Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nada Y. Abdelrahman, Eleni Vasilaki, Andrew C. Lin
Summary: The study investigates compensatory variability in the population of neurons within the Drosophila mushroom body and demonstrates its computational benefits for associative memory.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Lothar Baltruschat, Luigi Prisco, Philipp Ranft, J. Scott Lauritzen, Andre Fiala, Davi D. Bock, Gaia Tavosanis
Summary: This study focuses on the calyx of the Drosophila mushroom body and shows that appetitive long-term memory leads to an increase in functional microglomeruli responding to the conditioned odor.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhengchang Lei, Kristin Henderson, Krystyna Keleman
Summary: Learning enhances sleep, and a neural circuit in Drosophila mediates the learning-induced sleep, ensuring that only long or intense learning experiences are consolidated into long-term memory.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Riley A. Williams, Kenneth W. Johnson, Francis S. Lee, Hugh C. Hemmings, Jimcy Platholi
Summary: This study found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release enhances the transient depression of excitatory synaptic transmission caused by the anesthetic isoflurane. It also identified a common human BDNF gene polymorphism that contributes to the persistent inhibition effect of isoflurane on synaptic function. These findings highlight the importance of human genetic variation in the effects of anesthesia on synaptic plasticity and neurocognitive function.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Fabian Schmalz, Basil El Jundi, Wolfgang Roessler, Martin Strube-Bloss
Summary: Multisensory integration plays a central role in perception, and honeybees' mushroom body output neurons (MBON) categorize incoming sensory inputs into olfactory, visual, and olfactory-visual information. Visual cues are encoded by separate MBON subpopulations, with some tuned to specific visual features such as light intensity and light identity, while others distinguish UV-light from other light stimuli. These findings suggest that the mushroom body categorizes sensory information and channels it through distinct MBON subpopulations.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Ida Cariati, Roberto Bonanni, Giuseppe Annino, Manuel Scimeca, Elena Bonanno, Giovanna D'Arcangelo, Virginia Tancredi
Summary: Studies have shown that vibratory training with low frequency and/or longer recovery time can have positive effects on both hippocampal and muscular levels, improving brain functioning and reducing cognitive decline associated with aging. Adjusting vibration parameters can enhance therapeutic effects, with a dose-response effect observed.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Mengying Yang, Yige Guo, Shuran Wang, Changyan Chen, Yung-Heng Chang, Margaret Su-chun Ho
Summary: Protein homeostasis plays a crucial role in regulating cellular processes in the nervous system. The ubiquitination proteasome system (UPS) is involved in the development of synaptic structures, such as the Drosophila mushroom body, and the newly characterized Drosophila F-box protein CG5003 contributes to MB development. Depletion of CG5003 leads to axon defects in MB neurons, highlighting its role in regulating neuronal development.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ya-Nan Gao, Yong-Qian Zhang, Hao Wang, Yu-Lin Deng, Nuo-Min Li
Summary: This article reviews the role of miRNA in depression, focusing on its regulation of neuroplasticity and its effects on synaptic structure, synaptic function, and neurogenesis. It has been found that miRNAs regulate neuroplasticity through multiple signaling pathways, impacting cognitive function. In the future, dual-function miRNAs could potentially serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment targets for depression.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
David Nagy, Katelin A. Ennis, Ru Wei, Susan C. Su, Christopher A. Hinckley, Rong-Fang Gu, Benbo Gao, Ramiro H. Massol, Chris Ehrenfels, Luke Jandreski, Ankur M. Thomas, Ashley Nelson, Stefka Gyoneva, Mihaly Hajos, Linda C. Burkly
Summary: The TWEAK/Fn14 signaling pathway has been found to acutely dampen synaptic transmission and plasticity in the adult mouse hippocampal slices. Blocking this pathway can improve synaptic function in certain models, indicating its potential therapeutic value in modifying synaptic physiology in the mature brain.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joshua Orvis, Caroline B. Albertin, Pragya Shrestha, Shuangshuang Chen, Melanie Zheng, Cheyenne J. Rodriguez, Luke J. Tallon, Anup Mahurkar, Aleksey Zimin, Michelle Kim, Kelvin Liu, Eric R. Kandel, Claire M. Fraser, Wayne Sossin, Thomas W. Abrams
Summary: The gastropod mollusk Aplysia is an important model organism used in cellular and molecular neurobiological studies. By studying the improved transcriptome of the Aplysia nervous system, researchers can explore the evolution of cognitive capacity at the molecular level. Comparing Aplysia with the octopus, it was found that both have a similar complement of genes linked to neuronal function, but vertebrates have more isoforms of certain scaffold proteins. This analysis provides insights into the evolution of the synaptic proteome and suggests that synaptic proteins and plasticity evolved gradually.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tara L. Henechowicz, Joyce L. Chen, Leonardo G. Cohen, Michael H. Thaut
Summary: The study compared the prevalence of the Val66Met BDNF polymorphism between musicians and the general population, finding no significant difference in distribution between the two groups.
Article
Biology
Mallory A. Hagadorn, Makenna M. Johnson, Adam R. Smith, Marc A. Seid, Karen M. Kapheim
Summary: The study found that experience-dependent neuroplasticity is common in solitary halictid bees, with social experience significantly impacting brain plasticity; while age does not lead to significant changes in brain structures. The results suggest that experience-expectant neuroplasticity may be an adaptation to life in a social colony, and social chemical signals may have played a role in the evolution of sociality.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuo Zhang, Kexin Guo, Hong Han, Haiyang Yu, Huanhuan Wei, Jiangdong Gong, Wentao Xu
Summary: This paper introduces a synaptic transistor that combines p-type and n-type semiconductor nanowires to emulate complex neural functions. By utilizing nanowires with different polarities, it is possible to simulate a variety of neural activities, providing important insights for the development of future neuromorphic electronics.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huanhuan Wei, Yao Ni, Lin Sun, Haiyang Yu, Jiangdong Gong, Yi Du, Mingxue Ma, Hong Han, Wentao Xu
Summary: The proposed electro-optical modulation synaptic device can emulate brain-like processing and nervous perception functions using a nanoparticle-based conductive channel. The device exhibits various synaptic functions and mechanical flexibility, making it a promising candidate for neuromorphic and flexible electronics applications.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rebecca L. Lowery, Monique S. Mendes, Brandon T. Sanders, Allison J. Murphy, Brendan S. Whitelaw, Cassandra E. Lamantia, Ania K. Majewska
Summary: While microglia play a critical role in synaptic plasticity, their utilization of molecular signals varies temporally and regionally. The purinergic receptor P2Y12 is not universally required for synaptic plasticity, but its loss can lead to functional defects in recognition, social memory, and anxiety-like behaviors in adult mice. This highlights the complexity of microglial involvement in different forms of plasticity across developmental stages and brain regions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ioannis Pisokas, Wolfgang Roessler, Barbara Webb, Jochen Zeil, Ajay Narendra
Summary: Solitary foraging insects, such as ants, use path integration to estimate the direction and distance to their starting location. Anesthesia experiments on ants show that the memory of the distance traveled is degraded after recovery, but the memory of the direction is retained. This suggests that path integration memory is based on an activity-dependent molecular process.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
M. Jerome Beetz, Christian Kraus, Myriam Franzke, David Dreyer, Martin F. Strube-Bloss, Wolfgang Rossler, Eric J. Warrant, Christine Merlin, Basil El Jundi
Summary: Animals use an internal compass for navigation, which is crucial for long-distance migrating animals like monarch butterflies. During flight, the heading-direction neurons in monarch butterflies change their tuning, transforming the central-complex network to function as a global compass. This allows for robust heading representation even under unreliable visual scenarios.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Pauline N. Fleischmann, Robin Grob, Wolfgang Roessler
Summary: Calaglyphis desert ants calibrate their compass systems and learn visual panoramas at the beginning of foraging careers, using structured initial learning walks and re-learning walks. Foragers and novices show differences in compass cues and behaviors, but remain magnetosensitive in cue conflict situations under manipulated panorama conditions.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Alexandre Andrade Loch, Anderson Ara, Lucas Hortencio, Julia Hatagami Marques, Leda Leme Talib, Julio Cesar Andrade, Mauricio Henriques Serpa, Luciano Sanchez, Tania Maria Alves, Martinus Theodorus van de Bilt, Wulf Roessler, Wagner Farid Gattaz
Summary: The 'at risk mental state' (ARMS) paradigm has been applied in studying prodromal phases of schizophrenia, but faces challenges in preventative medicine. By using Bayesian networks, a holistic model was developed to predict conversion to psychiatric illness among ARMS individuals, achieving a high accuracy rate.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Robin Grob, Oliver Holland Cunz, Kornelia Gruebel, Keram Pfeiffer, Wolfgang Roessler, Pauline N. Fleischmann
Summary: Many animals navigate using celestial cues in challenging environments. Cataglyphis desert ants use a time-compensated skylight compass to navigate efficiently. The ants must learn the sun's daily course before foraging, which leads to structural changes in their visual neuronal circuits. The rotation of skylight polarization during learning walks plays a key role in inducing learning-dependent rewiring in high-order integration centers of the ant brain.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Alexandre Andrade Loch, Natalia Bezerra Mota, Wulf Roessler, Wagner Farid Gattaz
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Gunther K. H. Zupanc, Wolfgang Roessler
Summary: Curiosity-driven research funding varies across countries. While the US shows a negative trend, Germany demonstrates a positive trend in funding biological research.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Physiology
Hadley Wilson Horch, Wolfgang Roessler, Gaia Tavosanis
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Fabian Schmalz, Basil El Jundi, Wolfgang Roessler, Martin Strube-Bloss
Summary: Multisensory integration plays a central role in perception, and honeybees' mushroom body output neurons (MBON) categorize incoming sensory inputs into olfactory, visual, and olfactory-visual information. Visual cues are encoded by separate MBON subpopulations, with some tuned to specific visual features such as light intensity and light identity, while others distinguish UV-light from other light stimuli. These findings suggest that the mushroom body categorizes sensory information and channels it through distinct MBON subpopulations.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neuroimaging
Lukasz Smigielski, Philipp Stampfli, Diana Wotruba, Roman Buechler, Stefan Sommer, Miriam Gerstenberg, Anastasia Theodoridou, Susanne Walitza, Wulf Rossler, Karsten Heekeren
Summary: The study compared white matter differences between individuals at risk for psychosis and controls using MRI diffusion and symptom data, revealing some correlations.
NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leon Bonde Larsen, Iris Adam, Gordon J. Berman, John Hallam, Coen P. H. Elemans
Summary: Interactive biorobotics provides a unique experimental potential to study social communication mechanisms. However, our ability to build expressive robots that exhibit complex behaviors is limited. This study presents a modular, audio-visual 2D virtual environment that allows multi-modal, multi-agent interaction to investigate social communication mechanisms. The system is based on event processing and enables complex computation. The results show that the environment can elicit normal behavioral responses in songbirds, and an unsupervised song motif detector is developed for manipulating the virtual social environment. This virtual environment represents a first step in real-time automatic behavior annotation and animal-computer interaction.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Behavioral Sciences
Gunther K. H. Zupanc, Wolfgang Roessler, Eric J. J. Warrant, Uwe Homberg, Kentaro Arikawa, Charlotte Helfrich-Foerster, Peter M. M. Narins, Andrea Megela Simmons
Summary: The Journal of Comparative Physiology A, which has a history of 99 years, has published influential papers in comparative physiology and related disciplines. The winners of the 2023 Editors' Choice Awards include papers on contact chemoreception in prey sensing by octopus and magnetic maps in animal navigation. The winners of the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards include papers on thermal homeostasis of honeybee colonies and a historical letter on Einstein and the honeybee by von Frisch.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Wolfgang Roessler, Robin Grob, Pauline N. Fleischmann
Summary: This review examines how Cataglyphis desert ants acquire spatial information and adjust their visual compass systems. The ants perform learning walks before transitioning from the dark nest to bright sunlight, using the Earth's magnetic field as a compass. Specific sky compass cues trigger neuronal plasticity in visual circuits, while passive light exposure induces changes in synaptic complexes upstream of the central complex. A multisensory circuit model is proposed to explain the structural neuroplasticity during learning walks.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Jens Habenstein, Kornelia Gruebel, Keram Pfeiffer, Wolfgang Roessler
Summary: In this study, the honey bee cerebrum was anatomically and microscopically analyzed using immunolabeling and neuronal tract tracing techniques. A total of 35 neuropils and 25 fiber tracts were discovered. This brain atlas provides valuable information for studying multisensory integration in honey bees and comparative research.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Wolfgang Roessler
Summary: This article provides a brief overview of the skills of Cataglyphis desert ants in multisensory learning and neuronal plasticity, focusing on their transition from the dark nest interior to performing first foraging trips. It highlights desert ants as experimental models for studying the neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioral development into successful navigators.
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
(2023)