Ruth Benavides-Piccione, Isabel Fernaud-Espinosa, Asta Kastanauskaite, Javier DeFelipe
{"title":"Principles for Dendritic Spine Size and Density in Human and Mouse Cortical Pyramidal Neurons","authors":"Ruth Benavides-Piccione, Isabel Fernaud-Espinosa, Asta Kastanauskaite, Javier DeFelipe","doi":"10.1002/cne.70060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70060","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons are the targets of most excitatory synapses in the cerebral cortex, and dendritic spine morphology directly reflects their function. However, there are scarce data available regarding both the detailed morphology of these structures for the human cerebral cortex and the extent to which they differ in comparison with other species. Thus, in the present study, we used intracellular injections of Lucifer yellow to reconstruct—in three dimensions—the morphology of basal dendritic spines from pyramidal cells in the human and mouse CA1 hippocampal region and compared these spines with those of the human temporal and cingular cortex. We found that human hippocampal dendrites show lower spine density, larger volume, and longer length of dendritic spines than mouse CA1 spines. Furthermore, human hippocampal dendrites show higher spine density, smaller spine volume, and shorter length compared to dendritic spines from the human temporal and cingular cortex. This morphological diversity suggests an equally large variability of synaptic strength and learning rules across these brain regions in humans and between humans and mice. Nevertheless, a balance between size and density was found in all cases, which may be a cortical rule maintained across cortical areas and species.</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70060","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144140434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Avril Genene Holt, Shana King, Syed Danial Naqvi, Rod D. Braun, David S. Bauer, Marie Anderson, William Michael King
{"title":"Otolith Irregular Fiber Stimulation Elicits a Rostro-Caudal Activity Gradient in the Vestibular Nuclear Complex and Both Direct and Indirect Afferent Pathways of the Vestibulocerebellum","authors":"Avril Genene Holt, Shana King, Syed Danial Naqvi, Rod D. Braun, David S. Bauer, Marie Anderson, William Michael King","doi":"10.1002/cne.70059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70059","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The vestibular system is important for posture, balance, motor control, and spatial orientation. Each of the vestibular end organs has specialized neuroepithelia with both regular and irregular afferents. In otolith organs, the utricle and saccule, afferents most responsive to linear jerk (jerk—derivative of acceleration) are located in the striola and project centrally to the vestibular nuclear complex (VNC) as well as the uvula and nodulus of the vestibulocerebellum (VeCb). The pattern of central neuronal activation attributed to otolith irregular afferents is relatively unknown. To address this gap, c-Fos was used as a marker of neuronal activity to map the distribution of active neurons throughout the rostro-caudal extent of the VNC and VeCb in rats. Immunohistochemistry for c-Fos was performed to assess activation of VNC and VeCb neurons in response to a linear jerk stimulus delivered in the naso-occipital plane. Activated neurons were distributed throughout the VNC, including the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVe), magnocellular medial vestibular nucleus (MVeMC), parvocellular medial vestibular nucleus (MVePC), spinal vestibular nucleus (SpVe), and superior vestibular nucleus (SuVe). Notably, after stimulation, the MVePC exhibited the greatest number of c-Fos-labeled nuclei. Significant increases in c-Fos labeling were found in mid-rostro-caudal and caudal regions of the VNC in the LVe, MVe, and SpVe. Additionally, c-Fos labeling was observed across all regions of the VeCb after jerk stimulation. Significant increases in the number of labeled nuclei were found throughout the rostro-caudal extent of the nodulus and uvula. The distribution of neuronal activity suggests that regions receiving the greatest direct otolith input exhibit the most substantial changes in response to otolith-derived, irregular fiber stimulation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144085301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yalan Liao, Linqiong Sang, Qiannan Wang, Pengyue Li, Li Wang, Ye Zhang, Mingguo Qiu, Jingna Zhang
{"title":"Alterations in Functional Connectivity Density in Patients With Phantom Limb Pain","authors":"Yalan Liao, Linqiong Sang, Qiannan Wang, Pengyue Li, Li Wang, Ye Zhang, Mingguo Qiu, Jingna Zhang","doi":"10.1002/cne.70058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70058","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Phantom limb pain (PLP) is prevalent and challenging to treat in amputees, which likely stems from maladaptive cortical reorganization, but the precise mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the cortical remodeling patterns in amputees experiencing PLP, pinpointing key brain regions and neural circuits directly associated with the pain. Eighteen PLP patients and 20 healthy participants were recruited for resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping method was used to identify PLP-related abnormal local and global signaling hubs. FCD changes were observed within the sensorimotor, pain-processing, and visual stream networks in PLP patients, with the precentral gyrus (PreCG), insula (INS), precuneus (PCUN), and middle occipital gyrus (MOG) identified as key hubs correlated with the visual analog scale (VAS) pain ratings. A voxel-wise functional connectivity (FC) analysis was further performed between the VAS-correlated FCD hubs and the rest of the brain. FC was significantly decreased between the hubs and widespread brain regions. In contrast, increased FC was revealed between the hubs and subregions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (the dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus [SFGdor] and middle frontal gyrus [MFG]). FC of the SFGdor-INS and MFG-PCUN pathways was negatively correlated with VAS pain ratings specifically, likely playing crucial roles in PLP. These results provide novel insights into the critical neural mechanisms of PLP, highlighting valuable targets for developing long-term effective neuromodulation modalities.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143919475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jared T. Voris, François Therrien, Ryan C. Ridgely, Lawrence M. Witmer, Darla K. Zelenitsky
{"title":"Ontogenetic Changes in Endocranial Anatomy in Gorgosaurus libratus (Theropoda: Tyrannosauridae) Provide Insight Into the Evolution of the Tyrannosauroid Endocranium","authors":"Jared T. Voris, François Therrien, Ryan C. Ridgely, Lawrence M. Witmer, Darla K. Zelenitsky","doi":"10.1002/cne.70056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70056","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Over the past two decades, increased accessibility to computed tomography (CT) scanners has greatly facilitated documentation of the endocranium in numerous extinct theropod taxa. However, most of these studies have focused on the morphology of mature individuals, thus changes or variation through ontogeny of the endocranium in theropods remains largely unknown. The current study sheds light on the endocranial anatomy of the eutyrannosaurian tyrannosauroid, <i>Gorgosaurus libratus</i>, in both an ontogenetic and evolutionary context. Based on CT scans of six <i>Gorgosaurus</i> braincases, including those of two recently discovered juvenile individuals, we virtually reconstruct and describe the endocranial morphology for a growth series of <i>G. libratus</i>. Despite considerable changes in skull architecture, relatively few ontogenetic changes occurred in the endocranium of <i>Gorgosaurus</i>. These changes include a subtle increase in the length of the hindbrain region of the endocast and increased inflation of the tympanic sinus diverticula in adults relative to juveniles. Among the most significant ontogenetic changes is a decrease in the distinctiveness of the brain morphology in endocasts as <i>Gorgosaurus</i> mature. The endocasts of juvenile <i>Gorgosaurus</i> exhibit better defined cerebral hemispheres, optic lobes, and cerebella than those of larger and more mature individuals. This suggests a closer correspondence between the endocast and the brain in juvenile tyrannosaurids, indicating the endocast of juvenile individuals provides a more accurate representation of the structure of the brain and its regions relative to the endocast of more mature individuals. The brain of <i>Gorgosaurus</i> displays a mix of basal archosaurian traits and more derived coelurosaurian traits. More primitive archosaurian features of the <i>Gorgosaurus</i> brain include large olfactory bulbs and tracts, a posteroventrally oriented long axis of the cerebrum, and posteriorly positioned optic lobes, whereas derived features include prominent hindbrain flexure, a somewhat enlarged cerebrum, and a cerebellum that at least partially separates the left and right optic lobes. An understanding of the evolutionary acquisition of such derived features leading to the avian brain may be further elucidated via the study of the endocasts of juvenile individuals (more reflective of the structure/organization of various brain regions) of earlier-diverging theropods (e.g., Allosauroidea, Megalosauroidea, and Coelophysoidea).</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70056","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cassady S. Olson, Aashna Moorjani, Clifton W. Ragsdale
{"title":"Molecular and Morphological Circuitry of the Octopus Sucker Ganglion","authors":"Cassady S. Olson, Aashna Moorjani, Clifton W. Ragsdale","doi":"10.1002/cne.70055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70055","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The octopus sucker is a profoundly complex sensorimotor structure. Each of the hundreds of suckers that line the octopus arm can move independently or in concert with one another. These suckers also contain an intricate sensory epithelium, enriched with chemotactile receptors. Much of the massive nervous system embedded in the octopus arm mediates control of the suckers. Each arm houses a large axial nerve cord (ANC), which features local enlargements corresponding to each sucker. There is also a sucker ganglion, a peripheral nervous element, situated in the stalk of every sucker. The structure and function of the sucker ganglion remain obscure. We examined the cellular organization and molecular composition of the sucker ganglion in <i>Octopus bimaculoides</i>. The sucker ganglion has an ellipsoid shape and features an unusual organization: the neuropil of the ganglion is distributed as a cap aborally (away from the sucker) and a small pocket orally (toward the sucker), with neuronal cell bodies concentrated in the space between. Using in situ hybridization, we detected positive expression of sensory (<i>PIEZO</i>) and motor (<i>LHX3</i> and <i>MNX</i>) neuron markers in the sucker ganglion cell bodies. Nerve fibers spread out from the sucker ganglion, targeting the surrounding sucker musculature and the oral roots extending to the ANC. Our results indicate that the sucker ganglion is composed of both sensory and motor elements and suggest that this ganglion is not a simple relay for the ANC, but facilitates local reflexes for each sucker.</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70055","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dopaminergic Central Neurons and Peripheral Sensory Systems in Pteropod and Nudibranch Molluscs","authors":"Tigran P. Norekian, Leonid L. Moroz","doi":"10.1002/cne.70054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In Euthyneuran molluscs, the distribution and plethora of dopamine (DA) functions are likely coupled to the feeding ecology with a broad spectrum of modifications both in the central and peripheral neural systems. However, studies of benthic grazers currently dominate the analysis of DA-mediated signaling, whereas adaptations to pelagic lifestyles and other feeding strategies are unknown. Here, we characterize the distribution of central and peripheral neurons in representatives of distinct ecological groups: the pelagic predatory pteropod <i>Clione limacina</i> (Pteropoda, Gymnosomata) and its prey — <i>Limacina helicina</i> (Pteropoda, Thecosomata), as well as the plankton eater <i>Melibe leonina</i> (Nudipleura, Nudibranchia). By using tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity as a reporter, we mapped their dopaminergic systems. Across all studied species, despite their differences in ecology, small numbers of dopaminergic neurons in the central ganglia contrast to an incredible density of these neurons in the peripheral nervous system, primarily representing sensory-like cells, which are predominantly concentrated in the chemotactic areas and project afferent axons to the central nervous system. Combined with tubulin immunoreactivity, this study illuminates the complexity of sensory signaling and peripheral neural systems in Euthyneuran molluscs with lineage-specific adaptations across different taxonomical and ecological groups.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143880031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rong Zhang, Jeffery R. Wickens, Andres Carrasco, Dorothy E. Oorschot
{"title":"Absolute Number of Thalamic Parafascicular and Striatal Cholinergic Neurons, and the Three-Dimensional Spatial Array of Striatal Cholinergic Neurons, in the Sprague-Dawley Rat","authors":"Rong Zhang, Jeffery R. Wickens, Andres Carrasco, Dorothy E. Oorschot","doi":"10.1002/cne.70050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70050","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The absolute number of neurons and their spatial distribution yields important information about brain function and species comparisons. We studied thalamic parafascicular neurons and striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs) because the parafascicular neurons are the main excitatory input to the striatal CINs. This circuit is of increasing interest due to research showing its involvement in specific types of learning and behavioral flexibility. In the Sprague-Dawley rat, the absolute number of thalamic parafascicular neurons and striatal CINs is unknown. They were estimated in this study using modern stereological counting methods. From each of six young adult rats, complete sets of serial 40 µm glycol methacrylate sections were used to quantify neuronal numbers in the right parafascicular nucleus (PFN). From each of five young adult rats, complete sets of serial 20 µm frozen sections were immunostained and used to quantify cholinergic neuronal numbers in the right striatum. The spatial distribution, in three dimensions, of striatal CINs was also determined from exhaustive measurement of the <i>x</i>, <i>y</i>, <i>z</i> coordinates of each large interneuron in 40 µm glycol methacrylate sections in sampled sets of five consecutive serial sections from each of two rats. Statistical analysis of spatial distribution was conducted by comparing observed three-dimensional data with computer models of 10,000 pseudorandom distributions, using measures of nearest neighbor distance and Ripley's <i>K</i>-function for inhomogeneous samples. We found that the right PFN consisted, on average, of 30,073 neurons (with a coefficient of variation of 0.11). The right striatum consisted, on average, of 10,778 CINs (0.14). The statistical analysis of spatial distribution showed no evidence of clustering of striatal CINs in three dimensions in the rat striatum, consistent with previous findings in the mouse striatum. The results provide important data for the transfer of information through the PFN and striatum, species comparisons, and computer modeling.</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70050","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143871504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Lozano, Adrián Chinarro, Lucía Yanguas, Ruth Morona, Nerea Moreno, Jesús M. López
{"title":"Pax6 and Pax7 in the Central Nervous System of Cladistian Fishes: A Comprehensive Expression Analysis","authors":"Daniel Lozano, Adrián Chinarro, Lucía Yanguas, Ruth Morona, Nerea Moreno, Jesús M. López","doi":"10.1002/cne.70053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70053","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Among actinopterygian fishes, cladistians stand as the more basal extant species in the group, holding a key phylogenetic position close to the common ancestor of Osteichthyes. Despite the recent publication of studies regarding the neurochemical organization of their central nervous system (CNS), there is still a significant lack of genoarchitectonic data that may prove essential to fully understand the patterning of the brain of these fishes. The paired box genes Pax6 and Pax7 are known to determine several boundaries in the CNS and are indispensable, for instance, for the survival of neurons and the change from cell proliferation to cell differentiation. By means of immunohistofluorescence methods, we analyzed the expression patterns of the transcription factors Pax6 and Pax7 in the CNS of three representative species of cladistian fishes, with a particular focus on their evolutionary implications. Thus, conserved Pax6 immunoreactive cell groups were present in the olfactory bulb, subpallial areas, the prethalamus, the basal prosomere 3, the pretectum, the mesencephalic tegmentum, the cerebellum, the basal rhombencephalon, the spinal cord, and the retina. A number of exclusive features were identified, including the almost total absence of expression in the pallium, which was observed only in cladistians, and its absence in the hypothalamus, which is a primitive anamniote trait. Likewise, the Pax7 expression pattern was generally conserved, with traits like the absence of labeling in the telencephalon and the expression in the retromamillary hypothalamic domain, the basal prosomere 3, the pretectum, the optic tectum, and the alar part of the first rhombomere. Additionally, no Pax7 labeling was detected in the spinal cord, comprising a specific cladistian feature.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143871503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elena Chiavacci, Roberta Camera, Mario Costa, Baldassare Fronte, Eva Terzibasi Tozzini, Alessandro Cellerino
{"title":"Nerve Growth Factor Receptor (NGFR/p75NTR) of the Small-Spotted Catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula): Evolutionary Conservation and Brain Function","authors":"Elena Chiavacci, Roberta Camera, Mario Costa, Baldassare Fronte, Eva Terzibasi Tozzini, Alessandro Cellerino","doi":"10.1002/cne.70049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70049","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The p75NTR receptor, a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily, can participate in signaling pathways either by forming heteromeric complexes with other receptors, such as the Trk family (tropomyosin receptor kinases), or by functioning independently. p75NTR was investigated prevalently in the brain and retina of mammals, whereas almost nothing is known about its conservation among species. Here, we reconstructed the phylogenetic arb of p75NTR and described for the first time the p75NTR expression in the brain of the basal vertebrate Chondrichthyan <i>Scyliorhinus canicula</i> (<i>S. canicula</i>), uncovering the existing parallelism between ancient vertebrates and mammals. p75NTR functional conservation among vertebrates was further investigated by cloning the <i>S. canicula</i> nerve growth factor (NGF) and performing the canonical posterior commissure (PC)-12 differentiation assay, which results in standard neurite-like production. We then investigated the <i>S. canicula</i> p75NTR, which proves to be capable of complementing a specific clone of PC-12 lacking p75NTR (PC-12 p75NTR<sup>−</sup>/<sup>−</sup>). All together, our results highlighted the expression and functional conservation of p75NTR among vertebrates during the evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"533 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70049","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143824716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}