Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Madina Makhmutova, Jonathan Weitz, Alejandro Tamayo, Elizabeth Pereira, Maria Boulina, Joana Almaca, Rayner Rodriguez-Diaz, Alejandro Caicedo
Summary: The study revealed the presence of vagal sensory nerve terminals in pancreatic islets, which communicate with beta-cells via serotonin signaling. Serotonin may convey information about the secretory state of beta-cells to vagal afferent nerves.
Review
Neurosciences
Roberto Leiras, Jared M. Cregg, Ole Kiehn
Summary: This review examines recent advances in understanding the brainstem circuits involved in controlling locomotion. The study highlights the importance of delineated command circuits and the need to establish functional connections between these circuits and other brain areas. The unresolved issues regarding the integrated function of locomotor control are also discussed.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nathalie A. J. Verzele, Brendon Y. Chua, Charity W. Law, Albert Zhang, Matthew E. Ritchie, Oliver Wightman, Isaac N. Edwards, Katina D. Hulme, Conor J. Bloxham, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Matthew W. Trewella, Aung Aung Kywe Moe, Keng Yih Chew, Stuart B. Mazzone, Kirsty R. Short, Alice E. McGovern
Summary: In a mouse model, it was found that respiratory infection with Influenza A virus led to significant transcriptional changes in vagal sensory neurons, inducing a neuroinflammatory response and potentially impacting morbidity associated with influenza virus infection.
Review
Cell Biology
Emily N. Blanke, Gregory M. Holmes, Emily M. Besecker
Summary: The adaptability of the central nervous system can lead to gastrointestinal dysfunction following neurotrauma, contributing to higher morbidity and mortality. While motor responses from the vagus nerve remain intact, impaired vagal afferents may worsen gastrointestinal dysfunctions.
NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuanyuan Zhang, Ariege Bizanti, Scott W. Harden, Jin Chen, Kohlton Bendowski, Donald B. Hoover, David Gozal, Kalyanam Shivkumar, Maci Heal, Susan Tappan, Zixi Jack Cheng
Summary: This study provides a detailed neuroanatomical map of the sympathetic innervation of the heart in mice, showing that the sympathetic nerves enter the atria through multiple pathways and have different densities in different regions. The study also finds that sympathetic nerves innervate blood vessels and adipocytes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Racha Al Tannir, Arnaud Pautrat, Jerome Baufreton, Paul G. Overton, Veronique Coizet
Summary: This perspective paper summarizes the function of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and its anatomical connections to the basal ganglia and brainstem, with a focus on its involvement in sensory processing. The research reveals that the STN receives sensory inputs and may play a role in the control of sensory activity.
CURRENT NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Naoya Takahashi, Sara Moberg, Timothy A. Zolnik, Julien Catanese, Robert N. S. Sachdev, Matthew E. Larkum, Dieter Jaeger
Summary: The frontal cortical circuits, basal ganglia, and ventromedial thalamic nucleus play critical roles in action selection and initiation, with recent studies identifying new key nodes and signal transmission mechanisms in mice and primates.
Article
Neurosciences
T. Akgul Caglar, Z. B. Durdu, M. U. Turhan, M. Y. Gunal, M. S. Aydin, G. Ozturk, E. Cagavi
Summary: This study identified sensory neurons innervating the heart tissue using retrograde tracers, with Di-8-ANEPPQ showing the highest labeling efficiency. The bilateral distribution of cardiac afferents in NGs and DRGs was demonstrated through 2D and 3D imaging. The findings provide insights into the spatial distribution and abundance of cardiac sensory neurons.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jichao Ma, Duyen Nguyen, Jazune Madas, Andrew M. Kwiat, Zulema Toledo, Ariege Bizanti, Nicole Kogut, Anas Mistareehi, Kohlton Bendowski, Yuanyuan Zhang, Jin Chen, De-Pei Li, Terry L. Powley, John B. Furness, Zixi Cheng
Summary: This study characterized the distribution and morphology of spinal afferent axons in the stomach using advanced techniques. The researchers found that these axons innervate different gastric targets through various terminal structures.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Clara Leung, Shaina Robbins, Alison Moss, Maci Heal, Mahyar Osanlouy, Richard Christie, Navid Farahani, Corey Monteith, Jin Chen, Peter Hunter, Susan Tappan, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, Zixi (Jack) Cheng, James S. Schwaber
Summary: The study developed and analyzed a single-cell scale anatomical map of the rat intrinsic cardiac nervous system (ICNS) across male and female hearts, revealing a reliable structural organization plan and providing a foundation for further analysis in cardiac function and disease. The distribution and clustering of ICNS neurons were highly conserved across all male and female rat hearts with distinct clusters consistently localized, though female hearts had fewer neurons and slightly reduced distribution. The anatomical data from each heart were registered to a geometric scaffold for standardization of common anatomical planes, allowing integration and comparison of multiple experimental results and data types.
Article
Neurosciences
Jennifer Vieillard, Marina C. M. Franck, Sunniva Hartung, Jon E. T. Jakobsson, Mikaela M. Ceder, Robert E. Welsh, Malin C. Lagerstrom, Klas Kullander
Summary: Sensory-motor circuits controlling motor activity are located in the dorso-ventral interface of the spinal cord. Previous studies have associated Dmrt3-expressing neurons with locomotion coordination in horses, mice, and zebrafish. This study investigated the presynaptic inputs to spinal Dmrt3 neurons and found that they receive inputs from intrasegmental and intersegmental neurons, as well as sensory-motor control brain areas. Moreover, Dmrt3 neurons directly connect to motor neurons, suggesting their involvement in classical reflex pathways.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Psychology, Biological
John M. Karemaker
Summary: This paper reviews the various functions of the vagus nerve and explores their interactions in daily life, as well as the potential therapeutic applications of electrical stimulation. The study focuses on the physiological mechanisms behind heart rate variability and discusses the role of the vagus nerve in limiting inflammation. It also highlights the challenges in using whole vagus nerve stimulation due to the lack of specificity.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jaspreet K. Bassi, Angela A. Connelly, Andrew G. Butler, Yehe Liu, Anahita Ghanbari, David G. S. Farmer, Michael W. Jenkins, Mariana R. Melo, Stuart J. McDougall, Andrew M. Allen
Summary: Anatomical tracing studies using a selective adeno-associated virus serotype were used to map the location and termination sites of vagal afferents within the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). The results showed overlapping central termination patterns of afferents from different organs and convergence of vagal inputs onto single NTS neurons. Additionally, the study found multiple synaptic connections formed by vagal afferents as they pass through the NTS, suggesting a widespread distribution of viscerosensory information within the NTS.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Patrick Aldrin-Kirk, Malin Akerblom, Tiago Cardoso, Sara Nolbrant, Andrew F. Adler, Xiaohe Liu, Andreas Heuer, Marcus Davidsson, Malin Parmar, Tomas Bjorklund
Summary: Transplanting hESC-derived DA neurons in Parkinson's disease using a novel virus vector to observe their projections, revealing potential integration with host circuitry based on differential afferent inputs.
Article
Developmental Biology
Ana Paula De Vincenti, Fernando C. Alsina, Facundo Ferrero Restelli, Hakan Hedman, Fernanda Ledda, Gustavo Paratcha
Summary: Negative feedback loops, including Lrig1 and Lrig3, regulate Ret signaling in mouse DRG neurons to control axonal growth and sensory sensitivity. These Lrig proteins act redundantly to ensure proper cutaneous innervation and cold behavioral responses, potentially through increased expression of the cold-responsive channel TrpA1.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Stuart B. Mazzone, Lorcan McGarvey
Summary: Chronic cough is a common medical condition that poses substantial physical, mental, and social burden on patients. Patients with refractory chronic cough (RCC) or unexplained chronic cough (UCC) often exhibit clinical features of cough hypersensitivity. Several targeted therapies for RCC/UCC are currently under clinical investigation, showing potential for precision medicine approach in treating this underserved patient population.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Kai K. Lee, Paul W. Davenport, Jaclyn A. Smith, Richard S. Irwin, Lorcan McGarvey, Stuart B. Mazzone, Surinder S. Birring
Summary: This state-of-the-art review updates the American College of Chest Physicians 2006 guideline on global physiology and pathophysiology of cough by describing the basic phenomenology of cough patterns, behaviors, and morphological features, as well as providing new insights into mechanical and physiological characteristics, acoustic characteristics, cough triggers, and patient cough hypersensitivity phenotype. The review emphasizes a more comprehensive understanding of cough phenomenology to improve the interpretation of cough measurements and clinical relevance for patients.
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Abubakar B. Abubakar, Tara G. Bautista, Matthew R. Dimmock, Stuart B. Mazzone, Michael J. Farrell
Summary: This study found that painful conditioning stimuli can significantly reduce urge-to-cough and cough frequencies in participants, accompanied by widespread changes in brain activity during capsaicin inhalation.
Article
Neurosciences
Pedro Trevizan-Bau, Rishi R. Dhingra, Werner I. Furuya, Davor Stanic, Stuart B. Mazzone, Mathias Dutschmann
Summary: Eupnea is generated by neural circuits in the ponto-medullary brainstem and modulated by higher brain inputs for voluntary control of breathing and orofacial behaviors. Descending inputs from cortical areas predominantly target the PAG and KFn, suggesting specific relay of volitional motor commands for vocalization and coordination of breathing with other orofacial behaviors. Additionally, limbic or autonomic systems connect to broadly distributed downstream bulbar respiratory networks.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Robert Behrens, Alice E. McGovern, Michael J. Farrell, Aung Aung Kywe Moe, Stuart B. Mazzone
Summary: Airway afferents monitor local chemical and physical environments in airway and lungs, regulating neural circuits involved in respiratory control, sensory encoding, and cognitive processing. Recent research highlights the central wiring of airway afferent circuits in the brainstem and brain, providing new insights into airway sensory processing. Describing the molecular diversity of airway afferents may shape future research on central connectivity of these pathways.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nathalie A. J. Verzele, Brendon Y. Chua, Charity W. Law, Albert Zhang, Matthew E. Ritchie, Oliver Wightman, Isaac N. Edwards, Katina D. Hulme, Conor J. Bloxham, Helle Bielefeldt-Ohmann, Matthew W. Trewella, Aung Aung Kywe Moe, Keng Yih Chew, Stuart B. Mazzone, Kirsty R. Short, Alice E. McGovern
Summary: In a mouse model, it was found that respiratory infection with Influenza A virus led to significant transcriptional changes in vagal sensory neurons, inducing a neuroinflammatory response and potentially impacting morbidity associated with influenza virus infection.
Article
Neurosciences
Pedro Trevizan-Bau, Werner Furuya, Stuart B. Mazzone, Davor Stanic, Rishi R. Dhingra, Mathias Dutschmann
Summary: The study investigated the descending connectivity of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) targeting different brainstem respiratory regions, revealing a strong connection between PAG and KFn, pre-BotC, and caudal raphe. It suggests that PAG may engage a distributed respiratory rhythm and pattern generating network, with the reciprocal connectivity between KFn and PAG likely related to the regulation of upper airway patency during vocalization or other volitional orofacial behaviors.
Editorial Material
Physiology
Nicolle J. Domnik, John T. Fisher, M. Diane Lougheed, Stuart B. Mazzone, Alice E. McGovern
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Kian Fan Chung, Lorcan McGarvey, Woo-Jung Song, Anne B. Chang, Kefang Lai, Brendan J. Canning, Surinder S. Birring, Jaclyn A. Smith, Stuart B. Mazzone
Summary: Chronic cough is a prevalent and challenging condition with various underlying causes. It is associated with cough hypersensitivity, characterized by excessive coughing in response to stimuli, resulting in significant impact on patients' quality of life. Advances in understanding the mechanisms of cough hypersensitivity have led to the development of new therapies for chronic cough in adults. Personalized treatment approaches and phenotyping cough patients may hold promise for future management.
NATURE REVIEWS DISEASE PRIMERS
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Kubra F. Naqvi, Stuart B. Mazzone, Michael U. Shiloh
Summary: Coughing is a physiological process mediated by vagal sensory neurons in the airways and can be triggered by respiratory pathogens and inflammation. This process can be exploited by pathogens to spread diseases, as demonstrated by studies on cough-generated aerosols and disease transmission. This review provides an overview of the neurophysiology of cough, cough induction by pathogens and inflammation, and the transmission of diseases through coughing.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Respiratory System
Kian Fan Chung, Surinder S. Birring, Alyn H. Morice, Lorcan P. McGarvey, Stuart B. Mazzone, Toby M. Maher, Peter V. Dicpinigaitis
Editorial Material
Critical Care Medicine
Stuart B. Mazzone, Imran Satia, Lorcan McGarvey, Woo-Jung Song, Kian Fan Chung
LANCET RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
(2022)
Letter
Immunology
Stuart B. Mazzone, Anuradha Kulasekaran, Tim Shea, Oluwajoba Adegoke
IMMUNITY INFLAMMATION AND DISEASE
(2022)
Review
Allergy
Pedro Trevizan-Bau, Stuart B. Mazzone
Summary: This article reviews the recent literature on neuroimmune interactions in airway inflammation and discusses the considerations for the clinical translation of these discoveries to improve the management of patients with airway disease.
ANNALS OF ALLERGY ASTHMA & IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Anesthesiology
Malcolm N. Hogg, Anthony Kavanagh, Michael J. Farrell, Anne L. J. Burke
Summary: The study found that persistent pain services in Australia have increased in both adult and pediatric fields, but there are still some long wait times. Although clinical activity has increased, the number of medical staff has not increased, indicating that clinics are operating differently. Privately funded clinics perform more procedures than publicly funded services.