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Kaur N, Kovner R, Gulden FO, Pletikos M, Andrijevic D, Zhu T, Silbereis J, Shibata M, Shibata A, Liu Y, Ma S, Salla N, de Martin X, Klarić TS, Burke M, Franjic D, Cho H, Yuen M, Chatterjee I, Soric P, Esakkimuthu D, Moser M, Santpere G, Mineur YS, Pattabiraman K, Picciotto MR, Huang H, Sestan N. Specification of claustro-amygdalar and palaeocortical neurons and circuits. Nature 2025; 638:469-478. [PMID: 39814878 PMCID: PMC11821539 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08361-5] [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: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 11/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2025]
Abstract
The ventrolateral pallial (VLp) excitatory neurons in the claustro-amygdalar complex and piriform cortex (PIR; which forms part of the palaeocortex) form reciprocal connections with the prefrontal cortex (PFC), integrating cognitive and sensory information that results in adaptive behaviours1-5. Early-life disruptions in these circuits are linked to neuropsychiatric disorders4-8, highlighting the importance of understanding their development. Here we reveal that the transcription factors SOX4, SOX11 and TFAP2D have a pivotal role in the development, identity and PFC connectivity of these excitatory neurons. The absence of SOX4 and SOX11 in post-mitotic excitatory neurons results in a marked reduction in the size of the basolateral amygdala complex (BLC), claustrum (CLA) and PIR. These transcription factors control BLC formation through direct regulation of Tfap2d expression. Cross-species analyses, including in humans, identified conserved Tfap2d expression in developing excitatory neurons of BLC, CLA, PIR and the associated transitional areas of the frontal, insular and temporal cortex. Although the loss and haploinsufficiency of Tfap2d yield similar alterations in learned threat-response behaviours, differences emerge in the phenotypes at different Tfap2d dosages, particularly in terms of changes observed in BLC size and BLC-PFC connectivity. This underscores the importance of Tfap2d dosage in orchestrating developmental shifts in BLC-PFC connectivity and behavioural modifications that resemble symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders. Together, these findings reveal key elements of a conserved gene regulatory network that shapes the development and function of crucial VLp excitatory neurons and their PFC connectivity and offer insights into their evolution and alterations in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navjot Kaur
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rothem Kovner
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Forrest O Gulden
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mihovil Pletikos
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - David Andrijevic
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Tianjia Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John Silbereis
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mikihito Shibata
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Akemi Shibata
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yuting Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Shaojie Ma
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Nikkita Salla
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xabier de Martin
- Neurogenomics Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Thomas S Klarić
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Megan Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Daniel Franjic
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hyesun Cho
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Matthew Yuen
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ipsita Chatterjee
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Paula Soric
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Devippriya Esakkimuthu
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Markus Moser
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, School of Medicine, Techical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Gabriel Santpere
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Neurogenomics Group, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, PRBB, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Kartik Pattabiraman
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Marina R Picciotto
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hao Huang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nenad Sestan
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Aukema RJ, Petrie GN, Matarasso AK, Baglot SL, Molina LA, Füzesi T, Kadhim S, Nastase AS, Rodriguez Reyes I, Bains JS, Morena M, Bruchas MR, Hill MN. Identification of a stress-responsive subregion of the basolateral amygdala in male rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:1989-1999. [PMID: 39117904 PMCID: PMC11480132 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01927-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is reliably activated by psychological stress and hyperactive in conditions of pathological stress or trauma; however, subsets of BLA neurons are also readily activated by rewarding stimuli and can suppress fear and avoidance behaviours. The BLA is highly heterogeneous anatomically, exhibiting continuous molecular and connectivity gradients throughout the entire structure. A critical gap remains in understanding the anatomical specificity of amygdala subregions, circuits, and cell types explicitly activated by acute stress and how they are dynamically activated throughout stimulus exposure. Using a combination of topographical mapping for the activity-responsive protein FOS and fiber photometry to measure calcium transients in real-time, we sought to characterize the spatial and temporal patterns of BLA activation in response to a range of novel stressors (shock, swim, restraint, predator odour) and non-aversive, but novel stimuli (crackers, citral odour). We report four main findings: (1) the BLA exhibits clear spatial activation gradients in response to novel stimuli throughout the medial-lateral and dorsal-ventral axes, with aversive stimuli strongly biasing activation towards medial aspects of the BLA; (2) novel stimuli elicit distinct temporal activation patterns, with stressful stimuli exhibiting particularly enhanced or prolonged temporal activation patterns; (3) changes in BLA activity are associated with changes in behavioural state; and (4) norepinephrine enhances stress-induced activation of BLA neurons via the ß-noradrenergic receptor. Moving forward, it will be imperative to combine our understanding of activation gradients with molecular and circuit-specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Aukema
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Gavin N Petrie
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Avi K Matarasso
- Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- UW Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion (NAPE), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Samantha L Baglot
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Leonardo A Molina
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Tamás Füzesi
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Sandra Kadhim
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Andrei S Nastase
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Itzel Rodriguez Reyes
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- UW Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion (NAPE), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Jaideep S Bains
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Maria Morena
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, European Center for Brain Research, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, 00143, Italy
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- UW Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion (NAPE), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Matthew N Hill
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
- Mathison Centre for Mental Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
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Otten J, Dan S, Rostin L, Profetto AE, Lardenoije R, Klengel T. Spatial transcriptomics reveals modulation of transcriptional networks across brain regions after auditory threat conditioning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.25.614979. [PMID: 39386587 PMCID: PMC11463379 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.25.614979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2024]
Abstract
Prior research has demonstrated genome-wide transcriptional changes related to fear and anxiety across species, often focusing on individual brain regions or cell types. However, the extent of gene expression differences across brain regions and how these changes interact at the level of transcriptional connectivity remains unclear. To address this, we performed spatial transcriptomics RNAseq analyses in an auditory threat conditioning paradigm in mice. We generated a spatial transcriptomic atlas of a coronal mouse brain section covering cortical and subcortical regions, corresponding to histologically defined regions. Our finding revealed widespread transcriptional responses across all brain regions examined, particularly in the medial and lateral habenula, and the choroid plexus. Network analyses highlighted altered transcriptional connectivity between cortical and subcortical regions, emphasizing the role of steroidogenic factor 1. These results provide new insights into the transcriptional networks involved in auditory threat conditioning, enhancing our understanding of molecular and neural mechanisms underlying fear and anxiety disorders.
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Mori D, Inami C, Ikeda R, Sawahata M, Urata S, Yamaguchi ST, Kobayashi Y, Fujita K, Arioka Y, Okumura H, Kushima I, Kodama A, Suzuki T, Hirao T, Yoshimi A, Sobue A, Ito T, Noda Y, Mizoguchi H, Nagai T, Kaibuchi K, Okabe S, Nishiguchi K, Kume K, Yamada K, Ozaki N. Mice with deficiency in Pcdh15, a gene associated with bipolar disorders, exhibit significantly elevated diurnal amplitudes of locomotion and body temperature. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:216. [PMID: 38806495 PMCID: PMC11133426 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02952-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic factors significantly affect the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. However, the specific pathogenic mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. Recent extensive genomic studies have implicated the protocadherin-related 15 (PCDH15) gene in the onset of psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder (BD). To further investigate the pathogenesis of these psychiatric disorders, we developed a mouse model lacking Pcdh15. Notably, although PCDH15 is primarily identified as the causative gene of Usher syndrome, which presents with visual and auditory impairments, our mice with Pcdh15 homozygous deletion (Pcdh15-null) did not exhibit observable structural abnormalities in either the retina or the inner ear. The Pcdh15-null mice showed very high levels of spontaneous motor activity which was too disturbed to perform standard behavioral testing. However, the Pcdh15 heterozygous deletion mice (Pcdh15-het) exhibited enhanced spontaneous locomotor activity, reduced prepulse inhibition, and diminished cliff avoidance behavior. These observations agreed with the symptoms observed in patients with various psychiatric disorders and several mouse models of psychiatric diseases. Specifically, the hyperactivity may mirror the manic episodes in BD. To obtain a more physiological, long-term quantification of the hyperactive phenotype, we implanted nano tag® sensor chips in the animals, to enable the continuous monitoring of both activity and body temperature. During the light-off period, Pcdh15-null exhibited elevated activity and body temperature compared with wild-type (WT) mice. However, we observed a decreased body temperature during the light-on period. Comprehensive brain activity was visualized using c-Fos mapping, which was assessed during the activity and temperature peak and trough. There was a stark contrast between the distribution of c-Fos expression in Pcdh15-null and WT brains during both the light-on and light-off periods. These results provide valuable insights into the neural basis of the behavioral and thermal characteristics of Pcdh15-deletion mice. Therefore, Pcdh15-deletion mice can be a novel model for BD with mania and other psychiatric disorders, with a strong genetic component that satisfies both construct and surface validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Mori
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
- Brain and Mind Research Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
- Department of Pathophysiology of Mental Disorders, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
| | - Chihiro Inami
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Ikeda
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Masahito Sawahata
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shinji Urata
- Department of Otolaryngology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Pref., Japan
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Pref., Japan
| | - Sho T Yamaguchi
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | | | - Kosuke Fujita
- Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yuko Arioka
- Department of Pathophysiology of Mental Disorders, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Center for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hiroki Okumura
- Department of Pathophysiology of Mental Disorders, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Itaru Kushima
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Pathophysiology of Mental Disorders, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Medical Genomics Center, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Akiko Kodama
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Pathophysiology of Mental Disorders, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Suzuki
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takashi Hirao
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Akira Yoshimi
- Division of Clinical Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Meijo University Faculty of Pharmacy, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Akira Sobue
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ito
- Division of Clinical Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Meijo University Faculty of Pharmacy, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yukikiro Noda
- Division of Clinical Sciences and Neuropsychopharmacology, Meijo University Faculty of Pharmacy, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mizoguchi
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Taku Nagai
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Division of Behavioral Neuropharmacology, International Center for Brain Science (ICBS), Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kozo Kaibuchi
- Division of Cell Biology, International Center for Brain Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shigeo Okabe
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo Pref., Japan
| | - Koji Nishiguchi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Kume
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kiyofumi Yamada
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology and Hospital Pharmacy, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Norio Ozaki
- Department of Pathophysiology of Mental Disorders, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Institute for Glyco-core Research (iGCORE), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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Matchynski JI, Cilley TS, Sadik N, Makki KM, Wu M, Manwar R, Woznicki AR, Kallakuri S, Arfken CL, Hope BT, Avanaki K, Conti AC, Perrine SA. Quantification of prefrontal cortical neuronal ensembles following conditioned fear learning in a Fos-LacZ transgenic rat with photoacoustic imaging in Vivo. PHOTOACOUSTICS 2023; 33:100551. [PMID: 38021296 PMCID: PMC10658601 DOI: 10.1016/j.pacs.2023.100551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the neurobiology of complex behaviors requires measurement of activity in the discrete population of active neurons, neuronal ensembles, which control the behavior. Conventional neuroimaging techniques ineffectively measure neuronal ensemble activity in the brain in vivo because they assess the average regional neuronal activity instead of the specific activity of the neuronal ensemble that mediates the behavior. Our functional molecular photoacoustic tomography (FM-PAT) system allows direct imaging of Fos-dependent neuronal ensemble activation in Fos-LacZ transgenic rats in vivo. We tested four experimental conditions and found increased FM-PAT signal in prefrontal cortical areas in rats undergoing conditioned fear or novel context exposure. A parallel immunofluorescence ex vivo study of Fos expression found similar findings. These findings demonstrate the ability of FM-PAT to measure Fos-expressing neuronal ensembles directly in vivo and support a mechanistic role for the prefrontal cortex in higher-order processing of response to specific stimuli or environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- James I Matchynski
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
- Wayne State MD/PhD Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Timothy S Cilley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Nareen Sadik
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Kassem M Makki
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Min Wu
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Rayyan Manwar
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Srinivasu Kallakuri
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Cynthia L Arfken
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Bruce T Hope
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kamran Avanaki
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alana C Conti
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Shane A Perrine
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
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Franceschini A, Mazzamuto G, Checcucci C, Chicchi L, Fanelli D, Costantini I, Passani MB, Silva BA, Pavone FS, Silvestri L. Brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit reveals strong sexual dimorphism in the evolution of fear memory. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112908. [PMID: 37516963 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112908] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear responses are functionally adaptive behaviors that are strengthened as memories. Indeed, detailed knowledge of the neural circuitry modulating fear memory could be the turning point for the comprehension of this emotion and its pathological states. A comprehensive understanding of the circuits mediating memory encoding, consolidation, and retrieval presents the fundamental technological challenge of analyzing activity in the entire brain with single-neuron resolution. In this context, we develop the brain-wide neuron quantification toolkit (BRANT) for mapping whole-brain neuronal activation at micron-scale resolution, combining tissue clearing, high-resolution light-sheet microscopy, and automated image analysis. The robustness and scalability of this method allow us to quantify the evolution of activity patterns across multiple phases of memory in mice. This approach highlights a strong sexual dimorphism in recruited circuits, which has no counterpart in the behavior. The methodology presented here paves the way for a comprehensive characterization of the evolution of fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Franceschini
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
| | - Giacomo Mazzamuto
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; National Institute of Optics - National Research Council (CNR-INO), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Curzio Checcucci
- Department of Information Engineering (DINFO), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Chicchi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Duccio Fanelli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Irene Costantini
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Bianca Ambrogina Silva
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Lab of Circuits Neuroscience, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Saverio Pavone
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; National Institute of Optics - National Research Council (CNR-INO), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Ludovico Silvestri
- European Laboratory for Non-linear Spectroscopy (LENS), University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy; National Institute of Optics - National Research Council (CNR-INO), Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
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7
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Yip KYT, Gräff J. Tissue clearing applications in memory engram research. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1181818. [PMID: 37700912 PMCID: PMC10493294 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1181818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A memory engram is thought to be the physical substrate of the memory trace within the brain, which is generally depicted as a neuronal ensemble activated by learning to fire together during encoding and retrieval. It has been postulated that engram cell ensembles are functionally interconnected across multiple brain regions to store a single memory as an "engram complex", but visualizing this engram complex across the whole brain has for long been hindered by technical limitations. With the recent development of tissue clearing techniques, advanced light-sheet microscopy, and automated 3D image analysis, it has now become possible to generate a brain-wide map of engram cells and thereby to visualize the "engram complex". In this review, we first provide a comprehensive summary of brain-wide engram mapping studies to date. We then compile a guide on implementing the optimal tissue clearing technique for engram tagging approaches, paying particular attention to visualize engram reactivation as a critical mnemonic property, for which whole-brain multiplexed immunostaining becomes a challenging prerequisite. Finally, we highlight the potential of tissue clearing to simultaneously shed light on both the circuit connectivity and molecular underpinnings of engram cells in a single snapshot. In doing so, novel brain regions and circuits can be identified for subsequent functional manipulation, thus providing an opportunity to robustly examine the "engram complex" underlying memory storage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johannes Gräff
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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8
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Hammack RJ, Fischer VE, Andrade MA, Toney GM. Anterior basolateral amygdala neurons comprise a remote fear memory engram. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1167825. [PMID: 37180762 PMCID: PMC10174320 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1167825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Threatening environmental cues often generate enduring fear memories, but how these are formed and stored remains actively investigated. Recall of a recent fear memory is thought to reflect reactivation of neurons, in multiple brain regions, activated during memory formation, indicating that anatomically distributed and interconnected neuronal ensembles comprise fear memory engrams. The extent to which anatomically specific activation-reactivation engrams persist during long-term fear memory recall, however, remains largely unexplored. We hypothesized that principal neurons in the anterior basolateral amygdala (aBLA), which encode negative valence, acutely reactivate during remote fear memory recall to drive fear behavior. Methods Using adult offspring of TRAP2 and Ai14 mice, persistent tdTomato expression was used to "TRAP" aBLA neurons that underwent Fos-activation during contextual fear conditioning (electric shocks) or context only conditioning (no shocks) (n = 5/group). Three weeks later, mice were re-exposed to the same context cues for remote memory recall, then sacrificed for Fos immunohistochemistry. Results TRAPed (tdTomato +), Fos +, and reactivated (double-labeled) neuronal ensembles were larger in fear- than context-conditioned mice, with the middle sub-region and middle/caudal dorsomedial quadrants of aBLA displaying the greatest densities of all three ensemble populations. Whereas tdTomato + ensembles were dominantly glutamatergic in context and fear groups, freezing behavior during remote memory recall was not correlated with ensemble sizes in either group. Discussion We conclude that although an aBLA-inclusive fear memory engram forms and persists at a remote time point, plasticity impacting electrophysiological responses of engram neurons, not their population size, encodes fear memory and drives behavioral manifestations of long-term fear memory recall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. Hammack
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Victoria E. Fischer
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Mary Ann Andrade
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Glenn M. Toney
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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9
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Coronin 2B Regulates Neuronal Migration via Rac1-Dependent Multipolar-Bipolar Transition. J Neurosci 2023; 43:211-220. [PMID: 36639906 PMCID: PMC9838710 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1087-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the developing cortex, excitatory neurons migrate along the radial fibers to their final destinations and build up synaptic connection with each other to form functional circuitry. The shaping of neuronal morphologies by actin cytoskeleton dynamics is crucial for neuronal migration. However, it is largely unknown how the distribution and assembly of the F-actin cytoskeleton are coordinated. In the present study, we found that an actin regulatory protein, coronin 2B, is indispensable for the transition from a multipolar to bipolar morphology during neuronal migration in ICR mice of either sex. Loss of coronin 2B led to heterotopic accumulation of migrating neurons in the intermediate zone along with reduced dendritic complexity and aberrant neuronal activity in the cortical plate. This was accompanied by increased seizure susceptibility, suggesting the malfunction of cortical development in coronin 2B-deficient brains. Coronin 2B knockdown disrupted the distribution of the F-actin cytoskeleton at the leading processes, while the migration defect in coronin 2B-deficient neurons was partially rescued by overexpression of Rac1 and its downstream actin-severing protein, cofilin. Our results collectively reveal the physiological function of coronin 2B during neuronal migration whereby it maintains the proper distribution of activated Rac1 and the F-actin cytoskeleton.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Deficits in neuronal migration during cortical development result in various neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., focal cortical dysplasia, periventricular heterotopia, epilepsy, etc.). Most signaling pathways that control neuronal migration process converge to regulate actin cytoskeleton dynamics. Therefore, it is important to understand how actin dynamics is coordinated in the critical processes of neuronal migration. Herein, we report that coronin 2B is a key protein that regulates neuronal migration through its ability to control the distribution of the actin cytoskeleton and its regulatory signaling protein Rac1 during the multipolar-bipolar transition in the intermediate zone, providing insights into the molecular machinery that drives the migration process of newborn neurons.
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10
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Terstege DJ, Epp JR. Network Neuroscience Untethered: Brain-Wide Immediate Early Gene Expression for the Analysis of Functional Connectivity in Freely Behaving Animals. BIOLOGY 2022; 12:34. [PMID: 36671727 PMCID: PMC9855808 DOI: 10.3390/biology12010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Studying how spatially discrete neuroanatomical regions across the brain interact is critical to advancing our understanding of the brain. Traditional neuroimaging techniques have led to many important discoveries about the nature of these interactions, termed functional connectivity. However, in animal models these traditional neuroimaging techniques have generally been limited to anesthetized or head-fixed setups or examination of small subsets of neuroanatomical regions. Using the brain-wide expression density of immediate early genes (IEG), we can assess brain-wide functional connectivity underlying a wide variety of behavioural tasks in freely behaving animal models. Here, we provide an overview of the necessary steps required to perform IEG-based analyses of functional connectivity. We also outline important considerations when designing such experiments and demonstrate the implications of these considerations using an IEG-based network dataset generated for the purpose of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan R. Epp
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
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11
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Social Fear Affects Limbic System Neuronal Activity and Gene Expression. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158228. [PMID: 35897794 PMCID: PMC9367789 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and comorbid anxiety disorder with rather unclear underlying mechanisms. Here, we aimed to characterize neurobiological changes occurring in mice expressing symptoms of social fear and to identify possible therapeutic targets for SAD. Social fear was induced via social fear conditioning (SFC), a validated animal model of SAD. We assessed the expression levels of the immediate early genes (IEGs) cFos, Fosl2 and Arc as markers of neuronal activity and the expression levels of several genes of the GABAergic, serotoninergic, oxytocinergic, vasopressinergic and neuropeptide Y (NPY)-ergic systems in brain regions involved in social behavior or fear-related behavior in SFC+ and SFC− mice 2 h after exposure to a conspecific. SFC+ mice showed a decreased number and density of cFos-positive cells and decreased expression levels of IEGs in the dorsal hippocampus. SFC+ mice also showed alterations in the expression of NPY and serotonin system-related genes in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, basolateral amygdala, septum and dorsal raphe nucleus, but not in the dorsal hippocampus. Our results describe neuronal alterations occurring during the expression of social fear and identify the NPY and serotonergic systems as possible targets in the treatment of SAD.
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12
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Shi T, Feng S, Shi W, Fu Y, Zhou W. A modified mouse model for observational fear learning and the influence of social hierarchy. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:941288. [PMID: 35957923 PMCID: PMC9359141 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.941288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Indirectly experiencing traumatic events either by witnessing or learning of a loved one’s suffering is associated with the highest prevalence rates of epidemiological features of PTSD. Social species can develop fear by observing conspecifics in distress. Observational fear learning (OFL) is one of the most widely used paradigms for studying fear contagion in mice. However, the impact of empathic fear behavior and social hierarchy on fear transfer in mice is not well understood. Methods Fear emotions are best characterized in mice by using complementary tests, rather than only freezing behavior, and simultaneously avoiding behavioral variability in different tests across time. In this study, we modified the OFL model by implementing freezing (FZ), open field (OF), and social interaction (SI) tests in a newly designed experimental facility and applied Z-normalization to assess emotionality changes across different behaviors. Results The integrated emotionality scores revealed a robustly increased emotionality of observer mice and, more importantly, contributed to distinguishing susceptible individuals. Interestingly, fos-positive neurons were mainly found in the interoceptive network, and mice of a lower social rank showed more empathy-like behaviors. Conclusion Our findings highlight that combining this experimental model with the Z-scoring method yields robust emotionality measures of individual mice, thus making it easier to screen and differentiate between empathic fear-susceptible mice and resilient mice, and refining the translational applicability of these models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Shufang Feng
- Department of Medical Psychology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wenlong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Wenxia Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Wenxia Zhou,
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13
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Dixsaut L, Gräff J. Brain-wide screen of prelimbic cortex inputs reveals a functional shift during early fear memory consolidation. eLife 2022; 11:78542. [PMID: 35838139 PMCID: PMC9286739 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory formation and storage rely on multiple interconnected brain areas, the contribution of which varies during memory consolidation. The medial prefrontal cortex, in particular the prelimbic cortex (PL), was traditionally found to be involved in remote memory storage, but recent evidence points toward its implication in early consolidation as well. Nevertheless, the inputs to the PL governing these dynamics remain unknown. Here, we first performed a brain-wide, rabies-based retrograde tracing screen of PL engram cells activated during contextual fear memory formation in male mice to identify relevant PL input regions. Next, we assessed the specific activity pattern of these inputs across different phases of memory consolidation, from fear memory encoding to recent and remote memory recall. Using projection-specific chemogenetic inhibition, we then tested their functional role in memory consolidation, which revealed a hitherto unknown contribution of claustrum to PL inputs at encoding, and of insular cortex to PL inputs at recent memory recall. Both of these inputs further impacted how PL engram cells were reactivated at memory recall, testifying to their relevance for establishing a memory trace in the PL. Collectively, these data identify a spatiotemporal shift in PL inputs important for early memory consolidation, and thereby help to refine the working model of memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Dixsaut
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Gräff
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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14
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du Plessis KC, Basu S, Rumbell TH, Lucas EK. Sex-Specific Neural Networks of Cued Threat Conditioning: A Pilot Study. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:832484. [PMID: 35656357 PMCID: PMC9152023 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.832484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cued threat conditioning is the most common preclinical model for emotional memory, which is dysregulated in anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. Though women are twice as likely as men to develop these disorders, current knowledge of threat conditioning networks was established by studies that excluded female subjects. For unbiased investigation of sex differences in these networks, we quantified the neural activity marker c-fos across 112 brain regions in adult male and female mice after cued threat conditioning compared to naïve controls. We found that trained females engaged prelimbic cortex, lateral amygdala, cortical amygdala, dorsal peduncular cortex, and subparafasicular nucleus more than, and subparaventricular zone less than, trained males. To explore how these sex differences in regional activity impact the global network, we generated interregional cross-correlations of c-fos expression to identify regions that were co-active during conditioning and performed hub analyses to identify regional control centers within each neural network. These exploratory graph theory-derived analyses revealed sex differences in the functional coordination of the threat conditioning network as well as distinct hub regions between trained males and females. Hub identification across multiple networks constructed by sequentially pruning the least reliable connections revealed globus pallidus and ventral lateral septum as the most robust hubs for trained males and females, respectively. While low sample size and lack of non-associative controls are major limitations, these findings provide preliminary evidence of sex differences in the individual circuit components and broader global networks of threat conditioning that may confer female vulnerability to fear-based psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamryn C. du Plessis
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Sreetama Basu
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Department of Neurosciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Timothy H. Rumbell
- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, United States
| | - Elizabeth K. Lucas
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: Elizabeth K. Lucas,
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15
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Nordman JC, Bartsch CJ, Li Z. Opposing effects of NMDA receptor antagonists on early life stress-induced aggression in mice. Aggress Behav 2022; 48:365-373. [PMID: 35122262 DOI: 10.1002/ab.22022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Rates of childhood trauma are high amongst violent offenders who frequently recidivate. Few clinical options are available to treat excessive and recurring violent aggression associated with childhood trauma. Those that do exist are largely ineffective and often replete with side effects. One promising pharmacological target is the glutamate binding N-methyl- d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). Clinically available NMDAR antagonists have proven successful in mitigating violent and aggressive behavior associated with a host of psychiatric diseases and have both immediate and long-term effects on nervous system function and behavior. This study examined the impact of three NMDAR antagonists on long-lasting aggression brought on by early-life stress: MK-801, memantine, and ketamine. We find that social isolation early in adolescence followed by acute traumatic stress in the form of noncontingent foot shock (FS) late in adolescence works in tandem to promote long-lasting excessive aggression in mice when measured 1 week later. Systemic injections of MK-801 and memantine 30 min before FS suppressed the long-lasting attack behavior induced by our early life stress induction protocol. Systemic injections of ketamine, on the other hand, significantly enhanced the long-lasting attack behavior when injected before FS. These findings indicate that MK-801, memantine, and ketamine have distinct and opposing effects on early life stress-induced aggression, suggesting these drugs may be mechanistically distinct. This study identifies memantine as a promising pharmacological treatment for aggressive behavior associated with early life stress and demonstrates the need for greater care when using glutamate receptor antagonists to treat aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob C. Nordman
- Department of Physiology Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Carbondale Illinois USA
| | - Caitlyn J. Bartsch
- Department of Physiology Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
| | - Zheng Li
- Section on Synapse Development and Plasticity National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health Bethesda Maryland USA
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16
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Tsetsenis T, Badyna JK, Li R, Dani JA. Activation of a Locus Coeruleus to Dorsal Hippocampus Noradrenergic Circuit Facilitates Associative Learning. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:887679. [PMID: 35496910 PMCID: PMC9051520 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.887679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Processing of contextual information during a new episodic event is crucial for learning and memory. Neuromodulation in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex plays an important role in the formation of associations between environmental cues and an aversive experience. Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus send dense projections to both regions, but their contribution to contextual associative learning has not been established. Here, we utilize selective optogenetic and pharmacological manipulations to control noradrenergic transmission in the hippocampus during the encoding of a contextual fear memory. We find that boosting noradrenergic terminal release in the dorsal CA1 enhances the acquisition of contextual associative learning and that this effect requires local activation of β-adrenenergic receptors. Moreover, we show that increasing norepinephrine release can ameliorate contextual fear learning impairments caused by dopaminergic dysregulation in the hippocampus. Our data suggest that increasing of hippocampal noradrenergic activity can have important implications in the treatment of cognitive disorders that involve problems in contextual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodoros Tsetsenis
- Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School for Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Julia K. Badyna
- Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School for Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Rebecca Li
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - John A. Dani
- Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School for Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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17
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The mouse brain after foot shock in four dimensions: Temporal dynamics at a single-cell resolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2114002119. [PMID: 35181604 PMCID: PMC8872757 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114002119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute stress involves the majority of brain areas, which can be sequentially organized in functional brain networks as shown by our study with foot shock in mice. We used whole-brain microscopy to investigate different spatial resolutions over time. From mesoscale region–based analyses, we identified the order of activation of brain areas. With single-cell analyses, we analyzed shifts in activation over time within small nuclei—a result impossible to achieve with functional MRI’s resolution. These findings required the development of a four-dimensional (4D) analytical pipeline, which is made available as an R package. This “atlas” of foot shock can be visualized in 4D in our interactive web portal. Acute stress leads to sequential activation of functional brain networks. A biologically relevant question is exactly which (single) cells belonging to brain networks are changed in activity over time after acute stress across the entire brain. We developed a preprocessing and analytical pipeline to chart whole-brain immediate early genes’ expression—as proxy for cellular activity—after a single stressful foot shock in four dimensions: that is, from functional networks up to three-dimensional (3D) single-cell resolution and over time. The pipeline is available as an R package. Most brain areas (96%) showed increased numbers of c-fos+ cells after foot shock, yet hypothalamic areas stood out as being most active and prompt in their activation, followed by amygdalar, prefrontal, hippocampal, and finally, thalamic areas. At the cellular level, c-fos+ density clearly shifted over time across subareas, as illustrated for the basolateral amygdala. Moreover, some brain areas showed increased numbers of c-fos+ cells, while others—like the dentate gyrus—dramatically increased c-fos intensity in just a subset of cells, reminiscent of engrams; importantly, this “strategy” changed after foot shock in half of the brain areas. One of the strengths of our approach is that single-cell data were simultaneously examined across all of the 90 brain areas and can be visualized in 3D in our interactive web portal.
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18
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Learning-induced biases in the ongoing dynamics of sensory representations predict stimulus generalization. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110340. [PMID: 35139386 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory stimuli have long been thought to be represented in the brain as activity patterns of specific neuronal assemblies. However, we still know relatively little about the long-term dynamics of sensory representations. Using chronic in vivo calcium imaging in the mouse auditory cortex, we find that sensory representations undergo continuous recombination, even under behaviorally stable conditions. Auditory cued fear conditioning introduces a bias into these ongoing dynamics, resulting in a long-lasting increase in the number of stimuli activating the same subset of neurons. This plasticity is specific for stimuli sharing representational similarity to the conditioned sound prior to conditioning and predicts behaviorally observed stimulus generalization. Our findings demonstrate that learning-induced plasticity leading to a representational linkage between the conditioned stimulus and non-conditioned stimuli weaves into ongoing dynamics of the brain rather than acting on an otherwise static substrate.
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19
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The Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Fear Memory: Dynamics, Connectivity, and Engrams. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212113. [PMID: 34830009 PMCID: PMC8619965 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It is becoming increasingly apparent that long-term memory formation relies on a distributed network of brain areas. While the hippocampus has been at the center of attention for decades, it is now clear that other regions, in particular the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), are taking an active part as well. Recent evidence suggests that the mPFC-traditionally implicated in the long-term storage of memories-is already critical for the early phases of memory formation such as encoding. In this review, we summarize these findings, relate them to the functional importance of the mPFC connectivity, and discuss the role of the mPFC during memory consolidation with respect to the different theories of memory storage. Owing to its high functional connectivity to other brain areas subserving memory formation and storage, the mPFC emerges as a central hub across the lifetime of a memory, although much still remains to be discovered.
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20
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Markicevic M, Savvateev I, Grimm C, Zerbi V. Emerging imaging methods to study whole-brain function in rodent models. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:457. [PMID: 34482367 PMCID: PMC8418612 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01575-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, the idea that single populations of neurons support cognition and behavior has gradually given way to the realization that connectivity matters and that complex behavior results from interactions between remote yet anatomically connected areas that form specialized networks. In parallel, innovation in brain imaging techniques has led to the availability of a broad set of imaging tools to characterize the functional organization of complex networks. However, each of these tools poses significant technical challenges and faces limitations, which require careful consideration of their underlying anatomical, physiological, and physical specificity. In this review, we focus on emerging methods for measuring spontaneous or evoked activity in the brain. We discuss methods that can measure large-scale brain activity (directly or indirectly) with a relatively high temporal resolution, from milliseconds to seconds. We further focus on methods designed for studying the mammalian brain in preclinical models, specifically in mice and rats. This field has seen a great deal of innovation in recent years, facilitated by concomitant innovation in gene-editing techniques and the possibility of more invasive recordings. This review aims to give an overview of currently available preclinical imaging methods and an outlook on future developments. This information is suitable for educational purposes and for assisting scientists in choosing the appropriate method for their own research question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Markicevic
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, HEST, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Iurii Savvateev
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, HEST, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Decision Neuroscience Lab, HEST, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christina Grimm
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, HEST, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Valerio Zerbi
- Neural Control of Movement Lab, HEST, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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Brennan EKW, Jedrasiak-Cape I, Kailasa S, Rice SP, Sudhakar SK, Ahmed OJ. Thalamus and claustrum control parallel layer 1 circuits in retrosplenial cortex. eLife 2021; 10:e62207. [PMID: 34170817 PMCID: PMC8233040 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The granular retrosplenial cortex (RSG) is critical for both spatial and non-spatial behaviors, but the underlying neural codes remain poorly understood. Here, we use optogenetic circuit mapping in mice to reveal a double dissociation that allows parallel circuits in superficial RSG to process disparate inputs. The anterior thalamus and dorsal subiculum, sources of spatial information, strongly and selectively recruit small low-rheobase (LR) pyramidal cells in RSG. In contrast, neighboring regular-spiking (RS) cells are preferentially controlled by claustral and anterior cingulate inputs, sources of mostly non-spatial information. Precise sublaminar axonal and dendritic arborization within RSG layer 1, in particular, permits this parallel processing. Observed thalamocortical synaptic dynamics enable computational models of LR neurons to compute the speed of head rotation, despite receiving head direction inputs that do not explicitly encode speed. Thus, parallel input streams identify a distinct principal neuronal subtype ideally positioned to support spatial orientation computations in the RSG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen KW Brennan
- Department of Psychology, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | | | - Sameer Kailasa
- Department of Mathematics, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Sharena P Rice
- Department of Psychology, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
| | | | - Omar J Ahmed
- Department of Psychology, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Michigan Center for Integrative Research in Critical Care, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of MichiganAnn ArborUnited States
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Simbriger K, Amorim IS, Lach G, Chalkiadaki K, Kouloulia S, Jafarnejad SM, Khoutorsky A, Gkogkas CG. Uncovering memory-related gene expression in contextual fear conditioning using ribosome profiling. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 197:101903. [PMID: 32860876 PMCID: PMC7859833 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Contextual fear conditioning (CFC) in rodents is the most widely used behavioural paradigm in neuroscience research to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying learning and memory. It is based on the pairing of an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US; e.g. mild footshock) with a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS; e.g. context of the test chamber) in order to acquire associative long-term memory (LTM), which persists for days and even months. Using genome-wide analysis, several studies have generated lists of genes modulated in response to CFC in an attempt to identify the “memory genes”, which orchestrate memory formation. Yet, most studies use naïve animals as a baseline for assessing gene-expression changes, while only few studies have examined the effect of the US alone, without pairing to context, using genome-wide analysis of gene-expression. Herein, using the ribosome profiling methodology, we show that in male mice an immediate shock, which does not lead to LTM formation, elicits pervasive translational and transcriptional changes in the expression of Immediate Early Genes (IEGs) in dorsal hippocampus (such as Fos and Arc), a fact which has been disregarded by the majority of CFC studies. By removing the effect of the immediate shock, we identify and validate a new set of genes, which are translationally and transcriptionally responsive to the association of context-to-footshock in CFC, and thus constitute salient “memory genes”.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstanze Simbriger
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh and Patrick Wild Centre and Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Inês S Amorim
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh and Patrick Wild Centre and Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Gilliard Lach
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh and Patrick Wild Centre and Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Kleanthi Chalkiadaki
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh and Patrick Wild Centre and Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Stella Kouloulia
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh and Patrick Wild Centre and Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Seyed Mehdi Jafarnejad
- Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, The Queen's University of Belfast, BT9 7AE Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - Arkady Khoutorsky
- Department of Anesthesia, Faculty of Dentistry and Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, H3A 0G1, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - Christos G Gkogkas
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh and Patrick Wild Centre and Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
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23
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Smith LC, Kimbrough A. Leveraging Neural Networks in Preclinical Alcohol Research. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E578. [PMID: 32825739 PMCID: PMC7565429 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10090578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder is a pervasive healthcare issue with significant socioeconomic consequences. There is a plethora of neural imaging techniques available at the clinical and preclinical level, including magnetic resonance imaging and three-dimensional (3D) tissue imaging techniques. Network-based approaches can be applied to imaging data to create neural networks that model the functional and structural connectivity of the brain. These networks can be used to changes to brain-wide neural signaling caused by brain states associated with alcohol use. Neural networks can be further used to identify key brain regions or neural "hubs" involved in alcohol drinking. Here, we briefly review the current imaging and neurocircuit manipulation methods. Then, we discuss clinical and preclinical studies using network-based approaches related to substance use disorders and alcohol drinking. Finally, we discuss how preclinical 3D imaging in combination with network approaches can be applied alone and in combination with other approaches to better understand alcohol drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren C. Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, MC 0667, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA;
| | - Adam Kimbrough
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, MC 0667, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA;
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, 625 Harrison Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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24
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Bal A, Maureira F, Arguello AA. SimpylCellCounter: an automated solution for quantifying cells in brain tissue. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12570. [PMID: 32724096 PMCID: PMC7387348 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68138-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Manual quantification of activated cells can provide valuable information about stimuli-induced changes within brain regions; however, this analysis remains time intensive. Therefore, we created SimpylCellCounter (SCC), an automated method to quantify cells that express cFos protein, an index of neuronal activity, in brain tissue and benchmarked it against two widely-used methods: OpenColonyFormingUnit (OCFU) and ImageJ Edge Detection Macro (IMJM). In Experiment 1, manually-obtained cell counts were compared to those detected via OCFU, IMJM and SCC. The absolute error in counts (manual versus automated method) was calculated and error types were categorized as false positives or negatives. In Experiment 2, performance analytics of OCFU, IMJM and SCC were compared. In Experiment 3, SCC analysis was conducted on images it was not trained on, to assess its general utility. We found SCC to be highly accurate and efficient in quantifying cells with circular morphologies that expressed cFos. Additionally, SCC utilized a new approach to count overlapping cells with a pretrained convolutional neural network classifier. The current study demonstrates that SCC is a novel, automated tool to quantify cells in brain tissue and complements current, open-sourced methods designed to detect cells in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneesh Bal
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building, West Lab Rm 4100, 766 Service Rd., East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Fidel Maureira
- Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Paccar 351, Pullman, WA, 99164-6120, USA
| | - Amy A Arguello
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Michigan State University, Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building, West Lab Rm 4100, 766 Service Rd., East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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25
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Durieux L, Mathis V, Herbeaux K, Muller M, Barbelivien A, Mathis C, Schlichter R, Hugel S, Majchrzak M, Lecourtier L. Involvement of the lateral habenula in fear memory. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2029-2044. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02107-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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26
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Associative and plastic thalamic signaling to the lateral amygdala controls fear behavior. Nat Neurosci 2020; 23:625-637. [PMID: 32284608 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0620-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research support the idea that associations between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an unconditioned stimulus (US) are encoded in the lateral amygdala (LA) during fear learning. However, direct proof for the sources of CS and US information is lacking. Definitive evidence of the LA as the primary site for cue association is also missing. Here, we show that calretinin (Calr)-expressing neurons of the lateral thalamus (Calr+LT neurons) convey the association of fast CS (tone) and US (foot shock) signals upstream from the LA in mice. Calr+LT input shapes a short-latency sensory-evoked activation pattern of the amygdala via both feedforward excitation and inhibition. Optogenetic silencing of Calr+LT input to the LA prevents auditory fear conditioning. Notably, fear conditioning drives plasticity in Calr+LT neurons, which is required for appropriate cue and contextual fear memory retrieval. Collectively, our results demonstrate that Calr+LT neurons provide integrated CS-US representations to the LA that support the formation of aversive memories.
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27
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Rich MT, Torregrossa MM. Molecular and synaptic mechanisms regulating drug-associated memories: Towards a bidirectional treatment strategy. Brain Res Bull 2017; 141:58-71. [PMID: 28916448 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The successful treatment of substance use disorders is dependent on the establishment of a long-term abstinent state. Relapse can be suppressed by interfering with memories of drug use that are evoked by re-exposure to drug-associated contexts and cues. Two strategies for accomplishing this goal are either to prevent drug-memory reconsolidation or to induce the formation of a competing, extinction memory. However, clinical attempts to prolong abstinence by behavioral modification of drug-related memories have had limited success. One approach to improve behavioral treatment strategies is to identify the molecular mechanisms that regulate these memory processes and then use pharmacological tools as supplements to improve efficacy. Still, due to the involvement of several overlapping signaling cascades in both reconsolidation and extinction, it is difficult to specifically modify one of the two processes. For example, attempting to elicit extinction may instead initiate reconsolidation, resulting in the unintentional strengthening of drug-related memories. A better approach is to identify diverging components of the two processes, whereby a single medication would simultaneously weaken reconsolidation and enhance extinction. This review will provide an overview of the neural substrates that are involved in the regulation of drug-associated memories, and will discuss emerging approaches to pharmacologically weaken these memories, including recent efforts to precisely and bidirectionally target reconsolidation and extinction. Ultimately, pharmacologically-enhanced memory-based approaches have the potential to produce more informed relapse-prevention therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Rich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, 4400 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States.
| | - Mary M Torregrossa
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States.
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