Neuroscience

Background/Aims: The medial amygdala (MeA) responds to olfactory stimuli and alters reproductive physiology. However, the neuronal circuit that relays signals from the MeA to the reproductive axis remains poorly defined. This study aimed to test whether MeA kisspeptin (MeAKiss) neurons in male mice are sensitive to sexually relevant olfactory stimuli and transmit signals to alter reproductive physiology. We also investigated whether MeAKiss neurons have the capacity to elaborate glutamate and GABA neurotransmitters and potentially contribute to reproductive axis regulation.

Amygdala dysfunction has been implicated in numerous neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous studies in mice and humans, respectively, have linked Pac1r/PAC1R function to social behavior and PTSD-susceptibility. Based on this connection to social and emotional processing and the central role played by the amygdala in ASD, we examined a putative role for PAC1R in social deficits in ASD and determined the pattern of gene expression in the developing mouse and human amygdala.

The ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) enzymes are secreted, multi-domain matrix-associated zinc metalloendopeptidases that modify extracellular matrix components and play crucial roles in development and numerous diseases. ADAMTS18 is a member of the ADAMTS family, and genome-wide association studies made an initial association of ADAMTS18 with white matter integrity in healthy people of 72-74 years old. However, the potential roles of ADAMTS18 in central nervous system remain unclear.

The cochlear nucleus, located in the brainstem, receives its afferent auditory input exclusively from the auditory nerve fibers of the ipsilateral cochlea. Noise-induced neurodegenerative changes occurring in the auditory nerve stimulate a cascade of neuroplastic changes in the cochlear nucleus resulting in major changes in synaptic structure and function.

Local translation in neurites is considered as an important mechanism to modulate synaptic plasticity of neurons. However, it is hard to specifically express a protein-coding gene in neurites. Recently, the 5'-UTR of Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is reported to be able to drive its RNA to the dendrites of infected neurons, as a cis-acting RNA element. To construct a neurite specific gene expression system, present study tested the ability of 5'-UTR of TBEV to bring a mRNA (mCherry CDS) to the neurites for targeted expression.

Most genetic risk for psychiatric disease lies in regulatory regions, implicating pathogenic dysregulation of gene expression and splicing. However, comprehensive assessments of transcriptomic organization in diseased brains are limited. In this work, we integrated genotypes and RNA sequencing in brain samples from 1695 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, as well as controls.

Cellular senescence entails a stable cell-cycle arrest and a pro-inflammatory secretory phenotype, which contributes to aging and age-related diseases. Obesity is associated with increased senescent cell burden and neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression. To investigate the role of senescence in obesity-related neuropsychiatric dysfunction, we used the INK-ATTAC mouse model, from which p16Ink4a-expressing senescent cells can be eliminated, and senolytic drugs dasatinib and quercetin.

The type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2R) was initially regarded as a peripheral cannabinoid receptor. However, recent technological advances in gene detection, alongside the availability of transgenic mouse lines, indicate that CB2Rs are expressed in both neurons and glial cells in the brain under physiological and pathological conditions, and are involved in multiple functions at cellular and behavioral levels.

Transcriptomic profiling of complex tissues by single-nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) affords some advantages over single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq). snRNA-seq provides less biased cellular coverage, does not appear to suffer cell isolation-based transcriptional artifacts, and can be applied to archived frozen specimens. We used well-matched snRNA-seq and scRNA-seq datasets from mouse visual cortex to compare cell type detection.

The ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) harbors adult neural stem cells. V-SVZ neural stem cells exhibit features of astrocytes, have a regional identity, and depending on their location in the lateral or septal wall of the lateral ventricle, generate different types of neuronal and glial progeny. We performed large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing to provide a molecular atlas of cells from the lateral and septal adult V-SVZ of male and female mice. This revealed regional and sex differences among adult V-SVZ cells.