Emergence of stable striatal D1R and D2R neuronal ensembles with distinct firing sequence during motor learning

The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is essential for motor and procedure learning, but the role of DLS spiny projection neurons (SPNs) of direct and indirect pathways, as marked, respectively, by D1 and D2 receptor (D1R and D2R) expression, remains to be clarified. Long-term two-photon calcium imaging of the same neuronal population during mouse learning of a cued lever-pushing task revealed a gradual emergence of distinct D1R and D2R neuronal ensembles that reproducibly fired in a sequential manner, with more D1R and D2R neurons fired during the lever-pushing period and intertrial intervals (ITIs), respectively. This sequential firing pattern was specifically associated with the learned motor behavior, because it changed markedly when the trained mice performed other cued motor tasks. Selective chemogenetic silencing of D1R and D2R neurons impaired the initiation of learned motor action and suppression of erroneous lever pushing during ITIs, respectively. Thus, motor learning involves reorganization of DLS neuronal activity, forming stable D1R and D2R neuronal ensembles that fired sequentially to regulate different aspects of the learned behavior.

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Loss of Tsc1 from striatal direct pathway neurons impairs endocannabinoid-LTD and enhances motor routine learning

10.1101/2019.12.15.877126 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Katelyn N. Benthall ◽

Katherine R. Cording ◽

Alexander H.C.W. Agopyan-Miu ◽

Emily Y. Chen ◽

Helen S. Bateup

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Motor Behavior ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Synaptic Function ◽

Repetitive Behaviors ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Projection Neurons ◽

Indirect Pathway ◽

Direct Pathway

AbstractTuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which patients frequently present with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A core diagnostic criterion for ASD is the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors, which may result from abnormal activity in striatal circuits that mediate motor learning, action selection and habit formation. Striatal control over motor behavior relies on the coordinated activity of two subtypes of principle neurons, direct pathway and indirect pathway spiny projection neurons (dSPNs or iSPNs, respectively), which provide the main output of the striatum. To test if altered striatal activity is sufficient to cause changes to motor behavior in the context of TSC, we conditionally deleted Tsc1 from dSPNs or iSPNs in mice and determined the consequences on synaptic function and motor learning. We find that mice with loss of Tsc1 from dSPNs, but not iSPNs, have enhanced motor routine learning in the accelerating rotarod task. In addition, dSPN Tsc1 KO mice have impaired endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression (eCB-LTD) at cortico-dSPN synapses in the dorsal striatum. Consistent with a loss of eCB-LTD, disruption of Tsc1 in dSPNs, but not iSPNs, results in a strong enhancement of corticostriatal synaptic drive. Together these findings demonstrate that within the striatum, dSPNs show selective sensitivity to Tsc1 loss and indicate that enhanced cortical activation of the striatal direct pathway is a potential contributor to altered motor behaviors in TSC.

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Long-range population dynamics of anatomically defined neocortical networks

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.14679 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Jerry L Chen ◽

Fabian F Voigt ◽

Mitra Javadzadeh ◽

Roland Krueppel ◽

Fritjof Helmchen

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Long Range ◽

Calcium Imaging ◽

Brain Function ◽

Motor Behavior ◽

Mammalian Brain ◽

Projection Neurons ◽

Motor Behaviors ◽

Two Photon ◽

Sensory Cortices

The coordination of activity across neocortical areas is essential for mammalian brain function. Understanding this process requires simultaneous functional measurements across the cortex. In order to dissociate direct cortico-cortical interactions from other sources of neuronal correlations, it is furthermore desirable to target cross-areal recordings to neuronal subpopulations that anatomically project between areas. Here, we combined anatomical tracers with a novel multi-area two-photon microscope to perform simultaneous calcium imaging across mouse primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory whisker cortex during texture discrimination behavior, specifically identifying feedforward and feedback neurons. We find that coordination of S1-S2 activity increases during motor behaviors such as goal-directed whisking and licking. This effect was not specific to identified feedforward and feedback neurons. However, these mutually projecting neurons especially participated in inter-areal coordination when motor behavior was paired with whisker-texture touches, suggesting that direct S1-S2 interactions are sensory-dependent. Our results demonstrate specific functional coordination of anatomically-identified projection neurons across sensory cortices.

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Sleep and motor learning

Pedagoģija: teorija un prakse : zinātnisko rakstu krājums = Pedagogy: Theory and Practice : collection of scientific articles - Izglītības kvalitātes dimensijas zināšanu sabiedrībā. Pētniecība: mācīšanās un mācīšana = Education Quality Dimensions in the Knowledge Society. Research: learning and teaching ◽

10.37384/ptp.2020.09.012 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 12-19

Author(s):

Antonio Cicchella

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Experimental Research ◽

Human Body ◽

Learning Process ◽

Finger Tapping ◽

Historical Overview ◽

Motor Tasks ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Simple Motor ◽

Function Of Sleep

Sleep is a process, which happens in human body and has many functions. One relatively recently studied function of sleep is its involvement in the motor learning process. This paper presents a historical overview of the studies on sleep, and the results of two experimental research studies that explore the motor learning of a simple finger tapping tasks performed by adults, and the sleep habits of boys practicing sports. The research results show that sleep has an effect on improving motion retention of simple motor tasks, and that sports improve sleep for boys, thus contributing to better learning.

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Interactive effects of incentive value and valence on the performance of discrete action sequences

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-88286-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tyler J. Adkins ◽

Bradley S. Gary ◽

Taraz G. Lee

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Large Body ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Motor Tasks ◽

Skill Retention ◽

Incentive Value ◽

Discrete Action ◽

On Line ◽

And Performance ◽

Gains And Losses

AbstractIncentives can be used to increase motivation, leading to better learning and performance on skilled motor tasks. Prior work has shown that monetary punishments enhance on-line performance while equivalent monetary rewards enhance off-line skill retention. However, a large body of literature on loss aversion has shown that losses are treated as larger than equivalent gains. The divergence between the effects of punishments and reward on motor learning could be due to perceived differences in incentive value rather than valence per se. We test this hypothesis by manipulating incentive value and valence while participants trained to perform motor sequences. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that large reward enhanced on-line performance but impaired the ability to retain the level of performance achieved during training. However, we also found that on-line performance was better with reward than punishment and that the effect of increasing incentive value was more linear with reward (small, medium, large) while the effect of value was more binary with punishment (large vs not large). These results suggest that there are differential effects of punishment and reward on motor learning and that these effects of valence are unlikely to be driven by differences in the subjective magnitude of gains and losses.

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Adaptation of Stuttering Frequency During Repeated Readings

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jslhr.4106.1265 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 41 (6) ◽

pp. 1265-1281 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Ludo Max ◽

Anthony J. Caruso

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Transition Rate ◽

Speech Rate ◽

The Other ◽

Repeated Readings ◽

Vowel Duration ◽

Articulation Rate ◽

Motor Tasks ◽

Learning Hypothesis ◽

Word Duration

This study is part of a series investigating the hypothesis that stuttering adaptation is a result of motor learning. Previous investigations indicate that nonspeech motor learning typically is associated with an increase in speed of performance. Previous investigations of stuttering, on the other hand, indicate that improvements in fluency during most fluency-enhancing conditions or after stuttering treatment tend to be associated with decreased speech rate, increased duration of specific acoustic segments, and decreased vowel duration variability. The present acoustic findings, obtained from 8 individuals who stutter, reveal that speech adjustments occurring during adaptation differ from those reported for other fluency-enhancing conditions or stuttering treatment. Instead, the observed changes are consistent with those occurring during skill improvements for nonspeech motor tasks and, thus, with a motor learning hypothesis of stuttering adaptation. During the last of 6 repeated readings, a statistically significant increase in articulation rate was observed, together with a decrease in word duration, vowel duration, and consonant-vowel (CV) transition extent. Other adjustments showing relatively consistent trends across individual subjects included decreased CV transition rate and duration, and increased variability of both CV transition extent and vowel duration.

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Seizures start as silent microseizures by neuronal ensembles

10.1101/358903 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Wenzel ◽

Jordan P. Hamm ◽

Darcy S. Peterka ◽

Rafael MD Yuste

Keyword(s):

Calcium Imaging ◽

Travelling Wave ◽

Inhibitory Neurons ◽

Neural Activation ◽

Calcium Dynamics ◽

Neuronal Ensembles ◽

Two Photon ◽

Step Model

AbstractUnderstanding seizure formation and spread remains a critical goal of epilepsy research. While many studies have documented seizure spread, it remains mysterious how they start. We used fast in-vivo two-photon calcium imaging to reconstruct, at cellular resolution, the dynamics of focal cortical seizures as they emerge in epileptic foci (intrafocal), and subsequently propagate (extrafocal). We find that seizures start as intrafocal coactivation of small numbers of neurons (ensembles), which are electrographically silent. These silent “microseizures” expand saltatorily until they break into neighboring cortex, where they progress smoothly and first become detectable by LFP. Surprisingly, we find spatially heterogeneous calcium dynamics of local PV interneuron sub-populations, which rules out a simple role of inhibitory neurons during seizures. We propose a two-step model for the circuit mechanisms of focal seizures, where neuronal ensembles first generate a silent microseizure, followed by widespread neural activation in a travelling wave, which is then detected electrophysiologically.

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Overlapping representation of primary tastes in a defined region of the gustatory cortex

10.1101/114454 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Max L. Fletcher ◽

M. Cameron Ogg ◽

Lianyi Lu ◽

Robert J. Ogg ◽

John D. Boughter

Keyword(s):

Neuronal Population ◽

Taste Quality ◽

Gustatory Cortex ◽

Two Photon ◽

Thalamic Input ◽

Photon Imaging ◽

Two Photon Imaging

AbstractTwo-photon imaging was used to examine taste responses in neurons in a region of gustatory cortex defined by thalamic input. This area contained an overlapping representation of primary tastes, with neurons that were either narrowly or broadly responsive to taste stimuli. Analysis demonstrates that activity in the neuronal population in this area yields information about both taste quality and hedonics.

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Haloperidol ameliorates androgen-induced behavioral deficits in developing male rats

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1530/joe-17-0642 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 237 (2) ◽

pp. 193-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chunxiao Qi ◽

Xiaoming Ji ◽

Guoliang Zhang ◽

Yunxiao Kang ◽

Yuanxiang Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nucleus Accumbens ◽

Motor Behavior ◽

Dopamine D2 Receptor ◽

D2 Receptor ◽

Neuropsychiatric Disorders ◽

Male Rats ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Childhood Onset ◽

Early Postnatal Development ◽

Androgen Exposure

The purpose of present study was to infer the potential effects of testosterone increase in some male-based childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Tourette syndrome. Thus, the influence of early postnatal androgen exposure upon the neurobehaviors and its possible neural basis were investigated in the study. Male pup rats received consecutive 14-day testosterone propionate (TP) subcutaneous injection from postnatal day (PND) 7. The TP treatment produced the hyperactive motor behavior and grooming behavior as well as the increased levels of dopamine, tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter in the mesodopaminergic system and the elevated levels of serotonin in the nucleus accumbens, without affecting the levels of glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid, norepinephrine and histamine in the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens of PND21 and PND49 rats. Dopamine D2 receptor antagonist haloperidol was administered to the early postnatal TP-exposed PND21 and PND49 male rats 30 min prior to open field test. Haloperidol significantly ameliorated the motor behavioral and grooming behavioral defects induced by early postnatal TP exposure. The results demonstrated that early postnatal androgen exposure significantly disturbed the brain activity of developing male rats via enhancing the mesodopaminergic activity. It was suggested that abnormal increments of testosterone levels during the early postnatal development might be a potential risk factor for the incidence of some male-based childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders by affecting the mesodopaminergic system.

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