Isl1 Directly Controls a Cholinergic Neuronal Identity in the Developing Forebrain and Spinal Cord by Forming Cell Type-Specific Complexes

Sensory-guided limb control relies on communication across sensorimotor loops. For active touch with the hand, the longest loop is the transcortical continuation of ascending pathways, particularly the lemnisco-cortical and corticocortical pathways carrying tactile signals via the cuneate nucleus, ventral posterior lateral (VPL) thalamus, and primary somatosensory (S1) and motor (M1) cortices to reach corticospinal neurons and influence descending activity. We characterized excitatory connectivity along this pathway in the mouse. In the lemnisco-cortical leg, disynaptic cuneate→VPL→S1 connections excited mainly layer (L) 4 neurons. In the corticocortical leg, S1→M1 connections from L2/3 and L5A neurons mainly excited downstream L2/3 neurons, which excite corticospinal neurons. The findings provide a detailed new wiring diagram for the hand/forelimb-related transcortical circuit, delineating a basic but complex set of cell-type-specific feedforward excitatory connections that selectively and extensively engage diverse intratelencephalic projection neurons, thereby polysynaptically linking subcortical somatosensory input to cortical motor output to spinal cord.

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KAT3-dependent acetylation of cell type-specific genes maintains neuronal identity in the adult mouse brain

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-16246-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michal Lipinski ◽

Rafael Muñoz-Viana ◽

Beatriz del Blanco ◽

Angel Marquez-Galera ◽

Juan Medrano-Relinque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mouse Brain ◽

Adult Mouse ◽

Cell Type ◽

Adult Mouse Brain ◽

Neuronal Identity ◽

Cell Type Specific

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The Effect of Glucocorticoid and Glucocorticoid Receptor Interactions on Brain, Spinal Cord, and Glial Cell Plasticity

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2017/8640970 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Kathryn M. Madalena ◽

Jessica K. Lerch

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Nervous System ◽

Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽

Cell Types ◽

Cell Type ◽

Cell Plasticity ◽

Stress Injury ◽

Receptor Interactions ◽

Cell Type Specific ◽

Adaptation And Learning

Stress, injury, and disease trigger glucocorticoid (GC) elevation. Elevated GCs bind to the ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (GR). While GRs are in every cell in the nervous system, the expression level varies, suggesting that diverse cell types react differently to GR activation. Stress/GCs induce structural plasticity in neurons, Schwann cells, microglia, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes as well as affect neurotransmission by changing the release and reuptake of glutamate. While general nervous system plasticity is essential for adaptation and learning and memory, stress-induced plasticity is often maladaptive and contributes to neuropsychiatric disorders and neuropathic pain. In this brief review, we describe the evidence that stress/GCs activate GR to promote cell type-specific changes in cellular plasticity throughout the nervous system.

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Deep imaging in the brainstem reveals functional heterogeneity in V2a neurons controlling locomotion

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abc6309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (49) ◽

pp. eabc6309

Author(s):

Joanna Schwenkgrub ◽

Evan R. Harrell ◽

Brice Bathellier ◽

Julien Bouvier

Keyword(s):

Spinal Cord ◽

Cell Type ◽

Functional Heterogeneity ◽

Motor Patterns ◽

Deep Imaging ◽

Cell Class ◽

Cell Type Specific ◽

Freely Moving ◽

Neuron Function

V2a neurons are a genetically defined cell class that forms a major excitatory descending pathway from the brainstem reticular formation to the spinal cord. Their activation has been linked to the termination of locomotor activity based on broad optogenetic manipulations. However, because of the difficulties involved in accessing brainstem structures for in vivo cell type–specific recordings, V2a neuron function has never been directly observed during natural behaviors. Here, we imaged the activity of V2a neurons using micro-endoscopy in freely moving mice. We find that as many as half of the V2a neurons are excited at locomotion arrest and with low reliability. Other V2a neurons are inhibited at locomotor arrests and/or activated during other behaviors such as locomotion initiation or stationary grooming. Our results establish that V2a neurons not only drive stops as suggested by bulk optogenetics but also are stratified into subpopulations that likely contribute to diverse motor patterns.

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