Updated Febuary 25, 2020
Research Spotlight
Signal Propagation Via Open-Loop Intrathalamic Architectures: A Computational Model
Brown et al. hypothesized that the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) plays a role in the propagation of signals across the cortex. Using a computational model, they found that open-loop connectivity motifs between the TRN and thalamus lead to the propagation of oscillatory signals across the cortex. These data suggest that the TRN may play an important, but previously unrecognized, role in the spread of activity between cortical regions.
Intra-infarct fibrotic repair occurs following acute ischemic stroke. Whether the intra-infarct fibrotic repair is beneficial or not for functional recovery has been controversial. In this study, the authors show that pericyte-mediated intra-infarct fibrotic repair via PDGFRβ promotes peri-infarct astrogliosis and oligodendrogenesis and correlates with post-stroke functional recovery. Promoting of intra-infarct repair is therapeutically relevant for post-stroke functional recovery.
Rapid neurotransmission in mammals is highly dependent on the presence of membrane insulators, or myelin sheaths, generated by a type of brain cell called oligodendrocytes. Morrison et al. show that retinoic acid, a breakdown product of dietary vitamin A, is necessary for the process of oligodendrocyte development and myelin sheath formation shortly after birth in mice. This finding reveals a new component of myelin generation during brain development after birth, and brings up questions about how poor nutrition early in life could impact brain growth.
Also of Interest
A How-to-Model Guide for Neuroscience
Modeling in neuroscience is often perceived as a mysterious process and is hard to teach. Here we provide the first how-to-model guide that breaks down the modeling endeavor into a step-by-step process.
Arousal-State Dependent Alterations in VTA-GABAergic Neuronal Activity
Little is known about how ventral tegmental area (VTA) neural ensembles couple arousal to motivated behaviors. Using cell-type specific genetic tools, we investigated the population activity of GABAergic and dopaminergic neurons within the VTA across sleep/wake states and in the presence of salient stimuli. We demonstrate that coordinated neural activity within VTA-GABAergic neurons peaks during wakefulness and REM sleep. Furthermore, neuronal activity in VTA-GABAergic neurons is correlated with high frequency, low amplitude cortical oscillations during waking, but negatively correlated with high amplitude slower frequency oscillations during NREM sleep. Our results demonstrate that VTA-GABAergic neuronal activity is tightly linked to cortical arousal and highlight this population as a potential important node in sleep/wake regulation.
Studies frequently pool responses of neurons from different cortical depths in population analyses. Here we show that population neuronal response characteristics in mouse primary visual cortex vary dramatically across depth planes separated by just 50 μm. We also demonstrate that the stimulus selectivity of neuronal responses varies with both cortical depth and the response amplitude of neurons. These findings highlight the importance of considering cell depth and response amplitude as important factors contributing to the overall characteristics of neurons in sensory cortex.
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