1
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Ryczko D. The Mesencephalic Locomotor Region: Multiple Cell Types, Multiple Behavioral Roles, and Multiple Implications for Disease. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:347-366. [PMID: 36575956 PMCID: PMC11107129 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221139136] [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] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) controls locomotion in vertebrates. In humans with Parkinson disease, locomotor deficits are increasingly associated with decreased activity in the MLR. This brainstem region, commonly considered to include the cuneiform and pedunculopontine nuclei, has been explored as a target for deep brain stimulation to improve locomotor function, but the results are variable, from modest to promising. However, the MLR is a heterogeneous structure, and identification of the best cell type to target is only beginning. Here, I review the studies that uncovered the role of genetically defined MLR cell types, and I highlight the cells whose activation improves locomotor function in animal models of Parkinson disease. The promising cell types to activate comprise some glutamatergic neurons in the cuneiform and caudal pedunculopontine nuclei, as well as some cholinergic neurons of the pedunculopontine nucleus. Activation of MLR GABAergic neurons should be avoided, since they stop locomotion or evoke bouts flanked with numerous stops. MLR is also considered a potential target in spinal cord injury, supranuclear palsy, primary progressive freezing of gait, or stroke. Better targeting of the MLR cell types should be achieved through optimized deep brain stimulation protocols, pharmacotherapy, or the development of optogenetics for human use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
- Neurosciences Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
- Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
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2
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Gattuso H, Nuñez K, de la Rea B, Ermentrout B, Victor J, Nagel K. Inhibitory control of locomotor statistics in walking Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.15.589655. [PMID: 38659800 PMCID: PMC11042290 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.15.589655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
In order to forage for food, many animals regulate not only specific limb movements but the statistics of locomotor behavior over time, for example switching between long-range dispersal behaviors and more localized search depending on the availability of resources. How pre-motor circuits regulate such locomotor statistics is not clear. Here we took advantage of the robust changes in locomotor statistics evoked by attractive odors in walking Drosophila to investigate their neural control. We began by analyzing the statistics of ground speed and angular velocity during three well-defined motor regimes: baseline walking, upwind running during odor, and search behavior following odor offset. We find that during search behavior, flies adopt higher angular velocities and slower ground speeds, and tend to turn for longer periods of time in one direction. We further find that flies spontaneously adopt periods of different mean ground speed, and that these changes in state influence the length of odor-evoked runs. We next developed a simple physiologically-inspired computational model of locomotor control that can recapitulate these statistical features of fly locomotion. Our model suggests that contralateral inhibition plays a key role both in regulating the difference between baseline and search behavior, and in modulating the response to odor with ground speed. As the fly connectome predicts decussating inhibitory neurons in the lateral accessory lobe (LAL), a pre-motor structure, we generated genetic tools to target these neurons and test their role in behavior. Consistent with our model, we found that activation of neurons labeled in one line increased curvature. In a second line labeling distinct neurons, activation and inactivation strongly and reciprocally regulated ground speed and altered the length of the odor-evoked run. Additional targeted light activation experiments argue that these effects arise from the brain rather than from neurons in the ventral nerve cord, while sparse activation experiments argue that speed control in the second line arises from both LAL neurons and a population of neurons in the dorsal superior medial protocerebrum (SMP). Together, our work develops a biologically plausible computational architecture that captures the statistical features of fly locomotion across behavioral states and identifies potential neural substrates of these computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Gattuso
- Department of Neuroscience, NYU School of Medicine, 435 E 30 St. New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Kavin Nuñez
- Department of Neuroscience, NYU School of Medicine, 435 E 30 St. New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Beatriz de la Rea
- Department of Neuroscience, NYU School of Medicine, 435 E 30 St. New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Bard Ermentrout
- Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jonathan Victor
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine Nagel
- Department of Neuroscience, NYU School of Medicine, 435 E 30 St. New York, NY 10016, USA
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3
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Gowda SBM, Banu A, Hussain S, Mohammad F. Neuronal mechanisms regulating locomotion in adult Drosophila. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25332. [PMID: 38646942 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25332] [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: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The coordinated action of multiple leg joints and muscles is required even for the simplest movements. Understanding the neuronal circuits and mechanisms that generate precise movements is essential for comprehending the neuronal basis of the locomotion and to infer the neuronal mechanisms underlying several locomotor-related diseases. Drosophila melanogaster provides an excellent model system for investigating the neuronal circuits underlying motor behaviors due to its simple nervous system and genetic accessibility. This review discusses current genetic methods for studying locomotor circuits and their function in adult Drosophila. We highlight recently identified neuronal pathways that modulate distinct forward and backward locomotion and describe the underlying neuronal control of leg swing and stance phases in freely moving flies. We also report various automated leg tracking methods to measure leg motion parameters and define inter-leg coordination, gait and locomotor speed of freely moving adult flies. Finally, we emphasize the role of leg proprioceptive signals to central motor circuits in leg coordination. Together, this review highlights the utility of adult Drosophila as a model to uncover underlying motor circuitry and the functional organization of the leg motor system that governs correct movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha B M Gowda
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
| | - Ayesha Banu
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
| | - Sadam Hussain
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
| | - Farhan Mohammad
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Doha, Qatar
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4
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Cregg JM, Sidhu SK, Leiras R, Kiehn O. Basal ganglia-spinal cord pathway that commands locomotor gait asymmetries in mice. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:716-727. [PMID: 38347200 PMCID: PMC11001584 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01569-8] [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: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
The basal ganglia are essential for executing motor actions. How the basal ganglia engage spinal motor networks has remained elusive. Medullary Chx10 gigantocellular (Gi) neurons are required for turning gait programs, suggesting that turning gaits organized by the basal ganglia are executed via this descending pathway. Performing deep brainstem recordings of Chx10 Gi Ca2+ activity in adult mice, we show that striatal projection neurons initiate turning gaits via a dominant crossed pathway to Chx10 Gi neurons on the contralateral side. Using intersectional viral tracing and cell-type-specific modulation, we uncover the principal basal ganglia-spinal cord pathway for locomotor asymmetries in mice: basal ganglia → pontine reticular nucleus, oral part (PnO) → Chx10 Gi → spinal cord. Modulating the restricted PnO → Chx10 Gi pathway restores turning competence upon striatal damage, suggesting that dysfunction of this pathway may contribute to debilitating turning deficits observed in Parkinson's disease. Our results reveal the stratified circuit architecture underlying a critical motor program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared M Cregg
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Simrandeep K Sidhu
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Roberto Leiras
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole Kiehn
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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5
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Lemieux M, Karimi N, Bretzner F. Functional plasticity of glutamatergic neurons of medullary reticular nuclei after spinal cord injury in mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1542. [PMID: 38378819 PMCID: PMC10879492 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45300-4] [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: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury disrupts the descending command from the brain and causes a range of motor deficits. Here, we use optogenetic tools to investigate the functional plasticity of the glutamatergic reticulospinal drive of the medullary reticular formation after a lateral thoracic hemisection in female mice. Sites evoking stronger excitatory descending drive in intact conditions are the most impaired after injury, whereas those associated with a weaker drive are potentiated. After lesion, pro- and anti-locomotor activities (that is, initiation/acceleration versus stop/deceleration) are overall preserved. Activating the descending reticulospinal drive improves stepping ability on a flat surface of chronically impaired injured mice, and its priming enhances recovery of skilled locomotion on a horizontal ladder. This study highlights the resilience and capacity for reorganization of the glutamatergic reticulospinal command after injury, along with its suitability as a therapeutical target to promote functional recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Lemieux
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Narges Karimi
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Frederic Bretzner
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada.
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 4G2, Canada.
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6
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Mussells Pires P, Zhang L, Parache V, Abbott LF, Maimon G. Converting an allocentric goal into an egocentric steering signal. Nature 2024; 626:808-818. [PMID: 38326612 PMCID: PMC10881393 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-07006-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Neuronal signals that are relevant for spatial navigation have been described in many species1-10. However, a circuit-level understanding of how such signals interact to guide navigational behaviour is lacking. Here we characterize a neuronal circuit in the Drosophila central complex that compares internally generated estimates of the heading and goal angles of the fly-both of which are encoded in world-centred (allocentric) coordinates-to generate a body-centred (egocentric) steering signal. Past work has suggested that the activity of EPG neurons represents the fly's moment-to-moment angular orientation, or heading angle, during navigation2,11. An animal's moment-to-moment heading angle, however, is not always aligned with its goal angle-that is, the allocentric direction in which it wishes to progress forward. We describe FC2 cells12, a second set of neurons in the Drosophila brain with activity that correlates with the fly's goal angle. Focal optogenetic activation of FC2 neurons induces flies to orient along experimenter-defined directions as they walk forward. EPG and FC2 neurons connect monosynaptically to a third neuronal class, PFL3 cells12,13. We found that individual PFL3 cells show conjunctive, spike-rate tuning to both the heading angle and the goal angle during goal-directed navigation. Informed by the anatomy and physiology of these three cell classes, we develop a model that explains how this circuit compares allocentric heading and goal angles to build an egocentric steering signal in the PFL3 output terminals. Quantitative analyses and optogenetic manipulations of PFL3 activity support the model. Finally, using a new navigational memory task, we show that flies expressing disruptors of synaptic transmission in subsets of PFL3 cells have a reduced ability to orient along arbitrary goal directions, with an effect size in quantitative accordance with the prediction of our model. The biological circuit described here reveals how two population-level allocentric signals are compared in the brain to produce an egocentric output signal that is appropriate for motor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mussells Pires
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lingwei Zhang
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victoria Parache
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - L F Abbott
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gaby Maimon
- Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
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7
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Xiong Y, Zhu J, He Y, Qu W, Huang Z, Ding F. Sleep fragmentation reduces explorative behaviors and impairs motor coordination in male mice. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25268. [PMID: 38284850 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25268] [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: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Sleep fragmentation (SF), which refers to discontinuous and fragmented sleep, induces cognitive impairment and anxiety-like behavior in mice. However, whether SF can affect motor capability in healthy young wild-type mice and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We performed seven days of sleep fragmentation (SF 7d) interventions in young wild-type male mice. While SF mice experienced regular sleep disruption between Zeitgeber time (ZT) 0-12, control mice were allowed to have natural sleep (NS) cycles. Homecage analysis and conventional behavioral tests were conducted to assess the behavioral alterations in behavioral patterns in general and motor-related behaviors. Sleep structures and the power spectrum of electroencephalograms (EEGs) were compared between SF 7d and NS groups. Neuronal activation was measured using c-Fos immunostaining and quantified in multiple brain regions. SF of 7 days significantly decreased bouts of rearing and sniffing and the duration of rearing and impaired motor coordination. An increase in the total sleep time and a decrease in wakefulness between ZT12-24 was found in SF 7d mice. In SF 7d mice, EEG beta1 power was increased in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep while theta power was decreased during wakefulness. SF 7d resulted in significant suppression in c-Fos (+) cell counts in the motor cortex and hippocampus but an increase in c-Fos (+) cell counts in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). In summary, SF 7d suppressed explorative behaviors and impaired motor coordination as compared to NS. EEG power and altered neuronal activity detected by c-Fos staining might contribute to the behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyu Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, The Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, The Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifan He
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, The Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weimin Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, The Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhili Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, The Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fengfei Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, The Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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8
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Ryczko D, Dubuc R. Dopamine control of downstream motor centers. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 83:102785. [PMID: 37774481 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
The role of dopamine in the control of movement is traditionally associated with ascending projections to the basal ganglia. However, more recently descending dopaminergic pathways projecting to downstream brainstem motor circuits were discovered. In lampreys, salamanders, and rodents, these include projections to the downstream Mesencephalic Locomotor Region (MLR), a brainstem region controlling locomotion. Such descending dopaminergic projections could prime brainstem networks controlling movement. Other descending dopaminergic projections have been shown to reach reticulospinal cells involved in the control of locomotion. In addition, dopamine directly modulates the activity of interneurons and motoneurons. Beyond locomotion, dopaminergic inputs modulate visuomotor transformations within the optic tectum (mammalian superior colliculus). Loss of descending dopaminergic inputs will likely contribute to pathological conditions such as in Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada; Neurosciences Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada; Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada.
| | - Réjean Dubuc
- Groupe de Recherche en Activité Physique Adaptée, Département des Sciences de l'Activité Physique, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Groupe de recherche sur la Signalisation Neurale et la Circuiterie, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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9
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Winter CC, Jacobi A, Su J, Chung L, van Velthoven CTJ, Yao Z, Lee C, Zhang Z, Yu S, Gao K, Duque Salazar G, Kegeles E, Zhang Y, Tomihiro MC, Zhang Y, Yang Z, Zhu J, Tang J, Song X, Donahue RJ, Wang Q, McMillen D, Kunst M, Wang N, Smith KA, Romero GE, Frank MM, Krol A, Kawaguchi R, Geschwind DH, Feng G, Goodrich LV, Liu Y, Tasic B, Zeng H, He Z. A transcriptomic taxonomy of mouse brain-wide spinal projecting neurons. Nature 2023; 624:403-414. [PMID: 38092914 PMCID: PMC10719099 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06817-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The brain controls nearly all bodily functions via spinal projecting neurons (SPNs) that carry command signals from the brain to the spinal cord. However, a comprehensive molecular characterization of brain-wide SPNs is still lacking. Here we transcriptionally profiled a total of 65,002 SPNs, identified 76 region-specific SPN types, and mapped these types into a companion atlas of the whole mouse brain1. This taxonomy reveals a three-component organization of SPNs: (1) molecularly homogeneous excitatory SPNs from the cortex, red nucleus and cerebellum with somatotopic spinal terminations suitable for point-to-point communication; (2) heterogeneous populations in the reticular formation with broad spinal termination patterns, suitable for relaying commands related to the activities of the entire spinal cord; and (3) modulatory neurons expressing slow-acting neurotransmitters and/or neuropeptides in the hypothalamus, midbrain and reticular formation for 'gain setting' of brain-spinal signals. In addition, this atlas revealed a LIM homeobox transcription factor code that parcellates the reticulospinal neurons into five molecularly distinct and spatially segregated populations. Finally, we found transcriptional signatures of a subset of SPNs with large soma size and correlated these with fast-firing electrophysiological properties. Together, this study establishes a comprehensive taxonomy of brain-wide SPNs and provides insight into the functional organization of SPNs in mediating brain control of bodily functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla C Winter
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-MIT MD-PhD Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anne Jacobi
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- F. Hoffman-La Roche, pRED, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Junfeng Su
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leeyup Chung
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Zizhen Yao
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Changkyu Lee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zicong Zhang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shuguang Yu
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kun Gao
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Geraldine Duque Salazar
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Evgenii Kegeles
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Makenzie C Tomihiro
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yiming Zhang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhiyun Yang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Junjie Zhu
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jing Tang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xuan Song
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ryan J Donahue
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qing Wang
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Ning Wang
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Gabriel E Romero
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michelle M Frank
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexandra Krol
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Riki Kawaguchi
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lisa V Goodrich
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- Somatosensation and Pain Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Hongkui Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Zhigang He
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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10
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Braine A, Georges F. Emotion in action: When emotions meet motor circuits. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 155:105475. [PMID: 37996047 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
The brain is a remarkably complex organ responsible for a wide range of functions, including the modulation of emotional states and movement. Neuronal circuits are believed to play a crucial role in integrating sensory, cognitive, and emotional information to ultimately guide motor behavior. Over the years, numerous studies employing diverse techniques such as electrophysiology, imaging, and optogenetics have revealed a complex network of neural circuits involved in the regulation of emotional or motor processes. Emotions can exert a substantial influence on motor performance, encompassing both everyday activities and pathological conditions. The aim of this review is to explore how emotional states can shape movements by connecting the neural circuits for emotional processing to motor neural circuits. We first provide a comprehensive overview of the impact of different emotional states on motor control in humans and rodents. In line with behavioral studies, we set out to identify emotion-related structures capable of modulating motor output, behaviorally and anatomically. Neuronal circuits involved in emotional processing are extensively connected to the motor system. These circuits can drive emotional behavior, essential for survival, but can also continuously shape ongoing movement. In summary, the investigation of the intricate relationship between emotion and movement offers valuable insights into human behavior, including opportunities to enhance performance, and holds promise for improving mental and physical health. This review integrates findings from multiple scientific approaches, including anatomical tracing, circuit-based dissection, and behavioral studies, conducted in both animal and human subjects. By incorporating these different methodologies, we aim to present a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the emotional modulation of movement in both physiological and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaelle Braine
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, IMN, UMR 5293, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
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11
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Yang HH, Brezovec LE, Capdevila LS, Vanderbeck QX, Adachi A, Mann RS, Wilson RI. Fine-grained descending control of steering in walking Drosophila. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.15.562426. [PMID: 37904997 PMCID: PMC10614758 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.15.562426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Locomotion involves rhythmic limb movement patterns that originate in circuits outside the brain. Purposeful locomotion requires descending commands from the brain, but we do not understand how these commands are structured. Here we investigate this issue, focusing on the control of steering in walking Drosophila. First, we describe different limb "gestures" associated with different steering maneuvers. Next, we identify a set of descending neurons whose activity predicts steering. Focusing on two descending cell types downstream from distinct brain networks, we show that they evoke specific limb gestures: one lengthens strides on the outside of a turn, while the other attenuates strides on the inside of a turn. Notably, a single descending neuron can have opposite effects during different locomotor rhythm phases, and we identify networks positioned to implement this phase-specific gating. Together, our results show how purposeful locomotion emerges from brain cells that drive specific, coordinated modulations of low-level patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen H. Yang
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - Luke E. Brezovec
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | | | | | - Atsuko Adachi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 USA
| | - Richard S. Mann
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 USA
| | - Rachel I. Wilson
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 USA
- Lead contact
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12
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Carbo-Tano M, Lapoix M, Jia X, Thouvenin O, Pascucci M, Auclair F, Quan FB, Albadri S, Aguda V, Farouj Y, Hillman EMC, Portugues R, Del Bene F, Thiele TR, Dubuc R, Wyart C. The mesencephalic locomotor region recruits V2a reticulospinal neurons to drive forward locomotion in larval zebrafish. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:1775-1790. [PMID: 37667039 PMCID: PMC10545542 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) is a brain stem area whose stimulation triggers graded forward locomotion. How MLR neurons recruit downstream vsx2+ (V2a) reticulospinal neurons (RSNs) is poorly understood. Here, to overcome this challenge, we uncovered the locus of MLR in transparent larval zebrafish and show that the MLR locus is distinct from the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus. MLR stimulations reliably elicit forward locomotion of controlled duration and frequency. MLR neurons recruit V2a RSNs via projections onto somata in pontine and retropontine areas, and onto dendrites in the medulla. High-speed volumetric imaging of neuronal activity reveals that strongly MLR-coupled RSNs are active for steering or forward swimming, whereas weakly MLR-coupled medullary RSNs encode the duration and frequency of the forward component. Our study demonstrates how MLR neurons recruit specific V2a RSNs to control the kinematics of forward locomotion and suggests conservation of the motor functions of V2a RSNs across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Carbo-Tano
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Lapoix
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Xinyu Jia
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Thouvenin
- Institut Langevin, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris, Paris Sciences et Lettres, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Marco Pascucci
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, NeuroSpin, Baobab, Centre d'études de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- The American University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - François Auclair
- Département de Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Feng B Quan
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Shahad Albadri
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Vernie Aguda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Younes Farouj
- Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elizabeth M C Hillman
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ruben Portugues
- Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Filippo Del Bene
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Tod R Thiele
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Réjean Dubuc
- Département de Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
- Groupe de Recherche en Activité Physique Adaptée, Department of Exercise Science, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Claire Wyart
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
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13
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Squair JW, Milano M, de Coucy A, Gautier M, Skinnider MA, James ND, Cho N, Lasne A, Kathe C, Hutson TH, Ceto S, Baud L, Galan K, Aureli V, Laskaratos A, Barraud Q, Deming TJ, Kohman RE, Schneider BL, He Z, Bloch J, Sofroniew MV, Courtine G, Anderson MA. Recovery of walking after paralysis by regenerating characterized neurons to their natural target region. Science 2023; 381:1338-1345. [PMID: 37733871 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi6412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Axon regeneration can be induced across anatomically complete spinal cord injury (SCI), but robust functional restoration has been elusive. Whether restoring neurological functions requires directed regeneration of axons from specific neuronal subpopulations to their natural target regions remains unclear. To address this question, we applied projection-specific and comparative single-nucleus RNA sequencing to identify neuronal subpopulations that restore walking after incomplete SCI. We show that chemoattracting and guiding the transected axons of these neurons to their natural target region led to substantial recovery of walking after complete SCI in mice, whereas regeneration of axons simply across the lesion had no effect. Thus, reestablishing the natural projections of characterized neurons forms an essential part of axon regeneration strategies aimed at restoring lost neurological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan W Squair
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marco Milano
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra de Coucy
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthieu Gautier
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael A Skinnider
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas D James
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Newton Cho
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Lasne
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Kathe
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Thomas H Hutson
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Steven Ceto
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laetitia Baud
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Katia Galan
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Viviana Aureli
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Achilleas Laskaratos
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Quentin Barraud
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Timothy J Deming
- Departments of Bioengineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Richie E Kohman
- Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bernard L Schneider
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Bertarelli Platform for Gene Therapy, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zhigang He
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jocelyne Bloch
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael V Sofroniew
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Gregoire Courtine
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mark A Anderson
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
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14
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Wyart C, Carbo-Tano M, Cantaut-Belarif Y, Orts-Del'Immagine A, Böhm UL. Cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons: multimodal cells with diverse roles in the CNS. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:540-556. [PMID: 37558908 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00723-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a complex solution that circulates around the CNS, and whose composition changes as a function of an animal's physiological state. Ciliated neurons that are bathed in the CSF - and thus referred to as CSF-contacting neurons (CSF-cNs) - are unusual polymodal interoceptive neurons. As chemoreceptors, CSF-cNs respond to variations in pH and osmolarity and to bacterial metabolites in the CSF. Their activation during infections of the CNS results in secretion of compounds to enhance host survival. As mechanosensory neurons, CSF-cNs operate together with an extracellular proteinaceous polymer known as the Reissner fibre to detect compression during spinal curvature. Once activated, CSF-cNs inhibit motor neurons, premotor excitatory neurons and command neurons to enhance movement speed and stabilize posture. At longer timescales, CSF-cNs instruct morphogenesis throughout life via the release of neuropeptides that act over long distances on skeletal muscle. Finally, recent evidence suggests that mouse CSF-cNs may act as neural stem cells in the spinal cord, inspiring new paths of investigation for repair after injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Wyart
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), INSERM U1127, UMR CNRS 7225 Paris, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
| | - Martin Carbo-Tano
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), INSERM U1127, UMR CNRS 7225 Paris, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Yasmine Cantaut-Belarif
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), INSERM U1127, UMR CNRS 7225 Paris, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | | | - Urs L Böhm
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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15
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Goñi-Erro H, Selvan R, Caggiano V, Leiras R, Kiehn O. Pedunculopontine Chx10 + neurons control global motor arrest in mice. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:1516-1528. [PMID: 37501003 PMCID: PMC10471498 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01396-3] [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: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Arrest of ongoing movements is an integral part of executing motor programs. Behavioral arrest may happen upon termination of a variety of goal-directed movements or as a global motor arrest either in the context of fear or in response to salient environmental cues. The neuronal circuits that bridge with the executive motor circuits to implement a global motor arrest are poorly understood. We report the discovery that the activation of glutamatergic Chx10-derived neurons in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) in mice arrests all ongoing movements while simultaneously causing apnea and bradycardia. This global motor arrest has a pause-and-play pattern with an instantaneous interruption of movement followed by a short-latency continuation from where it was paused. Mice naturally perform arrest bouts with the same combination of motor and autonomic features. The Chx10-PPN-evoked arrest is different to ventrolateral periaqueductal gray-induced freezing. Our study defines a motor command that induces a global motor arrest, which may be recruited in response to salient environmental cues to allow for a preparatory or arousal state, and identifies a locomotor-opposing role for rostrally biased glutamatergic neurons in the PPN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haizea Goñi-Erro
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Raghavendra Selvan
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Vittorio Caggiano
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Meta AI Research, New York, NY, USA
| | - Roberto Leiras
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Ole Kiehn
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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16
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Morgenstern NA, Esposito MS. The Basal Ganglia and Mesencephalic Locomotor Region Connectivity Matrix. Curr Neuropharmacol 2023; 22:CN-EPUB-133486. [PMID: 37559244 PMCID: PMC11097982 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230809112840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Although classically considered a relay station for basal ganglia (BG) output, the anatomy, connectivity, and function of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) were redefined during the last two decades. In striking opposition to what was initially thought, MLR and BG are actually recip- rocally and intimately interconnected. New viral-based, optogenetic, and mapping technologies re- vealed that cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic neurons coexist in this structure, which, in ad- dition to extending descending projections, send long-range ascending fibers to the BG. These MLR projections to the BG convey motor and non-motor information to specific synaptic targets throughout different nuclei. Moreover, MLR efferent fibers originate from precise neuronal subpopulations locat- ed in particular MLR subregions, defining independent anatomo-functional subcircuits involved in particular aspects of animal behavior such as fast locomotion, explorative locomotion, posture, fore- limb-related movements, speed, reinforcement, among others. In this review, we revised the literature produced during the last decade linking MLR and BG. We conclude that the classic framework con- sidering the MLR as a homogeneous output structure passively receiving input from the BG needs to be revisited. We propose instead that the multiple subcircuits embedded in this region should be taken as independent entities that convey relevant and specific ascending information to the BG and, thus, actively participate in the execution and tuning of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás A. Morgenstern
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Instituto De Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria S. Esposito
- Department of Medical Physics, Centro Atomico Bariloche, CNEA, CONICET, Av. Bustillo 9500, San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
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17
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Dubuc R, Cabelguen JM, Ryczko D. Locomotor pattern generation and descending control: a historical perspective. J Neurophysiol 2023; 130:401-416. [PMID: 37465884 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00204.2023] [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: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to generate and control locomotor movements depends on complex interactions between many areas of the nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, and the environment. How the nervous system manages to accomplish this task has been the subject of investigation for more than a century. In vertebrates, locomotion is generated by neural networks located in the spinal cord referred to as central pattern generators. Descending inputs from the brain stem initiate, maintain, and stop locomotion as well as control speed and direction. Sensory inputs adapt locomotor programs to the environmental conditions. This review presents a comparative and historical overview of some of the neural mechanisms underlying the control of locomotion in vertebrates. We have put an emphasis on spinal mechanisms and descending control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Réjean Dubuc
- Groupe de Recherche en Activité Physique Adaptée, Département des Sciences de l'Activité Physique, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Groupe de Recherche sur le Système Nerveux Central, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jean-Marie Cabelguen
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U 1215-Neurocentre Magendie, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Neurosciences Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
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18
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Zahler SH, Taylor DE, Wright BS, Wong JY, Shvareva VA, Park YA, Feinberg EH. Hindbrain modules differentially transform activity of single collicular neurons to coordinate movements. Cell 2023; 186:3062-3078.e20. [PMID: 37343561 PMCID: PMC10424787 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.031] [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: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Seemingly simple behaviors such as swatting a mosquito or glancing at a signpost involve the precise coordination of multiple body parts. Neural control of coordinated movements is widely thought to entail transforming a desired overall displacement into displacements for each body part. Here we reveal a different logic implemented in the mouse gaze system. Stimulating superior colliculus (SC) elicits head movements with stereotyped displacements but eye movements with stereotyped endpoints. This is achieved by individual SC neurons whose branched axons innervate modules in medulla and pons that drive head movements with stereotyped displacements and eye movements with stereotyped endpoints, respectively. Thus, single neurons specify a mixture of endpoints and displacements for different body parts, not overall displacement, with displacements for different body parts computed at distinct anatomical stages. Our study establishes an approach for unraveling motor hierarchies and identifies a logic for coordinating movements and the resulting pose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian H Zahler
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - David E Taylor
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Brennan S Wright
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Joey Y Wong
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Varvara A Shvareva
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Yusol A Park
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Evan H Feinberg
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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19
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Liao SM, Kleinfeld D. A change in behavioral state switches the pattern of motor output that underlies rhythmic head and orofacial movements. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1951-1966.e6. [PMID: 37105167 PMCID: PMC10225163 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.008] [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: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
The breathing rhythm serves as a reference that paces orofacial motor actions and orchestrates active sensing. Past work has reported that pacing occurs solely at a fixed phase relative to sniffing. We re-evaluated this constraint as a function of exploratory behavior. Allocentric and egocentric rotations of the head and the electromyogenic activity of the motoneurons for head and orofacial movements were recorded in free-ranging rats as they searched for food. We found that a change in state from foraging to rearing is accompanied by a large phase shift in muscular activation relative to sniffing, and a concurrent change in the frequency of sniffing, so that pacing now occurs at one of the two phases. Further, head turning is biased such that an animal gathers a novel sample of its environment upon inhalation. In total, the coordination of active sensing has a previously unrealized computational complexity. This can emerge from hindbrain circuits with fixed architecture and credible synaptic time delays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Mao Liao
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - David Kleinfeld
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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20
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Cai Y, Liu Z, Gao T, Hu G, Yin W, Wāng Y, Zhao L, Xu D, Wang H, Wei T. Newly discovered developmental and ovarian toxicity of 3-monochloro-1,2-propanediol in Drosophila melanogaster and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside's protective effect. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 874:162474. [PMID: 36863584 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
3-Monochloro-1,2-propanediol (3-MCPD) is a pervasive environmental pollutant that is unintentionally produced during industrial production and food processing. Although some studies reported the carcinogenicity and male reproduction toxicity of 3-MCPD thus far, it remains unexplored whether 3-MCPD hazards to female fertility and long-term development. In this study, the model Drosophila melanogaster was employed to evaluate risk assessment of emerging environmental contaminants 3-MCPD at various levels. We found that flies on dietary exposure to 3-MCPD incurred lethality in a concentration- and time-dependent way and interfered with metamorphosis and ovarian development, resulting in developmental retardance, ovarian deformity and female fecundity disorders. Mechanistically, 3-MCPD caused redox imbalance observed as a drastically increased oxidative status in ovaries, confirmed by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased antioxidant activities, which is probably responsible for female reproductive impairments and developmental retardance. Intriguingly, these defects can be substantially prevented by a natural antioxidant, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), further confirming a critical role of ovarian oxidative damage in the developmental and reproductive toxicity of 3-MCPD. The present study expanded the findings that 3-MCPD acts as a developmental and female reproductive toxicant, and our work provides a theoretical basis for the exploitation of a natural antioxidant resource as a dietary antidote for the reproductive and developmental hazards of environmental toxicants that act via increasing ROS in the target organ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Cai
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Zongzhong Liu
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Tiantian Gao
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Guoyi Hu
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Wenjun Yin
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yán Wāng
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China.
| | - Lingli Zhao
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China
| | - Dexiang Xu
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China
| | - Hua Wang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China
| | - Tian Wei
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei, China.
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21
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Zhao ZD, Zhang L, Xiang X, Kim D, Li H, Cao P, Shen WL. Neurocircuitry of Predatory Hunting. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:817-831. [PMID: 36705845 PMCID: PMC10170020 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-01018-1] [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: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Predatory hunting is an important type of innate behavior evolutionarily conserved across the animal kingdom. It is typically composed of a set of sequential actions, including prey search, pursuit, attack, and consumption. This behavior is subject to control by the nervous system. Early studies used toads as a model to probe the neuroethology of hunting, which led to the proposal of a sensory-triggered release mechanism for hunting actions. More recent studies have used genetically-trackable zebrafish and rodents and have made breakthrough discoveries in the neuroethology and neurocircuits underlying this behavior. Here, we review the sophisticated neurocircuitry involved in hunting and summarize the detailed mechanism for the circuitry to encode various aspects of hunting neuroethology, including sensory processing, sensorimotor transformation, motivation, and sequential encoding of hunting actions. We also discuss the overlapping brain circuits for hunting and feeding and point out the limitations of current studies. We propose that hunting is an ideal behavioral paradigm in which to study the neuroethology of motivated behaviors, which may shed new light on epidemic disorders, including binge-eating, obesity, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Dong Zhao
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
- Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xinkuan Xiang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
- MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Daesoo Kim
- Department of Cognitive Brain Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, Daejeon, 34141, South Korea.
| | - Haohong Li
- MOE Frontier Research Center of Brain & Brain-machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- Affiliated Mental Health Centre and Hangzhou Seventh People`s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China.
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Wei L Shen
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China.
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22
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Lacroix-Ouellette P, Dubuc R. Brainstem neural mechanisms controlling locomotion with special reference to basal vertebrates. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:910207. [PMID: 37063386 PMCID: PMC10098025 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.910207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last 60 years, the basic neural circuitry responsible for the supraspinal control of locomotion has progressively been uncovered. Initially, significant progress was made in identifying the different supraspinal structures controlling locomotion in mammals as well as some of the underlying mechanisms. It became clear, however, that the complexity of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) prevented researchers from characterizing the detailed cellular mechanisms involved and that animal models with a simpler nervous system were needed. Basal vertebrate species such as lampreys, xenopus embryos, and zebrafish became models of choice. More recently, optogenetic approaches have considerably revived interest in mammalian models. The mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) is an important brainstem region known to control locomotion in all vertebrate species examined to date. It controls locomotion through intermediary cells in the hindbrain, the reticulospinal neurons (RSNs). The MLR comprises populations of cholinergic and glutamatergic neurons and their specific contribution to the control of locomotion is not fully resolved yet. Moreover, the downward projections from the MLR to RSNs is still not fully understood. Reporting on discoveries made in different animal models, this review article focuses on the MLR, its projections to RSNs, and the contribution of these neural elements to the control of locomotion. Excellent and detailed reviews on the brainstem control of locomotion have been recently published with emphasis on mammalian species. The present review article focuses on findings made in basal vertebrates such as the lamprey, to help direct new research in mammals, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Réjean Dubuc
- Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Physical Activity Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Research Group for Adapted Physical Activity, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Réjean Dubuc,
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23
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Hayashi M, Gullo M, Senturk G, Di Costanzo S, Nagasaki SC, Kageyama R, Imayoshi I, Goulding M, Pfaff SL, Gatto G. A spinal synergy of excitatory and inhibitory neurons coordinates ipsilateral body movements. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.21.533603. [PMID: 36993220 PMCID: PMC10055247 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.21.533603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Innate and goal-directed movements require a high-degree of trunk and appendicular muscle coordination to preserve body stability while ensuring the correct execution of the motor action. The spinal neural circuits underlying motor execution and postural stability are finely modulated by propriospinal, sensory and descending feedback, yet how distinct spinal neuron populations cooperate to control body stability and limb coordination remains unclear. Here, we identified a spinal microcircuit composed of V2 lineage-derived excitatory (V2a) and inhibitory (V2b) neurons that together coordinate ipsilateral body movements during locomotion. Inactivation of the entire V2 neuron lineage does not impair intralimb coordination but destabilizes body balance and ipsilateral limb coupling, causing mice to adopt a compensatory festinating gait and be unable to execute skilled locomotor tasks. Taken together our data suggest that during locomotion the excitatory V2a and inhibitory V2b neurons act antagonistically to control intralimb coordination, and synergistically to coordinate forelimb and hindlimb movements. Thus, we suggest a new circuit architecture, by which neurons with distinct neurotransmitter identities employ a dual-mode of operation, exerting either synergistic or opposing functions to control different facets of the same motor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marito Hayashi
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Miriam Gullo
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gokhan Senturk
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Stefania Di Costanzo
- Biological Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shinji C. Nagasaki
- Research Center for Dynamic Living Systems, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Ryoichiro Kageyama
- Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako 351-0198, Japan
| | - Itaru Imayoshi
- Research Center for Dynamic Living Systems, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Martyn Goulding
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Samuel L. Pfaff
- Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Graziana Gatto
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Neurology Department, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, 50937, Germany
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24
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Ding W, Fischer L, Chen Q, Li Z, Yang L, You Z, Hu K, Wu X, Zhou X, Chao W, Hu P, Dagnew TM, Dubreuil DM, Wang S, Xia S, Bao C, Zhu S, Chen L, Wang C, Wainger B, Jin P, Mao J, Feng G, Harnett MT, Shen S. Highly synchronized cortical circuit dynamics mediate spontaneous pain in mice. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:166408. [PMID: 36602876 PMCID: PMC9974100 DOI: 10.1172/jci166408] [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: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cortical neural dynamics mediate information processing for the cerebral cortex, which is implicated in fundamental biological processes such as vision and olfaction, in addition to neurological and psychiatric diseases. Spontaneous pain is a key feature of human neuropathic pain. Whether spontaneous pain pushes the cortical network into an aberrant state and, if so, whether it can be brought back to a "normal" operating range to ameliorate pain are unknown. Using a clinically relevant mouse model of neuropathic pain with spontaneous pain-like behavior, we report that orofacial spontaneous pain activated a specific area within the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), displaying synchronized neural dynamics revealed by intravital two-photon calcium imaging. This synchronization was underpinned by local GABAergic interneuron hypoactivity. Pain-induced cortical synchronization could be attenuated by manipulating local S1 networks or clinically effective pain therapies. Specifically, both chemogenetic inhibition of pain-related c-Fos-expressing neurons and selective activation of GABAergic interneurons significantly attenuated S1 synchronization. Clinically effective pain therapies including carbamazepine and nerve root decompression could also dampen S1 synchronization. More important, restoring a "normal" range of neural dynamics through attenuation of pain-induced S1 synchronization alleviated pain-like behavior. These results suggest that spontaneous pain pushed the S1 regional network into a synchronized state, whereas reversal of this synchronization alleviated pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihua Ding
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lukas Fischer
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Qian Chen
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ziyi Li
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Liuyue Yang
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zerong You
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kun Hu
- Department of Pathology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xinbo Wu
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xue Zhou
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Wei Chao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter Hu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Tewodros Mulugeta Dagnew
- MGH/HST Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, MGH, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel M. Dubreuil
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shiyu Wang
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Suyun Xia
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Caroline Bao
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shengmei Zhu
- Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliate Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lucy Chen
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Changning Wang
- MGH/HST Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, MGH, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brian Wainger
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peng Jin
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jianren Mao
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark T. Harnett
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shiqian Shen
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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25
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Roussel M, Lafrance-Zoubga D, Josset N, Lemieux M, Bretzner F. Functional contribution of mesencephalic locomotor region nuclei to locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:100946. [PMID: 36812893 PMCID: PMC9975330 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.100946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in a disruption of information between the brain and the spinal circuit. Electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) can promote locomotor recovery in acute and chronic SCI rodent models. Although clinical trials are currently under way, there is still debate about the organization of this supraspinal center and which anatomic correlate of the MLR should be targeted to promote recovery. Combining kinematics, electromyographic recordings, anatomic analysis, and mouse genetics, our study reveals that glutamatergic neurons of the cuneiform nucleus contribute to locomotor recovery by enhancing motor efficacy in hindlimb muscles, and by increasing locomotor rhythm and speed on a treadmill, over ground, and during swimming in chronic SCI mice. In contrast, glutamatergic neurons of the pedunculopontine nucleus slow down locomotion. Therefore, our study identifies the cuneiform nucleus and its glutamatergic neurons as a therapeutical target to improve locomotor recovery in patients living with SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Roussel
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - David Lafrance-Zoubga
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Nicolas Josset
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Maxime Lemieux
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Frederic Bretzner
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada.
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26
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Hsu LJ, Bertho M, Kiehn O. Deconstructing the modular organization and real-time dynamics of mammalian spinal locomotor networks. Nat Commun 2023; 14:873. [PMID: 36797254 PMCID: PMC9935527 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36587-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Locomotion empowers animals to move. Locomotor-initiating signals from the brain are funneled through descending neurons in the brainstem that act directly on spinal locomotor circuits. Little is known in mammals about which spinal circuits are targeted by the command and how this command is transformed into rhythmicity in the cord. Here we address these questions leveraging a mouse brainstem-spinal cord preparation from either sex that allows locating the locomotor command neurons with simultaneous Ca2+ imaging of spinal neurons. We show that a restricted brainstem area - encompassing the lateral paragigantocellular nucleus (LPGi) and caudal ventrolateral reticular nucleus (CVL) - contains glutamatergic neurons which directly initiate locomotion. Ca2+ imaging captures the direct LPGi/CVL locomotor initiating command in the spinal cord and visualizes spinal glutamatergic modules that execute the descending command and its transformation into rhythmic locomotor activity. Inhibitory spinal networks are recruited in a distinctly different pattern. Our study uncovers the principal logic of how spinal circuits implement the locomotor command using a distinct modular organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Ju Hsu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maëlle Bertho
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ole Kiehn
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
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27
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Yang W, Kanodia H, Arber S. Structural and functional map for forelimb movement phases between cortex and medulla. Cell 2023; 186:162-177.e18. [PMID: 36608651 PMCID: PMC9842395 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.12.009] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The cortex influences movement by widespread top-down projections to many nervous system regions. Skilled forelimb movements require brainstem circuitry in the medulla; however, the logic of cortical interactions with these neurons remains unexplored. Here, we reveal a fine-grained anatomical and functional map between anterior cortex (AC) and medulla in mice. Distinct cortical regions generate three-dimensional synaptic columns tiling the lateral medulla, topographically matching the dorso-ventral positions of postsynaptic neurons tuned to distinct forelimb action phases. Although medial AC (MAC) terminates ventrally and connects to forelimb-reaching-tuned neurons and its silencing impairs reaching, lateral AC (LAC) influences dorsally positioned neurons tuned to food handling, and its silencing impairs handling. Cortico-medullary neurons also extend collaterals to other subcortical structures through a segregated channel interaction logic. Our findings reveal a precise alignment between cortical location, its function, and specific forelimb-action-tuned medulla neurons, thereby clarifying interaction principles between these two key structures and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuzhou Yang
- Biozentrum, Department of Cell Biology, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland,Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Harsh Kanodia
- Biozentrum, Department of Cell Biology, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland,Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Arber
- Biozentrum, Department of Cell Biology, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland,Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, 4058 Basel, Switzerland,Corresponding author
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28
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Cregg JM, Mirdamadi JL, Fortunato C, Okorokova EV, Kuper C, Nayeem R, Byun AJ, Avraham C, Buonocore A, Winner TS, Mildren RL. Highlights from the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neural Control of Movement. J Neurophysiol 2023; 129:220-234. [PMID: 36541602 PMCID: PMC9844973 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00500.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jared M Cregg
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jasmine L Mirdamadi
- Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Cátia Fortunato
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Clara Kuper
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rashida Nayeem
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Andrew J Byun
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Chen Avraham
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel
| | - Antimo Buonocore
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Educational, Psychological and Communication Sciences, Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples, Italy
| | - Taniel S Winner
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Robyn L Mildren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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29
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Santuz A, Laflamme OD, Akay T. The brain integrates proprioceptive information to ensure robust locomotion. J Physiol 2022; 600:5267-5294. [PMID: 36271747 DOI: 10.1113/jp283181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Robust locomotion relies on information from proprioceptors: sensory organs that communicate the position of body parts to the spinal cord and brain. Proprioceptive circuits in the spinal cord are known to coarsely regulate locomotion in the presence of perturbations. Yet, the regulatory importance of the brain in maintaining robust locomotion remains less clear. Here, through mouse genetic studies and in vivo electrophysiology, we examined the role of the brain in integrating proprioceptive information during perturbed locomotion. The systemic removal of proprioceptors left the mice in a constantly perturbed state, similar to that observed during mechanically perturbed locomotion in wild-type mice and characterised by longer and less accurate synergistic activation patterns. By contrast, after surgically interrupting the ascending proprioceptive projection to the brain through the dorsal column of the spinal cord, wild-type mice showed normal walking behaviour, yet lost the ability to respond to external perturbations. Our findings provide direct evidence of a pivotal role for ascending proprioceptive information in achieving robust, safe locomotion. KEY POINTS: Whether brain integration of proprioceptive feedback is crucial for coping with perturbed locomotion is not clear. We showed a crucial role of the brain for responding to external perturbations and ensure robust locomotion. We used mouse genetics to remove proprioceptors and a spinal lesion model to interrupt the flow of proprioceptive information to the brain through the dorsal column in wild-type animals. Using a custom-built treadmill, we administered sudden and random mechanical perturbations to mice during walking. External perturbations affected locomotion in wild-type mice similar to the absence of proprioceptors in genetically modified mice. Proprioceptive feedback from muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs contributed to locomotor robustness. Wild-type mice lost the ability to respond to external perturbations after interruption of the ascending proprioceptive projection to the brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Santuz
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Olivier D Laflamme
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Turgay Akay
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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30
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Li WY, Deng LX, Zhai FG, Wang XY, Li ZG, Wang Y. Chx10+V2a interneurons in spinal motor regulation and spinal cord injury. Neural Regen Res 2022; 18:933-939. [PMID: 36254971 PMCID: PMC9827767 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.355746] [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] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Chx10-expressing V2a (Chx10+V2a) spinal interneurons play a large role in the excitatory drive of motoneurons. Chemogenetic ablation studies have demonstrated the essential nature of Chx10+V2a interneurons in the regulation of locomotor initiation, maintenance, alternation, speed, and rhythmicity. The role of Chx10+V2a interneurons in locomotion and autonomic nervous system regulation is thought to be robust, but their precise role in spinal motor regulation and spinal cord injury have not been fully explored. The present paper reviews the origin, characteristics, and functional roles of Chx10+V2a interneurons with an emphasis on their involvement in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury. The diverse functional properties of these cells have only been substantiated by and are due in large part to their integration in a variety of diverse spinal circuits. Chx10+V2a interneurons play an integral role in conferring locomotion, which integrates various corticospinal, mechanosensory, and interneuron pathways. Moreover, accumulating evidence suggests that Chx10+V2a interneurons also play an important role in rhythmic patterning maintenance, left-right alternation of central pattern generation, and locomotor pattern generation in higher order mammals, likely conferring complex locomotion. Consequently, the latest research has focused on postinjury transplantation and noninvasive stimulation of Chx10+V2a interneurons as a therapeutic strategy, particularly in spinal cord injury. Finally, we review the latest preclinical study advances in laboratory derivation and stimulation/transplantation of these cells as a strategy for the treatment of spinal cord injury. The evidence supports that the Chx10+V2a interneurons act as a new therapeutic target for spinal cord injury. Future optimization strategies should focus on the viability, maturity, and functional integration of Chx10+V2a interneurons transplanted in spinal cord injury foci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Yuan Li
- Institute of Neural Tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Ling-Xiao Deng
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Feng-Guo Zhai
- Department of Pharmacy, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Wang
- Institute of Neural Tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Zhi-Gang Li
- Department of General Surgery, Hongqi Hospital, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China,Correspondence to: Ying Wang, ; Zhi-Gang Li, .
| | - Ying Wang
- Institute of Neural Tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China,Correspondence to: Ying Wang, ; Zhi-Gang Li, .
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31
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Krotov V, Agashkov K, Krasniakova M, Safronov BV, Belan P, Voitenko N. Segmental and descending control of primary afferent input to the spinal lamina X. Pain 2022; 163:2014-2020. [PMID: 35297816 PMCID: PMC9339045 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Despite being involved in a number of functions, such as nociception and locomotion, spinal lamina X remains one of the least studied central nervous system regions. Here, we show that Aδ- and C-afferent inputs to lamina X neurons are presynaptically inhibited by homo- and heterosegmental afferents as well as by descending fibers from the corticospinal tract, dorsolateral funiculus, and anterior funiculus. Activation of descending tracts suppresses primary afferent-evoked action potentials and also elicits excitatory (mono- and polysynaptic) and inhibitory postsynaptic responses in lamina X neurons. Thus, primary afferent input to lamina X is subject to both spinal and supraspinal control being regulated by at least 5 distinct pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volodymyr Krotov
- Departments of Sensory Signaling and
- Molecular Biophysics, Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | | | - Boris V. Safronov
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Neuronal Networks Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pavel Belan
- Molecular Biophysics, Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Kyiv Academic University, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Nana Voitenko
- Departments of Sensory Signaling and
- Kyiv Academic University, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Private Institution Dobrobut Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine
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32
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Keifer J. Emergence of In Vitro Preparations and Their Contribution to Understanding the Neural Control of Behavior in Vertebrates. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:511-526. [PMID: 35946803 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00142.2022] [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: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the longstanding goals of the field of neuroscience is to understand the neural control of behavior in both invertebrate and vertebrate species. A series of early discoveries showed that certain motor patterns like locomotion could be generated by neuronal circuits without sensory feedback or descending control systems. These were called fictitious, or "fictive", motor programs because they could be expressed by neurons in the absence of movement. This finding lead investigators to isolate central nervous system tissue and maintain it in a dish in vitro to better study mechanisms of motor pattern generation. A period of rapid development of in vitro preparations from invertebrate species that could generate fictive motor programs from the activity of central pattern generating circuits (CPGs) emerged that was gradually followed by the introduction of such preparations from vertebrates. Here, I will review some of the notable in vitropreparations from both mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrate species developed to study the neural circuits underlying a variety of complex behaviors. This approach has been instrumental in delineating not only the cellular substrates underlying locomotion, respiration, scratching, and other behaviors, but also mechanisms underlying the modifiability of motor pathways through synaptic plasticity. In vitro preparations have had a significant impact on the field of motor systems neuroscience and the expansion of our understanding of how nervous systems control behavior. The field is ready for further advancement of this approach to explore neural substrates for variations in behavior generated by social and seasonal context, and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joyce Keifer
- Neuroscience Group, Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, SD, United States
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33
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Flaive A, Ryczko D. From retina to motoneurons: A substrate for visuomotor transformation in salamanders. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2518-2536. [PMID: 35662021 PMCID: PMC9545292 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25348] [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: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The transformation of visual input into motor output is essential to approach a target or avoid a predator. In salamanders, visually guided orientation behaviors have been extensively studied during prey capture. However, the neural circuitry involved is not resolved. Using salamander brain preparations, calcium imaging and tracing experiments, we describe a neural substrate through which retinal input is transformed into spinal motor output. We found that retina stimulation evoked responses in reticulospinal neurons of the middle reticular nucleus, known to control steering movements in salamanders. Microinjection of glutamatergic antagonists in the optic tectum (superior colliculus in mammals) decreased the reticulospinal responses. Using tracing, we found that retina projected to the dorsal layers of the contralateral tectum, where the dendrites of neurons projecting to the middle reticular nucleus were located. In slices, stimulation of the tectal dorsal layers evoked glutamatergic responses in deep tectal neurons retrogradely labeled from the middle reticular nucleus. We then examined how tectum activation translated into spinal motor output. Tectum stimulation evoked motoneuronal responses, which were decreased by microinjections of glutamatergic antagonists in the contralateral middle reticular nucleus. Reticulospinal fibers anterogradely labeled from tracer injection in the middle reticular nucleus were preferentially distributed in proximity with the dendrites of ipsilateral motoneurons. Our work establishes a neural substrate linking visual and motor centers in salamanders. This retino‐tecto‐reticulo‐spinal circuitry is well positioned to control orienting behaviors. Our study bridges the gap between the behavioral studies and the neural mechanisms involved in the transformation of visual input into motor output in salamanders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Flaive
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dimitri Ryczko
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Centre d'excellence en neurosciences de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.,Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
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34
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Wheatcroft T, Saleem AB, Solomon SG. Functional Organisation of the Mouse Superior Colliculus. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:792959. [PMID: 35601532 PMCID: PMC9118347 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.792959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The superior colliculus (SC) is a highly conserved area of the mammalian midbrain that is widely implicated in the organisation and control of behaviour. SC receives input from a large number of brain areas, and provides outputs to a large number of areas. The convergence and divergence of anatomical connections with different areas and systems provides challenges for understanding how SC contributes to behaviour. Recent work in mouse has provided large anatomical datasets, and a wealth of new data from experiments that identify and manipulate different cells within SC, and their inputs and outputs, during simple behaviours. These data offer an opportunity to better understand the roles that SC plays in these behaviours. However, some of the observations appear, at first sight, to be contradictory. Here we review this recent work and hypothesise a simple framework which can capture the observations, that requires only a small change to previous models. Specifically, the functional organisation of SC can be explained by supposing that three largely distinct circuits support three largely distinct classes of simple behaviours-arrest, turning towards, and the triggering of escape or capture. These behaviours are hypothesised to be supported by the optic, intermediate and deep layers, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samuel G. Solomon
- Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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35
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Networking brainstem and basal ganglia circuits for movement. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:342-360. [DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00581-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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36
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Böhm UL, Kimura Y, Kawashima T, Ahrens MB, Higashijima SI, Engert F, Cohen AE. Voltage imaging identifies spinal circuits that modulate locomotor adaptation in zebrafish. Neuron 2022; 110:1211-1222.e4. [PMID: 35104451 PMCID: PMC8989672 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Motor systems must continuously adapt their output to maintain a desired trajectory. While the spinal circuits underlying rhythmic locomotion are well described, little is known about how the network modulates its output strength. A major challenge has been the difficulty of recording from spinal neurons during behavior. Here, we use voltage imaging to map the membrane potential of large populations of glutamatergic neurons throughout the spinal cord of the larval zebrafish during fictive swimming in a virtual environment. We characterized a previously undescribed subpopulation of tonic-spiking ventral V3 neurons whose spike rate correlated with swimming strength and bout length. Optogenetic activation of V3 neurons led to stronger swimming and longer bouts but did not affect tail beat frequency. Genetic ablation of V3 neurons led to reduced locomotor adaptation. The power of voltage imaging allowed us to identify V3 neurons as a critical driver of locomotor adaptation in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urs L Böhm
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Yukiko Kimura
- National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Takashi Kawashima
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Misha B Ahrens
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Shin-Ichi Higashijima
- National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki Institute for Integrative Bioscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Florian Engert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Adam E Cohen
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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37
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Parallel locomotor control strategies in mice and flies. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022; 73:102516. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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38
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Ali F, Benarroch E. What Is the Brainstem Control of Locomotion? Neurology 2022; 98:446-451. [PMID: 35288473 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000200108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Farwa Ali
- From the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
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39
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Neural circuit control of innate behaviors. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:466-499. [PMID: 34985643 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-2043-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
All animals possess a plethora of innate behaviors that do not require extensive learning and are fundamental for their survival and propagation. With the advent of newly-developed techniques such as viral tracing and optogenetic and chemogenetic tools, recent studies are gradually unraveling neural circuits underlying different innate behaviors. Here, we summarize current development in our understanding of the neural circuits controlling predation, feeding, male-typical mating, and urination, highlighting the role of genetically defined neurons and their connections in sensory triggering, sensory to motor/motivation transformation, motor/motivation encoding during these different behaviors. Along the way, we discuss possible mechanisms underlying binge-eating disorder and the pro-social effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin, elucidating the clinical relevance of studying neural circuits underlying essential innate functions. Finally, we discuss some exciting brain structures recurrently appearing in the regulation of different behaviors, which suggests both divergence and convergence in the neural encoding of specific innate behaviors. Going forward, we emphasize the importance of multi-angle and cross-species dissections in delineating neural circuits that control innate behaviors.
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40
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Peng Y, Schöneberg N, Esposito MS, Geiger JRP, Sharott A, Tovote P. Current approaches to characterize micro- and macroscale circuit mechanisms of Parkinson's disease in rodent models. Exp Neurol 2022; 351:114008. [PMID: 35149118 PMCID: PMC7612860 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Accelerating technological progress in experimental neuroscience is increasing the scale as well as specificity of both observational and perturbational approaches to study circuit physiology. While these techniques have also been used to study disease mechanisms, a wider adoption of these approaches in the field of experimental neurology would greatly facilitate our understanding of neurological dysfunctions and their potential treatments at cellular and circuit level. In this review, we will introduce classic and novel methods ranging from single-cell electrophysiological recordings to state-of-the-art calcium imaging and cell-type specific optogenetic or chemogenetic stimulation. We will focus on their application in rodent models of Parkinson’s disease while also presenting their use in the context of motor control and basal ganglia function. By highlighting the scope and limitations of each method, we will discuss how they can be used to study pathophysiological mechanisms at local and global circuit levels and how novel frameworks can help to bridge these scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangfan Peng
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TH, United Kingdom.
| | - Nina Schöneberg
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Versbacher Str. 5, 97078 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Maria Soledad Esposito
- Medical Physics Department, Centro Atomico Bariloche, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica (CNEA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Av. E. Bustillo 9500, R8402AGP San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Jörg R P Geiger
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrew Sharott
- MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TH, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Tovote
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Versbacher Str. 5, 97078 Wuerzburg, Germany; Center for Mental Health, University of Wuerzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany.
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41
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Masini D, Kiehn O. Targeted activation of midbrain neurons restores locomotor function in mouse models of parkinsonism. Nat Commun 2022; 13:504. [PMID: 35082287 PMCID: PMC8791953 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28075-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is a locomotor command area containing glutamatergic neurons that control locomotor initiation and maintenance. These motor actions are deficient in Parkinson’s disease (PD), where dopaminergic neurodegeneration alters basal ganglia activity. Being downstream of the basal ganglia, the PPN may be a suitable target for ameliorating parkinsonian motor symptoms. Here, we use in vivo cell-type specific PPN activation to restore motor function in two mouse models of parkinsonism made by acute pharmacological blockage of dopamine transmission. With a combination of chemo- and opto-genetics, we show that excitation of caudal glutamatergic PPN neurons can normalize the otherwise severe locomotor deficit in PD, whereas targeting the local GABAergic population only leads to recovery of slow locomotion. The motor rescue driven by glutamatergic PPN activation is independent of activity in nearby locomotor promoting glutamatergic Cuneiform neurons. Our observations point to caudal glutamatergic PPN neurons as a potential target for neuromodulatory restoration of locomotor function in PD. Here, the authors use cell-type specific stimulation of brainstem neurons within the caudal pedunculopontine nucleus to show that activation of excitatory neurons can normalize severe locomotor deficit in mouse models of parkinsonism. The study defines a potential target for neuromodulatory restoration of locomotor function in Parkinson’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Débora Masini
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole Kiehn
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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42
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Abstract
Locomotion is a universal motor behavior that is expressed as the output of many integrated brain functions. Locomotion is organized at several levels of the nervous system, with brainstem circuits acting as the gate between brain areas regulating innate, emotional, or motivational locomotion and executive spinal circuits. Here we review recent advances on brainstem circuits involved in controlling locomotion. We describe how delineated command circuits govern the start, speed, stop, and steering of locomotion. We also discuss how these pathways interface between executive circuits in the spinal cord and diverse brain areas important for context-specific selection of locomotion. A recurrent theme is the need to establish a functional connectome to and from brainstem command circuits. Finally, we point to unresolved issues concerning the integrated function of locomotor control. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Neuroscience, Volume 45 is July 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Leiras
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jared M. Cregg
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole Kiehn
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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43
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Zingg B, Dong HW, Tao HW, Zhang LI. Application of AAV1 for Anterograde Transsynaptic Circuit Mapping and Input-Dependent Neuronal Cataloging. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e339. [PMID: 35044725 PMCID: PMC8852298 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Viruses that spread transsynaptically provide a powerful means to study interconnected circuits in the brain. Here we describe the use of adeno-associated virus, serotype 1 (AAV1), as a tool to achieve robust, anterograde transsynaptic spread in a variety of unidirectional pathways. A protocol for performing intracranial AAV1 injections in mice is presented, along with additional guidance for planning experiments, sourcing materials, and optimizing the approach to achieve the most successful outcomes. By following the methods presented here, researchers will be able to reveal postsynaptically connected neurons downstream of a given AAV1 injection site and access these input-defined cells for subsequent mapping, recording, and manipulation to characterize their anatomical and functional properties. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol: Stereotaxic injection of AAV1 for anterograde transsynaptic spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Zingg
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Hong-Wei Dong
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Huizhong Whit Tao
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Li I. Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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44
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Pernía-Andrade AJ, Wenger N, Esposito MS, Tovote P. Circuits for State-Dependent Modulation of Locomotion. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:745689. [PMID: 34858153 PMCID: PMC8631332 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.745689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain-wide neural circuits enable bi- and quadrupeds to express adaptive locomotor behaviors in a context- and state-dependent manner, e.g., in response to threats or rewards. These behaviors include dynamic transitions between initiation, maintenance and termination of locomotion. Advances within the last decade have revealed an intricate coordination of these individual locomotion phases by complex interaction of multiple brain circuits. This review provides an overview of the neural basis of state-dependent modulation of locomotion initiation, maintenance and termination, with a focus on insights from circuit-centered studies in rodents. The reviewed evidence indicates that a brain-wide network involving excitatory circuit elements connecting cortex, midbrain and medullary areas appears to be the common substrate for the initiation of locomotion across different higher-order states. Specific network elements within motor cortex and the mesencephalic locomotor region drive the initial postural adjustment and the initiation of locomotion. Microcircuits of the basal ganglia, by implementing action-selection computations, trigger goal-directed locomotion. The initiation of locomotion is regulated by neuromodulatory circuits residing in the basal forebrain, the hypothalamus, and medullary regions such as locus coeruleus. The maintenance of locomotion requires the interaction of an even larger neuronal network involving motor, sensory and associative cortical elements, as well as defined circuits within the superior colliculus, the cerebellum, the periaqueductal gray, the mesencephalic locomotor region and the medullary reticular formation. Finally, locomotor arrest as an important component of defensive emotional states, such as acute anxiety, is mediated via a network of survival circuits involving hypothalamus, amygdala, periaqueductal gray and medullary premotor centers. By moving beyond the organizational principle of functional brain regions, this review promotes a circuit-centered perspective of locomotor regulation by higher-order states, and emphasizes the importance of individual network elements such as cell types and projection pathways. The realization that dysfunction within smaller, identifiable circuit elements can affect the larger network function supports more mechanistic and targeted therapeutic intervention in the treatment of motor network disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nikolaus Wenger
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria S Esposito
- Medical Physics Department, Centro Atomico Bariloche, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Philip Tovote
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Center for Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Chopek JW, Zhang Y, Brownstone RM. Intrinsic brainstem circuits comprised of Chx10-expressing neurons contribute to reticulospinal output in mice. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:1978-1990. [PMID: 34669520 PMCID: PMC8715053 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00322.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamatergic reticulospinal neurons in the gigantocellular reticular nucleus (GRN) of the medullary reticular formation can function as command neurons, transmitting motor commands to spinal cord circuits to instruct movement. Recent advances in our understanding of this neuron-dense region have been facilitated by the discovery of expression of the transcriptional regulator, Chx10, in excitatory reticulospinal neurons. Here, we address the capacity of local circuitry in the GRN to contribute to reticulospinal output. We define two subpopulations of Chx10-expressing neurons in this region, based on distinct electrophysiological properties and soma size (small and large), and show that these populations correspond to local interneurons and reticulospinal neurons, respectively. Using focal release of caged glutamate combined with patch clamp recordings, we demonstrated that Chx10 neurons form microcircuits in which the Chx10 local interneurons project to and facilitate the firing of Chx10 reticulospinal neurons. We discuss the implications of these microcircuits in terms of movement selection. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Reticulospinal neurons in the medullary reticular formation integrate inputs from higher regions to effectively instruct spinal motor circuits. Using photoactivation of neurons in brainstem slices, we studied connectivity of reticular formation neurons that express the transcriptional regulator, Chx10. We show that a subpopulation of these neurons functions as local interneurons that affect descending commands. The results shed light on the internal organization and microcircuit formation of reticular formation neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy W Chopek
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.,Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Robert M Brownstone
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Dempsey B, Sungeelee S, Bokiniec P, Chettouh Z, Diem S, Autran S, Harrell ER, Poulet JFA, Birchmeier C, Carey H, Genovesio A, McMullan S, Goridis C, Fortin G, Brunet JF. A medullary centre for lapping in mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6307. [PMID: 34728601 PMCID: PMC8563905 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26275-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
It has long been known that orofacial movements for feeding can be triggered, coordinated, and often rhythmically organized at the level of the brainstem, without input from higher centers. We uncover two nuclei that can organize the movements for ingesting fluids in mice. These neuronal groups, IRtPhox2b and Peri5Atoh1, are marked by expression of the pan-autonomic homeobox gene Phox2b and are located, respectively, in the intermediate reticular formation of the medulla and around the motor nucleus of the trigeminal nerve. They are premotor to all jaw-opening and tongue muscles. Stimulation of either, in awake animals, opens the jaw, while IRtPhox2b alone also protracts the tongue. Moreover, stationary stimulation of IRtPhox2b entrains a rhythmic alternation of tongue protraction and retraction, synchronized with jaw opening and closing, that mimics lapping. Finally, fiber photometric recordings show that IRtPhox2b is active during volitional lapping. Our study identifies one of the subcortical nuclei underpinning a stereotyped feeding behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Dempsey
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Inserm, CNRS, École normale supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Selvee Sungeelee
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Inserm, CNRS, École normale supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Phillip Bokiniec
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), and Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Zoubida Chettouh
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Inserm, CNRS, École normale supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Séverine Diem
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences NeuroPSI, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Sandra Autran
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut des Neurosciences NeuroPSI, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Evan R Harrell
- Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Institut de l'Audition, Paris, France
| | - James F A Poulet
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), and Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carmen Birchmeier
- Developmental Biology/Signal Transduction, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, and Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Harry Carey
- Faculty of Medicine, Health & Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Auguste Genovesio
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Inserm, CNRS, École normale supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Simon McMullan
- Faculty of Medicine, Health & Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Christo Goridis
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Inserm, CNRS, École normale supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Gilles Fortin
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Inserm, CNRS, École normale supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Jean-François Brunet
- Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Inserm, CNRS, École normale supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
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Optogenetic stimulation of glutamatergic neurons in the cuneiform nucleus controls locomotion in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2110934118. [PMID: 34670837 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110934118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In Parkinson's disease (PD), the loss of midbrain dopaminergic cells results in severe locomotor deficits, such as gait freezing and akinesia. Growing evidence indicates that these deficits can be attributed to the decreased activity in the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), a brainstem region controlling locomotion. Clinicians are exploring the deep brain stimulation of the MLR as a treatment option to improve locomotor function. The results are variable, from modest to promising. However, within the MLR, clinicians have targeted the pedunculopontine nucleus exclusively, while leaving the cuneiform nucleus unexplored. To our knowledge, the effects of cuneiform nucleus stimulation have never been determined in parkinsonian conditions in any animal model. Here, we addressed this issue in a mouse model of PD, based on the bilateral striatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine, which damaged the nigrostriatal pathway and decreased locomotor activity. We show that selective optogenetic stimulation of glutamatergic neurons in the cuneiform nucleus in mice expressing channelrhodopsin in a Cre-dependent manner in Vglut2-positive neurons (Vglut2-ChR2-EYFP mice) increased the number of locomotor initiations, increased the time spent in locomotion, and controlled locomotor speed. Using deep learning-based movement analysis, we found that the limb kinematics of optogenetic-evoked locomotion in pathological conditions were largely similar to those recorded in intact animals. Our work identifies the glutamatergic neurons of the cuneiform nucleus as a potentially clinically relevant target to improve locomotor activity in parkinsonian conditions. Our study should open avenues to develop the targeted stimulation of these neurons using deep brain stimulation, pharmacotherapy, or optogenetics.
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A specialized spinal circuit for command amplification and directionality during escape behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2106785118. [PMID: 34663699 PMCID: PMC8545473 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106785118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We are constantly faced with a choice moving to the left or right; understanding how the brain solves the selection of action direction is of tremendous interest both from biological and clinical perspectives. In vertebrates, action selection is often considered to be the realm of higher cognitive processing. However, by combining electrophysiology, serial block-face electron microscopy, and behavioral analyses in zebrafish, we have revealed a pivotal role, as well as the full functional connectome of a specialized spinal circuit relying on strong axo-axonic synaptic connections. This includes identifying a class of cholinergic V2a interneurons and establishing that they act as a segmentally repeating hub that receives and amplifies escape commands from the brain to ensure the appropriate escape directionality. In vertebrates, action selection often involves higher cognition entailing an evaluative process. However, urgent tasks, such as defensive escape, require an immediate implementation of the directionality of escape trajectory, necessitating local circuits. Here we reveal a specialized spinal circuit for the execution of escape direction in adult zebrafish. A central component of this circuit is a unique class of segmentally repeating cholinergic V2a interneurons expressing the transcription factor Chx10. These interneurons amplify brainstem-initiated escape commands and rapidly deliver the excitation via a feedforward circuit to all fast motor neurons and commissural interneurons to direct the escape maneuver. The information transfer within this circuit relies on fast and reliable axo-axonic synaptic connections, bypassing soma and dendrites. Unilateral ablation of cholinergic V2a interneurons eliminated escape command propagation. Thus, in vertebrates, local spinal circuits can implement directionality of urgent motor actions vital for survival.
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Lemieux M, Thiry L, Laflamme OD, Bretzner F. Role of DSCAM in the Development of Neural Control of Movement and Locomotion. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168511. [PMID: 34445216 PMCID: PMC8395195 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotion results in an alternance of flexor and extensor muscles between left and right limbs generated by motoneurons that are controlled by the spinal interneuronal circuit. This spinal locomotor circuit is modulated by sensory afferents, which relay proprioceptive and cutaneous inputs that inform the spatial position of limbs in space and potential contacts with our environment respectively, but also by supraspinal descending commands of the brain that allow us to navigate in complex environments, avoid obstacles, chase prey, or flee predators. Although signaling pathways are important in the establishment and maintenance of motor circuits, the role of DSCAM, a cell adherence molecule associated with Down syndrome, has only recently been investigated in the context of motor control and locomotion in the rodent. DSCAM is known to be involved in lamination and delamination, synaptic targeting, axonal guidance, dendritic and cell tiling, axonal fasciculation and branching, programmed cell death, and synaptogenesis, all of which can impact the establishment of motor circuits during development, but also their maintenance through adulthood. We discuss herein how DSCAM is important for proper motor coordination, especially for breathing and locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Lemieux
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences P09800, 2705 boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (M.L.); (L.T.); (O.D.L.)
| | - Louise Thiry
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences P09800, 2705 boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (M.L.); (L.T.); (O.D.L.)
| | - Olivier D. Laflamme
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences P09800, 2705 boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (M.L.); (L.T.); (O.D.L.)
| | - Frédéric Bretzner
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, CHUL-Neurosciences P09800, 2705 boul. Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (M.L.); (L.T.); (O.D.L.)
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
- Correspondence:
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50
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Huang M, Li D, Cheng X, Pei Q, Xie Z, Gu H, Zhang X, Chen Z, Liu A, Wang Y, Sun F, Li Y, Zhang J, He M, Xie Y, Zhang F, Qi X, Shang C, Cao P. The tectonigral pathway regulates appetitive locomotion in predatory hunting in mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4409. [PMID: 34285209 PMCID: PMC8292483 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24696-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Appetitive locomotion is essential for animals to approach rewards, such as food and prey. The neuronal circuitry controlling appetitive locomotion is unclear. In a goal-directed behavior-predatory hunting, we show an excitatory brain circuit from the superior colliculus (SC) to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) to enhance appetitive locomotion in mice. This tectonigral pathway transmits locomotion-speed signals to dopamine neurons and triggers dopamine release in the dorsal striatum. Synaptic inactivation of this pathway impairs appetitive locomotion but not defensive locomotion. Conversely, activation of this pathway increases the speed and frequency of approach during predatory hunting, an effect that depends on the activities of SNc dopamine neurons. Together, these data reveal that the SC regulates locomotion-speed signals to SNc dopamine neurons to enhance appetitive locomotion in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meizhu Huang
- grid.508040.9Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Dapeng Li
- grid.24696.3f0000 0004 0369 153XDepartment of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinyu Cheng
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Pei
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyong Xie
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huating Gu
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuerong Zhang
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zijun Chen
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Aixue Liu
- grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Wang
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fangmiao Sun
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Li
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiayi Zhang
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Miao He
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Xie
- grid.256883.20000 0004 1760 8442Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology in Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei China
| | - Fan Zhang
- grid.256883.20000 0004 1760 8442Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology in Ministry of Education, Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei China
| | - Xiangbing Qi
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.12527.330000 0001 0662 3178Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Congping Shang
- grid.508040.9Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Peng Cao
- grid.410717.40000 0004 0644 5086National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China ,grid.12527.330000 0001 0662 3178Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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