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Gugel A, Ingebretsen EA, Hake HS, Gantz SC. LC-derived excitatory synaptic transmission to dorsal raphe serotonin neurons is inhibited by activation of alpha2-adrenergic receptors. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:1014-1023. [PMID: 38368493 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01824-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
In the central nervous system, noradrenaline transmission controls the degree to which we are awake, alert, and attentive. Aberrant noradrenaline transmission is associated with pathological forms of hyper- and hypo-arousal that present in numerous neuropsychiatric disorders often associated with dysfunction in serotonin transmission. In vivo, noradrenaline regulates the release of serotonin because noradrenergic input drives the serotonin neurons to fire action potentials via activation of excitatory α1-adrenergic receptors (α1-AR). Despite the critical influence of noradrenaline on the activity of dorsal raphe serotonin neurons, the source of noradrenergic afferents has not been resolved and the presynaptic mechanisms that regulate noradrenaline-dependent synaptic transmission have not been described. Using an acute brain slice preparation from male and female mice and electrophysiological recordings from dorsal raphe serotonin neurons, we found that selective optogenetic activation of locus coeruleus terminals in the dorsal raphe was sufficient to produce an α1-AR-mediated excitatory postsynaptic current (α1-AR-EPSC). Activation of inhibitory α2-adrenergic receptors (α2-AR) with UK-14,304 eliminated the α1-AR-EPSC via presynaptic inhibition of noradrenaline release, likely via inhibition of voltage-gated calcium channels. In a subset of serotonin neurons, activation of postsynaptic α2-AR produced an outward current through activation of GIRK potassium conductance. Further, in vivo activation of α2-AR by systemic administration of clonidine reduced the expression of c-fos in the dorsal raphe serotonin neurons, indicating reduced neural activity. Thus, α2-AR are critical regulators of serotonin neuron excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleigha Gugel
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Erik A Ingebretsen
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Holly S Hake
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Stephanie C Gantz
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
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2
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Fan W, Engborg CB, Sciolino NR. Locus Ceruleus Dynamics Are Suppressed during Licking and Enhanced Postlicking Independent of Taste Novelty. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0535-23.2024. [PMID: 38649278 PMCID: PMC11036117 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0535-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Attending to salient sensory attributes of food, such as tastes that are new, displeasing, or unexpected, allows the procurement of nutrients without food poisoning. Exposure to new tastes is known to increase norepinephrine (NE) release in taste processing forebrain areas, yet the central source for this release is unknown. Locus ceruleus norepinephrine neurons (LC-NE) emerge as a candidate in signaling salient information about taste, as other salient sensory stimuli (e.g., visual, auditory, somatosensation) are known to activate LC neurons. To determine if LC neurons are sensitive to features of taste novelty, we used fiber photometry to record LC-NE activity in water-restricted mice that voluntarily licked either novel or familiar substances of differential palatability (saccharine, citric acid). We observed that LC-NE activity was suppressed during lick bursts and transiently activated upon the termination of licking and that these dynamics were independent of the familiarity of the substance consumed. We next recorded LC dynamics during brief and unexpected consumption of tastants and found no increase in LC-NE activity, despite their responsiveness to visual and auditory stimuli, revealing selectivity in LC's responses to salient sensory information. Our findings suggest that LC activity during licking is not influenced by taste novelty, implicating a possible role for non-LC noradrenergic nuclei in signaling critical information about taste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Fan
- Departments of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
| | - Christopher B Engborg
- Departments of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
| | - Natale R Sciolino
- Departments of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
- Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
- Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269
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Terrier C, Greco-Vuilloud J, Cavelius M, Thevenet M, Mandairon N, Didier A, Richard M. Long-term olfactory enrichment promotes non-olfactory cognition, noradrenergic plasticity and remodeling of brain functional connectivity in older mice. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 136:133-156. [PMID: 38364691 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Brain functional and structural changes lead to cognitive decline during aging, but a high level of cognitive stimulation during life can improve cognitive performances in the older adults, forming the cognitive reserve. Noradrenaline has been proposed as a molecular link between environmental stimulation and constitution of the cognitive reserve. Taking advantage of the ability of olfactory stimulation to activate noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus, we used repeated olfactory enrichment sessions over the mouse lifespan to enable the cognitive reserve buildup. Mice submitted to olfactory enrichment, whether started in early or late adulthood, displayed improved olfactory discrimination at late ages and interestingly, improved spatial memory and cognitive flexibility. Moreover, olfactory and non-olfactory cognitive performances correlated with increased noradrenergic innervation in the olfactory bulb and dorsal hippocampus. Finally, c-Fos mapping and connectivity analysis revealed task-specific remodeling of functional neural networks in enriched older mice. Long-term olfactory enrichment thus triggers structural noradrenergic plasticity and network remodeling associated with better cognitive aging and thereby forms a promising mouse model of the cognitive reserve buildup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Terrier
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, NEUROPOP, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Juliette Greco-Vuilloud
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, NEUROPOP, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Matthias Cavelius
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, NEUROPOP, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Marc Thevenet
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, NEUROPOP, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Nathalie Mandairon
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, NEUROPOP, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Anne Didier
- Institut universitaire de France (IUF), France
| | - Marion Richard
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, NEUROPOP, F-69500, Bron, France.
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4
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Xing L, Zou X, Yin C, Webb JM, Shi G, Ptáček LJ, Fu YH. Diverse roles of pontine NPS-expressing neurons in sleep regulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320276121. [PMID: 38381789 PMCID: PMC10907243 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320276121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptide S (NPS) was postulated to be a wake-promoting neuropeptide with unknown mechanism, and a mutation in its receptor (NPSR1) causes the short sleep duration trait in humans. We investigated the role of different NPS+ nuclei in sleep/wake regulation. Loss-of-function and chemogenetic studies revealed that NPS+ neurons in the parabrachial nucleus (PB) are wake-promoting, whereas peri-locus coeruleus (peri-LC) NPS+ neurons are not important for sleep/wake modulation. Further, we found that a NPS+ nucleus in the central gray of the pons (CGPn) strongly promotes sleep. Fiber photometry recordings showed that NPS+ neurons are wake-active in the CGPn and wake/REM-sleep active in the PB and peri-LC. Blocking NPS-NPSR1 signaling or knockdown of Nps supported the function of the NPS-NPSR1 pathway in sleep/wake regulation. Together, these results reveal that NPS and NPS+ neurons play dichotomous roles in sleep/wake regulation at both the molecular and circuit levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Xing
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Xianlin Zou
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Chen Yin
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - John M. Webb
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Guangsen Shi
- Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan528400, China
| | - Louis J. Ptáček
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Ying-Hui Fu
- Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
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Mendonça-Dos-Santos M, Gonçalves TCT, Falconi-Sobrinho LL, Dos Anjos-Garcia T, Matias I, de Oliveira RC, Dos Santos Sampaio MDF, Dos Santos Cardoso F, Dos Santos WF, Machado HR, Coimbra NC. GABAergic and glutamatergic inputs to the medulla oblongata and locus coeruleus noradrenergic pathways are critical for seizures and postictal antinociception neuromodulation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4069. [PMID: 38374419 PMCID: PMC10876930 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53744-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
We investigated the participation of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) in tonic‒clonic seizures and postictal antinociception control mediated by NMDA receptors, the role of NTS GABAergic interneurons and noradrenergic pathways from the locus coeruleus (LC) in these phenomena. The NTS-lateral nucleus reticularis paragigantocellularis (lPGi)-LC pathway was studied by evaluating neural tract tracer deposits in the lPGi. NMDA and GABAergic receptors agonists and antagonists were microinjected into the NTS, followed by pharmacologically induced seizures. The effects of LC neurotoxic lesions caused by DSP-4, followed by NTS-NMDA receptor activation, on both tonic‒clonic seizures and postictal antinociception were also investigated. The NTS is connected to lPGi neurons that send outputs to the LC. Glutamatergic vesicles were found on dendrites and perikarya of GABAergic interneurons in the NTS. Both tonic‒clonic seizures and postictal antinociception are partially dependent on glutamatergic-mediated neurotransmission in the NTS of seizing rats in addition to the integrity of the noradrenergic system since NMDA receptor blockade in the NTS and intrathecal administration of DSP-4 decrease the postictal antinociception. The GABAA receptor activation in the NTS decreases both seizure severity and postictal antinociception. These findings suggest that glutamatergic inputs to NTS-GABAergic interneurons, in addition to ascending and descending noradrenergic pathways from the LC, are critical for the control of both seizures and postictal antinociception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Mendonça-Dos-Santos
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
- Laboratory of Paediatric Neurosurgery and Developmental Neuropathology, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Thaís Cristina Teixeira Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
- Laboratory of Paediatric Neurosurgery and Developmental Neuropathology, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Luiz Luciano Falconi-Sobrinho
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Tayllon Dos Anjos-Garcia
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Ivair Matias
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
- Laboratory of Paediatric Neurosurgery and Developmental Neuropathology, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Rithiele Cristina de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Maria de Fátima Dos Santos Sampaio
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
- Laboratory of Tissue and Cellular Biology, Centre of Biosciences and Biotechnology of Darcy Ribeiro Northern, Fluminense State University (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - Fabrízio Dos Santos Cardoso
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Wagner Ferreira Dos Santos
- Neurobiology and Venoms Laboratory, Department of Biology, Ribeirão Preto School of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature of the University of São Paulo (FFCLRP-USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - Helio Rubens Machado
- Laboratory of Paediatric Neurosurgery and Developmental Neuropathology, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.
- Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Multiuser Centre of Neuroelectrophysiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.
| | - Norberto Cysne Coimbra
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy and Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.
- Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Multiuser Centre of Neuroelectrophysiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.
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6
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Tseng CT, Welch HF, Gi AL, Kang EM, Mamidi T, Pydimarri S, Ramesh K, Sandoval A, Ploski JE, Thorn CA. Frequency Specific Optogenetic Stimulation of the Locus Coeruleus Induces Task-Relevant Plasticity in the Motor Cortex. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1528232023. [PMID: 38124020 PMCID: PMC10869157 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1528-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus ceruleus (LC) is the primary source of neocortical noradrenaline, which is known to be involved in diverse brain functions including sensory perception, attention, and learning. Previous studies have shown that LC stimulation paired with sensory experience can induce task-dependent plasticity in the sensory neocortex and in the hippocampus. However, it remains unknown whether LC activation similarly impacts neural representations in the agranular motor cortical regions that are responsible for movement planning and production. In this study, we test whether optogenetic stimulation of the LC paired with motor performance is sufficient to induce task-relevant plasticity in the somatotopic cortical motor map. Male and female TH-Cre + rats were trained on a skilled reaching lever-pressing task emphasizing the use of the proximal forelimb musculature, and a viral approach was used to selectively express ChR2 in noradrenergic LC neurons. Once animals reached criterial behavioral performance, they received five training sessions in which correct task performance was paired with optogenetic stimulation of the LC delivered at 3, 10, or 30 Hz. After the last stimulation session, motor cortical mapping was performed using intracortical microstimulation. Our results show that lever pressing paired with LC stimulation at 10 Hz, but not at 3 or 30 Hz, drove the expansion of the motor map representation of the task-relevant proximal FL musculature. These findings demonstrate that phasic, training-paired activation of the LC is sufficient to induce experience-dependent plasticity in the agranular motor cortex and that this LC-driven plasticity is highly dependent on the temporal dynamics of LC activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Tzu Tseng
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Hailey F Welch
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Ashley L Gi
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Erica Mina Kang
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Tanushree Mamidi
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Sahiti Pydimarri
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Kritika Ramesh
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas
| | - Alfredo Sandoval
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555, Texas
| | - Jonathan E Ploski
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey 17033-0850, Pennsylvania
| | - Catherine A Thorn
- Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson 75080, Texas,
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Riley E, Turker H, Wang D, Swallow KM, Anderson AK, De Rosa E. Nonlinear changes in pupillary attentional orienting responses across the lifespan. GeroScience 2024; 46:1017-1033. [PMID: 37318717 PMCID: PMC10828243 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-023-00834-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The cognitive aging process is not necessarily linear. Central task-evoked pupillary responses, representing a brainstem-pupil relationship, may vary across the lifespan. Thus we examined, in 75 adults ranging in age from 19 to 86, whether task-evoked pupillary responses to an attention task may serve in as an index of cognitive aging. This is because the locus coeruleus (LC), located in the brainstem, is not only among the earliest sites of degeneration in pathological aging, but also supports both attentional and pupillary behaviors. We assessed brief, task-evoked phasic attentional orienting to behaviorally relevant and irrelevant auditory tones, stimuli known specifically to recruit the LC in the brainstem and evoke pupillary responses. Due to potential nonlinear changes across the lifespan, we used a novel data-driven analysis on 6 dynamic pupillary behaviors on 10% of the data to reveal cut off points that best characterized the three age bands: young (19-41 years old), middle aged (42-68 years old), and older adults (69 + years old). Follow-up analyses on independent data, the remaining 90%, revealed age-related changes such as monotonic decreases in tonic pupillary diameter and dynamic range, along with curvilinear phasic pupillary responses to the behaviorally relevant target events, increasing in the middle-aged group and then decreasing in the older group. Additionally, the older group showed decreased differentiation of pupillary responses between target and distractor events. This pattern is consistent with potential compensatory LC activity in midlife that is diminished in old age, resulting in decreased adaptive gain. Beyond regulating responses to light, pupillary dynamics reveal a nonlinear capacity for neurally mediated gain across the lifespan, thus providing evidence in support of the LC adaptive gain hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Riley
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Hamid Turker
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Dongliang Wang
- Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Khena M Swallow
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Adam K Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eve De Rosa
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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8
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Meissner SN, Bächinger M, Kikkert S, Imhof J, Missura S, Carro Dominguez M, Wenderoth N. Self-regulating arousal via pupil-based biofeedback. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:43-62. [PMID: 37904022 PMCID: PMC10810759 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01729-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
The brain's arousal state is controlled by several neuromodulatory nuclei known to substantially influence cognition and mental well-being. Here we investigate whether human participants can gain volitional control of their arousal state using a pupil-based biofeedback approach. Our approach inverts a mechanism suggested by previous literature that links activity of the locus coeruleus, one of the key regulators of central arousal and pupil dynamics. We show that pupil-based biofeedback enables participants to acquire volitional control of pupil size. Applying pupil self-regulation systematically modulates activity of the locus coeruleus and other brainstem structures involved in arousal control. Furthermore, it modulates cardiovascular measures such as heart rate, and behavioural and psychophysiological responses during an oddball task. We provide evidence that pupil-based biofeedback makes the brain's arousal system accessible to volitional control, a finding that has tremendous potential for translation to behavioural and clinical applications across various domains, including stress-related and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nadine Meissner
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Marc Bächinger
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sanne Kikkert
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jenny Imhof
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Missura
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Carro Dominguez
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Wenderoth
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore.
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9
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Li L, Rana AN, Li EM, Feng J, Li Y, Bruchas MR. Activity-dependent constraints on catecholamine signaling. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113566. [PMID: 38100349 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Catecholamine signaling is thought to modulate cognition in an inverted-U relationship, but the mechanisms are unclear. We measured norepinephrine and dopamine release, postsynaptic calcium responses, and interactions between tonic and phasic firing modes under various stimuli and conditions. High tonic activity in vivo depleted catecholamine stores, desensitized postsynaptic responses, and decreased phasic transmission. Together, these findings provide a more complete understanding of the inverted-U relationship, offering insights into psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases with impaired catecholamine signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA.
| | - Akshay N Rana
- Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Esther M Li
- Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Jiesi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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10
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Yoo HJ, Nashiro K, Dutt S, Min J, Cho C, Thayer JF, Lehrer P, Chang C, Mather M. Daily biofeedback to modulate heart rate oscillations affects structural volume in hippocampal subregions targeted by the locus coeruleus in older adults but not younger adults. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 132:85-99. [PMID: 37769491 PMCID: PMC10840698 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Using data from a clinical trial, we tested the hypothesis that daily sessions modulating heart rate oscillations affect older adults' volume of a region-of-interest (ROI) comprised of adjacent hippocampal subregions with relatively strong locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenergic input. Younger and older adults were randomly assigned to one of two daily biofeedback practices for 5 weeks: (1) engage in slow-paced breathing to increase the amplitude of oscillations in heart rate at their breathing frequency (Osc+); (2) engage in self-selected strategies to decrease heart rate oscillations (Osc-). The interventions did not significantly affect younger adults' hippocampal volume. Among older adults, the two conditions affected volume in the LC-targeted hippocampal ROI differentially as reflected in a significant condition × time-point interaction on ROI volume. These condition differences were driven by opposing changes in the two conditions (increased volume in Osc+ and decreased volume in Osc-) and were mediated by the degree of heart rate oscillation during training sessions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Joo Yoo
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Kaoru Nashiro
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Shubir Dutt
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Jungwon Min
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Christine Cho
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | | | - Paul Lehrer
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08852, USA
| | - Catie Chang
- Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Mara Mather
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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11
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Musheghyan G, Gabrielyan I, Poghosyan M, Arajyan G, Sarkissian J. SYNAPTIC PROCESSES IN PERIAQUEDUCTAL GRAY UNDER ACTIVATION OF LOCUS COERULEUS IN A ROTENONE MODEL OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE. Georgian Med News 2023:189-195. [PMID: 38325322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The aim of the study was investigation the ratio of excitatory and depressor post-stimulus manifestations of Periaqueductal gray (PAG) single neuron activity during Locus coeruleus (LC) stimulation in a Parkinson's disease (PD) model to identify excitotoxicity in neurodegeneration and the formation of persistent pain, which is poorly treatable. The electrophysiological studies were performed on 6 Albino rats (230±30g.): intact (n=3) and on the rotenone model of Parkinson's disease (PD) induced by unilateral injection of rotenone for 4 weeks holding of animals (n=3). The extracellular on-line registration of spike activity of 236 single neurons of the Periaqueductal gray (PAG) at high frequency stimulation (HFS) of Locus coeruleus (LC) in intact animals (116 neurons) and on the model of PD (120 neurons) was produced. According to programmed mathematical analyses were detected changes in depressor and excitatory responses (TD and TP), accompanied by post-tetanic depression and potentiation. In the neurons PAG at HFS LC on the model of PD the full suppression of synaptic depressor poststimulus manifestations of activity, accompanied by posttetanic and the prevalence of such excitatory has been revealed. Was the conclusion about serious neurodegenerative damage of the important antinociceptive structure - PAG, that promotes resistant chronic pain in parkinsonian patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Musheghyan
- 1Armenian State Pedagogical University after KH. Abovyan, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - I Gabrielyan
- 2Institute of Botany after A.L. Takhtajyan NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - M Poghosyan
- 3L.A. Orbeli Institute of Physiology NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - G Arajyan
- 1Armenian State Pedagogical University after KH. Abovyan, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - J Sarkissian
- 3L.A. Orbeli Institute of Physiology NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia
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12
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Abstract
This Cerebellar Classic highlights the landmark discovery of the innervation of the cerebellar cortex and cerebellar nuclei by noradrenergic and serotoninergic axons emanating, respectively, from the locus coeruleus and the raphé nuclei. Since then, modulation of the activity of cerebellar neurons by the monoamine systems has been studied extensively, as well as their reorganization and modifications during development, plasticity, and disease. The discovery of noradrenergic and serotoninergic innervation of the cerebellum has been a crucial step in understanding the neurochemical relationships between brainstem nuclei and the cerebellum, and the attempts to treat cerebellar ataxias pharmacologically. The large neurochemical repertoire of the cerebellum represents one of the complexities and challenges in the modern appraisal of cerebellar disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lazaros C Triarhou
- Department of Psychology, Sector of Experimental Cognitive Psychology, Aristotelian University Faculty of Philosophy, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Mario Manto
- Unité Des Ataxies Cérébelleuses, CHU-Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium
- Service Des Neurosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
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13
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Lima KR, Neves BHSD, Carrazoni GS, Rosa ACDSD, Carriço MRS, Roehrs R, Mello-Carpes PB. Acute physical exercise improves recognition memory via locus coeruleus activation but not via ventral tegmental area activation. Physiol Behav 2023; 272:114370. [PMID: 37797663 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Both animals and humans have been studied to explore the impact of acute physical exercise (PE) on memory. In rats, a single session of PE enhances the persistence of novel object recognition (NOR) memory, which depends on dopamine and noradrenaline activity in the hippocampus. However, limited research has examined the involvement of other brain regions in this phenomenon. In this study, we investigated the role of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and locus coeruleus (LC) in modulating the persistence of NOR memory induced by acute PE. After NOR training, some animals underwent a 30 min treadmill PE session, followed by infusion of either vehicle (VEH) or muscimol (MUS) in either the VTA or LC. Other animals did not undergo PE and only received VEH, MUS, or NMDA within the same time window. We evaluated memory recall 1, 7, and 14 days later. Acute PE promoted memory persistence for up to 14 days afterward, similar to NMDA glutamatergic stimulation of the VTA or LC. Moreover, only the LC region was required for the memory improvement induced by acute PE since blocking this region with MUS impaired NOR encoding. Our findings suggest that acute PE can improve learning within a closed time window, and this effect depends on LC, but not VTA, activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Ramires Lima
- Physiology Research Group, Stress, Memory and Behavior Lab, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Ben-Hur Souto das Neves
- Physiology Research Group, Stress, Memory and Behavior Lab, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Salgado Carrazoni
- Physiology Research Group, Stress, Memory and Behavior Lab, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Murilo Ricardo Sigal Carriço
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemical and Toxicological Analysis, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Rafael Roehrs
- Laboratory of Environmental Chemical and Toxicological Analysis, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil
| | - Pâmela Billig Mello-Carpes
- Physiology Research Group, Stress, Memory and Behavior Lab, Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, RS, Brazil.
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14
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Keehn B, Kadlaskar G, McNally Keehn R. Elevated and accelerated: Locus coeruleus activity and visual search abilities in autistic children. Cortex 2023; 169:118-129. [PMID: 37866060 PMCID: PMC10842606 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autistic individuals excel at visual search, however, the neural mechanism(s) underlying this advantage remain unclear. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system, which plays a critical role in sensory perception and selective attention, has been shown to function in a persistently elevated state in individuals on the spectrum. However, the relationship between elevated tonic LC-NE activity and accelerated search in autism has not been explored. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between visual search abilities and resting pupil diameter (an indirect measure of tonic LC-NE activation) in autistic and neurotypical children. METHODS Participants were 24 school-aged autistic children and 24 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical children aged 8-15 years. Children completed two tasks: a resting eye-tracking task and a visual search paradigm. For the resting eye-tracking task, pupil diameter was monitored while participants fixated a central crosshair. For the visual search paradigm, participants were instructed to find the target (vertical line) embedded within an array of tilted (10°) distractor lines. The target was present on 50% of trials, and displayed within set sizes of 18, 24, and 36 items. RESULTS Consistent with previous studies, autistic children had significantly larger resting pupil size and searched faster and more efficiently compared to their neurotypical peers. Eye-tracking findings revealed that accelerated search was associated with fewer, not shorter, fixations in the autism group. Autistic children also showed reduced leftward search bias. Larger resting pupil size, indicative of increased tonic activation of the LC-NE system, was associated with greater search efficiency, longer fixation durations, and reduced leftward bias. Finally, within both groups reduced leftward bias was associated with increased autism symptomatology. DISCUSSION Together, these findings add to the existing body of research highlighting superior search in autism, suggest that elevated tonic LC-NE activity may contribute to more efficient search, and link non-social visual-spatial processing strengths to autism symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Keehn
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Girija Kadlaskar
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Rebecca McNally Keehn
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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15
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Mukai Y, Okubo TS, Lazarus M, Ono D, Tanaka KF, Yamanaka A. Prostaglandin E 2 Induces Long-Lasting Inhibition of Noradrenergic Neurons in the Locus Coeruleus and Moderates the Behavioral Response to Stressors. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7982-7999. [PMID: 37734949 PMCID: PMC10669809 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0353-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuronal activity is modulated not only by inputs from other neurons but also by various factors, such as bioactive substances. Noradrenergic (NA) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC-NA neurons) are involved in diverse physiological functions, including sleep/wakefulness and stress responses. Previous studies have identified various substances and receptors that modulate LC-NA neuronal activity through techniques including electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and single-cell RNA sequencing. However, many substances with unknown physiological significance have been overlooked. Here, we established an efficient screening method for identifying substances that modulate LC-NA neuronal activity through intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) imaging using brain slices. Using both sexes of mice, we screened 53 bioactive substances, and identified five novel substances: gastrin-releasing peptide, neuromedin U, and angiotensin II, which increase [Ca2+]i, and pancreatic polypeptide and prostaglandin D2, which decrease [Ca2+]i Among them, neuromedin U induced the greatest response in female mice. In terms of the duration of [Ca2+]i change, we focused on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), since it induces a long-lasting decrease in [Ca2+]i via the EP3 receptor. Conditional knock-out of the receptor in LC-NA neurons resulted in increased depression-like behavior, prolonged wakefulness in the dark period, and increased [Ca2+]i after stress exposure. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of our screening method for identifying substances that modulate a specific neuronal population in an unbiased manner and suggest that stress-induced prostaglandin E2 can suppress LC-NA neuronal activity to moderate the behavioral response to stressors. Our screening method will contribute to uncovering previously unknown physiological functions of uncharacterized bioactive substances in specific neuronal populations.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Bioactive substances modulate the activity of specific neuronal populations. However, since only a limited number of substances with predicted effects have been investigated, many substances that may modulate neuronal activity have gone unrecognized. Here, we established an unbiased method for identifying modulatory substances by measuring the intracellular calcium signal, which reflects neuronal activity. We examined noradrenergic (NA) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC-NA neurons), which are involved in diverse physiological functions. We identified five novel substances that modulate LC-NA neuronal activity. We also found that stress-induced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) may suppress LC-NA neuronal activity and influence behavioral outcomes. Our screening method will help uncover previously overlooked functions of bioactive substances and provide insight into unrecognized roles of specific neuronal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasutaka Mukai
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Neural Regulation, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
| | - Tatsuo S Okubo
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Michael Lazarus
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) and Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ono
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Neural Regulation, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
| | - Kenji F Tanaka
- Division of Brain Sciences, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Department of Neuroscience II, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- Department of Neural Regulation, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
- Division of Brain Sciences, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
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16
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Bang D, Luo Y, Barbosa LS, Batten SR, Hadj-Amar B, Twomey T, Melville N, White JP, Torres A, Celaya X, Ramaiah P, McClure SM, Brewer GA, Bina RW, Lohrenz T, Casas B, Chiu PH, Vannucci M, Kishida KT, Witcher MR, Montague PR. Noradrenaline tracks emotional modulation of attention in human amygdala. Curr Biol 2023; 33:5003-5010.e6. [PMID: 37875110 PMCID: PMC10957395 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
The noradrenaline (NA) system is one of the brain's major neuromodulatory systems; it originates in a small midbrain nucleus, the locus coeruleus (LC), and projects widely throughout the brain.1,2 The LC-NA system is believed to regulate arousal and attention3,4 and is a pharmacological target in multiple clinical conditions.5,6,7 Yet our understanding of its role in health and disease has been impeded by a lack of direct recordings in humans. Here, we address this problem by showing that electrochemical estimates of sub-second NA dynamics can be obtained using clinical depth electrodes implanted for epilepsy monitoring. We made these recordings in the amygdala, an evolutionarily ancient structure that supports emotional processing8,9 and receives dense LC-NA projections,10 while patients (n = 3) performed a visual affective oddball task. The task was designed to induce different cognitive states, with the oddball stimuli involving emotionally evocative images,11 which varied in terms of arousal (low versus high) and valence (negative versus positive). Consistent with theory, the NA estimates tracked the emotional modulation of attention, with a stronger oddball response in a high-arousal state. Parallel estimates of pupil dilation, a common behavioral proxy for LC-NA activity,12 supported a hypothesis that pupil-NA coupling changes with cognitive state,13,14 with the pupil and NA estimates being positively correlated for oddball stimuli in a high-arousal but not a low-arousal state. Our study provides proof of concept that neuromodulator monitoring is now possible using depth electrodes in standard clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Bang
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK; Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA.
| | - Yi Luo
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Leonardo S Barbosa
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA
| | - Seth R Batten
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | | | - Thomas Twomey
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Natalie Melville
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Jason P White
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Alexis Torres
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Xavier Celaya
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Priya Ramaiah
- Department of Neurosurgery, Banner University Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85006, USA
| | - Samuel M McClure
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Gene A Brewer
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Robert W Bina
- Department of Neurosurgery, Banner University Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85006, USA
| | - Terry Lohrenz
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Brooks Casas
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Pearl H Chiu
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Marina Vannucci
- Department of Statistics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Kenneth T Kishida
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Mark R Witcher
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; Division of Neurosurgery, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA 24014, USA
| | - P Read Montague
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA; Department of Physics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
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17
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Tse D, Privitera L, Norton AC, Gobbo F, Spooner P, Takeuchi T, Martin SJ, Morris RGM. Cell-type-specific optogenetic stimulation of the locus coeruleus induces slow-onset potentiation and enhances everyday memory in rats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2307275120. [PMID: 37931094 PMCID: PMC10655220 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307275120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Memory formation is typically divided into phases associated with encoding, storage, consolidation, and retrieval. The neural determinants of these phases are thought to differ. This study first investigated the impact of the experience of novelty in rats incurred at a different time, before or after, the precise moment of memory encoding. Memory retention was enhanced. Optogenetic activation of the locus coeruleus mimicked this enhancement induced by novelty, both when given before and after the moment of encoding. Optogenetic activation of the locus coeruleus also induced a slow-onset potentiation of field potentials in area CA1 of the hippocampus evoked by CA3 stimulation. Despite the locus coeruleus being considered a primarily noradrenergic area, both effects of such stimulation were blocked by the dopamine D1/D5 receptor antagonist SCH 23390. These findings substantiate and enrich the evidence implicating the locus coeruleus in cellular aspects of memory consolidation in hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothy Tse
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, EdinburghEH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, OmskirkL39 4QP, United Kingdom
| | - Lucia Privitera
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, EdinburghEH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
- School of Systems Medicine, University of Dundee, DundeeDD1 4HN, United Kingdom
- Barts and the London School of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences Education, Queen Mary University of London Malta Campus, VictoriaVCT 2570, Malta
| | - Anna C. Norton
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, EdinburghEH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Gobbo
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, EdinburghEH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Spooner
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, EdinburghEH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Tomonori Takeuchi
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Nordic-European Molecular Biology Laboratory Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus8000, Denmark
- Center for Proteins in Memory, Danish National Research Foundation, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus8000, Denmark
| | - Stephen J. Martin
- School of Systems Medicine, University of Dundee, DundeeDD1 4HN, United Kingdom
| | - Richard G. M. Morris
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Neuroscience, University of Edinburgh, EdinburghEH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
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18
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Witts EC, Mathews MA, Murray AJ. The locus coeruleus directs sensory-motor reflex amplitude across environmental contexts. Curr Biol 2023; 33:4679-4688.e3. [PMID: 37741282 PMCID: PMC10957397 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Purposeful movement across unpredictable environments requires quick, accurate, and contextually appropriate motor corrections in response to disruptions in balance and posture.1,2,3 These responses must respect both the current position and limitations of the body, as well as the surrounding environment,4,5,6 and involve a combination of segmental reflexes in the spinal cord, vestibulospinal and reticulospinal pathways in the brainstem, and forebrain structures such as the motor cortex.7,8,9,10 These motor plans can be heavily influenced by the animal's surrounding environment, even when that environment has no mechanical influence on the perturbation itself. This environmental influence has been considered as cortical in nature, priming motor responses to a perturbation.8,11 Similarly, postural responses can be influenced by environments that alter threat levels in humans.12,13,14,15,16,17,18 Such studies are generally in agreement with work done in the mouse showing that optogenetic stimulation of the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN) only results in motor responses when the animal is on a balance beam at height and not when walking on the stable surface of a treadmill.10 In general, this ability to flexibly modify postural responses across terrains and environmental conditions is a critically important component of the balance system.19,20 Here we show that LVN-generated motor corrections can be altered by manipulating the surrounding environment. Furthermore, environmental influence on corrections requires noradrenergic signaling from the locus coeruleus, suggesting a potential link between forebrain structures that convey sensory information about the environment and brainstem circuits that generate motor corrections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Witts
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, W1T 4JG London, UK.
| | - Miranda A Mathews
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, W1T 4JG London, UK
| | - Andrew J Murray
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, University College London, W1T 4JG London, UK.
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19
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Koshmanova E, Berger A, Beckers E, Campbell I, Mortazavi N, Sharifpour R, Paparella I, Balda F, Berthomier C, Degueldre C, Salmon E, Lamalle L, Bastin C, Van Egroo M, Phillips C, Maquet P, Collette F, Muto V, Chylinski D, Jacobs HI, Talwar P, Sherif S, Vandewalle G. Locus coeruleus activity while awake is associated with REM sleep quality in older individuals. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e172008. [PMID: 37698926 PMCID: PMC10619502 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.172008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDThe locus coeruleus (LC) is the primary source of norepinephrine in the brain and regulates arousal and sleep. Animal research shows that it plays important roles in the transition between sleep and wakefulness, and between slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). It is unclear, however, whether the activity of the LC predicts sleep variability in humans.METHODSWe used 7-Tesla functional MRI, sleep electroencephalography (EEG), and a sleep questionnaire to test whether the LC activity during wakefulness was associated with sleep quality in 33 healthy younger (~22 years old; 28 women, 5 men) and 19 older (~61 years old; 14 women, 5 men) individuals.RESULTSWe found that, in older but not in younger participants, higher LC activity, as probed during an auditory attentional task, was associated with worse subjective sleep quality and with lower power over the EEG theta band during REMS. The results remained robust even when accounting for the age-related changes in the integrity of the LC.CONCLUSIONThese findings suggest that LC activity correlates with the perception of the sleep quality and an essential oscillatory mode of REMS, and we found that the LC may be an important target in the treatment of sleep- and age-related diseases.FUNDINGThis work was supported by Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FRS-FNRS, T.0242.19 & J. 0222.20), Action de Recherche Concertée - Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (ARC SLEEPDEM 17/27-09), Fondation Recherche Alzheimer (SAO-FRA 2019/0025), ULiège, and European Regional Development Fund (Radiomed & Biomed-Hub).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Koshmanova
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Alexandre Berger
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Brussels, Belgium
- Synergia Medical SA, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
| | - Elise Beckers
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Islay Campbell
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Nasrin Mortazavi
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Roya Sharifpour
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Ilenia Paparella
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Fermin Balda
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Christian Degueldre
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Eric Salmon
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Neurology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, Liège, Belgium
- PsyNCog and
| | - Laurent Lamalle
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Christine Bastin
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- PsyNCog and
| | - Maxime Van Egroo
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Christophe Phillips
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- In Silico Medicine Unit, GIGA-Institute, ULiège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Pierre Maquet
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- Neurology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Fabienne Collette
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
- PsyNCog and
| | - Vincenzo Muto
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Daphne Chylinski
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Heidi I.L. Jacobs
- Alzheimer Centre Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Puneet Talwar
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Siya Sherif
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
| | - Gilles Vandewalle
- Sleep and Chronobiology Lab, GIGA-Institute, CRC-In Vivo Imaging Unit, University of Liège (ULiège), Liège, Belgium
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20
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Dahl MJ, Kulesza A, Werkle-Bergner M, Mather M. Declining locus coeruleus-dopaminergic and noradrenergic modulation of long-term memory in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105358. [PMID: 37597700 PMCID: PMC10591841 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Memory is essential in defining our identity by guiding behavior based on past experiences. However, aging leads to declining memory, disrupting older adult's lives. Memories are encoded through experience-dependent modifications of synaptic strength, which are regulated by the catecholamines dopamine and noradrenaline. While cognitive aging research demonstrates how dopaminergic neuromodulation from the substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area regulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory, recent findings indicate that the noradrenergic locus coeruleus sends denser inputs to the hippocampus. The locus coeruleus produces dopamine as biosynthetic precursor of noradrenaline, and releases both to modulate hippocampal plasticity and memory. Crucially, the locus coeruleus is also the first site to accumulate Alzheimer's-related abnormal tau and severely degenerates with disease development. New in-vivo assessments of locus coeruleus integrity reveal associations with Alzheimer's markers and late-life memory impairments, which likely stem from impaired dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission. Bridging research across species, the reviewed findings suggest that degeneration of the locus coeruleus results in deficient dopaminergic and noradrenergic modulation of hippocampal plasticity and thus memory decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Agnieszka Kulesza
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mara Mather
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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21
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Abstract
People are best able to detect stimuli in peripheral vision when their pupils are large, and best able to discriminate stimuli in central vision when their pupils are small. However, it is unclear whether our visual system makes use of this by dilating the pupils when attention is directed towards peripheral vision. Therefore, throughout three experiments (N = 100), we tested whether pupil size adapts to the "breadth" of attention. We found that pupils dilate with increasing attentional breadth, both when attention is diffusely spread and when attention is directed at specific locations in peripheral vision. Based on our results and others, we propose that cognitively driven pupil dilation is not an epiphenomenal marker of locus coeruleus activity, as is often assumed, but rather is an adaptive response that reflects an emphasis on peripheral vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Vilotijević
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712TS, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Sebastiaan Mathôt
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712TS, Groningen, The Netherlands
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22
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Mariscal P, Bravo L, Llorca-Torralba M, Razquin J, Miguelez C, Suárez-Pereira I, Berrocoso E. Sexual differences in locus coeruleus neurons and related behavior in C57BL/6J mice. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:64. [PMID: 37770907 PMCID: PMC10540344 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00550-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In addition to social and cultural factors, sex differences in the central nervous system have a critical influence on behavior, although the neurobiology underlying these differences remains unclear. Interestingly, the Locus Coeruleus (LC), a noradrenergic nucleus that exhibits sexual dimorphism, integrates signals that are related to diverse activities, including emotions, cognition and pain. Therefore, we set-out to evaluate sex differences in behaviors related to LC nucleus, and subsequently, to assess the sex differences in LC morphology and function. METHODS Female and male C57BL/6J mice were studied to explore the role of the LC in anxiety, depressive-like behavior, well-being, pain, and learning and memory. We also explored the number of noradrenergic LC cells, their somatodendritic volume, as well as the electrophysiological properties of LC neurons in each sex. RESULTS While both male and female mice displayed similar depressive-like behavior, female mice exhibited more anxiety-related behaviors. Interestingly, females outperformed males in memory tasks that involved distinguishing objects with small differences and they also showed greater thermal pain sensitivity. Immunohistological analysis revealed that females had fewer noradrenergic cells yet they showed a larger dendritic volume than males. Patch clamp electrophysiology studies demonstrated that LC neurons in female mice had a lower capacitance and that they were more excitable than male LC neurons, albeit with similar action potential properties. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this study provides new insights into the sex differences related to LC nucleus and associated behaviors, which may explain the heightened emotional arousal response observed in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Mariscal
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Lidia Bravo
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain.
| | - Meritxell Llorca-Torralba
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Cell Biology & Histology, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Jone Razquin
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940, Leioa, Spain
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48940, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Cristina Miguelez
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940, Leioa, Spain
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, Biocruces Bizkaia Health Research Institute, 48940, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Irene Suárez-Pereira
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Esther Berrocoso
- Neuropsychopharmacology & Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience, University of Cádiz, 11003, Cádiz, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (INiBICA), Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, 11009, Cádiz, Spain.
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23
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Krohn F, Lancini E, Ludwig M, Leiman M, Guruprasath G, Haag L, Panczyszyn J, Düzel E, Hämmerer D, Betts M. Noradrenergic neuromodulation in ageing and disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105311. [PMID: 37437752 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small brainstem structure located in the lower pons and is the main source of noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. Via its phasic and tonic firing, it modulates cognition and autonomic functions and is involved in the brain's immune response. The extent of degeneration to the LC in healthy ageing remains unclear, however, noradrenergic dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite their differences in progression at later disease stages, the early involvement of the LC may lead to comparable behavioural symptoms such as preclinical sleep problems and neuropsychiatric symptoms as a result of AD and PD pathology. In this review, we draw attention to the mechanisms that underlie LC degeneration in ageing, AD and PD. We aim to motivate future research to investigate how early degeneration of the noradrenergic system may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of AD and PD which may also be relevant to other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Krohn
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - E Lancini
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | - M Ludwig
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - M Leiman
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - G Guruprasath
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - L Haag
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - J Panczyszyn
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - E Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London UK-WC1E 6BT, UK; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - D Hämmerer
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London UK-WC1E 6BT, UK; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M Betts
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; CBBS Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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24
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Amaral-Silva L, Santin JM. Molecular profiling of CO 2/pH-sensitive neurons in the locus coeruleus of bullfrogs reveals overlapping noradrenergic and glutamatergic cell identity. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2023; 283:111453. [PMID: 37230318 PMCID: PMC10492231 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Locus coeruleus (LC) neurons regulate breathing by sensing CO2/pH. Neurons within the vertebrate LC are the main source of norepinephrine within the brain. However, they also use glutamate and GABA for fast neurotransmission. Although the amphibian LC is recognized as a site involved in central chemoreception for the control of breathing, the neurotransmitter phenotype of these neurons is unknown. To address this question, we combined electrophysiology and single-cell quantitative PCR to detect mRNA transcripts that define norepinephrinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic phenotypes in LC neurons activated by hypercapnic acidosis (HA) in American bullfrogs. Most LC neurons activated by HA had overlapping expression of noradrenergic and glutamatergic markers but did not show strong support for GABAergic transmission. Genes that encode the pH-sensitive K+ channel, TASK2, and acid-sensing cation channel, ASIC2, were most abundant, while Kir5.1 was present in 1/3 of LC neurons. The abundance of transcripts related to norepinephrine biosynthesis linearly correlated with those involved in pH sensing. These results suggest that noradrenergic neurons in the amphibian LC also use glutamate as a neurotransmitter and that CO2/pH sensitivity may be linkedto the noradrenergic cell identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Amaral-Silva
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. https://twitter.com/amaralsilva_l
| | - Joseph M Santin
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
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25
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Kagiampaki Z, Rohner V, Kiss C, Curreli S, Dieter A, Wilhelm M, Harada M, Duss SN, Dernic J, Bhat MA, Zhou X, Ravotto L, Ziebarth T, Wasielewski LM, Sönmez L, Benke D, Weber B, Bohacek J, Reiner A, Wiegert JS, Fellin T, Patriarchi T. Sensitive multicolor indicators for monitoring norepinephrine in vivo. Nat Methods 2023; 20:1426-1436. [PMID: 37474807 PMCID: PMC7615053 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01959-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Genetically encoded indicators engineered from G-protein-coupled receptors are important tools that enable high-resolution in vivo neuromodulator imaging. Here, we introduce a family of sensitive multicolor norepinephrine (NE) indicators, which includes nLightG (green) and nLightR (red). These tools report endogenous NE release in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo with improved sensitivity, ligand selectivity and kinetics, as well as a distinct pharmacological profile compared with previous state-of-the-art GRABNE indicators. Using in vivo multisite fiber photometry recordings of nLightG, we could simultaneously monitor optogenetically evoked NE release in the mouse locus coeruleus and hippocampus. Two-photon imaging of nLightG revealed locomotion and reward-related NE transients in the dorsal CA1 area of the hippocampus. Thus, the sensitive NE indicators introduced here represent an important addition to the current repertoire of indicators and provide the means for a thorough investigation of the NE system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valentin Rohner
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Cedric Kiss
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sebastiano Curreli
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alexander Dieter
- Research Group Synaptic Wiring and Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Neurophysiology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Maria Wilhelm
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Masaya Harada
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sian N Duss
- Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Dernic
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Musadiq A Bhat
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Xuehan Zhou
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Luca Ravotto
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tim Ziebarth
- Cellular Neurobiology, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Laura Moreno Wasielewski
- Cellular Neurobiology, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Latife Sönmez
- Cellular Neurobiology, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dietmar Benke
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bruno Weber
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Bohacek
- Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Reiner
- Cellular Neurobiology, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - J Simon Wiegert
- Research Group Synaptic Wiring and Information Processing, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Neurophysiology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tommaso Fellin
- Optical Approaches to Brain Function Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Tommaso Patriarchi
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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26
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Chen HY, Marxen M, Dahl MJ, Glöckner F. Effects of Adult Age and Functioning of the Locus Coeruleus Norepinephrinergic System on Reward-Based Learning. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6185-6196. [PMID: 37541835 PMCID: PMC10476638 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2006-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Age-related impairments in value representations and updating during decision-making and reward-based learning are often related to age-related attenuation in the catecholamine system such as dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). However, it is unclear to what extent age-related declines in NE functioning in humans affect reward-based decision-making. We conducted a probabilistic decision-making task and applied a Q-learning model to investigate participants' anticipatory values and value sensitivities. Task-related pupil dilations and locus coeruleus (LC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast, which served as a potential window of the LC-NE functions, were assessed in younger and older adults. Results showed that in both choice and feedback phases, younger adults' (N = 42, 22 males) pupil dilations negatively correlated with anticipatory values, indicating uncertainty about outcome probabilities. Uncertainty-evoked pupil dilations in older adults (N = 41, 27 males) were smaller, indicating age-related impairments in value estimation and updating. In both age groups, participants who showed a larger uncertainty-evoked pupil dilation exhibited a higher value sensitivity as reflected in the β parameter of the reinforcement Q-learning model. Furthermore, older adults (N = 34, 29 males) showed a lower LC-MRI contrast than younger adults (N = 25, 15 males). The LC-MRI contrast positively correlated with value sensitivity only in older but not in younger adults. These findings suggest that task-related pupillary responses can reflect age-related deficits in value estimation and updating during reward-based decision-making. Our evidence with the LC-MRI contrast further showed the age-related decline of the LC structure in modulating value representations during reward-based learning.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-related impairments in value representation and updating during reward-based learning are associated with declines in the catecholamine modulation with age. However, it is unclear how age-related declines in the LC-NE system may affect reward-based learning. Here, we show that compared with younger adults, older adults exhibited reduced uncertainty-induced pupil dilations, suggesting age-related deficits in value estimation and updating. Older adults showed a lower structural MRI of the LC contrast than younger adults, indicating age-related degeneration of the LC structure. The association between the LC-MRI contrast and value sensitivity was only observed in older adults. Our findings may demonstrate a pioneering model to unravel the role of the LC-NE system in reward-based learning in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiang-Yu Chen
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Methods of Psychology and Cognitive Modeling, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Marxen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Franka Glöckner
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
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Stanley AT, Post MR, Lacefield C, Sulzer D, Miniaci MC. Norepinephrine release in the cerebellum contributes to aversive learning. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4852. [PMID: 37563141 PMCID: PMC10415399 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40548-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The modulation of dopamine release from midbrain projections to the striatum has long been demonstrated in reward-based learning, but the synaptic basis of aversive learning is far less characterized. The cerebellum receives axonal projections from the locus coeruleus, and norepinephrine release is implicated in states of arousal and stress, but whether aversive learning relies on plastic changes in norepinephrine release in the cerebellum is unknown. Here we report that in mice, norepinephrine is released in the cerebellum following an unpredicted noxious event (a foot-shock) and that this norepinephrine release is potentiated powerfully with fear acquisition as animals learn that a previously neutral stimulus (tone) predicts the aversive event. Importantly, both chemogenetic and optogenetic inhibition of the locus coeruleus-cerebellum pathway block fear memory without impairing motor function. Thus, norepinephrine release in the cerebellum is modulated by experience and underlies aversive learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien T Stanley
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael R Post
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Clay Lacefield
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Sulzer
- Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
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Lloyd B, de Voogd LD, Mäki-Marttunen V, Nieuwenhuis S. Pupil size reflects activation of subcortical ascending arousal system nuclei during rest. eLife 2023; 12:e84822. [PMID: 37367220 PMCID: PMC10299825 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulatory nuclei that are part of the ascending arousal system (AAS) play a crucial role in regulating cortical state and optimizing task performance. Pupil diameter, under constant luminance conditions, is increasingly used as an index of activity of these AAS nuclei. Indeed, task-based functional imaging studies in humans have begun to provide evidence of stimulus-driven pupil-AAS coupling. However, whether there is such a tight pupil-AAS coupling during rest is not clear. To address this question, we examined simultaneously acquired resting-state fMRI and pupil-size data from 74 participants, focusing on six AAS nuclei: the locus coeruleus, ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, dorsal and median raphe nuclei, and cholinergic basal forebrain. Activation in all six AAS nuclei was optimally correlated with pupil size at 0-2 s lags, suggesting that spontaneous pupil changes were almost immediately followed by corresponding BOLD-signal changes in the AAS. These results suggest that spontaneous changes in pupil size that occur during states of rest can be used as a noninvasive general index of activity in AAS nuclei. Importantly, the nature of pupil-AAS coupling during rest appears to be vastly different from the relatively slow canonical hemodynamic response function that has been used to characterize task-related pupil-AAS coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Lloyd
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden UniversityLeidenNetherlands
| | - Lycia D de Voogd
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University NijmegenNijmegenNetherlands
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud UniversityNijmegenNetherlands
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29
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Petter EA, Fallon IP, Hughes RN, Watson GDR, Meck WH, Ulloa Severino FP, Yin HH. Elucidating a locus coeruleus-dentate gyrus dopamine pathway for operant reinforcement. eLife 2023; 12:e83600. [PMID: 37083584 PMCID: PMC10162798 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals can learn to repeat behaviors to earn desired rewards, a process commonly known as reinforcement learning. While previous work has implicated the ascending dopaminergic projections to the basal ganglia in reinforcement learning, little is known about the role of the hippocampus. Here, we report that a specific population of hippocampal neurons and their dopaminergic innervation contribute to operant self-stimulation. These neurons are located in the dentate gyrus, receive dopaminergic projections from the locus coeruleus, and express D1 dopamine receptors. Activation of D1 + dentate neurons is sufficient for self-stimulation: mice will press a lever to earn optogenetic activation of these neurons. A similar effect is also observed with selective activation of the locus coeruleus projections to the dentate gyrus, and blocked by D1 receptor antagonism. Calcium imaging of D1 + dentate neurons revealed significant activity at the time of action selection, but not during passive reward delivery. These results reveal the role of dopaminergic innervation of the dentate gyrus in supporting operant reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elijah A Petter
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Isabella P Fallon
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Ryan N Hughes
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Glenn DR Watson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Warren H Meck
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Francesco Paolo Ulloa Severino
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of MedicineDurhamUnited States
| | - Henry H Yin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of MedicineDurhamUnited States
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Farrand A, Jacquemet V, Verner R, Owens M, Beaumont E. Vagus nerve stimulation parameters evoke differential neuronal responses in the locus coeruleus. Physiol Rep 2023; 11:e15633. [PMID: 36905173 PMCID: PMC10006695 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy and depression, with additional applications under investigation. The noradrenergic center locus coeruleus (LC) is vital for VNS effects; however, the impact of varying stimulation parameters on LC activation is poorly understood. This study characterized LC activation across VNS parameters. Extracellular activity was recorded in rats' left LC while 11 VNS paradigms, utilizing variable frequencies and bursting characteristics, were pseudorandomly delivered to the left cervical vagus for five cycles. Neurons' change from baseline firing rate and timing response profiles were assessed. The proportion of neurons categorized as responders over 5 VNS cycles doubled in comparison to the first VNS cycle (p < 0.001) for all VNS paradigms, demonstrating an amplification effect. The percentage of positively consistent/positive responders increased for standard VNS paradigms with frequencies ≥10 Hz and for bursting paradigms with shorter interburst intervals and more pulses per burst. The synchrony between pairs of LC neurons increased during bursting VNS but not standard paradigms. Also, the probability of evoking a direct response during bursting VNS was higher with longer interburst intervals and a higher number of pulses per burst. Standard paradigms between 10-30 Hz best positively activates LC with consistency to VNS while the best bursting paradigm to increase activity was 300 Hz, seven pulses per burst separated by 1 s. Bursting VNS was effective in increasing synchrony between pairs of neurons, suggesting a common network recruitment originating from vagal afferents. These results indicate differential activation of LC neurons depending on the VNS parameters delivered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana Farrand
- Department of Biomedical SciencesQuillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson CityTennesseeUSA
| | - Vincent Jacquemet
- Department of Pharmacology and PhysiologyInstitute of Biomedical Engineering, University of MontrealMontrealQuebecCanada
- Research CenterSacred Heart Hospital of MontrealMontrealQuebecCanada
| | - Ryan Verner
- Neuromodulation DivisionLivaNova PLCHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Misty Owens
- Department of Biomedical SciencesQuillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson CityTennesseeUSA
| | - Eric Beaumont
- Department of Biomedical SciencesQuillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson CityTennesseeUSA
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Pate BS, Bouknight SJ, Harrington EN, Mott SE, Augenblick LM, Smiley CE, Morgan CG, Calatayud BM, Martínez-Muñiz GA, Thayer JF, Wood SK. Site-Specific knockdown of microglia in the locus coeruleus regulates hypervigilant responses to social stress in female rats. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 109:190-203. [PMID: 36682513 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women are at increased risk for psychosocial stress-related anxiety disorders, yet mechanisms regulating this risk are unknown. Psychosocial stressors activate microglia, and the resulting neuroimmune responses that females exhibit heightened sensitivity to may serve as an etiological factor in their elevated risk. However, studies examining the role of microglia during stress in females are lacking. METHODS Microglia were manipulated in the stress-sensitive locus coeruleus (LC) of female rats in the context of social stress in two ways. First, intra-LC lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0 or 3 μg/side, n = 5-6/group), a potent TLR4 agonist and microglial activator, was administered. One hour later, rats were exposed to control or an aggressive social defeat encounter between two males (WS, 15-min). In a separate study, females were treated with intra-LC or intra-central amygdala mannosylated liposomes containing clodronate (m-CLD; 0 or 25 μg/side, n = 13-14/group), a compound toxic to microglia. WS-evoked burying, cardiovascular responses, and sucrose preference were measured. Brain and plasma cytokines were quantified, and cardiovascular telemetry assessed autonomic balance. RESULTS Intra-LC LPS augmented the WS-induced burying response and increased plasma corticosterone and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Further, the efficacy and selectivity of microinjected m-CLD was fully characterized. In the context of WS, intra-LC m-CLD attenuated the hypervigilant burying response during WS as well as the accumulation of intra-LC IL-1β. Intra-central amygdala m-CLD had no effect on WS-evoked behavior. CONCLUSIONS These studies highlight an innovative method for depleting microglia in a brain region specific manner and indicate that microglia in the LC differentially regulate hypervigilant WS-evoked behavioral and autonomic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany S Pate
- Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Samantha J Bouknight
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Evelynn N Harrington
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Sarah E Mott
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Lee M Augenblick
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Cora E Smiley
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA; WJB Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Christopher G Morgan
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Brittney M Calatayud
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Gustavo A Martínez-Muñiz
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Julian F Thayer
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Susan K Wood
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA; WJB Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC, USA.
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McKinney A, Hu M, Hoskins A, Mohammadyar A, Naeem N, Jing J, Patel SS, Sheth BR, Jiang X. Cellular composition and circuit organization of the locus coeruleus of adult mice. eLife 2023; 12:e80100. [PMID: 36734517 PMCID: PMC9934863 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) houses the vast majority of noradrenergic neurons in the brain and regulates many fundamental functions, including fight and flight response, attention control, and sleep/wake cycles. While efferent projections of the LC have been extensively investigated, little is known about its local circuit organization. Here, we performed large-scale multipatch recordings of noradrenergic neurons in adult mouse LC to profile their morpho-electric properties while simultaneously examining their interactions. LC noradrenergic neurons are diverse and could be classified into two major morpho-electric types. While fast excitatory synaptic transmission among LC noradrenergic neurons was not observed in our preparation, these mature LC neurons connected via gap junction at a rate similar to their early developmental stage and comparable to other brain regions. Most electrical connections form between dendrites and are restricted to narrowly spaced pairs or small clusters of neurons of the same type. In addition, more than two electrically coupled cell pairs were often identified across a cohort of neurons from individual multicell recording sets that followed a chain-like organizational pattern. The assembly of LC noradrenergic neurons thus follows a spatial and cell-type-specific wiring principle that may be imposed by a unique chain-like rule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew McKinney
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Ming Hu
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Junzhan Jing
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
| | - Saumil S Patel
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
| | - Bhavin R Sheth
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of HoustonHoustonUnited States
- Center for NeuroEngineering and Cognitive Science, University of HoustonHoustonUnited States
| | - Xiaolong Jiang
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s HospitalHoustonUnited States
- Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of MedicineHoustonUnited States
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Eckert MA, Iuricich F, Harris KC, Hamlett ED, Vazey EM, Aston-Jones G. Locus coeruleus and dorsal cingulate morphology contributions to slowed processing speed. Neuropsychologia 2023; 179:108449. [PMID: 36528219 PMCID: PMC9906468 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Slowed information processing speed is a defining feature of cognitive aging. Nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) and medial prefrontal regions are targets for understanding slowed processing speed because these brain regions influence neural and behavioral response latencies through their roles in optimizing task performance. Although structural measures of medial prefrontal cortex have been consistently related to processing speed, it is unclear if 1) declines in LC structure underlie this association because of reciprocal connections between LC and medial prefrontal cortex, or 2) if LC declines provide a separate explanation for age-related changes in processing speed. LC and medial prefrontal structural measures were predicted to explain age-dependent individual differences in processing speed in a cross-sectional sample of 43 adults (19-79 years; 63% female). Higher turbo-spin echo LC contrast, based on a persistent homology measure, and greater dorsal cingulate cortical thickness were significantly and each uniquely related to faster processing speed. However, only dorsal cingulate cortical thickness appeared to statistically mediate age-related differences in processing speed. The results suggest that individual differences in cognitive processing speed can be attributed, in part, to structural variation in nucleus LC and medial prefrontal cortex, with the latter key to understanding why older adults exhibit slowed processing speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Eckert
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA.
| | - Federico Iuricich
- Visual Computing Division, School of Computing, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., 29634, USA
| | - Kelly C Harris
- Hearing Research Program, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 550, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Eric D Hamlett
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., 29425-5500, USA
| | - Elena M Vazey
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003-9297, USA
| | - Gary Aston-Jones
- Brain Health Institute, Rutgers University/Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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Glennon E, Valtcheva S, Zhu A, Wadghiri YZ, Svirsky MA, Froemke RC. Locus coeruleus activity improves cochlear implant performance. Nature 2023; 613:317-323. [PMID: 36544024 PMCID: PMC10681749 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05554-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cochlear implants (CIs) are neuroprosthetic devices that can provide hearing to deaf people1. Despite the benefits offered by CIs, the time taken for hearing to be restored and perceptual accuracy after long-term CI use remain highly variable2,3. CI use is believed to require neuroplasticity in the central auditory system, and differential engagement of neuroplastic mechanisms might contribute to the variability in outcomes4-7. Despite extensive studies on how CIs activate the auditory system4,8-12, the understanding of CI-related neuroplasticity remains limited. One potent factor enabling plasticity is the neuromodulator noradrenaline from the brainstem locus coeruleus (LC). Here we examine behavioural responses and neural activity in LC and auditory cortex of deafened rats fitted with multi-channel CIs. The rats were trained on a reward-based auditory task, and showed considerable individual differences of learning rates and maximum performance. LC photometry predicted when CI subjects began responding to sounds and longer-term perceptual accuracy. Optogenetic LC stimulation produced faster learning and higher long-term accuracy. Auditory cortical responses to CI stimulation reflected behavioural performance, with enhanced responses to rewarded stimuli and decreased distinction between unrewarded stimuli. Adequate engagement of central neuromodulatory systems is thus a potential clinically relevant target for optimizing neuroprosthetic device use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Glennon
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Silvana Valtcheva
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Angela Zhu
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Youssef Z Wadghiri
- Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research, Bernard and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mario A Svirsky
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Vespa S, Stumpp L, Liberati G, Delbeke J, Nonclercq A, Mouraux A, El Tahry R. Characterization of vagus nerve stimulation-induced pupillary responses in epileptic patients. Brain Stimul 2022; 15:1498-1507. [PMID: 36402376 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Modulation of the locus coeruleus (LC)-noradrenergic system is a key mechanism of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). Activation of the LC produces pupil dilation, and the VNS-induced change in pupil diameter was demonstrated in animals as a possible dose-dependent biomarker for treatment titration. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to characterize VNS-induced pupillary responses in epileptic patients. METHODS Pupil diameter was recorded in ten epileptic patients upon four stimulation conditions: three graded levels of VNS intensity and a somatosensory control stimulation (cutaneous electrical stimulation over the left clavicle). For each block, the patients rated the intensity of stimulation on a numerical scale. We extracted the latency of the peak pupil dilation and the magnitude of the early (0-2.5 s) and late components (2.5-5 s) of the pupil dilation response (PDR). RESULTS VNS elicited a peak dilation with longer latency compared to the control condition (p = 0.043). The magnitude of the early PDR was significantly correlated with the intensity of perception (p = 0.046), whereas the late PDR was not (p = 0.19). There was a significant main effect of the VNS level of intensity on the magnitude of the late PDR (p = 0.01) but not on the early PDR (p = 0.2). The relationship between late PDR magnitude and VNS intensity was best fit by a Gaussian model (inverted-U). CONCLUSIONS The late component of the PDR might reflect specific dose-dependent effects of VNS, as compared to control somatosensory stimulation. The inverted-U relationship of late PDR with VNS intensity might indicate the engagement of antagonist central mechanisms at high stimulation intensities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Vespa
- Institute of NeuroScience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Lars Stumpp
- Institute of NeuroScience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Giulia Liberati
- Institute of NeuroScience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean Delbeke
- Institute of NeuroScience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - André Mouraux
- Institute of NeuroScience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Riëm El Tahry
- Institute of NeuroScience, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Neurology, Saint Luc University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium
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Chowdhury A, Luchetti A, Fernandes G, Filho DA, Kastellakis G, Tzilivaki A, Ramirez EM, Tran MY, Poirazi P, Silva AJ. A locus coeruleus-dorsal CA1 dopaminergic circuit modulates memory linking. Neuron 2022; 110:3374-3388.e8. [PMID: 36041433 PMCID: PMC10508214 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Individual memories are often linked so that the recall of one triggers the recall of another. For example, contextual memories acquired close in time can be linked, and this is known to depend on a temporary increase in excitability that drives the overlap between dorsal CA1 (dCA1) hippocampal ensembles that encode the linked memories. Here, we show that locus coeruleus (LC) cells projecting to dCA1 have a key permissive role in contextual memory linking, without affecting contextual memory formation, and that this effect is mediated by dopamine. Additionally, we found that LC-to-dCA1-projecting neurons modulate the excitability of dCA1 neurons and the extent of overlap between dCA1 memory ensembles as well as the stability of coactivity patterns within these ensembles. This discovery of a neuromodulatory system that specifically affects memory linking without affecting memory formation reveals a fundamental separation between the brain mechanisms modulating these two distinct processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ananya Chowdhury
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and Psychology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Alessandro Luchetti
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and Psychology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Giselle Fernandes
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and Psychology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Daniel Almeida Filho
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and Psychology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - George Kastellakis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH), Vassilica Vouton, PO Box 1527, GR 711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Alexandra Tzilivaki
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH), Vassilica Vouton, PO Box 1527, GR 711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin Germany
- Neurocure Cluster of Excellence Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Erica M Ramirez
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and Psychology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Mary Y Tran
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and Psychology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Panayiota Poirazi
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH), Vassilica Vouton, PO Box 1527, GR 711 10 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Alcino J Silva
- Departments of Neurobiology, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, and Psychology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095
- Lead contact
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Kelberman MA, Weinshenker D. A novel link between locus coeruleus activity and amyloid-related cognitive decline. Trends Neurosci 2022; 45:651-653. [PMID: 35659415 PMCID: PMC10216710 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Recent work from Prokopiou, Engels-Domínguez et al. assessed locus coeruleus (LC) activity and its functional connectivity (FC) to forebrain regions during a novelty task in cognitively unimpaired adult individuals with varying degrees of amyloid deposition. Novelty increased LC activity and LC FC, but lower responses on these measures were associated with steeper cognitive decline in amyloid-positive individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Kelberman
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David Weinshenker
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Abstract
The central noradrenergic system innervates almost all regions of the brain and, as such, is well positioned to modulate many neural circuits implicated in behaviors and physiology underlying substance use disorders. Ample pharmacological evidence demonstrates that α1, α2, and β adrenergic receptors may serve as therapeutic targets to reduce drug -seeking behavior and drug withdrawal symptoms. Further, norepinephrine is a key modulator of the stress response, and stress has been heavily implicated in reinstatement of drug taking. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of noradrenergic circuitry and noradrenergic receptor signaling in the context of opioid, alcohol, and psychostimulant use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Downs
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Zoe A McElligott
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Preskorn SH. How an Understanding of the Function of the Locus Coeruleus Led to Use of Dexmedetomidine to Treat Agitation in Bipolar Disorder: Example of Rational Development of Psychiatric Medications. J Psychiatr Pract 2022; 28:227-233. [PMID: 35511098 DOI: 10.1097/pra.0000000000000634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This column reviews >50 years of research on the functions subsumed by the locus coeruleus (LC) (also called the central adrenergic system). A major role of the LC is monitoring acid-base balance in the brain and responding by regulating blood-brain permeability to water and other small molecules and cerebral blood flow. The LC, through its downward projections, also regulates and coordinates respiratory and cardiac functions. Through its effect regionally or more globally depending on the stimulus and its magnitude, the LC can regulate the extracellular space in the brain, which in turn can alter ionic concentrations and thus the sensitivity of neurons to signaling. As a result of these far-reaching effects, the LC has been implicated in brain functions ranging from sleep and wakefulness to psychiatric conditions such as hyperarousal/hypervigilance, fear, agitation, anxiety, and panic attacks. This understanding of the brain functions subsumed by the LC has, in turn, led to the most recent development in the use of dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, to treat agitation in patients with bipolar disorder. This column also illustrates a theme discussed in a series of previous columns concerning the successful development of novel psychiatric/central nervous system drugs on the basis of an understanding of relatively simple circuits or mechanisms that underlie pathologic behavior.
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Kaduk K, Hadj-Bouziane F. Insights into the role of noradrenaline in effortful decisions. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001545. [PMID: 35192604 PMCID: PMC8863241 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Kaduk
- Decision and Awareness Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fadila Hadj-Bouziane
- INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Impact Team, Lyon, France
- University of Lyon, Lyon, France
- * E-mail:
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Dahl MJ, Mather M, Werkle-Bergner M. Noradrenergic modulation of rhythmic neural activity shapes selective attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:38-52. [PMID: 34799252 PMCID: PMC8678372 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
During moments involving selective attention, the thalamus orchestrates the preferential processing of prioritized information by coordinating rhythmic neural activity within a distributed frontoparietal network. The timed release of neuromodulators from subcortical structures dynamically sculpts neural synchronization in thalamocortical networks to meet current attentional demands. In particular, noradrenaline modulates the balance of cortical excitation and inhibition, as reflected by thalamocortical alpha synchronization (~8-12 Hz). These neuromodulatory adjustments facilitate the selective processing of prioritized information. Thus, by disrupting effective rhythmic coordination in attention networks, age-related locus coeruleus (LC) degeneration can impair higher levels of neural processing. In sum, findings across different levels of analysis and modalities shed light on how the noradrenergic modulation of neural synchronization helps to shape selective attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Dahl
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Mara Mather
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 90089 Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Markus Werkle-Bergner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Bornert P, Bouret S. Locus coeruleus neurons encode the subjective difficulty of triggering and executing actions. PLoS Biol 2021; 19:e3001487. [PMID: 34874935 PMCID: PMC8683033 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain stem noradrenergic nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) is involved in various costly processes: arousal, stress, and attention. Recent work has pointed toward an implication in physical effort, and indirect evidence suggests that the LC could be also involved in cognitive effort. To assess the dynamic relation between LC activity, effort production, and difficulty, we recorded the activity of 193 LC single units in 5 monkeys performing 2 discounting tasks (a delay discounting task and a force discounting task), as well as a simpler target detection task where conditions were matched for difficulty and only differed in terms of sensory-motor processes. First, LC neurons displayed a transient activation both when monkeys initiated an action and when exerting force. Second, the magnitude of the activation scaled with the associated difficulty, and, potentially, the corresponding amount of effort produced, both for decision and force production. Indeed, at action initiation in both discounting tasks, LC activation increased in conditions associated with lower average engagement rate, i.e., those requiring more cognitive control to trigger the response. Decision-related activation also scaled with response time (RT), over and above task parameters, in line with the idea that it reflects the amount of resources (here time) spent on the decision process. During force production, LC activation only scaled with the amount of force produced in the force discounting task, but not in the control target detection task, where subjective difficulty was equivalent across conditions. Our data show that LC neurons dynamically track the amount of effort produced to face both cognitive and physical challenges with a subsecond precision. This works provides key insight into effort processing and the contribution of the noradrenergic system, which is affected in several pathologies where effort is impaired, including Parkinson disease and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Bornert
- Motivation, Brain and Behavior Team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), INSERM UMRS 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Sebastien Bouret
- Motivation, Brain and Behavior Team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), INSERM UMRS 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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Dornellas APS, Burnham NW, Luhn KL, Petruzzi MV, Thiele TE, Navarro M. Activation of locus coeruleus to rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) noradrenergic pathway blunts binge-like ethanol drinking and induces aversive responses in mice. Neuropharmacology 2021; 199:108797. [PMID: 34547331 PMCID: PMC8583311 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
There is strong evidence that ethanol entails aversive effects that can act as a deterrent to overconsumption. We have found that in doses that support the development of a conditioned taste aversion ethanol increases the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC), a primary source of norepinephrine (NE). Using cre-inducible AAV8-ChR2 viruses in TH-ires-cre mice we found that the LC provides NE projections that innervate the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a brain region that has been implicated in the aversive properties of drugs. Because the neurocircuitry underlying the aversive effects of ethanol is poorly understood, we characterized the role of the LC to RMTg circuit in modulating aversive unconditioned responses and binge-like ethanol intake. Here, both male and female TH-ires-cre mice were cannulated in the RMTg and injected in the LC with rAVV viruses that encode for a Gq-expressing designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) virus, or its control virus, to directly control the activity of NE neurons. A Latin Square paradigm was used to analyze both 20% ethanol and 3% sucrose consumption using the "drinking-in-the-dark" (DID) paradigm. Chemogenetic activation of the LC to RMTg pathway significantly blunted the binge-ethanol drinking, with no effect on the sucrose consumption, increased the emission of mid-frequency vocalizations and induced malaise-like behaviors in mice. The present findings indicate an important involvement of the LC to RMTg pathway in reducing ethanol consumption, and characterize unconditioned aversive reactions induced by activation of this noradrenergic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paula S Dornellas
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, NC, 27599-7178, USA
| | - Nathan W Burnham
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA
| | - Kendall L Luhn
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA
| | - Maxwell V Petruzzi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA
| | - Todd E Thiele
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, NC, 27599-7178, USA
| | - Montserrat Navarro
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, NC, 27599-7178, USA.
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Yamashita J, Terashima H, Yoneya M, Maruya K, Koya H, Oishi H, Nakamura H, Kumada T. Pupillary fluctuation amplitude before target presentation reflects short-term vigilance level in Psychomotor Vigilance Tasks. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256953. [PMID: 34534237 PMCID: PMC8448328 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Our daily activities require vigilance. Therefore, it is useful to externally monitor and predict our vigilance level using a straightforward method. It is known that the vigilance level is linked to pupillary fluctuations via Locus Coeruleus and Norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. However, previous methods of estimating long-term vigilance require monitoring pupillary fluctuations at rest over a long period. We developed a method of predicting the short-term vigilance level by monitoring pupillary fluctuation for a shorter period consisting of several seconds. The LC activity also fluctuates at a timescale of seconds. Therefore, we hypothesized that the short-term vigilance level could be estimated using pupillary fluctuations in a short period and quantified their amplitude as the Micro-Pupillary Unrest Index (M-PUI). We found an intra-individual trial-by-trial positive correlation between Reaction Time (RT) reflecting the short-term vigilance level and M-PUI in the period immediately before the target onset in a Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT). This relationship was most evident when the fluctuation was smoothed by a Hanning window of approximately 50 to 100 ms (including cases of down-sampled data at 100 and 50 Hz), and M-PUI was calculated in the period up to one or two seconds before the target onset. These results suggest that M-PUI can monitor and predict fluctuating levels of vigilance. M-PUI is also useful for examining pupillary fluctuations in a short period for elucidating the psychophysiological mechanisms of short-term vigilance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jumpei Yamashita
- Access Operations Project, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
- Department of Intelligence Science and Technology, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Hiroki Terashima
- Human Information Science Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Makoto Yoneya
- Human Information Science Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kazushi Maruya
- Human Information Science Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hidetaka Koya
- Access Operations Project, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Haruo Oishi
- Access Operations Project, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Nakamura
- Access Operations Project, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takatsune Kumada
- Department of Intelligence Science and Technology, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
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Seo DO, Zhang ET, Piantadosi SC, Marcus DJ, Motard LE, Kan BK, Gomez AM, Nguyen TK, Xia L, Bruchas MR. A locus coeruleus to dentate gyrus noradrenergic circuit modulates aversive contextual processing. Neuron 2021; 109:2116-2130.e6. [PMID: 34081911 PMCID: PMC8754261 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Dysregulation in contextual processing is believed to affect several forms of psychopathology, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The dentate gyrus (DG), a subregion of the hippocampus, is thought to be an important brain region for disambiguating new experiences from prior experiences. Noradrenergic (NE) neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) are more tonically active during stressful events and send dense projections to the DG, yet an understanding of their function in DG-dependent contextual discrimination has not been established. Here, we isolate a key function of the LC-NE-DG circuit in contextual aversive generalization using selective manipulations and in vivo single-cell calcium imaging. We report that activation of LC-NE neurons and terminal activity results in contextual generalization. We found that these effects required β-adrenergic-mediated modulation of hilar interneurons to ultimately promote aversive generalization, suggesting that disruption of noradrenergic tone may serve as an important avenue for treating stress-induced disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Oh Seo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Basic Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Eric T Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sean C Piantadosi
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David J Marcus
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Laura E Motard
- Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Basic Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Bryce K Kan
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Adrian M Gomez
- Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Basic Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Tammy K Nguyen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Li Xia
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Basic Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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Carlson ES, Hunker AC, Sandberg SG, Locke TM, Geller JM, Schindler AG, Thomas SA, Darvas M, Phillips PEM, Zweifel LS. Catecholaminergic Innervation of the Lateral Nucleus of the Cerebellum Modulates Cognitive Behaviors. J Neurosci 2021; 41:3512-3530. [PMID: 33536201 PMCID: PMC8051686 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2406-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebellum processes neural signals related to rewarding and aversive stimuli, suggesting that the cerebellum supports nonmotor functions in cognitive and emotional domains. Catecholamines are a class of neuromodulatory neurotransmitters well known for encoding such salient stimuli. Catecholaminergic modulation of classical cerebellar functions have been demonstrated. However, a role for cerebellar catecholamines in modulating cerebellar nonmotor functions is unknown. Using biochemical methods in male mice, we comprehensively mapped TH+ fibers throughout the entire cerebellum and known precerebellar nuclei. Using electrochemical (fast scan cyclic voltammetry), and viral/genetic methods to selectively delete Th in fibers innervating the lateral cerebellar nucleus (LCN), we interrogated sources and functional roles of catecholamines innervating the LCN, which is known for its role in supporting cognition. The LCN has the most TH+ fibers in cerebellum, as well as the most change in rostrocaudal expression among the cerebellar nuclei. Norepinephrine is the major catecholamine measured in LCN. Distinct catecholaminergic projections to LCN arise only from locus coeruleus, and a subset of Purkinje cells that are positive for staining of TH. LC stimulation was sufficient to produce catecholamine release in LCN. Deletion of Th in fibers innervating LCN (LCN-Th-cKO) resulted in impaired sensorimotor integration, associative fear learning, response inhibition, and working memory in LCN-Th-cKO mice. Strikingly, selective inhibition of excitatory LCN output neurons with inhibitory designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs led to facilitation of learning on the same working memory task impaired in LCN-Th-cKO mice. Collectively, these data demonstrate a role for LCN catecholamines in cognitive behaviors.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Here, we report on interrogating sources and functional roles of catecholamines innervating the lateral nucleus of the cerebellum (LCN). We map and quantify expression of TH, the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis, in the entire cerebellar system, including several precerebellar nuclei. We used cyclic voltammetry and pharmacology to demonstrate sufficiency of LC stimulation to produce catecholamine release in LCN. We used advanced viral techniques to map and selectively KO catecholaminergic neurotransmission to the LCN, and characterized significant cognitive deficits related to this manipulation. Finally, we show that inhibition of excitatory LCN neurons with designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drugs, designed to mimic Gi-coupled catecholamine GPCR signaling, results in facilitation of a working memory task impaired in LCN-specific TH KO mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik S Carlson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington 98108
| | - Avery C Hunker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Stefan G Sandberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Timothy M Locke
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Julianne M Geller
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington 98108
| | - Abigail G Schindler
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington 98108
| | - Steven A Thomas
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Martin Darvas
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Paul E M Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
| | - Larry S Zweifel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
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Yang B, Sanches-Padilla J, Kondapalli J, Morison SL, Delpire E, Awatramani R, Surmeier DJ. Locus coeruleus anchors a trisynaptic circuit controlling fear-induced suppression of feeding. Neuron 2021; 109:823-838.e6. [PMID: 33476548 PMCID: PMC9272546 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The circuit mechanisms underlying fear-induced suppression of feeding are poorly understood. To help fill this gap, mice were fear conditioned, and the resulting changes in synaptic connectivity among the locus coeruleus (LC), the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), and the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA)-all of which are implicated in fear and feeding-were studied. LC neurons co-released noradrenaline and glutamate to excite PBN neurons and suppress feeding. LC neurons also suppressed inhibitory input to PBN neurons by inducing heterosynaptic, endocannabinoid-dependent, long-term depression of CeA synapses. Blocking or knocking down endocannabinoid receptors in CeA neurons prevented fear-induced depression of CeA synaptic transmission and fear-induced suppression of feeding. Altogether, these studies demonstrate that LC neurons play a pivotal role in modulating the circuitry that underlies fear-induced suppression of feeding, pointing to new ways of alleviating stress-induced eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Yang
- Department of Physiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Javier Sanches-Padilla
- Department of Physiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jyothisri Kondapalli
- Department of Physiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sage L Morison
- Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eric Delpire
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Rajeshwar Awatramani
- Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - D James Surmeier
- Department of Physiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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48
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Gasparini S, Resch JM, Gore AM, Peltekian L, Geerling JC. Pre-locus coeruleus neurons in rat and mouse. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2021; 320:R342-R361. [PMID: 33296280 PMCID: PMC7988775 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00261.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Previously, we identified a population of neurons in the hindbrain tegmentum, bordering the locus coeruleus (LC). We named this population the pre-locus coeruleus (pre-LC) because in rats its neurons lie immediately rostral to the LC. In mice, however, pre-LC and LC neurons intermingle, making them difficult to distinguish. Here, we use molecular markers and anterograde tracing to clarify the location and distribution of pre-LC neurons in mice, relative to rats. First, we colocalized the transcription factor FoxP2 with the activity marker Fos to identify pre-LC neurons in sodium-deprived rats and show their distribution relative to surrounding catecholaminergic and cholinergic neurons. Next, we used sodium depletion and chemogenetic activation of the aldosterone-sensitive HSD2 neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) to identify the homologous population of pre-LC neurons in mice, along with a related population in the central lateral parabrachial nucleus. Using Cre-reporter mice for Pdyn, we confirmed that most of these sodium-depletion-activated neurons are dynorphinergic. Finally, after confirming that these neurons receive excitatory input from the NTS and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, plus convergent input from the inhibitory AgRP neurons in the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus, we identify a major, direct input projection from the medial prefrontal cortex. This new information on the location, distribution, and input to pre-LC neurons provides a neuroanatomical foundation for cell-type-specific investigation of their properties and functions in mice. Pre-LC neurons likely integrate homeostatic information from the brainstem and hypothalamus with limbic, contextual information from the cerebral cortex to influence ingestive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Gasparini
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Jon M Resch
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anuradha M Gore
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Lila Peltekian
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Joel C Geerling
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
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Tramonti Fantozzi MP, Lazzarini G, De Cicco V, Briganti A, Argento S, De Cicco D, Barresi M, Cataldo E, Bruschini L, d'Ascanio P, Pirone A, Lenzi C, Vannozzi I, Miragliotta V, Faraguna U, Manzoni D. The path from trigeminal asymmetry to cognitive impairment: a behavioral and molecular study. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4744. [PMID: 33637775 PMCID: PMC7910455 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82265-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Trigeminal input exerts acute and chronic effects on the brain, modulating cognitive functions. Here, new data from humans and animals suggest that these effects are caused by trigeminal influences on the Locus Coeruleus (LC). In humans subjects clenching with masseter asymmetric activity, occlusal correction improved cognition, alongside with reductions in pupil size and anisocoria, proxies of LC activity and asymmetry, respectively. Notably, reductions in pupil size at rest on the hypertonic side predicted cognitive improvements. In adult rats, a distal unilateral section of the trigeminal mandibular branch reduced, on the contralateral side, the expression of c-Fos (brainstem) and BDNF (brainstem, hippocampus, frontal cortex). This counterintuitive finding can be explained by the following model: teeth contact perception loss on the lesioned side results in an increased occlusal effort, which enhances afferent inputs from muscle spindles and posterior periodontal receptors, spared by the distal lesion. Such effort leads to a reduced engagement of the intact side, with a corresponding reduction in the afferent inputs to the LC and in c-Fos and BDNF gene expression. In conclusion, acute effects of malocclusion on performance seem mediated by the LC, which could also contribute to the chronic trophic dysfunction induced by loss of trigeminal input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paola Tramonti Fantozzi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giulia Lazzarini
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Vincenzo De Cicco
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Angela Briganti
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Serena Argento
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Davide De Cicco
- Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Massimo Barresi
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Luca Bruschini
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and CriticalCare Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola d'Ascanio
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Pirone
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Carla Lenzi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Iacopo Vannozzi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Ugo Faraguna
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Diego Manzoni
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56127, Pisa, Italy.
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50
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Grueschow M, Kleim B, Ruff CC. Role of the locus coeruleus arousal system in cognitive control. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12890. [PMID: 32820571 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control lies at the core of human adaptive behaviour. Humans vary substantially in their ability to execute cognitive control with respect to optimally facing environmental challenges, although the neural origins of this heterogeneity are currently not well understood. Recent theoretical frameworks implicate the locus coeruleus noradrenergic arousal system (LC-NE) in that process. Invasive neurophysiological work in rodents has shown that the LC-NE is an important homeostatic control centre of the body. LC-NE innervates the entire neocortex and has particularly strong connections with the cingulate gyrus. In the present study, using a response conflict task, functional magnetic resonance imaging and concurrent pupil dilation measures (a proxy for LC-NE firing), we provide empirical evidence for a decisive role of the LC-NE in cognitive control in humans. We show that the level of individual behavioural adjustment in cognitive control relates to the level of functional coupling between LC-NE and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, as well as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Moreover, we show that the pupil is substantially more dilated during conflict trials requiring behavioural adjustment than during no conflict trials. In addition, we explore a potential relationship between pupil dilation and neural activity during choice conflict adjustments. Our data provide novel insight into arousal-related influences on cognitive control and suggest pupil dilation as a potential external marker for endogenous neural processes involved in optimising behavioural control. Our results may also be clinically relevant for a variety of pathologies where cognitive control is compromised, such as anxiety, depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Grueschow
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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