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Salzinger A, Ramesh V, Das Sharma S, Chandran S, Thangaraj Selvaraj B. Neuronal Circuit Dysfunction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Cells 2024; 13:792. [PMID: 38786016 PMCID: PMC11120636 DOI: 10.3390/cells13100792] [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: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The primary neural circuit affected in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients is the corticospinal motor circuit, originating in upper motor neurons (UMNs) in the cerebral motor cortex which descend to synapse with the lower motor neurons (LMNs) in the spinal cord to ultimately innervate the skeletal muscle. Perturbation of these neural circuits and consequent loss of both UMNs and LMNs, leading to muscle wastage and impaired movement, is the key pathophysiology observed. Despite decades of research, we are still lacking in ALS disease-modifying treatments. In this review, we document the current research from patient studies, rodent models, and human stem cell models in understanding the mechanisms of corticomotor circuit dysfunction and its implication in ALS. We summarize the current knowledge about cortical UMN dysfunction and degeneration, altered excitability in LMNs, neuromuscular junction degeneration, and the non-cell autonomous role of glial cells in motor circuit dysfunction in relation to ALS. We further highlight the advances in human stem cell technology to model the complex neural circuitry and how these can aid in future studies to better understand the mechanisms of neural circuit dysfunction underpinning ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Salzinger
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; (A.S.); (V.R.); (S.D.S.); (S.C.)
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Vidya Ramesh
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; (A.S.); (V.R.); (S.D.S.); (S.C.)
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Shreya Das Sharma
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; (A.S.); (V.R.); (S.D.S.); (S.C.)
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Siddharthan Chandran
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; (A.S.); (V.R.); (S.D.S.); (S.C.)
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
- Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic (ARRNC), University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Bhuvaneish Thangaraj Selvaraj
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; (A.S.); (V.R.); (S.D.S.); (S.C.)
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
- Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic (ARRNC), University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
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Do QB, Noor H, Marquez-Gomez R, Cramb KML, Ng B, Abbey A, Ibarra-Aizpurua N, Caiazza MC, Sharifi P, Lang C, Beccano-Kelly D, Baleriola J, Bengoa-Vergniory N, Wade-Martins R. Early deficits in an in vitro striatal microcircuit model carrying the Parkinson's GBA-N370S mutation. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2024; 10:82. [PMID: 38609392 PMCID: PMC11014935 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-024-00694-2] [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: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding medium spiny neuron (MSN) physiology is essential to understand motor impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) given the architecture of the basal ganglia. Here, we developed a custom three-chambered microfluidic platform and established a cortico-striato-nigral microcircuit partially recapitulating the striatal presynaptic landscape in vitro using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. We found that, cortical glutamatergic projections facilitated MSN synaptic activity, and dopaminergic transmission enhanced maturation of MSNs in vitro. Replacement of wild-type iPSC-derived dopamine neurons (iPSC-DaNs) in the striatal microcircuit with those carrying the PD-related GBA-N370S mutation led to a depolarisation of resting membrane potential and an increase in rheobase in iPSC-MSNs, as well as a reduction in both voltage-gated sodium and potassium currents. Such deficits were resolved in late microcircuit cultures, and could be reversed in younger cultures with antagonism of protein kinase A activity in iPSC-MSNs. Taken together, our results highlight the unique utility of modelling striatal neurons in a modular physiological circuit to reveal mechanistic insights into GBA1 mutations in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quyen B Do
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Humaira Noor
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
- Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), University of Oxford, Henry Wellcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Ricardo Marquez-Gomez
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M L Cramb
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Bryan Ng
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Ajantha Abbey
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Naroa Ibarra-Aizpurua
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Maria Claudia Caiazza
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Parnaz Sharifi
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Charmaine Lang
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Dayne Beccano-Kelly
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Jimena Baleriola
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Leioa, Spain
- Ikerbasque-Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Nora Bengoa-Vergniory
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Leioa, Spain.
- Ikerbasque-Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
- University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Department of Neuroscience, Leioa, Spain.
| | - Richard Wade-Martins
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
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Ozgun A, Lomboni DJ, Aylsworth A, Macdonald A, Staines WA, Martina M, Schlossmacher MG, Tauskela JS, Woulfe J, Variola F. Unraveling the assembloid: Real-time monitoring of dopaminergic neurites in an inter-organoid pathway connecting midbrain and striatal regions. Mater Today Bio 2024; 25:100992. [PMID: 38371467 PMCID: PMC10873721 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.100992] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Modern in vitro technologies for preclinical research, including organ-on-a-chip, organoids- and assembloid-based systems, have rapidly emerged as pivotal tools for elucidating disease mechanisms and assessing the efficacy of putative therapeutics. In this context, advanced in vitro models of Parkinson's Disease (PD) offer the potential to accelerate drug discovery by enabling effective platforms that recapitulate both physiological and pathological attributes of the in vivo environment. Although these systems often aim at replicating the PD-associated loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons, only a few have modelled the degradation of dopaminergic pathways as a way to mimic the disruption of downstream regulation mechanisms that define the characteristic motor symptoms of the disease. To this end, assembloids have been successfully employed to recapitulate neuronal pathways between distinct brain regions. However, the investigation and characterization of these connections through neural tracing and electrophysiological analysis remain a technically challenging and time-consuming process. Here, we present a novel bioengineered platform consisting of surface-grown midbrain and striatal organoids at opposite sides of a self-assembled DA pathway. In particular, dopaminergic neurons and striatal GABAergic neurons spontaneously form DA connections across a microelectrode array (MEA), specifically integrated for the real-time monitoring of electrophysiological development and stimuli response. Calcium imaging data showed spiking synchronicity of the two organoids forming the inter-organoid pathways (IOPs) demonstrating that they are functionally connected. MEA recordings confirm a more robust response to the DA neurotoxin 6-OHDA compared to midbrain organoids alone, thereby validating the potential of this technology to generate highly tractable, easily extractable real-time functional readouts to investigate the dysfunctional dopaminergic network of PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alp Ozgun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Program in Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - David J. Lomboni
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Amy Aylsworth
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Allison Macdonald
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Program in Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - William A. Staines
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Marzia Martina
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Michael G. Schlossmacher
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Program in Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Joseph S. Tauskela
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - John Woulfe
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Department of Pathology, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Fabio Variola
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering (OCIBME), Ottawa, Canada
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Ottawa, Canada
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Maussion G, Rocha C, Ramoz N. iPSC-derived models for anorexia nervosa research. Trends Mol Med 2024; 30:339-349. [PMID: 38472034 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2024.02.006] [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: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder with genetic and epigenetic components that results in reduced food intake combined with alterations in the reward-processing network. While studies of patient cohorts and mouse models have uncovered genes and epigenetic changes associated with the disease, neuronal networks and brain areas preferentially activated and metabolic changes associated with reduced food intake, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain unknown. The use of both 2D in vitro cultures and 3D models, namely organoids and spheroids, derived from either human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), would allow identification of cell type-specific changes associated with AN and comorbid diseases, to study preferential connections between brain areas and organs, and the development of therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles Maussion
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada.
| | - Cecilia Rocha
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Nicolas Ramoz
- Université Paris Cité, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, Paris 75014, France; GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, CMME, Hôpital Sainte-Anne, Paris F-75014, France
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Saglam-Metiner P, Yildirim E, Dincer C, Basak O, Yesil-Celiktas O. Humanized brain organoids-on-chip integrated with sensors for screening neuronal activity and neurotoxicity. Mikrochim Acta 2024; 191:71. [PMID: 38168828 DOI: 10.1007/s00604-023-06165-4] [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: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The complex structure and function of the human central nervous system that develops from the neural tube made in vitro modeling quite challenging until the discovery of brain organoids. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells-derived brain organoids offer recapitulation of the features of early human neurodevelopment in vitro, including the generation, proliferation, and differentiation into mature neurons and micro-macroglial cells, as well as the complex interactions among these diverse cell types of the developing brain. Recent advancements in brain organoids, microfluidic systems, real-time sensing technologies, and their cutting-edge integrated use provide excellent models and tools for emulation of fundamental neurodevelopmental processes, the pathology of neurological disorders, personalized transplantation therapy, and high-throughput neurotoxicity testing by bridging the gap between two-dimensional models and the complex three-dimensional environment in vivo. In this review, we summarize how bioengineering approaches are applied to mitigate the limitations of brain organoids for biomedical and clinical research. We further provide an extensive overview and future perspectives of the humanized brain organoids-on-chip platforms with integrated sensors toward brain organoid intelligence and biocomputing studies. Such approaches might pave the way for increasing approvable clinical applications by solving their current limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pelin Saglam-Metiner
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Division of Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ender Yildirim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey
- ODTÜ MEMS Center, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Can Dincer
- Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- FIT Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Onur Basak
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Division of Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ozlem Yesil-Celiktas
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.
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