellular activity in the HD cell circuit after lesions of the vestibular system, and relate these observations to the long held view that attractor network mechanisms underlie HD signal generation. Finally, we summarize anatomical and physiological work suggesting that this attractor network architecture may reside within the tegmento-mammillary circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeffrey S. Taube
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College, HanoverNH, USA
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16
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Hirokawa J, Sadakane O, Sakata S, Bosch M, Sakurai Y, Yamamori T. Multisensory information facilitates reaction speed by enlarging activity difference between superior colliculus hemispheres in rats. PLoS One 2011; 6:e25283. [PMID: 21966481 PMCID: PMC3180293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2011] [Accepted: 08/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals can make faster behavioral responses to multisensory stimuli than to unisensory stimuli. The superior colliculus (SC), which receives multiple inputs from different sensory modalities, is considered to be involved in the initiation of motor responses. However, the mechanism by which multisensory information facilitates motor responses is not yet understood. Here, we demonstrate that multisensory information modulates competition among SC neurons to elicit faster responses. We conducted multiunit recordings from the SC of rats performing a two-alternative spatial discrimination task using auditory and/or visual stimuli. We found that a large population of SC neurons showed direction-selective activity before the onset of movement in response to the stimuli irrespective of stimulation modality. Trial-by-trial correlation analysis showed that the premovement activity of many SC neurons increased with faster reaction speed for the contraversive movement, whereas the premovement activity of another population of neurons decreased with faster reaction speed for the ipsiversive movement. When visual and auditory stimuli were presented simultaneously, the premovement activity of a population of neurons for the contraversive movement was enhanced, whereas the premovement activity of another population of neurons for the ipsiversive movement was depressed. Unilateral inactivation of SC using muscimol prolonged reaction times of contraversive movements, but it shortened those of ipsiversive movements. These findings suggest that the difference in activity between the SC hemispheres regulates the reaction speed of motor responses, and multisensory information enlarges the activity difference resulting in faster responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Hirokawa
- Division of Brain Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, United States of America
| | - Osamu Sadakane
- Division of Brain Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Shuzo Sakata
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Miquel Bosch
- Division of Brain Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, RIKEN-MIT Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Yoshio Sakurai
- Department of Psychology, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Core Research for Evolution Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Yamamori
- Division of Brain Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
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17
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BOLD responses in the superior colliculus and lateral geniculate nucleus of the rat viewing an apparent motion stimulus. Neuroimage 2011; 58:878-84. [PMID: 21741483 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.06.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2011] [Revised: 06/03/2011] [Accepted: 06/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In rats, the superior colliculus (SC) is a main destination for retinal ganglion cells and is an important subcortical structure for vision. Electrophysiology studies have observed that many SC neurons are highly sensitive to moving objects, but complementary non-invasive functional imaging studies with larger fields of view have been rarely conducted. In this study, BOLD fMRI is used to measure the SC and nearby lateral geniculate nucleus' (LGN) hemodynamic responses, in normal adult Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, during a dynamic visual stimulus similar to those used in long-range apparent motion studies. The stimulation paradigm consists of four light spots arranged in a linear array and turned on and off sequentially at different rates to create five effective speeds of motion (7, 14, 41, 82, and 164°/s across the visual field). Stationary periods (same light spot always on) are interleaved between the moving periods. The speed response function (SRF), the hemodynamic response amplitude at each speed tested, is measured. Significant responses are observed in the SC and LGN at all speeds. In the SC, the SRF increases monotonically from 7 to 82°/s. The minimum response amplitude occurs at 164°/s. The results suggest that the SC is sensitive to slow moving visual stimuli but the hemodynamic response is reduced at higher speeds. In the LGN, the SRF exhibits a similar trend to that of the SC, but response amplitude during 7°/s stimulation is comparable to that during 164°/s stimulation. These findings are in good agreement with previous electrophysiology studies conducted on albino rats like the SD strain. This work represents the first fMRI study of stimulus speed dependence in the SC and is also the first fMRI study of motion responsiveness in the rat.
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18
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Lau C, Zhou IY, Cheung MM, Chan KC, Wu EX. BOLD temporal dynamics of rat superior colliculus and lateral geniculate nucleus following short duration visual stimulation. PLoS One 2011; 6:e18914. [PMID: 21559482 PMCID: PMC3084720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2010] [Accepted: 03/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The superior colliculus (SC) and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) are important subcortical structures for vision. Much of our understanding of vision was obtained using invasive and small field of view (FOV) techniques. In this study, we use non-invasive, large FOV blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI to measure the SC and LGN's response temporal dynamics following short duration (1 s) visual stimulation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Experiments are performed at 7 tesla on Sprague Dawley rats stimulated in one eye with flashing light. Gradient-echo and spin-echo sequences are used to provide complementary information. An anatomical image is acquired from one rat after injection of monocrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles (MION), a blood vessel contrast agent. BOLD responses are concentrated in the contralateral SC and LGN. The SC BOLD signal measured with gradient-echo rises to 50% of maximum amplitude (PEAK) 0.2±0.2 s before the LGN signal (p<0.05). The LGN signal returns to 50% of PEAK 1.4±1.2 s before the SC signal (p<0.05). These results indicate the SC signal rises faster than the LGN signal but settles slower. Spin-echo results support these findings. The post-MION image shows the SC and LGN lie beneath large blood vessels. This subcortical vasculature is similar to that in the cortex, which also lies beneath large vessels. The LGN lies closer to the large vessels than much of the SC. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The differences in response timing between SC and LGN are very similar to those between deep and shallow cortical layers following electrical stimulation, which are related to depth-dependent blood vessel dilation rates. This combined with the similarities in vasculature between subcortex and cortex suggest the SC and LGN timing differences are also related to depth-dependent dilation rates. This study shows for the first time that BOLD responses in the rat SC and LGN following short duration visual stimulation are temporally different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Condon Lau
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Iris Y. Zhou
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Matthew M. Cheung
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Kevin C. Chan
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Ed X. Wu
- Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
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19
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Neural substrates of sensory-guided locomotor decisions in the rat superior colliculus. Neuron 2008; 60:137-48. [PMID: 18940594 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2008] [Revised: 08/01/2008] [Accepted: 09/05/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Deciding in which direction to move is a ubiquitous feature of animal behavior, but the neural substrates of locomotor choices are not well understood. The superior colliculus (SC) is a midbrain structure known to be important for controlling the direction of gaze, particularly when guided by visual or auditory cues, but which may play a more general role in behavior involving spatial orienting. To test this idea, we recorded and manipulated activity in the SC of freely moving rats performing an odor-guided spatial choice task. In this context, not only did a substantial majority of SC neurons encode choice direction during goal-directed locomotion, but many also predicted the upcoming choice and maintained selectivity for it after movement completion. Unilateral inactivation of SC activity profoundly altered spatial choices. These results indicate that the SC processes information necessary for spatial locomotion, suggesting a broad role for this structure in sensory-guided orienting and navigation.
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20
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Calton JL, Turner CS, Cyrenne DLM, Lee BR, Taube JS. Landmark control and updating of self-movement cues are largely maintained in head direction cells after lesions of the posterior parietal cortex. Behav Neurosci 2008; 122:827-40. [PMID: 18729636 PMCID: PMC2771080 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.122.4.827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Head direction (HD) cells discharge as a function of the rat's directional orientation with respect to its environment. Because animals with posterior parietal cortex (PPC) lesions exhibit spatial and navigational deficits, and the PPC is indirectly connected to areas containing HD cells, we determined the effects of bilateral PPC lesions on HD cells recorded in the anterodorsal thalamus. HD cells from lesioned animals had similar firing properties compared to controls and their preferred firing directions shifted a corresponding amount following rotation of the major visual landmark. Because animals were not exposed to the visual landmark until after surgical recovery, these results provide evidence that the PPC is not necessary for visual landmark control or the establishment of landmark stability. Further, cells from lesioned animals maintained a stable preferred firing direction when they foraged in the dark and were only slightly less stable than controls when they self-locomoted into a novel enclosure. These findings suggest that PPC does not play a major role in the use of landmark and self-movement cues in updating the HD cell signal, or in its generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L Calton
- Department of Psychology, California State University-Sacramento, CA, USA
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21
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Weldon DA, DiNieri JA, Silver MR, Thomas AA, Wright RE. Reward-related neuronal activity in the rat superior colliculus. Behav Brain Res 2007; 177:160-4. [PMID: 17145084 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2006.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2006] [Revised: 10/30/2006] [Accepted: 11/02/2006] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The activity of single units in the intermediate and deep layers of the superior colliculus was recorded while rats performed an operant conditioning task. On all trials, each animal pressed a bar and then inserted his snout into a food cup; on half of the trials, food reinforcement was available. To test for tactile sensitivity, on half of the trials the rats received a puff of air to the face when the snout entered the food cup. Activity of most cells was correlated with the motor activity of inserting the snout into the food cup, even when reinforcement was not available. For many cells, a larger burst of activity was seen on the reinforced trials than on trials when rats made the same movements without the presence of reward. There was no evidence that an increase in tactile sensitivity occurred when the animal retrieved the reinforcement. These results suggest that cells in the superior colliculus have an increase in activity associated with reward retrieval, which for some neurons is not dependent on simple sensory or motor factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas A Weldon
- Department of Psychology, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY 13323, United States.
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22
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Abstract
Place cells of the rat hippocampus are a dominant model system for understanding the role of the hippocampus in learning and memory at the level of single-unit and neural ensemble responses. A complete understanding of the information processing and computations performed by the hippocampus requires detailed knowledge about the properties of the representations that are present in hippocampal afferents and efferents in order to decipher the transformations that occur to these representations in the hippocampal circuitry. Neural recordings in behaving rats have revealed a number of brain areas that contain place-related firing properties in the parahippocampal regions and in other brain regions that are thought to interact with the hippocampus in certain behavioral tasks. Although investigators have just begun to scratch the surface in terms of understanding these properties, differences in the precise nature of the spatial firing between the hippocampus and these other regions promise to reveal important clues regarding the exact role of the hippocampus in learning and memory and the nature of its interactions with other brain systems to support adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Knierim
- Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, W.M. Keck Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 77225, USA.
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23
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Kaske A, Winber G, Cöster J. Motor-maps, navigation and implicit space representation in the hippocampus. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2006; 94:46-57. [PMID: 16331489 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-005-0021-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2004] [Accepted: 09/09/2005] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Multiple sensory-motor maps located in the brainstem and the cortex are involved in spatial orientation. Guiding movements of eyes, head, neck and arms they provide an approximately linear relation between target distance and motor response. This involves especially the superior colliculus in the brainstem and the parietal cortex. There, the natural frame of reference follows from the retinal representation of the environment. A model of navigation is presented that is based on the modulation of activity in those sensory-motor maps. The actual mechanism chosen was gain-field modulation, a process of multimodal integration that has been demonstrated in the parietal cortex and superior colliculus, and was implemented as attraction to visual cues (colour). Dependent on the metric of the sensory-motor map, the relative attraction to these cues implemented as gain field modulation and their position define a fixed point attractor on the plane for locomotive behaviour. The actual implementation used Kohonen-networks in a variant of reinforcement learning that are well suited to generate such topographically organized sensory-motor maps with roughly linear visuo-motor response characteristics. In the following, it was investigated how such an implicit coding of target positions by gain-field parameters might be represented in the hippocampus formation and under what conditions a direction-invariant space representation can arise from such retinotopic representations of multiple cues. Information about the orientation in the plane--as could be provided by head direction cells--appeared to be necessary for unambiguous space representation in our model in agreement with physiological experiments. With this information, Gauss-shaped "place-cells" could be generated, however, the representation of the spatial environment was repetitive and clustered and single cells were always tuned to the gain-field parameters as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kaske
- BioComplexity Group, MTC, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Sakata S, Yamamori T, Sakurai Y. Behavioral studies of auditory-visual spatial recognition and integration in rats. Exp Brain Res 2004; 159:409-17. [PMID: 15249987 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-004-1962-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2003] [Accepted: 05/02/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rodents are useful animal models in the study of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying various neural functions. For studying behavioral properties associated with multisensory functions in rats, we measured the speed and accuracy of target detection by the reaction-time procedure. In the first experiment, we utilized simple two-alternative-choice tasks, in which spatial cues are visual or auditory modalities, and conducted a cross-modal transfer test in order to determine whether rats recognize amodal spatial information. Rats showed successful performance in the cross-modal transfer test and the speed to respond to sensory stimuli was constant under a rule-consistent condition despite the change in cue modality. In the second experiment, we developed audiovisual two-alternative-choice tasks, in which both auditory and visual stimuli were simultaneously presented but one of the two modalities was task-relevant, in order to determine whether the response to the sensory stimulation of one modality is enhanced by the stimulation of a different modality. If bimodal stimuli were spatially coincident, the speed for detecting the relevant stimulus was shortened and the extent of the effect was comparable to those in past studies of humans and other mammals. These results indicate the cross-modal spatial abilities of rats and our present paradigms may provide useful behavioral tasks for studying the neural bases of multisensory processing and integration in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuzo Sakata
- Division of Speciation Mechanisms 1, National Institute for Basic Biology, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, 444-8585 Okazaki, Japan
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25
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Rossier J, Schenk F. Olfactory and/or visual cues for spatial navigation through ontogeny: olfactory cues enable the use of visual cues. Behav Neurosci 2003; 117:412-25. [PMID: 12802871 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.117.3.412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This study analyzed the spatial memory capacities of rats in darkness with visual and/or olfactory cues through ontogeny. Tests were conducted with the homing board, where rats had to find the correct escape hole. Four age groups (24 days, 48 days, 3-6 months, and 12 months) were trained in 3 conditions: (a) 3 identical light cues; (b) 5 different olfactory cues; and (c) both types of cues, followed by removal of the olfactory cues. Results indicate that immature rats first take into account olfactory information but are unable to orient with only the help of discrete visual cues. Olfaction enables the use of visual information by 48-day-old rats. Visual information predominantly supports spatial cognition in adult and 12-month-old rats. Results point out cooperation between vision and olfaction for place navigation during ontogeny in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Rossier
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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26
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Nicholson DA, Freeman JH. Neuronal correlates of conditioned inhibition of the eyeblink response in the anterior interpositus nucleus. Behav Neurosci 2002. [DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.116.1.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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27
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Cooper BG, Manka TF, Mizumori SJ. Finding your way in the dark: the retrosplenial cortex contributes to spatial memory and navigation without visual cues. Behav Neurosci 2001; 115:1012-28. [PMID: 11584914 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.115.5.1012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Path integration is presumed to rely on self-motion cues to identify locations in space and is subject to cumulative error. The authors tested the hypothesis that rats use memory to reduce such errors and that the retrosplenial cortex contributes to this process. Rats were trained for 1 week to hoard food in an arena after beginning a trial from a fixed starting location; probe trials were then conducted in which they began a trial from a novel place in light or darkness. After control injections, rats searched around the training location, showing normal spatial memory. Inactivation of the retrosplenial cortex disrupted this search preference. To assess accuracy during navigation, rats were then trained to perform multiple trials daily, with a fixed or a different starting location in light or darkness. Retrosplenial cortex inactivation impaired accuracy in darkness. The retrosplenial cortex may provide mnemonic information, which decreases errors when navigating in the dark.
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Affiliation(s)
- B G Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, USA
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28
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Temporary inactivation of the retrosplenial cortex causes a transient reorganization of spatial coding in the hippocampus. J Neurosci 2001. [PMID: 11356886 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.21-11-03986.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to navigate accurately is dependent on the integration of visual and movement-related cues. Navigation based on metrics derived from movement is referred to as path integration. Recent theories of navigation have suggested that posterior cortical areas, the retrosplenial and posterior parietal cortex, are involved in path integration during navigation. In support of this hypothesis, we have found previously that temporary inactivation of retrosplenial cortex results in dark-selective impairments on the radial maze (Cooper and Mizumori, 1999). To understand further the role of the retrosplenial cortex in navigation, we combined temporary inactivation of retrosplenial cortex with recording of complex spike cells in the hippocampus. Thus, behavioral performance during spatial memory testing could be compared with place-field responses before, and during, inactivation of retrosplenial cortex. In the first experiment, behavioral results confirmed that inactivation of retrosplenial cortex only impairs radial maze performance in darkness when animals are at asymptote levels of performance. A second experiment revealed that retrosplenial cortex inactivation impaired spatial learning during initial light training. In both experiments, the normal location of hippocampal "place fields" was changed by temporary inactivation of retrosplenial cortex, whereas other electrophysiological properties of the cells were not affected. The changes in place coding occurred in the presence, and absence, of behavioral impairments. We suggest that the retrosplenial cortex provides mnemonic spatial information for updating location codes in the hippocampus, thereby facilitating accurate path integration. In this way, the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampus may be part of an interactive neural system that mediates navigation.
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Abstract
In the field of the neurobiology of learning, significant emphasis has been placed on understanding neural plasticity within a single structure (or synapse type) as it relates to a particular type of learning mediated by a particular brain area. To appreciate fully the breadth of the plasticity responsible for complex learning phenomena, it is imperative that we also examine the neural mechanisms of the behavioral instantiation of learned information, how motivational systems interact, and how past memories affect the learning process. To address this issue, we describe a model of complex learning (rodent adaptive navigation) that could be used to study dynamically interactive neural systems. Adaptive navigation depends on the efficient integration of external and internal sensory information with motivational systems to arrive at the most effective cognitive and/or behavioral strategies. We present evidence consistent with the view that during navigation: 1) the limbic thalamus and limbic cortex is primarily responsible for the integration of current and expected sensory information, 2) the hippocampal-septal-hypothalamic system provides a mechanism whereby motivational perspectives bias sensory processing, and 3) the amygdala-prefrontal-striatal circuit allows animals to evaluate the expected reinforcement consequences of context-dependent behavioral responses. Although much remains to be determined regarding the nature of the interactions among neural systems, new insights have emerged regarding the mechanisms that underlie flexible and adaptive behavioral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Mizumori
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA.
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30
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Abstract
The hippocampus appears to undergo continual representational reorganization as animals navigate their environments. This reorganization is postulated to be reflected spatially in terms of changes in the ensemble of place cells activated, as well as changes in place field specificity and reliability for cells recorded in both hilar/CA3 and CA1 regions. The specific contribution of the hilar/CA3 region is suggested to be to compare the expected spatial context with that currently being experienced, then relay discrepancies to CA1. The properties of CA1 place fields in part reflect the spatial comparisons made in the hilar/CA3 area. In addition, CA1 organizes the input received from the hilar/CA3 place cells according to different temporal algorithms that are unique to different tasks. In this way, hippocampus helps to distinguish temporally one spatial context from another, thereby contributing to episodic memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Mizumori
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA.
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31
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Abstract
There is an emerging consensus that retrosplenial and posterior parietal cortex importantly contribute to navigation. Several theories of navigation have argued that these cortical areas, particularly retrosplenial cortex, are involved in path integration. In an effort to characterize the role of retrosplenial cortex in active navigation, the effects of temporary inactivation of retrosplenial cortex on spatial memory performance were evaluated in light and dark testing conditions. Inactivation of retrosplenial cortex selectively resulted in behavioral impairments when animals were tested in darkness. These data support the hypothesis that retrosplenial cortex contributes to navigation in darkness, perhaps by providing mnemonic associations of the visual and nonvisual environment that can be used to correct for cumulative errors that occur during path integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- B G Cooper
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA
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