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Wang H, Peng K, Curry RJ, Li D, Wang Y, Wang X, Lu Y. Group I metabotropic glutamate receptor-triggered temporally patterned action potential-dependent spontaneous synaptic transmission in mouse MNTB neurons. Hear Res 2023; 435:108822. [PMID: 37285615 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2023.108822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Rhythmic action potentials (AP) are generated via intrinsic ionic mechanisms in pacemaking neurons, producing synaptic responses of regular inter-event intervals (IEIs) in their targets. In auditory processing, evoked temporally patterned activities are induced when neural responses timely lock to a certain phase of the sound stimuli. Spontaneous spike activity, however, is a stochastic process, rendering the prediction of the exact timing of the next event completely based on probability. Furthermore, neuromodulation mediated by metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) is not commonly associated with patterned neural activities. Here, we report an intriguing phenomenon. In a subpopulation of medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) neurons recorded under whole-cell voltage-clamp mode in acute mouse brain slices, temporally patterned AP-dependent glycinergic sIPSCs and glutamatergic sEPSCs were elicited by activation of group I mGluRs with 3,5-DHPG (200 µM). Auto-correlation analyses revealed rhythmogenesis in these synaptic responses. Knockout of mGluR5 largely eliminated the effects of 3,5-DHPG. Cell-attached recordings showed temporally patterned spikes evoked by 3,5-DHPG in potential presynaptic VNTB cells for synaptic inhibition onto MNTB. The amplitudes of sEPSCs enhanced by 3,5-DHPG were larger than quantal size but smaller than spike-driven calyceal inputs, suggesting that non-calyceal inputs to MNTB might be responsible for the temporally patterned sEPSCs. Finally, immunocytochemical studies identified expression and localization of mGluR5 and mGluR1 in the VNTB-MNTB inhibitory pathway. Our results imply a potential central mechanism underlying the generation of patterned spontaneous spike activity in the brainstem sound localization circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimei Wang
- Hearing Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA
| | - Kang Peng
- Hearing Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA
| | - Rebecca J Curry
- Hearing Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA; School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44240, USA
| | - Dong Li
- Hearing Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA
| | - Yuan Wang
- Department of Biomedical Science, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Department of Biomedical Science, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Yong Lu
- Hearing Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA; School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44240, USA.
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Kladisios N, Wicke KD, Pätz-Warncke C, Felmy F. Species-Specific Adaptation for Ongoing High-Frequency Action Potential Generation in MNTB Neurons. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2714-2729. [PMID: 36898837 PMCID: PMC10089249 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2320-22.2023] [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: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparative analysis of evolutionarily conserved neuronal circuits between phylogenetically distant mammals highlights the relevant mechanisms and specific adaptations to information processing. The medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) is a conserved mammalian auditory brainstem nucleus relevant for temporal processing. While MNTB neurons have been extensively investigated, a comparative analysis of phylogenetically distant mammals and the spike generation is missing. To understand the suprathreshold precision and firing rate, we examined the membrane, voltage-gated ion channel and synaptic properties in Phyllostomus discolor (bat) and in Meriones unguiculatus (rodent) of either sex. Between the two species, the membrane properties of MNTB neurons were similar at rest with only minor differences, while larger dendrotoxin (DTX)-sensitive potassium currents were found in gerbils. Calyx of Held-mediated EPSCs were smaller and frequency dependence of short-term plasticity (STP) less pronounced in bats. Simulating synaptic train stimulations in dynamic clamp revealed that MNTB neurons fired with decreasing success rate near conductance threshold and at increasing stimulation frequency. Driven by STP-dependent conductance decrease, the latency of evoked action potentials increased during train stimulations. The spike generator showed a temporal adaptation at the beginning of train stimulations that can be explained by sodium current inactivation. Compared with gerbils, the spike generator of bats sustained higher frequency input-output functions and upheld the same temporal precision. Our data mechanistically support that MNTB input-output functions in bats are suited to sustain precise high-frequency rates, while for gerbils, temporal precision appears more relevant and an adaptation to high output-rates can be spared.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neurons in the mammalian medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) convey precise, faithful inhibition vital for binaural hearing and gap detection. The MNTB's structure and function appear evolutionarily well conserved. We compared the cellular physiology of MNTB neurons in bat and gerbil. Because of their adaptations to echolocation or low frequency hearing both species are model systems for hearing research, yet with largely overlapping hearing ranges. We find that bat neurons sustain information transfer with higher ongoing rates and precision based on synaptic and biophysical differences in comparison to gerbils. Thus, even in evolutionarily conserved circuits species-specific adaptations prevail, highlighting the importance for comparative research to differentiate general circuit functions and their specific adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Kladisios
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation 30559 Hannover, Germany
- Hannover Graduate School for Neurosciences, Infection Medicine and Veterinary Sciences (HGNI), 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Kathrin D Wicke
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation 30559 Hannover, Germany
- Hannover Graduate School for Neurosciences, Infection Medicine and Veterinary Sciences (HGNI), 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Christina Pätz-Warncke
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Felix Felmy
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Feldhoff F, Toepfer H, Harczos T, Klefenz F. Periodicity Pitch Perception Part III: Sensibility and Pachinko Volatility. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:736642. [PMID: 35356050 PMCID: PMC8959216 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.736642] [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: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromorphic computer models are used to explain sensory perceptions. Auditory models generate cochleagrams, which resemble the spike distributions in the auditory nerve. Neuron ensembles along the auditory pathway transform sensory inputs step by step and at the end pitch is represented in auditory categorical spaces. In two previous articles in the series on periodicity pitch perception an extended auditory model had been successfully used for explaining periodicity pitch proved for various musical instrument generated tones and sung vowels. In this third part in the series the focus is on octopus cells as they are central sensitivity elements in auditory cognition processes. A powerful numerical model had been devised, in which auditory nerve fibers (ANFs) spike events are the inputs, triggering the impulse responses of the octopus cells. Efficient algorithms are developed and demonstrated to explain the behavior of octopus cells with a focus on a simple event-based hardware implementation of a layer of octopus neurons. The main finding is, that an octopus' cell model in a local receptive field fine-tunes to a specific trajectory by a spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning rule with synaptic pre-activation and the dendritic back-propagating signal as post condition. Successful learning explains away the teacher and there is thus no need for a temporally precise control of plasticity that distinguishes between learning and retrieval phases. Pitch learning is cascaded: At first octopus cells respond individually by self-adjustment to specific trajectories in their local receptive fields, then unions of octopus cells are collectively learned for pitch discrimination. Pitch estimation by inter-spike intervals is shown exemplary using two input scenarios: a simple sinus tone and a sung vowel. The model evaluation indicates an improvement in pitch estimation on a fixed time-scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Feldhoff
- Advanced Electromagnetics Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany
| | - Hannes Toepfer
- Advanced Electromagnetics Group, Technische Universität Ilmenau, Ilmenau, Germany
| | - Tamas Harczos
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Digitale Medientechnologie, Ilmenau, Germany
- Auditory Neuroscience and Optogenetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
- audifon GmbH & Co. KG, Kölleda, Germany
| | - Frank Klefenz
- Fraunhofer-Institut für Digitale Medientechnologie, Ilmenau, Germany
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Krohs C, Körber C, Ebbers L, Altaf F, Hollje G, Hoppe S, Dörflinger Y, Prosser HM, Nothwang HG. Loss of miR-183/96 Alters Synaptic Strength via Presynaptic and Postsynaptic Mechanisms at a Central Synapse. J Neurosci 2021; 41:6796-6811. [PMID: 34193555 PMCID: PMC8360680 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0139-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A point mutation in miR-96 causes non-syndromic progressive peripheral hearing loss and alters structure and physiology of the central auditory system. To gain further insight into the functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) within the central auditory system, we investigated constitutive Mir-183/96dko mice of both sexes. In this mouse model, the genomically clustered miR-183 and miR-96 are constitutively deleted. It shows significantly and specifically reduced volumes of auditory hindbrain nuclei, because of decreases in cell number and soma size. Electrophysiological analysis of the calyx of Held synapse in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) demonstrated strongly altered synaptic transmission in young-adult mice. We observed an increase in quantal content and readily releasable vesicle pool size in the presynapse while the overall morphology of the calyx was unchanged. Detailed analysis of the active zones (AZs) revealed differences in its molecular composition and synaptic vesicle (SV) distribution. Postsynaptically, altered clustering and increased synaptic abundancy of the AMPA receptor subunit GluA1 was observed resulting in an increase in quantal amplitude. Together, these presynaptic and postsynaptic alterations led to a 2-fold increase of the evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents in MNTB neurons. None of these changes were observed in deaf Cldn14ko mice, confirming an on-site role of miR-183 and miR-96 in the auditory hindbrain. Our data suggest that the Mir-183/96 cluster plays a key role for proper synaptic transmission at the calyx of Held and for the development of the auditory hindbrain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The calyx of Held is the outstanding model system to study basic synaptic physiology. Yet, genetic factors driving its morphologic and functional maturation are largely unknown. Here, we identify the Mir-183/96 cluster as an important factor to regulate its synaptic strength. Presynaptically, Mir-183/96dko calyces show an increase in release-ready synaptic vesicles (SVs), quantal content and abundance of the proteins Bassoon and Piccolo. Postsynaptically, the quantal size as well as number and size of GluA1 puncta were increased. The two microRNAs (miRNAs) are thus attractive candidates for regulation of synaptic maturation and long-term adaptations to sound levels. Moreover, the different phenotypic outcomes of different types of mutations in the Mir-183 cluster corroborate the requirement of mutation-tailored therapies in patients with hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanze Krohs
- Division of Neurogenetics, Department of Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Christoph Körber
- Institute of Anatomy und Cell Biology, Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Lena Ebbers
- Division of Neurogenetics, Department of Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Faiza Altaf
- Division of Neurogenetics, Department of Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Giulia Hollje
- Division of Neurogenetics, Department of Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
| | - Simone Hoppe
- Institute of Anatomy und Cell Biology, Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Yvette Dörflinger
- Institute of Anatomy und Cell Biology, Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Haydn M Prosser
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Hans Gerd Nothwang
- Division of Neurogenetics, Department of Neuroscience, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg 26129, Germany
- Excellence Cluster Hearing4all, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
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Young SM, Veeraraghavan P. Presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channels in the auditory brainstem. Mol Cell Neurosci 2021; 112:103609. [PMID: 33662542 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2021.103609] [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: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound information encoding within the initial synapses in the auditory brainstem requires reliable and precise synaptic transmission in response to rapid and large fluctuations in action potential (AP) firing rates. The magnitude and location of Ca2+ entry through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (CaV) in the presynaptic terminal are key determinants in triggering AP-mediated release. In the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), the CaV2.1 subtype is the critical subtype for CNS function, since it is the most efficient CaV2 subtype in triggering AP-mediated synaptic vesicle (SV) release. Auditory brainstem synapses utilize CaV2.1 to sustain fast and repetitive SV release to encode sound information. Therefore, understanding the presynaptic mechanisms that control CaV2.1 localization, organization and biophysical properties are integral to understanding auditory processing. Here, we review our current knowledge about the control of presynaptic CaV2 abundance and organization in the auditory brainstem and impact on the regulation of auditory processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel M Young
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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Wu J, Kaczmarek LK. Modulation of Neuronal Potassium Channels During Auditory Processing. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:596478. [PMID: 33613177 PMCID: PMC7887315 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.596478] [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: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The extraction and localization of an auditory stimulus of interest from among multiple other sounds, as in the ‘cocktail-party’ situation, requires neurons in auditory brainstem nuclei to encode the timing, frequency, and intensity of sounds with high fidelity, and to compare inputs coming from the two cochleae. Accurate localization of sounds requires certain neurons to fire at high rates with high temporal accuracy, a process that depends heavily on their intrinsic electrical properties. Studies have shown that the membrane properties of auditory brainstem neurons, particularly their potassium currents, are not fixed but are modulated in response to changes in the auditory environment. Here, we review work focusing on how such modulation of potassium channels is critical to shaping the firing pattern and accuracy of these neurons. We describe how insights into the role of specific channels have come from human gene mutations that impair localization of sounds in space. We also review how short-term and long-term modulation of these channels maximizes the extraction of auditory information, and how errors in the regulation of these channels contribute to deficits in decoding complex auditory information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Leonard K Kaczmarek
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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Lubejko ST, Fontaine B, Soueidan SE, MacLeod KM. Spike threshold adaptation diversifies neuronal operating modes in the auditory brain stem. J Neurophysiol 2019; 122:2576-2590. [PMID: 31577531 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00234.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Single neurons function along a spectrum of neuronal operating modes whose properties determine how the output firing activity is generated from synaptic input. The auditory brain stem contains a diversity of neurons, from pure coincidence detectors to pure integrators and those with intermediate properties. We investigated how intrinsic spike initiation mechanisms regulate neuronal operating mode in the avian cochlear nucleus. Although the neurons in one division of the avian cochlear nucleus, nucleus magnocellularis, have been studied in depth, the spike threshold dynamics of the tonically firing neurons of a second division of cochlear nucleus, nucleus angularis (NA), remained unexplained. The input-output functions of tonically firing NA neurons were interrogated with directly injected in vivo-like current stimuli during whole cell patch-clamp recordings in vitro. Increasing the amplitude of the noise fluctuations in the current stimulus enhanced the firing rates in one subset of tonically firing neurons ("differentiators") but not another ("integrators"). We found that spike thresholds showed significantly greater adaptation and variability in the differentiator neurons. A leaky integrate-and-fire neuronal model with an adaptive spike initiation process derived from sodium channel dynamics was fit to the firing responses and could recapitulate >80% of the precise temporal firing across a range of fluctuation and mean current levels. Greater threshold adaptation explained the frequency-current curve changes due to a hyperpolarized shift in the effective adaptation voltage range and longer-lasting threshold adaptation in differentiators. The fine-tuning of the intrinsic properties of different NA neurons suggests they may have specialized roles in spectrotemporal processing.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Avian cochlear nucleus angularis (NA) neurons are responsible for encoding sound intensity for sound localization and spectrotemporal processing. An adaptive spike threshold mechanism fine-tunes a subset of repetitive-spiking neurons in NA to confer coincidence detector-like properties. A model based on sodium channel inactivation properties reproduced the activity via a hyperpolarized shift in adaptation conferring fluctuation sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan T Lubejko
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Bertrand Fontaine
- Laboratory of Auditory Neurophysiology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sara E Soueidan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Katrina M MacLeod
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.,Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.,Center for the Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
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