Lighting Up Neural Circuits by Viral Tracing.

Neurosci Bull

Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China.

Published: November 2022

Neurons are highly interwoven to form intricate neural circuits that underlie the diverse functions of the brain. Dissecting the anatomical organization of neural circuits is key to deciphering how the brain processes information, produces thoughts, and instructs behaviors. Over the past decades, recombinant viral vectors have become the most commonly used tracing tools to define circuit architecture. In this review, we introduce the current categories of viral tools and their proper application in circuit tracing. We further discuss some advances in viral tracing strategy and prospective innovations of viral tools for future study.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9672192PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12264-022-00860-7DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

neural circuits
12
viral tracing
8
viral tools
8
viral
5
lighting neural
4
circuits viral
4
tracing
4
tracing neurons
4
neurons highly
4
highly interwoven
4

Similar Publications

A strong repetitive stimulus can occasionally enhance axonal excitability, leading to the generation of afterdischarge. This afterdischarge outlasts the stimulus period and originates either from the physiological spike initiation site, typically the axon initial segment, or from ectopic sites for spike generation. One of the possible mechanisms underlying the stimulus-induced ectopic afterdischarge is the local depolarization due to accumulated potassium ions surrounding the axonal membranes of the distal portion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Neuronal structure is disrupted after spinal cord injury (SCI), causing functional impairment. The effectiveness of exercise therapy (ET) in clinical settings for nerve remodeling post-SCI and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to explore the effects and related mechanisms of ET on nerve remodeling in SCI rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The vergence neural system was stimulated to dissect the afferent and efferent components of symmetrical vergence eye movement step responses. The hypothesis tested was whether the afferent regions of interest would differ from the efferent regions to serve as comparative data for future clinical patient population studies.

Methods: Thirty binocularly normal participants participated in an oculomotor symmetrical vergence step block task within a functional MRI experiment compared to a similar sensory task where the participants did not elicit vergence eye movements.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dopaminergic modulation of propofol-induced activation in VLPO neurons: the role of D1 receptors in sleep-promoting neural circuits.

Front Neurosci

January 2025

The Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Organ Protection, The Key Laboratory of Brain Science, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.

Background: The ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) is a crucial regulator of sleep, and its neurons are implicated in both sleep-wake regulation and anesthesia-induced loss of consciousness. Propofol (PRO), a widely used intravenous anesthetic, modulates the activity of VLPO neurons, but the underlying mechanisms, particularly the role of dopaminergic receptors, remain unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of PRO on NA (-) neurons in the VLPO and to determine the involvement of D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors in mediating these effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Treadmill exercise prevents stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors via enhancing the excitatory input from the primary motor cortex to the thalamocortical circuit.

Nat Commun

January 2025

Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.

Physical exercise effectively prevents anxiety disorders caused by environmental stress. The neural circuitry mechanism, however, remains incomplete. Here, we identified a previously unrecognized pathway originating from the primary motor cortex (M1) to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) via the ventromedial thalamic (VM) nuclei in male mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!