{"id":108953,"date":"2024-10-01T03:29:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T20:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108953"},"modified":"2024-10-01T03:29:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T20:29:38","slug":"new-brain-mapping-tool-reveals-detailed-neuronal-connections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108953","title":{"rendered":"New Brain Mapping Tool Reveals Detailed Neuronal Connections"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Summary: <\/strong>Scientists have developed a new brain-mapping tool called START, which combines transcriptomics and viral tracing to map the connections between specific neuronal subtypes with unprecedented detail. This technology allows researchers to identify distinct patterns of connectivity in inhibitory neurons within the cerebral cortex, providing a blueprint of the brain\u2019s circuits.<\/p>\n<p>By targeting these neuronal subtypes, the tool could lead to more precise treatments for neurological conditions like autism and schizophrenia. START\u2019s insights into brain microcircuits offer new avenues for developing therapeutics with fewer side effects than current approaches.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Facts<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>START maps specific neuronal subtypes\u2019 connections, enabling detailed brain circuit mapping.<\/li>\n<li>It identifies distinct inhibitory neuron subtypes in the cortex and their roles.<\/li>\n<li>This tool could lead to precision treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong>Salk Institute<\/p>\n<p><strong>Scientists at the Salk Institute are unveiling a new brain-mapping neurotechnology called Single Transcriptome Assisted Rabies Tracing (START). The cutting-edge tool combines two advanced technologies\u2014monosynaptic rabies virus tracing and single-cell transcriptomics\u2014to map the brain\u2019s intricate neuronal connections with unparalleled precision.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Using the technique, the researchers became the first to identify the patterns of connectivity made by transcriptomic subtypes of inhibitory neurons in the cerebral cortex.<\/p>\n<p>They say having this ability to map the connectivity of neuronal subtypes will drive the development of novel therapeutics that can target certain neurons and circuits with greater specificity.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><picture fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-104887\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience.jpg.webp 1200w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-300x181.jpg.webp 300w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-770x465.jpg.webp 770w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-293x177.jpg.webp 293w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-150x91.jpg.webp 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"725\" src=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience.jpg\" alt=\"This shows a neuron.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-770x465.jpg 770w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-293x177.jpg 293w, https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/files\/2024\/09\/brain-mapping-neuroscience-150x91.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/> <\/picture><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A cortical neuron labeled with monosynaptic rabies virus (orange). Credit: Salk Institute<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Such treatments could be more effective and produce fewer side effects than current pharmacological approaches.<\/p>\n<p>The study, published on September 30, 2024, in\u00a0<em>Neuron<\/em>, is the first to resolve cortical connectivity at the resolution of transcriptomic cell types.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to treating neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, we\u2019ve essentially been trying to fix a machine without fully understanding its parts,\u201d says senior author\u00a0Edward Callaway, professor and Vincent J. Coates Chair in Molecular Neurobiology at Salk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSTART is helping us create a detailed blueprint of the brain\u2019s many parts and how they all connect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s like trying to repair a car without knowing what an engine or an axle is, he says. But if you had a diagram of the car\u2019s parts, you could start to understand how they might work together to make the wheels spin and the car move. That knowledge would then make it much easier to spot a problem in the system and figure out which tools you\u2019ll need to fix it.<\/p>\n<p>When describing a brain\u2019s parts, neurons are initially grouped into two broad classes: excitatory (those that stimulate brain activity) and inhibitory (those that suppress activity)\u2014similar to the accelerator and brake in a car.<\/p>\n<p>From there they can be further sorted into subclasses: Excitatory neurons are categorized by the layer of the brain they\u2019re in while inhibitory neurons are identified by the marker proteins they express.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Recent advances in transcriptomics now allow these subclasses to be broken down even further. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, scientists can now group cells with similar gene expression patterns and define each cluster as a specific neuronal subtype.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefining a cell type is complicated because you might group cells differently depending on which method you\u2019re using to look at them,\u201d Callaway says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo cells can have slightly different gene expression patterns but perform a similar function, or two cells with similar gene expression could be further separated based on their anatomy, connectivity, or physiology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you only consider one of those features, you could end up over-splitting or under-splitting the groups. START helps us understand what level of categorization may be most meaningful to circuit function, and that will inform which cells to target with new therapeutics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To create START, the Callaway lab engineered a way to combine single-cell RNA sequencing with another technique they had developed previously:\u00a0monosynaptic rabies virus tracing.<\/p>\n<p>The approach lets a modified virus hop from one cell type of interest to only the cells directly connected to it. By detecting where the virus ends up, the researchers can map which cells are connected to which.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers first used their new tool to explore connectivity patterns in the mouse visual cortex. START was able to resolve around 50 different subtypes of inhibitory neurons in this region and map their connections to excitatory neurons in each layer of the cortex.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers\u2019 findings identified distinct connectivity patterns across various transcriptomic subtypes of inhibitory neurons that could not have been distinguished using previous methods.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople often treat all inhibitory neurons as a single uniform group, but they\u2019re actually very diverse, and trying to study or clinically target them as one group can obscure important differences that are critical to brain function and disease,\u201d says first author Maribel Pati\u00f1o, a former graduate student in Callaway\u2019s lab and current psychiatry resident at UC San Diego School of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p>START revealed that each cortical layer of excitatory neurons received selective input from specific transcriptomic subtypes of Sst, Pvalb, Vip, and Lamp5 inhibitory cells. Each subtype\u2019s unique connectivity helps establish sophisticated microcircuits that likely contribute to specialized brain functions.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the researchers were able to resolve an inhibitory subtype called Sst Chodl cells, which are thought to be associated with sleep regulation. Using START, they found that Chodl cells were the cell type most densely connected to layer 6 excitatory neurons, which are known to project to the thalamus to coordinate sleep rhythms.<\/p>\n<p>This unprecedented resolution will allow neuroscientists to continue uncovering how specific neuronal subtypes shape the brain\u2019s circuitry to produce our thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and behaviors.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers\u2019 next steps are to create viral vectors and gene-editing technologies that target each individual cell subtype. In the future, these tools could be adapted into novel therapeutics that selectively modify the specific neuron populations contributing to conditions such as autism, Rett syndrome, and schizophrenia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know exactly how this information is going to be used 10 or 20 years from now, but what we do know is that technologies are changing rapidly, and the way the brain is treated today with drugs is not the way the brain will be treated in the future,\u201d says Callaway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSTART can help drive this innovation, so the viruses and resources are all freely available for the entire neuroscience community to use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other authors include Marley A. Rossa, Willian Nu\u00f1ez Lagos, and Neelakshi S. Patne of the Salk Institute.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Funding: <\/strong>The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R34 NS116885, T32 GM007198, P30 014195, S10 OD023689) and the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About this brain mapping and neurotech research news<\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Author: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#1a6a687f69695a697b7671347f7e6f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salk Communications<\/a><br \/><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/salk.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Salk Institute<\/a><br \/><strong>Contact: <\/strong>Salk Communications \u2013 Salk Institute<br \/><strong>Image: <\/strong>The image is credited to Salk Institute<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ffffe8\"><strong>Original Research: <\/strong>Open access.<br \/>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/neuron\/fulltext\/S0896-6273(24)00651-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Transcriptomic cell-type specificity of local cortical circuits<\/a>\u201d by Edward Callaway et al. <em>Neuron<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-pale-cyan-blue-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-background\"\/>\n<p><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Transcriptomic cell-type specificity of local cortical circuits<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Complex neocortical functions rely on networks of diverse excitatory and inhibitory neurons. While local connectivity rules between major neuronal subclasses have been established, the specificity of connections at the level of transcriptomic subtypes remains unclear.<\/p>\n<p>We introduce single transcriptome assisted rabies tracing (START), a method combining monosynaptic rabies tracing and single-nuclei RNA sequencing to identify transcriptomic cell types, providing inputs to defined neuron populations.<\/p>\n<p> We employ START to transcriptomically characterize inhibitory neurons providing monosynaptic input to 5 different layer-specific excitatory cortical neuron populations in mouse primary visual cortex (V1).<\/p>\n<p>At the subclass level, we observe results consistent with findings from prior studies that resolve neuronal subclasses using antibody staining, transgenic mouse lines, and morphological reconstruction.<\/p>\n<p>With improved neuronal subtype granularity achieved with START, we demonstrate transcriptomic subtype specificity of inhibitory inputs to various excitatory neuron subclasses.<\/p>\n<p> These results establish local connectivity rules at the resolution of transcriptomic inhibitory cell types.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- Form created by Optin Forms plugin by WPKube: create beautiful optin forms with ease! --> <!-- https:\/\/wpkube.com\/ --><!--optinforms-form5-container--> <!-- \/ Optin Forms --> <\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/neurosciencenews.com\/start-brain-mapping-neurotech-27733\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary: Scientists have developed a new brain-mapping tool called START, which combines transcriptomics and viral tracing to map the connections between specific neuronal subtypes with unprecedented detail. 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