scholarly journals A spatially resolved network spike in model neuronal cultures reveals nucleation centers, circular traveling waves and drifting spiral waves

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Paraskevov ◽  
D.K. Zendrikov

We show that in model neuronal cultures, where the probability of interneuronal connection formation decreases exponentially with increasing distance between the neurons, there exists a small number of spatial nucleation centers of a network spike, from where the synchronous spiking activity starts propagating in the network typically in the form of circular traveling waves. The number of nucleation centers and their spatial locations are unique and unchanged for a given realization of neuronal network but are different for different networks. In contrast, if the probability of interneuronal connection formation is independent of the distance between neurons, then the nucleation centers do not arise and the synchronization of spiking activity during a network spike occurs spatially uniform throughout the network. Therefore one can conclude that spatial proximity of connections between neurons is important for the formation of nucleation centers. It is also shown that fluctuations of the spatial density of neurons at their random homogeneous distribution typical for the experiments in vitro do not determine the locations of the nucleation centers. The simulation results are qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations.

Author(s):  
Arthur J. Wasserman ◽  
Kathy C. Kloos ◽  
David E. Birk

Type I collagen is the predominant collagen in the cornea with type V collagen being a quantitatively minor component. However, the content of type V collagen (10-20%) in the cornea is high when compared to other tissues containing predominantly type I collagen. The corneal stroma has a homogeneous distribution of these two collagens, however, immunochemical localization of type V collagen requires the disruption of type I collagen structure. This indicates that these collagens may be arranged as heterpolymeric fibrils. This arrangement may be responsible for the control of fibril diameter necessary for corneal transparency. The purpose of this work is to study the in vitro assembly of collagen type V and to determine whether the interactions of these collagens influence fibril morphology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Tinarelli ◽  
Elena Ivanova ◽  
Ilaria Colombi ◽  
Erica Barini ◽  
Edoardo Balzani ◽  
...  

Abstract Background DNA methylation has emerged as an important epigenetic regulator of brain processes, including circadian rhythms. However, how DNA methylation intervenes between environmental signals, such as light entrainment, and the transcriptional and translational molecular mechanisms of the cellular clock is currently unknown. Here, we studied the after-hours mice, which have a point mutation in the Fbxl3 gene and a lengthened circadian period. Methods In this study, we used a combination of in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro approaches. We measured retinal responses in Afh animals and we have run reduced representation bisulphite sequencing (RRBS), pyrosequencing and gene expression analysis in a variety of brain tissues ex vivo. In vitro, we used primary neuronal cultures combined to micro electrode array (MEA) technology and gene expression. Results We observed functional impairments in mutant neuronal networks, and a reduction in the retinal responses to light-dependent stimuli. We detected abnormalities in the expression of photoreceptive melanopsin (OPN4). Furthermore, we identified alterations in the DNA methylation pathways throughout the retinohypothalamic tract terminals and links between the transcription factor Rev-Erbα and Fbxl3. Conclusions The results of this study, primarily represent a contribution towards an understanding of electrophysiological and molecular phenotypic responses to external stimuli in the Afh model. Moreover, as DNA methylation has recently emerged as a new regulator of neuronal networks with important consequences for circadian behaviour, we discuss the impact of the Afh mutation on the epigenetic landscape of circadian biology.


2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice de Corato ◽  
Alessandro Capuano ◽  
Diego Currò ◽  
Giuseppe Tringali ◽  
Pierluigi Navarra ◽  
...  

In the present paper, we have further developed an in vitro model to study neuronal–glial interaction at trigeminal level by characterizing the effects of conditioned medium (CM) collected from activated primary cultures of satellite glial cells (SGCs) on calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release from rat trigeminal neurons. Moreover, we investigated whether such release is inhibited by a clinically relevant anti-migraine drug, sumatriptan. CM effects were tested on trigeminal neuronal cultures in different conditions of activation and at different time points. Long-term exposures of trigeminal neurons to CM increased directly neuronal CGRP release, which was further enhanced by the exposure to capsaicin. In this framework, the anti-migraine drug sumatriptan was able to inhibit the evoked CGRP release from naïve trigeminal neuron cultures, as well as from trigeminal cultures pre-exposed for 30 min to CM. On the contrary, sumatriptan failed to inhibit evoked CGRP release from trigeminal neurons after prolonged (4 and 8 h) pre-exposures to CM. These findings were confirmed in co-culture experiments (neurons and SGCs), where activation of SGCs or a bradykinin priming were used. Our data demonstrate that SGCs activation could influence neuronal excitability, and that this event affects the neuronal responses to triptans.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (22) ◽  
pp. 3616-3626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanumoy Saha ◽  
Isabel Rathmann ◽  
Abhiyan Viplav ◽  
Sadhana Panzade ◽  
Isabell Begemann ◽  
...  

Filopodia are dynamic, actin-rich structures that transiently form on a variety of cell types. To understand the underlying control mechanisms requires precise monitoring of localization and concentration of individual regulatory and structural proteins as filopodia elongate and subsequently retract. Although several methods exist that analyze changes in filopodial shape, a software solution to reliably correlate growth dynamics with spatially resolved protein concentration along the filopodium independent of bending, lateral shift, or tilting is missing. Here we introduce a novel approach based on the convex-hull algorithm for parallel analysis of growth dynamics and relative spatiotemporal protein concentration along flexible filopodial protrusions. Detailed in silico tests using various geometries confirm that our technique accurately tracks growth dynamics and relative protein concentration along the filopodial length for a broad range of signal distributions. To validate our technique in living cells, we measure filopodial dynamics and quantify spatiotemporal localization of filopodia-associated proteins during the filopodial extension–retraction cycle in a variety of cell types in vitro and in vivo. Together these results show that the technique is suitable for simultaneous analysis of growth dynamics and spatiotemporal protein enrichment along filopodia. To allow readily application by other laboratories, we share source code and instructions for software handling.


2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. 690-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina V. Sokolova ◽  
Istvan Mody

Silencing-induced homeostatic plasticity is usually expressed as a change in the amplitude or the frequency of miniature postsynaptic currents. Here we report that, prolonged (∼24 h) silencing of mature (20–22 days in vitro) cultured hippocampal neurons using the voltage-gated sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX) produced no effects on the amplitude or frequency of the miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs). However, the silencing changed the intrinsic membrane properties of the neurons, resulting in an increased excitability and rate of action potentials firing upon TTX washout. Allowing neurons to recover in TTX-free recording solution for a short period of time after the silencing resulted in potentiation of mEPSC amplitudes. This form of activity-dependent potentiation is different from classical long-term potentiation, as similar potentiation was not seen in nonsilenced neurons treated with bicuculline to raise their spiking activity to the same level displayed by the silenced neurons during TTX washout. Also, the potentiation of mEPSC amplitudes after the recovery period was not affected by the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor blocker d-2-amino-5-phosponopentanoic acid or by the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) inhibitor KN-62 but was abolished by the L-type calcium channel blocker nifedipine. We thus conclude that the potentiation of mEPSC amplitudes following brief recovery of spiking activity in chronically silenced neurons represents a novel form of metaplasticity that differs from the conventional models of homeostatic synaptic plasticity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Jinwoo Jun ◽  
Madeline R. Meyer ◽  
Landry E. Cowles ◽  
Emma M. Hall ◽  
Benjamin W. Arnold ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Zierenberg ◽  
Jens Wilting ◽  
Viola Priesemann

In vitro and in vivo spiking activity clearly differ. Whereas networks in vitro develop strong bursts separated by periods of very little spiking activity, in vivo cortical networks show continuous activity. This is puzzling considering that both networks presumably share similar single-neuron dynamics and plasticity rules. We propose that the defining difference between in vitro and in vivo dynamics is the strength of external input. In vitro, networks are virtually isolated, whereas in vivo every brain area receives continuous input. We analyze a model of spiking neurons in which the input strength, mediated by spike rate homeostasis, determines the characteristics of the dynamical state. In more detail, our analytical and numerical results on various network topologies show consistently that under increasing input, homeostatic plasticity generates distinct dynamic states, from bursting, to close-to-critical, reverberating and irregular states. This implies that the dynamic state of a neural network is not fixed but can readily adapt to the input strengths. Indeed, our results match experimental spike recordings in vitro and in vivo: the in vitro bursting behavior is consistent with a state generated by very low network input (< 0.1%), whereas in vivo activity suggests that on the order of 1% recorded spikes are input-driven, resulting in reverberating dynamics. Importantly, this predicts that one can abolish the ubiquitous bursts of in vitro preparations, and instead impose dynamics comparable to in vivo activity by exposing the system to weak long-term stimulation, thereby opening new paths to establish an in vivo-like assay in vitro for basic as well as neurological studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e1008418
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Varley ◽  
Olaf Sporns ◽  
Aina Puce ◽  
John Beggs

Whether the brain operates at a critical “tipping” point is a long standing scientific question, with evidence from both cellular and systems-scale studies suggesting that the brain does sit in, or near, a critical regime. Neuroimaging studies of humans in altered states of consciousness have prompted the suggestion that maintenance of critical dynamics is necessary for the emergence of consciousness and complex cognition, and that reduced or disorganized consciousness may be associated with deviations from criticality. Unfortunately, many of the cellular-level studies reporting signs of criticality were performed in non-conscious systems (in vitro neuronal cultures) or unconscious animals (e.g. anaesthetized rats). Here we attempted to address this knowledge gap by exploring critical brain dynamics in invasive ECoG recordings from multiple sessions with a single macaque as the animal transitioned from consciousness to unconsciousness under different anaesthetics (ketamine and propofol). We use a previously-validated test of criticality: avalanche dynamics to assess the differences in brain dynamics between normal consciousness and both drug-states. Propofol and ketamine were selected due to their differential effects on consciousness (ketamine, but not propofol, is known to induce an unusual state known as “dissociative anaesthesia”). Our analyses indicate that propofol dramatically restricted the size and duration of avalanches, while ketamine allowed for more awake-like dynamics to persist. In addition, propofol, but not ketamine, triggered a large reduction in the complexity of brain dynamics. All states, however, showed some signs of persistent criticality when testing for exponent relations and universal shape-collapse. Further, maintenance of critical brain dynamics may be important for regulation and control of conscious awareness.


2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (4) ◽  
pp. H1386-H1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah H. Damon

Perivascular sympathetic nerves are important determinants of vascular function that are likely to contribute to vascular complications associated with hyperglycemia and diabetes. The present study tested the hypothesis that glucose modulates perivascular sympathetic nerves by studying the effects of 7 days of hyperglycemia on norepinephrine (NE) synthesis [tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)], release, and uptake. Direct and vascular-dependent effects were studied in vitro in neuronal and neurovascular cultures. Effects were also studied in vivo in rats made hyperglycemic (blood glucose >296 mg/dl) with streptozotocin (50 mg/kg). In neuronal cultures, TH and NE uptake measured in neurons grown in high glucose (HG; 25 mM) were less than that in neurons grown in low glucose (LG; 5 mM) ( P < 0.05; n = 4 and 6, respectively). In neurovascular cultures, elevated glucose did not affect TH or NE uptake, but it increased NE release. Release from neurovascular cultures grown in HG (1.8 ± 0.2%; n = 5) was greater than that from cultures grown in LG (0.37 ± 0.28%; n = 5; P < 0.05; unpaired t-test). In vivo, elevated glucose did not affect TH or NE uptake, but it increased NE release. Release in hyperglycemic animals (9.4 + 1.1%; n = 6) was greater than that in control animals (5.39 + 1.1%; n = 6; P < 0.05; unpaired t-test). These data identify a novel vascular-dependent effect of elevated glucose on postganglionic sympathetic neurons that is likely to affect the function of perivascular sympathetic nerves and thereby affect vascular function.


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