Article
Cell Biology
Moran Guo, Can Cui, Xueqin Song, Lijing Jia, Duan Li, Xiuli Wang, Hui Dong, Yanqin Ma, Yaling Liu, Zhiqiang Cui, Le Yi, Zhongyao Li, Yue Bi, Yuanyuan Li, Yakun Liu, Weisong Duan, Chunyan Li
Summary: This study revealed that FGF9 plays a crucial role in the survival of GABAergic neurons and epilepsy pathology. Depletion of FGF9 leads to neuronal apoptosis and decreased GABA expression, resulting in seizures. Recombinant FGF9 proteoliposomes significantly reduce the number of seizures, suggesting FGF9 as a potential new target for epilepsy treatment.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Shovan Naskar, Jia Qi, Francisco Pereira, Charles R. Gerfen, Soohyun Lee
Summary: Extensive hierarchical yet highly reciprocal interactions among cortical areas are crucial for information processing, but the specificity and rules governing corticocortical connections are poorly understood. The study shows that long-range projections from different areas preferentially engage specific sets of GABAergic neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex, leading to distinct feedback mechanisms between neurons.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Omer Revah, Felicity Gore, Kevin W. Kelley, Jimena Andersen, Noriaki Sakai, Xiaoyu Chen, Min-Yin Li, Fikri Birey, Xiao Yang, Nay L. Saw, Samuel W. Baker, Neal D. Amin, Shravanti Kulkarni, Rachana Mudipalli, Bianxiao Cui, Seiji Nishino, Gerald A. Grant, Juliet K. Knowles, Mehrdad Shamloo, John R. Huguenard, Karl Deisseroth, Sergiu P. Pasca
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of transplanting self-organizing neural organoids derived from human stem cells into the somatosensory cortex of rats to develop mature cell types and integrate into sensory and motivation-related circuits. The transplanted cortical neurons exhibit more complex properties than their in vitro counterparts and can drive reward-seeking behavior when optogenetically activated. This approach has the potential to detect circuit-level phenotypes in patient-derived cells that cannot be uncovered using other methods.
Article
Neurosciences
Aniello Lombardi, Qiang Wang, Maik C. Stuettgen, Thomas Mittmann, Heiko J. Luhmann, Werner Kilb
Summary: This study investigates the role of short-term synaptic plasticity (STP) in excitatory and inhibitory synapses in the cortical layer 2/3 of mice. The results show that burst stimulation leads to short-term depression (STD) in both excitatory and inhibitory synapses, with stronger depression observed in inhibitory synapses and longer decay time.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jing Zou, Samuel Andrew Hires
Summary: Recent research shows that inhibitory neurons expressing vasoactive intestinal polypeptide are specifically activated when rewards are anticipated, rather than when they are consumed.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deepa L. Ramamurthy, Andrew Chen, Jiayu Zhou, Chanbin Park, Patrick C. Huang, Priyanka Bharghavan, Gayathri Krishna, Jinjian Liu, Kayla Casale, Daniel E. Feldman
Summary: VIP cells in whisker somatosensory cortex are activated by local sensory features and goal-directed actions, but not directly by reinforcement. In expert mice, VIP responses related to licking are suppressed when a reward is delivered, and the suppression increases with reward size, which is not observed in novice mice.
Article
Cell Biology
Sergio Arroyo, Sapeeda Barati, Kyungsoo Kim, Francisco Aparicio, Karunesh Ganguly
Summary: In order to determine actions in different contexts, animals need to learn how to perform motor programs based on sensory cues. In rodents, the secondary motor cortex (M2) is where sensory processing and motor planning intersect. This study investigates the dynamics of vasointestinal peptide (VIP) and somatostatin (SST) interneurons in M2 during the acquisition of a cue-based reach-to-grasp task in mice. The results show the emergence of preparatory activity in a subset of VIP interneurons during motor learning, while SST neurons exhibit later and more synchronized activation during movement with learning. These findings provide insight into the role of VIP population dynamics in sensorimotor learning and the compartmentalization of sensory processing and movement execution.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brian R. Lee, Rachel Dalley, Jeremy A. Miller, Thomas Chartrand, Jennie Close, Rusty Mann, Alice Mukora, Lindsay Ng, Lauren Alfiler, Katherine Baker, Darren Bertagnolli, Krissy Brouner, Tamara Casper, Eva Csajbok, Nicholas Donadio, Stan L. W. Driessens, Tom Egdorf, Rachel Enstrom, Anna A. Galakhova, Amanda Gary, Emily Gelfand, Jeff Goldy, Kristen Hadley, Tim S. Heistek, Dijon Hill, Wen-Hsien Hou, Nelson Johansen, Nik Jorstad, Lisa Kim, Agnes Katalin Kocsis, Lauren Kruse, Michael Kunst, Gabriela Leon, Brian Long, Matthew Mallory, Michelle Maxwell, Medea Mcgraw, Delissa Mcmillen, Erica J. Melief, Gabor Molnar, Marty T. Mortrud, Dakota Newman, Julie Nyhus, Ximena Opitz-Araya, Attila Ozsvar, Trangthanh Pham, Alice Pom, Lydia Potekhina, Ram Rajanbabu, Augustin Ruiz, Susan M. Sunkin, Ildiko Szoets, Naz Taskin, Bargavi Thyagarajan, Michael Tieu, Jessica Trinh, Sara Vargas, David Vumbaco, Femke Waleboer, Sarah Walling-Bell, Natalie Weed, Grace Williams, Julia Wilson, Shenqin Yao, Thomas Zhou, Pal Barzo, Trygve Bakken, Charles Cobbs, Nick Dee, Richard G. Ellenbogen, Luke Esposito, Manuel Ferreira, Nathan W. Gouwens, Benjamin Grannan, Ryder P. Gwinn, Jason S. Hauptman, Rebecca Hodge, Tim Jarsky, C. Dirk Keene, Andrew L. Ko, Anders Rosendal Korshoej, Boaz P. Levi, Kaare Meier, Jeffrey G. Ojemann, Anoop Patel, Jacob Ruzevick, Daniel L. Silbergeld, Kimberly Smith, Jens Christian Sorensen, Jack Waters, Hongkui Zeng, Jim Berg, Marco Capogna, Natalia A. Goriounova, Brian Kalmbach, Christiaan P. J. de Kock, Huib D. Mansvelder, Staci A. Sorensen, Gabor Tamas, Ed S. Lein, Jonathan T. Ting
Summary: Recent studies have brought new insights into genetically defined cell types in the human brain through single-cell transcriptomic analysis. However, a deeper understanding of multimodal cellular properties, such as electrical activity and morphology, is still lacking, which is crucial for understanding the role of different cell types in cognitive function and disease.
Article
Neurosciences
Georg Hafner, Julien Guy, Mirko Witte, Pavel Truschow, Alina Rueppel, Nikoloz Sirmpilatze, Rakshit Dadarwal, Susann Boretius, Jochen F. Staiger
Summary: By investigating the brain-wide input connectivity in reeler mice, it was found that in the absence of cortical layers, cortical neurons establish a different network that largely preserves cognitive functions. The connection with subcortical structures is maintained, while the cortical circuitry is altered.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ratna Chaturvedi, Tobias Stork, Chunyan Yuan, Marc R. Freeman, Patrick Emery
Summary: In this study, the role of astrocytic GABA transporter (GAT) in sleep regulation in fruit flies was examined. It was found that GAT controls the amount and quality of sleep through modulation of GABAergic tone and activation of RDL.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Camille Mazo, Antoine Nissant, Soham Saha, Enzo Peroni, Pierre-Marie Lledo, Gabriel Lepousez
Summary: In the olfactory system, a group of GABAergic neurons in the anterior olfactory cortex projects inhibitory feedback signals to the olfactory bulb, which can enhance the separation of odor responses and affect the discrimination of similar odors in the output neurons.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roberto de la Torre-Martinez, Maya Ketzef, Gilad Silberberg
Summary: This study investigates the influence of motor activity on sensory processing in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) and how it is modulated by dopamine. Whole-cell recordings in awake mice reveal that whisking affects sensory responses in the DLS, with attenuated responses during ongoing whisking. Dopamine depletion reduces the representation of whisking in direct-pathway neurons and impairs discrimination between ipsilateral and contralateral sensory stimulation in both direct and indirect pathway neurons.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Safura Rashid Shomali, Seyyed Nader Rasuli, Majid Nili Ahmadabadi, Hideaki Shimazaki
Summary: Identifying network architecture from observed neural activities is crucial in neuroscience studies. By utilizing an exact analytical solution, we construct a framework that links synaptic type, strength, and spiking nonlinearity with the statistics of neuronal population activity. The framework explains interactions of neurons receiving common inputs under different architectures. Comparisons with empirical data provide a guide map to infer the hidden input architecture.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rebecca J. Rabinovich, Daniel D. Kato, Randy M. Bruno
Summary: This study demonstrates that learning significantly alters the representation of neurons in the superficial layers of the mouse cortex, expanding the population of neurons sensitive to touch and behavioral choice. Training also improves encoding of the passage of time.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Fong Kuan Wong, Martijn Selten, Claudia Roses-Novella, Varun Sreenivasan, Noemi Pallas-Bazarra, Eleni Serafeimidou-Pouliou, Alicia Hanusz-Godoy, Fazal Oozeer, Robert Edwards, Oscar Marin
Summary: This study investigates the mechanisms underlying developmental cell death in different populations of interneurons. The results show that neurogliaform cells and basket cells require glutamatergic transmission for survival, while the number of bipolar cells is regulated by serotonin signaling.
Article
Neurosciences
Carla Brancia, Barbara Noli, Marina Boido, Roberta Pilleri, Andrea Boi, Roberta Puddu, Francesco Marrosu, Alessandro Vercelli, Paolo Bongioanni, Gian-Luca Ferri, Cristina Cocco
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Romina Burla, Mattia La Torre, Giorgia Zanetti, Alex Bastianelli, Chiara Merigliano, Simona Del Giudice, Alessandro Vercelli, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Marina Boido, Fiammetta Verni, Isabella Saggio
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2018)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gianmarco Pallavicini, Gaia E. Berto, Ferdinando Di Cunto
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Cell Biology
Cristina Zalfa, Laura Rota Nodari, Elena Vacchi, Maurizio Gelati, Daniela Profico, Marina Boido, Elena Binda, Lidia De Filippis, Massimiliano Copetti, Valentina Garlatti, Paola Daniele, Jessica Rosati, Alessandro De Luca, Francesca Pinos, Laura Cajola, Alberto Visioli, Letizia Mazzini, Alessandro Vercelli, Maria Svelto, Angelo Luigi Vescovi, Daniela Ferrari
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Silvia Grasso, Davide Cangelosi, Jennifer Chapelle, Melissa Alzona, Giorgia Centonze, Alessia Lamolinara, Vincenzo Salemme, Costanza Angelini, Alessandro Morellato, Andrea Saglietto, Federico Tommaso Bianchi, Sara Cabodi, Iris Chiara Salaroglio, Federica Fusella, Marzia Ognibene, Manuela Iezzi, Annalisa Pezzolo, Valeria Poli, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Alessandra Eva, Chiara Riganti, Luigi Varesio, Emilia Turco, Paola Defilippi
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fabio Cofano, Marina Boido, Matteo Monticelli, Francesco Zenga, Alessandro Ducati, Alessandro Vercelli, Diego Garbossa
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Andrea Naldi, Paolo Provero, Alessandro Vercelli, Mauro Bergui, Anna Teresa Mazzeo, Roberto Cantello, Giacomo Tondo, Piergiorgio Lochner
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Oncology
Gianmarco Pallavicini, Giorgia Iegiani, Gaia Elena Berto, Elisa Calamia, Edoardo Trevisiol, Andrea Veltri, Simona Allis, Ferdinando Di Cunto
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Angelisa Frasca, Eleonora Spiombi, Michela Palmieri, Elena Albizzati, Maria Maddalena Valente, Anna Bergo, Barbara Leva, Charlotte Kilstrup-Nielsen, Federico Bianchi, Valerio Di Carlo, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Nicoletta Landsberger
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Serena Stanga, Anna Caretto, Marina Boido, Alessandro Vercelli
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Andrea Nani, Jordi Manuello, Lorenzo Mancuso, Donato Liloia, Tommaso Costa, Alessandro Vercelli, Sergio Duca, Franco Cauda
Summary: Brain disorders tend to affect the insular cortex, showing patterns of co-alteration with a dense network including predominantly cortical regions. Frontal lobe regions are more involved than occipital lobe, and co-alteration and co-activation patterns overlap significantly. This suggests alterations caused by brain disorders follow a network architecture logic, with brain hubs at the center of co-altered areas.
Article
Oncology
Giorgia Iegiani, Marta Gai, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Gianmarco Pallavicini
Summary: Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most frequent brain tumor in children, and current treatments are only partially effective, necessitating the need for more effective therapies. The gene CENPE is critical for normal proliferation and survival of neural progenitors, and inhibiting it has shown potential as a therapeutic strategy for MB treatment, as demonstrated by its effects on MB cell lines and the promising results of testing the inhibitor GSK923295.
Article
Cell Biology
Gianmarco Pallavicini, Marta Gai, Giorgia Iegiani, Gaia Elena Berto, Annie Adrait, Yohann Coute, Ferdinando Di Cunto
Summary: Goldberg-Shprintzen disease is a rare microcephaly syndrome associated with recessive mutations in the KIF1BP gene, potentially leading to microcephaly due to abnormalities in cell division.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Giorgia Iegiani, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Gianmarco Pallavicini
Summary: Medulloblastoma and gliomas are the most common high-grade brain tumors in children and adults. Current treatments, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, have limited effectiveness. Mutated genes in proliferating cells play a crucial role in brain development and are associated with HGBT expansion and microtubule stability.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Enrica Boda, Martina Lorenzati, Roberta Parolisi, Brian Harding, Gianmarco Pallavicini, Luca Bonfanti, Amanda Moccia, Stephanie Bielas, Ferdinando Di Cunto, Annalisa Buffo
Summary: Depending on their distinct developmental origins and ability to counteract oxidative stress, dorsal and ventral oligodendrocyte progenitor cells of the postnatal mouse brain are differentially vulnerable to DNA damage.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)