Aged rats: recovery of motor impairments by intrastriatal nigral grafts

Dissociated cell suspensions, prepared from the substantia nigra and septal regions of rat embryos, can be grafted to the depths of the caudate-putamen and hippocampus of aged rats. The grafts were rich in dopamine-containing and acetylcholinesterase-positive neurons and had produced extensive new dopaminergic and cholinergic terminal networks in the host neostriatum and hippocampus, respectively. The intrastriatal dopaminergic grafts were associated with a significant improvement in motor coordination in the aged rats. This result suggests that the intracerebral grafting technique may provide a new tool for exploring the role of dopaminergic and cholinergic deficits in the neurological and behavioral impairments associated with aging.     

Spatial selectivity of rat hippocampal neurons: dependence on preparedness for movement

The mammalian hippocampal formation appears to play a major role in the generation of internal representations of spatial relationships. In rats, this role is reflected in the spatially selective discharge of hippocampal pyramidal cells. The principal metric for coding spatial relationships might be the organism's own movements in space, that is, the spatial relationship between two locations is coded in terms of the movements executed in getting from one to the other. Thus, information from the motor programming systems (or "motor set") may contribute to coding of spatial location by hippocampal neurons. Spatially selective discharge of hippocampal neurons was abolished under conditions of restraint in which the animal had learned that locomotion was impossible. Therefore, hippocampal neuronal activity may reflect the association of movements with their spatial consequences.     

大白鼠大脑新皮质组织移植形态学及神经纤维联系的研究

用Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠脑新皮质组织移植于同种幼鼠相应区域，术后分别于７天，１５天，３０天，６０天、１５０天应用光镜，电镜、免疫组织化学及酶组织化学的方法，观察移植物生长与发育成熟的形态特征，并应用辣极过氧化物酶追踪技术观察移植物和受体脑之间的神经纤维联系。结果表明：大部分移植物内的神经元不仅能存活，且能生长发育成熟为和受体脑相似的正常神经元，部分存活的移植物和受体脑之间可形成程度不同的神经纤维联系。     

Major dissociation between medial and lateral entorhinal input to dorsal hippocampus

Hippocampal place cells are a model system of how the brain constructs cognitive representations and of how these representations support complex behavior, learning, and memory. There is, however, a lack of detailed knowledge about the properties of hippocampal afferents. We recorded multiple single units from the hippocampus and the medial and lateral entorhinal areas of behaving rats. Although many medial entorhinal neurons had highly specific place fields, lateral entorhinal neurons displayed weak spatial specificity. This finding demonstrates a fundamental dissociation between the information conveyed to the hippocampus by its major input streams, with spatial information represented by the medial and nonspatial information represented by the lateral entorhinal cortex.     

Muscarinic depression of long-term potentiation in CA3 hippocampal neurons

Behavioral studies have suggested that muscarinic cholinergic systems have an important role in learning and memory. A muscarinic cholinergic agonist is now shown to affect synaptic plasticity in the CA3 region of the hippocampal slice. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of the mossy fiber-CA3 synapse was blocked by muscarine. Low concentrations of muscarine (1 micromolar) had little effect on low-frequency (0.2 hertz) synaptic stimulation but did significantly reduce the magnitude and probability of induction of LTP. Experiments under voltage clamp showed that muscarine blocked the increase in excitatory synaptic conductance normally associated with LTP at this synapse. These results suggest a possible role for cholinergic systems in synaptic plasticity.     

Nerve growth factor treatment after brain injury prevents neuronal death

Cholinergic neuronal degeneration after axotomy has been proposed to be due to the loss of a retrogradely transported neurotrophic factor, possibly nerve growth factor (NGF). To test this hypothesis, NGF was continuously infused into the lateral ventricles of adult rats that had received bilateral lesions of all cholinergic axons projecting from the medial septum to the dorsal hippocampus. After 2 weeks of NGF treatment, identification of cholinergic neurons by the presence of the biosynthetic enzyme choline acetyltransferase revealed a dramatic increase (350%) in the survival of the axotomized septal cholinergic neurons. Thus, NGF or an NGF-like molecule can act as a neurotrophic factor for these neurons.     

Loss of hippocampal theta rhythm results in spatial memory deficit in the rat

Rats learned, using distal room cues, to run to a goal on an elevated, circular track starting from any position on the track. The goal was one of eight equidistant, recessed cups set around the track, the goal cup being distinguished from the others solely by its position in the room. After learning, electrolytic lesions were made in the medial septal nucleus eliminating hippocampal theta rhythm in some animals but not in others. Rats without theta rhythm were no longer able to perform the spatial task, whereas rats with undisturbed theta rhythm retrained normal performance. Although rats without theta rhythm could not find their way directly to the goal, they recognized its location when they came upon it by chance. This type of spatial deficit appears similar to that shown by hippocampally lesioned patient H.M. Subsequent tests demonstrated that rats deprived of theta rhythm before training could nevertheless learn the task.     

Plasticity of hippocampal circuitry in Alzheimer's disease

Two markers of neuronal plasticity were used to compare the response of the human central nervous system to neuronal loss resulting from Alzheimer's disease with the response of rats to a similar neuronal loss induced by lesions. In rats that had received lesions of the entorhinal cortex, axon sprouting of commissural and associational fibers into the denervated molecular layer of the dentate gyrus was paralleled by a spread in the distribution of tritiated kainic acid-binding sites. A similar expansion of kainic acid receptor distribution was observed in hippocampal samples obtained postmortem from patients with Alzheimer's disease. An enhancement of acetylcholinesterase activity in the dentate gyrus molecular layer, indicative of septal afferent sprouting, was also observed in those patients with a minimal loss of cholinergic neurons. These results are evidence that the central nervous system is capable of a plastic response in Alzheimer's disease. Adaptive growth responses occur along with the degenerative events.     

大鼠全脑缺血前注射灯盏花素对再灌后海马神经元内钙离子浓度的影响

目的观察灯盏花素对大鼠脑缺血再灌后海马CA1区神经元内游离钙离子浓度的影响。方法采用钙离子成像系统检测海马CA1区神经元内钙离子浓度。实验分为(1)正常组:大鼠不做任何处理,直接断头取脑分离出神经元,观察神经元内钙离子浓度;(2)再灌注组:制作大鼠的全脑缺血模型,并以再灌后分1.5、3.0、4.5、6.0 h 4个时间点进行观察;(3)灯盏花素组:在制作全脑缺血模型前15 min腹腔注射灯盏花素50 mg/kg,并以再灌后分1.5、3.0、4.5、6.0 h 4个时间点进行观察。每组(时间点)均检测11个神经元。结果再灌注组再灌后1.5、3.0、4.5 h时间点与正常组比较,Ca2 浓度升高(P<0.05或P<0.01);再灌后6.0 h神经元内游离Ca2 浓度与正常组比较,差异无统计学意义。灯盏花素组再灌后1.5、4.5 h时间点Ca2 浓度比再灌组相同时间点低(P<0.01);而再灌后3.0、6.0 h Ca2 浓度与再灌组相应时间点比较,差异无统计学意义。结论全脑缺血前给予灯盏花素可降低全脑缺血再灌后大鼠海马CA1区神经元内游离Ca2 浓度。     

Choline acetyltransferase activity is increased in combined cultures of spinal cord and muscle cells from mice

The activity of choline acetyltransferase was more than tenfold greater in combined cultures of spinal cord and muscle cells than in cultures of spinal cord cells alone. This increase was associated with the formation of functional neuromuscular junctions in culture. Counts of silver-stained cells and determinations of other enzyme activities indicated that the increased choline acetyltransferase activity was not due to nonspecific neuronal survival but reflected greater activity in the surviving neurons. Hence, muscle had a marked, highly specific trophic effect on the cholinergic neurons that innervated it.     

Learning induces long-term potentiation in the hippocampus

Years of intensive investigation have yielded a sophisticated understanding of long-term potentiation (LTP) induced in hippocampal area CA1 by high-frequency stimulation (HFS). These efforts have been motivated by the belief that similar synaptic modifications occur during memory formation, but it has never been shown that learning actually induces LTP in CA1. We found that one-trial inhibitory avoidance learning in rats produced the same changes in hippocampal glutamate receptors as induction of LTP with HFS and caused a spatially restricted increase in the amplitude of evoked synaptic transmission in CA1 in vivo. Because the learning-induced synaptic potentiation occluded HFS-induced LTP, we conclude that inhibitory avoidance training induces LTP in CA1.     

Single neurons in the monkey hippocampus and learning of new associations

The medial temporal lobe is crucial for the ability to learn and retain new declarative memories. This form of memory includes the ability to quickly establish novel associations between unrelated items. To better understand the patterns of neural activity during associative memory formation, we recorded the activity of hippocampal neurons of macaque monkeys as they learned new associations. Hippocampal neurons signaled learning by changing their stimulus-selective response properties. This change in the pattern of selective neural activity occurred before, at the same time as, or after learning, which suggests that these neurons are involved in the initial formation of new associative memories.     

Awake hippocampal sharp-wave ripples support spatial memory

The hippocampus is critical for spatial learning and memory. Hippocampal neurons in awake animals exhibit place field activity that encodes current location, as well as sharp-wave ripple (SWR) activity during which representations based on past experiences are often replayed. The relationship between these patterns of activity and the memory functions of the hippocampus is poorly understood. We interrupted awake SWRs in animals learning a spatial alternation task. We observed a specific learning and performance deficit that persisted throughout training. This deficit was associated with awake SWR activity, as SWR interruption left place field activity and post-experience SWR reactivation intact. These results provide a link between awake SWRs and hippocampal memory processes, which suggests that awake replay of memory-related information during SWRs supports learning and memory-guided decision-making.     

Grafting genetically modified cells to the damaged brain: restorative effects of NGF expression

Fibroblasts were genetically modified to secrete nerve growth factor (NGF) by infection with a retroviral vector and then implanted into the brains of rats that had surgical lesions of the fimbria-fornix. The grafted cells survived and produced sufficient NGF to prevent the degeneration of cholinergic neurons that would die without treatment. In addition, the protected cholinergic cells sprouted axons that projected in the direction of the cellular source of NGF. These results indicate that a combination of gene transfer and intracerebral grafting may provide an effective treatment for some disorders of the central nervous system.     

Hippocampal place fields emerge upon single-cell manipulation of excitability during behavior

The origin of the spatial receptive fields of hippocampal place cells has not been established. A hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell receives thousands of synaptic inputs, mostly from other spatially tuned neurons; however, how the postsynaptic neuron's cellular properties determine the response to these inputs during behavior is unknown. We discovered that, contrary to expectations from basic models of place cells and neuronal integration, a small, spatially uniform depolarization of the spatially untuned somatic membrane potential of a silent cell leads to the sudden and reversible emergence of a spatially tuned subthreshold response and place-field spiking. Such gating of inputs by postsynaptic neuronal excitability reveals a cellular mechanism for receptive field origin and may be critical for the formation of hippocampal memory representations.     

Prolonged Ca2+-dependent afterhyperpolarizations in hippocampal neurons of aged rats

The possibility that calcium is elevated in brain neurons during aging was examined by quantifying afterhyperpolarizations induced by spike bursts in CAl neurons of hippocampal slices from young and aged rats. The afterhyperpolarizations result from Ca2+-dependent K+ conductance increases and are blocked in medium low in Ca2+ and prolonged in medium high in Ca2+. The afterhyperpolarization and associated conductance increases were considerably prolonged in cells from aged rats, although inhibitory postsynaptic potentials did not differ with age. Since elevated intracellular Ca2+ can exert deleterious effects on neurons, the data suggest that altered Ca2+ homeostasis may play a significant role in normal brain aging.     

Corticosteroid modulation of hippocampal potentials: increased effect with aging

Adrenal steroids bind specifically to hippocampal neurons under normal conditions and may contribute to hippocampal cell loss during aging, but little is known about the neurophysiological mechanisms by which they may change hippocampal cell functions. In the present studies, adrenal steroids have been shown to modulate a well-defined membrane conductance in hippocampal pyramidal cells. The calcium-dependent slow afterhyperpolarization is reduced in hippocampal slices from adrenalectomized rats, and it is increased after in vivo or in vitro administration of the adrenal steroid, corticosterone. Calcium action potentials are also reduced in adrenalectomized animals, indicating that the primary effect of corticosteroids may be on calcium conductance. The afterhyperpolarization component reduced by adrenalectomy is greater in aged rats than in young rats, suggesting that, with aging, there is an increased effect of corticosteroids on some calcium-mediated brain processes. Because elevated concentrations of intracellular calcium can be cytotoxic, these observations may increase the understanding of glucocorticoid involvement in brain aging as well as of the normal functions of these steroids in the brain.     

高糖培养对乳鼠海马神经元存活及c-fos蛋白表达影响

目的探讨高糖培养对乳鼠海马神经元存活及c-fos蛋白表达影响。方法无血清体外培养方法获得新生SD乳鼠海马神经元,分为正常组和高糖6、12、18、24h共5组。分别用PI/Hoechest33342染色法、免疫荧光细胞化学法检测检测海马神经元存活率及c-fos蛋白表达。结果高糖24h组海马神经元存活率明显低于正常组及高糖6、12、18h组(P<0.01)。高糖处理后,c-fos蛋白表达在6h开始出现,12h达高峰,此后逐渐下降(P<0.01)。结论高糖培养导致的乳鼠海马神经元存活率下降与c-fos蛋白表达有关。     

The primate hippocampal formation: evidence for a time-limited role in memory storage

Clinical and experimental studies have shown that the hippocampal formation and related structures in the medial temporal lobe are important for learning and memory. Retrograde amnesia was studied prospectively in monkeys to understand the contribution of the hippocampal formation to memory function. Monkeys learned to discriminate 100 pairs of objects beginning 16, 12, 8, 4, and 2 weeks before the hippocampal formation was removed (20 different pairs at each time period). Two weeks after surgery, memory was assessed by presenting each of the 100 object pairs again for a single-choice trial. Normal monkeys exhibited forgetting; that is, they remembered recently learned objects better than objects learned many weeks earlier. Monkeys with hippocampal damage were severely impaired at remembering recently learned objects. In addition, they remembered objects learned long ago as well as normal monkeys did and significantly better than they remembered objects learned recently. These results show that the hippocampal formation is required for memory storage for only a limited period of time after learning. As time passes, its role in memory diminishes, and a more permanent memory gradually develops independently of the hippocampal formation, probably in neocortex.     

Cholinergic interneurons control local circuit activity and cocaine conditioning

Cholinergic neurons are widespread, and pharmacological modulation of acetylcholine receptors affects numerous brain processes, but such modulation entails side effects due to limitations in specificity for receptor type and target cell. As a result, causal roles of cholinergic neurons in circuits have been unclear. We integrated optogenetics, freely moving mammalian behavior, in vivo electrophysiology, and slice physiology to probe the cholinergic interneurons of the nucleus accumbens by direct excitation or inhibition. Despite representing less than 1% of local neurons, these cholinergic cells have dominant control roles, exerting powerful modulation of circuit activity. Furthermore, these neurons could be activated by cocaine, and silencing this drug-induced activity during cocaine exposure (despite the fact that the manipulation of the cholinergic interneurons was not aversive by itself) blocked cocaine conditioning in freely moving mammals.