scholarly journals From the connectome to brain function: rabies virus tools for elucidating structure and function of neural circuits

2015 ◽  
Vol 146 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumitaka Osakada
Keyword(s):  
Rabies Virus ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
And Function

Cognitive Neuroscience of Dyslexia

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 798-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anila M. D'Mello ◽  
John D. E. Gabrieli
Keyword(s):  
Reading Instruction ◽  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Diagnosis And Prognosis ◽  
And Function ◽  
White Matter Connectivity

Purpose This review summarizes what is known about the structural and functional brain bases of dyslexia. Method We review the current literature on structural and functional brain differences in dyslexia. This includes evidence about differences in gray matter anatomy, white matter connectivity, and functional activations in response to print and language. We also summarize findings concerning brain plasticity in response to interventions. Results We highlight evidence relating brain function and structure to instructional issues such as diagnosis and prognosis. We also highlight evidence about brain differences in early childhood, before formal reading instruction in school, which supports the importance of early identification and intervention. Conclusion Neuroimaging studies of dyslexia reveal how the disorder is related to differences in structure and function in multiple neural circuits.

scholarly journals Inter-species comparison of the orientation algorithm directing larval chemotaxis in the genus Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elie Fink ◽  
Matthieu Louis
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Olfactory Behavior ◽  
Species Comparison ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Peripheral Olfactory System ◽  
And Function

Animals differ in their appearances and behaviors. While many genetic studies have addressed the origins of phenotypic differences between fly species, we are still lacking a quantitative assessment of the variability in the way different fly species behave. We tackled this question in one of the most robust behaviors displayed by Drosophila: chemotaxis. At the larval stage, Drosophila melanogaster navigate odor gradients by combining four sensorimotor routines in a multilayered algorithm: a modulation of the overall locomotor speed and turn rate; a bias in turning during down-gradient motion; a bias in turning toward the gradient; the local curl of trajectories toward the gradient ("weathervaning"). Using high-resolution tracking and behavioral quantification, we characterized the olfactory behavior of eight closely related species of the Drosophila group in response to 19 ecologically-relevant odors. Significant changes are observed in the receptive field of each species, which is consistent with the rapid evolution of the peripheral olfactory system. Our results reveal substantial inter-species variability in the algorithms directing larval chemotaxis. While the basic sensorimotor routines are shared, their parametric arrangements can vary dramatically across species. The present analysis sets the stage for deciphering the evolutionary relationships between the structure and function of neural circuits directing orientation behaviors in Drosophila.

scholarly journals Die brein soos beskou deur die Grieke en Romeine

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois P. Retief ◽  
Louise Cilliers
Keyword(s):  
Brain Function ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Human Anatomy ◽  
Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
Human Anatomy And Physiology ◽  
And Function ◽  
Remarkable Advance ◽  
The Brain

In Ancient Egypt mummification was associated with extensive organ resection, but the brain was removed through a hole cut in the ethnocide bone. It was thus not observed as an organ. Greek writers of the 6th and 5th centuries BC originally said the brain was the seat of intelligence, the organ of sensory perception and partially the origin of sperm. The substance pneuma, originating from fresh air, played an essential role in brain function. Hippocrates initially described the brain as a double organ, covered by meninges and responsible for perception. Contemporaries like Plato, Aristotle and Diocles confirmed the findings though the latter two considered the heart to be the centre of intelligence. During the late 4th century BC, with the onset of the Hellenistic era of medicine, dissection of the human body was temporarily allowed at the medical school of Alexandria, and this led to a remarkable advance in the understanding of human anatomy and physiology under Herophilus and Erasistratus. Their excellent descriptions of the structure and function of the brain was only matched and surpassed by Galen in the 2nd century AD.

Mind Shift

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Parrington
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

This book draws on the latest research on the human brain to show how it differs strikingly from those of other animals in its structure and function at molecular and cellular level. It argues that this ‘shift’, enlarging the brain, giving it greater flexibility and enabling higher functions such as imagination, was driven by tool use, but especially by the development of one remarkable tool—language. The complex social interaction brought by language opened up the possibility of shared conceptual worlds, enriched with rhythmic sounds and images that could be drawn on cave walls. This transformation enabled modern humans to generate an exceptional human consciousness, a sense of self that arises as a product of our brain biology and the social interactions we experience. Linking early work by the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky to the findings of modern neuroscience, the book also explores how language, culture, and society mediate brain function, and what this view of the human mind may bring to our understanding and treatment of mental illness.

scholarly journals Learning the architectural features that predict functional similarity of neural networks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Haber ◽  
Elad Schneidman
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Functional Similarity ◽  
Architectural Features ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
And Function ◽  
Sparse Set

ABSTRACTThe mapping of the wiring diagrams of neural circuits promises to allow us to link structure and function of neural networks. Current approaches to analyzing connectomes rely mainly on graph-theoretical tools, but these may downplay the complex nonlinear dynamics of single neurons and networks, and the way networks respond to their inputs. Here, we measure the functional similarity of simulated networks of neurons, by quantifying the similitude of their spiking patterns in response to the same stimuli. We find that common graph theory metrics convey little information about the similarity of networks’ responses. Instead, we learn a functional metric between networks based on their synaptic differences, and show that it accurately predicts the similarity of novel networks, for a wide range of stimuli. We then show that a sparse set of architectural features - the sum of synaptic inputs that each neuron receives and the sum of each neuron’s synaptic outputs - predicts the functional similarity of networks of up to 100 cells, with high accuracy. We thus suggest new architectural design principles that shape the function of neural networks, which conform with experimental evidence of homeostatic mechanisms.

scholarly journals Structure and Function of the C-terminal Domain of the Polymerase Cofactor of Rabies Virus

2004 ◽  
Vol 343 (4) ◽  
pp. 819-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manos Mavrakis ◽  
Andrew A. McCarthy ◽  
Stéphane Roche ◽  
Danielle Blondel ◽  
Rob W.H. Ruigrok
Keyword(s):  
Rabies Virus ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Terminal Domain ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Redundant neural circuits regulate olfactory masking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenxing Yang ◽  
Taihong Wu ◽  
Shasha Tu ◽  
Myung-Kyu Choi ◽  
Fengyun Duan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Isoamyl Alcohol ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Genetic Screen ◽  
Masking Effect ◽  
Forward Genetic Screen ◽  
And Function

Olfactory masking is a complex olfactory response found in humans. However, the mechanisms whereby the presence of one odorant masks the sensory and behavioral responses elicited by another odorant are poorly understood. Here, we report that Caenorhabditis elegans displays olfactory masking and that the presence of a repulsive odorant, 2-nonanone, that signals threat strongly masks the attraction of other odorants, such as isoamyl alcohol (IAA) or benzaldehyde that signals food. Using a forward genetic screen, we found that several genes, osm-5, osm-1, and dyf-7, known to regulate the structure and function of sensory neurons played a critical role in olfactory masking. Loss of these genes mildly reduces the response to 2-nonanone and disrupts the masking effect of 2-nonanone. Restoring the function of OSM-5 in either AWB or ASH, two sensory neurons known to mediate 2-nonanone-evoked avoidance, is sufficient to rescue olfactory masking. AWB is activated by the removal of 2-nonanone stimulation or the onset of IAA; however, the mixture of 2-nonanone and IAA stimulates AWB similarly as 2-nonanone alone, masking the cellular effect of IAA. The latency of the AWB response is critical for the masking effect. Thus, our results identify redundant neural circuits that regulate the robust masking effect of a repulsive odorant and uncover the neuronal and cellular basis for this complex olfactory task.

scholarly journals Rapid reconstruction of neural circuits using tissue expansion and lattice light sheet microscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua L Lillvis ◽  
Hideo Otsuna ◽  
Xiaoyu Ding ◽  
Igor Pisarev ◽  
Takashi Kawase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Tissue Expansion ◽  
Light Sheet ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Analysis Pipeline ◽  
Light Sheet Microscopy ◽  
Reference Specimens ◽  
Molecular Contrast ◽  
And Function

Electron microscopy (EM) allows for the reconstruction of dense neuronal connectomes but suffers from low throughput, limiting its application to small numbers of reference specimens. We developed a protocol and analysis pipeline using tissue expansion and lattice light-sheet microscopy (ExLLSM) to rapidly reconstruct selected circuits across many samples with single synapse resolution and molecular contrast. We validate this approach in Drosophila, demonstrating that it yields synaptic counts similar to those obtained by EM, can be used to compare counts across sex and experience, and to correlate structural connectivity with functional connectivity. This approach fills a critical methodological gap in studying variability in the structure and function of neural circuits across individuals within and between species.

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