Article
Clinical Neurology
Rodrigo Manuel Paz, Cecilia Tubert, Agostina Monica Stahl, Yimy Amarillo, Lorena Rela, Mario Gustavo Murer
Summary: Enhanced striatal cholinergic interneuron activity contributes to the striatal hypercholinergic state in Parkinson's disease and levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Dysregulation of D5-cAMP signaling and membrane ion channels in cholinergic interneurons causes aberrant burst-pause firing, which can be dampened by pharmacological intervention, providing a potential therapeutic target for alleviating parkinsonism and dyskinesia.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Hongwei Cai, Pei Zhang, Tongxia Li, Ming Li, Lijun Zhang, Chi Cui, Jie Lei, Jian Yang, Kun Ren, Jie Ming, Bo Tian
Summary: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of mood disorders on motor disability induced by the parkinsonian toxin MPTP and the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. It was found that depression-like mice showed worse movement performance and more neuronal loss compared to control mice, while anxiety-like mice did not. The study also revealed that the projection from the central amygdala to the SNc dopaminergic neurons played a role in the vulnerability to MPTP.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Leticia Perez-Sisques, Anna Sancho-Balsells, Julia Solana-Balaguer, Genis Campoy-Campos, Marcel Vives-Isern, Ferran Soler-Palazon, Marta Anglada-Huguet, Miguel-Angel Lopez-Toledano, Eva-Maria Mandelkow, Jordi Alberch, Albert Giralt, Cristina Malagelada
Summary: RTP801 protein levels are increased in postmortem hippocampal samples from AD patients, correlating with disease progression and GFAP expression. Downregulation of RTP801 in mouse models improves cognitive deficits and reverses gliosis hallmarks and inflammasome proteins. This suggests that RTP801 could be a potential future therapeutic target for AD, serving as a biomarker of neuroinflammation severity and a promising target for treatment.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Daniel L. Albaugh, Christina Huang, Sherry Ye, Jean-Francois Pare, Yoland Smith
Summary: Study finds that GABAergic interneurons in BGMT and CBMT are major targets of cortical and subcortical glutamatergic terminals, with no significant differences in the extent of glutamatergic innervation between control and parkinsonian monkeys.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fang Cai, Beibei Song, Yi Yang, Haikang Liao, Ran Li, Zhao Wang, Ruixue Cao, Huaqiu Chen, Juelu Wang, Yili Wu, Yun Zhang, Weihong Song
Summary: In individuals with Down syndrome, overexpression of USP25 gene disrupts cell cycle regulation during embryonic neurogenesis and cortical development, leading to reduced neurogenesis in the hippocampus. USP25 overexpression in mice results in anxiety/depression-like behaviors and learning and memory deficits. Thus, USP25 may be a potential pharmaceutical target for the pathogenesis of Down syndrome.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastien Ballesta, Weikang Shi, Camillo Padoa-Schioppa
Summary: The authors demonstrate the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in value comparison during economic choices, providing new insights into the decision-making process.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mor R. Alkaslasi, Zoe E. Piccus, Sangeetha Hareendran, Hanna Silberberg, Li Chen, Yajun Zhang, Timothy J. Petros, Claire E. Le Pichon
Summary: The study reveals the comprehensive heterogeneity of cholinergic neurons in the adult spinal cord, with different functional roles including cholinergic interneurons, visceral, and skeletal motor neurons. Visceral motor neurons can be divided into multiple transcriptomic classes with distinct anatomical localization, while skeletal motor neurons show complexity with alpha, gamma, and a possible third subtype.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhenhua Liu, Nanna Yang, Jie Dong, Wotu Tian, Lisa Chang, Jinghong Ma, Jifeng Guo, Jieqiong Tan, Ao Dong, Kaikai He, Jingheng Zhou, Resat Cinar, Junbing Wu, Armando G. Salinas, Lixin Sun, Mantosh Kumar, Breanna T. Sullivan, Braden B. Oldham, Vanessa Pitz, Mary B. Makarious, Jinhui Ding, Justin Kung, Chengsong Xie, Sarah L. Hawes, Lupeng Wang, Tao Wang, Piu Chan, Zhuohua Zhang, Weidong Le, Shengdi Chen, David Lovinger, Cornelis Blauwendraat, Andrew B. Singleton, Guohong Cui, Yulong Li, Huaibin Cai, Beisha Tang
Summary: The study demonstrates the importance of 2-AG in regulating neural functions and identifies the role of DAGLB in the pathogenesis of Parkinsonism. Loss of DAGLB reduces neuronal activity and impairs locomotor function, while increasing 2-AG levels boosts neuronal activity and rescues locomotor deficits.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Chase B. Hellmer, Leo M. Hall, Jeremy M. Bohl, Zachary J. Sharpe, Robert G. Smith, Tomomi Ichinose
Summary: Cholinergic feedback from starburst amacrine cells to certain bipolar cells via alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors promotes direction-selective signaling, contributing to motion detection. These findings highlight the role of bipolar cells in enhancing direction-selective signaling in retinal microcircuits.
Article
Immunology
Leon Islas-Weinstein, Brenda Marquina-Castillo, Dulce Mata-Espinosa, Iris S. Paredes-Gonzalez, Jaime Chavez, Luciana Balboa, Jose Luis Marin Franco, Daniel Guerrero-Romero, Jorge Alberto Barrios-Payan, Rogelio Hernandez-Pando
Summary: The cholinergic system is involved in regulating inflammation during bacterial respiratory infections, and studies have shown its presence and role in the immunopathogenesis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Upregulation of the cholinergic system, particularly during late progressive TB, can aid in bacterial growth and immunomodulation within the lung. Manipulating this system therapeutically may offer potential for treating the disease.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Joseph Abbah, Claire-Marie Vacher, Evan Z. Goldstein, Zhen Li, Srikanya Kundu, Brooke Talbot, Surajit Bhattacharya, Kazue Hashimoto-Torii, Li Wang, Payal Banerjee, Joseph Scafidi, Nathan A. Smith, Li-Jin Chew, Vittorio Gallo
Summary: Neonatal brain injury can lead to cognitive deficits due to oxidative stress. The mechanisms underlying hippocampal damage and long-term changes in memory and learning are not well understood. This study used high oxygen tension to induce oxidative stress in neonatal mice and found that it caused reactive oxygen species, cell death, and reduced interneuron maturation, inhibitory postsynaptic currents, and dentate progenitor proliferation in the hippocampus. Surprisingly, post-injury interneuron stimulation improved inhibitory activity and memory tasks, indicating reversibility. Inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta in interneurons during oxidative stress restored progenitor cell proliferation, interneuron development, inhibitory/excitatory balance, and hippocampal-dependent behavior. Targeting interneuron function biochemically may be beneficial for learning deficits caused by oxidative damage.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Chen-Pei Lin, Lydian E. J. Knoop, Irene Frigerio, John G. J. M. Bol, Annemieke J. M. Rozemuller, Henk W. Berendse, Petra J. W. Pouwels, Wilma D. J. van de Berg, Laura E. Jonkman
Summary: Motor and cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with dopaminergic dysfunction that stems from substantia nigra (SN) degeneration and α-synuclein accumulation. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect microstructural alterations of the SN and its tracts to (sub)cortical regions, but their pathological sensitivity is still poorly understood. This study aimed to unravel the pathological substrate(s) underlying microstructural alterations of SN and its tracts in PD.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Aske Krogsgaard, Leonora Sperling, Matilda Dahlqvist, Kirsten Thomsen, Gabriele Vydmantaite, Fangyuan Li, Martin Thunemann, Martin Lauritzen, Barbara Lykke Lind
Summary: Neurovascular coupling (NVC) modulates cerebral blood flow during neuronal excitation. The basis for NVC caused by inhibitory interneurons is unclear. Astrocytic Ca2+ levels rise with excitatory neural transmission, but less is known about their sensitivity to inhibitory neurotransmission. In awake mice, optogenetic stimulation of inhibitory interneurons triggered astrocytic Ca2+ increases that preceded NVC. We suggest that the rapid astrocyte Ca2+ responses to increased inhibitory interneuron activity shaped the NVC.
Article
Immunology
Dongdong Zhang, Sheng Li, Liyan Hou, Lu Jing, Zhengzheng Ruan, Bingjie Peng, Xiaomeng Zhang, Jau-Shyong Hong, Jie Zhao, Qingshan Wang
Summary: This study investigated the role of microglia in cognitive deficits in a rotenone-induced mouse PD model. The findings suggest that microglial activation contributes to cognitive impairments via neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, providing novel insight into the immunopathogenesis of cognitive deficits in PD.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kakoli Bose, Ajay Wagh, Vasudha Mishra, Shubhankar Dutta, Aasna L. Parui, Rashmi Puja, Snehal Pandav Mudrale, Suyamindra S. Kulkarni, Pramod B. Gai, Rajiv Sarin
Summary: HtrA2 protease plays a crucial role in PD susceptibility, with mutations potentially leading to the development of the disease. This study identifies a novel HTRA2 variant that alters the protein's function, impacting the occurrence and progression of PD.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Beatriz Elizabeth Nielsen, Santiago Stabile, Cristian Vitale, Cecilia Bouzat
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Teresa Minguez-Vinas, Beatriz E. Nielsen, Deborah K. Shoemark, Cecilia Gotti, Richard B. Sessions, Adrian J. Mulholland, Cecilia Bouzat, Susan Wonnacott, Timothy Gallagher, Isabel Bermudez, Ana Sofia Oliveira
Summary: The alpha 7 and alpha 4 beta 2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are the most abundant nAChRs in the mammalian brain and are targeted in drug discovery for brain disorders. A C(10) variant of cytisine has been developed as a partial agonist of alpha 4 beta 2 nAChR. Molecular dynamic simulations and experiments revealed the structural basis for the selectivity of 10-methylcytisine for alpha 7 and alpha 4 beta 2 nAChRs, providing insights into agonist binding and receptor dynamics.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Sheng Gong, Nicholas Fayette, Jasper A. Heinsbroek, Christopher P. Ford
Summary: This passage describes how exposure to cocaine alters dopamine signaling by selectively reducing the sensitivity of nucleus accumbens D2-MSN D2Rs, thereby facilitating the development of cocaine's rewarding effects. Blocking the reduction in G protein expression prevents cocaine-induced behavioral adaptations.
Article
Cell Biology
Giuseppe Giannotti, Sheng Gong, Nicholas Fayette, Jasper A. Heinsbroek, James E. Orfila, Paco S. Herson, Christopher P. Ford, Jamie Peters
Summary: Using optogenetics and chemogenetics, this study investigated the role of the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) pathway in aversion and heroin relapse. The findings show that the PVT -> NAc pathway is crucial for aversion and heroin seeking after abstinence, but not extinction. Extinction training reduces the contribution of this pathway to heroin relapse by altering synaptic plasticity, resulting in reduced aversion during opioid withdrawal and relapse propensity.
Article
Cell Biology
Emma E. Boxer, Charlotte Seng, David Lukacsovich, JungMin Kim, Samantha Schwartz, Matthew J. Kennedy, Csaba Foldy, Jason Aoto
Summary: The study reveals multiple roles for Nrxn3 at GABAergic synapses in vSUB, showing sexually dimorphic intrinsic connectivity and synaptic function. While PVs preferentially contact RS neurons in male mice, they favor BS neurons in female mice. Nrxn3 knockout affects synapse density and postsynaptic strength in males, but enhances presynaptic release in females.
Article
Neurosciences
Kelsey Barcomb, Samantha S. Olah, Matthew J. Kennedy, Christopher P. Ford
Summary: Excitatory inputs drive burst firing of locus coeruleus noradrenaline neurons. This study isolated three glutamatergic afferents to the LC and found differences in axonal innervation pattern, basal intrinsic properties, and inhibitory effects. These findings provide insights into the modularity of the LC and its ability to mediate various behavioral outcomes.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Emma E. Boxer, JungMin Kim, Brett Dunn, Jason Aoto
Summary: Ventral subiculum (vSUB) is the major output region of ventral hippocampus (vHIPP) and its hyperactivity is associated with substance use disorders. Modulation of vSUB activity alters drug seeking and drug reinstatement behavior in rodents.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Emma E. E. Boxer, Jason Aoto
Summary: This review focuses on the role of neurexins and their ligands in specific brain regions, cell types, and synapses, as well as their contributions to the maintenance and regulation of inhibitory synapses.
FRONTIERS IN SYNAPTIC NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brian A. Lloyd, Ying Han, Rebecca Roth, Bo Zhang, Jason Aoto
Summary: The authors demonstrate that the nanoscopic properties of Nrxn1 and Nrxn3 are spatially distinct and propose a model in which the two neurexins signal in parallel to control synapse function. These findings shed light on the nanoscale organization of neurexins and their role in governing different synaptic properties.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)