Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Victor P. Mathis, Maya Williams, Clementine Fillinger, Paul J. Kenny
Summary: By inhibiting cortical inputs to the lateral habenula, researchers have been able to attenuate reinstatement of extinguished cocaine seeking in mice. A brain mapping procedure with single-cell resolution identified networks of cortical neurons projecting to the lateral habenula which then selectively innervate different downstream brain sites. Inhibition of cortico-habenular neurons projecting to the locus coeruleus was found to specifically block reinstatement of cocaine seeking, highlighting the complexity of descending cortical inputs and identifying a circuit regulating cocaine seeking.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ivan Voitov, Thomas D. Mrsic-Flogel
Summary: Working memory is an essential component of cognition, but the mechanisms by which neural populations represent and maintain working memory are still unclear. In this study using mice, researchers found that distributed areas of the neocortex were selectively involved in the maintenance of working memory during a visual task. They also discovered that working memory representations were embedded in high-dimensional population activity in visual area AM and premotor area M2, persisting throughout the inter-stimulus delay period.
Article
Neurosciences
Gunasingh Jeyaraj Masilamoni, Allison Weinkle, Stella M. Papa, Yoland Smith
Summary: This study found decreased serotonergic and catecholaminergic innervation in the frontal cortex at early stages of Parkinson's disease. The use of MPTP-treated monkeys as animal models revealed that these changes may contribute to early non-motor symptoms in PD.
Article
Neurosciences
Giulio Matteucci, Maelle Guyoton, Johannes M. Mayrhofer, Matthieu Auffret, Georgios Foustoukos, Carl C. H. Petersen, Sami El-Boustani
Summary: Behavioral states have an impact on the performance and learning of sensorimotor tasks, and this is related to altered neuronal sensory representations. In a study using water-restricted mice, it was found that cortical circuits and state-dependent sensory processing changes play a role in perceptual decision-making.
Article
Neurosciences
Emmanuel Guizar Rosales, Thomas Baumgartner, Daria Knoch
Summary: This study combines neuroscientific and behavioral methods to investigate interindividual differences in intergenerational sustainability. The results suggest that individuals who behave sustainably have greater cortical thickness of the dorsomedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which may enable them to take the perspective of future generations and resist temptations to prioritize personal benefits.
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Benjamin Yost Hayden
Summary: The parcellation of the primate cerebral cortex into numbered regions, based on cytoarchitecture, has been helpful to understand cognition. However, these maps limit functional neuroanatomy and it is time to think more broadly in order to incorporate emergentist organization and interactional complexity into neuroscience.
JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Julia L. Napoli, Corrie R. Camalier, Anna-Leigh Brown, Jessica Jacobs, Mortimer M. Mishkin, Bruno B. Averbeck
Summary: The study found that in a spatial selective listening task, primary auditory cortex (AC) encoded the cue and target characteristics before the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and also encoded the monkey's choice at an earlier stage. The similarity between AC and dlPFC responses was eliminated during passive sensory stimulation, suggesting that the strong sensory encoding in dlPFC is contextually gated. The study suggests that unlike in the visual domain, the BLA does not appear to be robustly involved in selective spatial processing in this auditory task.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Jessica N. Busler, Eduardo Coello, Huijun Liao, Jacob Taylor, Wufan Zhao, Laura M. Holsen, Alexander P. Lin, Pamela B. Mahon
Summary: Stress exposures and dysregulated responses to stress are related to psychiatric disorders. Perceived stress and coping ability are associated with dysregulated functioning in resting state brain networks. Alterations in GABAergic function may underlie perceived stress-related functional dysregulation in resting state networks but this has not yet been explored.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ernst Schwartz, Karl-Heinz Nenning, Katja Heuer, Nathan Jeffery, Ornella C. Bertrand, Roberto Toro, Gregor Kasprian, Daniela Prayer, Georg Langs
Summary: By studying a unified cerebral cortex map of ninety species, this study explores the intricate evolutionary relationship between cortical morphology and its functional topography, revealing that variability in surface geometry is related to species' ecology and behavior. The study also uncovers the deep evolutionary history of the shape of the human cortical surface and its associations with function.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Dakota F. Brockway, Keith R. Griffith, Chloe M. Aloimonos, Thomas T. Clarity, J. Brody Moyer, Grace C. Smith, Nigel C. Dao, Md Shakhawat Hossain, Patrick J. Drew, Joshua A. Gordon, David A. Kupferschmidt, Nicole A. Crowley
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the unique role of somatostatin (SST) in the prelimbic (PL) cortex of mice. The researchers conducted slice electrophysiology and fiber photometry to characterize the pharmacological mechanism and activity profile of SST neurons. The findings reveal that SST signaling can modulate microcircuits in the prefrontal cortex and affect exploratory behaviors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ya-Qiang Zhang, Wei-Peng Lin, Li-Ping Huang, Bing Zhao, Cheng-Cheng Zhang, Dong-Min Yin
Summary: This study demonstrates the significant role of dopamine D2 receptor in regulating synaptic pruning in the anterior cingulate cortex, impacting LTD and behavior in transgenic rats. The findings suggest that Drd2 regulates synaptic pruning through cell-autonomous mechanisms involving mTOR signaling, rather than synapse formation. Deficits in Drd2-mediated synaptic pruning during adolescence may lead to hyper-glutamatergic function and anxiety-like behaviors in adulthood.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Gihan ELNahas, Florence Thibaut
Summary: There has been a significant increase in the use of psychoactive drugs by women of childbearing age and during pregnancy. The use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco during pregnancy poses serious health risks for both the mother and the baby. This review highlights the current trends in substance use during pregnancy and the associated consequences. It emphasizes the need for informing women about the harmful effects of using psychoactive substances during pregnancy and promoting prevention and intervention measures.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Maria Serena Paladini, Vittoria Spero, Veronica Begni, Francesca Marchisella, Alice Guidi, Piotr Gruca, Magdalena Lason, Ewa Litwa, Maurisz Papp, Marco A. Riva, Raffaella Molteni
Summary: The study suggests that the second-generation antipsychotic blonanserin may normalize emotionality deficits induced by Chronic Mild Stress in rats by modulating redox mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex, providing new insights into its therapeutic properties and potential use as a treatment for psychiatric disorders.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Yihua Chen, Nengyuan Hu, Jianming Yang, Tianming Gao
Summary: Pathological anxiety, a difficult neuropsychiatric disease to treat, has been linked to structural changes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and functional changes in PFC communication with other brain structures. Therapies that affect PFC activity can reverse anxiety-related circuit abnormalities. Rodent models and advanced techniques have provided insights into the neural circuits underlying anxiety and fear, aiding the development of therapies for pathological anxiety.
FRONTIERS OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Nancy R. Mack, Suixin Deng, Sha-Sha Yang, Yousheng Shu, Wen-Jun Gao
Summary: This article reviews studies on the relationship between changes in neural activity in the prefrontal cortex and avoidance behavior, as well as recent research on the unique contribution of specific prefrontal cortex circuits and cell types to anxiety-related avoidance behaviors. The integration of different pathways, particularly interaction between excitatory and inhibitory neurons, provides an exciting opportunity for understanding anxiety.