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Murai T, Bailey L, Schultz L, Mongeau L, DeSana A, Silva AC, Roberts AC, Sukoff Rizzo SJ. Improving preclinical to clinical translation of cognitive function for aging-related disorders: the utility of comprehensive touchscreen testing batteries in common marmosets. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:325-348. [PMID: 38200282 PMCID: PMC11039501 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01144-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Concerns about poor animal to human translation have come increasingly to the fore, in particular with regards to cognitive improvements in rodent models, which have failed to translate to meaningful clinical benefit in humans. This problem has been widely acknowledged, most recently in the field of Alzheimer's disease, although this issue pervades the spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative diseases. Consequently, recent efforts have focused on improving preclinical to clinical translation by incorporating more clinically analogous outcome measures of cognition, such as touchscreen-based assays, which can be employed across species, and have great potential to minimize the translational gap. For aging-related research, it also is important to incorporate model systems that facilitate the study of the long prodromal phase in which cognitive decline begins to emerge and which is a major limitation of short-lived species, such as laboratory rodents. We posit that to improve translation of cognitive function and dysfunction, nonhuman primate models, which have conserved anatomical and functional organization of the primate brain, are necessary to move the field of translational research forward and to bridge the translational gaps. The present studies describe the establishment of a comprehensive battery of touchscreen-based tasks that capture a spectrum of domains sensitive to detecting aging-related cognitive decline, which will provide the greatest benefit through longitudinal evaluation throughout the prolonged lifespan of the marmoset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Murai
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lauren Bailey
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Laura Schultz
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lauren Mongeau
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Andrew DeSana
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Afonso C Silva
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 514A Bridgeside Point 1, 100 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stacey J Sukoff Rizzo
- Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 514A Bridgeside Point 1, 100 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA.
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Watson MR, Traczewski N, Dunghana S, Boroujeni KB, Neumann A, Wen X, Womelsdorf T. A Multi-task Platform for Profiling Cognitive and Motivational Constructs in Humans and Nonhuman Primates. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.09.566422. [PMID: 38014107 PMCID: PMC10680597 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.09.566422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Background Understanding the neurobiological substrates of psychiatric disorders requires comprehensive evaluations of cognitive and motivational functions in preclinical research settings. The translational validity of such evaluations will be supported by (1) tasks with high construct validity that are engaging and easy to teach to human and nonhuman participants, (2) software that enables efficient switching between multiple tasks in single sessions, (3) software that supports tasks across a broad range of physical experimental setups, and (4) by platform architectures that are easily extendable and customizable to encourage future optimization and development. New Method We describe the Multi-task Universal Suite for Experiments ( M-USE ), a software platform designed to meet these requirements. It leverages the Unity video game engine and C# programming language to (1) support immersive and engaging tasks for humans and nonhuman primates, (2) allow experimenters or participants to switch between multiple tasks within-session, (3) generate builds that function across computers, tablets, and websites, and (4) is freely available online with documentation and tutorials for users and developers. M-USE includes a task library with seven pre-existing tasks assessing cognitive and motivational constructs of perception, attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, motivational and affective self-control, relational long-term memory, and visuo-spatial problem solving. Results M-USE was used to test NHPs on up to six tasks per session, all available as part of the Task Library, and to extract performance metrics for all major cognitive and motivational constructs spanning the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) of the National Institutes of Mental Health. Comparison with Existing Methods Other experiment design and control systems exist, but do not provide the full range of features available in M-USE, including a pre-existing task library for cross-species assessments; the ability to switch seamlessly between tasks in individual sessions; cross-platform build capabilities; license-free availability; and its leveraging of video-engine capabilities used to gamify tasks. Conclusions The new multi-task platform facilitates cross-species translational research for understanding the neurobiological substrates of higher cognitive and motivational functions.
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Feng YY, Bromberg-Martin ES, Monosov IE. Dorsal raphe neurons signal integrated value during multi-attribute decision-making. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.17.553745. [PMID: 37662243 PMCID: PMC10473596 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.17.553745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is implicated in psychiatric disorders that feature impaired sensitivity to reward amount, impulsivity when facing reward delays, and risk-seeking when grappling with reward uncertainty. However, whether and how DRN neurons signal reward amount, reward delay, and reward uncertainty during multi-attribute value-based decision-making, where subjects consider all these attributes to make a choice, is unclear. We recorded DRN neurons as monkeys chose between offers whose attributes, namely expected reward amount, reward delay, and reward uncertainty, varied independently. Many DRN neurons signaled offer attributes. Remarkably, these neurons commonly integrated offer attributes in a manner that reflected monkeys' overall preferences for amount, delay, and uncertainty. After decision-making, in response to post-decision feedback, these same neurons signaled signed reward prediction errors, suggesting a broader role in tracking value across task epochs and behavioral contexts. Our data illustrate how DRN participates in integrated value computations, guiding theories of DRN in decision-making and psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang-Yang Feng
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | - Ilya E. Monosov
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Sukoff Rizzo SJ, Homanics G, Schaeffer DJ, Schaeffer L, Park JE, Oluoch J, Zhang T, Haber A, Seyfried NT, Paten B, Greenwood A, Murai T, Choi SH, Huhe H, Kofler J, Strick PL, Carter GW, Silva AC. Bridging the rodent to human translational gap: Marmosets as model systems for the study of Alzheimer's disease. ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA (NEW YORK, N. Y.) 2023; 9:e12417. [PMID: 37614242 PMCID: PMC10442521 DOI: 10.1002/trc2.12417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Our limited understanding of the mechanisms that trigger the emergence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has contributed to the lack of interventions that stop, prevent, or fully treat this disease. We believe that the development of a non-human primate model of AD will be an essential step toward overcoming limitations of other model systems and is crucial for investigating primate-specific mechanisms underlying the cellular and molecular root causes of the pathogenesis and progression of AD. Methods A new consortium has been established with funding support from the National Institute on Aging aimed at the generation, characterization, and validation of Marmosets As Research Models of AD (MARMO-AD). This consortium will study gene-edited marmoset models carrying genetic risk for AD and wild-type genetically diverse aging marmosets from birth throughout their lifespan, using non-invasive longitudinal assessments. These include characterizing the genetic, molecular, functional, behavioral, cognitive, and pathological features of aging and AD. Results The consortium successfully generated viable founders carrying PSEN1 mutations in C410Y and A426P using CRISPR/Cas9 approaches, with germline transmission demonstrated in the C410Y line. Longitudinal characterization of these models, their germline offspring, and normal aging outbred marmosets is ongoing. All data and resources from this consortium will be shared with the greater AD research community. Discussion By establishing marmoset models of AD, we will be able to investigate primate-specific cellular and molecular root causes that underlie the pathogenesis and progression of AD, overcome limitations of other model organisms, and support future translational studies to accelerate the pace of bringing therapies to patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregg Homanics
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Lauren Schaeffer
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Jung Eun Park
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Julia Oluoch
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Tingting Zhang
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | | | - Benedict Paten
- University of California Santa Cruz Genomics InstituteUniversity of California Santa CruzSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Takeshi Murai
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Sang Ho Choi
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Hasi Huhe
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Julia Kofler
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Peter L. Strick
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Afonso C. Silva
- University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
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5
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Ngo GN, Hori Y, Everling S, Menon RS. Joint-embeddings reveal functional differences in default-mode network architecture between marmosets and humans. Neuroimage 2023; 272:120035. [PMID: 36948281 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The default-mode network (DMN) is a distributed functional brain system integral for social and higher-order cognition in humans with implications in a myriad of neuropsychological disorders. In this study, we compared the functional architecture of the DMN between humans and marmosets to assess their similarities and differences using joint gradients. This approach permits simultaneous large-scale mapping of functional systems across the cortex of humans and marmosets, revealing evidence of putative homologies between them. In doing so, we find that the DMN architecture of the marmoset exhibits differences along its anterolateral-posterior axis. Specifically, the anterolateral node of the DMN (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) displayed weak connections and inconsistent connection topographies as compared to its posterior DMN-nodes (posterior cingulate and posterior parietal cortices). We also present evidence that the marmoset medial prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe areas correspond to other macroscopical distributed functional systems that are not part of the DMN. Given the importance of the marmoset as a pre-clinical primate model for higher-order cognitive functioning and the DMN's relevance to cognition, our results suggest that the marmoset may lack the capacity to integrate neural information to subserve cortical dynamics that is necessary for supporting diverse cognitive demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey N Ngo
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Yuki Hori
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada; Department of Functional Brain Imaging, National Institutes of Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Stefan Everling
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada
| | - Ravi S Menon
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada.; Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada.
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Kell AJ, Bokor SL, Jeon YN, Toosi T, Issa EB. Marmoset core visual object recognition behavior is comparable to that of macaques and humans. iScience 2022; 26:105788. [PMID: 36594035 PMCID: PMC9804140 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Among the smallest simian primates, the common marmoset offers promise as an experimentally tractable primate model for neuroscience with translational potential to humans. However, given its exceedingly small brain and body, the gap in perceptual and cognitive abilities between marmosets and humans requires study. Here, we performed a comparison of marmoset behavior to that of three other species in the domain of high-level vision. We first found that marmosets outperformed rats - a marmoset-sized rodent - on a simple recognition task, with marmosets robustly recognizing objects across views. On a more challenging invariant object recognition task used previously in humans, marmosets also achieved high performance. Notably, across hundreds of images, marmosets' image-by-image behavior was highly similar to that of humans - nearly as human-like as macaque behavior. Thus, core aspects of visual perception are conserved across monkeys and humans, and marmosets present salient behavioral advantages over other small model organisms for visual neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J.E. Kell
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sophie L. Bokor
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - You-Nah Jeon
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Tahereh Toosi
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Elias B. Issa
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA,Corresponding author
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7
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Samandra R, Haque ZZ, Rosa MGP, Mansouri FA. The marmoset as a model for investigating the neural basis of social cognition in health and disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104692. [PMID: 35569579 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Social-cognitive processes facilitate the use of environmental cues to understand others, and to be understood by others. Animal models provide vital insights into the neural underpinning of social behaviours. To understand social cognition at even deeper behavioural, cognitive, neural, and molecular levels, we need to develop more representative study models, which allow testing of novel hypotheses using human-relevant cognitive tasks. Due to their cooperative breeding system and relatively small size, common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) offer a promising translational model for such endeavours. In addition to having social behavioural patterns and group dynamics analogous to those of humans, marmosets have cortical brain areas relevant for the mechanistic analysis of human social cognition, albeit in simplified form. Thus, they are likely suitable animal models for deciphering the physiological processes, connectivity and molecular mechanisms supporting advanced cognitive functions. Here, we review findings emerging from marmoset social and behavioural studies, which have already provided significant insights into executive, motivational, social, and emotional dysfunction associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranshikha Samandra
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Zakia Z Haque
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Marcello G P Rosa
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University, Australia.
| | - Farshad Alizadeh Mansouri
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; ARC Centre for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University, Australia.
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8
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Lear A, Baker SN, Clarke HF, Roberts AC, Schmid MC, Jarrett W. Understanding them to understand ourselves: The importance of NHP research for translational neuroscience. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 3:100049. [PMID: 36518342 PMCID: PMC9743051 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2022.100049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying higher brain function presents fundamental scientific challenges but has great potential for impactful translation to the clinic, supporting the needs of many patients suffering from conditions that relate to neuronal dysfunction. For many key questions relevant to human neurological conditions and clinical interventions, non-human primates (NHPs) remain the only suitable model organism and the only effective way to study the relationship between brain structure and function with the knowledge and tools currently available. Here we present three exemplary studies of current research yielding important findings that are directly translational to human clinical patients but which would be impossible without NHP studies. Our first example shows how studies of the NHP prefrontal cortex are leading to clinically relevant advances and potential new treatments for human neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. Our second example looks at the relevance of NHP research to our understanding of visual pathways and the visual cortex, leading to visual prostheses that offer treatments for otherwise blind patients. Finally, we consider recent advances in treatments leading to improved recovery of movement and motor control in stroke patients, resulting from our improved understanding of brain stem parallel pathways involved in movement in NHPs. The case for using NHPs in neuroscience research, and the direct benefits to human patients, is strong but has rarely been set out directly. This paper reviews three very different areas of neuroscience research, expressly highlighting the unique insights offered to each by NHP studies and their direct applicability to human clinical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabella Lear
- Understanding Animal Research, Abbey House, 74-76 St John Street, London, EC1M 4DZ, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart N Baker
- Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah F Clarke
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, CB2 3DY, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, CB2 3DY, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michael C Schmid
- Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland.,Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - Wendy Jarrett
- Understanding Animal Research, Abbey House, 74-76 St John Street, London, EC1M 4DZ, United Kingdom
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9
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Pizzagalli DA, Roberts AC. Prefrontal cortex and depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:225-246. [PMID: 34341498 PMCID: PMC8617037 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01101-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 75.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has emerged as one of the regions most consistently impaired in major depressive disorder (MDD). Although functional and structural PFC abnormalities have been reported in both individuals with current MDD as well as those at increased vulnerability to MDD, this information has not translated into better treatment and prevention strategies. Here, we argue that dissecting depressive phenotypes into biologically more tractable dimensions - negative processing biases, anhedonia, despair-like behavior (learned helplessness) - affords unique opportunities for integrating clinical findings with mechanistic evidence emerging from preclinical models relevant to depression, and thereby promises to improve our understanding of MDD. To this end, we review and integrate clinical and preclinical literature pertinent to these core phenotypes, while emphasizing a systems-level approach, treatment effects, and whether specific PFC abnormalities are causes or consequences of MDD. In addition, we discuss several key issues linked to cross-species translation, including functional brain homology across species, the importance of dissecting neural pathways underlying specific functional domains that can be fruitfully probed across species, and the experimental approaches that best ensure translatability. Future directions and clinical implications of this burgeoning literature are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego A Pizzagalli
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School & McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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10
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Rutherford LG, Milton AL. Deconstructing and reconstructing behaviour relevant to mental health disorders: The benefits of a psychological approach, with a focus on addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 133:104514. [PMID: 34958822 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.104514] [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: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RUTHERFORD, L.G. and Milton, A.L. Deconstructing and reconstructing behaviour relevant to mental health disorders: what can psychology offer? NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV XX(X)XXX-XXX, 2021. - Current treatments for mental health disorders are successful only for some patients, and there is an unmet clinical need for new treatment development. One challenge for treatment development has been how best to model complex human conditions in animals, where mechanism can be more readily studied with a range of neuroscientific techniques. We suggest that an approach to modelling based on associative animal learning theory provides a good framework for deconstructing complex mental health disorders such that they can be studied in animals. These individual simple models can subsequently be used in combination to 'reconstruct' a more complex model of the mental health disorder of interest. Using examples primarily from the field of drug addiction, we explore the 'psychological approach' and suggest that in addition to facilitating translation and backtranslation of tasks between animal models and patients, it is also highly concordant with the concept of triangulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy L Milton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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11
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Kwan C, Kang MS, Nuara SG, Gourdon JC, Bédard D, Tardif CL, Hopewell R, Ross K, Bdair H, Hamadjida A, Massarweh G, Soucy JP, Luo W, Del Cid Pellitero E, Shlaifer I, Durcan TM, Fon EA, Rosa-Neto P, Frey S, Huot P. Co-registration of Imaging Modalities (MRI, CT and PET) to Perform Frameless Stereotaxic Robotic Injections in the Common Marmoset. Neuroscience 2021; 480:143-154. [PMID: 34774970 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The common marmoset has emerged as a popular model in neuroscience research, in part due to its reproductive efficiency, genetic and neuroanatomical similarities to humans and the successful generation of transgenic lines. Stereotaxic procedures in marmosets are guided by 2D stereotaxic atlases, which are constructed with a limited number of animals and fail to account for inter-individual variability in skull and brain size. Here, we developed a frameless imaging-guided stereotaxic system that improves upon traditional approaches by using subject-specific registration of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) data to identify a surgical target, namely the putamen, in two marmosets. The skull surface was laser-scanned to create a point cloud that was registered to the 3D reconstruction of the skull from CT. Reconstruction of the skull, as well as of the brain from MR images, was crucial for surgical planning. Localisation and injection into the putamen was done using a 6-axis robotic arm controlled by a surgical navigation software (Brainsight™). Integration of subject-specific registration and frameless stereotaxic navigation allowed target localisation specific to each animal. Injection of alpha-synuclein fibrils into the putamen triggered progressive neurodegeneration of the nigro-striatal system, a key feature of Parkinson's disease. Four months post-surgery, a PET scan found evidence of nigro-striatal denervation, supporting accurate targeting of the putamen during co-registration and subsequent surgery. Our results suggest that this approach, coupled with frameless stereotaxic neuronavigation, is accurate in localising surgical targets and can be used to assess endpoints for longitudinal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Kwan
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Min Su Kang
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, Douglas Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Stephen G Nuara
- Comparative Medicine & Animal Resource Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jim C Gourdon
- Comparative Medicine & Animal Resource Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Dominique Bédard
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Christine L Tardif
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Robert Hopewell
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Karen Ross
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Hussein Bdair
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Adjia Hamadjida
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gassan Massarweh
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jean-Paul Soucy
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Wen Luo
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Esther Del Cid Pellitero
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Movement Disorder Clinic, Division of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Irina Shlaifer
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Thomas M Durcan
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Edward A Fon
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Movement Disorder Clinic, Division of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, Douglas Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Philippe Huot
- Neurodegenerative Disease Group, Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro), Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Movement Disorder Clinic, Division of Neurology, Department of Neuroscience, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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12
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Scott JT, Bourne JA. Modelling behaviors relevant to brain disorders in the nonhuman primate: Are we there yet? Prog Neurobiol 2021; 208:102183. [PMID: 34728308 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102183] [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: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent years have seen a profound resurgence of activity with nonhuman primates (NHPs) to model human brain disorders. From marmosets to macaques, the study of NHP species offers a unique window into the function of primate-specific neural circuits that are impossible to examine in other models. Examining how these circuits manifest into the complex behaviors of primates, such as advanced cognitive and social functions, has provided enormous insights to date into the mechanisms underlying symptoms of numerous neurological and neuropsychiatric illnesses. With the recent optimization of modern techniques to manipulate and measure neural activity in vivo, such as optogenetics and calcium imaging, NHP research is more well-equipped than ever to probe the neural mechanisms underlying pathological behavior. However, methods for behavioral experimentation and analysis in NHPs have noticeably failed to keep pace with these advances. As behavior ultimately lies at the junction between preclinical findings and its translation to clinical outcomes for brain disorders, approaches to improve the integrity, reproducibility, and translatability of behavioral experiments in NHPs requires critical evaluation. In this review, we provide a unifying account of existing brain disorder models using NHPs, and provide insights into the present and emerging contributions of behavioral studies to the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack T Scott
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - James A Bourne
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
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13
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Muñoz Y, Cuevas-Pacheco F, Quesseveur G, Murai KK. Light microscopic and heterogeneity analysis of astrocytes in the common marmoset brain. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:3121-3147. [PMID: 34716617 PMCID: PMC9541330 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Astrocytes are abundant cells of the central nervous system (CNS) and are involved in processes including synapse formation/function, ion homeostasis, neurotransmitter uptake, and neurovascular coupling. Recent evidence indicates that astrocytes show diverse molecular, structural, and physiological properties within the CNS. This heterogeneity is reflected in differences in astrocyte structure, gene expression, functional properties, and responsiveness to injury/pathological conditions. Deeper investigation of astrocytic heterogeneity is needed to understand how astrocytes are configured to enable diverse roles in the CNS. While much has been learned about astrocytic heterogeneity in rodents, much less is known about astrocytic heterogeneity in the primate brain where astrocytes have greater size and complexity. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a promising non‐human primate model because of similarities between marmosets and humans with respect to genetics, brain anatomy, and cognition/behavior. Here, we investigated the molecular and structural heterogeneity of marmoset astrocytes using an array of astrocytic markers, multi‐label confocal microscopy, and quantitative analysis. We used male and female marmosets and found that marmoset astrocytes show differences in expression of astrocytic markers in cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. These differences were accompanied by intra‐regional variation in expression of markers for glutamate/GABA transporters, and potassium and water channels. Differences in astrocyte structure were also found, along with complex interactions with blood vessels, microglia, and neurons. This study contributes to our knowledge of the cellular and molecular features of marmoset astrocytes and is useful for understanding the complex properties of astrocytes in the primate CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yorka Muñoz
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Francisco Cuevas-Pacheco
- Department of Mathematics, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria, Valparaiso, Chile.,Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa Maria, Valparaiso, Chile
| | - Gaël Quesseveur
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Keith K Murai
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Quantitative Life Sciences Graduate Program, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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14
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Stawicka ZM, Massoudi R, Oikonomidis L, McIver L, Mulvihill K, Quah SKL, Cockcroft GJ, Clarke HF, Horst NK, Wood CM, Roberts AC. Differential Effects of the Inactivation of Anterior and Posterior Orbitofrontal Cortex on Affective Responses to Proximal and Distal Threat, and Reward Anticipation in the Common Marmoset. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1319-1336. [PMID: 34494095 PMCID: PMC8971078 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural and functional abnormalities of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) have been implicated in affective disorders that manifest anxiety-related symptoms. However, research into the functions of primate OFC has predominantly focused on reward-oriented rather than threat-oriented responses. To redress this imbalance, the present study performed a comprehensive analysis of the independent role of 2 distinct subregions of the central OFC (anterior area 11; aOFC and posterior area 13; pOFC) in the processing of distal and proximal threat. Temporary inactivation of both aOFC and pOFC heightened responses to distal threat in the form of an unknown human, but not to proximal threat assessed in a discriminative Pavlovian conditioning task. Inactivation of the aOFC, however, did unexpectedly blunt conditioned threat responses, although the effect was not valence-specific, as conditioned appetitive responses were similarly blunted and appeared restricted to a discriminative version of the task (when both CS− and CS+ are present within a session). Inactivation of the pOFC did not affect conditioned responses to either proximal threat or reward and basal cardiovascular activity was unaffected by manipulations of activity in either subregion. The results highlight the contribution of aOFC and pOFC to regulation of responses to more distal uncertain but not proximal, certain threat and reveal their opposing contribution to that of the immediately adjacent medial OFC, area 14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzanna M Stawicka
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Roohollah Massoudi
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Lydia Oikonomidis
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Lauren McIver
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Kevin Mulvihill
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK
| | - Shaun K L Quah
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | | | - Hannah F Clarke
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Nicole K Horst
- Now at Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3PT, UK.,Now at Postdoc Academy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 1AS, UK
| | - Christian M Wood
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.,Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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15
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Nichols ES, Erez J, Stojanoski B, Lyons KM, Witt ST, Mace CA, Khalid S, Owen AM. Longitudinal white matter changes associated with cognitive training. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:4722-4739. [PMID: 34268814 PMCID: PMC8410562 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Improvements in behavior are known to be accompanied by both structural and functional changes in the brain. However, whether those changes lead to more general improvements, beyond the behavior being trained, remains a contentious issue. We investigated whether training on one of two cognitive tasks would lead to either near transfer (that is, improvements on a quantifiably similar task) or far transfer (that is, improvements on a quantifiably different task), and furthermore, if such changes did occur, what the underlying neural mechanisms might be. Healthy adults (n = 16, 15 females) trained on either a verbal inhibitory control task or a visuospatial working memory task for 4 weeks, over the course of which they received five diffusion tensor imaging scans. Two additional tasks served as measures of near and far transfer. Behaviorally, participants improved on the task that they trained on, but did not improve on cognitively similar tests (near transfer), nor cognitively dissimilar tests (far transfer). Extensive changes to white matter microstructure were observed, with verbal inhibitory control training leading to changes in a left-lateralized network of frontotemporal and occipitofrontal tracts, and visuospatial working memory training leading to changes in right-lateralized frontoparietal tracts. Very little overlap was observed in changes between the two training groups. On the basis of these results, we suggest that near and far transfer were not observed because the changes in white matter tracts associated with training on each task are almost entirely nonoverlapping with, and therefore afford no advantages for, the untrained tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Sophia Nichols
- Faculty of Education, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan Erez
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bobby Stojanoski
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kathleen Michelle Lyons
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Charlotte Anna Mace
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sameera Khalid
- Neuroscience Program, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adrian Mark Owen
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Yuan R, Nechvatal JM, Buckmaster CL, Ayash S, Parker KJ, Schatzberg AF, Lyons DM, Menon V. Long-term effects of intermittent early life stress on primate prefrontal-subcortical functional connectivity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1348-1356. [PMID: 33495547 PMCID: PMC8134590 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-00956-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Correlational studies of humans suggest that exposure to early life stress has long-term effects on neural circuits involved in vulnerability and resilience to mental health disorders. Stress-related mental health disorders are more prevalent in women than in men. Here, female squirrel monkeys are randomized to intermittently stressful (IS) social separations or a non-separated (NS) control condition conducted from 17 to 27 weeks of age. Nine years later in mid-life adulthood, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was employed to parcellate prefrontal cortex (PFC). Resulting subdivisions were then used to characterize functional connectivity within PFC, and between PFC subdivisions and subcortical regions that are known to be altered by stress. Extensive hyper-connectivity of medial and orbitofrontal PFC with amygdala, hippocampus, and striatum was observed in IS compared to NS monkeys. Functional hyper-connectivity in IS monkeys was associated with previously reported indications of diminished anxiety-like behavior induced by prepubertal stress. Hyper-connectivity of PFC with amygdala and with hippocampus was also associated with increased ventral striatal dopamine D2 and/or D3 receptor (DRD2/3) availability assessed with positron emission tomography (PET) of [11C]raclopride binding in adulthood. Ventral striatal DRD2/3 availability has been linked to cognitive control, which plays a key role in stress coping as an aspect of emotion regulation. These findings provide causal support for enduring neurobiological effects of early life stress and suggest novel targets for new treatments of stress-related mental health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Yuan
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA
| | - Jordan M. Nechvatal
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.240952.80000000087342732Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford, USA
| | - Christine L. Buckmaster
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA
| | - Sarah Ayash
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.410607.4Translational Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Hanns-Dieter-Huesch Weg 19, 55128 Mainz, Germany ,grid.509458.50000 0004 8087 0005Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Hanns-Dieter-Huesch Weg 19, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Karen J. Parker
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Alan F. Schatzberg
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - David M. Lyons
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA. .,Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford, USA. .,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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17
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Murai T, Sukoff Rizzo SJ. The Importance of Complementary Collaboration of Researchers, Veterinarians, and Husbandry Staff in the Successful Training of Marmoset Behavioral Assays. ILAR J 2021; 61:230-247. [PMID: 33501501 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilaa024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Interest in marmosets as research models has seen exponential growth over the last decade, especially given that the research community is eager to improve on gaps with historical animal models for behavioral and cognitive disorders. The spectrum of human disease traits that present naturally in marmosets, as well as the range of analogous human behaviors that can be assessed in marmosets, makes them ideally suited as translational models for behavioral and cognitive disorders. Regardless of the specific research aims of any project, without close collaboration between researchers, veterinarians, and animal care staff, it would be impossible to meet these goals. Behavior is inherently variable, as are marmosets that are genetically and phenotypically diverse. Thus, to ensure rigor, reliability, and reproducibility in results, it is important that in the research environment, the animal's daily husbandry and veterinary needs are being met and align with the research goals while keeping the welfare of the animal the most critical and highest priority. Much of the information described herein provides details on key components for successful behavioral testing, based on a compendium of methods from peer-reviewed publications and our own experiences. Specific areas highlighted include habituation procedures, selection of appropriate rewards, optimization of testing environments, and ways to integrate regular veterinary and husbandry procedures into the research program with minimal disruptions to the behavioral testing plan. This article aims to provide a broad foundation for researchers new to establishing behavioral and cognitive testing paradigms in marmosets and especially for the veterinary and husbandry colleagues who are indispensable collaborators of these research projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Murai
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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18
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Wooldridge LM, Bergman J, Pizzagalli DA, Kangas BD. Translational Assessments of Reward Responsiveness in the Marmoset. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 24:409-418. [PMID: 33280005 PMCID: PMC8130205 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyaa090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anhedonia, the loss of pleasure in previously rewarding activities, is a prominent feature of major depressive disorder and often resistant to first-line antidepressant treatment. A paucity of translatable cross-species tasks to assess subdomains of anhedonia, including reward learning, presents a major obstacle to the development of effective therapeutics. One assay of reward learning characterized by orderly behavioral and pharmacological findings in both humans and rats is the probabilistic reward task. In this computerized task, subjects make discriminations across numerous trials in which correct responses to one alternative are rewarded more often (rich) than correct responses to the other (lean). Healthy control subjects reliably develop a response bias to the rich alternative. However, participants with major depressive disorder as well as rats exposed to chronic stress typically exhibit a blunted response bias. METHODS The present studies validated a touchscreen-based probabilistic reward task for the marmoset, a small nonhuman primate with considerable translational value. First, probabilistic reinforcement contingencies were parametrically examined. Next, the effects of ketamine (1.0-10.0 mg/kg), a US Food and Drug Administration-approved rapid-acting antidepressant, and phencyclidine (0.01-0.1 mg/kg), a pharmacologically similar N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist with no known antidepressant efficacy, were evaluated. RESULTS Increases in the asymmetry of rich:lean probabilistic contingencies produced orderly increases in response bias. Consistent with their respective clinical profiles, ketamine but not phencyclidine produced dose-related increases in response bias at doses that did not reduce task discriminability. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these findings confirm task and pharmacological sensitivity in the marmoset, which may be useful in developing medications to counter anhedonia across neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jack Bergman
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brian D Kangas
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA,Correspondence: Brian D. Kangas, PhD, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478 ()
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19
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Schaeffer DJ, Hori Y, Gilbert KM, Gati JS, Menon RS, Everling S. Divergence of rodent and primate medial frontal cortex functional connectivity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:21681-21689. [PMID: 32817555 PMCID: PMC7474619 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2003181117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
With the medial frontal cortex (MFC) centrally implicated in several major neuropsychiatric disorders, it is critical to understand the extent to which MFC organization is comparable between humans and animals commonly used in preclinical research (namely rodents and nonhuman primates). Although the cytoarchitectonic structure of the rodent MFC has mostly been conserved in humans, it is a long-standing question whether the structural analogies translate to functional analogies. Here, we probed this question using ultra high field fMRI data to compare rat, marmoset, and human MFC functional connectivity. First, we applied hierarchical clustering to intrinsically define the functional boundaries of the MFC in all three species, independent of cytoarchitectonic definitions. Then, we mapped the functional connectivity "fingerprints" of these regions with a number of different brain areas. Because rats do not share cytoarchitectonically defined regions of the lateral frontal cortex (LFC) with primates, the fingerprinting method also afforded the unique ability to compare the rat MFC and marmoset LFC, which have often been suggested to be functional analogs. The results demonstrated remarkably similar intrinsic functional organization of the MFC across the species, but clear differences between rodent and primate MFC whole-brain connectivity. Rat MFC patterns of connectivity showed greatest similarity with premotor regions in the marmoset, rather than dorsolateral prefrontal regions, which are often suggested to be functionally comparable. These results corroborate the viability of the marmoset as a preclinical model of human MFC dysfunction, and suggest divergence of functional connectivity between rats and primates in both the MFC and LFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Schaeffer
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada;
| | - Yuki Hori
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Kyle M Gilbert
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Joseph S Gati
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Ravi S Menon
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Stefan Everling
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada
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20
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Trait Anxiety Mediated by Amygdala Serotonin Transporter in the Common Marmoset. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4739-4749. [PMID: 32393533 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2930-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
High trait anxiety is associated with altered activity across emotion regulation circuitry and a higher risk of developing anxiety disorders and depression. This circuitry is extensively modulated by serotonin. Here, to understand why some people may be more vulnerable to developing affective disorders, we investigated whether serotonin-related gene expression across the brain's emotion regulation circuitry may underlie individual differences in trait anxiety using the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus, mixed sexes) as a model. First, we assessed the association of region-specific expression of the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) and serotonin receptor (HTR1A, HTR2A, HTR2C) genes with anxiety-like behavior; and second, we investigated their causal role in two key features of the high trait anxious phenotype: high responsivity to anxiety-provoking stimuli and an exaggerated conditioned threat response. While the expression of the serotonin receptors did not show a significant relationship with anxiety-like behavior in any of the targeted brain regions, serotonin transporter expression, specifically within the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and most strongly in the right amygdala, was associated positively with anxiety-like behavior. The causal relationship between amygdala serotonin levels and an animal's sensitivity to threat was confirmed via direct amygdala infusions of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), citalopram. Both anxiety-like behaviors, and conditioned threat-induced responses were reduced by the blockade of serotonin reuptake in the amygdala. Together, these findings provide evidence that high amygdala serotonin transporter expression contributes to the high trait anxious phenotype and suggest that reduction of threat reactivity by SSRIs may be mediated by their actions in the amygdala.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Findings here contribute to our understanding of how the serotonin system underlies an individual's expression of threat-elicited negative emotions such as anxiety and fear within nonhuman primates. Exploration of serotonergic gene expression across brain regions implicated in emotion regulation revealed that serotonin transporter gene expression in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and most strongly in the amygdala, but none of the serotonin receptor genes, were predictive of interindividual differences in anxiety-like behavior. Targeting of amygdala serotonin reuptake with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) confirmed the causal relationship between amygdala serotonin transporter and an animal's sensitivity to threat by reversing expression of two key features of the high trait-like anxiety phenotype: high responsivity to anxiety-provoking uncertain threat and responsivity to certain conditioned threat.
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21
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Open access resource for cellular-resolution analyses of corticocortical connectivity in the marmoset monkey. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1133. [PMID: 32111833 PMCID: PMC7048793 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14858-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the principles of neuronal connectivity requires tools for efficient quantification and visualization of large datasets. The primate cortex is particularly challenging due to its complex mosaic of areas, which in many cases lack clear boundaries. Here, we introduce a resource that allows exploration of results of 143 retrograde tracer injections in the marmoset neocortex. Data obtained in different animals are registered to a common stereotaxic space using an algorithm guided by expert delineation of histological borders, allowing accurate assignment of connections to areas despite interindividual variability. The resource incorporates tools for analyses relative to cytoarchitectural areas, including statistical properties such as the fraction of labeled neurons and the percentage of supragranular neurons. It also provides purely spatial (parcellation-free) data, based on the stereotaxic coordinates of 2 million labeled neurons. This resource helps bridge the gap between high-density cellular connectivity studies in rodents and imaging-based analyses of human brains. Understanding principles of neuronal connectivity requires tools for quantification and visualization of large datasets. Here, the authors introduce an online resource encompassing the coordinates of two million neurons labelled by tracer injections in the marmoset cortex, and analysis tools.
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22
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Xu C, Chen J, Cui Z, Wen R, Han H, Jin L, Wan G, Wei Z, Peng Z. Abnormal Anhedonia as a Potential Endophenotype in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2020; 16:3001-3010. [PMID: 33324061 PMCID: PMC7733443 DOI: 10.2147/ndt.s268148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is often accompanied by cognitive, particularly executive function, impairments. Recently, anhedonia has emerged as an apparently important symptom of OCD reflecting altered emotion regulation. These two aspects are often comorbid in OCD. However, little is known about whether anhedonia may be a trait marker for OCD. METHODS To verify the role of executive function and evaluate the role of anhedonia in OCD and its relationship with OCD symptoms, we recruited 60 OCD patients, 30 unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs), and 60 healthy controls (HCs). Participants completed psychometric testing to assess depression, anxiety, and anhedonia symptoms, as well as two cognitive tests to assess executive function, namely the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT). RESULTS Compared to HCs, OCD patients and FDRs had significantly lower anticipatory and consummatory pleasure scores. The severity of anticipatory anhedonia correlated positively with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (r = 0.253, p = 0.009), even after controlling for depression and anxiety symptoms. Compared to HCs, OCD patients and FDRs made more errors and achieved fewer categories in the WCST. For all three SWCT components, OCD patients and FDRs took more time to name colors than HCs, but the three groups had similar numbers of errors. CONCLUSION This family-based study showed dampened pleasure together with cognitive dysfunction in OCD patients. The similar consummatory pleasure findings between OCD and FDR groups suggest anhedonia may be considered as a candidate OCD endophenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanyong Xu
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Jierong Chen
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Zitian Cui
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongzhen Wen
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongying Han
- Department of Psychiatry, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Lili Jin
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Guobin Wan
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Wei
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziwen Peng
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
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23
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Sawiak SJ, Shiba Y, Oikonomidis L, Windle CP, Santangelo AM, Grydeland H, Cockcroft G, Bullmore ET, Roberts AC. Trajectories and Milestones of Cortical and Subcortical Development of the Marmoset Brain From Infancy to Adulthood. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:4440-4453. [PMID: 30307494 PMCID: PMC6215464 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
With increasing attention on the developmental causes of neuropsychiatric disorders, appropriate animal models are crucial to identifying causes and assessing potential interventions. The common marmoset is an ideal model as it has sophisticated social/emotional behavior, reaching adulthood within 2 years of birth. Magnetic resonance imaging was used in an accelerated longitudinal cohort (n = 41; aged 3–27 months; scanned 2–7 times over 2 years). Splines were used to model nonlinear trajectories of grey matter volume development in 53 cortical areas and 16 subcortical nuclei. Generally, volumes increased before puberty, peaked, and declined into adulthood. We identified 3 milestones of grey matter development: I) age at peak volume; II) age at onset of volume decline; and III) age at maximum rate of volume decline. These milestones differentiated growth trajectories of primary sensory/motor cortical areas from those of association cortex but also revealed distinct trajectories between association cortices. Cluster analysis of trajectories showed that prefrontal cortex was the most heterogenous of association regions, comprising areas with distinct milestones and developmental trajectories. These results highlight the potential of high-field structural MRI to define the dynamics of primate brain development and importantly to identify when specific prefrontal circuits may be most vulnerable to environmental impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- S J Sawiak
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Box 65 Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Y Shiba
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - L Oikonomidis
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - C P Windle
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - A M Santangelo
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - H Grydeland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Research Group for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - G Cockcroft
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - E T Bullmore
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, University of Cambridge, Box 65 Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,ImmunoPsychiatry, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Stevenage, UK
| | - A C Roberts
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, UK.,Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
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24
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Sanders SJ, Sahin M, Hostyk J, Thurm A, Jacquemont S, Avillach P, Douard E, Martin CL, Modi ME, Moreno-De-Luca A, Raznahan A, Anticevic A, Dolmetsch R, Feng G, Geschwind DH, Glahn DC, Goldstein DB, Ledbetter DH, Mulle JG, Pasca SP, Samaco R, Sebat J, Pariser A, Lehner T, Gur RE, Bearden CE. A framework for the investigation of rare genetic disorders in neuropsychiatry. Nat Med 2019; 25:1477-1487. [PMID: 31548702 PMCID: PMC8656349 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0581-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
De novo and inherited rare genetic disorders (RGDs) are a major cause of human morbidity, frequently involving neuropsychiatric symptoms. Recent advances in genomic technologies and data sharing have revolutionized the identification and diagnosis of RGDs, presenting an opportunity to elucidate the mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders by investigating the pathophysiology of high-penetrance genetic risk factors. Here we seek out the best path forward for achieving these goals. We think future research will require consistent approaches across multiple RGDs and developmental stages, involving both the characterization of shared neuropsychiatric dimensions in humans and the identification of neurobiological commonalities in model systems. A coordinated and concerted effort across patients, families, researchers, clinicians and institutions, including rapid and broad sharing of data, is now needed to translate these discoveries into urgently needed therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan J Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mustafa Sahin
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph Hostyk
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Hammer Health Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Audrey Thurm
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sebastien Jacquemont
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Paul Avillach
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elise Douard
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christa L Martin
- Geisinger Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Danville, PA, USA
| | - Meera E Modi
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Alan Anticevic
- Tommy Fuss Center for Neuropsychiatric Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ricardo Dolmetsch
- Department of Neuroscience, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Departments of Neurology and Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - David C Glahn
- Tommy Fuss Center for Neuropsychiatric Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David B Goldstein
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Hammer Health Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - David H Ledbetter
- Geisinger Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Danville, PA, USA
| | - Jennifer G Mulle
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sergiu P Pasca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Rodney Samaco
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jonathan Sebat
- Beyster Center for Genomics of Psychiatric Diseases, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Anne Pariser
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Thomas Lehner
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Raquel E Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry Section, and the Lifespan Brain Institute, Perelman School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Departments of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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25
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Murphy AM, Ross CN, Bliss-Moreau E. Noninvasive cardiac psychophysiology as a tool for translational science with marmosets. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e23037. [PMID: 31515850 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The importance of marmosets for comparative and translational science has grown in recent years because of their relatively rapid development, birth cohorts of twins, family social structure, and genetic tractability. Despite this, they remain understudied in investigations of affective processes. In this methodological note, we establish the validity of using noninvasive commercially available equipment to record cardiac physiology and compute indices of autonomic nervous system activity-a major component of affective processes. Specifically, we recorded electrocardiogram and impedance cardiogram, from which we derived heart rate, respiration rate, measures of high-frequency heart rate variability (indices of parasympathetic autonomic nervous system activity), and ventricular contractility (an index of sympathetic autonomic nervous system activity). Our methods produced physiologically plausible data, and further, animals with increased heart rates during testing were also more reactive to isolation from their social partner and presentation of novel objects, though no relationship was observed between reactivity and specific indices of parasympathetic or sympathetic nervous system activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Murphy
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Corinna N Ross
- Department of Science and Mathematics, Texas A&M University, San Antonio, Texas.,Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas.,Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, UT Health, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California
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26
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Insula serotonin 2A receptor binding and gene expression contribute to serotonin transporter polymorphism anxious phenotype in primates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:14761-14768. [PMID: 31266890 PMCID: PMC6642374 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1902087116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) is associated with vulnerability to affective disorders and pharmacotherapy efficacy. We recently identified sequence polymorphisms in the common marmoset SLC6A4 repeat region (AC/C/G and CT/T/C) associated with individual differences in anxiety-like trait, gene expression, and response to antidepressants. The mechanisms underlying the effects of these polymorphisms are unknown, but a key mediator of serotonin action is the serotonin 2A receptor (5HT2A). Thus, we correlated 5HT2A binding potential (BP) and RNA gene expression in 16 SLC6A4 genotyped marmosets with responsivity to 5HT2A antagonism during the human intruder test of anxiety. Voxel-based analysis and RNA measurements showed a reduction in 5HT2A BP and gene expression specifically in the right posterior insula of individuals homozygous for the anxiety-related variant AC/C/G. These same marmosets displayed an anxiogenic, dose-dependent response to the human intruder after 5HT2A pharmacological antagonism, while CT/T/C individuals showed no effect. A voxel-based correlation analysis, independent of SLC6A4 genotype, revealed that 5HT2A BP in the adjacent right anterior insula and insula proisocortex was negatively correlated with trait anxiety scores. Moreover, 5HT2A BP in both regions was a good predictor of the size and direction of the acute emotional response to the human intruder threat after 5HT2A antagonism. Our findings suggest that genetic variation in the SLC6A4 repeat region may contribute to the trait anxious phenotype via neurochemical changes in brain areas implicated in interoceptive and emotional processing, with a critical role for the right insula 5HT2A in the regulation of affective responses to threat.
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27
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Hara T, Osakada F. [Cell-type-specific targeting strategies for elucidating neural circuits and pathophysiological mechanisms in the marmoset brain]. Nihon Yakurigaku Zasshi 2019; 153:210-218. [PMID: 31092753 DOI: 10.1254/fpj.153.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
As a primate animal model for neuroscience research, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) provides an unprecedented opportunity to gain a better understanding of the human brain function and pathophysiology of neurological and psychiatric disorders, thereby helping in the diagnosis and treatment of those disorders. The marmoset is particularly useful in studying the neural mechanisms underlying social behavior, as their prosocial behavior and visual and vocal communication systems are well-developed. Despite recent advances in biotechnology such as the creation of genetically engineered marmosets, our understanding of the marmoset brain, including its dysfunction in disease, at the circuit level remains limited due to the lack of comprehensive knowledge of the neuronal connections in the marmoset brain. Here we describe the development of genetic and viral engineering techniques for a particular type of neuron in non-transgenic animals. These approaches, combined with rabies viral tracing, imaging, and electrophysiology, will make it possible to map the connectome and relate neuronal connectivity to function in the marmoset brain. Such circuit-level studies will open a new avenue for non-human primate research that can bridge the gap between basic research and human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiki Hara
- Laboratory of Cellular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University.,Sohyaku Innovative Research Division, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
| | - Fumitaka Osakada
- Laboratory of Cellular Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University.,Laboratory of Neural Information Processing, Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University.,Institute of Nano-Life-Systems, Institutes of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University
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28
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Buckner RL, Margulies DS. Macroscale cortical organization and a default-like apex transmodal network in the marmoset monkey. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1976. [PMID: 31036823 PMCID: PMC6488644 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09812-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Networks of widely distributed regions populate human association cortex. One network, often called the default network, is positioned at the apex of a gradient of sequential networks that radiate outward from primary cortex. Here, extensive anatomical data made available through the Marmoset Brain Architecture Project are explored to show a homologue exists in marmoset. Results reveal that a gradient of networks extend outward from primary cortex to progressively higher-order transmodal association cortex in both frontal and temporal cortex. The apex transmodal network comprises frontopolar and rostral temporal association cortex, parahippocampal areas TH / TF, the ventral posterior midline, and lateral parietal association cortex. The positioning of this network in the gradient and its composition of areas make it a candidate homologue to the human default network. That the marmoset, a physiologically- and genetically-accessible primate, might possess a default-network-like candidate creates opportunities for study of higher cognitive and social functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randy L Buckner
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, 75013, France
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29
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Enomoto T, Ikeda K. [Translational behavioral research using common marmosets in the psychiatric field]. Nihon Yakurigaku Zasshi 2019; 153:28-34. [PMID: 30643089 DOI: 10.1254/fpj.153.28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The drug discovery activities for novel compounds with the superior efficacies to current drugs have been largely unsuccessful in the psychiatric field. One of the main reasons is the lack of appropriate behavioral assays and animal models for psychiatric disorders. Since the prefrontal cortex has great roles in their pathophysiology, non-human primate common marmosets with the well-developed prefrontal cortex would be useful as experimental animals in the future translational research. To measure objectively and quantitatively the psychiatric symptoms like motivational deficits, negative affective bias and cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia or major depressive disorder, the clinical laboratory tasks have been developed. The development of marmoset behavioral paradigms, which may correspond to the clinical laboratory tasks, have been progressed for the translational research. On the other hand, there are still limitations to develop the marmoset models resembling the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. We review the current state and future perspective of translational behavioral research using marmosets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Enomoto
- Higher Brain Function Research, Drug Research Division, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd
| | - Kazuhito Ikeda
- Higher Brain Function Research, Drug Research Division, Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd
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30
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Jackson SAW, Horst NK, Axelsson SFA, Horiguchi N, Cockcroft GJ, Robbins TW, Roberts AC. Selective Role of the Putamen in Serial Reversal Learning in the Marmoset. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:447-460. [PMID: 30395188 PMCID: PMC6294407 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Fronto-striatal circuitry involving the orbitofrontal cortex has been identified as mediating successful reversal of stimulus-outcome contingencies. The region of the striatum that most contributes to reversal learning remains unclear, with studies in primates implicating both caudate nucleus and putamen. We trained four marmosets on a touchscreen-based serial reversal task and implanted each with cannulae targeting both putamen and caudate bilaterally. This allowed reversible inactivation of the two areas within the same monkeys, but across separate sessions, to directly investigate their respective contributions to reversal performance. Behavioral sensitivity to the GABAA agonist muscimol varied across subjects and between brain regions, so each marmoset received a range of doses. Intermediate doses of intra-putamen muscimol selectively impaired reversal performance, leaving the baseline discrimination phase unchanged. There was no effect of low doses and high doses were generally disruptive. By contrast, low doses of intra-caudate muscimol improved reversal performance, while high doses impaired both reversal and baseline discrimination performance. These data provide evidence for a specific role of the putamen in serial reversal learning, which may reflect the more habitual nature of repeated reversals using the same stimulus pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey A W Jackson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicole K Horst
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebastian F A Axelsson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Naotaka Horiguchi
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gemma J Cockcroft
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, UK
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31
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Intrinsic Functional Boundaries of Lateral Frontal Cortex in the Common Marmoset Monkey. J Neurosci 2018; 39:1020-1029. [PMID: 30530862 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2595-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a small New World primate species that has been recently targeted as a potentially powerful preclinical model of human prefrontal cortex dysfunction. Although the structural boundaries of frontal cortex were described in marmosets at the start of the 20th century (Brodmann, 1909) and refined more recently (Paxinos et al., 2012), the broad functional boundaries of marmoset frontal cortex have yet to be established. In this study, we sought to functionally derive boundaries of the marmoset lateral frontal cortex (LFC) using ultra-high field (9.4 T) resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). We collected RS-fMRI data in seven (four females, three males) lightly anesthetized marmosets and used a data-driven hierarchical clustering approach to derive subdivisions of the LFC based on intrinsic functional connectivity. We then conducted seed-based analyses to assess the functional connectivity between these clusters and the rest of the brain. The results demonstrated seven distinct functional clusters within the LFC. The functional connectivity patterns of these clusters with the rest of the brain were also found to be distinct and organized along a rostrocaudal gradient, consonant with those found in humans and macaques. Overall, these results support the view that marmosets are a promising preclinical modeling species for studying LFC dysfunction related to neuropsychiatric or neurodegenerative human brain diseases.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The common marmoset is a New World primate that has garnered recent attention as a powerful complement to canonical Old World primate (e.g., macaques) and rodent models (e.g., rats, mice) for preclinical modeling of the human brain in healthy and diseased states. A critical step in the development of marmosets for such models is to characterize functional network topologies of frontal cortex in healthy, normally functioning marmosets, that is, how these circuitries are functionally divided and how those topologies compare to human circuitry. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate functional boundaries of the lateral frontal cortex and the corresponding network topologies in marmoset monkeys.
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32
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Atapour N, Majka P, Wolkowicz IH, Malamanova D, Worthy KH, Rosa MGP. Neuronal Distribution Across the Cerebral Cortex of the Marmoset Monkey (Callithrix jacchus). Cereb Cortex 2018; 29:3836-3863. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Using stereological analysis of NeuN-stained sections, we investigated neuronal density and number of neurons per column throughout the marmoset cortex. Estimates of mean neuronal density encompassed a greater than 3-fold range, from >150 000 neurons/mm3 in the primary visual cortex to ~50 000 neurons/mm3 in the piriform complex. There was a trend for density to decrease from posterior to anterior cortex, but also local gradients, which resulted in a complex pattern; for example, in frontal, auditory, and somatosensory cortex neuronal density tended to increase towards anterior areas. Anterior cingulate, motor, premotor, insular, and ventral temporal areas were characterized by relatively low neuronal densities. Analysis across the depth of the cortex revealed greater laminar variation of neuronal density in occipital, parietal, and inferior temporal areas, in comparison with other regions. Moreover, differences between areas were more pronounced in the supragranular layers than in infragranular layers. Calculations of the number of neurons per unit column revealed a pattern that was distinct from that of neuronal density, including local peaks in the posterior parietal, superior temporal, precuneate, frontopolar, and temporopolar regions. These results suggest that neuronal distribution in adult cortex result from a complex interaction of developmental/ evolutionary determinants and functional requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nafiseh Atapour
- Neuroscience Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 19 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University Node, 770 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Piotr Majka
- Neuroscience Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 19 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University Node, 770 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 3 Pasteur Street, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ianina H Wolkowicz
- Neuroscience Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 19 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Daria Malamanova
- Neuroscience Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 19 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Katrina H Worthy
- Neuroscience Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 19 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marcello G P Rosa
- Neuroscience Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, 19 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Monash University, 26 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University Node, 770 Blackburn Road, Clayton, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Majka P, Rosa MGP, Bai S, Chan JM, Huo BX, Jermakow N, Lin MK, Takahashi YS, Wolkowicz IH, Worthy KH, Rajan R, Reser DH, Wójcik DK, Okano H, Mitra PP. Unidirectional monosynaptic connections from auditory areas to the primary visual cortex in the marmoset monkey. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 224:111-131. [PMID: 30288557 PMCID: PMC6373361 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1764-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Until the late twentieth century, it was believed that different sensory modalities were processed by largely independent pathways in the primate cortex, with cross-modal integration only occurring in specialized polysensory areas. This model was challenged by the finding that the peripheral representation of the primary visual cortex (V1) receives monosynaptic connections from areas of the auditory cortex in the macaque. However, auditory projections to V1 have not been reported in other primates. We investigated the existence of direct interconnections between V1 and auditory areas in the marmoset, a New World monkey. Labelled neurons in auditory cortex were observed following 4 out of 10 retrograde tracer injections involving V1. These projections to V1 originated in the caudal subdivisions of auditory cortex (primary auditory cortex, caudal belt and parabelt areas), and targeted parts of V1 that represent parafoveal and peripheral vision. Injections near the representation of the vertical meridian of the visual field labelled few or no cells in auditory cortex. We also placed 8 retrograde tracer injections involving core, belt and parabelt auditory areas, none of which revealed direct projections from V1. These results confirm the existence of a direct, nonreciprocal projection from auditory areas to V1 in a different primate species, which has evolved separately from the macaque for over 30 million years. The essential similarity of these observations between marmoset and macaque indicate that early-stage audiovisual integration is a shared characteristic of primate sensory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Majka
- Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
- Monash University Node, Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Marcello G P Rosa
- Monash University Node, Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - Shi Bai
- Monash University Node, Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Jonathan M Chan
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Bing-Xing Huo
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0106, Japan
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA
| | - Natalia Jermakow
- Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Meng K Lin
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0106, Japan
| | - Yeonsook S Takahashi
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0106, Japan
| | - Ianina H Wolkowicz
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Katrina H Worthy
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Ramesh Rajan
- Monash University Node, Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - David H Reser
- School of Rural Health, Monash University, Churchill, VIC, 3842, Australia
| | - Daniel K Wójcik
- Laboratory of Neuroinformatics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0106, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Partha P Mitra
- Monash University Node, Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, 351-0106, Japan.
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA.
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34
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Miller CT. Why marmosets? Dev Neurobiol 2018; 77:237-243. [PMID: 28170158 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2016] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cory T Miller
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, California
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35
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Two-photon imaging of neuronal activity in motor cortex of marmosets during upper-limb movement tasks. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1879. [PMID: 29760466 PMCID: PMC5951821 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04286-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Two-photon imaging in behaving animals has revealed neuronal activities related to behavioral and cognitive function at single-cell resolution. However, marmosets have posed a challenge due to limited success in training on motor tasks. Here we report the development of protocols to train head-fixed common marmosets to perform upper-limb movement tasks and simultaneously perform two-photon imaging. After 2–5 months of training sessions, head-fixed marmosets can control a manipulandum to move a cursor to a target on a screen. We conduct two-photon calcium imaging of layer 2/3 neurons in the motor cortex during this motor task performance, and detect task-relevant activity from multiple neurons at cellular and subcellular resolutions. In a two-target reaching task, some neurons show direction-selective activity over the training days. In a short-term force-field adaptation task, some neurons change their activity when the force field is on. Two-photon calcium imaging in behaving marmosets may become a fundamental technique for determining the spatial organization of the cortical dynamics underlying action and cognition. Marmosets are an important model organism in neuroscience but there has only been limited success in training them on behavioral tasks. Here the authors report their ability to train marmosets in various motor tasks and simultaneously image neural dynamics in motor cortex with 2-photon imaging.
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Gass N, Becker R, Sack M, Schwarz AJ, Reinwald J, Cosa-Linan A, Zheng L, von Hohenberg CC, Inta D, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Weber-Fahr W, Gass P, Sartorius A. Antagonism at the NR2B subunit of NMDA receptors induces increased connectivity of the prefrontal and subcortical regions regulating reward behavior. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:1055-1068. [PMID: 29305627 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4823-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Evidence indicates that ketamine's rapid antidepressant efficacy likely results from its antagonism of NR2B-subunit-containing NMDA receptors (NMDAR). Since ketamine equally blocks NR2A- and NR2B-containing NMDAR, and has affinity to other receptors, NR2B-selective drugs might have improved therapeutic efficiency and side effect profile. OBJECTIVES We aimed to compare the effects of (S)-ketamine and two different types of NR2B-selective antagonists on functional brain networks in rats, in order to find common circuits, where their effects intersect, and that might explain their antidepressant action. METHODS The experimental design comprised four parallel groups of rats (N = 37), each receiving (S)-Ketamine, CP-101,606, Ro 25-6981 or saline. After compound injection, we acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging time series. We used graph theoretical approach to calculate brain network properties. RESULTS Ketamine and CP-101,606 diminished the global clustering coefficient and small-worldness index. At the nodal level, all compounds induced increased connectivity of the regions mediating reward and cognitive aspects of emotional processing, such as ventromedial prefrontal cortex, septal nuclei, and nucleus accumbens. The dorsal hippocampus and regions involved in sensory processing and aversion, such as superior and inferior colliculi, exhibited an opposite effect. CONCLUSIONS The effects common to ketamine and NR2B-selective compounds were localized to the same brain regions as those reported in depression, but in the opposite direction. The upregulation of the reward circuitry might partially underlie the antidepressant and anti-anhedonic effects of the antagonists and could potentially serve as a translational imaging phenotype for testing putative antidepressants, especially those targeting the NR2B receptor subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Gass
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Robert Becker
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Markus Sack
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Adam J Schwarz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.,Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Jonathan Reinwald
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alejandro Cosa-Linan
- Research Group In Silico Pharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lei Zheng
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Christian Clemm von Hohenberg
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Dragos Inta
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Weber-Fahr
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alexander Sartorius
- Research Group Translational Imaging, Department of Neuroimaging, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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37
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Dahlhaus R. Of Men and Mice: Modeling the Fragile X Syndrome. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:41. [PMID: 29599705 PMCID: PMC5862809 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is one of the most common forms of inherited intellectual disability in all human societies. Caused by the transcriptional silencing of a single gene, the fragile x mental retardation gene FMR1, FXS is characterized by a variety of symptoms, which range from mental disabilities to autism and epilepsy. More than 20 years ago, a first animal model was described, the Fmr1 knock-out mouse. Several other models have been developed since then, including conditional knock-out mice, knock-out rats, a zebrafish and a drosophila model. Using these model systems, various targets for potential pharmaceutical treatments have been identified and many treatments have been shown to be efficient in preclinical studies. However, all attempts to turn these findings into a therapy for patients have failed thus far. In this review, I will discuss underlying difficulties and address potential alternatives for our future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Dahlhaus
- Institute for Biochemistry, Emil-Fischer Centre, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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38
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Lee AG, Hagenauer M, Absher D, Morrison KE, Bale TL, Myers RM, Watson SJ, Akil H, Schatzberg AF, Lyons DM. Stress amplifies sex differences in primate prefrontal profiles of gene expression. Biol Sex Differ 2017; 8:36. [PMID: 29096718 PMCID: PMC5667444 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-017-0157-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress is a recognized risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders that occur more often in women than men. Prefrontal brain regions mediate stress coping, cognitive control, and emotion. Here, we investigate sex differences and stress effects on prefrontal cortical profiles of gene expression in squirrel monkey adults. METHODS Dorsolateral, ventrolateral, and ventromedial prefrontal cortical regions from 18 females and 12 males were collected after stress or no-stress treatment conditions. Gene expression profiles were acquired using HumanHT-12v4.0 Expression BeadChip arrays adapted for squirrel monkeys. RESULTS Extensive variation between prefrontal cortical regions was discerned in the expression of numerous autosomal and sex chromosome genes. Robust sex differences were also identified across prefrontal cortical regions in the expression of mostly autosomal genes. Genes with increased expression in females compared to males were overrepresented in mitogen-activated protein kinase and neurotrophin signaling pathways. Many fewer genes with increased expression in males compared to females were discerned, and no molecular pathways were identified. Effect sizes for sex differences were greater in stress compared to no-stress conditions for ventromedial and ventrolateral prefrontal cortical regions but not dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. CONCLUSIONS Stress amplifies sex differences in gene expression profiles for prefrontal cortical regions involved in stress coping and emotion regulation. Results suggest molecular targets for new treatments of stress disorders in human mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex G Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd MSLS Room P104, Stanford, CA, 94305-5485, USA
| | - Megan Hagenauer
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Devin Absher
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Kathleen E Morrison
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tracy L Bale
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Richard M Myers
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Stanley J Watson
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Huda Akil
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alan F Schatzberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd MSLS Room P104, Stanford, CA, 94305-5485, USA
| | - David M Lyons
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd MSLS Room P104, Stanford, CA, 94305-5485, USA.
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39
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Affiliation(s)
- Nickole Kanyuch
- Medical Scientist Training Program, The University of Maryland School of Medicine
| | - Stewart Anderson
- Lifespan Brain Institute, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine,To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Child and Adolsecent Psychiatry and Behavioral Services, ARC 517, 3615 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104-5127, US; tel: 215-590-6527; fax: 215-590-6523; e-mail:
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40
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Schaeffer DJ, Adam R, Gilbert KM, Gati JS, Li AX, Menon RS, Everling S. Diffusion-weighted tractography in the common marmoset monkey at 9.4T. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118:1344-1354. [PMID: 28615334 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00259.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a small New World primate that is becoming increasingly popular in the neurosciences as an animal model of preclinical human disease. With several major disorders characterized by alterations in neural white matter (e.g., multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia), proposed to be transgenically modeled using marmosets, the ability to isolate and characterize reliably major white matter fiber tracts with MRI will be of use for evaluating structural brain changes related to disease processes and symptomatology. Here, we propose protocols for isolating major white matter fiber tracts in the common marmoset using in vivo ultrahigh-field MRI (9.4T) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data. With the use of a high angular-resolution DWI (256 diffusion-encoding directions) sequence, collected on four anesthetized marmosets, we provide guidelines for manually drawing fiber-tracking regions of interest, based on easily identified anatomical landmarks in DWI native space. These fiber-tract isolation protocols are expected to be experimentally useful for visualization and quantification of individual white matter fiber tracts in both control and experimental groups of marmosets (e.g., transgenic models). As disease models in the marmoset advance, the determination of how macroscopic white matter anatomy is altered as a function of disease state will be relevant in bridging the existing translational gap between preclinical rodent models and human patients.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Although significant progress has been made in mapping white matter connections in the marmoset brain using ex vivo tracing techniques, the application of in vivo virtual dissection of major white matter fiber tracts has been established by few studies in the marmoset literature. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of whole-brain diffusion-weighted tractography in anesthetized marmosets at ultrahigh-field MRI (9.4T) and propose protocols for isolating nine major white matter fiber tracts in the marmoset brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Schaeffer
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Ramina Adam
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kyle M Gilbert
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Joseph S Gati
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Alex X Li
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Ravi S Menon
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Stefan Everling
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; and
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Watakabe A, Sadakane O, Hata K, Ohtsuka M, Takaji M, Yamamori T. Application of viral vectors to the study of neural connectivities and neural circuits in the marmoset brain. Dev Neurobiol 2016; 77:354-372. [PMID: 27706918 PMCID: PMC5324647 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Revised: 09/18/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
It is important to study the neural connectivities and functions in primates. For this purpose, it is critical to be able to transfer genes to certain neurons in the primate brain so that we can image the neuronal signals and analyze the function of the transferred gene. Toward this end, our team has been developing gene transfer systems using viral vectors. In this review, we summarize our current achievements as follows. 1) We compared the features of gene transfer using five different AAV serotypes in combination with three different promoters, namely, CMV, mouse CaMKII (CaMKII), and human synapsin 1 (hSyn1), in the marmoset cortex with those in the mouse and macaque cortices. 2) We used target‐specific double‐infection techniques in combination with TET‐ON and TET‐OFF using lentiviral retrograde vectors for enhanced visualization of neural connections. 3) We used an AAV‐mediated gene transfer method to study the transcriptional control for amplifying fluorescent signals using the TET/TRE system in the primate neocortex. We also established systems for shRNA mediated gene targeting in a neocortical region where a gene is significantly expressed and for expressing the gene using the CMV promoter for an unexpressed neocortical area in the primate cortex using AAV vectors to understand the regulation of downstream genes. Our findings have demonstrated the feasibility of using viral vector mediated gene transfer systems for the study of primate cortical circuits using the marmoset as an animal model. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 354–372, 2017
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiya Watakabe
- Laboratory for Molecular Analysis of Higher Brain Function, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Osamu Sadakane
- Laboratory for Molecular Analysis of Higher Brain Function, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Katsusuke Hata
- Laboratory for Molecular Analysis of Higher Brain Function, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Masanari Ohtsuka
- Laboratory for Molecular Analysis of Higher Brain Function, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Masafumi Takaji
- Laboratory for Molecular Analysis of Higher Brain Function, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Yamamori
- Laboratory for Molecular Analysis of Higher Brain Function, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
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