{"title":"Real control in virtual rats","authors":"Luis A. Mejia","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01708-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01708-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141563847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Flexible multitask computation in recurrent networks utilizes shared dynamical motifs","authors":"Laura N. Driscoll, Krishna Shenoy, David Sussillo","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01668-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01668-6","url":null,"abstract":"Flexible computation is a hallmark of intelligent behavior. However, little is known about how neural networks contextually reconfigure for different computations. In the present work, we identified an algorithmic neural substrate for modular computation through the study of multitasking artificial recurrent neural networks. Dynamical systems analyses revealed learned computational strategies mirroring the modular subtask structure of the training task set. Dynamical motifs, which are recurring patterns of neural activity that implement specific computations through dynamics, such as attractors, decision boundaries and rotations, were reused across tasks. For example, tasks requiring memory of a continuous circular variable repurposed the same ring attractor. We showed that dynamical motifs were implemented by clusters of units when the unit activation function was restricted to be positive. Cluster lesions caused modular performance deficits. Motifs were reconfigured for fast transfer learning after an initial phase of learning. This work establishes dynamical motifs as a fundamental unit of compositional computation, intermediate between neuron and network. As whole-brain studies simultaneously record activity from multiple specialized systems, the dynamical motif framework will guide questions about specialization and generalization. The authors identify reusable ‘dynamical motifs’ in artificial neural networks. These motifs enable flexible recombination of previously learned capabilities, promoting modular, compositional computation and rapid transfer learning. This discovery sheds light on the fundamental building blocks of intelligent behavior.","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01668-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141561354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thomas C. Brown, Emily C. Crouse, Cecilia A. Attaway, Dana K. Oakes, Sarah W. Minton, Bart G. Borghuis, Aaron W. McGee
{"title":"Microglia are dispensable for experience-dependent refinement of mouse visual circuitry","authors":"Thomas C. Brown, Emily C. Crouse, Cecilia A. Attaway, Dana K. Oakes, Sarah W. Minton, Bart G. Borghuis, Aaron W. McGee","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01706-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01706-3","url":null,"abstract":"To test the hypothesized crucial role of microglia in the developmental refinement of neural circuitry, we depleted microglia from mice of both sexes with PLX5622 and examined the experience-dependent maturation of visual circuitry and function. We assessed retinal function, receptive field tuning of visual cortex neurons, acuity and experience-dependent plasticity. None of these measurements detectibly differed in the absence of microglia, challenging the role of microglia in sculpting neural circuits. The authors test the model that microglia are crucial for the developmental refinement of neural circuitry by depleting them with PLX5622. Microglia prove dispensable for the experience-dependent maturation of visual circuitry during development.","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141556740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Noam Gannot, Xingyu Li, Chrystian D. Phillips, Ayse Bilge Ozel, Karin Harumi Uchima Koecklin, John P. Lloyd, Lusi Zhang, Katie Emery, Tomer Stern, Jun Z. Li, Peng Li
{"title":"A vagal–brainstem interoceptive circuit for cough-like defensive behaviors in mice","authors":"Noam Gannot, Xingyu Li, Chrystian D. Phillips, Ayse Bilge Ozel, Karin Harumi Uchima Koecklin, John P. Lloyd, Lusi Zhang, Katie Emery, Tomer Stern, Jun Z. Li, Peng Li","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01712-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01712-5","url":null,"abstract":"Coughing is a respiratory behavior that plays a crucial role in protecting the respiratory system. Here we show that the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in mice contains heterogenous neuronal populations that differentially control breathing. Within these subtypes, activation of tachykinin 1 (Tac1)-expressing neurons triggers specific respiratory behaviors that, as revealed by our detailed characterization, are cough-like behaviors. Chemogenetic silencing or genetic ablation of Tac1 neurons inhibits cough-like behaviors induced by tussive challenges. These Tac1 neurons receive synaptic inputs from the bronchopulmonary chemosensory and mechanosensory neurons in the vagal ganglion and coordinate medullary regions to control distinct aspects of cough-like defensive behaviors. We propose that these Tac1 neurons in the NTS are a key component of the airway–vagal–brain neural circuit that controls cough-like defensive behaviors in mice and that they coordinate the downstream modular circuits to elicit the sequential motor pattern of forceful expiratory responses. Gannot et al. show that Tac1 neurons in the NTS mediate an airway–vagal–brain pathway that is crucial for coughing in mice. These neurons receive direct vagal sensory inputs and coordinate downstream circuits to control coughing.","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141556739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yizhak Sofer, Noga Zilkha, Elena Gimpel, Shlomo Wagner, Silvia Gabriela Chuartzman, Tali Kimchi
{"title":"Sexually dimorphic oxytocin circuits drive intragroup social conflict and aggression in wild house mice","authors":"Yizhak Sofer, Noga Zilkha, Elena Gimpel, Shlomo Wagner, Silvia Gabriela Chuartzman, Tali Kimchi","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01685-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01685-5","url":null,"abstract":"In nature, both males and females engage in competitive aggressive interactions to resolve social conflicts, yet the behavioral principles guiding such interactions and their underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. Through circuit manipulations in wild mice, we unveil oxytocin-expressing (OT+) neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) as a neural hub governing behavior in dyadic and intragroup social conflicts, influencing the degree of behavioral sexual dimorphism. We demonstrate that OT+ PVN neurons are essential and sufficient in promoting aggression and dominance hierarchies, predominantly in females. Furthermore, pharmacogenetic activation of these neurons induces a change in the ‘personality’ traits of the mice within groups, in a sex-dependent manner. Finally, we identify an innervation from these OT neurons to the ventral tegmental area that drives dyadic aggression, in a sex-specific manner. Our data suggest that competitive aggression in naturalistic settings is mediated by a sexually dimorphic OT network connected with reward-related circuitry. In nature, female mice, like males, display aggression and dominant hierarchy. This study in wild mice identifies oxytocin-expressing neurons as a hub governing these behaviors, influencing the degree of sexual dimorphism in social conflicts.","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141538286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patricia Bonnavion, Christophe Varin, Ghazal Fakhfouri, Pilar Martinez Olondo, Aurélie De Groote, Amandine Cornil, Ramiro Lorenzo Lopez, Elisa Pozuelo Fernandez, Elsa Isingrini, Quentin Rainer, Kathleen Xu, Eleni Tzavara, Erika Vigneault, Sylvie Dumas, Alban de Kerchove d’Exaerde, Bruno Giros
{"title":"Striatal projection neurons coexpressing dopamine D1 and D2 receptors modulate the motor function of D1- and D2-SPNs","authors":"Patricia Bonnavion, Christophe Varin, Ghazal Fakhfouri, Pilar Martinez Olondo, Aurélie De Groote, Amandine Cornil, Ramiro Lorenzo Lopez, Elisa Pozuelo Fernandez, Elsa Isingrini, Quentin Rainer, Kathleen Xu, Eleni Tzavara, Erika Vigneault, Sylvie Dumas, Alban de Kerchove d’Exaerde, Bruno Giros","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01694-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01694-4","url":null,"abstract":"The role of the striatum in motor control is commonly assumed to be mediated by the two striatal efferent pathways characterized by striatal projection neurons (SPNs) expressing dopamine (DA) D1 receptors or D2 receptors (D1-SPNs and D2-SPNs, respectively), without regard to SPNs coexpressing both receptors (D1/D2-SPNs). Here we developed an approach to target these hybrid SPNs in mice and demonstrate that, although these SPNs are less abundant, they have a major role in guiding the motor function of the other two populations. D1/D2-SPNs project exclusively to the external globus pallidus and have specific electrophysiological features with distinctive integration of DA signals. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments indicate that D1/D2-SPNs potentiate the prokinetic and antikinetic functions of D1-SPNs and D2-SPNs, respectively, and restrain the integrated motor response to psychostimulants. Overall, our findings demonstrate the essential role of this population of D1/D2-coexpressing neurons in orchestrating the fine-tuning of DA regulation in thalamo-cortico-striatal loops. Bonnavion, Varin and colleagues show that striatal projection neurons that coexpress dopamine D1 and D2 receptors have unique physiological properties and serve as a crucial third output in the striatum for motor control and dopaminergic signal integration.","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141521653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charltien Long, Kwang Lee, Long Yang, Theresia Dafalias, Alexander K. Wu, Sotiris C. Masmanidis
{"title":"Constraints on the subsecond modulation of striatal dynamics by physiological dopamine signaling","authors":"Charltien Long, Kwang Lee, Long Yang, Theresia Dafalias, Alexander K. Wu, Sotiris C. Masmanidis","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01699-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01699-z","url":null,"abstract":"Dopaminergic neurons play a crucial role in associative learning, but their capacity to regulate behavior on subsecond timescales remains debated. It is thought that dopaminergic neurons drive certain behaviors by rapidly modulating striatal spiking activity; however, a view has emerged that only artificially high (that is, supra-physiological) dopamine signals alter behavior on fast timescales. This raises the possibility that moment-to-moment striatal spiking activity is not strongly shaped by dopamine signals in the physiological range. To test this, we transiently altered dopamine levels while monitoring spiking responses in the ventral striatum of behaving mice. These manipulations led to only weak changes in striatal activity, except when dopamine release exceeded reward-matched levels. These findings suggest that dopaminergic neurons normally play a minor role in the subsecond modulation of striatal dynamics in relation to other inputs and demonstrate the importance of discerning dopaminergic neuron contributions to brain function under physiological and potentially nonphysiological conditions. The role of dopaminergic neurons in modulating striatal dynamics on subsecond timescales remains unclear. Long, Lee et al. show that only potentially supra-physiological dopamine levels are capable of strongly and rapidly altering striatal spiking activity.","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141495870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Damien Levard, Célia Seillier, Mathys Bellemain-Sagnard, Antoine Philippe Fournier, Eloïse Lemarchand, Chantal Dembech, Gaëtan Riou, Karina McDade, Colin Smith, Conor McQuaid, Axel Montagne, Lukas Amann, Marco Prinz, Denis Vivien, Marina Rubio
{"title":"Central nervous system-associated macrophages modulate the immune response following stroke in aged mice","authors":"Damien Levard, Célia Seillier, Mathys Bellemain-Sagnard, Antoine Philippe Fournier, Eloïse Lemarchand, Chantal Dembech, Gaëtan Riou, Karina McDade, Colin Smith, Conor McQuaid, Axel Montagne, Lukas Amann, Marco Prinz, Denis Vivien, Marina Rubio","doi":"10.1038/s41593-024-01695-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41593-024-01695-3","url":null,"abstract":"Age is a major nonmodifiable risk factor for ischemic stroke. Central nervous system-associated macrophages (CAMs) are resident immune cells located along the brain vasculature at the interface between the blood circulation and the parenchyma. By using a clinically relevant thromboembolic stroke model in young and aged male mice and corresponding human tissue samples, we show that during aging, CAMs acquire a central role in orchestrating immune cell trafficking after stroke through the specific modulation of adhesion molecules by endothelial cells. The absence of CAMs provokes increased leukocyte infiltration (neutrophils and CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes) and neurological dysfunction after stroke exclusively in aged mice. Major histocompatibility complex class II, overexpressed by CAMs during aging, plays a significant role in the modulation of immune responses to stroke. We demonstrate that during aging, CAMs become central coordinators of the neuroimmune response that ensure a long-term fine-tuning of the immune responses triggered by stroke. How aging influences peripheral immune cell infiltration and the role of these cells following traumatic injury of the CNS is unclear. Here, the authors show that aging transforms CNS-associated macrophages into regulators of immune cell trafficking after ischemic stroke, modulating neurological outcomes.","PeriodicalId":19076,"journal":{"name":"Nature neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.2,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141495879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}