Clara Pérez-Gozalbo, Julia L Gutiérrez-Arroyo, Manuela Barneo-Muñoz, Fernando Martínez-García, María José Sánchez-Catalán
{"title":"Activation of the tail of the ventral tegmental area in response to pup predicting cues in maternal rats.","authors":"Clara Pérez-Gozalbo, Julia L Gutiérrez-Arroyo, Manuela Barneo-Muñoz, Fernando Martínez-García, María José Sánchez-Catalán","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02987-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-025-02987-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Motherhood entails brain and behavioral changes associated with increased motivation for pups, ensuring their correct development and survival. Dopamine systems play a crucial role in motivated behaviors, although the exact neurobiological mechanisms underlying maternal behavior remain unknown. The tail of the ventral tegmental area (tVTA) or rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) is a control center of dopamine systems involved in avoidance and prediction error, among other brain processes. In the present study, we explored its possible contribution in maternal motivation in rats. To do so, we analyzed maternal behavior, as well as the expression of cFos in several brain regions (tVTA/RMTg, anterior-posterior VTA, shell-core ACb, mPFC, LHb, MePD, MPO) of virgin and dam rats in response to pups (Virgin-P, Dam-P) or to pup-predicting cues (absence of pups) (Virgin-NP, Dam-NP). Overall, our results reveal that maternal behavior was only displayed by dams, whereas virgins did not display maternal sensitization in our experimental conditions. Regarding the brain activity, we show that pup-predicting cues induce higher cFos in the tVTA/RMTg of pup-deprived dams compared to non-pup deprived dams and to virgin females, suggesting a role of the tVTA/RMTg in maternal reward prediction error. By contrast, pup exposure or deprivation elicit slight differences on the recruitment of other dopamine and social-related brain regions in our females. Finally, the correlation analysis of activity of brain regions mainly highlights positive correlations in pup-exposed females and scarce correlations in pup-deprived females. Overall, our results reveal a main role of the tVTA/RMTg in maternal reward prediction error.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 7","pages":"121"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144697631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spinocerebellar neurons projecting to copula pyramidis, studied by retrograde labeling in the rat.","authors":"Matsuo Matsushita","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02985-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-025-02985-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spinal neurons project to the vermis and the intermediate part of the hemisphere of the anterior lobe. In the posterior lobe, neurons projecting to the intermediate part, the copular part (copula pyramidis) of the paramedian lobule, differ from those projecting to the vermis in the cat. The present study by the retrograde labeling reveals that the projection patterns in copula pyramidis in the rat are similar to those identified in the cat. The projections through uncrossed ascending axons originate from (1) neurons in the medial part of laminae V and VI of the C2-T1 segments, (2) neurons in lamina V of the C7-L3 segments, (3) the marginal neurons of Clarke's column, and (4) neurons of Clarke's column of the lower thoracic and the lumbar segments. The projections through crossed ascending axons originate from (5) the lateral group of the ventral spinocerebellar tract neurons in the T12-L3 segments, (6) Stilling's sacral nuclei, and (7) the central cervical nucleus. The present findings suggest that the spinal inputs from the specific neuronal groups define the functions of copula pyramidis.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 7","pages":"119"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144648559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wenhui Zhong, Zhongqun Chen, Shaoxuan Wang, Jun Cao, Xin Lin, Xiaoqian Lai, Bilin Rao, Jun Zhang
{"title":"Developmental expression of α- and β- synuclein in the mouse retina.","authors":"Wenhui Zhong, Zhongqun Chen, Shaoxuan Wang, Jun Cao, Xin Lin, Xiaoqian Lai, Bilin Rao, Jun Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02984-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-025-02984-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The synuclein family comprises three presynaptic proteins-alpha-synuclein (α-Syn), beta-synuclein (β-Syn), and gamma-synuclein (γ-Syn)-which are crucial for synaptic transmission. Our previous studies have detailed the precise cellular and subcellular localization of α- and β-Syn in the adult mouse retina, revealing distinct expression patterns in excitatory and inhibitory synaptic elements. The balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) is critical for neural development in the mouse retina. Here, we employed light-microscopic immunocytochemistry to investigate the expression of α- and β-Syn in the developing mouse retina, examining from embryonic day 13.5 to postnatal day 21 (E13.5, E16.5, E19.5, P1, P7, P10, P14, and P21). We revealed distinct developmental expression patterns across these stages. We found that α-Syn was first detected at E13.5, whereas β-Syn expression appeared later at E16.5. After E16.5, β-Syn exhibited a broader expression profile compared to α-Syn. Consistent with findings in the adult retina, α-Syn was confined to inhibitory synapses, while β-Syn was present in both excitatory and inhibitory synapses during development. These unique expression patterns of α- and β-Syn in the developing retina suggest potential roles in modulating excitatory and inhibitory inputs during retinal maturation. Furthermore, this research may contribute to understanding the broader role of α- and β-Syn in neural development within the central nervous system.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 7","pages":"120"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144648558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaojin Liu, Ying Yang, Yuqi Liang, Xin Tong, Shan Jiang, Ruiwang Huang, Liu Tu
{"title":"Learning Chinese induces altered resting-state functional connectivity relating to orthographic and phonological processing in adult alphabetic language speakers.","authors":"Xiaojin Liu, Ying Yang, Yuqi Liang, Xin Tong, Shan Jiang, Ruiwang Huang, Liu Tu","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02977-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-025-02977-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The complex relationship between Chinese characters and their pronunciations presents challenges for alphabetic language speakers learning Chinese. While previous studies have demonstrated brain structural alterations, little is known about functional neuroplasticity after prolonged Chinese learning. Here, we examined its impact on the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) associated with orthographic and phonological processing. We acquired RS-fMRI data from 17 Indian students who had learned Chinese for 3.24 years (learned group, LG) and 21 university students (control group, CG). We then selected brain regions related to Chinese orthographic and phonological processing, applied seed-based connectivity analysis to generate RSFC maps, and examined the between-group differences. We found that, compared with those in the CG, stronger RSFC in the LG was associated with the fusiform gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), precuneus, middle occipital gyrus, insula, and cerebellum related to Chinese orthographic processing. Increased RSFC between the IFG and putamen was also observed for phonological processing in the LG. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between stronger RSFC related to orthographic processing and higher accuracy in Chinese character recognition. These findings suggest that increased neural integration between relevant functional regions plays key roles in Chinese orthography and phonology processing for alphabetic language speakers.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 7","pages":"118"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144625374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ema Lukinic, Tyler Wallace, Carlie McCartney, Brent Myers
{"title":"Infralimbic prefrontal cortical projections to the autonomic brainstem: quantification of inputs to cholinergic and adrenergic/noradrenergic nuclei.","authors":"Ema Lukinic, Tyler Wallace, Carlie McCartney, Brent Myers","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02983-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-025-02983-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The ventromedial prefrontal cortex regulates both emotional and physiological processes. The infralimbic cortex (IL), a prefrontal subregion in rodents, integrates behavioral, neuroendocrine, and autonomic responses to stress. However, the organization of cortical inputs to brainstem nuclei that regulate homeostatic responses are not well defined. We hypothesized that IL projections differentially target pre-ganglionic parasympathetic neurons and adrenergic/noradrenergic nuclei. To quantify IL projections to autonomic brainstem nuclei in male rats, we utilized viral-mediated gene transfer to express yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) in IL glutamatergic neurons. YFP-positive projections to cholinergic and adrenergic/noradrenergic nuclei were then imaged and quantified. Our results indicate that IL glutamate neurons innervated the cholinergic dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, with low projection density in the nucleus ambiguus. Furthermore, numerous DBH-positive cell groups received IL inputs. The greatest density was to the C2 and A2 regions of the nucleus of the solitary tract with intermediate levels of input to A6 locus coeruleus and throughout the C1 and A1 regions of the ventrolateral medulla. Minimal input was present in the pontine A5. Additionally, IL projections targeted the local GABAergic neurons that regulate activity within preautonomic nuclei. Collectively, our results indicate that IL pyramidal neurons project to vagal preganglionic parasympathetic neurons, presympathetic neurons of the ventrolateral medulla, as well as diffuse homeostatic modulators the nucleus of the solitary tract and locus coeruleus. Ultimately, these findings provide a roadmap for determining circuit-level mechanisms for neural control of homeostasis and autonomic balance.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 7","pages":"117"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144599378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effects of sex and age on movie-watching functional connectivity and movie clip classification.","authors":"Chengxiao Yang, Bharat B Biswal, Pan Wang","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02962-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00429-025-02962-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Functional connectivity (FC) is a key tool for understanding the complex interactions within the human brain, highlighting connections between various regions. This study delves into the multifaceted influences shaping functional magnetic resonance imaging FC patterns during movie watching, focusing on the effects of sex, age, and movie clip. Leveraging the Human Connectome Project dataset, we systematically examine FC patterns elicited during movie watching. Notably, sex-specific variations in FC are observed, with females exhibiting heightened FC within visual, limbic, and default mode networks, while males display predominant intra-network connectivity within somatomotor and attention networks. Age-related variations further manifest, revealing FC increases with age in early adulthood (21-35 years old) within some specific networks. Moreover, our investigation unveils the profound influence of movie clips on FC patterns, with significant interactions observed between clips, sex, and age. Feature selection using the Average Cross-Session Correlation method highlights FC as distinct fingerprints of clips, and the Support Vector Machine classifier shows high accuracy (Accuracy > 0.9) when using these features. Our findings underscore the importance of considering individual demographic factors and external stimuli in understanding neural connectivity dynamics during movie-watching, with implications for both basic neuroscience research and clinical neuroimaging applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 6","pages":"116"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12241178/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144590439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Saiyi Jiao, Ke Wang, Jiahong Zeng, Zhenjiang Cui, Yudan Luo, Zaizhu Han
{"title":"\"Touching\" the brain: braille reading mitigates the SC-FC decoupling of brain networks in congenital blindness.","authors":"Saiyi Jiao, Ke Wang, Jiahong Zeng, Zhenjiang Cui, Yudan Luo, Zaizhu Han","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02975-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-025-02975-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acquired experiences are crucial for brain structure and function development, with a strong covariance between them. However, how experience deprivation reorganizes the covariance between structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC), and how newly acquired experience influences this plastic reorganization remain unclear. To address these, we recruited 21 congenitally blind (CB) participants and 21 normally sighted (NS) controls. Using multi-modal MRI and graph-theoretical analyses, we examined the topological properties, and then investigated the SC-FC coupling reorganization and its relationship with braille reading ability. Compared to the NS group, the CB group showed significant topological reorganization in structural networks and disrupted intra-hemispheric SC-FC coupling. Importantly, braille reading proficiency and earlier braille onset mitigated SC-FC decoupling, suggesting that braille reading partially rescued disrupted network. Our findings highlight dynamic network plasticity in compensating for visual loss, and underscore the importance of early braille acquisition in maintaining brain networks stability in congenital blindness.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 6","pages":"114"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144574819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alessia Pattaro, Marco Ghibaudi, Chiara Corrente, Nikita Telitsyn, Jean-Marie Graic, Luca Aresu, Chet C Sherwood, Luca Bonfanti
{"title":"Phylogenetic variation of layer II cortical immature neurons in dog and horse confirms covariance with brain size and neocortical surface.","authors":"Alessia Pattaro, Marco Ghibaudi, Chiara Corrente, Nikita Telitsyn, Jean-Marie Graic, Luca Aresu, Chet C Sherwood, Luca Bonfanti","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02981-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00429-025-02981-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent research in brain structural plasticity has identified \"immature\" or \"dormant\" neurons in layer II of the cerebral cortex (cortical immature neurons; cINs), cells that remain in a prolonged state of arrested development but retain the ability to resume maturation and integrate functionally into mature cortical circuits. These immature cells are far more abundant in large-brained mammals, being restricted to paleocortex (piriform cortex) in small-brained rodents and extending in the widely expanded neocortical mantle of species with large gyrencephalic brains. In a previous systematic analysis, using a comparable method for quantification in eight mammalian species, including mice, chimpanzees, and others of diverse phylogenetic backgrounds and neuroanatomical structure, cIN density showed covariation with brain size. Notably, however, members of the order Carnivora (cats and foxes) displayed the highest cIN densities with respect to sheep and chimpanzees, endowed with larger brains. Here we used the same method to characterize and quantify the cINs in the cerebral cortex of dogs (carnivores) and horses (herbivores with a very large brain) to investigate the position of these two species in the phylogenetic variation. Our results further strengthen the finding of covariance between cIN density and increasing brain size and confirm a relationship with neocortical expansion. These results support the emerging view that immature or dormant neurons may represent a reservoir of undifferentiated (stem cell-independent) neuronal cells for the widely expanded cortices of mammals endowed with high order cognitive functions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 6","pages":"115"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12234597/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144574820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Leftward asymmetry of the planum temporale and its association with language.","authors":"Emma M Karlsson, Sebastian Ocklenburg","doi":"10.1007/s00429-025-02980-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00429-025-02980-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Several cortical brain regions show structural left-right asymmetries. One of the most pronounced forms of structural asymmetry in the human brain is the leftward macrostructural asymmetry of the planum temporale, the posterior part of the superior surface of the temporal lobe. The planum temporale overlaps with Wernicke's area, a core structure in the brain network involved in sensory language processing. Therefore, several studies have investigated the association between macrostructural leftward asymmetries of the planum temporale and functional leftward asymmetries in language processing. However, the results of these studies have been ambiguous and sometimes contradictory. In this mini-review article, we argue that asymmetric structure-function associations in the language system cannot be fully understood by only examining averaged asymmetries obtained from macrostructural measures such as volume, cortical thickness, or surface area. Recent in-vivo neuroimaging studies, along with earlier post-mortem histological studies, suggest that the planum temporale also shows substantial leftward asymmetries in its microstructural organization. These microstructural asymmetries concern the columnar organization of the planum temporale and the density of neurites. Importantly, recent studies have shown that microstructural asymmetries in the planum temporale exhibit stronger associations with functional hemispheric lateralization of the language system than macrostructural ones. Based on these findings, we suggest that the association between structural and functional asymmetries in the language system can only be understood if macrostructural and microstructural asymmetries are both considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":9145,"journal":{"name":"Brain Structure & Function","volume":"230 6","pages":"112"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12227504/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144559098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}