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Bagheri J, Fallahnezhad S, Alipour N, Babaloo H, Tahmasebi F, Kheradmand H, Sazegar G, Haghir H. Maternal diabetes decreases the expression of α2-adrenergic and M2 muscarinic receptors in the visual cortex of male rat neonates. J Chem Neuroanat 2023; 132:102326. [PMID: 37619956 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2023.102326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
AIMS This study investigates the impact of maternal diabetes on the expression of α2-adrenergic and M2 muscarinic receptors in the primary visual cortex of male offspring born to diabetic rats. MAIN METHODS In adult female rats, a single dose of intraperitoneal streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce diabetes (Diabetic group). Diabetes was controlled with insulin in the Insulin-treated group. Female rats in the control group received normal saline instead of STZ. Male newborns were euthanized at P0, P7, and P14, and the expression of α2-adrenergic and M2 muscarinic receptors in the primary visual cortex was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC). KEY FINDINGS The study showed that α2-adrenergic and M2 muscarinic receptors were significantly suppressed in all layers of the primary visual cortex of male neonates born to diabetic rats at P0, P7, and P14 compared to the control group. The highest expression was for the Con group at P14 and the lowest one was in the Dia group at P0 for both receptors. The insulin treatment in diabetic mothers modulated the expression of these receptors to normal levels in their newborns. SIGNIFICANCE The results demonstrate maternal diabetes decreases the expression of α2-adrenergic and M2 muscarinic receptors in the primary visual cortex of male offspring born to diabetic rats. Insulin treatment can offset these effects of diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Bagheri
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Somaye Fallahnezhad
- Nervous System Stem Cell Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Nasim Alipour
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hamideh Babaloo
- Department of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, School of Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; Medical Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Yazd Reproductive Science Institute, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Tahmasebi
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hamed Kheradmand
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ghasem Sazegar
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hossein Haghir
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Medical Genetic Research Center (MGRC), School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
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2
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Bang JW, Chan RW, Parra C, Murphy MC, Schuman JS, Nau AC, Chan KC. Diverging patterns of plasticity in the nucleus basalis of Meynert in early- and late-onset blindness. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad119. [PMID: 37101831 PMCID: PMC10123399 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticity in the brain is impacted by an individual's age at the onset of the blindness. However, what drives the varying degrees of plasticity remains largely unclear. One possible explanation attributes the mechanisms for the differing levels of plasticity to the cholinergic signals originating in the nucleus basalis of Meynert. This explanation is based on the fact that the nucleus basalis of Meynert can modulate cortical processes such as plasticity and sensory encoding through its widespread cholinergic projections. Nevertheless, there is no direct evidence indicating that the nucleus basalis of Meynert undergoes plastic changes following blindness. Therefore, using multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging, we examined if the structural and functional properties of the nucleus basalis of Meynert differ between early blind, late blind and sighted individuals. We observed that early and late blind individuals had a preserved volumetric size and cerebrovascular reactivity in the nucleus basalis of Meynert. However, we observed a reduction in the directionality of water diffusion in both early and late blind individuals compared to sighted individuals. Notably, the nucleus basalis of Meynert presented diverging patterns of functional connectivity between early and late blind individuals. This functional connectivity was enhanced at both global and local (visual, language and default-mode networks) levels in the early blind individuals, but there were little-to-no changes in the late blind individuals when compared to sighted controls. Furthermore, the age at onset of blindness predicted both global and local functional connectivity. These results suggest that upon reduced directionality of water diffusion in the nucleus basalis of Meynert, cholinergic influence may be stronger for the early blind compared to the late blind individuals. Our findings are important to unravelling why early blind individuals present stronger and more widespread cross-modal plasticity compared to late blind individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Won Bang
- Correspondence may also be addressed to: Ji Won Bang, PhD.
| | - Russell W Chan
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10017, USA
| | - Carlos Parra
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10017, USA
| | - Matthew C Murphy
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Joel S Schuman
- Department of Ophthalmology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10017, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Center for Neural Science, College of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, NY 11201, USA
| | - Amy C Nau
- Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Korb and Associates, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kevin C Chan
- Correspondence to: Kevin C. Chan, PhD, Departments of Ophthalmology and Radiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York University. 222 E 41st Street, Room 362, New York, NY 10017, USA.
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3
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Schumacher JW, McCann MK, Maximov KJ, Fitzpatrick D. Selective enhancement of neural coding in V1 underlies fine-discrimination learning in tree shrew. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3245-3260.e5. [PMID: 35767997 PMCID: PMC9378627 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Visual discrimination improves with training, a phenomenon that is thought to reflect plastic changes in the responses of neurons in primary visual cortex (V1). However, the identity of the neurons that undergo change, the nature of the changes, and the consequences of these changes for other visual behaviors remain unclear. We used chronic in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging to monitor the responses of neurons in the V1 of tree shrews learning a Go/No-Go fine orientation discrimination task. We observed increases in neural population measures of discriminability for task-relevant stimuli that correlate with performance and depend on a select subset of neurons with preferred orientations that include the rewarded stimulus and nearby orientations biased away from the non-rewarded stimulus. Learning is accompanied by selective enhancement in the response of these neurons to the rewarded stimulus that further increases their ability to discriminate the task stimuli. These changes persist outside of the trained task and predict observed enhancement and impairment in performance of other discriminations, providing evidence for selective and persistent learning-induced plasticity in the V1, with significant consequences for perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph W Schumacher
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Matthew K McCann
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Katherine J Maximov
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - David Fitzpatrick
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
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4
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Bowles S, Hickman J, Peng X, Williamson WR, Huang R, Washington K, Donegan D, Welle CG. Vagus nerve stimulation drives selective circuit modulation through cholinergic reinforcement. Neuron 2022; 110:2867-2885.e7. [PMID: 35858623 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulation therapy for a broad and expanding set of neurologic conditions. However, the mechanism through which VNS influences central nervous system circuitry is not well described, limiting therapeutic optimization. VNS leads to widespread brain activation, but the effects on behavior are remarkably specific, indicating plasticity unique to behaviorally engaged neural circuits. To understand how VNS can lead to specific circuit modulation, we leveraged genetic tools including optogenetics and in vivo calcium imaging in mice learning a skilled reach task. We find that VNS enhances skilled motor learning in healthy animals via a cholinergic reinforcement mechanism, producing a rapid consolidation of an expert reach trajectory. In primary motor cortex (M1), VNS drives precise temporal modulation of neurons that respond to behavioral outcome. This suggests that VNS may accelerate motor refinement in M1 via cholinergic signaling, opening new avenues for optimizing VNS to target specific disease-relevant circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer Bowles
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Jordan Hickman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Peng
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - W Ryan Williamson
- IDEA Core, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Rongchen Huang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Kayden Washington
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Dane Donegan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Cristin G Welle
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
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5
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Skora LI, Livermore JJA, Roelofs K. The functional role of cardiac activity in perception and action. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 137:104655. [PMID: 35395334 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
SKORA, L.I., J.J.A. LIVERMORE and K. Roelofs. The functional role of cardiac activity in perception and action. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV X(X) XXX-XXX, 2022. Patterns of cardiac activity continuously vary with environmental demands, accelerating or decelerating depending on circumstances. Simultaneously, cardiac cycle affects a host of higher-order processes, where systolic baroreceptor activation largely impairs processing. However, a unified functional perspective on the role of cardiac signal in perception and action has been lacking. Here, we combine the existing strands of literature and use threat-, anticipation-, and error-related cardiac deceleration to show that deceleration is an adaptive mechanism dynamically attenuating the baroreceptor signal associated with each heartbeat to minimise its impact on exteroceptive processing. This mechanism allows to enhance attention afforded to external signal and prepare an appropriate course of action. Conversely, acceleration is associated with a reduced need to attend externally, enhanced action tendencies and behavioural readjustment. This novel account demonstrates that dynamic adjustments in heart rate serve the purpose of regulating the level of precision afforded to internal versus external evidence in order to optimise perception and action. This highlights that the importance of cardiac signal in adaptive behaviour lies in its dynamic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L I Skora
- Institute for Biological Psychology of Decision Making, Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK; Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK.
| | - J J A Livermore
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, 6525EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, 6525HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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6
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Acute threat enhances perceptual sensitivity without affecting the decision criterion. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9071. [PMID: 35641536 PMCID: PMC9156772 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11664-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Threatening situations ask for rapid and accurate perceptual decisions to optimize coping. Theoretical models have stated that psychophysiological states, such as bradycardia during threat-anticipatory freezing, may facilitate perception. However, it’s unclear if this occurs via enhanced bottom-up sensory processing or by relying more on prior expectations. To test this, 52 (26 female) participants completed a visual target-detection paradigm under threat-of-shock (15% reinforcement rate) with a manipulation of prior expectations. Participants judged the presence of a backward-masked grating (target presence rate 50%) after systematically manipulating their decision criterion with a rare (20%) or frequent (80%) target presence rate procedure. Threat-of-shock induced stronger heart rate deceleration compared to safe, indicative of threat-anticipatory freezing. Importantly, threat-of-shock enhanced perceptual sensitivity but we did not find evidence of an altered influence of the effect of prior expectations on current decisions. Correct target detection (hits) was furthermore accompanied by an increase in the magnitude of this heart rate deceleration compared to a missed target. While this was independent of threat-of-shock manipulation, only under threat-of-shock this increase was accompanied by more hits and increased sensitivity. Together, these findings suggest that under acute threat participants may rely more on bottom-up sensory processing versus prior expectations in perceptual decision-making. Critically, bradycardia may underlie such enhanced perceptual sensitivity.
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7
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Bahnfleth CL, Strupp BJ, Caudill MA, Canfield RL. Prenatal choline supplementation improves child sustained attention: A 7-year follow-up of a randomized controlled feeding trial. FASEB J 2021; 36:e22054. [PMID: 34962672 PMCID: PMC9303951 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101217r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Numerous rodent studies demonstrate developmental programming of offspring cognition by maternal choline intake, with prenatal choline deprivation causing lasting adverse effects and supplemental choline producing lasting benefits. Few human studies have evaluated the effect of maternal choline supplementation on offspring cognition, with none following children to school age. Here, we report results from a controlled feeding study in which pregnant women were randomized to consume 480 mg choline/d (approximately the Adequate Intake [AI]) or 930 mg choline/d during the 3rd trimester. Sustained attention was assessed in the offspring at age 7 years (n = 20) using a signal detection task that showed benefits of maternal choline supplementation in a murine model. Children in the 930 mg/d group showed superior performance (vs. 480 mg/d group) on the primary endpoint (SAT score, p = .02) and a superior ability to maintain correct signal detections (hits) across the 12‐min session (p = .02), indicative of improved sustained attention. This group difference in vigilance decrement varied by signal duration (p = .04). For the briefest (17 ms) signals, the 480 mg/d group showed a 22.9% decline in hits across the session compared to a 1.5% increase in hits for the 930 mg/d group (p = .04). The groups did not differ in vigilance decrement for 29 or 50 ms signals. This pattern suggests an enhanced ability to sustain perceptual amplification of a brief low‐contrast visual signal by children in the 930 mg/d group. This inference of improved sustained attention by the 930 mg/d group is strengthened by the absence of group differences for false alarms, omissions, and off‐task behaviors. This pattern of results indicates that maternal 3rd trimester consumption of the choline AI for pregnancy (vs. double the AI) produces offspring with a poorer ability to sustain attention—reinforcing concerns that, on average, choline consumption by pregnant women is approximately 70% of the AI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Barbara J Strupp
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.,Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Marie A Caudill
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Richard L Canfield
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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8
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Soma S, Suematsu N, Sato AY, Tsunoda K, Bramian A, Reddy A, Takabatake K, Karube F, Fujiyama F, Shimegi S. Acetylcholine from the nucleus basalis magnocellularis facilitates the retrieval of well-established memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 183:107484. [PMID: 34175450 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Retrieval deficit of long-term memory is a cardinal symptom of dementia and has been proposed to associate with abnormalities in the central cholinergic system. Difficulty in the retrieval of memory is experienced by healthy individuals and not limited to patients with neurological disorders that result in forgetfulness. The difficulty of retrieving memories is associated with various factors, such as how often the event was experienced or remembered, but it is unclear how the cholinergic system plays a role in the retrieval of memory formed by a daily routine (accumulated experience). To investigate this point, we trained rats moderately (for a week) or extensively (for a month) to detect a visual cue in a two-alternative forced-choice task. First, we confirmed the well-established memory in the extensively trained group was more resistant to the retrieval problem than recently acquired memory in the moderately trained group. Next, we tested the effect of a cholinesterase inhibitor, donepezil, on the retrieval of memory after a long no-task period in extensively trained rats. Pre-administration of donepezil improved performance and reduced the latency of task initiation compared to the saline-treated group. Finally, we lesioned cholinergic neurons of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM), which project to the entire neocortex, by injecting the cholinergic toxin 192 IgG-saporin. NBM-lesioned rats showed severely impaired task initiation and performance. These abilities recovered as the trials progressed, though they never reached the level observed in rats with intact NBM. These results suggest that acetylcholine released from the NBM contributes to the retrieval of well-established memory developed by a daily routine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Soma
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan; Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Molecular Cell Physiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.
| | - Naofumi Suematsu
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan; Center for Sciences Towards Symbiosis Among Human, Machine and Data, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto 603-8555, Japan
| | - Akinori Y Sato
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan; Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tsunoda
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Allen Bramian
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Anish Reddy
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Koki Takabatake
- College of Arts & Sciences, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Fuyuki Karube
- Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto 619-0225, Japan; Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Fumino Fujiyama
- Graduate School of Brain Science, Doshisha University, Kyoto 619-0225, Japan; Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Satoshi Shimegi
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan; Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan.
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Lockhofen DEL, Mulert C. Neurochemistry of Visual Attention. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:643597. [PMID: 34025339 PMCID: PMC8133366 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.643597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual attention is the cognitive process that mediates the selection of important information from the environment. This selection is usually controlled by bottom-up and top-down attentional biasing. Since for most humans vision is the dominant sense, visual attention is critically important for higher-order cognitive functions and related deficits are a core symptom of many neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. Here, we summarize the importance and relative contributions of different neuromodulators and neurotransmitters to the neural mechanisms of top-down and bottom-up attentional control. We will not only review the roles of widely accepted neuromodulators, such as acetylcholine, dopamine and noradrenaline, but also the contributions of other modulatory substances. In doing so, we hope to shed some light on the current understanding of the role of neurochemistry in shaping neuron properties contributing to the allocation of attention in the visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christoph Mulert
- Center for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Justus-Liebig University, Hessen, Germany
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10
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Fernandes TP, Almeida NL, Silva GM, Santos NA. Nicotine gum enhances visual processing in healthy nonsmokers. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:2593-2605. [PMID: 33675460 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-021-00461-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The main purpose of this study was to investigate the isolated effects of nicotine on visual processing, namely contrast processing. METHODS Thirteen participants, aged 18-40 years, were enrolled in this double blind, randomized and pilot controlled trial involving nicotine gum administration (placebo, 2-mg and 4-mg doses). The participants' instruction was to detect the location of vertical gratings (0.2; 1.0; 3.3; 5.7; 8.8; 13.2 and 15.9 cycles per degree) when it was presented either left or right on the monitor screen. A repeated multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to analyse the results for the visual processing tasks. Bayesian analyses were also carried out considering maximum robustness to avoid bias. RESULTS The findings that nicotine gum administration resulted in better contrast discrimination when compared to placebo gum (p < .001). More specifically, the 4-mg resulted in better visual sensitivity when compared to the 2-mg (p < .01) and the placebo (p < .001) gum. Demographic data were not related to the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS These data bring the need for support the findings. If proved, it is possible that nicotine, in small doses, can have a potential therapeutic use for those populations with low vision. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER RBR-46tjy3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago P Fernandes
- Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil. .,Perception, Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil.
| | - Natalia L Almeida
- Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil. .,Perception, Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil.
| | - Gabriella M Silva
- Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil.,Perception, Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Natanael A Santos
- Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil.,Perception, Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
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11
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Pettine WW, Louie K, Murray JD, Wang XJ. Excitatory-inhibitory tone shapes decision strategies in a hierarchical neural network model of multi-attribute choice. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008791. [PMID: 33705386 PMCID: PMC7987200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We are constantly faced with decisions between alternatives defined by multiple attributes, necessitating an evaluation and integration of different information sources. Time-varying signals in multiple brain areas are implicated in decision-making; but we lack a rigorous biophysical description of how basic circuit properties, such as excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) tone and cascading nonlinearities, shape attribute processing and choice behavior. Furthermore, how such properties govern choice performance under varying levels of environmental uncertainty is unknown. We investigated two-attribute, two-alternative decision-making in a dynamical, cascading nonlinear neural network with three layers: an input layer encoding choice alternative attribute values; an intermediate layer of modules processing separate attributes; and a final layer producing the decision. Depending on intermediate layer E/I tone, the network displays distinct regimes characterized by linear (I), convex (II) or concave (III) choice indifference curves. In regimes I and II, each option's attribute information is additively integrated. In regime III, time-varying nonlinear operations amplify the separation between offer distributions by selectively attending to the attribute with the larger differences in input values. At low environmental uncertainty, a linear combination most consistently selects higher valued alternatives. However, at high environmental uncertainty, regime III is more likely than a linear operation to select alternatives with higher value. Furthermore, there are conditions where readout from the intermediate layer could be experimentally indistinguishable from the final layer. Finally, these principles are used to examine multi-attribute decisions in systems with reduced inhibitory tone, leading to predictions of different choice patterns and overall performance between those with restrictions on inhibitory tone and neurotypicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren Woodrich Pettine
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States of America
| | - Kenway Louie
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States of America
| | - John D. Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States of America
| | - Xiao-Jing Wang
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, United States of America
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12
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Levi DM, Li RW, Silver MA, Chung STL. Sequential perceptual learning of letter identification and "uncrowding" in normal peripheral vision: Effects of task, training order, and cholinergic enhancement. J Vis 2021; 20:24. [PMID: 32347910 PMCID: PMC7405719 DOI: 10.1167/jov.20.4.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Human adults with normal vision are capable of improving performance on visual tasks through repeated practice. Previous work has shown that enhancing synaptic levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in healthy human adults with donepezil (trade name: Aricept) can increase the magnitude and specificity of perceptual learning (PL) for motion direction discrimination in the perifovea. In the current study, we ask whether increasing the synaptic levels of ACh in healthy human adults with donepezil boosts learning of low-contrast isolated letter identification and high-contrast flanked letter identification in normal peripheral vision. Two groups of observers performed sequential training over multiple days while ingesting donepezil. One group trained on isolated low-contrast letters in Phase 1 and crowded high-contrast letters in Phase 2, and the other group performed the reverse sequence, thereby enabling us to differentiate possible effects of drug and training order on PL of letter identification. All testing and training were performed monocularly in peripheral vision, at an eccentricity of 10 degrees along the lower vertical meridian. Our experimental design allowed us to evaluate the effects of sequential training and to ask whether increasing cholinergic signaling boosted learning and/or transfer of low-contrast isolated letter identification and high-contrast flanked letter identification in normal peripheral vision. We found that both groups improved on each of the two tasks. However, our results revealed an effect of training task order on flanked letter identification: Observers who trained on isolated targets first showed rapid early improvement in flanked letter identification but little to no additional improvement after 30 training blocks, while observers who first trained with flanked letters improved gradually on flanked letter identification over the entire 100-block course of training. In addition, we found no effect of donepezil on PL of either isolated or flanked letter identification. In other words, donepezil neither boosted nor blocked learning to identify isolated low-contrast letters or learning to uncrowd in normal peripheral vision.
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Abstract
Recent work has transformed our ideas about the neural mechanisms, behavioral consequences and effective therapies for amblyopia. Since the 1700's, the clinical treatment for amblyopia has consisted of patching or penalizing the strong eye, to force the "lazy" amblyopic eye, to work. This treatment has generally been limited to infants and young children during a sensitive period of development. Over the last 20 years we have learned much about the nature and neural mechanisms underlying the loss of spatial and binocular vision in amblyopia, and that a degree of neural plasticity persists well beyond the sensitive period. Importantly, the last decade has seen a resurgence of research into new approaches to the treatment of amblyopia both in children and adults, which emphasize that monocular therapies may not be the most effective for the fundamentally binocular disorder that is amblyopia. These approaches include perceptual learning, video game play and binocular methods aimed at reducing inhibition of the amblyopic eye by the strong fellow eye, and enhancing binocular fusion and stereopsis. This review focuses on the what we've learned over the past 20 years or so, and will highlight both the successes of these new treatment approaches in labs around the world, and their failures in clinical trials. Reconciling these results raises important new questions that may help to focus future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis M Levi
- University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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14
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Barron HC, Auksztulewicz R, Friston K. Prediction and memory: A predictive coding account. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 192:101821. [PMID: 32446883 PMCID: PMC7305946 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus is crucial for episodic memory, but it is also involved in online prediction. Evidence suggests that a unitary hippocampal code underlies both episodic memory and predictive processing, yet within a predictive coding framework the hippocampal-neocortical interactions that accompany these two phenomena are distinct and opposing. Namely, during episodic recall, the hippocampus is thought to exert an excitatory influence on the neocortex, to reinstate activity patterns across cortical circuits. This contrasts with empirical and theoretical work on predictive processing, where descending predictions suppress prediction errors to 'explain away' ascending inputs via cortical inhibition. In this hypothesis piece, we attempt to dissolve this previously overlooked dialectic. We consider how the hippocampus may facilitate both prediction and memory, respectively, by inhibiting neocortical prediction errors or increasing their gain. We propose that these distinct processing modes depend upon the neuromodulatory gain (or precision) ascribed to prediction error units. Within this framework, memory recall is cast as arising from fictive prediction errors that furnish training signals to optimise generative models of the world, in the absence of sensory data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen C Barron
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TH, UK; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, FMRIB, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
| | - Ryszard Auksztulewicz
- Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt Am Main, 60322, Germany; Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Karl Friston
- The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
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15
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Vaucher E, Laliberté G, Higgins MC, Maheux M, Jolicoeur P, Chamoun M. Cholinergic potentiation of visual perception and vision restoration in rodents and humans. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2020; 37:553-569. [PMID: 31839615 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-190947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cholinergic system is a potent neuromodulator system that plays a critical role in cortical plasticity, attention, and learning. Recently, it was found that boosting this system during perceptual learning robustly enhances sensory perception in rodents. In particular, pairing cholinergic activation with visual stimulation increases neuronal responses, cue detection ability, and long-term facilitation in the primary visual cortex. The mechanisms of cholinergic enhancement are closely linked to attentional processes, long-term potentiation, and modulation of the excitatory/inhibitory balance. Some studies currently examine this effect in humans. OBJECTIVE The present article reviews the research from our laboratory, examining whether potentiating the central cholinergic system could help visual perception and restoration. METHODS Electrophysiological or pharmacological enhancement of the cholinergic system are administered during a visual training. Electrophysiological responses and perceptual learning performance are investigated before and after the training in rats and humans. This approach's ability to restore visual capacities following a visual deficit induced by a partial optic nerve crush is also investigated in rats. RESULTS The coupling of visual training to cholinergic stimulation improved visual discrimination and visual acuity in rats, and improved residual vision after a deficit. These changes were due to muscarinic and nicotinic transmissions and were associated with a functional improvement of evoked potentials. In humans, potentiation of cholinergic transmission with 5 mg of donepezil showed improved learning and ocular dominance plasticity, although this treatment was ineffective in augmenting the perceptual threshold and electroencephalography. CONCLUSIONS Potential therapeutic outcomes ought to facilitate vision restoration using commercially available cholinergic agents combined with visual stimulation in order to prevent irreversible vision loss in patients. This approach has the potential to help a large population of visually impaired individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.,Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Guillaume Laliberté
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Marie-Charlotte Higgins
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Manon Maheux
- Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada.,Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Pierre Jolicoeur
- Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC), Montréal, Québec, Canada.,Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Byrne KN, McDevitt EA, Sheremata SL, Peters MW, Mednick SC, Silver MA. Transient cholinergic enhancement does not significantly affect either the magnitude or selectivity of perceptual learning of visual texture discrimination. J Vis 2020; 20:5. [PMID: 32511666 PMCID: PMC7416900 DOI: 10.1167/jov.20.6.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceptual learning (PL), often characterized by improvements in perceptual performance with training that are specific to the stimulus conditions used during training, exemplifies experience-dependent cortical plasticity. An improved understanding of how neuromodulatory systems shape PL promises to provide new insights into the mechanisms of plasticity, and by extension how PL can be generated and applied most efficiently. Previous studies have reported enhanced PL in human subjects following administration of drugs that increase signaling through acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, and physiological evidence indicates that ACh sharpens neuronal selectivity, suggesting that this neuromodulator supports PL and its stimulus specificity. Here we explored the effects of enhancing endogenous cholinergic signaling during PL of a visual texture discrimination task. We found that training on this task in the lower visual field yielded significant behavioral improvement at the trained location. However, a single dose of the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil, administered before training, did not significantly impact either the magnitude or the location specificity of texture discrimination learning compared with placebo. We discuss potential explanations for discrepant findings in the literature regarding the role of ACh in visual PL, including possible differences in plasticity mechanisms in the dorsal and ventral cortical processing streams.
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17
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Cholinergic Modulation of Binocular Vision. J Neurosci 2020; 40:5208-5213. [PMID: 32457075 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2484-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The endogenous neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is known to affect the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance of primate visual cortex, enhancing feedforward thalamocortical gain while suppressing corticocortical synapses. Recent advances in the study of the human visual system suggest that ACh is a likely component underlying interocular interactions. However, our understanding of its precise role in binocular processes is currently lacking. Here we use binocular rivalry as a probe of interocular dynamics to determine ACh's effects, via the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) donepezil, on the binocular visual system. A total of 23 subjects (13 male) completed two crossover experimental sessions where binocular rivalry measurements were obtained before and after taking either donepezil (5 mg) or a placebo (lactose) pill. We report that enhanced cholinergic potentiation attenuates perceptual suppression during binocular rivalry, reducing the overall rate of interocular competition while enhancing the visibility of superimposition mixed percepts. Considering recent evidence that perceptual suppression during binocular rivalry is causally modulated by the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, our results suggest that cholinergic activity counteracts the effect of GABA with regards to interocular dynamics and may modulate the inhibitory drive within the visual cortex.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our research demonstrates that the cholinergic system is implicated in modulating binocular interactions in the human visual cortex. Potentiating the transmission of acetylcholine (ACh) via the cholinergic drug donepezil reduces the extent to which the eyes compete for perceptual dominance when presented two separate, incongruent images.
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18
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Hong SZ, Huang S, Severin D, Kirkwood A. Pull-push neuromodulation of cortical plasticity enables rapid bi-directional shifts in ocular dominance. eLife 2020; 9:e54455. [PMID: 32432545 PMCID: PMC7239653 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulatory systems are essential for remodeling glutamatergic connectivity during experience-dependent cortical plasticity. This permissive/enabling function of neuromodulators has been associated with their capacity to facilitate the induction of Hebbian forms of long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) by affecting cellular and network excitability. In vitro studies indicate that neuromodulators also affect the expression of Hebbian plasticity in a pull-push manner: receptors coupled to the G-protein Gs promote the expression of LTP at the expense of LTD, and Gq-coupled receptors promote LTD at the expense of LTP. Here we show that pull-push mechanisms can be recruited in vivo by pairing brief monocular stimulation with pharmacological or chemogenetical activation of Gs- or Gq-coupled receptors to respectively enhance or reduce neuronal responses in primary visual cortex. These changes were stable, inducible in adults after the termination of the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity, and can rescue deficits induced by prolonged monocular deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su Z Hong
- Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Shiyong Huang
- Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Daniel Severin
- Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Alfredo Kirkwood
- Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
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19
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Ji X, Yuan D, Wei H, Cheng Y, Wang X, Yang J, Hu P, Gestrich JY, Liu L, Zhu Y. Differentiation of Theta Visual Motion from Fourier Motion Requires LC16 and R18C12 Neurons in Drosophila. iScience 2020; 23:101041. [PMID: 32325414 PMCID: PMC7176990 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals perceive features of higher-order visual motion that are beyond the spatiotemporal correlations of luminance defined in first-order motion. Although the neural mechanisms of first-order motion detection have become understood in recent years, those underlying higher-order motion perception remain unclear. Here, we established a paradigm to assess the detection of theta motion—a type of higher-order motion—in freely walking Drosophila. Behavioral screening using this paradigm identified two clusters of neurons in the central brain, designated as R18C12, which were required for perception of theta motion but not for first-order motion. Furthermore, theta motion-activated R18C12 neurons were structurally and functionally located downstream of visual projection neurons in lobula, lobula columnar cells LC16, which activated R18C12 neurons via interactions of acetylcholine (ACh) and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). The current study provides new insights into LC neurons and the neuronal mechanisms underlying visual information processing in complex natural scenes. Perception of theta motion requires LC16 and R18C12 neurons R18C12 neurons are activated by theta motion R18C12 neurons form synaptic connections with LC16 neurons LC16 neurons activate R18C12 neurons through ACh acting on mAChR
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiao Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Deliang Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Hongying Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Yaxin Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Xinwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Jihua Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Pengbo Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Julia Yvonne Gestrich
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Li Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China; CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Beijing 100101, P. R. China.
| | - Yan Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P. R. China; College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
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20
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Henschke JU, Dylda E, Katsanevaki D, Dupuy N, Currie SP, Amvrosiadis T, Pakan JMP, Rochefort NL. Reward Association Enhances Stimulus-Specific Representations in Primary Visual Cortex. Curr Biol 2020; 30:1866-1880.e5. [PMID: 32243857 PMCID: PMC7237886 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The potential for neuronal representations of external stimuli to be modified by previous experience is critical for efficient sensory processing and improved behavioral outcomes. To investigate how repeated exposure to a visual stimulus affects its representation in mouse primary visual cortex (V1), we performed two-photon calcium imaging of layer 2/3 neurons and assessed responses before, during, and after the presentation of a repetitive stimulus over 5 consecutive days. We found a stimulus-specific enhancement of the neuronal representation of the repetitively presented stimulus when it was associated with a reward. This was observed both after mice actively learned a rewarded task and when the reward was randomly received. Stimulus-specific enhanced representation resulted both from neurons gaining selectivity and from increased response reliability in previously selective neurons. In the absence of reward, there was either no change in stimulus representation or a decreased representation when the stimulus was viewed at a fixed temporal frequency. Pairing a second stimulus with a reward led to a similar enhanced representation and increased discriminability between the equally rewarded stimuli. Single-neuron responses showed that separate subpopulations discriminated between the two rewarded stimuli depending on whether the stimuli were displayed in a virtual environment or viewed on a single screen. We suggest that reward-associated responses enable the generalization of enhanced stimulus representation across these V1 subpopulations. We propose that this dynamic regulation of visual processing based on the behavioral relevance of sensory input ultimately enhances and stabilizes the representation of task-relevant features while suppressing responses to non-relevant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia U Henschke
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg 39120, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Evelyn Dylda
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Danai Katsanevaki
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Nathalie Dupuy
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Stephen P Currie
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Theoklitos Amvrosiadis
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Janelle M P Pakan
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg 39120, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg 39120, Germany.
| | - Nathalie L Rochefort
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, UK; Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK.
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21
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Fleming G, Wright BA, Wilson DA. The Value of Homework: Exposure to Odors in the Home Cage Enhances Odor-Discrimination Learning in Mice. Chem Senses 2020; 44:135-143. [PMID: 30590399 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceptual learning is an enhancement in discriminability of similar stimuli following experience with those stimuli. Here, we examined the efficacy of adding additional active training following a standard training session, compared with additional stimulus exposure in the absence of associated task performance. Mice were trained daily in an odor-discrimination task, and then, several hours later each day, received 1 of 3 different manipulations: 1) a second active-training session, 2) non-task-related odor exposure in the home cage, or 3) no second session. For home-cage exposure, odorants were presented in small tubes that mice could sniff and investigate for a similar period of time as in the active discrimination task each day. The results demonstrate that daily home-cage exposure was equivalent to active odor training in supporting improved odor discrimination. Daily home-cage exposure to odorants that did not match those used in the active task did not improve learning, yielding outcomes similar to those obtained with no second session. Piriform cortical local field potential recordings revealed that both sampling in the active learning task and investigation in the home cage evoked similar beta band oscillatory activity. Together the results suggest that odor-discrimination learning can be significantly enhanced by addition of odor exposure outside of the active training task, potentially because of the robust activity evoked in the olfactory system by both exposure paradigms. They further suggest that odorant exposure alone could enhance or maintain odor-discrimination abilities in conditions associated with olfactory impairment, such as aging or dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Fleming
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Beverly A Wright
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Donald A Wilson
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York Langone School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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22
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Audio-visual experience strengthens multisensory assemblies in adult mouse visual cortex. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5684. [PMID: 31831751 PMCID: PMC6908602 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13607-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
We experience the world through multiple senses simultaneously. To better understand mechanisms of multisensory processing we ask whether inputs from two senses (auditory and visual) can interact and drive plasticity in neural-circuits of the primary visual cortex (V1). Using genetically-encoded voltage and calcium indicators, we find coincident audio-visual experience modifies both the supra and subthreshold response properties of neurons in L2/3 of mouse V1. Specifically, we find that after audio-visual pairing, a subset of multimodal neurons develops enhanced auditory responses to the paired auditory stimulus. This cross-modal plasticity persists over days and is reflected in the strengthening of small functional networks of L2/3 neurons. We find V1 processes coincident auditory and visual events by strengthening functional associations between feature specific assemblies of multimodal neurons during bouts of sensory driven co-activity, leaving a trace of multisensory experience in the cortical network.
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23
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Faiq MA, Wollstein G, Schuman JS, Chan KC. Cholinergic nervous system and glaucoma: From basic science to clinical applications. Prog Retin Eye Res 2019; 72:100767. [PMID: 31242454 PMCID: PMC6739176 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The cholinergic system has a crucial role to play in visual function. Although cholinergic drugs have been a focus of attention as glaucoma medications for reducing eye pressure, little is known about the potential modality for neuronal survival and/or enhancement in visual impairments. Citicoline, a naturally occurring compound and FDA approved dietary supplement, is a nootropic agent that is recently demonstrated to be effective in ameliorating ischemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular diseases, memory disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in both humans and animal models. The mechanisms of its action appear to be multifarious including (i) preservation of cardiolipin, sphingomyelin, and arachidonic acid contents of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, (ii) restoration of phosphatidylcholine, (iii) stimulation of glutathione synthesis, (iv) lowering glutamate concentrations and preventing glutamate excitotoxicity, (v) rescuing mitochondrial function thereby preventing oxidative damage and onset of neuronal apoptosis, (vi) synthesis of myelin leading to improvement in neuronal membrane integrity, (vii) improving acetylcholine synthesis and thereby reducing the effects of mental stress and (viii) preventing endothelial dysfunction. Such effects have vouched for citicoline as a neuroprotective, neurorestorative and neuroregenerative agent. Retinal ganglion cells are neurons with long myelinated axons which provide a strong rationale for citicoline use in visual pathway disorders. Since glaucoma is a form of neurodegeneration involving retinal ganglion cells, citicoline may help ameliorate glaucomatous damages in multiple facets. Additionally, trans-synaptic degeneration has been identified in humans and experimental models of glaucoma suggesting the cholinergic system as a new brain target for glaucoma management and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muneeb A Faiq
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Gadi Wollstein
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joel S Schuman
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kevin C Chan
- Department of Ophthalmology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States; Department of Radiology, New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, United States; Center for Neural Science, Faculty of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States.
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24
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Kunchulia M, Kotaria N, Pilz K, Kotorashvili A, Herzog MH. Associations between genetic variations and global motion perception. Exp Brain Res 2019; 237:2729-2734. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05627-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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25
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Boosting Learning Efficacy with Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Intact and Brain-Damaged Humans. J Neurosci 2019; 39:5551-5561. [PMID: 31133558 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3248-18.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous behavioral studies have shown that visual function can improve with training, although perceptual refinements generally require weeks to months of training to attain. This, along with questions about long-term retention of learning, limits practical and clinical applications of many such paradigms. Here, we show for the first time in female and male human participants that just 10 d of visual training coupled with transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over visual areas causes dramatic improvements in visual motion perception. Relative to control conditions and anodal stimulation, tRNS-enhanced learning was at least twice as fast, and, crucially, it persisted for 6 months after the end of training and stimulation. Notably, tRNS also boosted learning in patients with chronic cortical blindness, leading to recovery of motion processing in the blind field after just 10 d of training, a period too short to elicit enhancements with training alone. In sum, our results reveal a remarkable enhancement of the capacity for long-lasting plastic and restorative changes when a neuromodulatory intervention is coupled with visual training.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our work demonstrates that visual training coupled with brain stimulation can dramatically reduce the training period from months to weeks, and lead to fast improvement in neurotypical subjects and chronic cortically blind patients, indicating the potential of our procedure to help restore damaged visual abilities for currently untreatable visual dysfunctions. Together, these results indicate the critical role of early visual areas in perceptual learning and reveal its capacity for long-lasting plastic changes promoted by neuromodulatory intervention.
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Klaassens BL, van Gerven JMA, Klaassen ES, van der Grond J, Rombouts SARB. Cholinergic and serotonergic modulation of resting state functional brain connectivity in Alzheimer's disease. Neuroimage 2019; 199:143-152. [PMID: 31112788 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Disruption of cholinergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems is associated with cognitive, emotional and behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate the responsiveness of these systems in AD we measured the effects of a single-dose of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galantamine in 12 patients with AD and 12 age-matched controls on functional brain connectivity with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. In this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, functional magnetic resonance images were repeatedly obtained before and after dosing, resulting in a dataset of 432 scans. Connectivity maps of ten functional networks were extracted using a dual regression method and drug vs. placebo effects were compared between groups with a multivariate analysis with signals coming from cerebrospinal fluid and white matter as covariates at the subject level, and baseline and heart rate measurements as confound regressors in the higher-level analysis (at p < 0.05, corrected). A galantamine induced difference between groups was observed for the cerebellar network. Connectivity within the cerebellar network and between this network and the thalamus decreased after galantamine vs. placebo in AD patients, but not in controls. For citalopram, voxelwise network connectivity did not show significant group × treatment interaction effects. However, we found default mode network connectivity with the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex to be increased in AD patients, which could not be detected within the control group. Further, in contrast to the AD patients, control subjects showed a consistent reduction in mean connectivity with all networks after administration of citalopram. Since AD has previously been characterized by reduced connectivity between the default mode network and the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex, the effects of citalopram on the default mode network suggest a restoring potential of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in AD. The results of this study also confirm a change in cerebellar connections in AD, which is possibly related to cholinergic decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadet L Klaassens
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands; Centre for Human Drug Research, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | | | | | - Jeroen van der Grond
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Serge A R B Rombouts
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Leiden, the Netherlands; Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
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27
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Cui ED, Strowbridge BW. Selective attenuation of Ether-a-go-go related K + currents by endogenous acetylcholine reduces spike-frequency adaptation and network correlation. eLife 2019; 8:44954. [PMID: 31032798 PMCID: PMC6488300 DOI: 10.7554/elife.44954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Most neurons do not simply convert inputs into firing rates. Instead, moment-to-moment firing rates reflect interactions between synaptic inputs and intrinsic currents. Few studies investigated how intrinsic currents function together to modulate output discharges and which of the currents attenuated by synthetic cholinergic ligands are actually modulated by endogenous acetylcholine (ACh). In this study we optogenetically stimulated cholinergic fibers in rat neocortex and find that ACh enhances excitability by reducing Ether-à-go-go Related Gene (ERG) K+ current. We find ERG mediates the late phase of spike-frequency adaptation in pyramidal cells and is recruited later than both SK and M currents. Attenuation of ERG during coincident depolarization and ACh release leads to reduced late phase spike-frequency adaptation and persistent firing. In neuronal ensembles, attenuating ERG enhanced signal-to-noise ratios and reduced signal correlation, suggesting that these two hallmarks of cholinergic function in vivo may result from modulation of intrinsic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward D Cui
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States
| | - Ben W Strowbridge
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States
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Sheynin Y, Chamoun M, Baldwin AS, Rosa-Neto P, Hess RF, Vaucher E. Cholinergic Potentiation Alters Perceptual Eye Dominance Plasticity Induced by a Few Hours of Monocular Patching in Adults. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:22. [PMID: 30766471 PMCID: PMC6365463 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A few hours of monocular deprivation with a diffuser eye patch temporarily strengthens the contribution of the deprived eye to binocular vision. This shift in favor of the deprived eye is characterized as a form of adult visual plasticity. Studies in animal and human models suggest that neuromodulators can enhance adult brain plasticity in general. Specifically, acetylcholine has been shown to improve certain aspects of visual function and plasticity in adulthood. We investigated whether a single administration of donepezil (a cholinesterase inhibitor) could further augment the temporary shift in perceptual eye dominance that occurs after 2 h of monocular patching. Twelve healthy adults completed two experimental sessions while taking either donepezil (5 mg, oral) or a placebo (lactose) pill. We measured perceptual eye dominance using a binocular phase combination task before and after 2 h of monocular deprivation with a diffuser eye patch. Participants in both groups demonstrated a significant shift in favor of the patched eye after monocular deprivation, however our results indicate that donepezil significantly reduces the magnitude and duration of the shift. We also investigated the possibility that donepezil reduces the amount of time needed to observe a shift in perceptual eye dominance relative to placebo control. For this experiment, seven subjects completed two sessions where we reduced the duration of deprivation to 1 h. Donepezil reduces the magnitude and duration of the patching-induced shift in perceptual eye dominance in this experiment as well. To verify whether the effects we observed using the binocular phase combination task were also observable in a different measure of sensory eye dominance, six subjects completed an identical experiment using a binocular rivalry task. These results also indicate that cholinergic enhancement impedes the shift that results from short-term deprivation. In summary, our study demonstrates that enhanced cholinergic potentiation interferes with the consolidation of the perceptual eye dominance plasticity induced by several hours of monocular deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasha Sheynin
- McGill Vision Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Alex S Baldwin
- McGill Vision Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Robert F Hess
- McGill Vision Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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29
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Kim GH, Kim HG, Jeon CJ. Immunocytochemical Localization of Choline Acetyltransferase in the Microbat Visual Cortex. Acta Histochem Cytochem 2018; 51:153-165. [PMID: 30510329 PMCID: PMC6261840 DOI: 10.1267/ahc.18018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the organization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-immunoreactive (IR) fibers in the visual cortex of the microbat, using standard immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. ChAT-IR fibers were distributed throughout all layers of the visual cortex, with the highest density in layer III and the lowest density in layer I. However, no ChAT-IR cells were found in the microbat visual cortex. ChAT-IR fibers were classified into two types: small and large varicose fibers. Previously identified sources of cholinergic fibers in the mammalian visual cortex, the nucleus of the diagonal band, the substantia innominata, and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis, all contained strongly labeled ChAT-IR cells in the microbat. The average diameter of ChAT-IR cells in the nucleus of the diagonal band, the substantia innominata, and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis was 16.12 μm, 13.37 μm, and 13.90 μm, respectively. Our double-labeling study with ChAT and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and triple labeling with ChAT, GABA, and post synaptic density 95 (PSD-95), suggest that some ChAT-IR fibers make contact with GABAergic cells in the microbat visual cortex. Our results should provide a better understanding of the nocturnal bat visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gil-Hyun Kim
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University
| | - Hang-Gu Kim
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University
| | - Chang-Jin Jeon
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University
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30
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Groleau M, Chamoun M, Vaucher E. Stimulation of Acetylcholine Release and Pharmacological Potentiation of Cholinergic Transmission Affect Cholinergic Receptor Expression Differently during Visual Conditioning. Neuroscience 2018; 386:79-90. [PMID: 29958942 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cholinergic stimulation coupled with visual conditioning enhances the visual acuity and cortical responses in the primary visual cortex. To determine which cholinergic receptors are involved in these processes, qRT-PCR was used. Two modes of cholinergic enhancement were tested: a phasic increase of acetylcholine release by an electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain cholinergic nucleus projecting to the visual cortex, or a tonic pharmacological potentiation of the cholinergic transmission by the acetylcholine esterase inhibitor, donepezil. A daily visual exposure to sine-wave gratings (training) was paired with the cholinergic enhancement, up to 14 days. qRT-PCR was performed at rest, 10 min, one week or two weeks of visual/cholinergic training with samples of the visual and somatosensory cortices, and the BF for determining mRNA expression of muscarinic receptor subtypes (m1, m2, m3, m4, m5), nicotinic receptor subunits (α3, α4, α7, β2, β4), and NMDA receptors, GAD65 and ChAT, as indexes of cortical plasticity. A Kruskal-Wallis test showed a modulation of the expression in the visual cortex of m2, m3, m4, m5, α7, β4, NMDA and GAD65, but only β4 within the basal forebrain and none of these mRNA within the somatosensory cortex. The two modes of cholinergic enhancement induced different effects on mRNA expression, related to the number of visual conditioning sessions and receptor specificity. This study suggests that the combination of cholinergic enhancement and visual conditioning is specific to the visual cortex and varies between phasic or tonic manipulation of acetylcholine levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Groleau
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
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31
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Oscillatory Encoding of Visual Stimulus Familiarity. J Neurosci 2018; 38:6223-6240. [PMID: 29915138 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3646-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Revised: 06/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Familiarity of the environment changes the way we perceive and encode incoming information. However, the neural substrates underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. Here we describe a new form of experience-dependent low-frequency oscillations in the primary visual cortex (V1) of awake adult male mice. The oscillations emerged in visually evoked potentials and single-unit activity following repeated visual stimulation. The oscillations were sensitive to the spatial frequency content of a visual stimulus and required the mAChRs for their induction and expression. Finally, ongoing visually evoked θ (4-8 Hz) oscillations boost the visually evoked potential amplitude of incoming visual stimuli if the stimuli are presented at the high excitability phase of the oscillations. Our results demonstrate that an oscillatory code can be used to encode familiarity and serves as a gate for oncoming sensory inputs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Previous experience can influence the processing of incoming sensory information by the brain and alter perception. However, the mechanistic understanding of how this process takes place is lacking. We have discovered that persistent low-frequency oscillations in the primary visual cortex encode information about familiarity and the spatial frequency of the stimulus. These familiarity evoked oscillations influence neuronal responses to the oncoming stimuli in a way that depends on the oscillation phase. Our work demonstrates a new mechanism of visual stimulus feature detection and learning.
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32
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Duncan KD, Schlichting ML. Hippocampal representations as a function of time, subregion, and brain state. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018. [PMID: 29535044 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
How does the hippocampus represent interrelated experiences in memory? We review prominent yet seemingly contradictory theoretical perspectives, which propose that the hippocampus distorts experiential representations to either emphasize their distinctiveness or highlight common elements. These fundamentally different kinds of memory representations may be instantiated in the brain via conjunctive separated codes and adaptively differentiated codes on the one hand, or integrated relational codes on the other. After reviewing empirical support for these different coding schemes within the hippocampus, we outline two organizing principles which may explain the conflicting findings in the literature. First focusing on where the memories are formed and stored, we argue that distinct hippocampal regions represent experiences at multiple levels of abstraction and may transmit them to distinct cortical networks. Then focusing on when memories are formed, we identify several factors that can open and maintain specialized time windows, during which the very same hippocampal network is biased toward one coding scheme over the others. Specifically, we discuss evidence for (1) excitability-mediated integration windows, maintained by persistently elevated CREB levels following encoding of a specific memory, (2) fleeting cholinergically-mediated windows favoring memory separation, and (3) sustained dopaminergically-mediated windows favoring memory integration. By presenting a broad overview of different hippocampal coding schemes across species, we hope to inspire future empirical and modeling research to consider how factors surrounding memory formation shape the representations in which they are stored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine D Duncan
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada.
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33
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Huppé-Gourgues F, Jegouic K, Vaucher E. Topographic Organization of Cholinergic Innervation From the Basal Forebrain to the Visual Cortex in the Rat. Front Neural Circuits 2018; 12:19. [PMID: 29662442 PMCID: PMC5890115 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2018.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter for the regulation of visual attention, plasticity, and perceptual learning. It is released in the visual cortex predominantly by cholinergic projections from the basal forebrain, where stimulation may produce potentiation of visual processes. However, little is known about the fine organization of these corticopetal projections, such as whether basal forebrain neurons projecting to the primary and secondary visual cortical areas (V1 and V2, respectively) are organized retinotopically. The aim of this study was to map these basal forebrain-V1/V2 projections. Microinjections of the fluorescent retrograde tracer cholera toxin b fragment in different sites within V1 and V2 in Long–Evans rats were performed. Retrogradely labeled cell bodies in the horizontal and vertical limbs of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB and VDB, respectively), nucleus basalis magnocellularis, and substantia innominata (SI), were mapped ex vivo with a computer-assisted microscope stage controlled by stereological software. Choline acetyltranferase immunohistochemistry was used to identify cholinergic cells. Our results showed a predominance of cholinergic projections coming from the HDB. These projections were not retinotopically organized but projections to V1 arised from neurons located in the anterior HDB/SI whereas projections to V2 arised from neurons located throughout the whole extent of HDB/SI. The absence of a clear topography of these projections suggests that BF activation can stimulate visual cortices broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Huppé-Gourgues
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,École de Psychologie, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada
| | - Karim Jegouic
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Serotonergic and cholinergic modulation of functional brain connectivity: A comparison between young and older adults. Neuroimage 2017; 169:312-322. [PMID: 29258890 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is accompanied by changes in neurotransmission. To advance our understanding of how aging modifies specific neural circuitries, we examined serotonergic and cholinergic stimulation with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) in young and older adults. The instant response to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram (30 mg) and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galantamine (8 mg) was measured in 12 young and 17 older volunteers during a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. A powerful dataset consisting of 522 RS-fMRI scans was obtained by acquiring multiple scans per subject before and after drug administration. Group × treatment interaction effects on voxelwise connectivity with ten functional networks were investigated (p < .05, FWE-corrected) using a non-parametric multivariate analysis technique with cerebrospinal fluid, white matter, heart rate and baseline measurements as covariates. Both groups showed a decrease in sensorimotor network connectivity after citalopram administration. The comparable findings after citalopram intake are possibly due to relatively similar serotonergic systems in the young and older subjects. Galantamine altered connectivity between the occipital visual network and regions that are implicated in learning and memory in the young subjects. The lack of a cholinergic response in the elderly might relate to the well-known association between cognitive and cholinergic deterioration at older age.
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Cholinergic Potentiation of Restoration of Visual Function after Optic Nerve Damage in Rats. Neural Plast 2017; 2017:6928489. [PMID: 28928986 PMCID: PMC5592016 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6928489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancing cortical plasticity and brain connectivity may improve residual vision following a visual impairment. Since acetylcholine plays an important role in attention and neuronal plasticity, we explored whether potentiation of the cholinergic transmission has an effect on the visual function restoration. To this end, we evaluated for 4 weeks the effect of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil on brightness discrimination, visually evoked potentials, and visual cortex reactivity after a bilateral and partial optic nerve crush in adult rats. Donepezil administration enhanced brightness discrimination capacity after optic nerve crush compared to nontreated animals. The visually evoked activation of the primary visual cortex was not restored, as measured by evoked potentials, but the cortical neuronal activity measured by thallium autometallography was not significantly affected four weeks after the optic nerve crush. Altogether, the results suggest a role of the cholinergic system in postlesion cortical plasticity. This finding agrees with the view that restoration of visual function may involve mechanisms beyond the area of primary damage and opens a new perspective for improving visual rehabilitation in humans.
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36
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Thorn CA, Popiolek M, Stark E, Edgerton JR. Effects of M1 and M4 activation on excitatory synaptic transmission in CA1. Hippocampus 2017; 27:794-810. [PMID: 28422371 PMCID: PMC5573954 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Revised: 02/24/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Hippocampal networks are particularly susceptible to dysfunction in many neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, and schizophrenia. CA1, a major output region of the hippocampus, receives glutamatergic input from both hippocampal CA3 and entorhinal cortex, via the Schaffer collateral (SC) and temporoammonic (TA) pathways, respectively. SC and TA inputs to CA1 are thought to be differentially involved in the retrieval of previously stored memories versus the encoding of novel information, and switching between these two crucial hippocampal functions is thought to critically depend on acetylcholine (ACh) acting at muscarinic receptors. In this study, we aimed to determine the roles of specific subtypes of muscarinic receptors in mediating the neuromodulatory effects of ACh on glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the SC and TA pathways of CA1. Using selective pharmacological activation of M1 or M4 receptors along with extracellular and intracellular electrophysiology recordings from adult rat hippocampal slices, we demonstrate that activation of M1 receptors increases spontaneous spike rates of neuronal ensembles in CA1 and increases the intrinsic excitability of pyramidal neurons and interneurons. Selective activation of M4 receptors inhibits glutamate release in the SC pathway, while leaving synaptic transmission in the TA pathway comparatively intact. These results suggest specific mechanisms by which M1 and M4 activation may normalize CA1 circuit activity following disruptions of signaling that accompany neurodegenerative dementias or neuropsychiatric disorders. These findings are of particular interest in light of clinical findings that xanomeline, an M1/M4 preferring agonist, was able to improve cognitive and behavioral symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Popiolek
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research UnitCambridgeMassachusetts02139
| | - Eda Stark
- Pfizer Internal Medicine Research UnitCambridgeMassachusetts02139
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Chamoun M, Huppé-Gourgues F, Legault I, Rosa-Neto P, Dumbrava D, Faubert J, Vaucher E. Cholinergic Potentiation Improves Perceptual-Cognitive Training of Healthy Young Adults in Three Dimensional Multiple Object Tracking. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:128. [PMID: 28377707 PMCID: PMC5359296 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A large body of literature supports cognitive enhancement as an effect of cholinergic potentiation. However, it remains elusive whether pharmacological manipulations of cholinergic neurotransmission enhance complex visual processing in healthy individuals. To test this hypothesis, we randomly administered either the cholinergic transmission enhancer donepezil (DPZ; 5 mg P.O.) or placebo (lactose) to young adults (n = 17) 3 h before each session of the three-dimensional (3D) multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) task. This multi-focal attention task evaluates perceptual-cognitive learning over five sessions conducted 7 days apart. A significant amount of learning was observed in the DPZ group but not the placebo group in the fourth session. In the fifth session, this learning effect was observed in both groups. Furthermore, preliminary results for a subgroup of participants (n = 9) 4–14 months later suggested the cholinergic enhancement effect was long lasting. On the other hand, DPZ had no effect on basic visual processing as measured by a motion and orientation discrimination task performed as an independent one-time, pre-post drug study without placebo control (n = 10). The results support the construct that cholinergic enhancement facilitates the encoding of a highly demanding perceptual-cognitive task although there were no significant drug effects on the performance levels compared to placebo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira Chamoun
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Frédéric Huppé-Gourgues
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Isabelle Legault
- Laboratoire de Psychophysique et de Perception Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- McGill Centre for Studies in Aging Douglas Research Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Daniela Dumbrava
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences de la Vision, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Faubert
- Laboratoire de Psychophysique et de Perception Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
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38
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Aerobic Exercise Effects on Ocular Dominance Plasticity with a Phase Combination Task in Human Adults. Neural Plast 2017; 2017:4780876. [PMID: 28357142 PMCID: PMC5357532 DOI: 10.1155/2017/4780876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that short-term monocular patching can induce ocular dominance plasticity in normal adults, in which the patched eye becomes stronger in binocular viewing. There is a recent study showing that exercise enhances this plasticity effect when assessed with binocular rivalry. We address one question, is this enhancement from exercise a general effect such that it is seen for measures of binocular processing other than that revealed using binocular rivalry? Using a binocular phase combination task in which we directly measure each eye's contribution to the binocularly fused percept, we show no additional effect of exercise after short-term monocular occlusion and argue that the enhancement of ocular dominance plasticity from exercise could not be demonstrated with our approach.
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Locomotion Induces Stimulus-Specific Response Enhancement in Adult Visual Cortex. J Neurosci 2017; 37:3532-3543. [PMID: 28258167 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3760-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The responses of neurons in the visual cortex (V1) of adult mammals have long been thought to be stable over long periods. Here, we investigated whether repeated exposure to specific stimuli would enhance V1 visual responses in mice using intrinsic signal imaging through the intact skull and two-photon imaging of calcium signals in single neurons. Mice ran on Styrofoam balls floating on air while viewing one of three different, high-contrast visual stimuli. V1 responses to the stimuli that were viewed by the animal were specifically enhanced, while responses to other stimuli were unaffected. Similar exposure in stationary mice or in mice in which NMDA receptors were partially blocked did not significantly enhance responses. These findings indicate that stimulus-specific plasticity in the adult visual cortex depends on concurrent locomotion, presumably as a result of the high-gain state of the visual cortex induced by locomotion.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We report a rapid and persistent increase in visual cortical responses to visual stimuli presented during locomotion in intact mice. We first used a method that is completely noninvasive to image intrinsic signals through the intact skull. We then measured the same effects on single neurons using two-photon calcium imaging and found that the increase in response to a particular stimulus produced by locomotion depends on how well the neuron is initially driven by the stimulus. To our knowledge, this is the first time such enhancement has been described in single neurons or using noninvasive measurements.
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Amat-Foraster M, Leiser SC, Herrik KF, Richard N, Agerskov C, Bundgaard C, Bastlund JF, de Jong IE. The 5-HT6 receptor antagonist idalopirdine potentiates the effects of donepezil on gamma oscillations in the frontal cortex of anesthetized and awake rats without affecting sleep-wake architecture. Neuropharmacology 2017; 113:45-59. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 08/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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41
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Dose-dependent effect of donepezil administration on long-term enhancement of visually evoked potentials and cholinergic receptor overexpression in rat visual cortex. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:65-74. [PMID: 27913166 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Stimulation of the cholinergic system tightly coupled with periods of visual stimulation boosts the processing of specific visual stimuli via muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in terms of intensity, priority and long-term effect. However, it is not known whether more diffuse pharmacological stimulation with donepezil, a cholinesterase inhibitor, is an efficient tool for enhancing visual processing and perception. The goal of the present study was to potentiate cholinergic transmission with donepezil treatment (0.5 and 1mg/kg) during a 2-week visual training to examine the effect on visually evoked potentials and to profile the expression of cholinergic receptor subtypes. The visual training was performed daily, 10min a day, for 2weeks. One week after the last training session, visual evoked potentials were recorded, or the mRNA expression level of muscarinic (M1-5) and nicotinic (α/β) receptors subunits was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. The visual stimulation coupled with any of the two doses of donepezil produced significant amplitude enhancement of cortical evoked potentials compared to pre-training values. The enhancement induced by the 1mg/kg dose of donepezil was spread to neighboring spatial frequencies, suggesting a better sensitivity near the visual detection threshold. The M3, M4, M5 and α7 receptors mRNA were upregulated in the visual cortex for the higher dose of donepezil but not the lower one, and the receptors expression was stable in the somatosensory (non-visual control) cortex. Therefore, higher levels of acetylcholine within the cortex sustain the increased intensity of the cortical response and trigger the upregulation of cholinergic receptors.
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Sugihara H, Chen N, Sur M. Cell-specific modulation of plasticity and cortical state by cholinergic inputs to the visual cortex. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:37-43. [PMID: 27840211 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Revised: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) modulates diverse vital brain functions. Cholinergic neurons from the basal forebrain innervate a wide range of cortical areas, including the primary visual cortex (V1), and multiple cortical cell types have been found to be responsive to ACh. Here we review how different cell types contribute to different cortical functions modulated by ACh. We specifically focus on two major cortical functions: plasticity and cortical state. In layer II/III of V1, ACh acting on astrocytes and somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons plays critical roles in these functions. Cell type specificity of cholinergic modulation points towards the growing understanding that even diffuse neurotransmitter systems can mediate specific functions through specific cell classes and receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Sugihara
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Naiyan Chen
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Laboratory of Metabolic Medicine, Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, A(∗)STAR, Republic of Singapore
| | - Mriganka Sur
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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43
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Nicotinic regulation of experience-dependent plasticity in visual cortex. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:29-36. [PMID: 27840212 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2016] [Revised: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
While the cholinergic neuromodulatory system and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) have been appreciated as permissive factors for developmental critical period plasticity in visual cortex, it was unknown why plasticity becomes limited after the critical period even in the presence of massive cholinergic projections to visual cortex. In this review we highlighted the recent progresses that started to shed light on the role of the nicotinic cholinergic neuromodulatory signaling on limiting juvenile form of plasticity in the adult brain. We introduce the Lynx family of proteins and Lynx1 as its representative, as endogenous proteins structurally similar to α-bungarotoxin with the ability to bind and modulate nAChRs to effectively regulate functional and structural plasticity. Remarkably, Lynx family members are expressed in distinct subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons, placing them in unique positions to potentially regulate the convergence of GABAergic and nicotinic neuromodulatory systems to regulate plasticity. Continuing studies of the potentially differential roles of Lynx family of proteins may further our understanding of the fundamentals of molecular and cell type-specific mechanisms of plasticity that we may be able to harness through nicotinic cholinergic signaling.
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44
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Klaassens BL, Rombouts SARB, Winkler AM, van Gorsel HC, van der Grond J, van Gerven JMA. Time related effects on functional brain connectivity after serotonergic and cholinergic neuromodulation. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 38:308-325. [PMID: 27622387 PMCID: PMC5215384 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychopharmacological research, if properly designed, may offer insight into both timing and area of effect, increasing our understanding of the brain's neurotransmitter systems. For that purpose, the acute influence of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram (30 mg) and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galantamine (8 mg) was repeatedly measured in 12 healthy young volunteers with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS‐fMRI). Eighteen RS‐fMRI scans were acquired per subject during this randomized, double blind, placebo‐controlled, crossover study. Within‐group comparisons of voxelwise functional connectivity with 10 functional networks were examined (P < 0.05, FWE‐corrected) using a non‐parametric multivariate approach with cerebrospinal fluid, white matter, heart rate, and baseline measurements as covariates. Although both compounds did not change cognitive performance on several tests, significant effects were found on connectivity with multiple resting state networks. Serotonergic stimulation primarily reduced connectivity with the sensorimotor network and structures that are related to self‐referential mechanisms, whereas galantamine affected networks and regions that are more involved in learning, memory, and visual perception and processing. These results are consistent with the serotonergic and cholinergic trajectories and their functional relevance. In addition, this study demonstrates the power of using repeated measures after drug administration, which offers the chance to explore both combined and time specific effects. Hum Brain Mapp 38:308–325, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadet L Klaassens
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Centre for Human Drug Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Serge A R B Rombouts
- Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Anderson M Winkler
- Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Helene C van Gorsel
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Centre for Human Drug Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen van der Grond
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Shimegi S, Kimura A, Sato A, Aoyama C, Mizuyama R, Tsunoda K, Ueda F, Araki S, Goya R, Sato H. Cholinergic and serotonergic modulation of visual information processing in monkey V1. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 110:44-51. [PMID: 27619519 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The brain dynamically changes its input-output relationship depending on the behavioral state and context in order to optimize information processing. At the molecular level, cholinergic/monoaminergic transmitters have been extensively studied as key players for the state/context-dependent modulation of brain function. In this paper, we review how cortical visual information processing in the primary visual cortex (V1) of macaque monkey, which has a highly differentiated laminar structure, is optimized by serotonergic and cholinergic systems by examining anatomical and in vivo electrophysiological aspects to highlight their similarities and distinctions. We show that these two systems have a similar layer bias for axonal fiber innervation and receptor distribution. The common target sites are the geniculorecipient layers and geniculocortical fibers, where the appropriate gain control is established through a geniculocortical signal transformation. Both systems exert activity-dependent response gain control across layers, but in a manner consistent with the receptor subtype. The serotonergic receptors 5-HT1B and 5HT2A modulate the contrast-response curve in a manner consistent with bi-directional response gain control, where the sign (facilitation/suppression) is switched according to the firing rate and is complementary to the other. On the other hand, cholinergic nicotinic/muscarinic receptors exert mono-directional response gain control without a sign reversal. Nicotinic receptors increase the response magnitude in a multiplicative manner, while muscarinic receptors exert both suppressive and facilitative effects. We discuss the implications of the two neuromodulator systems in hierarchical visual signal processing in V1 on the basis of the developed laminar structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Shimegi
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan.
| | - Akihiro Kimura
- Department of Healthcare, Osaka Health Science University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Akinori Sato
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Chisa Aoyama
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Ryo Mizuyama
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Keisuke Tsunoda
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Fuyuki Ueda
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Sera Araki
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Ryoma Goya
- Graduate School of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka 814-0180, Japan
| | - Hiromichi Sato
- Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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Layer-specific cholinergic control of human and mouse cortical synaptic plasticity. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12826. [PMID: 27604129 PMCID: PMC5025530 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Individual cortical layers have distinct roles in information processing. All layers receive cholinergic inputs from the basal forebrain (BF), which is crucial for cognition. Acetylcholinergic receptors are differentially distributed across cortical layers, and recent evidence suggests that different populations of BF cholinergic neurons may target specific prefrontal cortical (PFC) layers, raising the question of whether cholinergic control of the PFC is layer dependent. Here we address this issue and reveal dendritic mechanisms by which endogenous cholinergic modulation of synaptic plasticity is opposite in superficial and deep layers of both mouse and human neocortex. Our results show that in different cortical layers, spike timing-dependent plasticity is oppositely regulated by the activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) either located on dendrites of principal neurons or on GABAergic interneurons. Thus, layer-specific nAChR expression allows functional layer-specific control of cortical processing and plasticity by the BF cholinergic system, which is evolutionarily conserved from mice to humans.
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Harrison TC, Pinto L, Brock JR, Dan Y. Calcium Imaging of Basal Forebrain Activity during Innate and Learned Behaviors. Front Neural Circuits 2016; 10:36. [PMID: 27242444 PMCID: PMC4863728 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2016.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The basal forebrain (BF) plays crucial roles in arousal, attention, and memory, and its impairment is associated with a variety of cognitive deficits. The BF consists of cholinergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurons. Electrical or optogenetic stimulation of BF cholinergic neurons enhances cortical processing and behavioral performance, but the natural activity of these cells during behavior is only beginning to be characterized. Even less is known about GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons. Here, we performed microendoscopic calcium imaging of BF neurons as mice engaged in spontaneous behaviors in their home cages (innate) or performed a go/no-go auditory discrimination task (learned). Cholinergic neurons were consistently excited during movement, including running and licking, but GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons exhibited diverse responses. All cell types were activated by overt punishment, either inside or outside of the discrimination task. These findings reveal functional similarities and distinctions between BF cell types during both spontaneous and task-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Harrison
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Lucas Pinto
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Julien R Brock
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yang Dan
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA, USA
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Frémaux N, Gerstner W. Neuromodulated Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity, and Theory of Three-Factor Learning Rules. Front Neural Circuits 2016; 9:85. [PMID: 26834568 PMCID: PMC4717313 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2015.00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical Hebbian learning puts the emphasis on joint pre- and postsynaptic activity, but neglects the potential role of neuromodulators. Since neuromodulators convey information about novelty or reward, the influence of neuromodulators on synaptic plasticity is useful not just for action learning in classical conditioning, but also to decide "when" to create new memories in response to a flow of sensory stimuli. In this review, we focus on timing requirements for pre- and postsynaptic activity in conjunction with one or several phasic neuromodulatory signals. While the emphasis of the text is on conceptual models and mathematical theories, we also discuss some experimental evidence for neuromodulation of Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity. We highlight the importance of synaptic mechanisms in bridging the temporal gap between sensory stimulation and neuromodulatory signals, and develop a framework for a class of neo-Hebbian three-factor learning rules that depend on presynaptic activity, postsynaptic variables as well as the influence of neuromodulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Frémaux
- School of Computer Science and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Wulfram Gerstner
- School of Computer Science and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
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VON Bohlen Und Halbach V, VON Bohlen Und Halbach O. Deletion of p75NTR enhances the cholinergic innervation pattern of the visual cortex. Vis Neurosci 2016; 33:E012. [PMID: 28359346 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523816000080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The cholinergic system is involved in cortical plasticity, attention, and learning. Within the visual cortex the cholinergic system seems to play a role in visual perception. The cholinergic neurons which project into the visual cortex are located in the basal forebrain. It has been shown that mice deficient for the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75NTR display increased numbers of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain and a denser cholinergic innervation of the hippocampus. This prompted us to analyze whether the cholinergic system is altered in adult p75NTR deficient mice. By analyzing the densities of cholinergic fibers within layer IV as well as within layer V of the visual cortex, we found that adult p75NTR deficient mice display increased cholinergic fiber densities. However, this increase was not accompanied by an increase in the density of local cholinergic neurons within the visual cortex. This indicates that the enhanced cholinergic innervation of the visual cortex is due to alteration of the cholinergic neurons located in the basal forebrain, projecting to the visual cortex. The increased cholinergic innervation of the visual cortex makes the p75NTR deficient mice an attractive model to study the necessity of the cholinergic system for the visual cortex.
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50
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Kang JI, Huppé-Gourgues F, Vaucher E. Pharmacological Mechanisms of Cortical Enhancement Induced by the Repetitive Pairing of Visual/Cholinergic Stimulation. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141663. [PMID: 26513575 PMCID: PMC4626033 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Repetitive visual training paired with electrical activation of cholinergic projections to the primary visual cortex (V1) induces long-term enhancement of cortical processing in response to the visual training stimulus. To better determine the receptor subtypes mediating this effect the selective pharmacological blockade of V1 nicotinic (nAChR), M1 and M2 muscarinic (mAChR) or GABAergic A (GABAAR) receptors was performed during the training session and visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded before and after training. The training session consisted of the exposure of awake, adult rats to an orientation-specific 0.12 CPD grating paired with an electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain for a duration of 1 week for 10 minutes per day. Pharmacological agents were infused intracortically during this period. The post-training VEP amplitude was significantly increased compared to the pre-training values for the trained spatial frequency and to adjacent spatial frequencies up to 0.3 CPD, suggesting a long-term increase of V1 sensitivity. This increase was totally blocked by the nAChR antagonist as well as by an M2 mAChR subtype and GABAAR antagonist. Moreover, administration of the M2 mAChR antagonist also significantly decreased the amplitude of the control VEPs, suggesting a suppressive effect on cortical responsiveness. However, the M1 mAChR antagonist blocked the increase of the VEP amplitude only for the high spatial frequency (0.3 CPD), suggesting that M1 role was limited to the spread of the enhancement effect to a higher spatial frequency. More generally, all the drugs used did block the VEP increase at 0.3 CPD. Further, use of each of the aforementioned receptor antagonists blocked training-induced changes in gamma and beta band oscillations. These findings demonstrate that visual training coupled with cholinergic stimulation improved perceptual sensitivity by enhancing cortical responsiveness in V1. This enhancement is mainly mediated by nAChRs, M2 mAChRs and GABAARs. The M1 mAChR subtype appears to be involved in spreading the enhancement of V1 cortical responsiveness to adjacent neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Il Kang
- École d’optométrie, Université de Montréal, CP 6128 succursale centre-ville, Montréal, Qc, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Département de Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, CP 6128 succursale centre-ville, Montréal, Qc, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Frédéric Huppé-Gourgues
- École d’optométrie, Université de Montréal, CP 6128 succursale centre-ville, Montréal, Qc, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- École d’optométrie, Université de Montréal, CP 6128 succursale centre-ville, Montréal, Qc, H3C 3J7, Canada
- * E-mail:
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