Cholinergic projection neurons of the nucleus basalis and substantia innominata (NBM/SI) densely innervate the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and have been shown to contribute to the encoding of fundamental and life-threatening experiences. Given the vital importance of these circuits in the acquisition and retention of memories that are essential for survival in a changing environment, it is not surprising that the basic anatomical organization of the NBM/SI is well conserved across animal classes as diverse as teleost and mammal. What is not known is the extent to which the physiology and morphology of NBM/SI neurons have also been conserved. To address this issue, we made patch-clamp recordings from NBM/SI neurons in ex vivo slices of two widely divergent mammalian species, mouse and rhesus macaque, focusing our efforts on cholinergic neurons that project to the BLA. We then reconstructed most of these recorded neurons post hoc to characterize neuronal morphology. We found that rhesus macaque BLA-projecting cholinergic neurons were both more intrinsically excitable and less morphologically compact than their mouse homologs. Combining measurements of 18 physiological features and 13 morphological features, we illustrate the extent of the separation. Although macaque and mouse neurons both exhibited considerable within-group diversity and overlapped with each other on multiple individual metrics, a combined morphoelectric analysis demonstrates that they form two distinct neuronal classes. Given the shared purpose of the circuits in which these neurons participate, this finding raises questions about (and offers constraints on) how these distinct classes result in similar behavior.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cne.70001 | DOI Listing |
Brain Res
December 2024
Geriatric Department, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China. Electronic address:
Since the discovery of orexin/hypocretin, numerous studies have accumulated evidence demonstrating its key role in various aspects of neuromodulation, including addiction, motivation, and arousal. This paper focuses on the projection of orexin neurons to specific target brain regions through distinct neural pathways to regulate sleep and arousal. We provide a detailed discussion of the projection mechanisms of orexin neurons to downstream neurons, particularly emphasizing their activation of monoaminergic and cholinergic neurons associated with arousal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
December 2024
Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
December 2024
Center for Genomic and Regenerative Medicine, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan.
Sleep bruxism (SB) involves involuntary jaw movements during sleep and is potentially caused by motor neuronal hyperexcitability and GABAergic system dysfunction. However, the molecular basis remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate changes in the expression of several genes associated with the pathophysiology of SB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioorg Chem
December 2024
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei 230012, China. Electronic address:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the depletion of cholinergic neurons and the accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques. The complexity and multifaceted nature of AD necessitate further exploration of multi-target drugs for its treatment. In this study, a series of novel pyrazolinone-based compounds were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors and antioxidants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
December 2024
Brain Signalling Laboratory, Section for Physiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
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