Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Amaia Nazabal, Aitziber Mendiguren, Joseba Pineda
Summary: EP3 receptors modulate the activity of locus coeruleus neurons through a G(i/o) protein and GIRK-mediated mechanism.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Roman Dvorkin, Stephen D. Shea
Summary: The noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) plays an important role in social behavior by coordinating phasic activity with specific social events and communicating tonic activity throughout the brain.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Michael A. Kelberman, Jacki M. Rorabaugh, Claire R. Anderson, Alexia Marriott, Seth D. DePuy, Kurt Rasmussen, Katharine E. McCann, Jay M. Weiss, David Weinshenker
Summary: Hyperphosphorylated tau in the locus coeruleus (LC) is widespread in prodromal Alzheimer's disease and its effects on LC neurons are unknown. In this study, LC activity was assessed in wild-type and TgF344-AD rats, showing hypoactivity in TgF344-AD rats compared to wild-type littermates. However, footshock-evoked LC firing showed age-dependent differences, with 6-month TgF344-AD rats demonstrating aspects of hyperactivity and 15-month rats showing hypoactivity. These findings suggest a disease stage-dependent involvement of LC neurons in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and support further investigation into noradrenergic interventions.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Eus J. W. Van Someren
Summary: Insomnia is the second most common mental disorder, yet progress in understanding its underlying neurobiological mechanisms has been limited. This review explores the definition, prevalence, and susceptibility factors of insomnia, including genetic variants, early life stress, major life events, and brain structure and function. The proposed model suggests that in individuals vulnerable to developing insomnia, the locus coeruleus may be more sensitive to salience network input, leading to a spiral of hyperarousal and impaired sleep.
PHYSIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Aitziber Mendiguren, Erik Aostri, Irati Rodilla, Iker Pujana, Ekaterina Noskova, Joseba Pineda
Summary: The pharmacological profile of cannabigerol (CBG), particularly its effect on alpha(2)-adrenoceptor and 5-HT1A receptor, is poorly understood. In this study, male Sprague-Dawley rat brain slices were used to investigate the impact of CBG on firing rate of LC NA cells and DRN 5-HT cells, as well as its interaction with alpha(2)-adrenergic and 5-HT1A autoreceptors. CBG was also evaluated for its anxiolytic-like effects using behavior tests. The findings indicate that CBG inhibits the suppressive effects of alpha(2)-adrenoceptor and 5-HT1A receptor agonists on NA-LC and 5-HT-DRN neurons, and produces anxiolytic-like effects through the 5-HT1A receptor.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Claudia Sagheddu, Paola Devoto, Sonia Aroni, Pierluigi Saba, Marco Pistis, Gian Luigi Gessa
Summary: Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that a deficit of dopamine release and function in schizophrenia can be improved by the blockade of (2)-adrenoceptor and D-2-receptors. In rats, the activation of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus and dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area was studied when a(2)- and D-2-receptors were blocked. Additionally, the levels of noradrenaline, dopamine, and DOPAC in the medial prefrontal cortex were examined. The results indicate the importance of targeting LC noradrenergic neurons to improve dopamine deficit in neuropsychiatric pathologies.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Marine Megemont, Jim McBurney-Lin, Hongdian Yang
Summary: Pupil diameter is often used as a noninvasive measure of locus coeruleus (LC) activity. However, there is substantial variability in the relationship between pupil diameter and LC activity, limiting its accuracy in predicting LC activity. Additionally, pupil responses to optical stimulation in the LC show session-to-session fluctuations, and these variations are correlated with decision bias-related behavioral variables.
Article
Biology
Andrew McKinney, Ming Hu, Amber Hoskins, Arian Mohammadyar, Nabeeha Naeem, Junzhan Jing, Saumil S. Patel, Bhavin R. Sheth, Xiaolong Jiang, Joshua Johansen
Summary: This study conducted large-scale multipatch recordings of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) of adult mice to examine their morpho-electric properties and interactions. LC noradrenergic neurons were found to be diverse and could be classified into two major morpho-electric types. These neurons were connected via gap junction at a similar rate to their early developmental stage and other brain regions. Electrical connections primarily occurred between dendrites and were restricted to narrowly spaced pairs or small clusters of neurons of the same type. Additionally, chain-like organizational patterns of more than two electrically coupled cell pairs were often identified. The assembly of LC noradrenergic neurons follows a spatial and cell-type-specific wiring principle, possibly imposed by a unique chain-like rule.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Zacharoula Kagiampaki, Valentin Rohner, Cedric Kiss, Sebastiano Curreli, Alexander Dieter, Maria Wilhelm, Masaya Harada, Sian N. N. Duss, Jan Dernic, Musadiq A. A. Bhat, Xuehan Zhou, Luca Ravotto, Tim Ziebarth, Laura Moreno Wasielewski, Latife Soenmez, Dietmar Benke, Bruno Weber, Johannes Bohacek, Andreas Reiner, J. Simon Wiegert, Tommaso Fellin, Tommaso Patriarchi
Summary: Researchers have developed a family of sensitive multicolor indicators for norepinephrine, which enable high-resolution imaging of neuromodulators in vivo. These indicators, named nLightG and nLightR, show improved sensitivity, ligand selectivity, kinetics, and pharmacological profile compared to previous indicators. By using these indicators, researchers were able to monitor optogenetically evoked norepinephrine release in the mouse locus coeruleus and hippocampus, and observe locomotion and reward-related norepinephrine transients in the dorsal CA1 area of the hippocampus. These sensitive norepinephrine indicators provide valuable tools for investigating the norepinephrine system.
Article
Neurosciences
Lars Emil Larsen, Sielke Caestecker, Latoya Stevens, Pieter van Mierlo, Evelien Carrette, Paul Boon, Kristl Vonck, Robrecht Raedt
Summary: This study assessed the activity of locus coeruleus neurons and changes in noradrenergic transmission during acute hippocampal seizures. The results showed both inhibition and excitation of LC neurons during seizures, but a consistent release of noradrenaline was observed.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Tamunotonye Omoluabi, Kyron D. Power, Tayebeh Sepahvand, Qi Yuan
Summary: Reward exploitation and aversion are mediated by the locus coeruleus (LC), where different firing patterns are associated with different functions. This study shows that positive odor valence learning induced by phasic LC activation requires alpha(1) and beta-adrenoceptors, while negative odor valence learning induced by tonic LC activation only requires beta-adrenoceptors. Additionally, both alpha(1) and beta-adrenoceptors are involved in odor valence learning induced by reward, while aversive conditioning is dependent on beta-adrenoceptors. Activation of the BLA-nucleus accumbens (NAc) pathway is more prominent in phasic stimulation and reward conditioning.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Yesol Kim, Girija Kadlaskar, Rebecca McNally Keehn, Brandon Keehn
Summary: A growing body of research suggests that the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system functions differently in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated the dynamics of both tonic and phasic indices of LC-NE function in children with ASD and found that they exhibit increased tonic activity and reduced phasic activity compared to typically developing children. These differences may be associated with impairments in attention and arousal regulation in ASD.
Article
Biology
Alison M. Luckey, Lauren S. McLeod, Yuefeng Huang, Anusha Mohan, Sven Vanneste
Summary: Non-invasive transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the greater occipital nerve (NITESGON) during learning elicited a long-term memory effect by enhancing memory consolidation via modulation of dopaminergic input. This finding may have significant implications for neurocognitive disorders that inhibit memory consolidation such as Alzheimer's disease.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Patricia Mariscal, Lidia Bravo, Meritxell Llorca-Torralba, Jone Razquin, Cristina Miguelez, Irene Suarez-Pereira, Esther Berrocoso
Summary: 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. Exploring sex differences in the brain is important to understand the impact of such differences in pathological conditions characterized by gender bias, as well as their therapeutic implications.
BIOLOGY OF SEX DIFFERENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
D. J. Harris, T. Arthur, S. J. Vine, J. Liu, H. R. Abd Rahman, F. Han, M. R. Wilson
Summary: This study examined the relationship between physiological encoding of surprise and the learning of anticipatory eye movements. The findings suggest that anticipatory eye movements are updated based on Bayesian principles, and that learning rates are influenced by pupil dilation as a marker of surprise.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Aline Silva da Cruz, Maria Margarida Drehmer, Wagner Baetas-da-Cruz, Joao Carlos Machado
Summary: This study quantified microcirculation cerebral blood flow in a rat model of ischemic stroke using ultrasound biomicroscopy and ultrasound contrast agents. The results showed high sensitivity and specificity of this method, making it a valuable tool for preclinical studies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Christina Dalla, Ivana Jaric, Pavlina Pavlidi, Georgia E. Hodes, Nikolaos Kokras, Anton Bespalov, Martien J. Kas, Thomas Steckler, Mohamed Kabbaj, Hanno Wuerbel, Jordan Marrocco, Jessica Tollkuhn, Rebecca Shansky, Debra Bangasser, Jill B. Becker, Margaret McCarthy, Chantelle Ferland-Beckham
Summary: Many funding agencies have emphasized the importance of considering sex as a biological variable in experimental design to improve the reproducibility and translational relevance of preclinical research. Omitting the female sex from experimental designs in neuroscience and pharmacology can result in biased or limited understanding of disease mechanisms. This article provides methodological considerations for incorporating sex as a biological variable in in vitro and in vivo experiments, including the influence of age and hormone levels, and proposes strategies to enhance methodological rigor and translational relevance in preclinical research.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Wenyu Gu, Dongxu Li, Jia-Hong Gao
Summary: We developed a precise and rapid method for positioning and labelling triaxial OPMs on a wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) system, improving the efficiency of OPM positioning and labelling.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Kai Lin, Linhang Zhang, Jing Cai, Jiaqi Sun, Wenjie Cui, Guangda Liu
Summary: The article introduces an EEG feature map processing model for emotion recognition, which achieves significantly improved accuracy by fusing EEG information at different spatial scales and introducing a channel attention mechanism.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
John E. Parker, Asier Aristieta, Aryn H. Gittis, Jonathan E. Rubin
Summary: This work presents a toolbox that implements a methodology for automated classification of neural responses based on spike train recordings. The toolbox provides a user-friendly and efficient approach to detect various types of neuronal responses that may not be identified by traditional methods.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yun Liang, Ke Bo, Sreenivasan Meyyappan, Mingzhou Ding
Summary: This study compared the performance of SVM and CNN on the same datasets and found that CNN achieved consistently higher classification accuracies. The classification accuracies of SVM and CNN were generally not correlated, and the heatmaps derived from them did not overlap significantly.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Antonino Visalli, Maria Montefinese, Giada Viviani, Livio Finos, Antonino Vallesi, Ettore Ambrosini
Summary: This study introduces an analytical strategy that allows the use of mixed-effects models (LMM) in mass univariate analyses of EEG data. The proposed method overcomes the computational costs and shows excellent performance properties, making it increasingly important in the field of neuroscience.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Xavier Cano-Ferrer, Alexandra Tran -Van -Minh, Ede Rancz
Summary: This study developed a novel rotation platform for studying neural processes and spatial navigation. The platform is modular, affordable, and easy to build, and can be driven by the experimenter or animal movement. The research demonstrated the utility of the platform, which combines the benefits of head fixation and intact vestibular activity.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2024)
