Article
Developmental Biology
Samantha E. Galindo, Abby J. Wood, Patricia C. Cooney, Luke A. Hammond, Wesley B. Grueber
Summary: Synaptic connections play important roles in information processing within neurons and their precise subcellular localization is crucial for this process. In this study, we investigated the role of axon-axon interactions in the precise targeting and subcellular wiring of the Drosophila somatosensory circuitry. We found that nociceptive and gentle touch neurons form non-overlapping layers in the central nervous system, and their axons synapse onto distinct dendritic regions of a second-order interneuron, resulting in touch-specific and nociceptive-specific connectivity. Our findings suggest that axon-axon interactions and modality-specific timing of axon targeting are key factors in determining the subcellular connection specificity of somatosensory circuitry.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Tomas S. Huerta, Bilal Haider, Richard Adamovich-Zeitlin, Adrian C. Chen, Saher Chaudhry, Theodoros P. Zanos, Sangeeta S. Chavan, Kevin J. Tracey, Eric H. Chang
Summary: This study aims to investigate how sensory nerves of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) transmit sensory signals from the body to the brain. By performing micro-endoscopic calcium imaging and analysis on vagal sensory neurons in mice, we found that these neurons have different responses to various chemical stimuli.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Salvador Dura-Bernal, Samuel A. Neymotin, Benjamin A. Suter, Joshua Dacre, Joao V. S. Moreira, Eugenio Urdapilleta, Julia Schiemann, Ian Duguid, Gordon M. G. Shepherd, William W. Lytton
Summary: Understanding cortical function requires studying multiple scales, and a multiscale mouse primary motor cortex model with over 10,000 neurons and 30 million synapses has been developed. The model accurately predicts in vivo layer- and cell-type-specific responses associated with behavioral states and experimental manipulations. This theoretical framework sheds light on the cell-type-specific multiscale dynamics associated with several experimental conditions and behaviors.
Article
Cell Biology
Marianna Tolve, Ayse Ulusoy, Nikolaos Patikas, K. Ushna S. Islam, Gabriela O. Bodea, Ece Oeztuerk, Bianca Broske, Astrid Mentani, Antonia Wagener, Karen M. J. van Loo, Stefan Britsch, Pengtao Liu, Walid T. Khaled, Emmanouil Metzakopian, Stephan L. Baader, Donato A. Di Monte, Sandra Blaess
Summary: The transcription factor BCL11A is expressed in subsets of murine and human dopamine neurons, forming specific subcircuits within the dopamine system. These Bcl11a-expressing neurons are vulnerable to neurodegeneration, as inactivation of Bcl11a increases susceptibility and results in motor behavior deficits. BCL11A is crucial for establishing and maintaining the physiological characteristics of dopamine neuron subpopulations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Koya Yamashiro, Yudai Yamazaki, Kanako Siiya, Koyuki Ikarashi, Yasuhiro Baba, Naofumi Otsuru, Hideaki Onishi, Daisuke Sato
Summary: This study compared differences in finger-targeted somatosensory-evoked and auditory-evoked potentials between baseball players and track and field athletes, finding that the baseball players showed faster reaction times and shorter latencies in somatosensory responses compared to track and field athletes. These results suggest that long-term skills training may induce modality-specific neuroplastic changes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Bryan A. Joosse, James H. Jackson, Alberto Cisneros, Austin B. Santhin, Scott A. Smith, Daniel J. Moore, Leslie J. Crofford, Erin M. Wilfong, Rachel H. Bonami
Summary: Antigen-specific B cells (ASBCs) play a crucial role in autoimmune diseases and may be disconnected from autoantibody secretion, underscoring the importance of studying and targeting ASBCs for developing therapies for autoimmune diseases.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Claudia Miguel-Quesada, Marta Zaforas, Salvador Herrera-Perez, Justin Lines, Elena Fernandez-Lopez, Elena Alonso-Calvino, Maria Ardaya, Federico N. Soria, Alfonso Araque, Juan Aguilar, Juliana M. Rosa
Summary: In this study, the researchers observed and manipulated the activity of astrocytes to investigate their role in sensory information processing at both circuit and behavioral levels. They found that astrocytes are able to control the dynamic range of cortical network activity, optimizing its responsiveness to sensory inputs. This astrocytic modulation of sensory processing helps to set the detection threshold for tactile and thermal behavior responses. The researchers also discovered that astrocytes achieve this control by modulating inhibitory transmission to adjust the gain and sensitivity of responding networks.
Article
Allergy
Juulke Steuten, Amelie V. Bos, Lisan H. Kuijper, Mathieu Claireaux, Wouter Olijhoek, George Elias, Mariel C. Duurland, Tineke Jorritsma, Casper Marsman, Alberta G. A. Paul, Juan J. Garcia Vallejo, Marit J. van Gils, Luuk Wieske, Taco W. Kuijpers, Filip Eftimov, S. Marieke van Ham, Anja ten Brinke
Summary: CD11c+Tbet+ B cells, a heterogeneous subset, play important roles in autoimmune diseases and chronic infections. This study investigated the response of different CD11c+ B cell subsets to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and found that ABCs and DN2 B cells responded early to immune challenge and displayed a pre-antibody-secreting cell phenotype.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Natalia Prudente de Mello, Caroline Fecher, Adrian Marti Pastor, Fabiana Perocchi, Thomas Misgeld
Summary: This protocol enables the ex vivo immunocapture of cell-type-specific mitochondria directly from their tissue context in heterogeneous tissues, such as the nervous system, using MitoTag reporter mice. The protocol allows for the selective isolation of functional mitochondria from medium-to-low-abundant cell types, revealing cell-type-specific mitochondrial diversity in molecular composition and function. The approach facilitates the identification of marker proteins to label cell-type-specific organelle populations and elucidates cell-type-enriched mitochondrial metabolic and signaling pathways.
Article
Immunology
Marta Sanz, Brendan T. Mann, Paul L. Ryan, Alberto Bosque, Daniel J. Pennington, Holger Hackstein, Natalia Soriano-Sarabia
Summary: Under non-pathological conditions, human ?d T cells represent a small fraction of CD3(+) T cells in peripheral blood (1-10%). They constitute a unique subset of T lymphocytes that recognize stress ligands or non-peptide antigens through MHC-independent presentation. Major human ?d T cell subsets, Vd1 and Vd2, expand in response to microbial infection or malignancy, but possess distinct tissue localization, antigen recognition, and effector responses. By comparing highly purified Vd1 and Vd2 cells, this study found distinct genetic and phenotypic signatures that define functional differences in ?d T cell populations, suggesting that Vd1 and Vd2 T cells are different lineages. These findings will facilitate further investigation into the ligand specificity and unique role of Vd1 and Vd2 cells in early immune responses.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Sylvie Perez, Yihui Cui, Gaetan Vignoud, Elodie Perrin, Alexandre Mendes, Zhiwei Zheng, Jonathan Touboul, Laurent Venance
Summary: This study reveals the presence of symmetric and asymmetric anti-Hebbian spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) in the striatum, with opposite plasticity dominance and different roles in different stages and types of learning.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sverre Grodem, Ingeborg Nymoen, Guro Helen Vatne, Frederik Sebastian Rogge, Valgerur Bjoernsdottir, Kristian Kinden Lensjo, Marianne Fyhn
Summary: This study explores the use of systemically administered PHP.eB AAVs for brain-wide expression of genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators (GECIs), and compares them to intracerebrally injected AAVs. The findings suggest that systemic administration is a promising strategy for imaging neural activity.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Douglas K. Reilly, Emily J. McGlame, Elke Vandewyer, Annalise M. Robidoux, Caroline S. Muirhead, Haylea T. Northcott, William Joyce, Mark J. Alkema, Robert J. Gegear, Isabel Beets, Jagan Srinivasan
Summary: Reilly et al. identify a neuropeptide-neuropeptide receptor (NP/NPR) module that is active in male but not in hermaphrodite C. elegans. Using a neuropeptide rescue paradigm, they demonstrate that receptor expression within pre-motor neurons mediates coordination of male-specific and core locomotor circuitries.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Cecilia Gallego-Carracedo, Matthew G. Perich, Raeed H. Chowdhury, Lee E. Miller, Juan alvaro Gallego, Srdjan Ostojic
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between latent dynamics and local field potentials (LFPs), and finds that this relationship remains stable throughout behavior, bridging the gap between studies on neural correlates of behavior using different types of recordings.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mathieu Di Miceli, Asma Derf, Benjamin Gronier
Summary: The study found that Methylphenidate (MPH) can modulate neurotransmitter efflux in brain regions enriched with dopamine and/or norepinephrine terminals, resulting in long-lasting alterations of striatal and prefrontal neurotransmission.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Elisa Speck, Jocemar Ilha, Daniel Fernandes Martins, Franciane Bobinski, Ana Paula Luiz, Adair Roberto Soares dos Santos, Alessandra Swarowsky, Aderbal Silva Aguiar Jr
NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Orthopedics
F. ter Heegde, A. P. Luiz, S. Santana-Varela, R. Magnusdottir, M. Hopkinson, Y. Chang, B. Poulet, R. C. Fowkes, J. N. Wood, C. Chenu
OSTEOARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sascha R. A. Alles, Filipe Nascimento, Rafael Lujan, Ana P. Luiz, Queensta Millet, M. Ali Bangash, Sonia Santana-Varela, Xuelong Zhou, James J. Cox, Andrei L. Okorokoir, Marco Beato, Jing Zhao, John N. Wood
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Marco Antonio Marchetti Calonego, Shafaq Sikandar, Frank D. Ferris, Guilherme Antonio Moreira de Barros
Article
Anesthesiology
Larissa de Clauser, Sonia Santana-Varela, John N. Wood, Shafaq Sikandar
Summary: This study demonstrates that the activation of homeostatic osteoclasts alone is not sufficient to induce skeletal pain in mice. Pain behaviors in mice with bone cancer correlate with increased bone resorption at the site of the tumor.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Larissa de Clauser, Ana P. Luiz, Sonia Santana-Varela, John N. Wood, Shafaq Sikandar
Article
Clinical Neurology
Donald Iain MacDonald, Ana P. Luiz, Federico Iseppon, Queensta Millet, Edward C. Emery, John N. Wood
Summary: Neuropathic pain leads to innocuous cooling being perceived as excruciating pain, yet the cell and molecular basis of this cold allodynia remains poorly understood. Research has found that in neuropathic pain states, normally silent large diameter cold-sensing neurons become sensitive to cooling, with many of them responding to noxious mechanical stimuli.
Article
Neurosciences
Donald Iain MacDonald, Shafaq Sikandar, Jan Weiss, Martina Pyrski, Ana P. Luiz, Queensta Millet, Edward C. Emery, Flavia Mancini, Gian D. Iannetti, Sascha R. A. Alles, Manuel Arcangeletti, Jing Zhao, James J. Cox, Robert M. Brownstone, Frank Zufall, John N. Wood
Summary: Deletion of SCN9A encoding Na(V)1.7 in humans leads to pain insensitivity and anosmia. Knockout mice show normal nociceptor activity, but synaptic transmission from nociceptor terminals in the spinal cord is reduced by an opioid-dependent mechanism, reversing analgesia. This mechanism is also responsible for anosmia.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Sabah Bharde, Sara Caxaria, Francesco Dell'Accio, Shafaq Sikandar
Summary: The complexity of pain phenotypes in osteoarthritis is influenced by inflammatory and neuropathic components along with spatiotemporal evolution, necessitating proper patient stratification. Revising the classification of osteoarthritis at various stages to include both structural and pain outcomes would greatly enhance detection and diagnosis at different disease stages. These advancements are crucial for improving trial design and gaining a better understanding of disease progression and pain mechanisms in osteoarthritis.
CURRENT OPINION IN SUPPORTIVE AND PALLIATIVE CARE
(2021)
Article
Anesthesiology
Flavia S. Domingues, Maisa Gayoso, Shafaq Sikandar, Leopoldo Muniz da Silva, Ronaldo G. Fonseca, Guilherme A. M. de Barros
Summary: In this study, the analgesic efficacy of a portable, disposable, and home self-applied transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device during migraine attacks was evaluated. A double-blind, randomized controlled trial showed a statistically significant reduction in pain scores in the intervention group compared to the sham group. Participants in the intervention group demonstrated improvement in pain and functional disability scores.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Sara Caxaria, Nikolaos Kouvatsos, Suzanne E. Eldridge, Mario Alvarez-Fallas, Anne-Sophie Thorup, Daniela Cici, Aida Barawi, Ammaarah Arshed, Danielle Strachan, Giulia Carletti, Xinying Huang, Sabah Bharde, Melody Deniz, Jacob Wilson, Bethan L. Thomas, Costantino Pitzalis, Francesco Paolo Cantatore, Manasi Sayilekshmy, Shafaq Sikandar, Frank P. Luyten, Thomas Pap, Joanna C. Sherwood, Anthony J. Day, Francesco Dell'Accio
Summary: We demonstrated that CXCR2 is crucial for cartilage homeostasis. GCP-2, the ligand of CXCR2, is expressed in embryonic articular cartilage and adult articular cartilage. Functional loss of GCP-2 inhibits extracellular matrix production, while its treatment promotes chondrogenesis in vitro and in vivo.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Rayan Haroun, John N. Wood, Shafaq Sikandar
Summary: Personalized and targeted interventions have improved cancer treatment, but effective pain management for cancer patients is still an issue. Current guidelines fail to address the heterogeneity of cancer pain, and alternative therapeutic targets are needed.
FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Edward C. Emery, John N. Wood
CURRENT OPINION IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2019)