School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Center of Quantitative Biology, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Guangdong Institute of Intelligence Science and Technology, Hengqin, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519031, China. Electronic address:
Published: October 2024
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Spindle oscillation is a waxing-and-waning neural oscillation observed in the brain, initiated at the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) and typically occurring at 7-15 Hz. Experiments have shown that in the adult brain, electrical synapses, rather than chemical synapses, dominate between TRN neurons, suggesting that the traditional view of spindle generation via chemical synapses may need reconsideration. Based on known experimental data, we develop a computational model of the TRN network, where heterogeneous neurons are connected by electrical synapses. The model shows that the interplay between synchronizing electrical synapses and desynchronizing heterogeneity leads to multiple synchronized clusters with slightly different oscillation frequencies whose summed-up activity produces spindle oscillation as seen in local field potentials. Our results suggest that during spindle oscillation, the network operates at the critical state, which is known for facilitating efficient information processing. This study provides insights into the underlying mechanism of spindle oscillation and its functional significance.
The thalamus is the brain's central relay station, orchestrating sensory processing and cognitive functions. However, how thalamic function depends on internal and external states, is not well understood. A comprehensive understanding would necessitate the integration of single cell dynamics with their collective behavior at population level.
Sleep has been demonstrated to support memory formation from early life on. The precise temporal coupling of slow oscillations (SOs) with spindles has been suggested as a mechanism facilitating this consolidation process in thalamocortical networks. Here, we investigated the development of sleep spindles and SOs and their coordinate interplay by comparing frontal, central, and parietal electroencephalogram recordings during a nap between infants aged 2-3 months ( = 31) and toddlers aged 14-17 months ( = 49).
In metaphase, chromosomes undergo a back-and-forth movement between two spindle poles called chromosome oscillation. This dynamic is necessary to maintain the robustness of chromosome segregation. This chapter describes the materials and methods required to observe chromosome oscillation in mammalian cell lines and calculate the deviation of amplitude (DAP), which is used to quantify the degree of chromosome oscillation.
General anesthesia is a widely used medical practice, affecting more than 300 million patients annually. Despite its ubiquity, the underlying mechanisms through which anesthetic agents induce amnesia remain poorly understood. This review explores the impact of general anesthetics on memory function, with a particular focus on the role of neural oscillations in anesthesia-induced memory suppression.
Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710126, China; Intelligent Non-invasive Neuromodulation Technology and Transformation Joint Laboratory, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaan xi, 710126, China; Guangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Study Objective: With the growing prominence of peripheral nerve stimulation technology, the clinical applications and potential neurophysiological mechanisms of external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) have garnered increasing attention. Despite its status as the sole neuromodulation method commonly employed in sleep, no studies have explored the effects of eTNS at varying frequencies on sleep activities. This study aims to investigate the regulatory effects of high-frequency and low-frequency eTNS on sleep activities using polysomnography.
