scholarly journals Multisensory expectations shape olfactory input to the brain

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey A. Czarnecki ◽  
Andrew H. Moberly ◽  
Cynthia D. Fast ◽  
Daniel J. Turkel ◽  
John P. McGann

SummaryThe mammalian brain interprets sensory input based on prior multisensory knowledge of the external world, but it is unknown how this knowledge influences neural processing in individual sensory modalities. We found that GABAergic periglomerular interneuron populations in the olfactory bulb endogenously respond not only to odors but also to visual, auditory, and somatosensory stimuli in waking (but not anesthetized) mice. When these stimuli predict future odors, they evoke enhanced interneuron activity during the time odor normally occurs. When expectations are violated by omitting an expected “warning tone” before an odor, odor presentation evokes a burst of interneuron activity. The resulting GABA release presynaptically suppresses neurotransmitter release from the axon terminals of olfactory sensory neurons, the cells that transduce odor in the nasal epithelium and communicate this information to the brain. Expectations, even those evoked by cues in other sensory modalities, can thus affect the very first neurons in the olfactory system.


Author(s):  
Sarah F. Beul ◽  
Alexandros Goulas ◽  
Claus C. Hilgetag

AbstractStructural connections between cortical areas form an intricate network with a high degree of specificity. Many aspects of this complex network organization in the adult mammalian cortex are captured by an architectonic type principle, which relates structural connections to the architectonic differentiation of brain regions. In particular, the laminar patterns of projection origins are a prominent feature of structural connections that varies in a graded manner with the relative architectonic differentiation of connected areas in the adult brain. Here we show that the architectonic type principle is already apparent for the laminar origins of cortico-cortical projections in the immature cortex of the macaque monkey. We find that prenatal and neonatal laminar patterns correlate with cortical architectonic differentiation, and that the relation of laminar patterns to architectonic differences between connected areas is not substantially altered by the complete loss of visual input. Moreover, we find that the degree of change in laminar patterns that projections undergo during development varies in proportion to the relative architectonic differentiation of the connected areas. Hence, it appears that initial biases in laminar projection patterns become progressively strengthened by later developmental processes. These findings suggest that early neurogenetic processes during the formation of the brain are sufficient to establish the characteristic laminar projection patterns. This conclusion is in line with previously suggested mechanistic explanations underlying the emergence of the architectonic type principle and provides further constraints for exploring the fundamental factors that shape structural connectivity in the mammalian brain.



2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando R. Fernandez ◽  
Mircea C. Iftinca ◽  
Gerald W. Zamponi ◽  
Ray W. Turner

AbstractT-type calcium channels are important regulators of neuronal excitability. The mammalian brain expresses three T-type channel isoforms (Cav3.1, Cav3.2 and Cav3.3) with distinct biophysical properties that are critically regulated by temperature. Here, we test the effects of how temperature affects spike output in a reduced firing neuron model expressing specific Cav3 channel isoforms. The modeling data revealed only a minimal effect on baseline spontaneous firing near rest, but a dramatic increase in rebound burst discharge frequency for Cav3.1 compared to Cav3.2 or Cav3.3 due to differences in window current or activation/recovery time constants. The reduced response by Cav3.2 could optimize its activity where it is expressed in peripheral tissues more subject to temperature variations than Cav3.1 or Cav3.3 channels expressed prominently in the brain. These tests thus reveal that aspects of neuronal firing behavior are critically dependent on both temperature and T-type calcium channel subtype.



2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Georg F. Striedter ◽  
R. Glenn Northcutt

Comparative neurobiologists have long wondered when and how the dorsal pallium (e.g., mammalian neocortex) evolved. For the last 50 years, the most widely accepted answer has been that this structure was already present in the earliest vertebrates and, therefore, homologous between the major vertebrate lineages. One challenge for this hypothesis is that the olfactory bulbs project throughout most of the pallium in the most basal vertebrate lineages (notably lampreys, hagfishes, and lungfishes) but do not project to the putative dorsal pallia in teleosts, cartilaginous fishes, and amniotes (i.e., reptiles, birds, and mammals). To make sense of these data, one may hypothesize that a dorsal pallium existed in the earliest vertebrates and received extensive olfactory input, which was subsequently lost in several lineages. However, the dorsal pallium is notoriously difficult to delineate in many vertebrates, and its homology between the various lineages is often based on little more than its topology. Therefore, we suspect that dorsal pallia evolved independently in teleosts, cartilaginous fishes, and amniotes. We further hypothesize that the emergence of these dorsal pallia was accompanied by the phylogenetic restriction of olfactory projections to the pallium and the expansion of inputs from other sensory modalities. We do not deny that the earliest vertebrates may have possessed nonolfactory sensory inputs to some parts of the pallium, but such projections alone do not define a dorsal pallium.



1863 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 671-673

By a new process of investigation, I have succeeded in demonstrating the connexion between the nerve-cells and fibres in the grey matter of the convolutions and in other parts of the mammalian brain, and have followed individual fibres for a much greater distance than can be effected in sections prepared by other processes of investigation which I have tried. In many instances one thick fibre is continuous with one or other extremity of the “cell,” while from its opposite portion from three to six or eight thinner fibres diverge in a direction onwards and outwards. This arrangement is particularly distinct in the grey matter of the sheep’s brain.



2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Grush

The emulation theory of representation is developed and explored as a framework that can revealingly synthesize a wide variety of representational functions of the brain. The framework is based on constructs from control theory (forward models) and signal processing (Kalman filters). The idea is that in addition to simply engaging with the body and environment, the brain constructs neural circuits that act as models of the body and environment. During overt sensorimotor engagement, these models are driven by efference copies in parallel with the body and environment, in order to provide expectations of the sensory feedback, and to enhance and process sensory information. These models can also be run off-line in order to produce imagery, estimate outcomes of different actions, and evaluate and develop motor plans. The framework is initially developed within the context of motor control, where it has been shown that inner models running in parallel with the body can reduce the effects of feedback delay problems. The same mechanisms can account for motor imagery as the off-line driving of the emulator via efference copies. The framework is extended to account for visual imagery as the off-line driving of an emulator of the motor-visual loop. I also show how such systems can provide for amodal spatial imagery. Perception, including visual perception, results from such models being used to form expectations of, and to interpret, sensory input. I close by briefly outlining other cognitive functions that might also be synthesized within this framework, including reasoning, theory of mind phenomena, and language.



Author(s):  
Marlaina R. Stocco ◽  
Ahmed A. El-Sherbeni ◽  
Bin Zhao ◽  
Maria Novalen ◽  
Rachel F. Tyndale

Abstract Rationale Cytochrome P450 2D (CYP2D) enzymes metabolize many addictive drugs, including methamphetamine. Variable CYP2D metabolism in the brain may alter CNS drug/metabolite concentrations, consequently affecting addiction liability and neuropsychiatric outcomes; components of these can be modeled by behavioral sensitization in rats. Methods To investigate the role of CYP2D in the brain in methamphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization, rats were pretreated centrally with a CYP2D irreversible inhibitor (or vehicle) 20 h prior to each of 7 daily methamphetamine (0.5 mg/kg subcutaneous) injections. In vivo brain microdialysis was used to assess brain drug and metabolite concentrations, and neurotransmitter release. Results CYP2D inhibitor (versus vehicle) pretreatment enhanced methamphetamine-induced stereotypy response sensitization. CYP2D inhibitor pretreatment increased brain methamphetamine concentrations and decreased the brain p-hydroxylation metabolic ratio. With microdialysis conducted on days 1 and 7, CYP2D inhibitor pretreatment exacerbated stereotypy sensitization and enhanced dopamine and serotonin release in the dorsal striatum. Day 1 brain methamphetamine and amphetamine concentrations correlated with dopamine and serotonin release, which in turn correlated with the stereotypy response slope across sessions (i.e., day 1 through day 7), used as a measure of sensitization. Conclusions CYP2D-mediated methamphetamine metabolism in the brain is sufficient to alter behavioral sensitization, brain drug concentrations, and striatal dopamine and serotonin release. Moreover, day 1 methamphetamine-induced neurotransmitter release may be an important predictor of subsequent behavioral sensitization. This suggests the novel contribution of CYP2D in the brain to methamphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization and suggests that the wide variation in human brain CYP2D6 may contribute to differential methamphetamine responses and chronic effects.



1967 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-124
Author(s):  
Peter Brawley ◽  
Robert Pos

To summarize briefly: Converging data from many disciplines — psychology, psychiatry, social theory, biochemistry, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology — point to the sensory input regulating mechanism of the central nervous system as a critical factor in the production of hallucinoses and psychotic experience. There is good evidence that what we have called the informational underload model ‘holds considerable promise for improving our understanding of many clinical and non-clinical phenomena of interest to psychiatry. The evidence suggests that a neurophysiological, internal informational underload syndrome may be a final common pathway of psychotic experience. The question as to where such a syndrome might occur in the brain, together with the question of whether such an informational underload syndrome might be due to toxins, genetic factors, conditioning processes, anxiety or dissociation, or other causes, has to be left open. What is needed now, is research directed at these two questions: 1) does such an internal informational underload syndrome occur in the brain, 2) when, where, and under what circumstances does it occur?



2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Loidolt ◽  
Lucas Rudelt ◽  
Viola Priesemann

AbstractHow does spontaneous activity during development prepare cortico-cortical connections for sensory input? We here analyse the development of sequence memory, an intrinsic feature of recurrent networks that supports temporal perception. We use a recurrent neural network model with homeostatic and spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). This model has been shown to learn specific sequences from structured input. We show that development even under unstructured input increases unspecific sequence memory. Moreover, networks “pre-shaped” by such unstructured input subsequently learn specific sequences faster. The key structural substrate is the emergence of strong and directed synapses due to STDP and synaptic competition. These construct self-amplifying preferential paths of activity, which can quickly encode new input sequences. Our results suggest that memory traces are not printed on a tabula rasa, but instead harness building blocks already present in the brain.



2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigenori Inagaki ◽  
Ryo Iwata ◽  
Masakazu Iwamoto ◽  
Takeshi Imai

SUMMARYSensory information is selectively or non-selectively inhibited and enhanced in the brain, but it remains unclear whether this occurs commonly at the peripheral stage. Here, we performed two-photon calcium imaging of mouse olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in vivo and found that odors produce not only excitatory but also inhibitory responses at their axon terminals. The inhibitory responses remained in mutant mice, in which all possible sources of presynaptic lateral inhibition were eliminated. Direct imaging of the olfactory epithelium revealed widespread inhibitory responses at OSN somata. The inhibition was in part due to inverse agonism toward the odorant receptor. We also found that responses to odor mixtures are often suppressed or enhanced in OSNs: Antagonism was dominant at higher odor concentrations, whereas synergy was more prominent at lower odor concentrations. Thus, odor responses are extensively tuned by inhibition, antagonism, and synergy, at the early peripheral stage, contributing to robust odor representations.



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