The organization of spinal neurons: Insights from single cell sequencing
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 30;82:102762. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102762. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTo understand how the spinal cord enacts complex sensorimotor functions, researchers have studied, classified, and functionally probed it's many neuronal populations for over a century. Recent developments in single-cell RNA-sequencing can characterize the gene expression signatures of the entire set of spinal neuron types and can simultaneously provide an unbiased view of their relationships to each other. This approach has revealed that the location of neurons predicts transcriptomic variability, as dorsal spinal ne...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - September 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: R Brian Roome Ariel J Levine Source Type: research
Nonlinear slow-timescale mechanisms in synaptic plasticity
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 30;82:102778. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102778. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTLearning and memory rely on synapses changing their strengths in response to neural activity. However, there is a substantial gap between the timescales of neural electrical dynamics (1-100 ms) and organism behaviour during learning (seconds-minutes). What mechanisms bridge this timescale gap? What are the implications for theories of brain learning? Here I first cover experimental evidence for slow-timescale factors in plasticity induction. Then I review possible underlying cellular and synaptic mechanisms, and insig...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - September 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Cian O'Donnell Source Type: research
The organization of spinal neurons: Insights from single cell sequencing
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 30;82:102762. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102762. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTo understand how the spinal cord enacts complex sensorimotor functions, researchers have studied, classified, and functionally probed it's many neuronal populations for over a century. Recent developments in single-cell RNA-sequencing can characterize the gene expression signatures of the entire set of spinal neuron types and can simultaneously provide an unbiased view of their relationships to each other. This approach has revealed that the location of neurons predicts transcriptomic variability, as dorsal spinal ne...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - September 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: R Brian Roome Ariel J Levine Source Type: research
Nonlinear slow-timescale mechanisms in synaptic plasticity
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 30;82:102778. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102778. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTLearning and memory rely on synapses changing their strengths in response to neural activity. However, there is a substantial gap between the timescales of neural electrical dynamics (1-100 ms) and organism behaviour during learning (seconds-minutes). What mechanisms bridge this timescale gap? What are the implications for theories of brain learning? Here I first cover experimental evidence for slow-timescale factors in plasticity induction. Then I review possible underlying cellular and synaptic mechanisms, and insig...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - September 1, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Cian O'Donnell Source Type: research
Multilevel visuomotor control of locomotion in Drosophila
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 29;82:102774. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102774. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTVision is critical for the control of locomotion, but the underlying neural mechanisms by which visuomotor circuits contribute to the movement of the body through space are yet not well understood. Locomotion engages multiple control systems, forming distinct interacting "control levels" driven by the activity of distributed and overlapping circuits. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying locomotion control requires the consideration of all control levels and their necessary coordination...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 31, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Tom ás L Cruz M Eugenia Chiappe Source Type: research
Multilevel visuomotor control of locomotion in Drosophila
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 29;82:102774. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102774. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTVision is critical for the control of locomotion, but the underlying neural mechanisms by which visuomotor circuits contribute to the movement of the body through space are yet not well understood. Locomotion engages multiple control systems, forming distinct interacting "control levels" driven by the activity of distributed and overlapping circuits. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying locomotion control requires the consideration of all control levels and their necessary coordination...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 31, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Tom ás L Cruz M Eugenia Chiappe Source Type: research
Organization of vestibular circuits for postural control in zebrafish
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 25;82:102776. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102776. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMost animals begin controlling their posture, or orientation with respect to gravity, at an early stage in life. Posture is vital for locomotor function. Even animals like fish, which are capable of swimming upside-down, must actively control their orientation to coordinate behaviors such as capturing prey near the water's surface. Here we review recent research from multiple laboratories investigating the organization and function of the vestibular circuits underlying postural control in zebrafish. Some findings in z...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 27, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhikai Liu Martha W Bagnall Source Type: research
Organization of vestibular circuits for postural control in zebrafish
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 25;82:102776. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102776. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMost animals begin controlling their posture, or orientation with respect to gravity, at an early stage in life. Posture is vital for locomotor function. Even animals like fish, which are capable of swimming upside-down, must actively control their orientation to coordinate behaviors such as capturing prey near the water's surface. Here we review recent research from multiple laboratories investigating the organization and function of the vestibular circuits underlying postural control in zebrafish. Some findings in z...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 27, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhikai Liu Martha W Bagnall Source Type: research
Organization of vestibular circuits for postural control in zebrafish
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 25;82:102776. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102776. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMost animals begin controlling their posture, or orientation with respect to gravity, at an early stage in life. Posture is vital for locomotor function. Even animals like fish, which are capable of swimming upside-down, must actively control their orientation to coordinate behaviors such as capturing prey near the water's surface. Here we review recent research from multiple laboratories investigating the organization and function of the vestibular circuits underlying postural control in zebrafish. Some findings in z...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 27, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhikai Liu Martha W Bagnall Source Type: research
Organization of vestibular circuits for postural control in zebrafish
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 25;82:102776. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102776. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMost animals begin controlling their posture, or orientation with respect to gravity, at an early stage in life. Posture is vital for locomotor function. Even animals like fish, which are capable of swimming upside-down, must actively control their orientation to coordinate behaviors such as capturing prey near the water's surface. Here we review recent research from multiple laboratories investigating the organization and function of the vestibular circuits underlying postural control in zebrafish. Some findings in z...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 27, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Zhikai Liu Martha W Bagnall Source Type: research
Cortical contribution to visuomotor coordination in locomotion and reaching
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 24;82:102755. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102755. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTOne of the hallmarks of mammals is their ability to make precise visually guided limb movements to attain objects. This is best exemplified by the reach and grasp movements of primates, although it is not unique to this mammalian order. Precise, coordinated, visually guided movements are equally as important during locomotion in many mammalian species, especially in predators. In this context, vision is used to guide paw trajectory and placement. In this review we examine the contribution of the fronto-parietal networ...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 26, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Trevor Drew Nicolas Fortier-Lebel Toshi Nakajima Source Type: research
Persistent modulatory actions and task switching in the feeding network of Aplysia
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 23;82:102775. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102775. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe activity of multifunctional networks is configured by neuromodulators that exert persistent effects. This raises a question, does this impact the ability of a network to switch from one type of activity to another? We review studies that have addressed this question in the Aplysia feeding circuit. Task switching in this system occurs "asymmetrically." When there is a switch from egestion to ingestion neuromodulation impedes switching (creates a "negative bias"). When there is a switch from ingestion to egestion th...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 25, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Elizabeth C Cropper Matthew Perkins Jian Jing Source Type: research
Persistent modulatory actions and task switching in the feeding network of Aplysia
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 23;82:102775. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102775. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe activity of multifunctional networks is configured by neuromodulators that exert persistent effects. This raises a question, does this impact the ability of a network to switch from one type of activity to another? We review studies that have addressed this question in the Aplysia feeding circuit. Task switching in this system occurs "asymmetrically." When there is a switch from egestion to ingestion neuromodulation impedes switching (creates a "negative bias"). When there is a switch from ingestion to egestion th...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 25, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Elizabeth C Cropper Matthew Perkins Jian Jing Source Type: research
Collicular circuits supporting the perceptual, motor and cognitive demands of ethological environments
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 22;82:102773. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102773. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTAnimals evolve to survive in their environment. Accordingly, a reasonable hypothesis is that brain evolution prioritises the processing of useful sensory information over complete representation of the surroundings. The superior colliculus or tectum is a brain area that processes the animal's surroundings and directs movements in space. Here, we review recent studies on the role of the superior colliculus to assess the validity of this "utility hypothesis". We discuss how the response properties of collicular neurons ...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 24, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Daniel de Malmazet Marco Tripodi Source Type: research
Surprise and novelty in the brain
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2023 Aug 22;82:102758. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102758. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTNotions of surprise and novelty have been used in various experimental and theoretical studies across multiple brain areas and species. However, 'surprise' and 'novelty' refer to different quantities in different studies, which raises concerns about whether these studies indeed relate to the same functionalities and mechanisms in the brain. Here, we address these concerns through a systematic investigation of how different aspects of surprise and novelty relate to different brain functions and physiological signals. W...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - August 24, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Alireza Modirshanechi Sophia Becker Johanni Brea Wulfram Gerstner Source Type: research
