Radial astrocyte synchronization modulates the visual system during behavioral-state transitions.

Glial cells support the function of neurons. Recent evidence shows that astrocytes are also involved in brain computations. To explore whether and how their excitable nature affects brain computations and motor behaviors, we used two-photon Ca imaging of zebrafish larvae expressing GCaMP in both neurons and radial astrocytes (RAs).

A protocol for whole-brain Ca imaging in Astyanax mexicanus, a model of comparative evolution.

In this protocol, we describe a comparative approach to study the evolution of brain function in the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. We developed surface fish and two independent populations of cavefish with pan-neuronal expression of the Ca sensor GCaMP6s. We describe a methodology to prepare samples and image activity across the optic tectum and olfactory bulb.

Blind cavefish retain functional connectivity in the tectum despite loss of retinal input.

Sensory systems display remarkable plasticity and are under strong evolutionary selection. The Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, consists of eyed river-dwelling surface populations and multiple independent cave populations that have converged on eye loss, providing the opportunity to examine the evolution of sensory circuits in response to environmental perturbation. Functional analysis across multiple transgenic populations expressing GCaMP6s showed that functional connectivity of the optic tectum largely did not differ between populations, except for the selective loss of negatively correlated activity within the cavefish tectum, suggesting positively correlated neural activity is resistant to an evolved loss of input from the retina.

Fourier Motion Processing in the Optic Tectum and Pretectum of the Zebrafish Larva.

In the presence of moving visual stimuli, the majority of animals follow the Fourier motion energy (luminance), independently of other stimulus features (edges, contrast, etc.). While the behavioral response to Fourier motion has been studied in the past, how Fourier motion is represented and processed by sensory brain areas remains elusive.

Naturalistic Behavior: The Zebrafish Larva Strikes Back.

Two recent studies show that zebrafish larvae alternate between two behavioral modes: exploration and hunting. Both behaviors are structured on multiple time scales, and require the integration of internal and external cues to generate sequences of stereotyped swimming movements.

Sensorimotor Transformations in the Zebrafish Auditory System.

Organisms use their sensory systems to acquire information from their environment and integrate this information to produce relevant behaviors. Nevertheless, how sensory information is converted into adequate motor patterns in the brain remains an open question. Here, we addressed this question using two-photon and light-sheet calcium imaging in intact, behaving zebrafish larvae.

Functional Integration of Newborn Neurons in the Zebrafish Optic Tectum.

Neurogenesis persists during adulthood in restricted parts of the vertebrate brain. In the optic tectum (OT) of the zebrafish larva, newborn neurons are continuously added and contribute to visual information processing. Recent studies have started to describe the functional development and fate of newborn neurons in the OT.

Principles of Functional Circuit Connectivity: Insights From Spontaneous Activity in the Zebrafish Optic Tectum.

The brain is continuously active, even in the absence of external stimulation. In the optic tectum of the zebrafish larva, this spontaneous activity is spatially organized and reflects the circuit's functional connectivity. The structure of the spontaneous activity displayed patterns associated with aspects of the larva's preferences when engaging in complex visuo-motor behaviors, suggesting that the tectal circuit is adapted for the circuit's functional role in detecting visual cues and generating adequate motor behaviors.

An integrated calcium imaging processing toolbox for the analysis of neuronal population dynamics.

The development of new imaging and optogenetics techniques to study the dynamics of large neuronal circuits is generating datasets of unprecedented volume and complexity, demanding the development of appropriate analysis tools. We present a comprehensive computational workflow for the analysis of neuronal population calcium dynamics. The toolbox includes newly developed algorithms and interactive tools for image pre-processing and segmentation, estimation of significant single-neuron single-trial signals, mapping event-related neuronal responses, detection of activity-correlated neuronal clusters, exploration of population dynamics, and analysis of clusters' features against surrogate control datasets.

Functional Interactions between Newborn and Mature Neurons Leading to Integration into Established Neuronal Circuits.

From development up to adulthood, the vertebrate brain is continuously supplied with newborn neurons that integrate into established mature circuits. However, how this process is coordinated during development remains unclear. Using two-photon imaging, GCaMP5 transgenic zebrafish larvae, and sparse electroporation in the larva's optic tectum, we monitored spontaneous and induced activity of large neuronal populations containing newborn and functionally mature neurons.

The Emergence of the Spatial Structure of Tectal Spontaneous Activity Is Independent of Visual Inputs.

The brain is spontaneously active, even in the absence of sensory stimulation. The functionally mature zebrafish optic tectum shows spontaneous activity patterns reflecting a functional connectivity adapted for the circuit's functional role and predictive of behavior. However, neither the emergence of these patterns during development nor the role of retinal inputs in their maturation has been characterized.

Sustained Rhythmic Brain Activity Underlies Visual Motion Perception in Zebrafish.

Following moving visual stimuli (conditioning stimuli, CS), many organisms perceive, in the absence of physical stimuli, illusory motion in the opposite direction. This phenomenon is known as the motion aftereffect (MAE). Here, we use MAE as a tool to study the neuronal basis of visual motion perception in zebrafish larvae.

A 2D virtual reality system for visual goal-driven navigation in zebrafish larvae.

Animals continuously rely on sensory feedback to adjust motor commands. In order to study the role of visual feedback in goal-driven navigation, we developed a 2D visual virtual reality system for zebrafish larvae. The visual feedback can be set to be similar to what the animal experiences in natural conditions.

A microfluidic device to study neuronal and motor responses to acute chemical stimuli in zebrafish.

Zebrafish larva is a unique model for whole-brain functional imaging and to study sensory-motor integration in the vertebrate brain. To take full advantage of this system, one needs to design sensory environments that can mimic the complex spatiotemporal stimulus patterns experienced by the animal in natural conditions. We report on a novel open-ended microfluidic device that delivers pulses of chemical stimuli to agarose-restrained larvae with near-millisecond switching rate and unprecedented spatial and concentration accuracy and reproducibility.

Spontaneous neuronal network dynamics reveal circuit's functional adaptations for behavior.

Spontaneous neuronal activity is spatiotemporally structured, influencing brain computations. Nevertheless, the neuronal interactions underlying these spontaneous activity patterns, and their biological relevance, remain elusive. Here, we addressed these questions using two-photon calcium imaging of intact zebrafish larvae to monitor the neuron-to-neuron spontaneous activity fine structure in the tectum, a region involved in visual spatial detection.

Monitoring tectal neuronal activities and motor behavior in zebrafish larvae.

To understand how visuomotor behaviors are controlled by the nervous system, it is necessary to monitor the activity of large populations of neurons with single-cell resolution over a large area of the brain in a relatively simple, behaving organism. The zebrafish larva, a small lower vertebrate with transparent skin, serves as an excellent model for this purpose. Immediately after the larva hatches, it needs to catch prey and avoid predators.

The first mecp2-null zebrafish model shows altered motor behaviors.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder and one of the most common causes of mental retardation in affected girls. Other symptoms include a rapid regression of motor and cognitive skills after an apparently early normal development. Sporadic mutations in the transcription factor MECP2 has been shown to be present in more than 90% of the patients and several models of MeCP2-deficient mice have been created to understand the role of this gene.

Fast functional imaging of multiple brain regions in intact zebrafish larvae using selective plane illumination microscopy.

The optical transparency and the small dimensions of zebrafish at the larval stage make it a vertebrate model of choice for brain-wide in-vivo functional imaging. However, current point-scanning imaging techniques, such as two-photon or confocal microscopy, impose a strong limit on acquisition speed which in turn sets the number of neurons that can be simultaneously recorded. At 5 Hz, this number is of the order of one thousand, i.

Region-specific contribution of ephrin-B and Wnt signaling to receptive field plasticity in developing optic tectum.

Ephrin-B/EphB and Wnts are known to regulate synapse maturation and plasticity, besides serving as axon guidance molecules, but the relevance of such synaptic regulation to neural circuit functions in vivo remains unclear. In this study, we have examined the role of ephrin-B and Wnt signaling in regulating visual experience-dependent and developmental plasticity of receptive fields (RFs) of tectal cells in the developing Xenopus optic tectum. We found that repetitive exposure to unidirectional moving visual stimuli caused varying degrees of shift in the RFs in different regions of the tectum.

Nonsomatotopic organization of the higher motor centers in octopus.

Hyperredundant limbs with a virtually unlimited number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) pose a challenge for both biological and computational systems of motor control. In the flexible arms of the octopus, simplification strategies have evolved to reduce the number of controlled DOFs. Motor control in the octopus nervous system is hierarchically organized.

Entrained rhythmic activities of neuronal ensembles as perceptual memory of time interval.

The ability to process temporal information is fundamental to sensory perception, cognitive processing and motor behaviour of all living organisms, from amoebae to humans. Neural circuit mechanisms based on neuronal and synaptic properties have been shown to process temporal information over the range of tens of microseconds to hundreds of milliseconds. How neural circuits process temporal information in the range of seconds to minutes is much less understood.

LKB1/STRAD promotes axon initiation during neuronal polarization.

Axon/dendrite differentiation is a critical step in neuronal development. In cultured hippocampal neurons, the accumulation of LKB1 and STRAD, two interacting proteins critical for establishing epithelial polarity, in an undifferentiated neurite correlates with its subsequent axon differentiation. Downregulation of either LKB1 or STRAD by siRNAs prevented axon differentiation, and overexpression of these proteins led to multiple axon formation.