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Qin Y, Chen J, Li J, Wu N. Relationship between hippocampal gene expression and cognitive performance differences in visual discrimination learning task of male rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 454:114659. [PMID: 37690703 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Learning to discriminate between environmental visual stimuli is essential to make right decisions and guide appropriate behaviors. Moreover, impairments in visual discrimination learning are observed in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Visual discrimination learning requires perception and memory processing, in which the hippocampus critically involved. To understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning hippocampus function in visual discrimination learning, we examined the hippocampal gene expression profiles of Sprague-Dawley rats with different cognitive performance (high cognition group vs. low cognition group) in the modified visual discrimination learning task, using high-throughput RNA sequencing technology. Compared with the low cognition group, bioinformatics analysis indicated that 319 genes were differentially expressed in the high cognition group with statistical significance, of which 253 genes were down-regulated and 66 genes were up-regulated. The functional enrichment analysis showed that protein translation and energy metabolism were up-regulated pathways, while transforming growth factor beta receptor signaling pathway, bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway, apoptosis, inflammation response, transport, and glycosaminoglycan metabolism were down-regulated pathways, which were related to good cognitive performance in the visual discrimination learning task. Taken together, our finding reveals the differential gene expression and enrichment biological pathways related to cognitive performance differences in visual discrimination learning of rats, which provides us direct insight into the molecular mechanisms of hippocampus function in visual discrimination learning and may contribute to developing potential treatment strategies for neuropsychiatric disorders accompanied with cognitive impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihan Qin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Jianmin Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Jin Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China.
| | - Ning Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, Beijing 100850, China.
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2
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Siegel AE, Bianchi DW, Guedj F. Visual discrimination and inhibitory control deficits in mouse models of Down syndrome: A pilot study using rodent touchscreen technology. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:492-507. [PMID: 36602162 PMCID: PMC10068543 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Several non-verbal cognitive and behavioral tests have been developed to assess learning deficits in humans with Down syndrome (DS). Here we used rodent touchscreen paradigms in adult male mice to investigate visual discrimination (VD) learning and inhibitory control in the Dp(16)1/Yey (C57BL/6J genetic background), Ts65Dn (mixed B6 X C3H genetic background) and Ts1Cje (C57BL/6J genetic background) mouse models of DS. Dp(16)1/Yey and Ts1Cje models did not exhibit motivation or learning deficits during early pre-training, however, Ts1Cje mice showed a significant learning delay after the introduction of the incorrect stimulus (late pre-training), suggesting prefrontal cortex defects in this model. Dp(16)1/Yey and Ts1Cje mice display learning deficits in VD but these deficits were more pronounced in the Dp(16)1/Yey model. Both models also exhibited compulsive behavior and abnormal cortical inhibitory control during Extinction compared to WT littermates. Finally, Ts65Dn mice outperformed WT littermates in pre-training stages by initiating a significantly higher number of trials due to their hyperactive behavior. Both Ts65Dn and WT littermates showed poor performance during late pre-training and were not tested in VD. These studies demonstrate significant learning deficits and compulsive behavior in the Ts1Cje and Dp(16)1/Yey mouse models of DS. They also demonstrate that the mouse genetic background (C57BL/6J vs. mixed B6 X C3H) and the absence of hyperactive behavior are key determinants of successful learning in touchscreen behavioral testing. These data will be used to select the mouse model that best mimics cognitive deficits in humans with DS and evaluate the effects of future therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Emily Siegel
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy (PGT) Section, Center for Precision Health Research (CPHR), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center (TMC), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Diana W. Bianchi
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy (PGT) Section, Center for Precision Health Research (CPHR), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center (TMC), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Faycal Guedj
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy (PGT) Section, Center for Precision Health Research (CPHR), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Mother Infant Research Institute (MIRI), Tufts Medical Center (TMC), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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3
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Eleftheriou C, Clarke T, Poon V, Zechner M, Duguid I. Visiomode: An open-source platform for building rodent touchscreen-based behavioral assays. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 386:109779. [PMID: 36621552 PMCID: PMC10375831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Touchscreen-based behavioral assays provide a robust method for assessing cognitive behavior in rodents, offering great flexibility and translational potential. The development of touchscreen assays presents a significant programming and mechanical engineering challenge, where commercial solutions can be prohibitively expensive and open-source solutions are underdeveloped, with limited adaptability. NEW METHOD Here, we present Visiomode (www.visiomode.org), an open-source platform for building rodent touchscreen-based behavioral tasks. Visiomode leverages the inherent flexibility of touchscreens to offer a simple yet adaptable software and hardware platform. The platform is built on the Raspberry Pi computer combining a web-based interface and powerful plug-in system with an operant chamber that can be adapted to generate a wide range of behavioral tasks. RESULTS As a proof of concept, we use Visiomode to build both simple stimulus-response and more complex visual discrimination tasks, showing that mice display rapid sensorimotor learning including switching between different motor responses (i.e., nose poke versus reaching). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Commercial solutions are the 'go to' for rodent touchscreen behaviors, but the associated costs can be prohibitive, limiting their uptake by the wider neuroscience community. While several open-source solutions have been developed, efforts so far have focused on reducing the cost, rather than promoting ease of use and adaptability. Visiomode addresses these unmet needs providing a low-cost, extensible platform for creating touchscreen tasks. CONCLUSIONS Developing an open-source, rapidly scalable and low-cost platform for building touchscreen-based behavioral assays should increase uptake across the science community and accelerate the investigation of cognition, decision-making and sensorimotor behaviors both in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantinos Eleftheriou
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
| | - Thomas Clarke
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - V Poon
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Marie Zechner
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, UK
| | - Ian Duguid
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK; Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences and Patrick Wild Centre, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
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Muthukumar S, Mehrotra K, Fouda M, Hamimi S, Jantzie LL, Robinson S. Prenatal and postnatal insults differentially contribute to executive function and cognition: Utilizing touchscreen technology for perinatal brain injury research. Exp Neurol 2022; 354:114104. [PMID: 35525306 PMCID: PMC10085749 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The use of touchscreen technology to evaluate cognitive deficits in animal models has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. The touchscreen apparatus encompasses many advantages, namely a high level of standardization and translational capability. Improvements in technology in recent years have expanded the versatility of the touchscreen platform, as it is able to test distinct cognitive modalities including working memory, attention, discrimination, and association. Importantly, touchscreen technology has allowed researchers to explore deficits in multiple pillars of cognition in a wide variety of perinatal disorders with neurological sequelae across critical developmental windows. The touchscreen platform has been used to dissect deficits in antenatal CNS injury including fetal alcohol syndrome, prenatal opioid exposure, and chorioamnionitis, to peripartum insults such as term hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, to early postnatal insults including infantile traumatic brain injury. Most importantly, touchscreen technology offers the sensitivity necessary to detect subtle injury and treatment-induced changes in cognition and executive function beyond those offered by more rudimentary tests of rodent cognition. Understanding the pathophysiology of these disorders in rodents is paramount to addressing these deficits in human infants and dissecting the neural circuitry essential to perinatal brain injury pathophysiology and responsiveness to novel therapeutics. Touchscreen testing provides an effective, facile, sophisticated technique to accelerate the goal of improving cognitive and behavioral outcomes of children who suffer perinatal brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankar Muthukumar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Karnika Mehrotra
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mohammed Fouda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sarah Hamimi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lauren L Jantzie
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shenandoah Robinson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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5
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Soler I, Yun S, Reynolds RP, Whoolery CW, Tran FH, Kumar PL, Rong Y, DeSalle MJ, Gibson AD, Stowe AM, Kiffer FC, Eisch AJ. Multi-Domain Touchscreen-Based Cognitive Assessment of C57BL/6J Female Mice Shows Whole-Body Exposure to 56Fe Particle Space Radiation in Maturity Improves Discrimination Learning Yet Impairs Stimulus-Response Rule-Based Habit Learning. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:722780. [PMID: 34707486 PMCID: PMC8543003 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.722780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Astronauts during interplanetary missions will be exposed to galactic cosmic radiation, including charged particles like 56Fe. Most preclinical studies with mature, "astronaut-aged" rodents suggest space radiation diminishes performance in classical hippocampal- and prefrontal cortex-dependent tasks. However, a rodent cognitive touchscreen battery unexpectedly revealed 56Fe radiation improves the performance of C57BL/6J male mice in a hippocampal-dependent task (discrimination learning) without changing performance in a striatal-dependent task (rule-based learning). As there are conflicting results on whether the female rodent brain is preferentially injured by or resistant to charged particle exposure, and as the proportion of female vs. male astronauts is increasing, further study on how charged particles influence the touchscreen cognitive performance of female mice is warranted. We hypothesized that, similar to mature male mice, mature female C57BL/6J mice exposed to fractionated whole-body 56Fe irradiation (3 × 6.7cGy 56Fe over 5 days, 600 MeV/n) would improve performance vs. Sham conditions in touchscreen tasks relevant to hippocampal and prefrontal cortical function [e.g., location discrimination reversal (LDR) and extinction, respectively]. In LDR, 56Fe female mice more accurately discriminated two discrete conditioned stimuli relative to Sham mice, suggesting improved hippocampal function. However, 56Fe and Sham female mice acquired a new simple stimulus-response behavior and extinguished this acquired behavior at similar rates, suggesting similar prefrontal cortical function. Based on prior work on multiple memory systems, we next tested whether improved hippocampal-dependent function (discrimination learning) came at the expense of striatal stimulus-response rule-based habit learning (visuomotor conditional learning). Interestingly, 56Fe female mice took more days to reach criteria in this striatal-dependent rule-based test relative to Sham mice. Together, our data support the idea of competition between memory systems, as an 56Fe-induced decrease in striatal-based learning is associated with enhanced hippocampal-based learning. These data emphasize the power of using a touchscreen-based battery to advance our understanding of the effects of space radiation on mission critical cognitive function in females, and underscore the importance of preclinical space radiation risk studies measuring multiple cognitive processes, thereby preventing NASA's risk assessments from being based on a single cognitive domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Soler
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Sanghee Yun
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ryan P. Reynolds
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Cody W. Whoolery
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Fionya H. Tran
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Priya L. Kumar
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Yuying Rong
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Matthew J. DeSalle
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Adam D. Gibson
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ann M. Stowe
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Therapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Frederico C. Kiffer
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Amelia J. Eisch
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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6
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Desai RI, Kangas BD, Limoli CL. Nonhuman primate models in the study of spaceflight stressors: Past contributions and future directions. LIFE SCIENCES IN SPACE RESEARCH 2021; 30:9-23. [PMID: 34281669 DOI: 10.1016/j.lssr.2021.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Studies in rodents suggest that exposure to distinct spaceflight stressors (e.g., space radiation, isolation/confinement, microgravity) may have a profound impact on an astronaut's ability to perform both simple and complex tasks related to neurocognitive performance, central nervous system (CNS) and vestibular/sensorimotor function. However, limited information is currently available on how combined exposure to the spaceflight stressors will impact CNS-related neurocognitive and neurobiological function in-flight and, as well, terrestrial risk of manifesting neurodegenerative conditions when astronauts return to earth. This information gap has significantly hindered our ability to realistically estimate spaceflight hazard risk to the CNS associated with deep space exploration. Notwithstanding a significant body of work with rodents, there have been very few direct investigations of the impact of these spaceflight stressors in combination and, to our knowledge, no such investigations using nonhuman primate (NHP) animal models. In view of the widely-recognized translational value of NHP data in advancing biomedical discoveries, this research deficiency limits our understanding regarding the impact of individual and combined spaceflight stressors on CNS-related neurobiological function. In this review, we address this knowledge gap by conducting a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of existing research on the impact of exposure to spaceflight stressors on NHP CNS-related function. This review is structured to: a) provide an overarching view of the past contributions of NHPs to spaceflight research as well as the strengths, limitations, and translational value of NHP research in its own right and within the existing context of NASA-relevant rodent research; b) highlight specific conclusions based on the published literature and areas needed for future endeavors; c) describe critical research gaps and priorities in NHP research to facilitate NASA's efforts to bridge the key knowledge gaps that currently exist in translating rodent data to humans; and d) provide a roadmap of recommendations for NASA regarding the availability, validity, strengths, and limitations of various NHP models for future targeted research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajeev I Desai
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Brian D Kangas
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Charles L Limoli
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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7
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Lopez-Cruz L, Bussey TJ, Saksida LM, Heath CJ. Using touchscreen-delivered cognitive assessments to address the principles of the 3Rs in behavioral sciences. Lab Anim (NY) 2021; 50:174-184. [PMID: 34140683 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-021-00791-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite considerable advances in both in silico and in vitro approaches, in vivo studies that involve animal model systems remain necessary in many research disciplines. Neuroscience is one such area, with studies often requiring access to a complete nervous system capable of dynamically selecting between and then executing a full range of cognitive and behavioral outputs in response to a given stimulus or other manipulation. The involvement of animals in research studies is an issue of active public debate and concern and is therefore carefully regulated. Such regulations are based on the principles of the 3Rs of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. In the sub-specialty of behavioral neuroscience, Full/Absolute Replacement remains a major challenge, as the complete ex vivo recapitulation of a system as complex and dynamic as the nervous system has yet to be achieved. However, a number of very positive developments have occurred in this area with respect to Relative Replacement and to both Refinement and Reduction. In this review, we discuss the Refinement- and Reduction-related benefits yielded by the introduction of touchscreen-based behavioral assessment apparatus. We also discuss how data generated by a specific panel of behavioral tasks developed for this platform might substantially enhance monitoring of laboratory animal welfare and provide robust, quantitative comparisons of husbandry techniques to define and ensure maintenance of best practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lopez-Cruz
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. .,School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology and MRC/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Robarts Research Institute & Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher J Heath
- School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
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8
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Sullivan JA, Dumont JR, Memar S, Skirzewski M, Wan J, Mofrad MH, Ansari HZ, Li Y, Muller L, Prado VF, Prado MAM, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. New frontiers in translational research: Touchscreens, open science, and the mouse translational research accelerator platform. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12705. [PMID: 33009724 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases and other brain disorders are accompanied by impairments in high-level cognitive functions including memory, attention, motivation, and decision-making. Despite several decades of extensive research, neuroscience is little closer to discovering new treatments. Key impediments include the absence of validated and robust cognitive assessment tools for facilitating translation from animal models to humans. In this review, we describe a state-of-the-art platform poised to overcome these impediments and improve the success of translational research, the Mouse Translational Research Accelerator Platform (MouseTRAP), which is centered on the touchscreen cognitive testing system for rodents. It integrates touchscreen-based tests of high-level cognitive assessment with state-of-the art neurotechnology to record and manipulate molecular and circuit level activity in vivo in animal models during human-relevant cognitive performance. The platform also is integrated with two Open Science platforms designed to facilitate knowledge and data-sharing practices within the rodent touchscreen community, touchscreencognition.org and mousebytes.ca. Touchscreencognition.org includes the Wall, showcasing touchscreen news and publications, the Forum, for community discussion, and Training, which includes courses, videos, SOPs, and symposia. To get started, interested researchers simply create user accounts. We describe the origins of the touchscreen testing system, the novel lines of research it has facilitated, and its increasingly widespread use in translational research, which is attributable in part to knowledge-sharing efforts over the past decade. We then identify the unique features of MouseTRAP that stand to potentially revolutionize translational research, and describe new initiatives to partner with similar platforms such as McGill's M3 platform (m3platform.org).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A Sullivan
- Department of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Rotman Institute of Philosophy, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie R Dumont
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sara Memar
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miguel Skirzewski
- BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jinxia Wan
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Maryam H Mofrad
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Yulong Li
- Division of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lyle Muller
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vania F Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco A M Prado
- Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Brain and Mind Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,BrainsCAN, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
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9
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Stephan M, Volkmann P, Rossner MJ. Assessing behavior and cognition in rodents, nonhuman primates, and humans: where are the limits of translation?
. DIALOGUES IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 21:249-259. [PMID: 31749649 PMCID: PMC6829167 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2019.21.3/mrossner] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
New psychopharmacological treatments are needed for affective and nonaffective
psychoses, especially for the associated negative and cognitive symptoms. Earlier
developments mostly failed, probably partly because of limitations in behavioral models
used for validation. Now, deeper understanding of the genetics underlying disease
pathogenesis and progress in genetic engineering will generate many rodent models with
increased construct validity. To improve these models’ translational value, we need
complementary data from nonhuman primates. We also have to improve and streamline
behavioral test systems to cope with increased demand. Here, we propose a comprehensive
neurocognitive test battery that should overcome the disadvantages of single tests and
yield cognitive/behavioral profiles for modeling subsets of patient symptoms. Further,
we delineate a concept for classifying disease-relevant cognitive endophenotypes to
balance between face and construct validity and clinical diagnostics. In summary, this
review discusses new concepts and the limitations and future potential of translational
research on cognition in psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Stephan
- Molecular and Behavioural Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Paul Volkmann
- Molecular and Behavioural Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany
| | - Moritz J Rossner
- Molecular and Behavioural Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany
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10
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Kopanitsa MV, Lehtimäki KK, Forsman M, Suhonen A, Koponen J, Piiponniemi TO, Kärkkäinen AM, Pavlidi P, Shatillo A, Sweeney PJ, Merenlender-Wagner A, Kaye J, Orbach A, Nurmi A. Cognitive disturbances in the cuprizone model of multiple sclerosis. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12663. [PMID: 32372528 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive problems frequently accompany neurological manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, during screening of preclinical candidates, assessments of behaviour in mouse models of MS typically focus on locomotor activity. In the present study, we analysed cognitive behaviour of 9 to 10-week-old female C57Bl/6J mice orally administered with the toxin cuprizone that induces demyelination, a characteristic feature of MS. Animals received 400 mg/kg cuprizone daily for 2 or 4 weeks, and their performance was compared with that of vehicle-treated mice. Cuprizone-treated animals showed multiple deficits in short touchscreen-based operant tasks: they responded more slowly to visual stimuli, rewards and made more errors in a simple rule-learning task. In contextual/cued fear conditioning experiments, cuprizone-treated mice showed significantly lower levels of contextual freezing than vehicle-treated mice. Diffusion tensor imaging showed treatment-dependent changes in fractional anisotropy as well as in axial and mean diffusivities in different white matter areas. Lower values of fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity in cuprizone-treated mice indicated developing demyelination and/or axonal damage. Several diffusion tensor imaging measurements correlated with learning parameters. Our results show that translational touchscreen operant tests and fear conditioning paradigms can reliably detect cognitive consequences of cuprizone treatment. The suggested experimental approach enables screening novel MS drug candidates in longitudinal experiments for their ability to improve pathological changes in brain structure and reverse cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maksym V Kopanitsa
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland.,UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | | | - Ari Suhonen
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Juho Koponen
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland
| | | | | | - Pavlina Pavlidi
- MSc Programme in Translational Neuroscience, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Joel Kaye
- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Netanya, Israel
| | - Aric Orbach
- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Netanya, Israel
| | - Antti Nurmi
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland
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11
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Olguin SL, Thompson SM, Young JW, Brigman JL. Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure impairs cognitive control, but not attention, on a rodent touchscreen continuous performance task. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 20:e12652. [PMID: 32144885 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A common feature associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders is the inability to concentrate on a specific task while ignoring distractions. Human continuous performance tasks (CPT), measure vigilance and cognitive control simultaneously while these processes are traditionally measured separately in rodents. We recently established a touchscreen 5-choice CPT (5C-CPT) that measures vigilance and cognitive control simultaneously by incorporating both target and nontargets and showed it was sensitive to amphetamine-induced improvement in humans and mice. Here, we examined the effects of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in male and female mice on performance of the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), which contained only target trials, and the 5C-CPT which incorporated both target and nontarget trials. In addition, we assessed gait and fine motor coordination in behavioral naïve PAE and control animals. We found that on the 5-CSRTT mice were able to respond to target presentations with similar hit rates regardless of sex or treatment. However, on the 5C-CPT PAE mice made significantly more false alarm responses vs controls. Compared with control animals, PAE mice had a significantly lower sensitivity index, a measure of ability to discriminate appropriate responses to stimuli types. During 5C-CPT, female mice, regardless of treatment, also had increased mean latency to respond when correct and omitted more target trials. Gait assessment showed no significant differences in PAE and SAC mice on any measure. These findings suggest that moderate exposure to alcohol during development can have long lasting effects on cognitive control unaffected by gross motor alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Olguin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.,New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Shannon M Thompson
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.,New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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12
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Whoolery CW, Yun S, Reynolds RP, Lucero MJ, Soler I, Tran FH, Ito N, Redfield RL, Richardson DR, Shih HY, Rivera PD, Chen BPC, Birnbaum SG, Stowe AM, Eisch AJ. Multi-domain cognitive assessment of male mice shows space radiation is not harmful to high-level cognition and actually improves pattern separation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2737. [PMID: 32066765 PMCID: PMC7026431 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-59419-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Astronauts on interplanetary missions - such as to Mars - will be exposed to space radiation, a spectrum of highly-charged, fast-moving particles that includes 56Fe and 28Si. Earth-based preclinical studies show space radiation decreases rodent performance in low- and some high-level cognitive tasks. Given astronaut use of touchscreen platforms during training and space flight and given the ability of rodent touchscreen tasks to assess functional integrity of brain circuits and multiple cognitive domains in a non-aversive way, here we exposed 6-month-old C57BL/6J male mice to whole-body space radiation and subsequently assessed them on a touchscreen battery. Relative to Sham treatment, 56Fe irradiation did not overtly change performance on tasks of visual discrimination, reversal learning, rule-based, or object-spatial paired associates learning, suggesting preserved functional integrity of supporting brain circuits. Surprisingly, 56Fe irradiation improved performance on a dentate gyrus-reliant pattern separation task; irradiated mice learned faster and were more accurate than controls. Improved pattern separation performance did not appear to be touchscreen-, radiation particle-, or neurogenesis-dependent, as 56Fe and 28Si irradiation led to faster context discrimination in a non-touchscreen task and 56Fe decreased new dentate gyrus neurons relative to Sham. These data urge revisitation of the broadly-held view that space radiation is detrimental to cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody W Whoolery
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Sanghee Yun
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ryan P Reynolds
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Melanie J Lucero
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ivan Soler
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Fionya H Tran
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Naoki Ito
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Oriental Medicine Research Center, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rachel L Redfield
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Devon R Richardson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Hung-Ying Shih
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Phillip D Rivera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Biology, Hope College, Holland, MI, USA
| | - Benjamin P C Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Shari G Birnbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ann M Stowe
- Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Amelia J Eisch
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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13
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Martínez de Lagrán M. Mapping behavioral landscapes in Down syndrome animal models. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2020; 251:145-179. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Crijns E, Op de Beeck H. The Visual Acuity of Rats in Touchscreen Setups. Vision (Basel) 2019; 4:vision4010004. [PMID: 31906140 PMCID: PMC7157561 DOI: 10.3390/vision4010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Touchscreen setups are increasingly used in rodents for a wide range of cognitive tasks, including visual discrimination. The greater automation and high throughput of this platform could greatly facilitate future vision research. However, little information is available regarding decision distance and on the limitations of stimulus size. Especially when studying visual functions, the lack of control of basic visual properties is a drawback. Therefore, we determined the maximal number of cycles per screen gratings can have so that Long Evans rats can reliably perform orientation discrimination. To relate our results to literature on visual acuity we tried to make an estimate of the decision distance in the touchscreen platform. The rats can discriminate between orientations with 70% accuracy up to 44 cycles per screen. This could roughly translates to the previously reported visual acuity of 1 c/degree assuming a viewing distance of 12.5 cm. This could be useful when designing new stimuli based on published results in c/degree. One could assume a viewing distance of 12.5 cm and expect similar discrimination performance in the touchscreen setup as in other tasks with a predefined viewing distance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Els Crijns
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 box 3714, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hans Op de Beeck
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 box 3714, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Leuven Brain Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence:
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15
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Al Dahhan NZ, De Felice FG, Munoz DP. Potentials and Pitfalls of Cross-Translational Models of Cognitive Impairment. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:48. [PMID: 30923497 PMCID: PMC6426743 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of clinical disorders that are either neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative exhibit significant cognitive impairments that require some form of intervention. However, the current paucity of pro-cognitive treatments that are available, due to the lack of knowledge of biological targets and symptomologies, impedes the treatment of individuals with cognitive impairments. In this review article, we explore three critical steps that need to be established in order to lead to the development of effective and appropriate treatments for cognitive impairments. The first step specifically involves the ability to efficiently reproduce and standardize current animal models of disease. The second step involves establishing well-controlled and standardized animal models across different species, such as rodents and monkeys, that link to human disease conditions. The third step involves building these animal models from both a translational and a reverse translational perspective in order to gain critical insight into the etiologies of specific cognitive impairments and the development of their early physiological and behavioral biomarkers. This bidirectional translational approach is important to improve the investigation of disease biomarkers, the underlying mechanisms of novel therapeutics on cognition, and to validate preclinical findings of drug discovery. Overall, even though animal models play an important role in investigating the pathophysiological processes and mechanisms associated with typical and atypical behavior, we discuss the ongoing challenges associated with these three critical steps of cross-translational research that has led to the current lack of success of developing effective new compounds for potential treatments and suggest approaches to stimulate advances in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noor Z Al Dahhan
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Fernanda G De Felice
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Douglas P Munoz
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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16
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Gilmour G, Porcelli S, Bertaina-Anglade V, Arce E, Dukart J, Hayen A, Lobo A, Lopez-Anton R, Merlo Pich E, Pemberton DJ, Havenith MN, Glennon JC, Harel BT, Dawson G, Marston H, Kozak R, Serretti A. Relating constructs of attention and working memory to social withdrawal in Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia: issues regarding paradigm selection. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 97:47-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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17
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Yagi S, Galea LAM. Sex differences in hippocampal cognition and neurogenesis. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:200-213. [PMID: 30214058 PMCID: PMC6235970 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0208-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences are reported in hippocampal plasticity, cognition, and in a number of disorders that target the integrity of the hippocampus. For example, meta-analyses reveal that males outperform females on hippocampus-dependent tasks in rodents and in humans, furthermore women are more likely to experience greater cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and depression, both diseases characterized by hippocampal dysfunction. The hippocampus is a highly plastic structure, important for processing higher order information and is sensitive to the environmental factors such as stress. The structure retains the ability to produce new neurons and this process plays an important role in pattern separation, proactive interference, and cognitive flexibility. Intriguingly, there are prominent sex differences in the level of neurogenesis and the activation of new neurons in response to hippocampus-dependent cognitive tasks in rodents. However, sex differences in spatial performance can be nuanced as animal studies have demonstrated that there are task, and strategy choice dependent sex differences in performance, as well as sex differences in the subregions of the hippocampus influenced by learning. This review discusses sex differences in pattern separation, pattern completion, spatial learning, and links between adult neurogenesis and these cognitive functions of the hippocampus. We emphasize the importance of including both sexes when studying genomic, cellular, and structural mechanisms of the hippocampal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunya Yagi
- 0000 0001 2288 9830grid.17091.3eDepartment of Psychology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada
| | - Liisa A. M. Galea
- 0000 0001 2288 9830grid.17091.3eDepartment of Psychology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada
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18
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Havenith MN, Zijderveld PM, van Heukelum S, Abghari S, Glennon JC, Tiesinga P. The Virtual-Environment-Foraging Task enables rapid training and single-trial metrics of attention in head-fixed mice. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17371. [PMID: 30478333 PMCID: PMC6255915 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34966-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Attention - the flexible allocation of processing resources based on behavioural demands - is essential to survival. Mouse research offers unique tools to dissect the underlying pathways, but is hampered by the difficulty of accurately measuring attention in mice. Current attention tasks for mice face several limitations: Binary (hit/miss), temporally imprecise metrics, behavioural confounds and overtraining. Thus, despite the increasing scope of neuronal population measurements, insights are limited without equally precise behavioural measures. Here we present a virtual-environment task for head-fixed mice based on 'foraging-like' navigation. The task requires animals to discriminate gratings at orientation differences from 90° to 5°, and can be learned in only 3-5 sessions (<550 trials). It yields single-trial, non-binary metrics of response speed and accuracy, which generate secondary metrics of choice certainty, visual acuity, and most importantly, of sustained and cued attention - two attentional components studied extensively in humans. This allows us to examine single-trial dynamics of attention in mice, independently of confounds like rule learning. With this approach, we show that C57/BL6 mice have better visual acuity than previously measured, that they rhythmically alternate between states of high and low alertness, and that they can be prompted to adopt different performance strategies using minute changes in reward contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha N Havenith
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Peter M Zijderveld
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sabrina van Heukelum
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Shaghayegh Abghari
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Tiesinga
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Kapittelweg, 29 6525EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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19
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Piiponniemi TO, Parkkari T, Heikkinen T, Puoliväli J, Park LC, Cachope R, Kopanitsa MV. Impaired Performance of the Q175 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease in the Touch Screen Paired Associates Learning Task. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:226. [PMID: 30333735 PMCID: PMC6176131 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive disturbances often predate characteristic motor dysfunction in individuals with Huntington’s disease (HD) and place an increasing burden on the HD patients and caregivers with the progression of the disorder. Therefore, application of maximally translational cognitive tests to animal models of HD is imperative for the development of treatments that could alleviate cognitive decline in human patients. Here, we examined the performance of the Q175 mouse knock-in model of HD in the touch screen version of the paired associates learning (PAL) task. We found that 10–11-month-old heterozygous Q175 mice had severely attenuated learning curve in the PAL task, which was conceptually similar to previously documented impaired performance of individuals with HD in the PAL task of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Besides high rate of errors in PAL task, Q175 mice exhibited considerably lower responding rate than age-matched wild-type (WT) animals. Our examination of effortful operant responding during fixed ratio (FR) and progressive ratio (PR) reinforcement schedules in a separate cohort of similar age confirmed slower and unselective performance of mutant animals, as observed during PAL task, but suggested that motivation to work for nutritional reward in the touch screen setting was similar in Q175 and WT mice. We also demonstrated that pronounced sensorimotor disturbances in Q175 mice can be detected at early touch screen testing stages, (e.g., during “Punish Incorrect” phase of operant pretraining), so we propose that shorter test routines may be utilised for more expedient studies of treatments aimed at the rescue of HD-related phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Larry C Park
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Roger Cachope
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Maksym V Kopanitsa
- Charles River Discovery Services, Kuopio, Finland.,UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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20
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Phillips BU, Lopez-Cruz L, Hailwood J, Heath CJ, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ. Translational approaches to evaluating motivation in laboratory rodents: conventional and touchscreen-based procedures. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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21
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Abstract
There is a growing need for new translational animal models designed to capture complex behavioral phenotypes implicated in addiction and other neuropsychiatric conditions. For example, a complete understanding of the effects of commonly abused drugs, as well as candidate medications, requires assessments of their effects on learning, memory, attention, and other cognition-related behavior. Modern touch-sensitive technology provides an extremely flexible means to expose an experimental subject to a variety of complex behavioral tasks designed to assay dimensions of cognitive function before, during, and after drug administration. In addition to tailored variants of gold-standard cognitive assessments, touchscreen chambers offer the ability to develop novel tasks based upon the researcher's needs. This methods perspective presents (i) a brief review of previous touchscreen-based animal studies, (ii) a primer on the construction of a touch-sensitive experimental chamber, and (iii) data from a proof-of-concept study examining cross-species continuity in performance across a diverse assortment of animal subjects (rats, marmosets, squirrel monkeys, and rhesus macaques) using the repeated acquisition task - a modern variant of a traditional animal model of learning. Taken together, the procedures and data discussed in this review illustrate the point that contemporary touchscreen methodology can be tailored to desired experimental goals and adapted to provide formal similarity in cognition-related tasks across experimental species. Moreover, touchscreen methodology allows for the development of new translational models that emerge through laboratory and clinical discovery to capture important dimensions of complex behavior and cognitive function.
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22
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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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23
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Bangasser DA, Wicks B, Waxler DE, Eck SR. Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task (SAT) for Rats. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 28994786 DOI: 10.3791/56219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sustained attention is the ability to monitor intermittent and unpredictable events over a prolonged period of time. This attentional process subserves other aspects of cognition and is disrupted in certain neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, it is clinically important to identify mechanisms that impair and improve sustained attention. Such mechanisms are often first discovered using rodent models. Therefore, several behavior procedures for testing aspects of sustained attention have been developed for rodents. One, first described by McGaughy and Sarter (1995), called the sustained attention task (SAT), trains rats to distinguish between signal (i.e., brief light presentation) and non-signal trials. The signals are short and thus require careful attention to be perceived. Attentional demands can be increased further by introducing a distractor (e.g., flashing houselight). We have modified this task for touchscreen operant chambers, which are configured with a touchscreen on one wall that can present stimuli and record responses. Here we detail our protocol for SAT in touchscreen chambers. Additionally, we present standard measures of performance in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Comparable performance on this task in both sexes highlights its use for attention studies, especially as more researchers are including female rodents in their experimental design. Moreover, the easy implementation of SAT for the increasingly popular touchscreen chambers increases its utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debra A Bangasser
- Psychology Department, Temple University; Neuroscience Program, Temple University;
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24
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Marquardt K, Sigdel R, Brigman JL. Touch-screen visual reversal learning is mediated by value encoding and signal propagation in the orbitofrontal cortex. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 139:179-188. [PMID: 28111339 PMCID: PMC5372695 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral inflexibility is a common symptom of neuropsychiatric disorders which can have a major detrimental impact on quality of life. While the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been strongly implicated in behavioral flexibility in rodents across paradigms, our understanding of how the OFC mediates these behaviors is rapidly adapting. Here we examined neuronal activity during reversal learning by coupling in vivo electrophysiological recording with a mouse touch-screen learning paradigm to further elucidate the role of the OFC in updating reward value. Single unit and oscillatory activity was recorded during well-learned discrimination and 3 distinct phases of reversal (early, chance and well-learned). During touch-screen performance, OFC neuronal firing tracked rewarded responses following a previous rewarded choice when behavior was well learned, but shifted to primarily track repeated errors following a previous error in early reversal. Spike activity tracked rewarded choices independent of previous trial outcome during chance reversal, and returned to the initial pattern of reward response at criterion. Analysis of spike coupling to oscillatory local field potentials showed that less frequently occurring behaviors had significantly fewer neurons locked to any oscillatory frequency. Together, these data support the role of the OFC in tracking the value of individual choices to inform future responses and suggests that oscillatory signaling may be involved in propagating responses to increase or decrease the likelihood that action is taken in the future. They further support the use of touch-screen paradigms in preclinical studies to more closely model clinical approaches to measuring behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Marquardt
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Rahul Sigdel
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jonathan L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States; New Mexico Alcohol Research Center, UNM Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
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