scholarly journals Descending pathways from the lateral accessory lobe and posterior slope in the brain of the silkmoth Bombyx mori

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigehiro Namiki ◽  
Ryohei Kanzaki

AbstractA population of descending neurons connect the brain and thoracic motor cener, playing a critical role in controlling behavior. We examined the anatomical organization of descending neurons (DNs) in the brain of the silkmoth Bombyx mori. Moth pheromone orientation is a good model to investigate the neuronal mechanisms of olfactory behavior. Based on mass staining and single-cell staining, we evaluated the anatomical organization of neurite distribution by DNs in the brain. Dense innervation was observed in the posterior–ventral part of the brain, called the posterior slope (PS). We examined the morphology of DNs innervating the lateral accessory lobe (LAL), which is assumed to be important for moth olfactory behavior. We observed that the LAL DNs also innervate the PS, suggesting the integration of signals from the LAL and PS. We also identified a set of DNs innervating the PS, but not the LAL. These DNs were sensitive to sex pheromones, suggesting a role of the PS in motor control for pheromone orientation. The organization of descending pathways for pheromone orientation is discussed.

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ikuko Nishikawa ◽  
Masayoshi Nakaumura ◽  
Yoshiki Igarashi ◽  
Tomoki Kazawa ◽  
Hidetoshi Ikeno ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigehiro Namiki ◽  
Michael H. Dickinson ◽  
Allan M. Wong ◽  
Wyatt Korff ◽  
Gwyneth M. Card

SUMMARYIn most animals, the brain controls the body via a set of descending neurons (DNs) that traverse the neck and terminate in post-cranial regions of the nervous system. This critical neural population is thought to activate, maintain and modulate locomotion and other behaviors. Although individual members of this cell class have been well-studied across species ranging from insects to primates, little is known about the overall connectivity pattern of DNs as a population. We undertook a systematic anatomical investigation of descending neurons in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and created a collection of over 100 transgenic lines targeting individual cell types. Our methods allowed us to describe the morphology of roughly half of an estimated 400 DNs and create a comprehensive map of connectivity between the sensory neuropils in the brain and the motor neuropils in the ventral nerve cord. Like the vertebrate spinal cord, our results show that the fly nerve cord is a highly organized, layered system of neuropils, an organization that reflects the fact that insects are capable of two largely independent means of locomotion – walking and fight – using distinct sets of appendages. Our results reveal the basic functional map of descending pathways in flies and provide tools for systematic interrogation of sensory-motor circuits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-87
Author(s):  
Arnaud Tauffenberger ◽  
Pierre J. Magistretti

AbstractCellular homeostasis plays a critical role in how an organism will develop and age. Disruption of this fragile equilibrium is often associated with health degradation and ultimately, death. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been closely associated with health decline and neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. ROS were first identified as by-products of the cellular activity, mainly mitochondrial respiration, and their high reactivity is linked to a disruption of macromolecules such as proteins, lipids and DNA. More recent research suggests more complex function of ROS, reaching far beyond the cellular dysfunction. ROS are active actors in most of the signaling cascades involved in cell development, proliferation and survival, constituting important second messengers. In the brain, their impact on neurons and astrocytes has been associated with synaptic plasticity and neuron survival. This review provides an overview of ROS function in cell signaling in the context of aging and degeneration in the brain and guarding the fragile balance between health and disease.


2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 2526-2537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Lardeux ◽  
Remy Pernaud ◽  
Dany Paleressompoulle ◽  
Christelle Baunez

It was recently shown that subthalamic nucleus (STN) lesions affect motivation for food, cocaine, and alcohol, differentially, according to either the nature of the reward or the preference for it. The STN may thus code a reward according to its value. Here, we investigated how the firing of subthalamic neurons is modulated during expectation of a predicted reward between two possibilities (4 or 32% sucrose solution). The firing pattern of neurons responding to predictive cues and to reward delivery indicates that STN neurons can be divided into subpopulations responding specifically to one reward and less or giving no response to the other. In addition, some neurons (“oops” neurons) specifically encode errors as they respond only during error trials. These results reveal that the STN plays a critical role in ascertaining the value of the reward and seems to encode that value differently depending on the magnitude of the reward. These data highlight the importance of the STN in the reward circuitry of the brain.


Reproduction ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiro Nakao ◽  
Hiroko Ono ◽  
Takashi Yoshimura

Many animals that breed seasonally measure the day length (photoperiod) and use these measurements as predictive information to prepare themselves for annual breeding. For several decades, thyroid hormones have been known to be involved in this biological process; however, their precise roles remain unknown. Recent molecular analyses have revealed that local thyroid hormone activation in the hypothalamus plays a critical role in the regulation of the neuroendocrine axis involved in seasonal reproduction in both birds and mammals. Furthermore, functional genomics analyses have revealed a novel function of the hormone thyrotropin. This hormone plays a key role in signaling day-length changes to the brain and thus triggers seasonal breeding. This review aims to summarize the currently available knowledge on the interactions between elements of the thyroid hormone axis and the neuroendocrine system involved in seasonal reproduction.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1833
Author(s):  
Shannon Morgan McCabe ◽  
Ningning Zhao

Manganese (Mn) is a trace nutrient necessary for life but becomes neurotoxic at high concentrations in the brain. The brain is a “privileged” organ that is separated from systemic blood circulation mainly by two barriers. Endothelial cells within the brain form tight junctions and act as the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which physically separates circulating blood from the brain parenchyma. Between the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the choroid plexus (CP), which is a tissue that acts as the blood–CSF barrier (BCB). Pharmaceuticals, proteins, and metals in the systemic circulation are unable to reach the brain and spinal cord unless transported through either of the two brain barriers. The BBB and the BCB consist of tightly connected cells that fulfill the critical role of neuroprotection and control the exchange of materials between the brain environment and blood circulation. Many recent publications provide insights into Mn transport in vivo or in cell models. In this review, we will focus on the current research regarding Mn metabolism in the brain and discuss the potential roles of the BBB and BCB in maintaining brain Mn homeostasis.


Hypertension ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin E Claflin ◽  
Justin L Grobe

The brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and leptin contribute to the control of resting metabolic rate (RMR) and their receptors are co-expressed in areas of the brain critical for metabolic control; thus angiotensin and leptin may interact within the brain to regulate RMR and obesity. Inhibition of the brain RAS attenuates sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) responses to leptin, leading us to hypothesize that the brain RAS mediates the RMR effects of leptin. Mice lacking angiotensin AT 1A receptors in leptin receptor-expressing cells (ObRb-Cre x AT 1A flox/flox ; “KO”) exhibited normal body weight (15 weeks of age: control n=28, 26.0 ± 0.7, vs KO n=35, 25.8 ± 0.6 g), food intake (control n=12, 3.1 ± 0.15, vs KO n=15, 3.4 ± 0.14 g) and RMR (control n=13, 0.15 ± 0.004, vs KO n=15, 0.16 ± 0.006 kcal/hr) on standard chow diet. Brown adipose SNA responses to acute leptin injection, however, were completely attenuated in KO mice. When maintained on a 45% high fat diet (HFD), KO mice gained significantly more fat mass (control n=35, 5.6 ± 0.4, vs KO n=31, 7.4 ± 0.5 g, P<0.05) and body mass (control, 27.4 ± 0.6, vs KO, 29.6 ± 0.6 g, P<0.05) due to a loss of diet-induced thermogenesis (control n=22, 0.18 ± 0.008, vs. KO n=12, 0.16 ± 0.004 kcal/hr, P<0.05). KO mice exhibited attenuated hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene expression and partially attenuated RMR responses to alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (αMSH; control n=3, 0.25 ± 0.01, vs KO n=7, 0.2 ± 0.01 kcal/hr, P<0.05) indicating that the interaction between leptin and AT 1A modulates both αMSH production and action. To localize the site of the brain RAS-leptin interaction, we developed novel multi-transgenic mouse models which expresses GFP via the AT 1A promoter (NZ44, from GenSat) and/or conditional activation of a tdTomato reporter (ROSA-stop flox -tdTomato) in cells expressing the leptin receptor (ObRb-Cre) or agouti-related peptide (AgRP-Cre). Immunohistochemical staining of adrenocorticotropin in brain tissue from NZ44 mice revealed no localization of AT 1A to POMC neurons; in contrast, AT 1A was strongly localized with AgRP promoter activity. Taken together, these data support a critical role for angiotensin AT 1A receptors on AgRP neurons in the arcuate nucleus in resting metabolic rate control.


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