Emily Hueske, Carrie Stine, Tomoko Yoshida, Jill R. Crittenden, Akshay Gupta, Joseph C. Johnson, Ananya S. Achanta, Smitha Bhagavatula, Johnny Loftus, Ara Mahar, Dan Hu, Jesus Azocar, Ryan J. Gray, Michael R. Bruchas, Ann M. Graybiel
{"title":"Developmental and Adult Striatal Patterning of Nociceptin Ligand Marks Striosomal Population With Direct Dopamine Projections","authors":"Emily Hueske, Carrie Stine, Tomoko Yoshida, Jill R. Crittenden, Akshay Gupta, Joseph C. Johnson, Ananya S. Achanta, Smitha Bhagavatula, Johnny Loftus, Ara Mahar, Dan Hu, Jesus Azocar, Ryan J. Gray, Michael R. Bruchas, Ann M. Graybiel","doi":"10.1002/cne.70003","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cne.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Circuit influences on the midbrain dopamine system are crucial to adaptive behavior and cognition. Recent developments in the study of neuropeptide systems have enabled high-resolution investigations of the intersection of neuromodulatory signals with basal ganglia circuitry, identifying the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) endogenous opioid peptide system as a prospective regulator of striatal dopamine signaling. Using a prepronociceptin-Cre reporter mouse line, we characterized highly selective striosomal patterning of <i>Pnoc</i> mRNA expression in mouse dorsal striatum, reflecting the early developmental expression of <i>Pnoc</i>. In the ventral striatum, <i>Pnoc</i> expression in the nucleus accumbens core was grouped in clusters akin to the distribution found in striosomes. We found that Pnoc<sup>tdTomato</sup> reporter cells largely comprise a population of dopamine receptor D1 (<i>Drd1</i>) expressing medium spiny projection neurons localized in dorsal striosomes, known to be unique among striatal projection neurons for their direct innervation of midbrain dopamine neurons. These findings provide a new understanding of the intersection of the N/OFQ system among basal ganglia circuits with particular implications for developmental regulation or wiring of striato-nigral circuits.</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11629859/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142800905","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}
Silvia Gasparini, Gislaine Almeida-Pereira, Ana Sofia Peraza Munuzuri, Jon M. Resch, Joel C. Geerling
{"title":"Molecular Ontology of the Nucleus of Solitary Tract","authors":"Silvia Gasparini, Gislaine Almeida-Pereira, Ana Sofia Peraza Munuzuri, Jon M. Resch, Joel C. Geerling","doi":"10.1002/cne.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) receives visceral information and regulates appetitive, digestive, and cardiorespiratory systems. Within the NTS, diverse processes operate in parallel to sustain life, but our understanding of their cellular composition is incomplete. Here, we integrate histologic and transcriptomic analysis to identify and compare molecular features that distinguish neurons in this brain region. Most glutamatergic neurons in the NTS and area postrema co-express the transcription factors <i>Lmx1b</i> and <i>Phox2b</i>, except for a ventral band of neurons in the far-caudal NTS, which include the <i>Gcg</i>-expressing neurons that produce glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GABAergic interneurons intermingle through the <i>Lmx1b</i>+<i>Phox2b</i> macropopulation, and dense clusters of GABAergic neurons surround the NTS. The <i>Lmx1b</i>+<i>Phox2b</i> macropopulation includes subpopulations with distinct distributions expressing <i>Grp</i>, <i>Hsd11b2, Npff</i>, <i>Pdyn</i>, <i>Pou3f1</i>, <i>Sctr</i>, <i>Th</i>, and other markers. These findings highlight <i>Lmx1b</i>–<i>Phox2b</i> co-expression as a common feature of glutamatergic neurons in the NTS and improve our understanding of the organization and distribution of neurons in this critical brain region.</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142762259","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}
Jichao Ma, Ariege Bizanti, Andrew M. Kwiat, Kayla Barton, Duyen Nguyen, Jazune Madas, Zulema Toledo, Kohlton Bendowski, Jin Chen, Zixi Jack Cheng
{"title":"Spinal Afferent Innervation From Left Dorsal Root Ganglia in the Flat-Mounts of Whole Atria of Rats: Anterograde Tracing","authors":"Jichao Ma, Ariege Bizanti, Andrew M. Kwiat, Kayla Barton, Duyen Nguyen, Jazune Madas, Zulema Toledo, Kohlton Bendowski, Jin Chen, Zixi Jack Cheng","doi":"10.1002/cne.25681","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.25681","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The spinal afferent innervation of the heart helps to regulate cardiac functions by sending sensory information through the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) to the brain. However, the distribution and morphology of spinal afferents in the heart are not well characterized due to tracer selections, the surgical access to upper thoracic DRGs, and the thickness of the heart tissues. In this study, we injected tracer dextran biotin (DB) into the left DRGs (C8-T3) of male Sprague–Dawley rats (3–5 months). After 16 days, flat-mounts of the whole left and right atria were prepared and diaminobenzidine stained. Then, the DB-labeled axons in the tissues were imaged, traced, and digitized using the Neurolucida system. Our results showed that the DB-labeled axons from left DRGs entered the left precaval vein and projected to the left and right atria, with predominant projection in the left atrial wall. DB-labeled varicose axons were observed in different layers, mostly in the epicardium and myocardium, but much less in the endocardium. In those layers, these spinal afferent axons branched out into simple to complex terminal arborizations, forming close appositions with cardiac muscles, intrinsic cardiac ganglia, blood vessels, and fat tissue. This work, for the first time, characterized cardiac spinal afferent distribution of the rat atria using anterograde tracing, which will provide the foundation for future studies of topographical cardiac spinal afferent innervation and remodeling in heart disease models.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142762215","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}
Ruth Fabian-Fine, Adam L. Weaver, Abigail G. Roman, Melanie J. Winters, John C. DeWitt
{"title":"Myelinated Glial Cells: Their Proposed Role in Waste Clearance and Neurodegeneration in Arachnid and Human Brain","authors":"Ruth Fabian-Fine, Adam L. Weaver, Abigail G. Roman, Melanie J. Winters, John C. DeWitt","doi":"10.1002/cne.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p>One of the most important goals in biomedical sciences is understanding the causal mechanisms of neurodegeneration. A prevalent hypothesis relates to impaired waste clearance mechanisms from the brain due to reported waste aggregation in the brains of Alzheimer patients, including amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles. Currently, our understanding of the mechanisms by which waste is removed from the brain is only fragmentary. Here we provide compelling evidence that waste clearance from brain tissue is highly conserved in arachnids and humans. Utilizing RNAscope in situ hybridization, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and histological approaches, we demonstrate that cellular debris in spider neurons is engulfed by myelin-forming ependymal glial cells that transect into neuronal somata and form myelin-derived waste-internalizing receptacles. These canal systems channel this debris into the lymphatic system likely in an aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channel-dependent manner. We provide robust evidence that a similar process may be true in human hippocampus where vast numbers of myelinated AQP4-immunoreactive ependymal glial cells send cellular projections into the somata of neurons and glial cells where they differentiate into waste internalizing receptacles. In the brains of Alzheimer decedents, hypertrophic impairment of these myelinated glial cells leads to the catastrophic obstruction and depletion of neuronal cytoplasm into the ependymal glial cells. At the cellular level, the structural impairment of macroglia leads to swelling myelin protrusions that appear as electron-lucent circular profiles, explaining spongiform abnormalities associated with the neurodegenerative diseases described here. We propose to term this novel type of macroglia-mediated cell death “gliaptosis.”</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70000","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142748859","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}
Feng Luo, Li Jiang, Niraj S. Desai, Li Bai, Gabrielle V. Watkins, Mark A. G. Eldridge, Anya S. Plotnikova, Arya Mohanty, Alex C. Cummins, Bruno B. Averbeck, David A. Talmage, Lorna W. Role
{"title":"Cover Image, Volume 532, Issue 11","authors":"Feng Luo, Li Jiang, Niraj S. Desai, Li Bai, Gabrielle V. Watkins, Mark A. G. Eldridge, Anya S. Plotnikova, Arya Mohanty, Alex C. Cummins, Bruno B. Averbeck, David A. Talmage, Lorna W. Role","doi":"10.1002/cne.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The cover image is based on the Research Article <i>Comparative Physiology and Morphology of BLA-Projecting NBM/SI Cholinergic Neurons in Mouse and Macaque</i> by Feng Luo and Li Jiang et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70001.\u0000\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure></p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142748858","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}
Feng Luo, Li Jiang, Niraj S. Desai, Li Bai, Gabrielle V. Watkins, Mark A. G. Eldridge, Anya S. Plotnikova, Arya Mohanty, Alex C. Cummins, Bruno B. Averbeck, David A. Talmage, Lorna W. Role
{"title":"Comparative Physiology and Morphology of BLA-Projecting NBM/SI Cholinergic Neurons in Mouse and Macaque","authors":"Feng Luo, Li Jiang, Niraj S. Desai, Li Bai, Gabrielle V. Watkins, Mark A. G. Eldridge, Anya S. Plotnikova, Arya Mohanty, Alex C. Cummins, Bruno B. Averbeck, David A. Talmage, Lorna W. Role","doi":"10.1002/cne.70001","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cne.70001","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cholinergic projection neurons of the nucleus basalis and substantia innominata (NBM/SI) densely innervate the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and have been shown to contribute to the encoding of fundamental and life-threatening experiences. Given the vital importance of these circuits in the acquisition and retention of memories that are essential for survival in a changing environment, it is not surprising that the basic anatomical organization of the NBM/SI is well conserved across animal classes as diverse as teleost and mammal. What is not known is the extent to which the physiology and morphology of NBM/SI neurons have also been conserved. To address this issue, we made patch-clamp recordings from NBM/SI neurons in ex vivo slices of two widely divergent mammalian species, mouse and rhesus macaque, focusing our efforts on cholinergic neurons that project to the BLA. We then reconstructed most of these recorded neurons post hoc to characterize neuronal morphology. We found that rhesus macaque BLA-projecting cholinergic neurons were both more intrinsically excitable and less morphologically compact than their mouse homologs. Combining measurements of 18 physiological features and 13 morphological features, we illustrate the extent of the separation. Although macaque and mouse neurons both exhibited considerable within-group diversity and overlapped with each other on multiple individual metrics, a combined morphoelectric analysis demonstrates that they form two distinct neuronal classes. Given the shared purpose of the circuits in which these neurons participate, this finding raises questions about (and offers constraints on) how these distinct classes result in similar behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.70001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142686934","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}
Justine Villard, Loïc J. Chareyron, Pamela Banta Lavenex, David G. Amaral, Pierre Lavenex
{"title":"Stereological Analysis of the Rhesus Monkey Perirhinal and Parahippocampal Cortices","authors":"Justine Villard, Loïc J. Chareyron, Pamela Banta Lavenex, David G. Amaral, Pierre Lavenex","doi":"10.1002/cne.25684","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cne.25684","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The perirhinal and parahippocampal cortices are key components of the medial temporal lobe memory system. Despite their essential roles in mnemonic and perceptual functions, there is limited quantitative information regarding their structural characteristics. Here, we implemented design-based stereological techniques to provide estimates of neuron number, neuronal soma size, and volume of the different layers and subdivisions of the perirhinal and parahippocampal cortices in adult macaque monkeys (<i>Macaca mulatta</i>, 5–9 years of age). We found that areas 36r and 36c of the perirhinal cortex and areas TF and TH of the parahippocampal cortex exhibit relatively large superficial layers, which are characteristic of the laminar organization of higher order associational cortices. In contrast, area 35 of the perirhinal cortex exhibits relatively large deep layers. Although neuronal soma size varies between subdivisions and layers, neurons are generally larger in the perirhinal cortex than in the parahippocampal cortex and even larger in the entorhinal cortex. These morphological characteristics are consistent with the hierarchical organization of these cortices within the medial temporal lobe. Comparing data in rats, monkeys, and humans, we found species differences in the relative size of these structures, showing that the perirhinal and parahippocampal cortices have expanded in parallel to the cerebral cortex and may play a greater role in the integration of information in the neocortical–hippocampal loop in primates. Altogether, these normative data provide an essential reference to extrapolate findings from experimental studies in animals and create realistic models of the medial temporal lobe memory system.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.25684","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142648067","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}
Michael B. J. Kelly, Vanessa Penna-Gonçalves, Nikolas J. Willmott, Donald James McLean, Jay R. Black, Jonas O. Wolff, Marie E. Herberstein
{"title":"Small Brains: Body Shape Constrains Tissue Allocation to the Central Nervous System in Ant-Mimicking Spiders","authors":"Michael B. J. Kelly, Vanessa Penna-Gonçalves, Nikolas J. Willmott, Donald James McLean, Jay R. Black, Jonas O. Wolff, Marie E. Herberstein","doi":"10.1002/cne.25680","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cne.25680","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In Batesian mimicry, mimetic traits are not always as convincing as predicted by theory—in fact, inaccurate mimicry with only a superficial model resemblance is common and taxonomically widespread. The “<i>selection trade-offs hypothesis</i>” proposes a life-history trade-off between accurate mimetic traits and one or more vital biological functions. Here, using an accurate myrmecomorphic (ant-mimicking) jumping spider species, <i>Myrmarachne smaragdina</i>, we investigate how myrmecomorphic modifications to the body shape impact the internal anatomy in a way that could be functionally limiting. Specifically, via x-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT), we quantify how the spider's constricted prosoma, which emulates the head and thorax of ants, impacts the size of the central nervous system (CNS) and the venom glands. Although, relative to their whole-body mass, we found no significant difference in venom gland volume, the CNS of the ant-mimicking jumping spider was significantly smaller when compared with a relatively closely related non-mimic jumping spider, indicating that some trade-off between mimic accuracy and size of neural anatomy, as articulated by the “<i>selection trade-offs hypothesis</i>,” is a possibility. Our explorative evidence enables and encourages broader investigation of how variable mimic accuracy impacts the neuroanatomy in ant mimics as a direct test of the “<i>selection trade-offs hypothesis</i>.”</p>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cne.25680","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142648066","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":"Harvey's Story","authors":"Anton Reiner","doi":"10.1002/cne.25685","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cne.25685","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Harvey Jules Karten passed away on July 15, 2024. With his passing, the world lost a remarkable and energetic man who had made major contributions to neuroscience, in particular, resetting our understanding of the evolution of the forebrain and the evolution of intelligence. He left behind a legion of loyal colleagues with whom he had collaborated and shared ideas, students he had inspired and trained, and non-neuroscientist friends he had made in the passionate pursuit of his hobbies—sailing, skiing, and hiking.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142621806","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}
Luiz M. Oliveira, Alyssa Huff, Aguan Wei, Nicole C. Miranda, Ginny Wu, Xiangmin Xu, Jan-Marino Ramirez
{"title":"Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Postinspiratory Complex (PiCo) Revealed by AAV and Monosynaptic Rabies Viral Tracing","authors":"Luiz M. Oliveira, Alyssa Huff, Aguan Wei, Nicole C. Miranda, Ginny Wu, Xiangmin Xu, Jan-Marino Ramirez","doi":"10.1002/cne.25683","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cne.25683","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The control of the respiratory rhythm and airway motor activity is essential for life. Accumulating evidence indicates that the postinspiratory complex (PiCo) is crucial for generating behaviors that occur during the postinspiratory phase, including expiratory laryngeal activity and swallowing. Located in the ventromedial medulla, PiCo is defined by neurons co-expressing two neurotransmitter markers (ChAT and Vglut2/Slc17a6). Here, we mapped the input–output connections of these neurons using viral tracers and intersectional viral-genetic tools. PiCo neurons were specifically targeted by focal injection of a doubly conditional Cre- and FlpO-dependent AAV8 viral marker (AAV8-Con/Fon-TVA-mCherry) into the left PiCo of adult Chat<sup>Cre/wt</sup>: Vglut2<sup>FlpO/wt</sup> mice, for anterograde axonal tracing. These experiments revealed projections to various brain regions, including the Cu, nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), Amb, X, XII, Sp5, RMg, intermediate reticular nucleus (IRt), lateral reticular nucleus (LRt), pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC), contralateral PiCo, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTg), pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg), periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), Kölliker–Fuse (KF), PB, and external cortex of the inferior colliculus (ECIC). A rabies virus (RV) retrograde transsynaptic approach was taken with EnvA-pseudotyped G-deleted (RV-SAD-G-GFP) to similarly target PiCo neurons in Chat<sup>Cre/wt</sup>: Vglut2<sup>FlpO/wt</sup> mice, following prior injections of helper AAVs (a mixture of AAV-Ef1a-Con/Fon oG and viral vector AAV8-Con/Fon-TVA-mCherry). This combined approach revealed prominent synaptic inputs to PiCo neurons from NTS, IRt, and A1/C1. Although PiCo neurons project axons to the contralateral PiCo area, this approach did not detect direct contralateral connections. We suggest that PiCo serves as a critical integration site, projecting and receiving neuronal connections implicated in breathing, arousal, swallowing, and autonomic regulation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":15552,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Comparative Neurology","volume":"532 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142568202","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}