An intracellular Ca2+ subsystem as a biologically plausible source of intrinsic conditional bistability in a network model of working memory

We have developed a firing rate network model for working memory that combines Mexican-hat-like synaptic coupling with intrinsic or cellular dynamics that are conditionally bistable. While our approach is in the spirit of Camperi and Wang (1998) we include a specific and plausible mechanism for the cellular bistability. Modulatory neurotransmitters are known to activate second messenger signaling systems, and our model includes an intracellular Ca²⁺ handling subsystem whose dynamics depend upon the level of the second messenger inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate (IP3). This Ca²⁺ subsystem endows individual units with conditional intrinsic bistability for a range of IP3. The full “hybrid” network sustains IP3-dependent persistent (“bump”) activity in response to a brief transient stimulus. The bump response in our hybrid model, like that of Camperi-Wang, is resistant to noise – its position does not drift with time. Action Editor: Upinder Bhalla     

Induction of a non-specific permeability transition in mitochondria from Yarrowia lipolytica and Dipodascus (Endomyces) magnusii yeasts

In this study we used tightly-coupled mitochondria from Yarrowia lipolytica and Dipodascus (Endomyces) magnusii yeasts, possessing a respiratory chain with the usual three points of energy conservation. High-amplitude swelling and collapse of the membrane potential were used as parameters for demonstrating induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition due to opening of a pore (mPTP). Mitochondria from Y. lipolytica, lacking a natural mitochondrial Ca²⁺ uptake pathway, and from D. magnusii, harboring a high-capacitive, regulated mitochondrial Ca²⁺ transport system (Bazhenova et al. J Biol Chem 273:4372–4377, 1998a; Bazhenova et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1371:96–100, 1998b; Deryabina and Zvyagilskaya Biochemistry (Moscow) 65:1352–1356, 2000; Deryabina et al. J Biol Chem 276:47801–47806, 2001) were very resistant to Ca²⁺ overload. However, exposure of yeast mitochondria to 50–100 μM Ca²⁺ in the presence of the Ca²⁺ ionophore ETH129 induced collapse of the membrane potential, possibly due to activation of the fatty acid-dependent Ca²⁺/nH⁺-antiporter, with no classical mPTP induction. The absence of response in yeast mitochondria was not simply due to structural limitations, since large-amplitude swelling occurred in the presence of alamethicin, a hydrophobic, helical peptide, forming voltage-sensitive ion channels in lipid membranes. Ca²⁺- ETH129-induced activation of the Ca²⁺/H⁺-antiport system was inhibited and prevented by bovine serum albumin, and partially by inorganic phosphate and ATP. We subjected yeast mitochondria to other conditions known to induce the permeability transition in animal mitochondria, i.e., Ca²⁺ overload (in the presence of ETH129) combined with palmitic acid (Mironova et al. J Bioenerg Biomembr 33:319–331, 2001; Sultan and Sokolove Arch Biochem Biophys 386:37–51, 2001), SH-reagents, carboxyatractyloside (an inhibitor of the ADP/ATP translocator), depletion of intramitochondrial adenine nucleotide pools, deenergization of mitochondria, and shifting to acidic pH values in the presence of high phosphate concentrations. None of the above-mentioned substances or conditions induced a mPTP-like pore. It is thus evident that the permeability transition in yeast mitochondria is not coupled with Ca²⁺ uptake and is differently regulated compared to the mPTP of animal mitochondria.     

Capacity analysis in multi-state synaptic models: a retrieval probability perspective

We define the memory capacity of networks of binary neurons with finite-state synapses in terms of retrieval probabilities of learned patterns under standard asynchronous dynamics with a predetermined threshold. The threshold is set to control the proportion of non-selective neurons that fire. An optimal inhibition level is chosen to stabilize network behavior. For any local learning rule we provide a computationally efficient and highly accurate approximation to the retrieval probability of a pattern as a function of its age. The method is applied to the sequential models (Fusi and Abbott, Nat Neurosci 10:485–493, 2007) and meta-plasticity models (Fusi et al., Neuron 45(4):599–611, 2005; Leibold and Kempter, Cereb Cortex 18:67–77, 2008). We show that as the number of synaptic states increases, the capacity, as defined here, either plateaus or decreases. In the few cases where multi-state models exceed the capacity of binary synapse models the improvement is small.     

Background-activity-dependent properties of a network model for working memory that incorporates cellular bistability

In models of working memory, transient stimuli are encoded by feature-selective persistent neural activity. Network models of working memory are also implicitly bistable. In the absence of a brief stimulus, only spontaneous, low-level, and presumably nonpatterned neural activity is seen. In many working-memory models, local recurrent excitation combined with long-range inhibition (Mexican hat coupling) can result in a network-induced, spatially localized persistent activity or “bump state” that coexists with a stable uniform state. There is now renewed interest in the concept that individual neurons might have some intrinsic ability to sustain persistent activity without recurrent network interactions. A recent visuospatial working-memory model (Camperi and Wang 1998) incorporates both intrinsic bistability of individual neurons within a firing rate network model and a single population of neurons on a ring with lateral inhibitory coupling. We have explored this model in more detail and have characterized the response properties with changes in background synaptic input I_o and stimulus width. We find that only a small range of I_o yields a working-memory-like coexistence of bump and uniform solutions that are both stable. There is a rather larger range where only the bump solution is stable that might correspond instead to a feature-selective long-term memory. Such a network therefore requires careful tuning to exhibit working-memory-like function. Interestingly, where bumps and uniform stable states coexist, we find a continuous family of stable bumps representing stimulus width. Thus, in the range of parameters corresponding to working memory, the model is capable of capturing a two-parameter family of stimulus features including both orientation and width.     

A Computational Analysis of Localized Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-Dynamics Generated by Heterogeneous Release Sites

We investigate the role of heterogeneous expression of IP₃R and RyR in generating diverse elementary Ca²⁺ signals. It has been shown empirically (Wojcikiewicz and Luo in Mol. Pharmacol. 53(4):656–662, 1998; Newton et al. in J. Biol. Chem. 269(46):28613–28619, 1994; Smedt et al. in Biochem. J. 322(Pt. 2):575–583, 1997) that tissues express various proportions of IP₃ and RyR isoforms and this expression is dynamically regulated (Parrington et al. in Dev. Biol. 203(2):451–461, 1998; Fissore et al. in Biol. Reprod. 60(1):49–57, 1999; Tovey et al. in J. Cell Sci. 114(Pt. 22):3979–3989, 2001). Although many previous theoretical studies have investigated the dynamics of localized calcium release sites (Swillens et al. in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96(24):13750–13755, 1999; Shuai and Jung in Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 100(2):506–510, 2003a; Shuai and Jung in Phys. Rev. E, Stat. Nonlinear Soft Matter Phys. 67(3 Pt. 1):031905, 2003b; Thul and Falcke in Biophys. J. 86(5):2660–2673, 2004; DeRemigio and Smith in Cell Calcium 38(2):73–86, 2005; Nguyen et al. in Bull. Math. Biol. 67(3):393–432, 2005), so far all such studies focused on release sites consisting of identical channel types. We have extended an existing mathematical model (Nguyen et al. in Bull. Math. Biol. 67(3):393–432, 2005) to release sites with two (or more) receptor types, each with its distinct channel kinetics. Mathematically, the release site is represented by a transition probability matrix for a collection of nonidentical stochastically gating channels coupled through a shared Ca²⁺ domain. We demonstrate that under certain conditions a previously defined mean-field approximation of the coupling strength does not accurately reproduce the release site dynamics. We develop a novel approximation and establish that its performance in these instances is superior. We use this mathematical framework to study the effect of heterogeneity in the Ca²⁺-regulation of two colocalized channel types on the release site dynamics. We consider release sites consisting of channels with both Ca²⁺-activation and inactivation (“four-state channels”) and channels with Ca²⁺-activation only (“two-state channels”) and show that for the appropriate parameter values, synchronous channel openings within a release site with any proportion of two-state to four-state channels are possible, however, the larger the proportion of two-state channels, the more sensitive the dynamics are to the exact spatial positioning of the channels and the distance between channels. Specifically, the clustering of even a small number of two-state channels interferes with puff/spark termination and increases puff durations or leads to a tonic response.     

Mitochondria from Dipodascus (Endomyces) magnusii and Yarrowia lipolytica yeasts did not undergo a Ca2+-dependent permeability transition even under anaerobic conditions

In this study we used tightly-coupled mitochondria from Yarrowia lipolytica and Dipodascus (Endomyces) magnusii yeasts. The two yeast strains are good alternatives to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, being aerobes containing well-structured mitochondria (thus ensuring less structural limitation to observe their appreciable swelling) and fully competent respiratory chain with three invariantly functioning energy conservation points, including Complex I, that can be involved in induction of the canonical Ca²⁺/P_i-dependent mitochondrial permeability transition (mPTP pore) with an increased open probability when electron flux increases (Fontaine et al. J Biol Chem 273:25734–25740, 1998; Bernardi et al. FEBS J 273:2077–2099, 2006). High-amplitude swelling and collapse of the membrane potential were used as parameters for demonstrating pore opening. Previously (Kovaleva et al. J Bioenerg Biomembr 41:239–249, 2009; Kovaleva et al. Biochemistry (Moscow) 75:297–303, 2010) we have shown that mitochondria from Y. lipolytica and D. magnusii were very resistant to the Ca²⁺ overload combined with varying concentrations of P_i, palmitic acid, SH-reagents, carboxyatractyloside (an inhibitor of ADP/ATP translocator), as well as depletion of intramitochondrial adenine nucleotide pools, deenergization of mitochondria, and shifting to acidic pH values in the presence of high [P_i]. Here we subjected yeast mitochondria to other conditions known to induce an mPTP in animal and plant mitochondria, namely to Ca²⁺ overload under hypoxic conditions (anaerobiosis). We were unable to observe Ca²⁺-induced high permeability of the inner membrane of D. magnusii and Y. lipolytica yeast mitochondria under anaerobic conditions, thus suggesting that an mPTP-like pore, if it ever occurs in yeast mitochondria, is not coupled with the Ca²⁺ uptake. The results provide the first demonstration of ATP-dependent energization of yeast mitochondria under conditions of anaerobiosis.     

A Model of Visuospatial Working Memory in Prefrontal Cortex: Recurrent Network and Cellular Bistability

We report a computer simulation of the visuospatial delayed-response experiments of Funahashi et al. (1989), using a firing-rate model that combines intrinsic cellular bistability with the recurrent local network architecture of the neocortex. In our model, the visuospatial working memory is stored in the form of a continuum of network activity profiles that coexist with a spontaneous activity state. These neuronal firing patterns provide a population code for the cue position in a graded manner. We show that neuronal persistent activity and tuning curves of delay-period activity (memory fields) can be generated by an excitatory feedback circuit and recurrent synaptic inhibition. However, if the memory fields are constructed solely by network mechanisms, noise may induce a random drift over time in the encoded cue position, so that the working memory storage becomes unreliable. Furthermore, a distraction stimulus presented during the delay period produces a systematic shift in the encoded cue position. We found that the working memory performance can be rendered robust against noise and distraction stimuli if single neurons are endowed with cellular bistability (presumably due to intrinsic ion channel mechanisms) that is conditional and realized only with sustained synaptic inputs from the recurrent network. We discuss how cellular bistability at the single cell level may be detected by analysis of spike trains recorded during delay-period activity and how local modulation of intrinsic cell properties and/or synaptic transmission can alter the memory fields of individual neurons in the prefrontal cortex.     

On visual pigment templates and the spectral shape of invertebrate rhodopsins and metarhodopsins

The absorbance spectra of visual pigments can be approximated with mathematical expressions using as single parameter the absorbance peak wavelength. A comparison of the formulae of Stavenga et al. in Vision Res 33:1011–1017 (1993) and Govardovskii et al. in Vis Neurosci 17:509–528 (2000) applied to a number of invertebrate rhodopsins reveals that both templates well describe the normalized α-band of rhodopsins with peak wavelength > 400 nm; the template spectra are virtually indistinguishable in an absorbance range of about three log units. The template formulae of Govardovskii et al. in Vis Neurosci 17:509–528 (2000) describe the rhodopsin spectra better for absorbances below 10⁻³. The template predicted spectra deviate in the ultraviolet wavelength range from each other as well as from measured spectra, preventing a definite conclusion about the spectral shape in the wavelength range <400 nm. The metarhodopsin spectra of blowfly and fruitfly R1-6 photoreceptors derived from measured data appear to be virtually identical. The established templates describe the spectral shape of fly metarhodopsin reasonably well. However, the best fitting template spectrum slightly deviates from the experimental spectra near the peak and in the long-wavelength tail. Improved formulae for fitting the fly metarhodopsin spectra are proposed.     

Spatiotemporal pattern of calcium activity in astrocytic network

Ca²⁺ influx through an astrocyte plasma membrane is mediated by ionotropic receptors and Ca²⁺ channels according the electrochemical gradient. These conductances allow astrocytes to sense the levels of neuronal activity and environmental changes. Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger (NCX) removes elevated Ca²⁺ from the cell but can reverse and bring Ca²⁺ in. Ca²⁺ entry through the plasma membrane produces local Ca²⁺ elevations that can be further amplified by Ca²⁺ induced activation of inositol-3-phosphate (IP₃) receptors and subsequent Ca²⁺ release from intracellular Ca²⁺ stores. These Ca²⁺ stores are located in astrocytic processes called branchlets, while perisynaptic astrocytic processes are formed by organelle-free leaflets. Such morphological structure suggests separate synaptic and extrasynaptic mechanisms of Ca²⁺ signaling in astrocytes. Astrocytic leaflets sense synaptic activity, astrocytic branchlets integrate signals arriving from the leaflets and from extrasynaptic inputs. The surface-to-volume ratio (SVR) of the branchlets sets the threshold for generation of spreading Ca²⁺ events. Therefore, morphological remodeling of the processes is an important regulator of astrocytic Ca²⁺ activity. Ca²⁺ events can propagate beyond single astrocytes and form complex spatiotemporal patterns of Ca²⁺ activity in the astrocytic network. Ca²⁺ events spread intercellularly through gap-junctions and via extracellular ATP diffusion. Spatially and temporarily organized Ca²⁺ events in astrocytic network influence variable numbers of synapses and neuronal compartments, gate excitation flow and synaptic plasticity in the neuronal network through the release of gliotransmitters. Thus, multiple patterns of Ca²⁺ activity in the astrocytic network (guiding templates) determine multiple states of the neuronal network. This phenomenon may be linked to learning, memory and information processing in the brain.     

Spike timing dependent plasticity promotes synchrony of inhibitory networks in the presence of heterogeneity

Recently Haas et al. (J Neurophysiol 96: 3305–3313, 2006), observed a novel form of spike timing dependent plasticity (iSTDP) in GABAergic synaptic couplings in layer II of the entorhinal cortex. Depending on the relative timings of the presynaptic input at time t _pre and the postsynaptic excitation at time t _post, the synapse is strengthened (Δt = t _post − t _pre > 0) or weakened (Δt < 0). The temporal dynamic range of the observed STDP rule was found to lie in the higher gamma frequency band (≥40 Hz), a frequency range important for several vital neuronal tasks. In this paper we study the function of this novel form of iSTDP in the synchronization of the inhibitory neuronal network. In particular we consider a network of two unidirectionally coupled interneurons (UCI) and two mutually coupled interneurons (MCI), in the presence of heterogeneity in the intrinsic firing rates of each coupled neuron. Using the method of spike time response curve (STRC), we show how iSTDP influences the dynamics of the coupled neurons, such that the pair synchronizes under moderately large heterogeneity in the firing rates. Using the general properties of the STRC for a Type-1 neuron model (Ermentrout, Neural Comput 8:979–1001, 1996) and the observed iSTDP we determine conditions on the initial configuration of the UCI network that would result in 1:1 in-phase synchrony between the two coupled neurons. We then demonstrate a similar enhancement of synchrony in the MCI with dynamic synaptic modulation. For the MCI we also consider heterogeneity introduced in the network through the synaptic parameters: the synaptic decay time of mutual inhibition and the self inhibition synaptic strength. We show that the MCI exhibits enhanced synchrony in the presence of all the above mentioned sources of heterogeneity and the mechanism for this enhanced synchrony is similar to the case of the UCI.     

Shaping bursting by electrical coupling and noise

Gap-junctional coupling is an important way of communication between neurons and other excitable cells. Strong electrical coupling synchronizes activity across cell ensembles. Surprisingly, in the presence of noise synchronous oscillations generated by an electrically coupled network may differ qualitatively from the oscillations produced by uncoupled individual cells forming the network. A prominent example of such behavior is the synchronized bursting in islets of Langerhans formed by pancreatic β-cells, which in isolation are known to exhibit irregular spiking (Sherman and Rinzel, Biophys J 54:411–425, 1988; Sherman and Rinzel, Biophys J 59:547–559, 1991). At the heart of this intriguing phenomenon lies denoising, a remarkable ability of electrical coupling to diminish the effects of noise acting on individual cells. In this paper, building on an earlier analysis of denoising in networks of integrate-and-fire neurons (Medvedev, Neural Comput 21 (11):3057–3078, 2009) and our recent study of spontaneous activity in a closely related model of the Locus Coeruleus network (Medvedev and Zhuravytska, The geometry of spontaneous spiking in neuronal networks, submitted, 2012), we derive quantitative estimates characterizing denoising in electrically coupled networks of conductance-based models of square wave bursting cells. Our analysis reveals the interplay of the intrinsic properties of the individual cells and network topology and their respective contributions to this important effect. In particular, we show that networks on graphs with large algebraic connectivity (Fiedler, Czech Math J 23(98):298–305, 1973) or small total effective resistance (Bollobas, Modern graph theory, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol. 184, Springer, New York, 1998) are better equipped for implementing denoising. As a by-product of the analysis of denoising, we analytically estimate the rate with which trajectories converge to the synchronization subspace and the stability of the latter to random perturbations. These estimates reveal the role of the network topology in synchronization. The analysis is complemented by numerical simulations of electrically coupled conductance-based networks. Taken together, these results explain the mechanisms underlying synchronization and denoising in an important class of biological models.     

Physiological aspects of the mitochondrial cyclosporin A-insensitive palmitate/Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-induced pore: tissue specificity,age profile and dependence on the animal’s adaptation to hypoxia

Earlier we found that being added to rat liver mitochondria, palmitic acid (Pal) plus Ca²⁺ opened a cyclosporin A-insensitive pore, which remained open for a short time. Apparently, this pore is involved in the Pal-induced apoptosis and may also take part in the mitochondrial Ca²⁺ recycling as a Ca²⁺ efflux system (Belosludtsev et al. J Bioenerg Biomembr 38:113–120, 2006; Mironova et al. J. Bioenerg. Biomembr. 39:167–174, 2007). In this paper, we continue studying physiological and regulatory aspects of the pore. The following observations have been made. (1) Cardiolipin has been found to facilitate the Ca²⁺-induced formation of pores in the Pal-containing liposomal membranes. (2) The opening of Pal/Ca²⁺-induced pore is accompanied by the release of apoptosis-induced factor (AIF) from mitochondria. (3) The rate of Pal/Ca²⁺-induced swelling of rat liver mitochondria increases substantially with the age of animals. (4) Although the Pal/Ca²⁺-induced pore opens both in the liver and heart mitochondria, the latter require higher Pal concentrations for the pore to open. (5) The pore opening depends on the resistance of animals to hypoxia: in the highly resistant to hypoxia rats, the mitochondrial Pal/Ca²⁺-induced pore opens easier than in the low resistant animals, this being opposite for the classical, cyclosporin A-sensitive MPT pore. The adaptation of the low resistant rats to oxygen deficiency increases the sensitivity of their mitochondria to PalCaP inductors. The paper also discusses a possible role of the mitochondrial Pal/Ca²⁺-induced pore in the protection of tissues against hypoxia.     

β-Amyloid enhances intracellular calcium rises mediated by repeated activation of intracellular calcium stores and nicotinic receptors in acutely dissociated rat basal forebrain neurons

β-Amyloid, a 39–43 amino acid peptide, may exert its biological effects via neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Using the ratiometric dye, fura-2, we examined the effect of soluble β-amyloid_1–42 on the concentration of intracellular Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_i) in acutely dissociated rat basal forebrain neurons. Focal applications of nicotine (0.5–20 mM), evoked dose-dependent increases in intracellular [Ca²⁺]_i that were mediated by the entry of extracellular Ca²⁺ via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and the release of intracellular Ca²⁺ from stores. With repeated nicotine challenges, the nicotinic responses were potentiated by 98 ± 12% (P < 0.05) while β-amyloid_1–42 (100 nM) was present for ∼5 min. This potentiation became larger during the subsequent washout of β-amyloid_1–42, which was associated with a gradual rise in baseline [Ca²⁺]_i. Application of β-amyloid_1–42 by itself did not alter [Ca²⁺]_i, and β-amyloid_1–42 also had no significant effect on the response to repeated KCl challenges. Therefore, β-amyloid_1–42 caused neither gross disturbance of cellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis nor enhancement of voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels. Interestingly, β-amyloid_1–42 transiently potentiated the response to repeated caffeine challenges, which was also associated with a transient rise in baseline [Ca²⁺]_i. β-amyloid_1–42 potentiation of nicotine-evoked rises in [Ca²⁺]_i was reversed by the SERCA pump inhibitor, thapsigargin, and the mitochondrial Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger inhibitor, CGP-37157. These results suggest that the dysregulation of [Ca²⁺]_i by β-amyloid_1–42 during multiple challenges with nicotine or caffeine involved the sensitization or overfilling of intracellular stores that are maintained by SERCA pump and Ca²⁺ efflux from the mitochondria.     

Temperature controls a latitudinal gradient in the proportion of watershed nitrogen exported to coastal ecosystems

Increased export of biologically available nitrogen (N) to the coastal zone is strongly linked to eutrophication, which is a major problem in coastal marine ecosystems (NRC (2000) Clean Coastal Waters: Understanding and Reducing the Effects of Nutrient Pollution. National Academy Press, Washington, DC; Bricker et al. (1999) National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment. Effects of nutrient enrichment in the nation’s estuaries. NOAA-NOS Special Projects Office, Silver Spring, MD). However, not all of the nitrogen input to a watershed is exported to the coast (Howarth et al. (1996) Biogeochemistry 35:75–139; Jordan and Weller (1996) Bioscience 46:655–664). Global estimates of nitrogen export to coasts have been taken to be 25% of watershed input, based largely on northeastern U.S. observations (Galloway et al. (2004) Biogeochemistry 70:153–226; Boyer et al. (2006) Global Biogeochem Cycle 20:Art. No. GB1S91). We applied the N budgeting methodology developed for the International SCOPE Nitrogen project (Howarth et al. (1996) Biogeochemistry 35:75–139; Boyer et al. (2002) Biogeochemistry 57:137–169) to 12 watersheds in the southeastern U.S., and compared them with estimates of N export for 16 watersheds in the northeastern U.S. (Boyer et al. (2002) Biogeochemistry 57:137–169). In southeastern watersheds, average N export was only 9% of input, suggesting the need for downward revision of global estimates. The difference between northern and southern watersheds is not a function of the absolute value of N inputs, which spanned a comparable range and were positively related to export in both cases. Rather, the proportion of N exported was significantly related to average watershed temperature (% N export = 58.41 e^{−0.11 * temperature}; R ² = 0.76), with lower proportionate nitrogen export in warmer watersheds. In addition, we identified a threshold in proportionate N export at 38°N latitude that corresponds to a reported breakpoint in the rate of denitrification at 10–12°C. We hypothesize that temperature, by regulating denitrification, results in increased proportionate N export at higher latitudes. Regardless of the mechanism, these observations suggest that temperature increases associated with future climate change may well reduce the amount of nitrogen that reaches estuaries, which will have implications for coastal eutrophication.     

Age- and sex-dependent alterations in primary somatosensory cortex neuronal calcium network dynamics during locomotion

Over the past 30 years, the calcium (Ca²⁺) hypothesis of brain aging has provided clear evidence that hippocampal neuronal Ca²⁺ dysregulation is a key biomarker of aging. Age-dependent Ca²⁺-mediated changes in intrinsic excitability, synaptic plasticity, and activity have helped identify some of the mechanisms engaged in memory and cognitive decline based on work done mostly at the single-cell level and in the slice preparation. Recently, our lab identified age- and Ca²⁺-related neuronal network dysregulation in the cortex of the anesthetized animal. Still, investigations in the awake animal are needed to test the generalizability of the Ca²⁺ hypothesis of brain aging. Here, we used in vigilo two-photon imaging in ambulating mice, to image GCaMP8f in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), during ambulation and at rest. We investigated aging- and sex-related changes in neuronal networks in the C56BL/6J mouse. Following imaging, gait behavior was characterized to test for changes in locomotor stability. During ambulation, in both young adult and aged mice, an increase in network connectivity and synchronicity was noted. An age-dependent increase in synchronicity was seen in ambulating aged males only. Additionally, females displayed increases in the number of active neurons, Ca²⁺ transients, and neuronal activity compared to males, particularly during ambulation. These results suggest S1 Ca²⁺ dynamics and network synchronicity are likely contributors of locomotor stability. We believe this work raises awareness of age- and sex-dependent alterations in S1 neuronal networks, perhaps underlying the increase in falls with age.     

Attractor models of working memory and their modulation by reward

This work reports an empirical examination of two key issues in theoretical neuroscience: distractibility in the context of working memory (WM) and its reward dependence. While these issues have been examined fruitfully in isolation (e.g. Macoveanu et al. in Biol Cybern 96(4): 407–19, 2007), we address them here in tandem, with a focus on how distractibility and reward interact. In particular, we parameterise an observation model that embodies the nonlinear form of such interactions, as described in a recent neuronal network model (Gruber et al. in J Comput Neurosci 20:153–166, 2006). We observe that memory for a target stimulus can be corrupted by distracters in the delay period. Interestingly, in contrast to our theoretical predictions, this corruption was only partial. Distracters do not simply overwrite target; rather, a compromise is reached between target and distracter. Finally, we observed a trend towards a reduced distractibility under conditions of high reward. We discuss the implications of these findings for theoretical formulations of basal and dopamine (DA)-modulated neural bump- attractor networks of working memory.     

Two Types of Pharmacologically Distinct Ca2+ Currents with Voltage-dependent Similarities in Zona Fasciculata Cells Isolated from Bovine Adrenal Gland

Voltage-activated Ca²⁺ currents, in zona fasciculata cells isolated from calf adrenal gland, were characterized using perforated patch-clamp recording. In control solution (Ca²⁺: 2.5 mm) a transient inward current was followed, in 40% of the cells, by a sustained one. In 20 mm Ba²⁺, 61% of the cells displayed an inward current, which consisted of transient and sustained components. The other cells produced either a sustained or a transient inward current. These different patterns were dependent upon time in culture. Current-voltage relationships show that both the transient and sustained components activated, peaked and reversed at similar potentials: −40, 0 and +60 mV, respectively. The two components, fully inactivated at −10 mV, were separated by double-pulse protocols from different holding potentials where the transient component could be inactivated or reactivated. The decaying phase of the sustained component was fitted by a double exponential (time constants: 1.9 and 20 sec at +10 mV); that of the transient component was fitted by a single exponential (time constant: 19 msec at +10 mV). Steady-state activation and inactivation curves of the two components were superimposed. Their half activation and inactivation potentials were similar, about −15 and −34 mV, respectively. The sustained component was larger in Ba²⁺ than in Sr²⁺ and Ca²⁺. Ni²⁺ (20 μm) selectively blocked the transient component while Cd²⁺ (10 μm) selectively blocked the sustained one. (±)Bay K 8644 (0.5 μm) increased the sustained component and nitrendipine (0.5–1 μm) blocked it selectively. The sustained component was inhibited by calciseptine (1 μm). Both components were unaffected by ω-conotoxin GVIA and MVIIC (0.5 μm). These results show that two distinct populations of Ca²⁺ channels coexist in this cell type. Although the voltage dependence of their activation and inactivation are comparable, these two components of the inward current are similar to T- and L-type currents described in other cells. Received: 12 July 1999/Revised: 5 October 1999     

A Cellular Mechanism for Graded Persistent Activity in a Model Neuron and Its Implications in Working Memory

Working memory represents the ability of the brain to hold information for relatively short periods of time. Working memory is believed mediated by persistent neuronal firing. A broadly accepted hypothesis is that persistent activity is generated by reverberating synaptic input. However, single cortical neurons capable of showing persistent firing were recently reported. In this modeling study, we propose a cellular mechanism to generate persistent firing of multiple firing rates in single neurons. In the proposed mechanism, bistable concentrations of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃) and Ca²⁺ is achieved by IP₃ formation and IP₃-induced Ca²⁺ release from stores in multiple subcellular domains. A postsynaptic firing rate-dependent switching of these bistable elements can demonstrate graded persistent firing of the rat entorhinal neurons. Such a firing rate-dependent switching may be extended to a variety of intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling cascades.     

A database of computational models of a half-center oscillator for analyzing how neuronal parameters influence network activity

A half-center oscillator (HCO) is a common circuit building block of central pattern generator networks that produce rhythmic motor patterns in animals. Here we constructed an efficient relational database table with the resulting characteristics of the Hill et al.’s (J Comput Neurosci 10:281–302, 2001) HCO simple conductance-based model. The model consists of two reciprocally inhibitory neurons and replicates the electrical activity of the oscillator interneurons of the leech heartbeat central pattern generator under a variety of experimental conditions. Our long-range goal is to understand how this basic circuit building block produces functional activity under a variety of parameter regimes and how different parameter regimes influence stability and modulatability. By using the latest developments in computer technology, we simulated and stored large amounts of data (on the order of terabytes). We systematically explored the parameter space of the HCO and corresponding isolated neuron models using a brute-force approach. We varied a set of selected parameters (maximal conductance of intrinsic and synaptic currents) in all combinations, resulting in about 10 million simulations. We classified these HCO and isolated neuron model simulations by their activity characteristics into identifiable groups and quantified their prevalence. By querying the database, we compared the activity characteristics of the identified groups of our simulated HCO models with those of our simulated isolated neuron models and found that regularly bursting neurons compose only a small minority of functional HCO models; the vast majority was composed of spiking neurons.