scholarly journals Effect of Synaptic Connectivity on Long-Range Synchronization of Fast Cortical Oscillations

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 1562-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bazhenov ◽  
N. F. Rulkov ◽  
I. Timofeev

Cortical gamma oscillations in the 20- to 80-Hz range are associated with attentiveness and sensory perception and have strong connections to both cognitive processing and temporal binding of sensory stimuli. These gamma oscillations become synchronized within a few milliseconds over distances spanning a few millimeters in spite of synaptic delays. In this study using in vivo recordings and large-scale cortical network models, we reveal a critical role played by the network geometry in achieving precise long-range synchronization in the gamma frequency band. Our results indicate that the presence of many independent synaptic pathways in a two-dimensional network facilitate precise phase synchronization of fast gamma band oscillations with nearly zero phase delays between remote network sites. These findings predict a common mechanism of precise oscillatory synchronization in neuronal networks.

2011 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 757-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malte J. Rasch ◽  
Klaus Schuch ◽  
Nikos K. Logothetis ◽  
Wolfgang Maass

A major goal of computational neuroscience is the creation of computer models for cortical areas whose response to sensory stimuli resembles that of cortical areas in vivo in important aspects. It is seldom considered whether the simulated spiking activity is realistic (in a statistical sense) in response to natural stimuli. Because certain statistical properties of spike responses were suggested to facilitate computations in the cortex, acquiring a realistic firing regimen in cortical network models might be a prerequisite for analyzing their computational functions. We present a characterization and comparison of the statistical response properties of the primary visual cortex (V1) in vivo and in silico in response to natural stimuli. We recorded from multiple electrodes in area V1 of 4 macaque monkeys and developed a large state-of-the-art network model for a 5 × 5-mm patch of V1 composed of 35,000 neurons and 3.9 million synapses that integrates previously published anatomical and physiological details. By quantitative comparison of the model response to the “statistical fingerprint” of responses in vivo, we find that our model for a patch of V1 responds to the same movie in a way which matches the statistical structure of the recorded data surprisingly well. The deviation between the firing regimen of the model and the in vivo data are on the same level as deviations among monkeys and sessions. This suggests that, despite strong simplifications and abstractions of cortical network models, they are nevertheless capable of generating realistic spiking activity. To reach a realistic firing state, it was not only necessary to include both N -methyl-d-aspartate and GABAB synaptic conductances in our model, but also to markedly increase the strength of excitatory synapses onto inhibitory neurons (>2-fold) in comparison to literature values, hinting at the importance to carefully adjust the effect of inhibition for achieving realistic dynamics in current network models.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Kellmeyer ◽  
Magnus-Sebastian Vry

AbstractFiber tractography based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has become an important research tool for investigating the anatomical connectivity between brain regions in vivo. Combining DTI with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows for the mapping of structural and functional architecture of large-scale networks for cognitive processing. This line of research has shown that ventral and dorsal fiber pathways subserve different aspects of bottom-up- and top-down processing in the human brain.Here, we investigate the feasibility and applicability of Euclidean distance as a simple geometric measure to differentiate ventral and dorsal long-range white matter fiber pathways tween parietal and inferior frontal cortical regions, employing a body of studies that used probabilistic tractography.We show that ventral pathways between parietal and inferior frontal cortex have on average a significantly longer Euclidean distance in 3D-coordinate space than dorsal pathways. We argue that Euclidean distance could provide a simple measure and potentially a boundary value to assess patterns of connectivity in fMRI studies. This would allow for a much broader assessment of general patterns of ventral and dorsal large-scale fiber connectivity for different cognitive operations in the large body of existing fMRI studies lacking additional DTI data.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cody Baker ◽  
Emmanouil Froudarakis ◽  
Dimitri Yatsenko ◽  
Andreas S. Tolias ◽  
Robert Rosenbaum

AbstractA major goal in neuroscience is to estimate neural connectivity from large scale extracellular recordings of neural activity in vivo. This is challenging in part because any such activity is modulated by the unmeasured external synaptic input to the network, known as the common input problem. Many different measures of functional connectivity have been proposed in the literature, but their direct relationship to synaptic connectivity is often assumed or ignored. For in vivo data, measurements of this relationship would require a knowledge of ground truth connectivity, which is nearly always unavailable. Instead, many studies use in silico simulations as benchmarks for investigation, but such approaches necessarily rely upon a variety of simplifying assumptions about the simulated network and can depend on numerous simulation parameters. We combine neuronal network simulations, mathematical analysis, and calcium imaging data to address the question of when and how functional connectivity, synaptic connectivity, and latent external input variability can be untangled. We show numerically and analytically that, even though the precision matrix of recorded spiking activity does not uniquely determine synaptic connectivity, it is often closely related to synaptic connectivity in practice under various network models. This relation becomes more pronounced when the spatial structure of neuronal variability is considered jointly with precision.


eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max A Horlbeck ◽  
Lea B Witkowsky ◽  
Benjamin Guglielmi ◽  
Joseph M Replogle ◽  
Luke A Gilbert ◽  
...  

The prokaryotic CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats)-associated protein, Cas9, has been widely adopted as a tool for editing, imaging, and regulating eukaryotic genomes. However, our understanding of how to select single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) that mediate efficient Cas9 activity is incomplete, as we lack insight into how chromatin impacts Cas9 targeting. To address this gap, we analyzed large-scale genetic screens performed in human cell lines using either nuclease-active or nuclease-dead Cas9 (dCas9). We observed that highly active sgRNAs for Cas9 and dCas9 were found almost exclusively in regions of low nucleosome occupancy. In vitro experiments demonstrated that nucleosomes in fact directly impede Cas9 binding and cleavage, while chromatin remodeling can restore Cas9 access. Our results reveal a critical role of eukaryotic chromatin in dictating the targeting specificity of this transplanted bacterial enzyme, and provide rules for selecting Cas9 target sites distinct from and complementary to those based on sequence properties.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Ramon ◽  
Mattia G. Gollub ◽  
Jörg Stelling

At genome scale, it is not yet possible to devise detailed kinetic models for metabolism because data on the in vivo biochemistry are too sparse. Predictive large-scale models for metabolism most commonly use the constraint-based framework, in which network structures constrain possible metabolic phenotypes at steady state. However, these models commonly leave many possibilities open, making them less predictive than desired. With increasingly available –omics data, it is appealing to increase the predictive power of constraint-based models (CBMs) through data integration. Many corresponding methods have been developed, but data integration is still a challenge and existing methods perform less well than expected. Here, we review main approaches for the integration of different types of –omics data into CBMs focussing on the methods’ assumptions and limitations. We argue that key assumptions – often derived from single-enzyme kinetics – do not generally apply in the context of networks, thereby explaining current limitations. Emerging methods bridging CBMs and biochemical kinetics may allow for –omics data integration in a common framework to provide more accurate predictions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 827-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Harvey ◽  
David Lau ◽  
Eugene Civillico ◽  
Bernardo Rudy ◽  
Diego Contreras

Inhibitory interneurons play a critical role in the generation of gamma (20–50 Hz) oscillations, either by forming mutually inhibitory networks or as part of recurrent networks with pyramidal cells. A key property of fast spiking interneurons is their ability to generate brief spikes and high-frequency spike trains with little accommodation. However, the role of their firing properties in network oscillations has not been tested in vivo. Studies in hippocampus in vitro have shown that high-frequency spike doublets in interneurons play a key role in the long-range synchronization of gamma oscillations with little phase lag despite long axonal conduction delays. We generated a knockout (KO) mouse lacking Kv3.2 potassium channel subunits, where infragranular inhibitory interneurons lose the ability both to sustain high-frequency firing and reliably generate high-frequency spike doublets. We recorded cortical local field potentials in anesthetized and awake, restrained mice. Spontaneous activity of the KO and the wild-type (WT) showed similar content of gamma and slow (0.1–15 Hz) frequencies, but the KO showed a significantly larger decay of synchronization of gamma oscillations with distance. Coronal cuts in the cortex of WT mice decreased synchronization to values similar to the intact KO. The synchronization of the slow oscillation showed little decay with distance in both mice and was largely reduced after coronal cuts. Our results show that the firing properties of inhibitory interneurons are critical for long-range synchronization of gamma oscillations, and emphasize that intrinsic electrophysiological properties of single cells may play a key role in the spatiotemporal characteristics of network activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 5293-5308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santeri Rouhinen ◽  
Felix Siebenhühner ◽  
J Matias Palva ◽  
Satu Palva

Abstract The capacity of visual attention determines how many visual objects may be perceived at any moment. This capacity can be investigated with multiple object tracking (MOT) tasks, which have shown that it varies greatly between individuals. The neuronal mechanisms underlying capacity limits have remained poorly understood. Phase synchronization of cortical oscillations coordinates neuronal communication within the fronto-parietal attention network and between the visual regions during endogenous visual attention. We tested a hypothesis that attentional capacity is predicted by the strength of pretarget synchronization within attention-related cortical regions. We recorded cortical activity with magneto- and electroencephalography (M/EEG) while measuring attentional capacity with MOT tasks and identified large-scale synchronized networks from source-reconstructed M/EEG data. Individual attentional capacity was correlated with load-dependent strengthening of theta (3–8 Hz), alpha (8–10 Hz), and gamma-band (30–120 Hz) synchronization that connected the visual cortex with posterior parietal and prefrontal cortices. Individual memory capacity was also preceded by crossfrequency phase–phase and phase–amplitude coupling of alpha oscillation phase with beta and gamma oscillations. Our results show that good attentional capacity is preceded by efficient dynamic functional coupling and decoupling within brain regions and across frequencies, which may enable efficient communication and routing of information between sensory and attentional systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Won-Min Song ◽  
Praveen Agrawal ◽  
Richard Von Itter ◽  
Barbara Fontanals-Cirera ◽  
Minghui Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractMelanoma is the most lethal skin malignancy, driven by genetic and epigenetic alterations in the complex tumour microenvironment. While large-scale molecular profiling of melanoma has identified molecular signatures associated with melanoma progression, comprehensive systems-level modeling remains elusive. This study builds up predictive gene network models of molecular alterations in primary melanoma by integrating large-scale bulk-based multi-omic and single-cell transcriptomic data. Incorporating clinical, epigenetic, and proteomic data into these networks reveals key subnetworks, cell types, and regulators underlying melanoma progression. Tumors with high immune infiltrates are found to be associated with good prognosis, presumably due to induced CD8+ T-cell cytotoxicity, via MYO1F-mediated M1-polarization of macrophages. Seventeen key drivers of the gene subnetworks associated with poor prognosis, including the transcription factor ZNF180, are tested for their pro-tumorigenic effects in vitro. The anti-tumor effect of silencing ZNF180 is further validated using in vivo xenografts. Experimentally validated targets of ZNF180 are enriched in the ZNF180 centered network and the known pathways such as melanoma cell maintenance and immune cell infiltration. The transcriptional networks and their critical regulators provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of melanomagenesis and pave the way for developing therapeutic strategies for melanoma.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiana Vagnoni ◽  
Liad J. Baruchin ◽  
Filippo Ghezzi ◽  
Sara Ratti ◽  
Zoltán Molnár ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDevelopment of the cortical circuits for sensory-motor processing require the coordinated integration of both columnar and long-range synaptic connections. To understand how this occurs at the level of individual neurons we have explored the timeline over which vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing interneurons integrate into mouse somatosensory cortex. We find a distinction in emergent long-range anterior-motor and columnar glutamatergic inputs onto layer (L)2 and L3 VIP+ interneurons respectively. In parallel, VIP+ interneurons form efferent connections onto both pyramidal cells and interneurons in the immediate column in an inside-out manner. Cell-autonomous deletion of the fate-determinant transcription factor, Prox1, spares long-range anterior-motor inputs onto VIP+ interneurons, but leads to deficits in local connectivity. This imbalance in the somatosensory circuit results in altered spontaneous and sensory-evoked cortical activity in vivo. This identifies a critical role for VIP+ interneurons, and more broadly interneuron heterogeneity, in formative circuits of neocortex.


2021 ◽  
Vol 154 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavita A. Iyer ◽  
Yifan Hu ◽  
Thomas Klose ◽  
Takashi Murayama ◽  
Montserrat Samsó

Single-point mutations in ryanodine receptors (RYRs), large intracellular Ca2+ channels that play a critical role in EC coupling, are linked to debilitating and lethal disorders such as central core disease, malignant hyperthermia (for the skeletal isoform, RYR1), catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and ARVD2 (for the cardiac isoform, RYR2). Mutant RYRs result in elevated [Ca2+]cyto due to steady leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. To explore the nature of long-range allosteric mechanisms of malfunction, we determined the structure of two N-terminal domain mutants of RYR1, situated far away from the pore. Cryo-electron microscopy of the N-terminal subdomain A (NTDA) and subdomain C (NTDC) full-length mutants, RYR1 R163C (determined to 3.5 Å resolution), and RYR1 Y522S (determined to 4.0 Å resolution), respectively, reveal large-scale conformational changes in the cytoplasmic assembly under closed-state conditions (i.e., absence of activating Ca2+). The multidomain changes suggest that the mutations induce a preactivated state of the channel in R164C by altering the NTDA+/CD interface, and in Y522S by rearrangement of the α-helical bundle in NTDC. However, the extent of preactivation is considerably higher in Y522S as compared with R163C, which agrees with the increased severity of the Y522S mutation as established by various functional studies. The Y522S mutation represents loss of a spacer residue that is crucial for maintaining optimal orientation of α helices in NTDC, alteration of which has long-range effects felt as far away as ∼100 Å. Additionally, the structure of the Y522S mutant channel under open-state conditions also differs from RYR1 WT open channels. Our developing work with RYR mutants exhibits the diverse mechanisms by which these single-point mutations exert an effect on the channel’s function and highlight the complexity of the multidomain channel, as well as the need for targeted therapies.


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