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Magrou L, Joyce MKP, Froudist-Walsh S, Datta D, Wang XJ, Martinez-Trujillo J, Arnsten AFT. The meso-connectomes of mouse, marmoset, and macaque: network organization and the emergence of higher cognition. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae174. [PMID: 38771244 PMCID: PMC11107384 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The recent publications of the inter-areal connectomes for mouse, marmoset, and macaque cortex have allowed deeper comparisons across rodent vs. primate cortical organization. In general, these show that the mouse has very widespread, "all-to-all" inter-areal connectivity (i.e. a "highly dense" connectome in a graph theoretical framework), while primates have a more modular organization. In this review, we highlight the relevance of these differences to function, including the example of primary visual cortex (V1) which, in the mouse, is interconnected with all other areas, therefore including other primary sensory and frontal areas. We argue that this dense inter-areal connectivity benefits multimodal associations, at the cost of reduced functional segregation. Conversely, primates have expanded cortices with a modular connectivity structure, where V1 is almost exclusively interconnected with other visual cortices, themselves organized in relatively segregated streams, and hierarchically higher cortical areas such as prefrontal cortex provide top-down regulation for specifying precise information for working memory storage and manipulation. Increased complexity in cytoarchitecture, connectivity, dendritic spine density, and receptor expression additionally reveal a sharper hierarchical organization in primate cortex. Together, we argue that these primate specializations permit separable deconstruction and selective reconstruction of representations, which is essential to higher cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Magrou
- Department of Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, United States
| | - Mary Kate P Joyce
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, United States
| | - Sean Froudist-Walsh
- School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1QU, United Kingdom
| | - Dibyadeep Datta
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, United States
| | - Xiao-Jing Wang
- Department of Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, United States
| | - Julio Martinez-Trujillo
- Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, and Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Amy F T Arnsten
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, United States
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2
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Meneghetti N, Vannini E, Mazzoni A. Rodents' visual gamma as a biomarker of pathological neural conditions. J Physiol 2024; 602:1017-1048. [PMID: 38372352 DOI: 10.1113/jp283858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Neural gamma oscillations (indicatively 30-100 Hz) are ubiquitous: they are associated with a broad range of functions in multiple cortical areas and across many animal species. Experimental and computational works established gamma rhythms as a global emergent property of neuronal networks generated by the balanced and coordinated interaction of excitation and inhibition. Coherently, gamma activity is strongly influenced by the alterations of synaptic dynamics which are often associated with pathological neural dysfunctions. We argue therefore that these oscillations are an optimal biomarker for probing the mechanism of cortical dysfunctions. Gamma oscillations are also highly sensitive to external stimuli in sensory cortices, especially the primary visual cortex (V1), where the stimulus dependence of gamma oscillations has been thoroughly investigated. Gamma manipulation by visual stimuli tuning is particularly easy in rodents, which have become a standard animal model for investigating the effects of network alterations on gamma oscillations. Overall, gamma in the rodents' visual cortex offers an accessible probe on dysfunctional information processing in pathological conditions. Beyond vision-related dysfunctions, alterations of gamma oscillations in rodents were indeed also reported in neural deficits such as migraine, epilepsy and neurodegenerative or neuropsychiatric conditions such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. Altogether, the connections between visual cortical gamma activity and physio-pathological conditions in rodent models underscore the potential of gamma oscillations as markers of neuronal (dys)functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Meneghetti
- The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence for Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Eleonora Vannini
- Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Mazzoni
- The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Excellence for Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
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3
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Cang J, Fu J, Tanabe S. Neural circuits for binocular vision: Ocular dominance, interocular matching, and disparity selectivity. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1084027. [PMID: 36874946 PMCID: PMC9975354 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1084027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain creates a single visual percept of the world with inputs from two eyes. This means that downstream structures must integrate information from the two eyes coherently. Not only does the brain meet this challenge effortlessly, it also uses small differences between the two eyes' inputs, i.e., binocular disparity, to construct depth information in a perceptual process called stereopsis. Recent studies have advanced our understanding of the neural circuits underlying stereoscopic vision and its development. Here, we review these advances in the context of three binocular properties that have been most commonly studied for visual cortical neurons: ocular dominance of response magnitude, interocular matching of orientation preference, and response selectivity for binocular disparity. By focusing mostly on mouse studies, as well as recent studies using ferrets and tree shrews, we highlight unresolved controversies and significant knowledge gaps regarding the neural circuits underlying binocular vision. We note that in most ocular dominance studies, only monocular stimulations are used, which could lead to a mischaracterization of binocularity. On the other hand, much remains unknown regarding the circuit basis of interocular matching and disparity selectivity and its development. We conclude by outlining opportunities for future studies on the neural circuits and functional development of binocular integration in the early visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Jieming Fu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Seiji Tanabe
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
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Wallace MN, Zobay O, Hardman E, Thompson Z, Dobbs P, Chakrabarti L, Palmer AR. The large numbers of minicolumns in the primary visual cortex of humans, chimpanzees and gorillas are related to high visual acuity. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:1034264. [PMID: 36439196 PMCID: PMC9681811 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.1034264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Minicolumns are thought to be a fundamental neural unit in the neocortex and their replication may have formed the basis of the rapid cortical expansion that occurred during primate evolution. We sought evidence of minicolumns in the primary visual cortex (V-1) of three great apes, three rodents and representatives from three other mammalian orders: Eulipotyphla (European hedgehog), Artiodactyla (domestic pig) and Carnivora (ferret). Minicolumns, identified by the presence of a long bundle of radial, myelinated fibers stretching from layer III to the white matter of silver-stained sections, were found in the human, chimpanzee, gorilla and guinea pig V-1. Shorter bundles confined to one or two layers were found in the other species but represent modules rather than minicolumns. The inter-bundle distance, and hence density of minicolumns, varied systematically both within a local area that might represent a hypercolumn but also across the whole visual field. The distance between all bundles had a similar range for human, chimpanzee, gorilla, ferret and guinea pig: most bundles were 20-45 μm apart. By contrast, the space between bundles was greater for the hedgehog and pig (20-140 μm). The mean density of minicolumns was greater in tangential sections of the gorilla and chimpanzee (1,243-1,287 bundles/mm2) than in human (314-422 bundles/mm2) or guinea pig (643 bundles/mm2). The minicolumnar bundles did not form a hexagonal lattice but were arranged in thin curving and branched bands separated by thicker bands of neuropil/somata. Estimates of the total number of modules/minicolumns within V-1 were strongly correlated with visual acuity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark N. Wallace
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver Zobay
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Hearing Sciences—Scottish Section, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Eden Hardman
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Zoe Thompson
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Phillipa Dobbs
- Veterinary Department, Twycross Zoo, East Midland Zoological Society, Atherstone, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Chakrabarti
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alan R. Palmer
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Jung YJ, Almasi A, Sun SH, Yunzab M, Cloherty SL, Bauquier SH, Renfree M, Meffin H, Ibbotson MR. Orientation pinwheels in primary visual cortex of a highly visual marsupial. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn0954. [PMID: 36179020 PMCID: PMC9524828 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn0954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Primary visual cortices in many mammalian species exhibit modular and periodic orientation preference maps arranged in pinwheel-like layouts. The role of inherited traits as opposed to environmental influences in determining this organization remains unclear. Here, we characterize the cortical organization of an Australian marsupial, revealing pinwheel organization resembling that of eutherian carnivores and primates but distinctly different from the simpler salt-and-pepper arrangement of eutherian rodents and rabbits. The divergence of marsupials from eutherians 160 million years ago and the later emergence of rodents and rabbits suggest that the salt-and-pepper structure is not the primitive ancestral form. Rather, the genetic code that enables complex pinwheel formation is likely widespread, perhaps extending back to the common therian ancestors of modern mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Jun Jung
- National Vision Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ali Almasi
- Optalert Limited, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Shi H. Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Molis Yunzab
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Sebastien H. Bauquier
- Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marilyn Renfree
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Hamish Meffin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael R. Ibbotson
- National Vision Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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6
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Tsytsarev V. Methodological aspects of studying the mechanisms of consciousness. Behav Brain Res 2022; 419:113684. [PMID: 34838578 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113684] [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: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There are at least two approaches to the definition of consciousness. In the first case, certain aspects of consciousness, called qualia, are considered inaccessible for research from a third person and can only be described through subjective experience. This approach is inextricably linked with the so-called "hard problem of consciousness", that is, the question of why consciousness has qualia or how any physical changes in the environment can generate subjective experience. With this approach, some aspects of consciousness, by definition, cannot be explained on the basis of external observations and, therefore, are outside the scope of scientific research. In the second case, a priori constraints do not constrain the field of scientific investigation, and the best explanation of the experience in the first person is included as a possible subject of empirical research. Historically, in the study of cause-and-effect relationships in biology, it was customary to distinguish between proximate causation and ultimate causation existing in biological systems. Immediate causes are based on the immediate influencing factors [1]. Proximate causation has evolutionary explanations. When studying biological systems themselves, such an approach is undoubtedly justified, but it often seems insufficient when studying the interaction of consciousness and the brain [2,3]. Current scientific communities proceed from the assumption that the physical substrate for the generation of consciousness is a neural network that unites various types of neurons located in various brain structures. Many neuroscientists attach a key role in this process to the cortical and thalamocortical neural networks. This question is directly related to experimental and clinical research in the field of disorder of consciousness. Progress in this area of medicine depends on advances in neuroscience in this area and is also a powerful source of empirical information. In this area of consciousness research, a large amount of experimental data has been accumulated, and in this review an attempt was made to generalize and systematize.
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Schmidt KE, Wolf F. Punctuated evolution of visual cortical circuits? Evidence from the large rodent Dasyprocta leporina, and the tiny primate Microcebus murinus. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 71:110-118. [PMID: 34823047 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent reports of the lack of periodic orientation columns in a very large rodent species, the red-rumped agouti, and the existence of incompressible hypercolumns in the lineage of primates, as demonstrated in one of the smallest primates, the mouse lemur, strengthen the interpretation that salt-and-pepper and columns-and-pinwheel mosaics are two distinct functional layouts. These layouts do neither depend on lifestyle nor scale with body size, brain size, absolute neuron numbers, binocular overlap, or visual acuity, but are primarily distinguishable by phylogenetic traits. The predictive value of other biological signatures such as V1 neuronal surface density and the central-peripheral density ratio of retinal ganglion cells are reconsidered, and experiments elucidating the intracortical connectivity in rodents are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin E Schmidt
- Neurobiology of Vision Lab, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, 59078 970, Av. Sen. Salgado Filho, 3000, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, Brazil.
| | - Fred Wolf
- Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Herrmann-Rein-Strasse, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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8
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Abstract
Safe driving demands the coordination of multiple sensory and cognitive functions, such as vision and attention. Patients with neurologic or ophthalmic disease are exposed to selective pathophysiologic insults to driving-critical systems, placing them at a higher risk for unsafe driving and restricted driving privileges. Here, we evaluate how vision and attention contribute to unsafe driving across different patient populations. In ophthalmic disease, we focus on macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataract; in neurologic disease, we focus on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Unsafe driving is generally associated with impaired vision and attention in ophthalmic and neurologic patients, respectively. Furthermore, patients with ophthalmic disease experience some degree of impairment in attention. Similarly, patients with neurologic disease experience some degree of impairment in vision. While numerous studies have demonstrated a relationship between impaired vision and unsafe driving in neurologic disease, there remains a dearth of knowledge regarding the relationship between impaired attention and unsafe driving in ophthalmic disease. In summary, this chapter confirms-and offers opportunities for future research into-the contribution of vision and attention to safe driving.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Anderson
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Deepta A Ghate
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
| | - Matthew Rizzo
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States.
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Ferreiro DN, Conde-Ocazionez SA, Patriota JHN, Souza LC, Oliveira MF, Wolf F, Schmidt KE. Spatial clustering of orientation preference in primary visual cortex of the large rodent agouti. iScience 2020; 24:101882. [PMID: 33354663 PMCID: PMC7744940 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
All rodents investigated so far possess orientation-selective neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) but – in contrast to carnivores and primates – no evidence of periodic maps with pinwheel-like structures. Theoretical studies debating whether phylogeny or universal principles determine development of pinwheels point to V1 size as a critical constraint. Thus, we set out to study maps of agouti, a big diurnal rodent with a V1 size comparable to cats'. In electrophysiology, we detected interspersed orientation and direction-selective neurons with a bias for horizontal contours, corroborated by homogeneous activation in optical imaging. Compatible with spatial clustering at short distance, nearby neurons tended to exhibit similar orientation preference. Our results argue against V1 size as a key parameter in determining the presence of periodic orientation maps. They are consistent with a phylogenetic influence on the map layout and development, potentially reflecting distinct retinal traits or interspecies differences in cortical circuitry. Agouti V1 neurons are among the highest orientation- and direction-selective neurons in rodents They respond best to low spatial frequencies and with a bias for horizontal orientations There is no evidence of systematic periodic maps of orientation columns for agouti Neurons along the vertical cortical axis tend to have similar orientation preferences
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Affiliation(s)
- Dardo N Ferreiro
- Neurobiology of Vision Lab, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Sergio A Conde-Ocazionez
- Neurobiology of Vision Lab, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.,Universidad de Santander, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Bucaramanga, Colombia
| | - João H N Patriota
- Neurobiology of Vision Lab, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Luã C Souza
- Neurobiology of Vision Lab, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Moacir F Oliveira
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Mossoró, Brazil
| | - Fred Wolf
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany.,Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kerstin E Schmidt
- Neurobiology of Vision Lab, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
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