Article
Neurosciences
Xin Paul Wei, Matthew Collie, Bowen Dempsey, Gilles Fortin, Kevin Yackle
Summary: Human speech and the vocalizations of other species are rhythmic. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the tempo of mammalian vocalizations are still unknown. A brainstem node called the intermediate reticular oscillator (iRO) has been identified to play a crucial role in structuring neonatal vocalizations by autonomously controlling key muscles and the respiratory rhythm generator.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Coralie Herent, Severine Diem, Giovanni Usseglio, Gilles Fortin, Julien Bouvier
Summary: Through neural circuit tracing and activity interference in mice, we have discovered two systems in the central locomotor network that enhance respiration in relation to running. One system involves the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) and the other involves the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord. These findings expand our understanding of respiratory hyperpnea and the functional implications of cell types and pathways traditionally associated with locomotion or respiration.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Isabel Espinosa-Medina, Daniel Feliciano, Carla Belmonte-Mateos, Rosa Linda Miyares, Jorge Garcia-Marques, Benjamin Foster, Sarah Lindo, Cristina Pujades, Minoru Koyama, Tzumin Lee
Summary: During development, regulatory factors determine cell fates in a precise order. However, current strategies for tracing cell lineages lack access to sequentially produced cells. In this study, the authors present TEMPO, a genetic tool based on CRISPR that allows sequential labeling and manipulation of cell generations in vertebrates. TEMPO enables visualization and manipulation of molecular factors crucial for studying cell-type specification.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Dineshkumar Loganathan, Shu-Heng Wu, Chia-Yuan Chen
Summary: This study aims to investigate the mechanism of spatial memory formation using zebrafish larvae as a model animal. A reliable and easily replicable microfluidic platform was designed to evaluate the spatial memory capabilities of zebrafish larvae under non-invasive acoustic stimuli. The results showed that 6-day-old larvae exhibited high levels of freezing behavior in both short and long paths. Therefore, this study is of great importance for understanding the behavioral characteristics of zebrafish larvae and the role of spatial memory in neural activities.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Trygve E. Bakken, Nikolas L. Jorstad, Qiwen Hu, Blue B. Lake, Wei Tian, Brian E. Kalmbach, Megan Crow, Rebecca D. Hodge, Fenna M. Krienen, Staci A. Sorensen, Jeroen Eggermont, Zizhen Yao, Brian D. Aevermann, Andrew I. Aldridge, Anna Bartlett, Darren Bertagnolli, Tamara Casper, Rosa G. Castanon, Kirsten Crichton, Tanya L. Daigle, Rachel Dalley, Nick Dee, Nikolai Dembrow, Dinh Diep, Song-Lin Ding, Weixiu Dong, Rongxin Fang, Stephan Fischer, Melissa Goldman, Jeff Goldy, Lucas T. Graybuck, Brian R. Herb, Xiaomeng Hou, Jayaram Kancherla, Matthew Kroll, Kanan Lathia, Baldur van Lew, Yang Eric Li, Christine S. Liu, Hanqing Liu, Jacinta D. Lucero, Anup Mahurkar, Delissa McMillen, Jeremy A. Miller, Marmar Moussa, Joseph R. Nery, Philip R. Nicovich, Sheng-Yong Niu, Joshua Orvis, Julia K. Osteen, Scott Owen, Carter R. Palmer, Thanh Pham, Nongluk Plongthongkum, Olivier Poirion, Nora M. Reed, Christine Rimorin, Angeline Rivkin, William J. Romanow, Adriana E. Sedeno-Cortes, Kimberly Siletti, Saroja Somasundaram, Josef Sulc, Michael Tieu, Amy Torkelson, Herman Tung, Xinxin Wang, Fangming Xie, Anna Marie Yanny, Renee Zhang, Seth A. Ament, M. Margarit Behrens, Hector Corrada Bravo, Jerold Chun, Alexander Dobin, Jesse Gillis, Ronna Hertzano, Patrick R. Hof, Thomas Hollt, Gregory D. Horwitz, C. Dirk Keene, Peter Kharchenko, Andrew L. Ko, Boudewijn P. Lelieveldt, Chongyuan Luo, Eran A. Mukamel, Antonio Pinto-Duarte, Sebastian Preissl, Aviv Regev, Bing Ren, Richard H. Scheuermann, Kimberly Smith, William J. Spain, Owen R. White, Christof Koch, Michael Hawrylycz, Bosiljka Tasic, Evan Z. Macosko, Steven A. McCarroll, Jonathan T. Ting, Hongku Zeng, Kun Zhang, Guoping Feng, Joseph R. Ecker, Sten Linnarsson, Ed S. Lein
Summary: The research reveals a broadly conserved cellular makeup of the primary motor cortex in humans, marmoset monkeys, and mice, with species-specific specializations. Few cell-type marker genes are conserved across species, indicating some candidate genes and regulatory mechanisms responsible for functional identity of cell types and their species-specific adaptations.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Riccardo Viaro, Emma Maggiolini, Emanuele Farina, Rosario Canto, Atsushi Iriki, Alessandro D'Ausilio, Luciano Fadiga
Summary: Mirror neurons, which respond when an individual performs an action and when observing others doing the same action, were found in both non-human primates and rats. The specificity of mirror responses suggests a fundamental role in action processing and cognitive functions. The discovery of mirror properties in rats opens up new avenues for studying sensorimotor representations and the effects of deprivation on sensorimotor development.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daigo Takeuchi, Dheeraj Roy, Shruti Muralidhar, Takashi Kawai, Andrea Bari, Chanel Lovett, Heather A. Sullivan, Ian R. Wickersham, Susumu Tonegawa
Summary: The anterior cingulate cortex plays a critical role in allowing animals to update their behavior in response to environmental changes. This study demonstrates that the pathway from the cingulate to secondary motor cortex is necessary for updating motor rules following behavioral errors.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Arseny Finkelstein, Lorenzo Fontolan, Michael N. Economo, Nuo Li, Sandro Romani, Karel Svoboda
Summary: The flow of information in the brain can be gated via attractor dynamics, controlling the level of commitment to an action. Decisions are stored in memory until enacted, potentially vulnerable to distracting sensory input. Through experiments with mice, it was observed that choice-encoding activity in the motor cortex became progressively less sensitive to the impact of distractors.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Shin-Ichiro Terada, Kenta Kobayashi, Masanori Matsuzaki
Summary: When executing voluntary movements, the context-dependent signals from secondary motor cortex (M2) to primary motor cortex (M1) weaken, but the process of how different contexts are processed from M2 to M1 for skilled movement execution is unclear. This study found that context dependency is consistently high in M2 L2/3 neurons and consistently low in M1 pyramidal tract neurons. However, context dependency in M2-> M1 axons and M1 L2/3 neurons increases with better task performance. The increase in context dependency is associated with stabilization of context-dependent population activity in M1 L2/3 neurons and an increase in neurons encoding contextual and motor information.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dena Goldblatt, Stephanie Huang, Marie R. Greaney, Kyla R. Hamling, Venkatakaushik Voleti, Citlali Perez-Campos, Kripa B. Patel, Wenze Li, Elizabeth M. C. Hillman, Martha W. Bagnall, David Schoppik
Summary: Neurons with similar attributes in the nervous system are topographically organized, reflecting developmental pressures. However, the vestibular nuclei, responsible for balance, were thought to be disorganized. Through measuring the activity of birthdated neurons, a functional map within the central vestibular projection nucleus in larval zebrafish was revealed, which stabilizes gaze. The findings suggest that development uncovers hidden organization within the input, processing, and output layers of a conserved vertebrate sensorimotor circuit, and temporal mechanisms may play a role in assembling vertebrate sensorimotor architecture, similar to invertebrates.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Lavinia Boccia, Tito Borner, Misgana Y. Ghidewon, Patricia Kulka, Chiara Piffaretti, Sarah A. Doebley, Bart C. De Jonghe, Harvey J. Grill, Thomas A. Lutz, Christelle Le Foll
Summary: The study found that sCT, but not amylin, activates neuronal pathways associated with malaise, leading to a stronger anorectic effect.
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Robertas Guzulaitis, Luca Godenzini, Lucy Maree Palmer
Summary: The anterior lateral motor cortex plays an important role in influencing behavioral performance and impulsive behavior. Planning motor actions can improve performance, but it can also lead to premature actions.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Maxime Chevee, Eric A. Finkel, Su-Jeong Kim, Daniel H. O'Connor, Solange P. Brown
Summary: The claustrum, a subcortical nucleus connecting extensively with the neocortex, is believed to be involved in sensory selection. During a tactile visual sensory-selection task in mice, it was found that neurons in the anterior claustrum were rarely modulated by sensory input, but exhibited different types of direction-tuned motor responses. Additionally, claustrum neurons encoded upcoming movement during intertrial intervals, and pairs of claustrum neurons with synchronous firing preferred contralateral lick directions, suggesting that specific ensembles of similarly tuned claustrum neurons may modulate cortical activity.
Article
Cell Biology
Gokul Rajan, Julie Lafaye, Giulia Faini, Martin Carbo-Tano, Karine Duroure, Dimitrii Tanese, Thomas Panier, Raphael Candelier, Jorg Henninger, Ralf Britz, Benjamin Judkewitz, Christoph Gebhardt, Valentina Emiliani, Georges Debregeas, Claire Wyart, Filippo Del Bene
Summary: This study investigates the evolutionary divergence of locomotion and its adaptation to environmental constraints by comparing swimming patterns in closely related species with similar neuronal circuitry. The findings reveal that mesencephalic locomotion maintenance neurons and the availability of dissolved oxygen and timing of swim bladder inflation may drive the differences in swimming pattern.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Derry Taylor, Erik Gustafsson, Guillaume Dezecache, Marina Davila-Ross
Summary: All living things can communicate, but only humans can use language to communicate. The origin of this unique ability is still a mystery to contemporary science. In a person's lifetime, language emerges from a complex developmental process. Therefore, understanding the vocal development of chimpanzees is crucial for understanding the evolutionary roots of language. In human development, language is built upon the early capacity for vocal functional flexibility, which means the ability to express the same vocalizations in different ways to achieve different functions. This study provides evidence for vocal functional flexibility in early chimpanzee vocal production and function, suggesting that the developmental foundations for language are rooted in our primate evolutionary heritage.
Article
Neurosciences
Xin Paul Wei, Matthew Collie, Bowen Dempsey, Gilles Fortin, Kevin Yackle
Summary: Human speech and the vocalizations of other species are rhythmic. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate the tempo of mammalian vocalizations are still unknown. A brainstem node called the intermediate reticular oscillator (iRO) has been identified to play a crucial role in structuring neonatal vocalizations by autonomously controlling key muscles and the respiratory rhythm generator.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katrin Gerstmann, Nina Jurcic, Edith Blasco, Severine Kunz, Felipe de Almeida Sassi, Nicolas Wanaverbecq, Niccolo Zampieri
Summary: Animals have evolved specific locomotor strategies to adapt to different habitats, and locomotion depends on the integration of motor commands and sensory information. Mouse CSF-cN play an important role in quadrupedal locomotion, and disruption of their function leads to specific defects in skilled movements.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elijah David Lowenstein, Ke Cui, Luis Rodrigo Hernandez-Miranda
Summary: The study of cerebellar development has made significant progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate neuron specification and diversity in the cerebellum. This knowledge has expanded our understanding of the cerebellum beyond its role in motor control to include various homeostatic and higher order neuronal functions.
Article
Neurosciences
Sofia Pimpinella, Ilaria Sauve, Stephan Dietrich, Niccolo Zampieri
Summary: Neurons detect vital information about the environment and body status, but the mechanisms controlling somatosensory coding are unclear. This study used a rabies tracing approach to investigate the precise connectivity patterns of sensory input in mouse spinal circuits, highlighting the importance of positional features and population coding for somatosensory information processing.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dounia Ben Amar, Karine Thoinet, Benjamin Villalard, Olivier Imbaud, Clelia Costechareyre, Loraine Jarrosson, Florie Reynaud, Julia Novion Ducassou, Yohann Coute, Jean-Francois Brunet, Valerie Combaret, Nadege Corradini, Celine Delloye-Bourgeois, Valerie Castellani
Summary: Using experimental models mimicking the embryonic context and proteomic/transcriptomic analyses, this study demonstrates that signals released by embryonic sympathetic ganglia can induce the transformation of neuroblastoma cells and activate gene programs promoting metastasis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laure Lecoin, Bowen Dempsey, Alexandra Garancher, Steeve Bourane, Pierre-Louis Ruffault, Marie-Pierre Morin-Surun, Nathalie Rocques, Martyn Goulding, Alain Eychene, Celio Pouponnot, Gilles Fortin, Jean Champagnat
Summary: Apneas are associated with various pathological and fatal conditions. This study shows that a mutation in the transcription factor Mafa leads to an abnormally high incidence of breath holding apneas and death in newborn mice. The mutation affects GABAergic inhibitory neurons, causing decreased motor drive to muscles controlling the airways.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephan Dietrich, Carlos Company, Kun Song, Elijah David Lowenstein, Levin Riedel, Carmen Birchmeier, Gaetano Gargiulo, Niccolo Zampieri
Summary: The molecular basis of proprioceptive neuron subtype identities is not fully understood. In this study, the authors investigated the diversity of proprioceptive neurons connected to different muscles at the molecular level, and found that acquisition of muscle-type identity precedes the emergence of receptor character and contains effectors controlling muscle connectivity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Alicia N. Vagnozzi, Matthew T. Moore, Minshan Lin, Elyse M. Brozost, K. C. Ritesh, Aambar Agarwal, Lindsay A. Schwarz, Xin Duan, Niccolo Zampieri, Lynn T. Landmesser, Polyxeni Philippidou
Summary: Breathing circuits depend on the coordinated activity of type I and type II cadherins to generate robust respiratory motor output. Inactivation of these cadherins during development leads to respiratory failure and reduced motor activity.
Article
Biology
Remi Ronzano, Sophie Skarlatou, Bianca K. Barriga, B. Anne Bannatyne, Gardave Singh Bhumbra, Joshua D. Foster, Jeffrey D. Moore, Camille Lancelin, Amanda M. Pocratsky, Mustafa Goerkem Ozyurt, Calvin Chad Smith, Andrew J. Todd, David J. Maxwell, Andrew J. Murray, Samuel L. Pfaff, Robert M. Brownstone, Niccolo Zampieri, Marco Beato
Summary: In this study, multiple viral-tracing methods were used to investigate the organization of premotor interneurons contacting motor pools controlling flexion and extension of the ankle. Contrary to expectations, it was found that these premotor interneurons are highly intermingled with motor neurons, suggesting the absence of clear spatial patterns in the processing of motor instructions.
Review
Neurosciences
Yiling Xia, Ke Cui, Antonia Alonso, Elijah D. D. Lowenstein, Luis R. R. Hernandez-Miranda
Summary: Breathing is a complex unconscious motor behavior driven by the brainstem. It is adaptable to the physiological demands of the organism. Research has revealed the developmental origins of respiratory neurons, their transcriptional regulation, and the impact of genetic disturbances on hypoventilation disorders in humans.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Elijah D. Lowenstein, Pierre-Louis Ruffault, Aristotelis Misios, Kate L. Osman, Huimin Li, Rachel S. Greenberg, Rebecca Thompson, Kun Song, Stephan Dietrich, Xun Li, Nikita Vladimirov, Andrew Woehler, Jean-Francois Brunet, Niccolo Zampieri, Ralf Kuhn, Stephen D. Liberles, Shiqi Jia, Gary R. Lewin, Nikolaus Rajewsky, Teresa E. Lever, Carmen Birchmeier
Summary: This study identified and characterized subtypes of vagal sensory neurons expressing Prox2 and Runx3 in mice using genetic and electrophysiological methods. Three subtypes were found to innervate the esophagus and stomach in regionalized patterns and play essential roles in esophageal peristalsis.
Article
Neurosciences
Alicia N. Vagnozzi, Matthew T. Moore, Raquel Lopez de Boer, Aambar Agarwal, Niccolo Zampieri, Lynn T. Landmesser, Polyxeni Philippidou
Summary: This study reveals the importance of cell adhesion function in the development of phrenic motor neurons, but not in their maintenance. Deletion of beta- and gamma-catenin leads to reduced activity and abnormal growth of phrenic motor neurons.
FRONTIERS IN NEURAL CIRCUITS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Coralie Herent, Severine Diem, Giovanni Usseglio, Gilles Fortin, Julien Bouvier
Summary: Through neural circuit tracing and activity interference in mice, we have discovered two systems in the central locomotor network that enhance respiration in relation to running. One system involves the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) and the other involves the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord. These findings expand our understanding of respiratory hyperpnea and the functional implications of cell types and pathways traditionally associated with locomotion or respiration.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Joriene C. de Nooij, Niccolo Zampieri
Summary: This review discusses recent findings on the development of mouse proprioceptor subtypes and challenges in defining them at the molecular and functional level.
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Sylvie Picker-Minh, Ilaria Luperi, Ethiraj Ravindran, Nadine Kraemer, Sami Zaqout, Gisela Stoltenburg-Didinger, Olaf Ninnemann, Luis R. Hernandez-Miranda, Shyamala Mani, Angela M. Kaindl
Summary: Homozygous variants in the PTRH2 gene cause infantile-onset multisystem neurologic, endocrine, and pancreatic disease. In mouse models, the loss of PTRH2 leads to cerebellar atrophy and functional deficits. It is found that PCs in the mice have reduced cell size and density, stunted dendrites, and lower levels of ribosomal protein S6.