scholarly journals Subcortical theta oscillations alternate with high amplitude neocortical population within synchronized states

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Munro Krull ◽  
Shuzo Sakata ◽  
Taro Toyoizumi

AbstractSynchronized states are marked by large-amplitude low-frequency oscillations in the cortex. These states can be seen during quiet waking or slow-wave sleep. Within synchronized states, previous studies have noted a plethora of different types of activity, including delta oscillations (0.5-4 Hz) and slow oscillations (<1 Hz) in the cortex and large- and small-irregular activity in the hippocampus. However, it is not still fully characterized how neural populations contribute to the synchronized state. Here we apply independent component analysis (ICA) to parse which populations are involved in different kinds of cortical activity, and find two populations that alternate throughout synchronized states. One population broadly affects cortical deep layers, and is associated with larger amplitude slower cortical activity. The other population exhibits theta-frequency oscillations that are not easily observed in raw field potential recordings. These theta oscillations apparently come from below the cortex, suggesting hippocampal origin, and are associated with smaller amplitude faster cortical activity. Relative involvement of these two alternating populations may indicate different modes of operation within synchronized states.

1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 877-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. T. Huerta ◽  
J. E. Lisman

1. The induction of long-term weakening of synaptic transmission in rat hippocampal slices was examined in CA1 synapses during cholinergic modulation. 2. Bath application of the cholinergic agonist carbachol (50 microM) activated an oscillation of the local field potential in the theta-frequency range (5-12 Hz), termed theta. It was previously shown that a stimulation train of 40 single shocks (at 0.1 Hz) to the Schaffer collateral-commisural afferents, each synchronized with positive peaks of theta, caused homosynaptic long-term enhancement in CA1. Furthermore, long-term depression (LTD) was sporadically observed when the stimulation train was given at negative troughs of theta. Here we have sought to determine stable conditions for LTD induction during theta. 3. Synaptic weakening was reliably obtained, by giving 40 shocks (at 0.1 Hz) at theta-troughs, only in pathways that had been previously potentiated. This decrement, termed theta-LTD, was synapse specific because it did not occur in an independent pathway not stimulated during theta. The interval between the initial potentiating tetanus and theta-LTD induction could be as long as 90 min. 4. theta-LTD could be saturated; after consecutive episodes of theta-LTD induction, no significant further depression was obtained. Moreover, theta-LTD could be reversed by tetanic stimulation. 5. theta-LTD could prevent the induction of LTD by 600-900 pulses at 1 Hz. This suggests that the two protocols may share common mechanisms at the synaptic level. 6. We conclude that single presynaptic spikes that occur at low frequency and are properly timed to the troughs of theta may be a relevant mechanism for decreasing the strength of potentiated synapses.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyowon Chung ◽  
Kyerl Park ◽  
Hyun Jae Jang ◽  
Michael M Kohl ◽  
Jeehyun Kwag

AbstractAbnormal accumulation of amyloid β oligomers (AβO) is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which leads to learning and memory deficits. Hippocampal theta oscillations that are critical in spatial navigation, learning and memory are impaired in AD. Since GABAergic interneurons, such as somatostatin-positive (SST+) and parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons, are believed to play key roles in the hippocampal oscillogenesis, we asked whether AβO selectively impairs these SST+ and PV+ interneurons. To selectively manipulate SST+ or PV+ interneuron activity in mice with AβO pathologyin vivo, we co-injected AβO and adeno-associated virus (AAV) for expressing floxed channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) into the hippocampus of SST-Cre or PV-Cre mice. Local field potential (LFP) recordingsin vivoin these AβO–injected mice showed a reduction in the peak power of theta oscillations and desynchronization of spikes from CA1 pyramidal neurons relative to theta oscillations compared to those in control mice. Optogenetic-activation of SST+ but not PV+ interneurons in AβO–injected mice fully restored the peak power of theta oscillations and resynchronized the theta spike phases to a level observed in control mice.In vitrowhole-cell voltage-clamp recordings in CA1 pyramidal neurons in hippocampal slices treated with AβO revealed that short-term plasticity of SST+ interneuron inhibitory inputs to CA1 pyramidal neurons at theta frequency were selectively disrupted while that of PV+ interneuron inputs were unaffected. Together, our results suggest that dysfunction in inputs from SST+ interneurons to CA1 pyramidal neurons may underlie the impairment of theta oscillations observed in AβO-injected micein vivo.Our findings identify SST+ interneurons as a target for restoring theta-frequency oscillations in early AD.


Brain ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Frohlich ◽  
Daniel Toker ◽  
Martin M Monti

Abstract A common observation in EEG research is that consciousness vanishes with the appearance of delta (1 – 4 Hz) waves, particularly when those waves are high amplitude. High amplitude delta oscillations are very frequently observed in states of diminished consciousness, including slow wave sleep, anaesthesia, generalised epileptic seizures, and disorders of consciousness such as coma and vegetative state. This strong correlation between loss of consciousness and high amplitude delta oscillations is thought to stem from the widespread cortical deactivation that occurs during the “down states” or troughs of these slow oscillations. Recently, however, many studies have reported the presence of prominent delta activity during conscious states, which casts doubt on the hypothesis that high amplitude delta oscillations are an indicator of unconsciousness. These studies include work in Angelman syndrome, epilepsy, behavioural responsiveness during propofol anaesthesia, postoperative delirium, and states of dissociation from the environment such as dreaming and powerful psychedelic states. The foregoing studies complement an older, yet largely unacknowledged, body of literature that has documented awake, conscious patients with high amplitude delta oscillations in clinical reports from Rett syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, schizophrenia, mitochondrial diseases, hepatic encephalopathy, and nonconvulsive status epilepticus. At the same time, a largely parallel body of recent work has reported convincing evidence that the complexity or entropy of EEG and magnetoencephalogram or MEG signals strongly relates to an individual’s level of consciousness. Having reviewed this literature, we discuss plausible mechanisms that would resolve the seeming contradiction between high amplitude delta oscillations and consciousness. We also consider implications concerning theories of consciousness, such as integrated information theory and the entropic brain hypothesis. Finally, we conclude that false inferences of unconscious states can be best avoided by examining measures of electrophysiological complexity in addition to spectral power.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 1205-1215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor J. Boucher ◽  
Annie C. Gilbert ◽  
Boutheina Jemel

Studies that use measures of cerebro-acoustic coherence have shown that theta oscillations (3–10 Hz) entrain to syllable-size modulations in the energy envelope of speech. This entrainment creates sensory windows in processing acoustic cues. Recent reports submit that delta oscillations (<3 Hz) can be entrained by nonsensory content units like phrases and serve to process meaning—though such views face fundamental problems. Other studies suggest that delta underlies a sensory chunking linked to the processing of sequential attributes of speech sounds. This chunking associated with the “focus of attention” is commonly manifested by the temporal grouping of items in sequence recall. Similar grouping in speech may entrain delta. We investigate this view by examining how low-frequency oscillations entrain to three types of stimuli (tones, nonsense syllables, and utterances) having similar timing, pitch, and energy contours. Entrainment was indexed by “intertrial phase coherence” in the EEGs of 18 listeners. The results show that theta oscillations at central sites entrain to syllable-size elements in speech and tones. However, delta oscillations at frontotemporal sites specifically entrain to temporal groups in both meaningful utterances and meaningless syllables, which indicates that delta may support but does not directly bear on a processing of content. The findings overall suggest that, although theta entrainment relates to a processing of acoustic attributes, delta entrainment links to a sensory chunking that relates to a processing of properties of articulated sounds. The results also show that measures of intertrial phase coherence can be better suited than cerebro-acoustic coherence in revealing delta entrainment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 940-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Smith ◽  
Xiaoxuan Jia ◽  
Amin Zandvakili ◽  
Adam Kohn

Neuronal responses are correlated on a range of timescales. Correlations can affect population coding and may play an important role in cortical function. Correlations are known to depend on stimulus drive, behavioral context, and experience, but the mechanisms that determine their properties are poorly understood. Here we make use of the laminar organization of cortex, with its variations in sources of input, local circuit architecture, and neuronal properties, to test whether networks engaged in similar functions but with distinct properties generate different patterns of correlation. We find that slow timescale correlations are prominent in the superficial and deep layers of primary visual cortex (V1) of macaque monkeys, but near zero in the middle layers. Brief timescale correlation (synchrony), on the other hand, was slightly stronger in the middle layers of V1, although evident at most cortical depths. Laminar variations were also apparent in the power of the local field potential, with a complementary pattern for low frequency (<10 Hz) and gamma (30–50 Hz) power. Recordings in area V2 revealed a laminar dependence similar to V1 for synchrony, but slow timescale correlations were not different between the input layers and nearby locations. Our results reveal that cortical circuits in different laminae can generate remarkably different patterns of correlations, despite being tightly interconnected.


2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 994-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin S. Deshmukh ◽  
D. Yoganarasimha ◽  
Horatiu Voicu ◽  
James J. Knierim

Hippocampal neurons show a strong modulation by theta frequency oscillations. This modulation is thought to be important not only for temporal encoding and decoding of information in the hippocampal system, but also for temporal ordering of neuronal activities on timescales at which physiological mechanisms of synaptic plasticity operate. The medial entorhinal cortex (MEC), one of the two major cortical inputs to the hippocampus, is known to show theta modulation. Here, we show that the local field potentials (LFPs) in the other major cortical input to the hippocampus, the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC), show weaker theta oscillations than those shown in the MEC. Neurons in LEC also show weaker theta modulation than that of neurons in MEC. These findings suggest that LEC inputs are integrated into hippocampal representations in a qualitatively different manner than the MEC inputs. Furthermore, MEC grid cells increase the scale of their periodic spatial firing patterns along the dorsoventral axis, corresponding to the increasing size of place fields along the septotemporal axis of the hippocampus. We show here a corresponding gradient in the tendency of MEC neural firing to skip alternate theta cycles. We propose a simple model based on interference of delta oscillations with theta oscillations to explain this behavior.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Orchard

Navigation and path integration in rodents seems to involve place cells, grid cells, and theta oscillations (4–12 Hz) in the local field potential. Two main theories have been proposed to explain the neurological underpinnings of how these phenomena relate to navigation and to each other. Attractor network (AN) models revolve around the idea that local excitation and long-range inhibition connectivity can spontaneously generate grid-cell-like activity patterns. Oscillator interference (OI) models propose that spatial patterns of activity are caused by the interference patterns between neural oscillators. In rats, these oscillators have a frequency close to the theta frequency. Recent studies have shown that bats do not exhibit a theta cycle when they crawl, and yet they still have grid cells. This has been interpreted as a criticism of OI models. However, OI models do not require theta oscillations. We explain why the absence of theta oscillations does not contradict OI models and discuss how the two families of models might be distinguished experimentally.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.L. Ruddy ◽  
D.G. Woolley ◽  
D. Mantini ◽  
J.H. Balsters ◽  
N. Enz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackgroundIn the last decade, interest in combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) approaches has grown substantially. Aside from the obvious artifacts induced by the magnetic pulses themselves, separate and more sinister signal disturbances arise as a result of contact between the TMS coil and EEG electrodes.New methodHere we profile the characteristics of these artifacts and introduce a simple device – the coil spacer - to provide a platform allowing physical separation between the coil and electrodes during stimulation.ResultsEEG data revealed high amplitude signal disturbances when the TMS coil was in direct contact with the EEG electrodes, well within the physiological range of viable EEG signals. The largest artifacts were located in the Delta and Theta frequency range, and standard data cleanup using independent components analysis (ICA) was ineffective due to the artifact’s similarity to real brain oscillations.Comparison with Existing MethodWhile the current best practice is to use a large coil holding apparatus to fixate the coil ‘hovering’ over the head with an air gap, the spacer provides a simpler solution that ensures this distance is kept constant throughout testing.ConclusionsThe results strongly suggest that data collected from combined TMS-EEG studies with the coil in direct contact with the EEG cap are polluted with low frequency artifacts that are indiscernible from physiological brain signals. The coil spacer provides a cheap and simple solution to this problem and is recommended for use in future simultaneous TMS-EEG recordings.


2010 ◽  
Vol 298 (5) ◽  
pp. R1428-R1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaorui Tang ◽  
Barry R. Dworkin

The sensitivity of the baroreflex determines its stability and effectiveness in controlling blood pressure (BP). Sleep and arousal are reported to affect baroreflex sensitivity, but the findings are not consistent across studies. After statistically correcting the effect of sleep on the baselines in chronically neuromuscular-blocked (NMB) rats, we found that sleep affects BP and heart period (HP) baroreflex gain similarly. This finding is consistent with baroreflex modulation of HP and BP before divergence of the sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways. Therefore, we hypothesized that the gain modulation occurs in the dorsal medial nucleus of the solitary tract (dmNTS). The present study used long-term dmNTS recordings in NMB rats and single-pulse aortic depressor nerve stimulation. Under these conditions, the magnitude of A-fiber evoked responses (ERs), recorded from second- or higher-order dmNTS baroreflex neurons, was reliably augmented during high-amplitude low-frequency EEG activity (slow-wave sleep) and reduced during low-amplitude high-frequency EEG activity (arousal; ΔER = 11%, t = 9.49, P < 0.001, degrees of freedom = 1,016). This result has methodological implications for techniques that use changes in HP to estimate baroreflex BP gain and general implications for understanding the relationship between sleep and cardiovascular control.


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