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Zawadzki JA, Girard TA, Samsom J, Foussias G, Siddiqui I, Lerch JP, Grady C, Wong AHC. Excessive left anterior hippocampal and caudate activation in schizophrenia underlie cognitive underperformance in a virtual navigation task. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2024; 341:111826. [PMID: 38735228 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
We used a virtual navigation paradigm in a city environment to assess neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). We studied a total of N = 36 subjects: 18 with SSD and 18 matched unaffected controls. Participants completed 10 rapid, single-trial navigation tasks within the virtual city while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). All trials tested ability to find different targets seen earlier, during the passive viewing of a path around different city blocks. SSD patients had difficulty finding previously-encountered targets, were less likely to find novel shortcuts to targets, and more likely to attempt retracing of the path observed during passive viewing. Based on a priori region-of-interest analyses, SSD participants had hyperactivation of the left hippocampus when passively viewing turns, hyperactivation of the left caudate when finding targets, and hypoactivation of a focal area of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex when targets were initially shown during passive viewing. We propose that these brain-behaviour relations may bias or reinforce stimulus-response navigation approaches in SSD and underlie impaired performance when allocentric spatial memory is required, such as when forming efficient shortcuts. This pattern may extend to more general cognitive impairments in SSD that could be used to design remediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Zawadzki
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Todd A Girard
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James Samsom
- Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - George Foussias
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ishraq Siddiqui
- Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jason P Lerch
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Program in Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Cheryl Grady
- Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Albert H C Wong
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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2
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Memos N, Avila JA, Rodriguez E, Serrano PA. Synaptic remodeling of GluA1 and GluA2 expression in the nucleus accumbens promotes susceptibility to cognitive deficits concomitant with downstream GSK3 β mediated neurotoxicity in female mice during abstinence from voluntary oral methamphetamine. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 8:100112. [PMID: 37842014 PMCID: PMC10569060 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Stimulant-use disorders can present with long-term cognitive and mental health deficits. Little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms perpetuating sex differences in cognitive and behavioral deficits in preclinical models of addiction to stimulants such as methamphetamine (MA). The current study investigated the neurochemical shifts underlying sex disparities in MA-induced working memory deficits and an addictive phenotype following abstinence from chronic MA abuse. We used our previously reported mouse model of voluntary oral methamphetamine administration (VOMA) consisting of an acquisition phase (days 1-14) characterized by escalating doses of MA and a binge phase (days 14-28) characterized by static doses. Female VOMA mice exhibited sustained MA consumption during the binge phase, demonstrating sex-specific vulnerabilities to the maintenance of MA addiction. The 8-arm radial maze was used to test spatial working memory performance following abstinence from VOMA. Results indicate working memory deficits correlated to higher MA consumption in females only. Hippocampal and accumbal tissue were collected and analyzed by immunoblotting. Female VOMA mice had decreased GluA1, but not GluA2, in the hippocampus, which may perpetuate synaptic destabilization and working memory deficits. Female-specific increases in GluA1 and p-GSK3β expression in accumbal tissue suggest vulnerability toward abstinence-induced drug craving and heightened downstream neurotoxicity. Our study reveals female-specific neurochemical shifts in hippocampal and accumbal AMPA receptor signaling following abstinence from chronic MA consumption that may perpetuate female susceptibility to MA-induced cognitive deficits. These data demonstrate a novel molecular pathway that would exacerbate memory deficits and perpetuate an addictive phenotype in female populations following MA abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Memos
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- The Graduate Center of CUNY, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Jorge A. Avila
- Undergraduate Research Center – Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Edgar Rodriguez
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- The Graduate Center of CUNY, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Peter A. Serrano
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10065, USA
- The Graduate Center of CUNY, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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3
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Koszałka A, Lustyk K, Pytka K. Sex-dependent differences in animal cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105374. [PMID: 37634555 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
The differences in cognitive processes driven by biological sex are the issues that have gotten growing attention recently. Considering the increasing population suffering from various cognitive impairments and the development of therapeutic strategies, it is essential that we recognize the mechanisms responsible for discrepancies observed in male and female learning and memory functions. In this review, we discuss recent reports from preclinical studies on rodents regarding selected cognitive domains to explore the state of knowledge on sex-dependent differences and point to challenges encountered during such research. We focus on spatial, recognition, and emotional memory, as well as on executive functions, such as attention, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. This review will help to acknowledge sex-related differences in cognition and indicate some fields that lack sufficient data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Koszałka
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacodynamics, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Krakow, Poland; Jagiellonian University Medical College, Doctoral School of Medical and Health Sciences, Św. Łazarza 16, 31-530 Krakow, Poland
| | - Klaudia Lustyk
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacodynamics, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Krakow, Poland
| | - Karolina Pytka
- Jagiellonian University Medical College, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacodynamics, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Krakow, Poland.
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4
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Chao OY, Nikolaus S, Yang YM, Huston JP. Neuronal circuitry for recognition memory of object and place in rodent models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104855. [PMID: 36089106 PMCID: PMC10542956 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Rats and mice are used for studying neuronal circuits underlying recognition memory due to their ability to spontaneously remember the occurrence of an object, its place and an association of the object and place in a particular environment. A joint employment of lesions, pharmacological interventions, optogenetics and chemogenetics is constantly expanding our knowledge of the neural basis for recognition memory of object, place, and their association. In this review, we summarize current studies on recognition memory in rodents with a focus on the novel object preference, novel location preference and object-in-place paradigms. The evidence suggests that the medial prefrontal cortex- and hippocampus-connected circuits contribute to recognition memory for object and place. Under certain conditions, the striatum, medial septum, amygdala, locus coeruleus and cerebellum are also involved. We propose that the neuronal circuitry for recognition memory of object and place is hierarchically connected and constructed by different cortical (perirhinal, entorhinal and retrosplenial cortices), thalamic (nucleus reuniens, mediodorsal and anterior thalamic nuclei) and primeval (hypothalamus and interpeduncular nucleus) modules interacting with the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen Y Chao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN 55812, USA
| | - Susanne Nikolaus
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Yi-Mei Yang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN 55812, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Joseph P Huston
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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5
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Banks PJ, Bennett PJ, Sekuler AB, Gruber AJ. Cannabis use is associated with sexually dimorphic changes in executive control of visuospatial decision-making. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:884080. [PMID: 36081608 PMCID: PMC9445243 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.884080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
When the outcome of a choice is less favorable than expected, humans and animals typically shift to an alternate choice option on subsequent trials. Several lines of evidence indicate that this “lose-shift” responding is an innate sensorimotor response strategy that is normally suppressed by executive function. Therefore, the lose-shift response provides a covert gauge of cognitive control over choice mechanisms. We report here that the spatial position, rather than visual features, of choice targets drives the lose-shift effect. Furthermore, the ability to inhibit lose-shift responding to gain reward is different among male and female habitual cannabis users. Increased self-reported cannabis use was concordant with suppressed response flexibility and an increased tendency to lose-shift in women, which reduced performance in a choice task in which random responding is the optimal strategy. On the other hand, increased cannabis use in men was concordant with reduced reliance on spatial cues during decision-making, and had no impact on the number of correct responses. These data (63,600 trials from 106 participants) provide strong evidence that spatial-motor processing is an important component of economic decision-making, and that its governance by executive systems is different in men and women who use cannabis frequently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker J. Banks
- Vision and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Patrick J. Bennett
- Vision and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Allison B. Sekuler
- Vision and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, North York, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Aaron J. Gruber
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- *Correspondence: Aaron J. Gruber
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6
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Gande N. Neural Phenomenon in Musicality: The Interpretation of Dual-Processing Modes in Melodic Perception. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:823325. [PMID: 35496061 PMCID: PMC9051476 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.823325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The confluence of creativity in music performance finds itself in performance practices and cultural motifs, the communication of the human body along with the instrument it interacts with, and individual performers' perceptual, motor, and cognitive abilities that contribute to varied musical interpretations of the same piece or melodic line. The musical and artistic execution of a player, as well as the product of this phenomena can become determinant causes in a creative mental state. With advances in neurocognitive measures, the state of one's artistic intuition and execution has been a growing interest in understanding the creative thought process of human behavior, particularly in improvising artists. This article discusses the implementation on the concurrence of spontaneous (Type-1) and controlled (Type-2) processing modes that may be apparent in the perception of non-improvising artists on how melodic lines are perceived in music performance. Elucidating the cortical-subcortical activity in the dual-process model may extend to non-improvising musicians explored in the paradigm of neural correlates. These interactions may open new possibilities for expanding the repertoire of executive functions, creativity, and the coordinated activity of cortical-subcortical regions that regulate the free flow of artistic ideas and expressive spontaneity in future neuromusical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathazsha Gande
- Department of A-Levels, HELP University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Moussavi Z, Kimura K, Lithgow B. Egocentric spatial orientation differences between Alzheimer's disease at early stages and mild cognitive impairment: a diagnostic aid. Med Biol Eng Comput 2022; 60:501-509. [PMID: 35013869 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-021-02478-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing global crisis. Egocentric spatial orientation deteriorates with age and more significantly with AD. A simple and quick virtual reality (VR) localization and target finding technique is presented as a diagnostic aid to screen mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from AD. Spatial orientation data from 93 individuals (65 AD at a mild stage, 20 MCI, and 8 other dementia types) based on VR localization of a target on a landmark-less cubic 3-story building were analyzed. We hypothesize AD and MCI groups' performances are significantly different. AD and MCI spatial performances were statistically significantly (p < 0.001) different. These results plus the longitudinal tracking of three patients who developed AD over a period of 5 years suggest the proposed spatial tests may be used as a quick and simple clinical diagnostic aid to separate AD at early to mild stages from MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Moussavi
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T5V6, Canada.
| | - Kazushige Kimura
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T5V6, Canada
| | - Brian Lithgow
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T5V6, Canada
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8
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Marino G, Calabresi P, Ghiglieri V. Alpha-synuclein and cortico-striatal plasticity in animal models of Parkinson disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2022; 184:153-166. [PMID: 35034731 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819410-2.00008-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) is a small, acidic protein containing 140 amino acids, highly expressed in the brain and primarily localized in the presynaptic terminals. It is found in high concentrations in Lewy Bodies, proteinaceous aggregates that constitute a typical histopathologic hallmark of Parkinson's disease. Altered environmental conditions, genetic mutations and post-translational changes can trigger abnormal aggregation processes with the increased frequency of oligomers, protofibrils, and fibrils formation that perturbs the neuronal homeostasis leading to cell death. Relevant to neuronal activity, a function of α-synuclein that has been extensively detailed is its regulatory actions in the trafficking of synaptic vesicles, including the processes of exocytosis, endocytosis and neurotransmitter release. Most recently, increasing attention has been paid to the possible role that α-synuclein plays at a postsynaptic level by interacting with selective subunits of the glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, altering the corticostriatal plasticity of distinct neuronal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioia Marino
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Medicina, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Paolo Calabresi
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy; UOC Neurologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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9
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Kubrusly RCC, da Rosa Valli T, Ferreira MNMR, de Moura P, Borges-Martins VPP, Martins RS, Ferreira DDP, Sathler MF, de Melo Reis RA, Ferreira GC, Manhães AC, Dos Santos Pereira M. Caffeine Improves GABA Transport in the Striatum of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR). Neurotox Res 2021; 39:1946-1958. [PMID: 34637050 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-021-00423-0] [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: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is an excellent animal model that mimics the behavioral and neurochemical phenotype of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we characterized the striatal GABA transport of SHR and investigated whether caffeine, a non-selective antagonist of adenosine receptors, could influence GABAergic circuitry. For this purpose, ex vivo striatal slices of SHR and Wistar (control strain) on the 35th postnatal day were dissected and incubated with [3H]-GABA to quantify the basal levels of uptake and release. SHR exhibited a reduced [3H]-GABA uptake and release, suggesting a defective striatal GABAergic transport system. GAT-1 appears to be the primary transporter for [3H]-GABA uptake in SHR striatum, as GAT-1 selective blocker, NO-711, completely abolished it. We also verified that acute exposure of striatal slices to caffeine improved [3H]-GABA uptake and release in SHR, whereas Wistar rats were not affected. GABA-uptake increase and cAMP accumulation promoted by caffeine was reverted by A1R activation with N6-cyclohexyl adenosine (CHA). As expected, the pharmacological blockade of cAMP-PKA signaling by H-89 also prevented caffeine-mediated [3H]-GABA uptake increment. Interestingly, a single caffeine exposure did not affect GAT-1 or A1R protein density in SHR, which was not different from Wistar protein levels, suggesting that the GAT-1-dependent transport in SHR has a defective functional activity rather than lower protein expression. The current data support that caffeine regulates GAT-1 function and improves striatal GABA transport via A1R-cAMP-PKA signaling, specifically in SHR. These results reinforce that caffeine may have therapeutic use in disorders where the GABA transport system is impaired.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Pâmella de Moura
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia, Instituto Biomédico, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Robertta Silva Martins
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia, Instituto Biomédico, Niterói, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia Celular E Molecular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Ricardo Augusto de Melo Reis
- Laboratório de Neuroquímica, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Costa Ferreira
- Laboratório de Neuroenergética E Erros Inatos Do Metabolismo, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alex Christian Manhães
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Maurício Dos Santos Pereira
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia, Instituto Biomédico, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia Molecular, Departamento de Biologia Básica E Oral, Faculdade de Odontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
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10
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Glikmann-Johnston Y, Mercieca EC, Carmichael AM, Alexander B, Harding IH, Stout JC. Hippocampal and striatal volumes correlate with spatial memory impairment in Huntington's disease. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2948-2963. [PMID: 34516012 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Spatial memory impairments are observed in people with Huntington's disease (HD), however, the domain of spatial memory has received little focus when characterizing the cognitive phenotype of HD. Spatial memory is traditionally thought to be a hippocampal-dependent function, while the neuropathology of HD centers on the striatum. Alongside spatial memory deficits in HD, recent neurocognitive theories suggest that a larger brain network is involved, including the striatum. We examined the relationship between hippocampal and striatal volumes and spatial memory in 36 HD gene expansion carriers, including premanifest (n = 24) and early manifest HD (n = 12), and 32 matched healthy controls. We assessed spatial memory with Paired Associates Learning, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, and the Virtual House task, which assesses three components of spatial memory: navigation, object location, and plan drawing. Caudate nucleus, putamen, and hippocampal volumes were manually segmented on T1-weighted MR images. As expected, caudate nucleus and putamen volumes were significantly smaller in the HD group compared to controls, with manifest HD having more severe atrophy than the premanifest HD group. Hippocampal volumes did not differ significantly between HD and control groups. Nonetheless, on average, the HD group performed significantly worse than controls across all spatial memory tasks. The spatial memory components of object location and recall of figural and topographical drawings were associated with striatal and hippocampal volumes in the HD cohort. We provide a case to include spatial memory impairments in the cognitive phenotype of HD, and extend the neurocognitive picture of HD beyond its primary pathology within the striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifat Glikmann-Johnston
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Emily-Clare Mercieca
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Anna M Carmichael
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Bonnie Alexander
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ian H Harding
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Julie C Stout
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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11
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García-Domínguez I, Suárez-Pereira I, Santiago M, Pérez-Villegas EM, Bravo L, López-Martín C, Roca-Ceballos MA, García-Revilla J, Espinosa-Oliva AM, Rodríguez-Gómez JA, Joseph B, Berrocoso E, Armengol JÁ, Venero JL, Ruiz R, de Pablos RM. Selective deletion of Caspase-3 gene in the dopaminergic system exhibits autistic-like behaviour. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 104:110030. [PMID: 32634539 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Apoptotic caspases are thought to play critical roles in elimination of excessive and non-functional synapses and removal of extra cells during early developmental stages. Hence, an impairment of this process may thus constitute a basis for numerous neurological and psychiatric diseases. This view is especially relevant for dopamine due to its pleiotropic roles in motor control, motivation and reward processing. Here, we have analysed the effect of caspase-3 depletion on the development of catecholaminergic neurons and performed a wide array of neurochemical, ultrastructural and behavioural assays. To achieve this, we performed selective deletion of the Casp3 gene in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-expressing cells using Cre-loxP-mediated recombination. Histological evaluation of most relevant catecholaminergic nuclei revealed the ventral mesencephalon as the most affected region. Stereological analysis demonstrated an increase in the number of TH-positive neurons in both the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area along with enlarged volume of the ventral midbrain. Analysis of main innervating tissues revealed a rather contrasting profile. In striatum, basal extracellular levels and potassium-evoked DA release were significantly reduced in mice lacking Casp3, a clear indication of dopaminergic hypofunction in dopaminergic innervating tissues. This view was sustained by analysis of TH-labelled dopaminergic terminals by confocal and electron microscopy. Remarkably, at a behavioural level, Casp3-deficient mice exhibited impaired social interaction, restrictive interests and repetitive stereotypies, which are considered the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our study revitalizes the potential involvement of dopaminergic transmission in ASD and provides an excellent model to get further insights in ASD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene García-Domínguez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Irene Suárez-Pereira
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003 Cádiz, Spain; Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Avda. Ana de Viya 21, 11009 Cádiz, Spain
| | - Marti Santiago
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Eva M Pérez-Villegas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Anatomía y Biología Celular, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Lidia Bravo
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003 Cádiz, Spain; Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Avda. Ana de Viya 21, 11009 Cádiz, Spain
| | - Carolina López-Martín
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003 Cádiz, Spain; Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Avda. Ana de Viya 21, 11009 Cádiz, Spain; Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - María Angustias Roca-Ceballos
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Juan García-Revilla
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ana M Espinosa-Oliva
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - José A Rodríguez-Gómez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Departament of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Seville, 41009 Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Bertrand Joseph
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Toxicology Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Esther Berrocoso
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003 Cádiz, Spain; Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz, INiBICA, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Avda. Ana de Viya 21, 11009 Cádiz, Spain; Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain
| | - José Ángel Armengol
- Departamento de Fisiología, Anatomía y Biología Celular, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - José L Venero
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Rocío Ruiz
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Rocío M de Pablos
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla-Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/CSIC/Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
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12
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Korz V, Kremslehner C, Maliković J, Hussein A, Feyissa DD, Nagelreiter IM, Smidak R, Plasenzotti R, Gruber F, Lubec G. Striatal Transcriptome Reveals Differences Between Cognitively Impaired and Unimpaired Aged Male Rats. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 12:611572. [PMID: 33488384 PMCID: PMC7820756 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.611572] [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: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive processes require striatal activity. The underlying molecular mechanisms are widely unknown. For this reason the striatal transcriptome of young (YM), aged cognitively impaired (OMB), and unimpaired (OMG) male rats was analyzed. The global comparison of transcripts reveal a higher number of differences between OMG and YM as compared to OMB and YM. Hierarchical clustering detects differences in up- and down-regulated gene clusters in OMG and OMB when compared to YM. In OMG we found more single genes to be specifically regulated in this group than in OMB when compared to young. These genes were considered as cognition specific, whereas genes shared in OMG and OMB were considered as age specific. OMB specific up-regulated genes are related to negative control of cell differentiation and transcription (Hopx), to phagocytosis (Cd202) and cell adhesion (Pcdhb21), whereas down-regulated genes are related to associative learning, behavioral fear response and synaptic transmission (Gabra5). OMG specific up-regulated genes are in the context of maintenance of transcription and estrogen receptor signaling (Padi2, Anxa3), signal transduction [Rassf4, Dock8)], sterol regulation (Srebf1), and complement activity (C4a, C4b). Down-regulated genes are related to lipid oxidation reduction processes (Far2) and positive regulation of axon extension (Islr2). These relations were supported by pathway analysis, which reveals cholesterol metabolism processes in both aged group and cholesterol biosynthesis specifically in OMG; adipogenesis and focal adhesion in OMB. In OMG glucuronidation, estrogen metabolism, inflammatory responses and TGF beta signaling where detected as specific for this group. Signal transduction of the sphingosine-1-phospate-receptor (S1P) receptor was the main pathway difference in the comparison of OMB and OMG with downregulated genes in the first group. This difference could also be observed in the OMB vs. YM comparison but not in the OMG vs. YM analysis. Thus, an up-regulation of cognition related genes could be observed in OMG compared to OMB rats. The S1P pathway discriminated between OMB and OMG as well as between OMB and OMG. Since this pathway has been described as essential for cognitive processes in the striatum of mice, it may, among steroid hormone signaling, significantly contribute to the maintenance of cognitive processes in OMG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Korz
- Proteomics Programme, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Jovana Maliković
- Proteomics Programme, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Ahmed Hussein
- Proteomics Programme, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Ionela-Mariana Nagelreiter
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Roman Smidak
- Proteomics Programme, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Florian Gruber
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gert Lubec
- Proteomics Programme, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
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13
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Shah D, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A, D'Hooge R. Acquisition of Spatial Search Strategies and Reversal Learning in the Morris Water Maze Depend on Disparate Brain Functional Connectivity in Mice. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:4519-4529. [PMID: 30590460 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning has been proposed to coincide with changes in connections between brain regions. In the present study, we used resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) to map brain-wide functional connectivity (FC) in mice that were trained in the hidden-platform version of the Morris water maze. C57BL6 mice were investigated in a small animal MRI scanner following 2, 10, or 15 days of acquisition learning, or 5 days of reversal learning. Spatial learning coincided with progressive and changing FC between telencephalic regions that have been implemented in spatial learning (such as hippocampus, cingulate, visual, and motor cortex). Search strategy assessment demonstrated that the use of cognitively advanced spatial strategies correlated positively with extensive telencephalic connectivity, whereas non-spatial strategies correlated negatively with connectivity. FC patterns were different and more extensive after reversal learning compared with after extended acquisition learning, which could explain why reversal learning has been shown to be more sensitive to subtle functional defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Disha Shah
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, Belgium.,Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Leuven, Belgium.,Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neuroscience, VIB center for Brain and Disease Research, KU Leuven, O&N4 Herestraat 49, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Rudi D'Hooge
- Laboratory of Biological Psychology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Leuven, Belgium
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14
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Rinaldi A, De Leonibus E, Cifra A, Torromino G, Minicocci E, De Sanctis E, López-Pedrajas RM, Oliverio A, Mele A. Flexible use of allocentric and egocentric spatial memories activates differential neural networks in mice. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11338. [PMID: 32647258 PMCID: PMC7347635 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68025-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Goal-directed navigation can be based on world-centered (allocentric) or body-centered (egocentric) representations of the environment, mediated by a wide network of interconnected brain regions, including hippocampus, striatum and prefrontal cortex. The relative contribution of these regions to navigation from novel or familiar routes, that demand a different degree of flexibility in the use of the stored spatial representations, has not been completely explored. To address this issue, we trained mice to find a reward relying on allocentric or egocentric information, in a modified version of the cross-maze task. Then we used Zif268 expression to map brain activation when well-trained mice were required to find the goal from a novel or familiar location. Successful navigation was correlated with the activation of CA1, posterior-dorsomedial striatum, nucleus accumbens core and infralimbic cortex when allocentric-trained mice needed to use a novel route. Allocentric navigation from a familiar route activated dorsomedial striatum, nucleus accumbens, prelimbic and infralimbic cortex. None of the structures analyzed was significantly activated in egocentric-trained mice, irrespective of the starting position. These data suggest that a flexible use of stored allocentric information, that allows goal finding even from a location never explored during training, induces a shift from fronto-striatal to hippocampal circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Rinaldi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. .,Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Alessandra Cifra
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Torromino
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Minicocci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa De Sanctis
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosa María López-Pedrajas
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alberto Oliverio
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Mele
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology C. Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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15
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Durante V, de Iure A, Loffredo V, Vaikath N, De Risi M, Paciotti S, Quiroga-Varela A, Chiasserini D, Mellone M, Mazzocchetti P, Calabrese V, Campanelli F, Mechelli A, Di Filippo M, Ghiglieri V, Picconi B, El-Agnaf OM, De Leonibus E, Gardoni F, Tozzi A, Calabresi P. Alpha-synuclein targets GluN2A NMDA receptor subunit causing striatal synaptic dysfunction and visuospatial memory alteration. Brain 2020; 142:1365-1385. [PMID: 30927362 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by altered striatal dopaminergic signalling that leads to motor and cognitive deficits. Parkinson's disease is also characterized by abnormal presence of soluble toxic forms of α-synuclein that, when clustered into Lewy bodies, represents one of the pathological hallmarks of the disease. However, α-synuclein oligomers might also directly affect synaptic transmission and plasticity in Parkinson's disease models. Accordingly, by combining electrophysiological, optogenetic, immunofluorescence, molecular and behavioural analyses, here we report that α-synuclein reduces N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated synaptic currents and impairs corticostriatal long-term potentiation of striatal spiny projection neurons, of both direct (D1-positive) and indirect (putative D2-positive) pathways. Intrastriatal injections of α-synuclein produce deficits in visuospatial learning associated with reduced function of GluN2A NMDA receptor subunit indicating that this protein selectively targets this subunit both in vitro and ex vivo. Interestingly, this effect is observed in spiny projection neurons activated by optical stimulation of either cortical or thalamic glutamatergic afferents. We also found that treatment of striatal slices with antibodies targeting α-synuclein prevents the α-synuclein-induced loss of long-term potentiation and the reduced synaptic localization of GluN2A NMDA receptor subunit suggesting that this strategy might counteract synaptic dysfunction occurring in Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Durante
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Antonio de Iure
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.,Laboratory of Experimental Neurophysiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy
| | - Vittorio Loffredo
- Institute of Cellular Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, Monterotondo (Rome), Italy.,PhD Program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Nishant Vaikath
- Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Maria De Risi
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Telethon Foundation, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
| | - Silvia Paciotti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Ana Quiroga-Varela
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Davide Chiasserini
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Manuela Mellone
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Petra Mazzocchetti
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Valeria Calabrese
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.,Laboratory of Experimental Neurophysiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Campanelli
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.,Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mechelli
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Di Filippo
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Veronica Ghiglieri
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Philosophy, Human, Social and Educational Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Barbara Picconi
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurophysiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.,University of San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
| | - Omar M El-Agnaf
- Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Elvira De Leonibus
- Institute of Cellular Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, Monterotondo (Rome), Italy.,Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Telethon Foundation, Pozzuoli (NA), Italy
| | - Fabrizio Gardoni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Tozzi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.,Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Calabresi
- Neurological Clinic, Department of Medicine, Hospital Santa Maria della Misericordia, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.,Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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16
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Offline ventral subiculum-ventral striatum serial communication is required for spatial memory consolidation. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5721. [PMID: 31844154 PMCID: PMC6915753 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13703-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampal formation is considered essential for spatial navigation. In particular, subicular projections have been suggested to carry spatial information from the hippocampus to the ventral striatum. However, possible cross-structural communication between these two brain regions in memory formation has thus far been unknown. By selectively silencing the subiculum-ventral striatum pathway we found that its activity after learning is crucial for spatial memory consolidation and learning-induced plasticity. These results provide new insight into the neural circuits underlying memory consolidation and establish a critical role for off-line cross-regional communication between hippocampus and ventral striatum to promote the storage of complex information.
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17
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Spatial memory in Huntington’s disease: A comparative review of human and animal data. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 98:194-207. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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18
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Ranjbar Pouya O, Byagowi A, Kelly DM, Moussavi Z. Introducing a new age-and-cognition-sensitive measurement for assessing spatial orientation using a landmark-less virtual reality navigational task. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2016; 70:1406-1419. [PMID: 27156658 DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2016.1187181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Age-related impairments during spatial navigation have been widely reported in egocentric and allocentric paradigms. However, the effect of age on more specific navigational components such as the ability to drive or update directional information has not received enough attention. In this study we investigated the effect of age on spatial updating of a visual target after a series of whole-body rotations and transitions using a novel landmark-less virtual reality (VR) environment. Moreover, a significant number of previous studies focused on measures susceptible to a general decline in motor skills such as the spent time navigating, the distance traversed. The current paper proposes a new compound spatial measure to assess navigational performance, examines its reliability and compares its power with those of the measures of duration and traversed distance in predicting participants' age and cognitive groups assessed by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Using data from 319 adults (20-83 years), our results confirm the reliability, the age sensitivity, and the cognitive validity of the designed spatial measure as well as its superiority to the measures of duration and traversed distance in predicting age and MoCA score. In addition, the results show the significant effect of age cognitive status on spatial updating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omid Ranjbar Pouya
- a Biomedical Engineering program , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , MB , Canada
| | - Ahmad Byagowi
- b Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , MB , Canada
| | - Debbie M Kelly
- c Department of Psychology , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , MB , Canada
| | - Zahra Moussavi
- a Biomedical Engineering program , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , MB , Canada.,d Research Affiliate , Riverview Health Center , Winnipeg , MB , Canada
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19
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Memory Systems of the Basal Ganglia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-802206-1.00035-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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20
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Demanuele C, Bähner F, Plichta MM, Kirsch P, Tost H, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Durstewitz D. A statistical approach for segregating cognitive task stages from multivariate fMRI BOLD time series. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:537. [PMID: 26557064 PMCID: PMC4617410 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Multivariate pattern analysis can reveal new information from neuroimaging data to illuminate human cognition and its disturbances. Here, we develop a methodological approach, based on multivariate statistical/machine learning and time series analysis, to discern cognitive processing stages from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) time series. We apply this method to data recorded from a group of healthy adults whilst performing a virtual reality version of the delayed win-shift radial arm maze (RAM) task. This task has been frequently used to study working memory and decision making in rodents. Using linear classifiers and multivariate test statistics in conjunction with time series bootstraps, we show that different cognitive stages of the task, as defined by the experimenter, namely, the encoding/retrieval, choice, reward and delay stages, can be statistically discriminated from the BOLD time series in brain areas relevant for decision making and working memory. Discrimination of these task stages was significantly reduced during poor behavioral performance in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), but not in the primary visual cortex (V1). Experimenter-defined dissection of time series into class labels based on task structure was confirmed by an unsupervised, bottom-up approach based on Hidden Markov Models. Furthermore, we show that different groupings of recorded time points into cognitive event classes can be used to test hypotheses about the specific cognitive role of a given brain region during task execution. We found that whilst the DLPFC strongly differentiated between task stages associated with different memory loads, but not between different visual-spatial aspects, the reverse was true for V1. Our methodology illustrates how different aspects of cognitive information processing during one and the same task can be separated and attributed to specific brain regions based on information contained in multivariate patterns of voxel activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charmaine Demanuele
- Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany ; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA
| | - Florian Bähner
- Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael M Plichta
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
| | - Heike Tost
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
| | - Daniel Durstewitz
- Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
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21
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Olivito L, Saccone P, Perri V, Bachman JL, Fragapane P, Mele A, Huganir RL, De Leonibus E. Phosphorylation of the AMPA receptor GluA1 subunit regulates memory load capacity. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 221:591-603. [PMID: 25381005 PMCID: PMC4425615 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0927-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Memory capacity (MC) refers to the number of elements one can maintain for a short retention interval. The molecular mechanisms underlying MC are unexplored. We have recently reported that mice as well as humans have a limited MC, which is reduced by hippocampal lesions. Here, we addressed the molecular mechanisms supporting MC. GluA1 AMPA-receptors (AMPA-R) mediate the majority of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain and are critically involved in memory. Phosphorylation of GluA1 at serine residues S831 and S845 is promoted by CaMKII and PKA, respectively, and regulates AMPA-R function in memory duration. We hypothesized that AMPA-R phosphorylation may also be a key plastic process for supporting MC because it occurs in a few minutes, and potentiates AMPA-R ion channel function. Here, we show that knock-in mutant mice that specifically lack both of S845 and S831 phosphorylation sites on the GluA1 subunit had reduced MC in two different behavioral tasks specifically designed to assess MC in mice. This demonstrated a causal link between AMPA-R phosphorylation and MC. We then showed that information load regulates AMPA-R phosphorylation within the hippocampus, and that an overload condition associated with impaired memory is paralleled by a lack of AMPA-R phosphorylation. Accordingly, we showed that in conditions of high load, but not of low load, the pharmacological inhibition of the NMDA–CaMKII–PKA pathways within the hippocampus prevents memory as well as associated AMPA-R phosphorylation. These data provide the first identified molecular mechanism that regulates MC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Olivito
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Saccone
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Naples, Italy
| | - Valentina Perri
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca in Neurobiologia-D. Bovet, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Julia L Bachman
- Department of Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Hunterian 1001, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Paola Fragapane
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolare, CNR, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Mele
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca in Neurobiologia-D. Bovet, Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Richard L Huganir
- Department of Neuroscience and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Hunterian 1001, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Elvira De Leonibus
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy.
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Naples, Italy.
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22
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Antunes MS, Goes AT, Boeira SP, Prigol M, Jesse CR. Protective effect of hesperidin in a model of Parkinson's disease induced by 6-hydroxydopamine in aged mice. Nutrition 2014; 30:1415-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2014.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Revised: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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23
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Williams MT, Skelton MR, Longacre ID, Huggins KN, Maple AM, Vorhees CV, Brown RW. Neuronal reorganization in adult rats neonatally exposed to (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Toxicol Rep 2014; 1:699-706. [PMID: 25419515 PMCID: PMC4235131 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2014.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The abuse of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) during pregnancy is of concern. MDMA treatment of rats during a period of brain growth analogous to late human gestation leads to neurochemical and behavioral changes. MDMA from postnatal day (P)11–20 in rats produces reductions in serotonin and deficits in spatial and route-based navigation. In this experiment we examined the impact of MDMA from P11 to P20 (20 mg/kg twice daily, 8 h apart) on neuronal architecture. Golgi impregnated sections showed significant changes. In the nucleus accumbens, the dendrites were shorter with fewer spines, whereas in the dentate gyrus the dendritic length was decreased but with more spines, and for the entorhinal cortex, reductions in basilar and apical dendritic lengths in MDMA animals compared with saline animals were seen. The data show that neuronal cytoarchitectural changes are long-lasting following developmental MDMA exposure and are in regions consistent with the learning and memory deficits observed in such animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael T Williams
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Matthew R Skelton
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Ian D Longacre
- East Tennessee State University, Department of Psychology, Johnson City, TN
| | - Kimberly N Huggins
- East Tennessee State University, Department of Psychology, Johnson City, TN
| | - Amanda M Maple
- East Tennessee State University, Department of Psychology, Johnson City, TN
| | - Charles V Vorhees
- Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Russell W Brown
- East Tennessee State University, Department of Psychology, Johnson City, TN
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Wass C, Pizzo A, Sauce B, Kawasumi Y, Sturzoiu T, Ree F, Otto T, Matzel LD. Dopamine D1 sensitivity in the prefrontal cortex predicts general cognitive abilities and is modulated by working memory training. Learn Mem 2013; 20:617-27. [PMID: 24129098 PMCID: PMC3799419 DOI: 10.1101/lm.031971.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
A common source of variance (i.e., “general intelligence”) underlies an individual's performance across diverse tests of cognitive ability, and evidence indicates that the processing efficacy of working memory may serve as one such source of common variance. One component of working memory, selective attention, has been reported to co-vary with general intelligence, and dopamine D1 signaling in prefrontal cortex can modulate attentional abilities. Based on their aggregate performance across five diverse tests of learning, here we characterized the general cognitive ability (GCA) of CD-1 outbred mice. In response to a D1 agonist (SKF82958, 1 mg/kg), we then assessed the relationship between GCA and activation of D1 receptor (D1R)-containing neurons in the prelimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex, the agranular insular cortex, and the dorsomedial striatum. Increased activation of D1R-containing neurons in the prelimbic cortex (but not the agranular insular cortex or dorsomedial striatum) was observed in animals of high GCA relative to those of low GCA (quantified by c-Fos activation in response to the D1 agonist). However, a Western blot analysis revealed no differences in the density of D1Rs in the prelimbic cortex between animals of high and low GCA. Last, it was observed that working memory training promoted an increase in animals’ GCA and enhanced D1R-mediated neuronal activation in the prelimbic cortex. These results suggest that the sensitivity (but not density) of D1Rs in the prelimbic cortex may both regulate GCA and be a target for working memory training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Wass
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
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25
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Impairing effect of amphetamine and concomitant ionotropic glutamate receptors blockade in the ventral striatum on spatial learning in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2013; 227:651-60. [PMID: 23380916 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-2989-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Accumulating evidence supports the involvement of the ventral striatum (VS) in spatial information processing. The multiple cortical glutamatergic and mesolimbic dopaminergic (DAergic) afferences on the same neurons in the ventral striatum provide the neuroanatomical substrate for glutamate and dopamine functional interaction. However, there is little evidence in the literature on how this interaction affects the ability to encode spatial information. OBJECTIVE First, we evaluated the effect of intra-VS bilateral infusion of different doses of amphetamine (0.3, 0.75, and 1.5 μg/side) on the ability to detect spatial novelty in mice. Next, we examined the impact produced on the same abilities by intra-VS infusion of ineffective doses of amphetamine (0.3 μg/side) in association with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) (3.125 ng/side) or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) (0.25 ng/side) receptor antagonist. RESULTS The results show that infusion of amphetamine impairs detection of spatial novelty, affecting also exploratory activity and marginally the detection of nonspatial novelty. In contrast, an association of subthreshold doses of amphetamine with NMDA or AMPA receptor antagonists exerted a selective effect on reactivity to a spatial change. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that enhanced DAergic activity in the VS enhances glutamate receptor antagonist-induced impairment in learning and memory.
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Lithfous S, Dufour A, Després O. Spatial navigation in normal aging and the prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease: insights from imaging and behavioral studies. Ageing Res Rev 2013; 12:201-13. [PMID: 22771718 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2012.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2012] [Revised: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Normal aging and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) are associated with declines in navigational skills, including allocentric and egocentric representations, cognitive mapping, landmark processing, and spatial memory. These changes, however, are associated with different patterns of structural and functional alterations in the neural network of navigation. In AD, these changes occur in the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, parietal lobe, retrosplenial cortex, prefrontal cortex, and caudate nucleus, whereas in aging, modifications occur mainly in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. The navigation abilities of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have been found to show different performance patterns, depending on their cognitive profiles. Since patients with MCI do not uniformly develop dementia of the Alzheimer type, it is important to identify reliable early cognitive markers of conversion to AD dementia. In this review, we propose that navigation deficits may help distinguish patients at higher risk of developing AD dementia from individuals with normal cognitive aging and those with other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ségolène Lithfous
- Laboratoire d'Imagerie & Neurosciences Cognitives, UMR CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, France.
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Hallock HL, Arreola AC, Shaw CL, Griffin AL. Dissociable roles of the dorsal striatum and dorsal hippocampus in conditional discrimination and spatial alternation T-maze tasks. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2012; 100:108-16. [PMID: 23261856 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2012.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2012] [Revised: 12/11/2012] [Accepted: 12/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The roles of the dorsal hippocampus (DH) and dorsal striatum (DS) in the learning and retention of conditional discrimination (CD) rules is a subject of debate. Although previous studies have examined the relationship between the DH and DS and the performance of CD tasks in operant chambers, the relative contributions of these two brain regions to the retention of CD rules requiring an association between a cue and a spatial location have not been characterized. We designed an experiment to assess the roles of the DH and DS in the retention of a visuospatial CD task by transiently inactivating either structure with muscimol in separate groups of rats and measuring performance on a previously learned CD task. The performance of two other groups of rats on a previously learned delayed spatial alternation (DA) task was also measured following inactivation of either DS or DH, which allowed us to control for any possibly confounding effects of spatial cues present in the testing room, length of the intertrial interval period on the performance of the CD task, and muscimol on sensorimotor or motivational processing. Muscimol inactivation of dorsal striatum, but not dorsal hippocampus, impaired CD performance, while inactivation of dorsal hippocampus, but not dorsal striatum impaired DA performance. These results demonstrate a double dissociation between the roles of the DH and DS in these two tasks, and provide a systematic characterization of the relationship between these two brain areas and CD performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry L Hallock
- Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.
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Khamassi M, Humphries MD. Integrating cortico-limbic-basal ganglia architectures for learning model-based and model-free navigation strategies. Front Behav Neurosci 2012. [PMID: 23205006 PMCID: PMC3506961 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2012.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavior in spatial navigation is often organized into map-based (place-driven) vs. map-free (cue-driven) strategies; behavior in operant conditioning research is often organized into goal-directed vs. habitual strategies. Here we attempt to unify the two. We review one powerful theory for distinct forms of learning during instrumental conditioning, namely model-based (maintaining a representation of the world) and model-free (reacting to immediate stimuli) learning algorithms. We extend these lines of argument to propose an alternative taxonomy for spatial navigation, showing how various previously identified strategies can be distinguished as “model-based” or “model-free” depending on the usage of information and not on the type of information (e.g., cue vs. place). We argue that identifying “model-free” learning with dorsolateral striatum and “model-based” learning with dorsomedial striatum could reconcile numerous conflicting results in the spatial navigation literature. From this perspective, we further propose that the ventral striatum plays key roles in the model-building process. We propose that the core of the ventral striatum is positioned to learn the probability of action selection for every transition between states of the world. We further review suggestions that the ventral striatal core and shell are positioned to act as “critics” contributing to the computation of a reward prediction error for model-free and model-based systems, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Khamassi
- Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris, France ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7222 Paris, France
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29
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Truchet B, Manrique C, Sreng L, Chaillan FA, Roman FS, Mourre C. Kv4 potassium channels modulate hippocampal EPSP-spike potentiation and spatial memory in rats. Learn Mem 2012; 19:282-93. [PMID: 22700470 DOI: 10.1101/lm.025411.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Kv4 channels regulate the backpropagation of action potentials (b-AP) and have been implicated in the modulation of long-term potentiation (LTP). Here we showed that blockade of Kv4 channels by the scorpion toxin AmmTX3 impaired reference memory in a radial maze task. In vivo, AmmTX3 intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion increased and stabilized the EPSP-spike (E-S) component of LTP in the dentate gyrus (DG), with no effect on basal transmission or short-term plasticity. This increase in E-S potentiation duration could result from the combination of an increase in excitability of DG granular cells with a reduction of GABAergic inhibition, leading to a strong reduction of input specificity. Radioactive in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to evaluate the amounts of Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 mRNA in brain structures at different stages of a spatial learning task in naive, pseudoconditioned, and conditioned rats. Significant differences in Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 mRNA levels were observed between conditioned and pseudoconditioned rats. Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 mRNA levels were transiently up-regulated in the striatum, nucleus accumbens, retrosplenial, and cingulate cortices during early stages of learning, suggesting an involvement in the switch from egocentric to allocentric strategies. Spatial learning performance was positively correlated with the levels of Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 mRNAs in several of these brain structures. Altogether our findings suggest that Kv4 channels could increase the signal-to-noise ratio during information acquisition, thereby allowing a better encoding of the memory trace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Truchet
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Cognition-LNC-UMR 7291, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Aix-Marseille Université, Centre Saint-Charles, 13331 Marseille, France
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30
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Differential learning-related changes in theta activity during place learning in young and old rats. Behav Brain Res 2012; 226:555-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2011] [Revised: 10/07/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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31
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de Oliveira EM, Kissaki PT, Ordonez TN, Lima-Silva TB. A systematic review of the neurobiological aspects of memory in the aging process. Dement Neuropsychol 2011; 5:310-321. [PMID: 29213758 PMCID: PMC5619044 DOI: 10.1590/s1980-57642011dn05040009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
A systematic review of the neuroanatomical literature was performed to determine the neuropharmacological aspects most relevant to the study of memory processes. Articles were retrieved using the search terms "biology of memory", "memory and aging", "memory impairment", "elderly and memory," and their equivalents in Portuguese. Of the studies surveyed, five studies dealt with epidemiological and demographic issues, 12 were clinical trials i.e. were based on testing and implementation of instruments in human subjects, 33 studies were basic research involving studies of mice, rats and non-human primates, and biochemical and in vitro trials and finally, 52 studies were literature reviews or book chapters which in our view, fell into this category. Conclusions The work sought to highlight which neural networks are most involved in processing information, as well as their location within brain regions and the way in which neurotransmitters interact with each other for the formation of these memories. Moreover, it was shown how memory changes during the normal human aging process, both positively and negatively, by analyzing the morphological alterations that occur in the brain of aging individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Moreira de Oliveira
- Bacharel em Gerontologia - Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP, Brazil. Pesquisadores do Núcleo de Estudos no Envelhecimento Cognitivo e Núcleo de Estudos em Gerontologia, EACH-USP, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - Priscilla Tiemi Kissaki
- Bacharel em Gerontologia - Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP, Brazil. Pesquisadores do Núcleo de Estudos no Envelhecimento Cognitivo e Núcleo de Estudos em Gerontologia, EACH-USP, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - Tiago Nascimento Ordonez
- Bacharel em Gerontologia - Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP, Brazil. Pesquisadores do Núcleo de Estudos no Envelhecimento Cognitivo e Núcleo de Estudos em Gerontologia, EACH-USP, São Paulo SP, Brazil
| | - Thaís Bento Lima-Silva
- Pós-graduada em Neurociências pela Faculdade de Medicina do ABC - Mestranda em Neurologia, pelo Departamento de Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento - Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP, Brazil
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32
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De Leonibus E, Costantini VJA, Massaro A, Mandolesi G, Vanni V, Luvisetto S, Pavone F, Oliverio A, Mele A. Cognitive and neural determinants of response strategy in the dual-solution plus-maze task. Learn Mem 2011; 18:241-4. [PMID: 21436396 DOI: 10.1101/lm.2074311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Response strategy in the dual-solution plus maze is regarded as a form of stimulus-response learning. In this study, by using an outcome devaluation procedure, we show that it can be based on both action-outcome and stimulus-response habit learning, depending on the amount of training that the animals receive. Furthermore, we show that deactivation of the dorso-medial and the dorso-lateral striatum with Botulinum neurotoxin A, mimicked or abolished, respectively, the effects of practice on the sensitivity of the response strategy to outcome devaluation. These findings have relevant implications for the understanding of the learning mechanisms underlying different overt behaviors in this widely used maze task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvira De Leonibus
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.
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33
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Nelson AJD, Thur KE, Marsden CA, Cassaday HJ. Dissociable roles of dopamine within the core and medial shell of the nucleus accumbens in memory for objects and place. Behav Neurosci 2011; 124:789-99. [PMID: 21133535 PMCID: PMC3002220 DOI: 10.1037/a0021114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
There is increasing focus on the role of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in learning and memory, but there is little consensus as to how the core and medial shell subregions of the NAc contribute to these processes. In the current experiments, we used spontaneous object recognition to test rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions targeted at the core or medial shell of the NAc on a familiarity discrimination task and a location discrimination task. In the object recognition variant, control animals were able to discriminate the novel object at both 24-hr and 5-min delay. However, in the lesion groups, performance was systematically related to dopamine (DA) levels in the core but not the shell. In the location recognition task, sham-operated animals readily detected the object displacement at test. In the lesion groups, performance impairment was systematically related to DA levels in the shell but not the core. These results suggest that dopamine function within distinct subregions of the NAc plays dissociable roles in the modulation of memory for objects and place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J D Nelson
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England.
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34
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Havekes R, Abel T, Van der Zee EA. The cholinergic system and neostriatal memory functions. Behav Brain Res 2010; 221:412-23. [PMID: 21129408 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.11.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2010] [Revised: 11/19/2010] [Accepted: 11/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The striatum is one of the major forebrain regions that strongly expresses muscarinic and nicotinic cholinergic receptors. This article reviews the current knowledge and our new findings about the striatal cholinoceptive organization and its role in a variety of cognitive functions. Pharmacological and genetic manipulations have indicated that the cholinergic and dopaminergic system in the striatum modulate each other's function. In addition to modulating the dopaminergic system, nicotinic cholinergic receptors facilitate GABA release, whereas muscarinic receptors attenuate GABA release. The striatal cholinergic system has also been implicated in various cognitive functions including procedural learning and intradimensional set shifting. Together, these data indicate that the cholinergic system in the striatum is involved in a diverse set of cognitive functions through interactions with other neurotransmitter systems including the dopaminergic and GABAergic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbert Havekes
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 S University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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35
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Braszko JJ. Participation of D 1-4 dopamine receptors in the pro-cognitive effects of angiotensin IV and des-Phe 6 angiotensin IV. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2009; 34:343-50. [PMID: 19686774 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2009] [Revised: 08/10/2009] [Accepted: 08/10/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Angiotensin IV (Ang IV) and des-Phe(6)Ang IV are naturally occurring neuroactive peptides of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) involved in memory processing. However, the relevant mechanisms are poorly understood. In this review it is proposed that the pro-cognitive effects of these peptides are, at least partly, mediated by dopamine (DA). Recent studies demonstrated that the improvement of several memory aspects; recall of appetitively and aversively motivated behaviors and learning of spatial tasks by Ang IV and des-Phe(6)Ang IV was abolished, or significantly diminished by behaviorally inactive per se doses of the D(1) and D(2) receptor blockers SCH 23390 (R-[+]-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-3 methyl-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine) and remoxipride, respectively. The D(3) receptor inhibition with nafadotride was almost ineffective but again, the D(4) receptor blockade by L745,870 hydrochloride (3-{[4-(4-chlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl}-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine hydrochloride) diminished all, except for spatial memory, improving actions of the peptides. These results suggest that Ang IV and des-Phe(6)Ang IV enhance memory in a brain region-specific manner, dependent on local DA receptor subpopulations and the memory aspects controlled by them. The data reviewed here, demonstrating DA-Ang IV and des-Phe(6)Ang IV interactions in brain, strongly suggest probability of clinically relevant effects of concomitant use of antipsychotic and RAS affecting drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan J Braszko
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Bialystok, Waszyngtona 15 A, 15274 Bialystok, Poland.
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36
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Packard MG. Exhumed from thought: Basal ganglia and response learning in the plus-maze. Behav Brain Res 2009; 199:24-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2008] [Revised: 12/05/2008] [Accepted: 12/08/2008] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Developmental etiology for neuroanatomical and cognitive deficits in mice overexpressing Galphas, a G-protein subunit genetically linked to schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry 2009; 14:398-415, 347. [PMID: 19030002 PMCID: PMC3312743 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2008.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a widespread psychiatric disorder, affecting 1% of people. Despite this high prevalence, schizophrenia is not well treated because of its enigmatic developmental origin. We explore here the developmental etiology of endophenotypes associated with schizophrenia using a regulated transgenic approach in mice. Recently, a polymorphism that increases mRNA levels of the G-protein subunit Galphas was genetically linked to schizophrenia. Here we show that regulated overexpression of Galphas mRNA in forebrain neurons of mice is sufficient to cause a number of schizophrenia-related phenotypes, as measured in adult mice, including sensorimotor gating deficits (prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle, PPI) that are reversed by haloperidol or the phosphodiesterase inhibitor rolipram, psychomotor agitation (hyperlocomotion), hippocampus-dependent learning and memory retrieval impairments (hidden water maze, contextual fear conditioning), and enlarged ventricles. Interestingly, overexpression of Galphas during development plays a significant role in some (PPI, spatial learning and memory and neuroanatomical deficits) but not all of these adulthood phenotypes. Pharmacological and biochemical studies suggest the Galphas-induced behavioral deficits correlate with compensatory decreases in hippocampal and cortical cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels. These decreases in cAMP may lead to reduced activation of the guanine exchange factor Epac (also known as RapGEF 3/4) as stimulation of Epac with the select agonist 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP increases PPI and improves memory in C57BL/6J mice. Thus, we suggest that the developmental impact of a given biochemical insult, such as increased Galphas expression, is phenotype specific and that Epac may prove to be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of both developmentally regulated and non-developmentally regulated symptoms associated with schizophrenia.
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Kogan CS, Boutet I, Cornish K, Graham GE, Berry-Kravis E, Drouin A, Milgram NW. A comparative neuropsychological test battery differentiates cognitive signatures of Fragile X and Down syndrome. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2009; 53:125-42. [PMID: 19054268 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2008.01135.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Standardised neuropsychological and cognitive measures present some limitations in their applicability and generalisability to individuals with intellectual disability (ID). Alternative approaches to defining the cognitive signatures of various forms of ID are needed to advance our understanding of the profiles of strengths and weaknesses as well as the affected brain areas. AIM To evaluate the utility and feasibility of six non-verbal comparative neuropsychological (CN) tasks administered in a modified version of the Wisconsin General Test Apparatus (WGTA) to confirm and extend our knowledge of unique cognitive signatures of Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Down syndrome (DS). METHOD A test battery of CN tasks adapted from the animal literature was administered in a modified WGTA. Tasks were selected that have established or emerging brain-behaviour relationships in the domains of visual-perceptual, visual-spatial, working memory and inhibition. RESULTS Despite the fact that these tasks revealed cognitive signatures for the two ID groups, only some hypotheses were supported. Results suggest that whereas individuals with DS were relatively impaired on visual-perceptual and visual-spatial reversal learning tasks they showed strengths in egocentric spatial learning and object discrimination tasks. Individuals with FXS were relatively impaired on object discrimination learning and reversal tasks, which was attributable to side preferences. In contrast, these same individuals exhibited strengths in egocentric spatial learning and reversal tasks as well as on an object recognition memory task. Both ID groups demonstrated relatively poor performance for a visual-spatial working memory task. CONCLUSION Performance on the modified WGTA tasks differentiated cognitive signatures between two of the most common forms of ID. Results are discussed in the context of the literature on the cognitive and neurobiological features of FXS and DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Kogan
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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Willuhn I, Steiner H. Skill-memory consolidation in the striatum: critical for late but not early long-term memory and stabilized by cocaine. Behav Brain Res 2008; 199:103-7. [PMID: 18687364 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2008] [Revised: 07/09/2008] [Accepted: 07/10/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The sensorimotor striatum is important for procedural learning, including skill learning. Our previous findings indicate that this part of the striatum mediates the acquisition of a motor skill in a running-wheel task and that this skill learning is dependent on striatal D1 dopamine receptors. Here, we investigated whether the sensorimotor striatum is also involved in the consolidation of this skill memory and whether this consolidation is modified by the indirect dopamine receptor agonist cocaine. Rats were trained on a running wheel for 2 days (40 min/day) to learn a new motor skill, that is, the ability to control the movement of the wheel. Before each training session, the animals received an injection of vehicle or cocaine (25mg/kg, i.p.). Immediately following the training session, an intrastriatal infusion of 2% lidocaine (1 microl) or a sham infusion were administered. Wheel-skill performance was tested before and repeatedly after the training. Our results show that post-trial intrastriatal infusion of lidocaine disrupted late-stage long-term skill memory (post-training days 6-26), but spared early long-term memory (1 day after the training). Skill consolidation was more susceptible to such disruption in animals that practiced less during the training. Cocaine given pre-trial prevented this post-trial disruption of skill consolidation. These findings indicate that the sensorimotor striatum is critical for the consolidation of late but not early long-term skill memory. Furthermore, cocaine appeared to stabilize motor-memory formation by protecting consolidation processes after the training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Willuhn
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/The Chicago Medical School, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
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Effect of quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the nucleus accumbens core on performance on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement: implications for inter-temporal choice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2008; 197:339-50. [PMID: 18167622 PMCID: PMC2668651 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-007-1036-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2007] [Accepted: 11/27/2007] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) is believed to contribute to the control of operant behaviour by reinforcers. Recent evidence suggests that it is not crucial for determining the incentive value of immediately available reinforcers, but is important for maintaining the values of delayed reinforcers. OBJECTIVE This study aims to examine the effect of AcbC lesions on performance on a progressive-ratio schedule using a quantitative model that dissociates effects of interventions on motor and motivational processes (Killeen 1994 Mathematical principles of reinforcement. Behav Brain Sci 17:105-172). MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats with bilateral quinolinic acid-induced lesions of the AcbC (n = 15) or sham lesions (n = 14) were trained to lever-press for food-pellet reinforcers under a progressive-ratio schedule. In Phase 1 (90 sessions) the reinforcer was one pellet; in Phase 2 (30 sessions), it was two pellets; in Phase 3, (30 sessions) it was one pellet. RESULTS The performance of both groups conformed to the model of progressive-ratio performance (group mean data: r2 > 0.92). The motor parameter, delta, was significantly higher in the AcbC-lesioned than the sham-lesioned group, reflecting lower overall response rates in the lesioned group. The motivational parameter, a, was sensitive to changes in reinforcer size, but did not differ significantly between the two groups. The AcbC-lesioned group showed longer post-reinforcement pauses and lower running response rates than the sham-lesioned group. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that destruction of the AcbC impairs response capacity but does not alter the efficacy of food reinforcers. The results are consistent with recent findings that AcbC lesions do not alter sensitivity to reinforcer size in inter-temporal choice schedules.
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Motor and visual codes interact to facilitate visuospatial memory performance. Psychon Bull Rev 2007; 14:1189-93. [DOI: 10.3758/bf03193111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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De Leonibus E, Pascucci T, Lopez S, Oliverio A, Amalric M, Mele A. Spatial deficits in a mouse model of Parkinson disease. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2007; 194:517-25. [PMID: 17619858 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-007-0862-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2007] [Accepted: 06/16/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Accumulating evidence in humans demonstrated that visuo-spatial deficits are the most consistently reported cognitive abnormalities in Parkinson disease (PD). These deficits have been generally attributed to cortical dopamine degeneration. However, more recent evidence suggests that dopamine loss in the striatum is responsible for the visuo-spatial abnormalities in PD. Studies based on animal models of PD did not specifically address this question. OBJECTIVES Thus, the first goal of this study was to analyze the role of dopamine within the dorsal striatum in spatial memory. We tested bilateral 6-OHDA striatal lesioned CD1 mice in an object-place association spatial task. Furthermore, to see whether the effects were selective for spatial information, we measured how the 6-OHDA-lesioned animals responded to a non-spatial change and learned in the one-trial inhibitory avoidance task. RESULTS The results demonstrated that bilateral (approximately 75%) dopamine depletion of the striatum impaired spatial change discrimination. On the contrary, no effect of the lesion was observed on non-spatial novelty detection or on passive avoidance learning. CONCLUSIONS These results confirm that dopamine depletion is accompanied by cognitive deficits and demonstrate that striatal dopamine dysfunction is sufficient to induce spatial information processing deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvira De Leonibus
- Dipartimento di Genetica e Biologia Molecolare C Darwin, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, Rome, Italy.
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Famous KR, Schmidt HD, Pierce RC. When administered into the nucleus accumbens core or shell, the NMDA receptor antagonist AP-5 reinstates cocaine-seeking behavior in the rat. Neurosci Lett 2007; 420:169-73. [PMID: 17513051 PMCID: PMC2713683 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.04.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2007] [Revised: 04/27/2007] [Accepted: 04/30/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Nucleus accumbens glutamate transmission plays a critical role in cocaine priming-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Previous studies have demonstrated that systemic or intra-accumbens shell administration of an NMDA receptor antagonist reinstates cocaine-seeking behavior. However, it is unclear if antagonizing NMDA receptors in the nucleus accumbens core or shell subregions will differentially affect cocaine reinstatement. To investigate this possibility, we microinjected the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist AP-5 (0, 3 or 30 microg) into either the nucleus accumbens core or shell and assessed the reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. When microinjected into the shell, both doses of AP-5 produced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. In contrast, when administered into the core, only the highest dose of AP-5 reinstated cocaine-seeking behavior; moreover, the magnitude of this effect was substantially less than when AP-5 was administered into the shell. This study provides evidence that pharmacological antagonism of NMDA receptors in the nucleus accumbens core or shell promotes the reinstatement of cocaine seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie R Famous
- Department of Pharmacology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
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El-Ghundi M, O'Dowd BF, George SR. Insights into the Role of Dopamine Receptor Systems in Learning and Memory. Rev Neurosci 2007; 18:37-66. [PMID: 17405450 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro.2007.18.1.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
It is well established that learning and memory are complex processes involving and recruiting different brain modulatory neurotransmitter systems. Considerable evidence points to the involvement of dopamine in various aspects of cognition, and interest has been focused on investigating the clinical relevance of dopamine systems to age-related cognitive decline and manifestations of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. In the past decade or so, in spite of the molecular cloning of the five dopamine receptor subtypes, their specific roles in brain function remained inconclusive due to the lack of completely selective ligands that could distinguish between the members of the D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptor families. One of the most important advances in the field of dopamine research has been the generation of mutant mouse models permitting evaluation of the dopaminergic system using gene targeting technologies. These mouse models represent an important approach to explore the functional roles of closely related receptor subtypes. In this review, we present and discuss evidence on the role of dopamine receptors in different aspects of learning and memory at the cellular, molecular and behavioral levels. We compare evidence using conventional pharmacological, lesion or electrophysiological studies with results from mice with targeted deletions of different subtypes of dopamine receptor genes. We particularly focus on dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in an effort to delineate their specific roles in various aspects of cognitive function. We provide strong evidence, from our own recent work as well as others, that dopamine is part of the network that plays a very important role in cognitive function, and that although multiple dopamine receptor subtypes contribute to different aspects of learning and memory, the D1 receptor seems to play a more prominent role in mediating plasticity and specific aspects of cognitive function, including spatial learning and memory processes, reversal learning, extinction learning, and incentive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mufida El-Ghundi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Wang Y, Galvan V, Gorostiza O, Ataie M, Jin K, Greenberg DA. Vascular endothelial growth factor improves recovery of sensorimotor and cognitive deficits after focal cerebral ischemia in the rat. Brain Res 2006; 1115:186-93. [PMID: 16928361 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.07.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2006] [Revised: 07/18/2006] [Accepted: 07/20/2006] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenesis factor with neurotrophic, neuroprotective and neuroproliferative effects. Depending on the dose, route and time of administration in relation to focal cerebral ischemia, VEGF can improve histological outcome and sensorimotor function in rodents. However, VEGF also increases vascular permeability, which can lead to brain edema and exacerbate ischemic brain injury. Thus, although VEGF is a candidate therapeutic for stroke and other ischemic disorders, its benefit relative to risk is uncertain. Considering that functional rather than histological measures of outcome are probably most relevant to therapeutic prospects for human stroke, we investigated the effects of VEGF after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats using a series of behavioral tests. We report that VEGF improves functional outcome in ischemic rats, including both sensorimotor and cognitive deficiencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaoming Wang
- Buck Institute for Age Research, 8001 Redwood Boulevard, Novato, CA 94945, USA
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