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Printz Y, Patil P, Mahn M, Benjamin A, Litvin A, Levy R, Bringmann M, Yizhar O. Determinants of functional synaptic connectivity among amygdala-projecting prefrontal cortical neurons in male mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1667. [PMID: 36966143 PMCID: PMC10039875 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37318-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) mediates a variety of complex cognitive functions via its vast and diverse connections with cortical and subcortical structures. Understanding the patterns of synaptic connectivity that comprise the mPFC local network is crucial for deciphering how this circuit processes information and relays it to downstream structures. To elucidate the synaptic organization of the mPFC, we developed a high-throughput optogenetic method for mapping large-scale functional synaptic connectivity in acute brain slices. We show that in male mice, mPFC neurons that project to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) display unique spatial patterns of local-circuit synaptic connectivity, which distinguish them from the general mPFC cell population. When considering synaptic connections between pairs of mPFC neurons, the intrinsic properties of the postsynaptic cell and the anatomical positions of both cells jointly account for ~7.5% of the variation in the probability of connection. Moreover, anatomical distance and laminar position explain most of this fraction in variation. Our findings reveal the factors determining connectivity in the mPFC and delineate the architecture of synaptic connections in the BLA-projecting subnetwork.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoav Printz
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Pritish Patil
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Mathias Mahn
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Asaf Benjamin
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Anna Litvin
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Rivka Levy
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Max Bringmann
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Ofer Yizhar
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.
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Zhang YQ, Lin WP, Huang LP, Zhao B, Zhang CC, Yin DM. Dopamine D2 receptor regulates cortical synaptic pruning in rodents. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6444. [PMID: 34750364 PMCID: PMC8576001 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26769-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic pruning during adolescence is important for appropriate neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity. Aberrant synaptic pruning may underlie a variety of brain disorders such as schizophrenia, autism and anxiety. Dopamine D2 receptor (Drd2) is associated with several neuropsychiatric diseases and is the target of some antipsychotic drugs. Here we generate self-reporting Drd2 heterozygous (SR-Drd2+/-) rats to simultaneously visualize Drd2-positive neurons and downregulate Drd2 expression. Time course studies on the developing anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) from control and SR-Drd2+/- rats reveal important roles of Drd2 in regulating synaptic pruning rather than synapse formation. Drd2 also regulates LTD, a form of synaptic plasticity which includes some similar cellular/biochemical processes as synaptic pruning. We further demonstrate that Drd2 regulates synaptic pruning via cell-autonomous mechanisms involving activation of mTOR signaling. Deficits of Drd2-mediated synaptic pruning in the ACC during adolescence lead to hyper-glutamatergic function and anxiety-like behaviors in adulthood. Taken together, our results demonstrate important roles of Drd2 in cortical synaptic pruning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Qiang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education and Shanghai, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Peng Lin
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education and Shanghai, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China
- Joint Translational Science and Technology Research Institute, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China
| | - Li-Ping Huang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education and Shanghai, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China
| | - Bing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education and Shanghai, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China
| | - Cheng-Cheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education and Shanghai, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China
| | - Dong-Min Yin
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education and Shanghai, School of Life Science, East China Normal University, 200062, Shanghai, China.
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Lu YF, Wang Y, He Y, Zhang FK, He T, Wang RR, Chen XF, Yang F, Gong KR, Chen J. Spatial and temporal plasticity of synaptic organization in anterior cingulate cortex following peripheral inflammatory pain: multi-electrode array recordings in rats. Neurosci Bull 2014; 30:1-20. [PMID: 23686522 PMCID: PMC5561851 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-013-1344-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
To explore whether experiencing inflammatory pain has an impact upon intracortical synaptic organization, the planar multi-electrode array (MEA) technique and 2-dimensional current source density (2D-CSD) imaging were used in slice preparations of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) from rats. Synaptic activity across different layers of the ACC was evoked by deep layer stimulation through one electrode. The layer-localization of both local field potentials (LFPs) and the spread of current sink calculated by 2D-CSD analysis was characterized pharmacologically. Moreover, the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) and changes in LTP magnitude were also evaluated. We found that under naïve conditions, the current sink was initially generated in layer VI, then spread to layer V and finally confined to layers II-III. This spatial pattern of current sink movement typically reflected changes in depolarized sites from deep layers (V-VI) to superficial layers (II-III) where intra- and extracortical inputs terminate. In the ACC slices from rats in an inflamed state (for 2 h) caused by intraplantar bee-venom injection, the spatial profile of intra-ACC synaptic organization was significantly changed, showing an enlarged current sink distribution and a leftward shift of the stimulus-response curves relative to the naïve and saline controls. The change was more distinct in the superficial layers (II-III) than in the deep site. In terms of temporal properties, the rate of LTP induction was significantly increased in layers II-III by inflammatory pain. However, the magnitude of LTP was not significantly enhanced by this treatment. Taken together, these results show that inflammatory pain results in distinct spatial and temporal plasticity of synaptic organization in the ACC, which may lead to altered synaptic transmission and modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Fei Lu
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain and Institute for Functional Brain Disorders, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, PLA, Xi’an, 710038 China
| | - Yan Wang
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain and Institute for Functional Brain Disorders, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, PLA, Xi’an, 710038 China
| | - Ying He
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Fu-Kang Zhang
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Ting He
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain and Institute for Functional Brain Disorders, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, PLA, Xi’an, 710038 China
| | - Rui-Rui Wang
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain and Institute for Functional Brain Disorders, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, PLA, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Xue-Feng Chen
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain and Institute for Functional Brain Disorders, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, PLA, Xi’an, 710038 China
| | - Fei Yang
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain and Institute for Functional Brain Disorders, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, PLA, Xi’an, 710038 China
| | - Ke-Rui Gong
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Jun Chen
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain and Institute for Functional Brain Disorders, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Stress and Behavior, PLA, Xi’an, 710038 China
- Institute for Biomedical Sciences of Pain, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
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Shyu BC, Vogt BA. Short-term synaptic plasticity in the nociceptive thalamic-anterior cingulate pathway. Mol Pain 2009; 5:51. [PMID: 19732417 PMCID: PMC2745374 DOI: 10.1186/1744-8069-5-51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2009] [Accepted: 09/04/2009] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although the mechanisms of short- and long-term potentiation of nociceptive-evoked responses are well known in the spinal cord, including central sensitization, there has been a growing body of information on such events in the cerebral cortex. In view of the importance of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in chronic pain conditions, this review considers neuronal plasticities in the thalamocingulate pathway that may be the earliest changes associated with such syndromes. Results A single nociceptive electrical stimulus to the sciatic nerve induced a prominent sink current in the layer II/III of the ACC in vivo, while high frequency stimulation potentiated the response of this current. Paired-pulse facilitation by electrical stimulation of midline, mediodorsal and intralaminar thalamic nuclei (MITN) suggesting that the MITN projection to ACC mediates the nociceptive short-term plasticity. The short-term synaptic plasticities were evaluated for different inputs in vitro where the medial thalamic and contralateral corpus callosum afferents were compared. Stimulation of the mediodorsal afferent evoked a stronger short-term synaptic plasticity and effectively transferred the bursting thalamic activity to cingulate cortex that was not true for contralateral stimulation. This short-term enhancement of synaptic transmission was mediated by polysynaptic pathways and NMDA receptors. Layer II/III neurons of the ACC express a short-term plasticity that involves glutamate and presynaptic calcium influx and is an important mechanism of the short-term plasticity. Conclusion The potentiation of ACC neuronal activity induced by thalamic bursting suggest that short-term synaptic plasticities enable the processing of nociceptive information from the medial thalamus and this temporal response variability is particularly important in pain because temporal maintenance of the response supports cortical integration and memory formation related to noxious events. Moreover, these modifications of cingulate synapses appear to regulate afferent signals that may be important to the transition from acute to chronic pain conditions associated with persistent peripheral noxious stimulation. Enhanced and maintained nociceptive activities in cingulate cortex, therefore, can become adverse and it will be important to learn how to regulate such changes in thalamic firing patterns that transmit nociceptive information to ACC in early stages of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bai-Chuang Shyu
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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