Localized chemogenetic silencing of inhibitory neurons: a novel mouse model of focal cortical epileptic activity.

Focal cortical epilepsies are frequently refractory to available anticonvulsant drug therapies. One key factor contributing to this state is the limited availability of animal models that allow to reliably study focal cortical seizures and how they recruit surrounding brain areas in vivo. In this study, we selectively expressed the inhibitory chemogenetic receptor, hM4D, in GABAergic neurons in focal cortical areas using viral gene transfer.

Mesopontine Neurons Implicated in Anesthetic Loss-of-consciousness have Either Ascending or Descending Axonal Projections, but Not Both.

The MPTA (mesopontine tegmental anesthesia area) is a key node in a network of axonal pathways that collectively engage the key components of general anesthesia: immobility and atonia, analgesia, amnesia and loss-of-consciousness. In this study we have applied double retrograde tracing to analyze MPTA connectivity, with a focus on axon collateralization. Prior tracer studies have shown that collectively, MPTA neurons send descending projections to spinal and medullary brain targets associated with atonia and analgesia as well as ascending projections to forebrain structures associated with amnesia and arousal.