Calcium currents in striatal fast-spiking interneurons: dopaminergic modulation of CaV1 channels

Dopamine depletion selectively disrupts interactions between striatal neuron subtypes and LFP oscillations

Dopamine degeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD) dysregulates the striatal neural network and causes motor deficits. However, it is unclear how altered striatal circuits relate to dopamine-acetylcholine chemical imbalance and abnormal local field potential (LFP) oscillations observed in PD. We perform a multimodal analysis of the dorsal striatum using cell-type-specific calcium imaging and LFP recording. We reveal that dopamine depletion selectively enhances LFP beta oscillations during impaired locomotion, supporting beta oscillations as a biomarker for PD. We further demonstrate that dynamic cholinergic interneuron activity during locomotion remains unaltered, even though cholinergic tone is implicated in PD. Instead, dysfunctional striatal output arises from elevated coordination within striatal output neurons, which is accompanied by reduced locomotor encoding of parvalbumin interneurons and transient pathological LFP high-gamma oscillations. These results identify a pathological striatal circuit state following dopamine depletion where distinct striatal neuron subtypes are selectively coordinated with LFP oscillations during locomotion.

Zemel et al. demonstrate that dopamine loss disrupts striatal neural network and enhances local field potential beta oscillations during impaired locomotion. Specifically, striatal projecting neuron activation is abnormally coordinated and accompanied by pathological high-gamma oscillations. While parvalbumin interneurons reduce locomotor encoding, cholinergic interneurons strengthen their interactions with projecting neurons.

Dopamine D2 and Adenosine A2A Receptors Interaction on Ca2+ Current Modulation in a Rodent Model of Parkinsonism

Adenosine A1 and A2A receptors are expressed in striatal projection neurons (SPNs). A1 receptors are located in direct (dSPN) and indirect SPNs (iSNP). A2A receptors are only present in iSPNs. Dopamine D2 receptors are also expressed in iSPNs and interactions between D2 and A2A receptors have received attention. iSPNs activity increases during parkinsonism (PD) and A2A receptors may be responsible by enhancing Ca2+ currents (iCa2+). Therefore, A2A receptors blockade is a therapeutic approach. We asked whether A2A receptors need the interaction with D2 receptors (D2R) to exert their actions. By using isolated and identified iSPNs to avoid indirect influences, we show that D2R action habilitates A2A receptors (A2AR) modulation. iCa2+ through voltage gated Ca2+ channels (CaV) was used as a signal to observe this interaction. Voltage-clamp recordings in acutely dissociated iSPNs, current-clamp recordings in slices and calcium imaging in transgenic A2A-Cre mice, showed that D2R reduction in iCa2+ endows A2AR to restore iCa2+ on iSPNs showing an antagonistic interaction between D2 and A2A receptors. A2A receptors were blocked by the antagonist istradefylline, however, this blockade differed in control and dopamine-depleted iSPNs: istradefylline reduced D2R modulation in parkinsonian animals as compared to controls. Calcium imaging recordings show that istradefylline occludes D2R actions in the parkinsonian circuitry and this effect depends on the order of drugs application. Thus, while D2 activation enables A2A receptors action, blockade of A2AR induces a reduction in the action of D2 agonists, confirming a complex interaction.

Summary Statement

A2A receptor required previous D2 receptor activation to modulate Ca2+ currents. Istradefylline decreases pramipexole modulation on Ca2+ currents. Istradefylline reduces A2A + neurons activity in striatial microcircuit, but pramipexole failed to further reduce neuronal activity.

Lasting effects of mild embryonic ethanol exposure on voltage-gated ion channels in adult zebrafish brain

The zebrafish is increasingly well utilized in alcohol research, particularly in modeling human fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD results from alcohol reaching the developing fetus intra utero, a completely preventable yet prevalent and devastating life-long disorder. The hope with animal models, including the zebrafish, is to discover the mechanisms underlying this disease, which may aid treatment and diagnosis. In the past, we developed an embryonic alcohol exposure regimen that is aimed at mimicking the milder, and most prevalent, forms of FASD in zebrafish. We have found numerous lasting alterations in behavior, neurochemistry, neuronal markers and glial cell phenotypes in this zebrafish FASD model. Using the same model (2 h long bath immersion of 24 h post-fertilization old zebrafish eggs into 1% vol/vol ethanol), here we conduct a proof of concept analysis of voltage-gated cation channels, investigating potential embryonic alcohol induced changes in L-, T- and N- type Ca⁺⁺ and the SCN1A Na⁺ channels using Western blot followed by immunohistochemical analysis of the same channels in the pallium and cerebellum of the zebrafish brain. We report significant reduction of expression in all four channel proteins using both methods. We conclude that reduced voltage-gated cation channel expression induced by short and low dose exposure to alcohol during embryonic development of zebrafish may contribute to the previously demonstrated lasting behavioral and neurobiological changes.

Brain-on-a-Chip Device for Modeling Multiregional Networks

Animal models are frequently used in drug discovery because they represent a mammalian in vivo model system, they are the closest approximation to the human brain, and experimentation in humans is not ethical. Working with postmortem human brain samples is challenging and developing human in vitro systems, which mimic the in vivo human brain, has been challenging. However, the use of animal models in drug discovery for human neurological diseases is currently under scrutiny because data from animal models has come with variations due to genetic differences. Evidence from the literature suggests that techniques to reconstruct multiple neurotransmission projections, which characterize neurological disease circuits in humans, in vitro, have not been demonstrated. This paper presents a multicompartment microdevice for patterning neurospheres and specification of neural stem cell fate toward networks of multiple neuronal phenotypes. We validated our design by specification of human neural stem cells to dopaminergic and GABAergic neurons in different compartments of the device, simultaneously. The neurospheres formed unrestricted robust neuronal circuits between arrays of neurospheres in all compartments of the device. Such a device design may provide a basis for formation of multineurotransmission circuits to model functional connectivity between specific human brain regions, in vitro, using human-derived neural stem cells. This work finds relevance in neurological disease modeling and drug screening using human cell-based assays and may provide the impetus for shifting from animal-based models.

Perseverative stereotypic behavior of Epac2 KO mice in a reward-based decision making task

Successfully navigating dynamic environments requires balancing the decision to stay at an optimal choice with that to switch to an alternative to acquire new knowledge. However, the genetic factors and cellular activity shaping this "stay or switch" action decision remains largely unidentified. Here we find that mice carrying a deletion of the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP 2 (Epac2) gene, a putative autism locus, exhibit perseverative "stay" behavior in a dynamic foraging task. Anatomical analysis found that the loss of Epac2 resulted in a significant decrease in the density of PV-expressing interneurons in the ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and dorsal striatum (dSTR). Further, in vitro whole cell patch clamp recordings of PV⁺ GABAergic interneurons in the dSTR revealed altered neural activity in Epac2 KO mice in response to dopamine. Our findings highlight a potential role of Epac2 in structural changes and neural responses of PV-expressing GABAergic interneurons in the ventrolateral OFC and dSTR during value-based reinforcement learning and link Epac2 function to abnormal decision-making processes and perseverative behaviors seen in autism.

Oxytocin prevents neuronal network pain-related changes on spinal cord dorsal horn in vitro

Recently, oxytocin (OT) has been studied as a potential modulator of endogenous analgesia by acting upon pain circuits at the spinal cord and supraspinal levels. Yet the detailed action mechanisms of OT are still undetermined. The present study aimed to evaluate the action of OT in the spinal cord dorsal horn network under nociceptive-like conditions induced by the activation of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and formalin injection, using calcium imaging techniques. Results demonstrate that the spontaneous Ca²⁺-dependent activity of the dorsal horn cells was scarce, and the coactivity of cells was mainly absent. When NMDA was applied, high rates of activity and coactivity occurred in the dorsal horn cells; these rates of high activity mimicked the activity dynamics evoked by a neuropathic pain condition. In addition, although OT treatment increased activity rates, it was also capable of disrupting the conformation of coordinated activity previously consolidated by NMDA treatment, without showing any effect by itself. Altogether, our results suggest that OT globally prevents the formation of coordinated patterns previously generated by nociceptive-like conditions on dorsal horn cells by NMDA application, which supports previous evidence showing that OT represents a potential therapeutic alternative for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.