Article
Biology
Miriam Aceves, Ashley Tucker, Joseph Chen, Katie Vo, Joshua Moses, Prakruthi Amar Kumar, Hannah Thomas, Diego Miranda, Gabrielle Dampf, Valerie Dietz, Matthew Chang, Aleena Lukose, Julius Jang, Sneha Nadella, Tucker Gillespie, Christian Trevino, Andrew Buxton, Anna L. L. Pritchard, Peyton Green, Dylan A. A. McCreedy, Jennifer N. N. Dulin
Summary: In a mouse model of spinal cord injury, the developmental stage of transplanted neural progenitor cells is shown to influence anatomical and behavioral outcomes after spinal cord injury. Earlier-stage grafts exhibit greater axon outgrowth, enrichment for specific spinal interneurons, and enhanced host axon regeneration. Later-stage grafts are enriched for different interneuronal subtypes and exacerbate thermal hypersensitivity.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(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)
Article
Cell Biology
Jing Cai, Jing Chen, Joshua Ortiz-Guzman, Jessica Huang, Benjamin R. Arenkiel, Yuchen Wang, Yan Zhang, Yuyan Shi, Qingchun Tong, Cheng Zhan
Summary: Contrary to previous belief, eliminating AgRP/NPY neurons in adult mice does not affect normal feeding or body weight homeostasis.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Joy H. Meserve, Jessica C. Nelson, Kurt C. Marsden, Jerry Hsu, Fabio A. Echeverry, Roshan A. Jain, Marc A. Wolman, Alberto E. Pereda, Michael Granato
Summary: The acoustic startle response is an evolutionarily conserved avoidance behavior that can be disrupted in human neurological disorders. Using zebrafish larvae, a genetic screen identified eight genes critical for regulating startle behavior, with two of the genes associated with human disorders. Experimental validation showed that these genes play key roles in regulating movement magnitude in the spinal cord.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joao M. Braz, Todd Dembo, Alexandra Charruyer, Ruby Ghadially, Marlys S. Fassett, Allan Basbaum
Summary: The study found that untreated Grhl3(PAR2/+) mice had up-regulation of trigeminal ganglia genes, and HDM treatment exacerbated this up-regulation, particularly in TG neurons expressing TRPV1. These transcriptional changes sensitize animals to allergens and contribute to pruritus in atopic skin disease.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Camilo Toledo, David C. Andrade, Esteban Diaz-Jara, Domiziana Ortolani, Ignacio Bernal-Santander, Karla G. Schwarz, Fernando C. Ortiz, Noah J. Marcus, Luiz M. Oliveira, Ana C. Takakura, Thiago S. Moreira, Rodrigo Del Rio
Summary: Intermittent activation of RVLM-C1 neurons induces long-term autonomic and breathing dysfunction, suggesting that episodic stimulation of RVLM-C1 may serve as a pathological substrate for the development of cardiorespiratory disorders.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ieva Berzanskyte, Federica Riccio, Carolina Barcellos Machado, Elizabeth J. Bradbury, Ivo Lieberam
Summary: Researchers developed a method to differentiate and isolate spinal V3 interneurons using extrinsic factor-mediated differentiation and magnetic activated cell sorting. They found that a higher concentration of Sonic Hedgehog agonist and 3D culture conditions enhanced V3 progenitor differentiation. By developing a transgene reporter, they were able to purify V3 progenitors labeled with CD14 to a 95% purity and mature them into postmitotic V3 interneurons. This purification tool is valuable for in vitro disease modeling, studying normal human neural development, and potential cell therapies for spinal cord disorders.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
A. Sanzeni, M. H. Histed, N. Brunel
Summary: Cortical neurons exhibit irregular firing and a wide distribution of rates. The balanced state model explains this phenomenon as a cancellation of mean excitatory and inhibitory currents, which drive firing through fluctuations. However, in networks with conductance-based synapses, strong coupling suppresses current fluctuations, challenging the applicability of the balanced state idea to biological neural networks. We show that in networks of conductance-based neurons, asynchronous irregular activity and broad rate distributions can emerge with the appropriate synaptic efficacy.
Article
Biology
Catherine M. Ivy, Oliver H. Wearing, Chandrasekhar Natarajan, Rena M. Schweizer, Natalia Gutierrez-Pinto, Jonathan P. Velotta, Shane C. Campbell-Staton, Elin E. Petersen, Angela Fago, Zachary A. Cheviron, Jay F. Storz, Graham R. Scott
Summary: Genetic variants in haemoglobin associated with high-altitude adaptation in deer mice were found to also be linked to breathing phenotypes that enhance oxygen uptake in hypoxia, showing unexpected effects of adaptive variation in Hb on physiology beyond its traditional function in oxygen transport.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Lawrence Huang, Peter Ledochowitsch, Ulf Knoblich, Jerome Lecoq, Gabe J. Murphy, R. Clay Reid, Saskia E. J. de Vries, Christof Koch, Hongkui Zeng, Michael A. Buice, Jack Waters, Lu Li
Summary: Fluorescent calcium indicators are commonly used to study neural dynamics, but their relationship with action potentials remains unclear. While most APs can be detected under optimal conditions, limitations arise when imaging populations of neurons, raising challenges for accurate AP detection.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jinyu Zhang, Ye Lu, Min Jia, Yuying Bai, Lulu Sun, Ziqing Dong, Wenrong Tian, Fangyuan Yin, Shuguang Wei, Yunpeng Wang
Summary: Prolonged withdrawal from opioids can result in negative emotions. Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) plays a crucial role in opioid addiction and affective disorders, but its mechanism in withdrawal-related depression is still unclear. This study demonstrated the vital role of striatal KOR in morphine withdrawal-related depressive-like behaviors and provided potential therapeutic strategies for withdrawal-related depression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Barbara Yael Braz, Doris Wennagel, Leslie Ratie, Diego Alves Rodrigues de Souza, Jean Christophe Deloulme, Emmanuel L. Barbier, Alain Buisson, Fabien Lante, Sandrine Humbert
Summary: Recent evidence suggests that mild mutations in the Huntingtin gene associated with late-onset Huntington's disease disrupt human neurodevelopment. This study found that newborn HD mice exhibit early neural circuit deficits, but these deficits can be rescued by pharmacologically enhancing glutamatergic transmission during the neonatal period.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sverre Grodem, Ingeborg Nymoen, Guro Helen Vatne, Frederik Sebastian Rogge, Valgerur Bjoernsdottir, Kristian Kinden Lensjo, Marianne Fyhn
Summary: This study explores the use of systemically administered PHP.eB AAVs for brain-wide expression of genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators (GECIs), and compares them to intracerebrally injected AAVs. The findings suggest that systemic administration is a promising strategy for imaging neural activity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alfredo Parra-Lucares, Eduardo Villa, Esteban Romero-Hernandez, Gabriel Mendez-Valdes, Catalina Retamal, Geovana Vizcarra, Ignacio Henriquez, Esteban A. J. Maldonado-Morales, Juan H. Grant-Palza, Sofia Ruiz-Tagle, Victoria Estrada-Bobadilla, Luis Toro
Summary: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac condition that primarily affects older adults and is characterized by irregular heartbeat rhythm. It often leads to significant disability and increased mortality rates. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of early restoration of sinus rhythm in improving patient outcomes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Sona Amalyan, Suhel Tamboli, Ivan Lazarevich, Dimitry Topolnik, Leandra Harriet Bouman, Lisa Topolnik
Summary: This study reveals that asymptomatic mice carrying the C9orf72 gene mutation exhibit abnormal motor cortex output. The reduction in the number of pyramidal neurons in the M1 layer 5 and the decreased inhibitory drive in surviving neurons result in higher M1 output, particularly during high-speed animal locomotion. Furthermore, the study shows that the speed-dependent M1 output can predict the likelihood of C9orf72 genetic expansion.
Article
Physiology
T. E. Dick, M. Dutschmann, J. L. Feldman, A. Y. Fong, S. Hulsmann, K. M. Morris, J. M. Ramirez, J. C. Smith
RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY & NEUROBIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Neurosciences
Shannon H. Romer, Kari Seedle, Sarah M. Turner, Jie Li, Mark L. Baccei, Steven A. Crone
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2017)
Article
Neurosciences
Kameron Decker Harris, Tatiana Dashevskiy, Joshua Mendoza, Alfredo J. Garcia, Jan-Marino Ramirez, Eric Shea-Brown
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2017)
Editorial Material
Biology
Alfredo J. Garcia, Jan-Marino Ramirez
Article
Physiology
Alfredo J. Garcia, Tatiana Dashevskiy, Maggie A. Khuu, Jan-Marino Ramirez
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nathan Andrew Baertsch, Hans Christopher Baertsch, Jan Marino Ramirez
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2018)
Article
Cell Biology
Masaki Ueno, Yuka Nakamura, Jie Li, Zirong Gu, Jesse Niehaus, Mari Maezawa, Steven A. Crone, Martyn Goulding, Mark L. Baccei, Yutaka Yoshida
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hind Benammi, Hasna Erazi, Omar El Hiba, Laurent Vinay, Helene Bras, Jean-Charles Viemari, Halima Gamrani
Article
Physiology
Alfredo J. Garcia, Jean Charles Viemari, Maggie A. Khuu
RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY & NEUROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Diego Alzate-Correa, Jillian Mei-ling Liu, Mikayla Jones, Talita M. Silva, Michele Joana Alves, Elizabeth Burke, Jessica Zuniga, Behiye Kaya, Giuliana Zaza, Mehmet Tahir Aslan, Jessica Blackburn, Marina Y. Shimada, Silvio A. Fernandes-Junior, Lisa A. Baer, Kristin Stanford, Amber Kempton, Sakima Smith, Caroline C. Szujewski, Abby Silbaugh, Jean-Charles Viemari, Ana C. Takakura, Alfredo J. Garcia, Thiago S. Moreira, Catherine M. Czeisler, Jose J. Otero
Summary: The mutated Phox2b protein expression in neurons is associated with apneic episodes in CCHS patients shortly after birth, possibly due to disruptions in visceral motor neuron development.
Article
Neurosciences
Dylan A. McCreedy, Frank L. Jalufka, Madison E. Platt, Sun Won Min, Megan A. Kirchhoff, Anna L. Pritchard, Shelby K. Reid, Ronald Manlapaz, Eszter Mihaly, Jessica C. Butts, Nisha R. Iyer, Shelly E. Sakiyama-Elbert, Steven A. Crone, Todd C. McDevitt
Summary: The spinal cord is crucial for sensory and motor functions, and spinal cord injury can result in permanent paralysis. Tissue clearing and 3D imaging techniques are promising tools for studying spinal cord function and damage. By optimizing the passive CLARITY technique, researchers have achieved efficient tissue clearing and multi-label 3D imaging of the spinal cord, enhancing our understanding of spinal cord neural circuits and changes following SCI.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Alicia Bedolla, Aleksandr Taranov, Fucheng Luo, Jiapeng Wang, Flavia Turcato, Elizabeth M. Fugate, Nigel H. Greig, Diana M. Lindquist, Steven A. Crone, June Goto, Yu Luo
Summary: Comparing two models of microglia ablation, it was found that the genetic ablation model displayed a rapid pathological condition in the brain, while the pharmacological ablation model did not. The results revealed that the CSF/ventricular space shrinkage pathology in the genetic ablation model is caused by the iDTR allele, independent of brain edema formation.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Lucile Brun, Jean-Charles Viemari, Laurent Villard
Summary: Variants in the KCNQ2 gene can cause epileptic disorders of different severities, but the biological mechanisms are still unclear. Previous studies using KCNQ2 models have helped to elucidate the pathological mechanisms and identify new therapeutic targets.
Review
Neurosciences
Victoria N. Jensen, Warren J. Alilain, Steven A. Crone
FRONTIERS IN SYSTEMS NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Victoria N. Jensen, Kari Seedle, Sarah M. Turner, John N. Lorenz, Steven A. Crone