1
|
Wang YL, Chen CC, Chang CP. Effect of stress on the rehabilitation performance of rats with repetitive mild fluid percussion-induced traumatic brain injuries. Cogn Neurodyn 2024; 18:283-297. [PMID: 38406191 PMCID: PMC10881937 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-023-09961-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) have shown that impaired motor and cognitive function can be improved by physical exercise. However, not each animal with TBI can be well rehabilitated at the same training intensity due to a high inter-subject variability. Hence, this paper presents a two-stage wheel-based mixed-mode rehabilitation mechanism by which the effect of stress on the rehabilitation performance was investigated. The mixed-mode rehabilitation mechanism consists of a two-week adaptive and a one-week voluntary rehabilitation program as Stages 1 and 2, respectively. In Stage 1, the common over and undertraining problem were completely resolved due to the adaptive design, and rats ran voluntarily over a 30-min duration in Stage 2. The training intensity adapted to the physical condition of all the TBI rats at all times in Stage 1, and then the self-motivated running rats were further rehabilitated under the lowest level of stress in Stage 2. For comparison purposes, another group of rats took a 3-week adaptive rehabilitation program. During the 3-week program, the rehabilitation performance of the rats were assessed using modified neurologic severity score (mNSS) and an 8-arm radial maze. Surprisingly, the group taking the mixed mode program turned out to outperform its counterpart in terms of mNSS. The mixed-mode rehabilitation mechanism was validated as an effective and efficient way to help rats restore motor, neurological and cognitive function after TBI. It was validated that the rehabilitation performance can be optimized under the lowest level of stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Lin Wang
- Center of General Education, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, 710301 Taiwan
- College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708 Taiwan
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, 710 Taiwan
| | - Chi-Chun Chen
- Department of Electronic Engineering, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung, 41170 Taiwan
| | - Ching-Ping Chang
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan, 710 Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sorrell CA, Burmeister SS. Orientation by environmental geometry and feature cues in the green and black poison frog (Dendrobates auratus). Anim Cogn 2023; 26:2023-2030. [PMID: 37698756 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01820-y] [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: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
The ability to use environmental geometry when orienting in space reflects an animal's ability to use a global, allocentric framework. Therefore, understanding when and how animal's use geometry relative to other types of cues in the environment has interested comparative cognition researchers for decades. Yet, only two amphibians have been tested to date. We trained the poison frog Dendrobates auratus to find goal shelters in a rectangular arena, in the presence and absence of a feature cue, and assessed the relative influence of the two types of cues using probe trials. We chose D. auratus because the species has complex interactions with their physical and social environments, including parental care that requires navigating to and from distant locations. We found that, like many vertebrates, D. auratus are capable of using geometric information to relocate goals. In addition, the frogs preferentially used the more reliable feature cue when the location of the feature conflicted with the geometry of the arena. The frogs were equally successful at using the feature cue when it was proximal or distal to the goal shelter, consistent with prior studies that found that D. auratus can use distal cues in a flexible manner. Our results provide further evidence that amphibians can use environmental geometry during orientation. Future studies that examine when and how amphibians use geometry relative to other types of cues will contribute to a more complete picture of spatial cognition in this important, yet understudied, group.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cody A Sorrell
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Sabrina S Burmeister
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Spatial Learning by Using Non-Visual Geometry and a Visual 3D Landmark in Zebrafish ( Danio rerio). Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13030440. [PMID: 36766329 PMCID: PMC9913453 DOI: 10.3390/ani13030440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Fish conjoin environmental geometry with conspicuous landmarks to reorient towards foraging sites and social stimuli. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) can merge a rectangular opaque arena with a 2D landmark (a blue-colored wall) but cannot merge a rectangular transparent arena with a 3D landmark (a blue cylinder) without training to "feel" the environment thanks to other-than-sight pathways. Thus, their success is linked to tasks differences (spontaneous vs. rewarded). This study explored the reorientation behavior of zebrafish within a rectangular transparent arena, with a blue cylinder outside, proximal to/distal from a target corner position, on the short/long side of the arena. Adult males were extensively trained to distinguish the correct corner from the rotational one, sharing an equivalent metric-sense relationship (short surface left, long surface right), to access food and companions. Results showed that zebrafish's reorientation behavior was driven by both the non-visual geometry and the visual landmark, partially depending on the landmark's proximity and surface length. Better accuracy was attained when the landmark was proximal to the target corner. When long-term experience was allowed, zebrafish handled non-visual and visual sensory stimulations over time for reorienting. We advance the possibility that multisensory processes affect fish's reorientation behavior and spatial learning, providing a link through which to investigate animals' exploratory strategies to face situations of visual deprivation or impairments.
Collapse
|
4
|
Lee SA. Navigational roots of spatial and temporal memory structure. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:87-95. [PMID: 36480071 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01726-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Our minds are constantly in transit, from the present to the past to the future, across places we have and have not directly experienced. Nevertheless, memories of our mental time travel are not organized continuously and are adaptively chunked into contexts and episodes. In this paper, I will review evidence that suggests that spatial boundary representations play a critical role in providing structure to both our spatial and temporal memories. I will illustrate the intimate connection between hippocampal spatial mapping and temporal sequencing of episodic memory to propose that high-level cognitive processes like mental time travel and conceptual mapping are rooted in basic navigational mechanisms that we humans and nonhuman animals share. Our neuroscientific understanding of hippocampal function across species may provide new insight into the origins of even the most uniquely human cognitive abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sang Ah Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-Ro 1, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Normandin ME, Garza MC, Ramos-Alvarez MM, Julian JB, Eresanara T, Punjaala N, Vasquez JH, Lopez MR, Muzzio IA. Navigable Space and Traversable Edges Differentially Influence Reorientation in Sighted and Blind Mice. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:925-947. [PMID: 35536866 PMCID: PMC9343889 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211055373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Reorientation enables navigators to regain their bearings after becoming lost. Disoriented individuals primarily reorient themselves using the geometry of a layout, even when other informative cues, such as landmarks, are present. Yet the specific strategies that animals use to determine geometry are unclear. Moreover, because vision allows subjects to rapidly form precise representations of objects and background, it is unknown whether it has a deterministic role in the use of geometry. In this study, we tested sighted and congenitally blind mice (Ns = 8-11) in various settings in which global shape parameters were manipulated. Results indicated that the navigational affordances of the context-the traversable space-promote sampling of boundaries, which determines the effective use of geometric strategies in both sighted and blind mice. However, blind animals can also effectively reorient themselves using 3D edges by extensively patrolling the borders, even when the traversable space is not limited by these boundaries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria C Garza
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio
| | | | | | - Tuoyo Eresanara
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio
| | | | - Juan H Vasquez
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio
| | - Matthew R Lopez
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio
| | - Isabel A Muzzio
- Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The Geometric World of Fishes: A Synthesis on Spatial Reorientation in Teleosts. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12070881. [PMID: 35405870 PMCID: PMC8997125 DOI: 10.3390/ani12070881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Animals inhabit species-specific ecological environments and acquire knowledge about the surrounding space to adaptively behave and move within it. Spatial cognition is important for achieving basic survival actions such as detecting the position of a food site or a mate, going back home or hiding from a predator. As such, animals possess multiple mechanisms for spatial mapping, including the use of individual reference points or positional relationships among them. One such mechanism allows disoriented animals to navigate according to the distinctive geometry of the environment: within a rectangular enclosure, they can simply reorient by using “metrics” (e.g., longer/shorter, closer/farther) and “sense” (e.g., left, right) attributes. Navigation based on the environmental geometry has been widely investigated across the animal kingdom, including fishes. In particular, research on teleost fish has contributed to the general understanding of geometric representations through both visual and extra-visual modalities, even vertebrates phylogenetically remote from mammals. Abstract Fishes navigate through underwater environments with remarkable spatial precision and memory. Freshwater and seawater species make use of several orientation strategies for adaptative behavior that is on par with terrestrial organisms, and research on cognitive mapping and landmark use in fish have shown that relational and associative spatial learning guide goal-directed navigation not only in terrestrial but also in aquatic habitats. In the past thirty years, researchers explored spatial cognition in fishes in relation to the use of environmental geometry, perhaps because of the scientific value to compare them with land-dwelling animals. Geometric navigation involves the encoding of macrostructural characteristics of space, which are based on the Euclidean concepts of “points”, “surfaces”, and “boundaries”. The current review aims to inspect the extant literature on navigation by geometry in fishes, emphasizing both the recruitment of visual/extra-visual strategies and the nature of the behavioral task on orientation performance.
Collapse
|
7
|
A robust bitmap-based real-time position tracking algorithm for rats in radial arm maze tests. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22447. [PMID: 34789865 PMCID: PMC8599520 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01974-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper aims to develop a position tracking algorithm by which a rat in a radial arm maze can be accurately located in real time. An infrared (IR) night-vision camera was hung above the maze to capture IR images of the rat. The IR images were binarized and then duplicated for subsequent intersection and opening operations. Due to simple operations and a high robustness against the noise spots formed by the droppings of the rat, it took just minutes to process more than 9000 frames, and an accuracy above 99% was reached as well. The maze was intruded by an experimenter to further test the robustness, and the accuracy slightly fell to 98%. For comparison purposes, the same experiments were carried out using a pre-trained YOLO v2 model. The YOLO counterpart gave an accuracy beyond 97% in the absence and in the presence of the intruder. In other words, this work slightly outperformed the YOLO counterpart in terms of the accuracy in both cases, which indicates the robustness of this work. However, it took the YOLO counterpart an hour or so to locate a rat contained in the frames, which highlights the contribution of this work.
Collapse
|
8
|
Learning by Doing: The Use of Distance, Corners and Length in Rewarded Geometric Tasks by Zebrafish ( Danio rerio). Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11072001. [PMID: 34359129 PMCID: PMC8300093 DOI: 10.3390/ani11072001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Geometric navigation allows animals to efficiently move towards essential life-spaces by taking advantage of macrostructural information such as distance, angular magnitude, and length, in relation to left-right positional sense. In natural contexts, these cues can be referred to extensive three-dimensional surfaces such as a slope or a riverbed, thus becoming crucial to orient and find useful supplies. In controlled contexts, it is possible to set apart these components by handling the global shape of the experimental space (rectangular or square) as well, with the aim to specially probe the impact of each of them on navigation behavior of animals, including fishes. The present study aimed at investigating whether a well-known vertebrate, the zebrafish, could learn to encode and retain in memory such metric information (in terms of distances, corners, and lengths) in association with left–right directions, to gain rewards. Our results showed that zebrafish learned to use all these geometric attributes when repeatedly exposed to them, over a period of training, thereby giving strength to the ecological relevance of environmental geometry as a source of spatial knowledge. Generally, the engagement of zebrafish may consent to assess computations underlying large-scale-based navigation, also by drawing targeted comparisons, due to its behavioral, cognitive, and even emotional similarities with mammals. Abstract Zebrafish spontaneously use distance and directional relationships among three-dimensional extended surfaces to reorient within a rectangular arena. However, they fail to take advantage of either an array of freestanding corners or an array of unequal-length surfaces to search for a no-longer-present goal under a spontaneous cued memory procedure, being unable to use the information supplied by corners and length without some kind of rewarded training. The present study aimed to tease apart the geometric components characterizing a rectangular enclosure under a procedure recruiting the reference memory, thus training zebrafish in fragmented layouts that provided differences in surface distance, corners, and length. Results showed that fish, besides the distance, easily learned to use both corners and length if subjected to a rewarded exit task over time, suggesting that they can represent all the geometrically informative parts of a rectangular arena when consistently exposed to them. Altogether, these findings highlight crucially important issues apropos the employment of different behavioral protocols (spontaneous choice versus training over time) to assess spatial abilities of zebrafish, further paving the way to deepen the role of visual and nonvisual encodings of isolated geometric components in relation to macrostructural boundaries.
Collapse
|
9
|
Montalbán-Loro R, Lassi G, Lozano-Ureña A, Perez-Villalba A, Jiménez-Villalba E, Charalambous M, Vallortigara G, Horner AE, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Trejo JL, Tucci V, Ferguson-Smith AC, Ferrón SR. Dlk1 dosage regulates hippocampal neurogenesis and cognition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2015505118. [PMID: 33712542 PMCID: PMC7980393 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015505118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurogenesis in the adult brain gives rise to functional neurons, which integrate into neuronal circuits and modulate neural plasticity. Sustained neurogenesis throughout life occurs in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus and is hypothesized to be involved in behavioral/cognitive processes such as memory and in diseases. Genomic imprinting is of critical importance to brain development and normal behavior, and exemplifies how epigenetic states regulate genome function and gene dosage. While most genes are expressed from both alleles, imprinted genes are usually expressed from either the maternally or the paternally inherited chromosome. Here, we show that in contrast to its canonical imprinting in nonneurogenic regions, Delta-like homolog 1 (Dlk1) is expressed biallelically in the SGZ, and both parental alleles are required for stem cell behavior and normal adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. To evaluate the effects of maternally, paternally, and biallelically inherited mutations within the Dlk1 gene in specific behavioral domains, we subjected Dlk1-mutant mice to a battery of tests that dissociate and evaluate the effects of Dlk1 dosage on spatial learning ability and on anxiety traits. Importantly, reduction in Dlk1 levels triggers specific cognitive abnormalities that affect aspects of discriminating differences in environmental stimuli, emphasizing the importance of selective absence of imprinting in this neurogenic niche.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Montalbán-Loro
- ERI Biotecmed-Departamento de Biología Celular, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia,Spain
| | - Glenda Lassi
- Genetics and Epigenetics of Behaviour (GEB) Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
- Translational Science and Experimental Medicine Research and Early Development, Respiratory and Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0AA, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Lozano-Ureña
- ERI Biotecmed-Departamento de Biología Celular, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia,Spain
| | - Ana Perez-Villalba
- ERI Biotecmed-Departamento de Biología Celular, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia,Spain
- Faculty of Psychology, Laboratory of Animal Behavior Phenotype (LABP), Universidad Católica de Valencia, 46100 Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Marika Charalambous
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Alexa E Horner
- Synome Ltd, Babraham, Cambridge CB22 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa M Saksida
- Department of Psychology, Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
- Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Timothy J Bussey
- Department of Psychology, Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
- Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories, Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5K8, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
- The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - José Luis Trejo
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, The Spanish National Research Council, Madrid 28002, Spain
| | - Valter Tucci
- Genetics and Epigenetics of Behaviour (GEB) Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genova, Italy
| | | | - Sacri R Ferrón
- ERI Biotecmed-Departamento de Biología Celular, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia,Spain;
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Reorientation by features and geometry: Effects of healthy and degenerative age-related cognitive decline. Learn Behav 2020; 48:124-134. [PMID: 31916194 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-019-00401-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The ability to orient is critical for mobile species. Two visual cues, geometry (e.g., distance and direction) and features (e.g., colour and texture) are often used when establishing one's orientation. Previous research has shown the use of these cues, in particular, geometry, may decline with healthy aging. Few studies have examined whether degenerative aging processes show similar time points for the decline of geometry use. The present study examined this issue by training adult and aged mice from two strains, a healthy wild-type and an Alzheimer's model, to search for a hidden platform in a rectangular water maze. The shape of the maze provided geometric information, and distinctive features were displayed on the walls. Following training, manipulations to the features were made to examine whether the mice were able to use the features and geometry, and whether they showed a preference between these two cue types. Results showed that although Alzheimer's transgenic mice were slower to learn the task, overall age rather than strain, was associated with a degradation in use of geometry. However, the presence of seemingly uninformative features (due to their redundancy) facilitated the use of geometry. Additionally, when features and geometry provided conflicting information, only young wild-type mice showed a primary use of features. Our results suggest the failure to use geometry may be a generalized function of aging, and not a diagnostic feature of degeneration for mice. Whether this is also the case for other mammals, such as humans for which the mouse is an important medical model, remains to be examined.
Collapse
|
11
|
Ahmed A, Zeng G, Azhar M, Lin H, Zhang M, Wang F, Zhang H, Jiang D, Yang S, Farooq AD, Choudhary MI, Liu X, Wang Q. Jiawei Shengmai San herbal formula ameliorates diabetic associate cognitive decline by modulating
AKT
and
CREB
in rats. Phytother Res 2020; 34:3249-3261. [DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ayaz Ahmed
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamics and Safety Evaluation of New Drugs & Hunan Provincial Research Center for Safety Evaluation of Drugs, Changsha Changsha China
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences University of Karachi Karachi Pakistan
| | - Guirong Zeng
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamics and Safety Evaluation of New Drugs & Hunan Provincial Research Center for Safety Evaluation of Drugs, Changsha Changsha China
- Research Center for Pharmacology & Toxicology, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD) Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Beijing China
| | - Mudassar Azhar
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamics and Safety Evaluation of New Drugs & Hunan Provincial Research Center for Safety Evaluation of Drugs, Changsha Changsha China
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences University of Karachi Karachi Pakistan
| | - Haiying Lin
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
| | - Mijia Zhang
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
| | - Fengzhong Wang
- Institute of Food Science and Technology Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) Beijing China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
| | - Dejian Jiang
- Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamics and Safety Evaluation of New Drugs & Hunan Provincial Research Center for Safety Evaluation of Drugs, Changsha Changsha China
| | - Sijin Yang
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
| | - Ahsana Dar Farooq
- Hamdard Al‐Majeed College of Eastern Medicine Hamdard University Karachi Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences University of Karachi Karachi Pakistan
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science King Abdulaziz University Jeddah Saudi Arabia
| | - Xinmin Liu
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
- Research Center for Pharmacology & Toxicology, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD) Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Beijing China
| | - Qiong Wang
- Affiliated TCM Hospital/Sino‐Portugal TCM International Cooperation Center/School of Basic Medicine Southwest Medical University Luzhou China
- Institute of Food Science and Technology Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) Beijing China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Li Z, Gan L, Yan S, Yan Y, Huang W. Effect of C-phycocyanin on HDAC3 and miRNA-335 in Alzheimer's disease. Transl Neurosci 2020; 11:161-172. [PMID: 33312721 PMCID: PMC7705988 DOI: 10.1515/tnsci-2020-0101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaque deposits and neurofibrillary tangles containing tau proteins are the key pathognomonic manifestations of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lack of holistic drugs for AD has reinvigorated enthusiasm in the natural product-based therapies. In this study, our idea to decipher the beneficial effects of C-phycocyanin (CPC) in the management of AD is buoyed by its multifaceted and holistic therapeutic effects. METHODS We evaluated the effect of CPC treatment on epigenetic factors and inflammatory mediators in a mouse with oligomeric Aβ1-42-induced AD. Besides, the cognitive function was evaluated by the spatial memory performance on a radial arm maze. RESULTS The results showed cognitive deficit in the mice with AD along with upregulated HDAC3 expression and diminished miRNA-335 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expressions. In addition, inflammation was provoked (manifested by increased interleukins (IL)-6 and IL-1β) and neuronal apoptosis was accelerated (indicated by increased Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 along with decreased Bcl2) in the hippocampus of the mice with AD. Interestingly, CPC treatment in the mice with AD improved spatial memory performance and decreased the perturbations in the epigenetic and inflammatory biofactors. CONCLUSION These results underscore that mitigation of inflammation via regulation of epigenetic factors might be the key pathway underlying the ameliorative effect of CPC against the aberrations in AD. Our findings provide the rationale for considering CPC as a viable therapeutic option in the management of AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyu Li
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China
| | - Li Gan
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China
| | - Si Yan
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China
| | - Yufang Yan
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Distinct and combined responses to environmental geometry and features in a working-memory reorientation task in rats and chicks. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7508. [PMID: 32371918 PMCID: PMC7200675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64366-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The original provocative formulation of the ‘geometric module’ hypothesis was based on a working-memory task in rats which suggested that spontaneous reorientation behavior is based solely on the environmental geometry and is impervious to featural cues. Here, we retested that claim by returning to a spontaneous navigation task with rats and domestic chicks, using a single prominent featural cue (a striped wall) within a rectangular arena. Experiments 1 and 2 tested the influence of geometry and features separately. In Experiment 1, we found that both rats and chicks used environmental geometry to compute locations in a plain rectangular arena. In Experiment 2, while chicks failed to spontaneously use a striped wall in a square arena, rats showed a modest influence of the featural cue as a local marker to the goal. The critical third experiment tested the striped wall inside the rectangular arena. We found that although chicks solely relied on geometry, rats navigated based on both environmental geometry and the featural cue. While our findings with rats are contrary to classic claims of an impervious geometric module, they are consistent with the hypothesis that navigation by boundaries and features may involve distinct underlying cognitive computations. We conclude by discussing the similarities and differences in feature-use across tasks and species.
Collapse
|
14
|
Meléndez DM, Nordquist RE, Vanderschuren LJMJ, van der Staay FJ. Spatial memory deficits after vincristine-induced lesions to the dorsal hippocampus. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231941. [PMID: 32315349 PMCID: PMC7173870 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Vincristine is a commonly used cytostatic drug for the treatment of leukemia, neuroblastoma and lung cancer, which is known to have neurotoxic properties. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of vincristine, injected directly into the dorsal hippocampus, in spatial memory using the spatial cone field discrimination task. Long Evans rats were trained in the cone field, and after reaching training criterion received bilateral vincristine infusions into the dorsal hippocampus. Vincristine-treated animals presented unilateral or bilateral hippocampal lesions. Animals with bilateral lesions showed lower spatial working and reference memory performance than control animals, but task motivation was unaffected by the lesions. Working and reference memory of animals with unilateral lesions did not differ from animals with bilateral lesions and control animals. In sum, intrahippocampal injection of vincristine caused profound tissue damage in the dorsal hippocampus, associated with substantial cognitive deficits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M. Meléndez
- Division of Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Behaviour and Welfare Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Rebecca E. Nordquist
- Division of Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Behaviour and Welfare Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Animals in Science and Society, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Franz-Josef van der Staay
- Division of Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Behaviour and Welfare Group, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
The role of learning and environmental geometry in landmark-based spatial reorientation of fish (Xenotoca eiseni). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229608. [PMID: 32126075 PMCID: PMC7053775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Disoriented animals and humans use both the environmental geometry and visual landmarks to guide their spatial behavior. Although there is a broad consensus on the use of environmental geometry across various species of vertebrates, the nature of disoriented landmark-use has been greatly debated in the field. In particular, the discrepancy in performance under spontaneous choice conditions (sometimes called “working memory” task) and training over time (“reference memory” task) has raised questions about the task-dependent dissociability of mechanisms underlying the use of landmarks. Until now, this issue has not been directly addressed, due to the inclusion of environmental geometry in most disoriented navigation paradigms. In the present study, therefore, we placed our focus on landmark-based navigation in fish (Xenotoca eiseni), an animal model that has provided fruitful research in spatial reorientation. We began with a test of spontaneous navigation by geometry and landmarks (Experiment 1), showing a preference for the correct corner, even in the absence of reinforced training. We then proceeded to test landmarks without the influence of informative geometry through the use of square environments (Experiment 2–4), varying the numerosity of present landmarks, the distance of landmarks from the target corner, and the type of task (i.e., spontaneous cued memory or reference memory). We found marked differences in landmark-use in the absence of environmental geometry. In the spontaneous memory task, visual landmarks acquired perceptive salience (and attracted the fish) but without serving as a spatial cue to location when they were distal from the target. Across learning in the reference memory task, the fish overcame these effects and gradually improved in their performance, although they were still biased to learn visual landmarks near the target (i.e., as beacons). We discuss these results in relation to the existing literature on dissociable mechanisms of spatial learning.
Collapse
|
16
|
Sovrano VA, Potrich D, Foà A, Bertolucci C. Extra-Visual Systems in the Spatial Reorientation of Cavefish. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17698. [PMID: 30523284 PMCID: PMC6283829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36167-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Disoriented humans and animals are able to reorient themselves using environmental geometry ("metric properties" and "sense") and local features, also relating geometric to non-geometric information. Here we investigated the presence of these reorientation spatial skills in two species of blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus and Phreatichthys andruzzii), in order to understand the possible role of extra-visual senses in similar spatial tasks. In a rectangular apparatus, with all homogeneous walls (geometric condition) or in presence of a tactilely different wall (feature condition), cavefish were required to reorient themselves after passive disorientation. We provided the first evidence that blind cavefish, using extra-visual systems, were able i) to use geometric cues, provided by the shape of the tank, in order to recognize two geometric equivalent corners on the diagonal, and ii) to integrate the geometric information with the salient cue (wall with a different surface structure), in order to recover a specific corner. These findings suggest the ecological salience of the environmental geometry for spatial orientation in animals and, despite the different niches of adaptation, a potential shared background for spatial navigation. The geometric spatial encoding seems to constitute a common cognitive tool needed when the environment poses similar requirements to living organisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Anna Sovrano
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
| | - Davide Potrich
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Augusto Foà
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Cristiano Bertolucci
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Rountree-Harrison D, Burton TJ, Leamey CA, Sawatari A. Environmental Enrichment Expedites Acquisition and Improves Flexibility on a Temporal Sequencing Task in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:51. [PMID: 29599712 PMCID: PMC5862792 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) via increased opportunities for voluntary exercise, sensory stimulation and social interaction, can enhance the function of and behaviours regulated by cognitive circuits. Little is known, however, as to how this intervention affects performance on complex tasks that engage multiple, definable learning and memory systems. Accordingly, we utilised the Olfactory Temporal Order Discrimination (OTOD) task which requires animals to recall and report sequence information about a series of recently encountered olfactory stimuli. This approach allowed us to compare animals raised in either enriched or standard laboratory housing conditions on a number of measures, including the acquisition of a complex discrimination task, temporal sequence recall accuracy (i.e., the ability to accurately recall a sequences of events) and acuity (i.e., the ability to resolve past events that occurred in close temporal proximity), as well as cognitive flexibility tested in the style of a rule reversal and an Intra-Dimensional Shift (IDS). We found that enrichment accelerated the acquisition of the temporal order discrimination task, although neither accuracy nor acuity was affected at asymptotic performance levels. Further, while a subtle enhancement of overall performance was detected for both rule reversal and IDS versions of the task, accelerated performance recovery could only be attributed to the shift-like contingency change. These findings suggest that EE can affect specific elements of complex, multi-faceted cognitive processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darius Rountree-Harrison
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and the Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Thomas J Burton
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and the Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Animal Behavioural Facility, School of Medical Sciences and the Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Catherine A Leamey
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and the Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Atomu Sawatari
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences and the Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Lee SA, Tucci V, Vallortigara G. Spatial Impairment and Memory in Genetic Disorders: Insights from Mouse Models. Brain Sci 2017; 7:E17. [PMID: 28208764 PMCID: PMC5332960 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7020017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Research across the cognitive and brain sciences has begun to elucidate some of the processes that guide navigation and spatial memory. Boundary geometry and featural landmarks are two distinct classes of environmental cues that have dissociable neural correlates in spatial representation and follow different patterns of learning. Consequently, spatial navigation depends both on the type of cue available and on the type of learning provided. We investigated this interaction between spatial representation and memory by administering two different tasks (working memory, reference memory) using two different environmental cues (rectangular geometry, striped landmark) in mouse models of human genetic disorders: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWScrm+/p- mice, n = 12) and Beta-catenin mutation (Thr653Lys-substituted mice, n = 12). This exploratory study provides suggestive evidence that these models exhibit different abilities and impairments in navigating by boundary geometry and featural landmarks, depending on the type of memory task administered. We discuss these data in light of the specific deficits in cognitive and brain function in these human syndromes and their animal model counterparts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sang Ah Lee
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy.
| | - Valter Tucci
- Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16163, Italy.
| | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Working memory decline in normal aging: Is it really worse in space than in color? LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2017.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
20
|
Lee SA, Ferrari A, Vallortigara G, Sovrano VA. Boundary primacy in spatial mapping: Evidence from zebrafish (Danio rerio). Behav Processes 2015; 119:116-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
|