Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jaclyn McCoy, Marc Nahmani
Summary: This article presents a methodological pipeline for the rapid 3D analysis of subcellular structures, focusing on identifying and tracing structures within thin neuronal processes. It also includes a list of freely available software programs for data analysis and offers tips for improving 3D reconstructions.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caspar Glock, Anne Biever, Georgi Tushev, Belquis Nassim-Assir, Allison Kao, Ina Bartnik, Susanne Tom Dieck, Erin M. Schuman
Summary: Neurons continuously remodel their proteomes to maintain synaptic proteins, with local translation playing a significant role in this process. Differences in RNA abundance explain most translational changes between cell body and synaptic regions, suggesting the importance of on-site translational control in regulating synaptic strength.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ricardo Laranjeiro, Girish Harinath, Amelia K. Pollard, Christopher J. Gaffney, Colleen S. Deane, Siva A. Vanapalli, Timothy Etheridge, Nathaniel J. Szewczyk, Monica Driscoll
Summary: The study found that in spaceflight conditions, worm neurons exhibited hyper-branching and an accumulation of neuronal waste in surrounding tissues, indicating impaired transcellular degradation of neuronal debris. The results highlight the significant impact of spaceflight on adult neuronal morphology and trash clearance, emphasizing the importance of assessing risks and developing countermeasures for safe long-duration space exploration.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Janine Jiang, Xue Li, Fei Mao, Xingyong Wu, Yong Chen
Summary: The research focuses on conjugating small molecular CF dyes with antibodies for flow cytometry, expanding the reagent panels for high dimensional analysis to support disease treatment and vaccine development.
ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Giulia Faini, Dimitrii Tanese, Clement Molinier, Cecile Telliez, Massilia Hamdani, Francois Blot, Christophe Tourain, Vincent de Sars, Filippo Del Bene, Benoit C. Forget, Emiliano Ronzitti, Valentina Emiliani
Summary: Current holographic approaches for neuronal stimulation have limitations in their temporal resolution and the number of targeted neurons. Here, the authors demonstrate an approach for ultra-fast holographic light targeting which, combined with optogenetics, enables sub-millisecond control of sequential neuronal activation and high throughput simultaneous multicell illumination.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Attila Gabor Szollosi, Attila Olah, Erika Lisztes, Zoltan Griger, Balazs Istvan Toth
Summary: Pruritus, or itch, is a common symptom associated with various skin and immune disorders. Despite significant progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms behind acute and chronic itch, there are still gaps in our knowledge, making the clinical management of pruritic conditions challenging. Recent research has highlighted the interactions between pruriceptive sensory neurons and different cutaneous cell types, particularly in inflammatory conditions, where these cells release mediators that excite the itch-sensing fibers. There is also bidirectional communication, with sensory neurons releasing mediators that maintain an inflamed and itchy tissue environment.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Hikmawan Wahyu Sulistomo, Takayuki Nemoto, Yohko Kage, Hajime Fujii, Taku Uchida, Kogo Takamiya, Hideki Sumimoto, Hiroaki Kataoka, Haruhiko Bito, Ryu Takeya
Summary: Fhod3 regulates dendritic spine morphogenesis in specific populations of pyramidal neurons in a cell type-specific manner, indicating its crucial role in synaptic transmission.
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Kesheng Xu, Jean Paul Maidana, Patricio Orio
Summary: The coexistence of electrical and chemical synaptic communication among excitatory cells has been confirmed, but the theoretical understanding of hybrid synaptic connections in various dynamical states of neural networks is not fully studied. A neural network model including electrical and chemical synaptic connections was used to investigate synchronization and firing patterns among excitatory cells, revealing tendencies towards synchronization and the ability to cause various firing patterns by slightly changing the synaptic weights. This study lays a foundation for understanding the computational significance of mixed synapse in neural functions.
NONLINEAR DYNAMICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kelsie Eichel, Takeshi Uenaka, Vivek Belapurkar, Rui Lu, Shouqiang Cheng, Joseph S. Pak, Caitlin A. Taylor, Thomas C. Sudhof, Robert Malenka, Marius Wernig, Engin Ozkan, David Perrais, Kang Shen
Summary: This study reveals an important mechanism for maintaining neuronal polarity in the axon initial segment (AIS), which involves the endocytic removal of polarized receptors that diffuse into the AIS. This mechanism works together with the known AIS diffusion-barrier mechanism to reinforce the membrane boundaries between axonal and dendritic compartments.
Review
Cell Biology
Sandra C. Koch, Annie Nelson, Volker Hartenstein
Summary: The process of aging in various animal species is characterized by a decline in neuronal function and visible degenerative structural changes in neurons. Both mammalian and invertebrate brains exhibit similar age-related changes, including dendritic and axonal retraction, altered synaptic density, and increased accumulation of presynaptic protein complexes. Research in invertebrate models is expected to provide insights into the molecular and cellular pathways underlying neuronal aging in mammalian brains.
CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Irina Mikheeva, Natalya Zhujkova, Gulnara Mikhailova, Rashid Shtanchaev, Lyubov Pavlik, Vladimir Arkhipov
Summary: The cellular mechanisms of neuroplastic changes in the structure of motoneurons and neuropils of the oculomotor (III) nuclei in mice after a 30-day space flight and 7 days after landing were studied. Microgravity caused degenerative phenomena in neurons, including a decrease in dendritic branches, axodendritic synapses, and the number of mitochondria. These changes were not fully restored after readaptation. Conversely, in the trochlear nucleus, dendrites and synaptic contacts were restored, and mitogenesis was significantly enhanced after readaptation.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Javier Rueda-Carrasco, Dimitra Sokolova, Sang-Eun Lee, Thomas Childs, Natalia Jurcakova, Gerard Crowley, Sebastiaan De Schepper, Judy Z. Ge, Joanne Lachica, Christina E. Toomey, Oliver J. Freeman, John Hardy, Samuel J. Barnes, Tammaryn Lashley, Beth Stevens, Sunghoe Chang, Soyon Hong
Summary: Neuronal hyperactivity is a key feature in early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Microglia play a potential role in disease risk, and this study found that microglia engulf apoptotic-like spines in response to Aβ oligomer stimulation, thereby reducing synaptic hyperactivity. The findings suggest a beneficial role for microglia in the earliest stages of AD.
Article
Neurosciences
Alexandra Tzilivaki, George Kastellakis, Dietmar Schmitz, Panayiota Poirazi
Summary: This article discusses the ability of GABAergic interneurons (INs) to integrate incoming inputs in a nonlinear manner and their potential role in advancing single neuron computations and contributing to memory formation, providing new insights and directions for neuroscience research.
Article
Electrochemistry
Nebojsa D. Nikolic, Jelena D. D. Lovic, Vesna M. M. Maksimovic
Summary: The influence of chronopotentiometry response on the morphology and structure of galvanostatically synthesized tin dendritic particles has been investigated. Different amounts of electricity were applied during electrodeposition to generate tin dendrites with varying morphology and structure. The analysis revealed a strong correlation between the chronopotentiometry response and the morphology and structure of the tin dendrites. This study provides valuable insights into using chronopotentiometry analysis for controlling the morphology and structure of tin powder particles.
JOURNAL OF SOLID STATE ELECTROCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brandon T. Pekarek, Patrick J. Hunt, Benjamin D. W. Belfort, Gary Liu, Benjamin R. Arenkiel
Summary: Brain activity is influenced by the connectivity patterns of neuronal networks and the morphology of neuronal substructures, with advancements in imaging technologies and software enabling more in-depth exploration of neuron organization and connections. Techniques like tissue clearing and fast imaging analysis methods facilitate high-resolution studies of neuronal structures, aiding in the understanding of brain function.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana R. A. A. Quadros, Rocio Diez Arazola, Andrea Romaguera Alvarez, Johny Pires, Rhiannon M. Meredith, Ingrid Saarloos, Matthijs Verhage, Ruud F. Toonen
Summary: FBXO41 plays a critical role in synaptic transmission and brain development, and its loss can lead to deficits in these processes.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Ganna Balagura, Julie Xian, Antonella Riva, Francesca Marchese, Bruria Ben Zeev, Loreto Rios, Deepa Sirsi, Patrizia Accorsi, Elisabetta Amadori, Guja Astrea, Simona Baldassari, Francesca Beccaria, Antonella Boni, Mauro Budetta, Gaetano Cantalupo, Giuseppe Capovilla, Elisabetta Cesaroni, Valentina Chiesa, Antonietta Coppola, Robertino Dilena, Raffaella Faggioli, Annarita Ferrari, Elena Fiorini, Francesca Madia, Elena Gennaro, Thea Giacomini, Lucio Giordano, Michele Iacomino, Simona Lattanzi, Carla Marini, Maria Margherita Mancardi, Massimo Mastrangelo, Tullio Messana, Carlo Minetti, Lino Nobili, Amanda Papa, Antonia Parmeggiani, Tiziana Pisano, Angelo Russo, Vincenzo Salpietro, Salvatore Savasta, Marcello Scala, Andrea Accogli, Barbara Scelsa, Paolo Scudieri, Alberto Spalice, Nicola Specchio, Marina Trivisano, Michal Tzadok, Massimiliano Valeriani, Maria Stella Vari, Alberto Verrotti, Federico Vigevano, Aglaia Vignoli, Ruud Toonen, Federico Zara, Ingo Helbig, Pasquale Striano
Summary: The study aims to trace the neurodevelopmental trajectories in individuals with STXBP1 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) and explores the relationship between neurodevelopment and epilepsy. The findings show that the disease course in STXBP1-DEE can be divided into two main trajectories, with either early seizure remission or drug-resistant epilepsy, and a range of neurodevelopmental outcomes from mild to profound intellectual disability. Age at seizure onset is the only epilepsy-related feature associated with neurodevelopmental outcome.
NEUROLOGY-GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kimberly Wolzak, Anna Nolle, Margherita Farina, Truus E. M. Abbink, Marjo S. van der Knaap, Matthijs Verhage, Wiep Scheper
Summary: Proteostasis is essential for cellular survival, especially for highly specialised post-mitotic cells like neurons. This study reveals that PERK-deficient neurons retain the ability to control protein synthesis during stress, unlike other cell types. The study identifies two molecular pathways that drive translational control in PERK-deficient neurons.
Article
Cell Biology
Hanna C. A. Lammertse, Alessandro Moro, Ingrid Saarloos, Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: In Stxbp1 null mutant neurons, the levels of syntaxin-1, dynamin-1, and other endocytosis proteins are reduced. However, this reduction is not observed in other mutants with blocked synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Furthermore, dynamin-1 and MUNC18-1 do not directly bind to each other.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Annemiek A. Van Berkel, Frank Koopmans, Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Lozano, Hanna C. A. Lammertse, Femke Feringa, Julien Bryois, Patrick F. Sullivan, August B. Smit, Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: Absence of MUNC18-1 leads to neuronal cell death before synapse formation. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling reveals extensive dysregulation of synaptic and developmental processes in the absence of MUNC18-1. Proteomic analysis shows downregulation of proteins involved in synaptic function and neuron development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessie W. Brunner, Hanna C. A. Lammertse, Annemiek A. van Berkel, Frank Koopmans, Ka Wan Li, August B. Smit, Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage, Sophie van der Sluis
Summary: This study compares different designs and statistical analysis methods used in iPSC research, and finds that commonly used case-control designs are generally underpowered. The study suggests that multiple isogenic pair designs can increase power and require fewer lines. A free web tool is provided for exploring the power of different study designs using any (pilot) data.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: The authors of this study demonstrate the molecular cascade involved in presynaptic homeostatic plasticity and its enhancement of presynaptic vesicle fusion in response to reduced postsynaptic activity. The study identifies two large presynaptic signaling complexes as central hubs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Danique M. van Bommel, Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: Retrograde trafficking is crucial for Golgi organization and cargo sorting, with Vti1a/b playing an important role.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Joris P. Nassal, Fiona H. Murphy, Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: In this study, the trafficking properties of different organelles in thalamocortical axons in the mouse cortex were investigated using in vivo two-photon microscopy. It was found that LAMP1- and RAB7-tagged organelles moved faster than NPY-tagged organelles, and NPY had a higher selectivity in anterograde direction. Moreover, the study showed that NPY-tagged organelles slowed down and paused at synapses, and their transport speed significantly increased after spontaneous activity, elevated calcium levels, and electrical stimulation.
Article
Biology
Amparo Roig Adam, Jose A. Martinez-Lopez, Sophie J. F. van der Spek, Patrick F. Sullivan, August B. Smit, Matthijs Verhage, Jens Hjerling-Leffler, Tilmann Achsele, Maria Andres-Alonso, Claudia Bagni, Alex Bayes, Thomas Biederer, Nils Brose, John Jia En Chua, Marcelo Coba, L. Niels Cornelisse, Jaime de Juan-Sanz, Hana L. Goldschmidt, Eckart D. Gundelfinger, Richard L. Huganir, Cordelia Imig, Reinhard Jahn, Hwajin Jung, Pascal S. Kaeser, Eunjoon Kim, Frank Koopmans, Michael R. Kreutz, Noa Lipstein, Harold D. MacGillavry, Peter S. McPherson, Vincent O'Connor, Rainer Pielot, Timothy A. Ryan, Carlo Sala, Morgan Sheng, Karl-Heinz Smalla, Paul D. Thomas, Ruud F. Toonen, Jan R. T. van Weering, Matthijs Verhage, Chiara Verpelli
Summary: Synapse diversity has been described from different perspectives, ranging from the specific neurotransmitters released, to their diverse biophysical properties and proteome profiles. However, synapse diversity at the transcriptional level has not been systematically identified across all synapse populations in the brain. To quantify and identify specific synaptic features of neuronal cell types, the SynGO database was combined with single-cell RNA sequencing data of the mouse neocortex. This study provides a deeper understanding of synapse diversity in the neocortex and identifies potential markers to selectively identify synapses from specific neuronal populations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessandro Moro, Anne van Nifterick, Ruud F. Toonen, Matthijs Verhage
Summary: This study identified dynamins as organizers of dense-core vesicle fusion sites in mammalian neurons, playing a crucial role in the release of neuropeptides and neuromodulators. Genetic or pharmacological inactivation of dynamins strongly impaired dense-core vesicle exocytosis, while synaptic vesicle exocytosis remained unaffected. The study concluded that mammalian dynamins regulate dense-core vesicle fusion sites by modulating the balance between fusogenic and non-fusogenic syntaxin-1, promoting its availability for SNARE complex formation and dense-core vesicle exocytosis.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Alessandro Moro, Rein I. Matthijs Verhage, Claudia M. Persoon, Matthijs Verhage, Ruud F. Toonen
Summary: Neuropeptides play crucial roles in information processing and physiological control in the brain, with defects in their signaling pathways linked to various psychiatric disorders. A method for quantitatively analyzing DCV fusion events in rodent neurons using pH-sensitive probes and custom algorithms is presented, offering insights into DCV fusion mechanisms and potentially applicable to studying fusion principles of other secretory organelles.
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)
