Faculty Bibliography

Temporal focusing (TF) nonlinear microscopy enables simultaneous illumination of relatively large areas while maintaining optical sectioning, by relying on the sensitivity of multiphoton processes to pulse duration. Line temporal focusing (LITEF) combines temporal focusing in one plane (xz) and spatial focusing in the perpendicular plane (yz). The additional spatial focusing improves optical sectioning compared to wide field temporal focusing and exhibits improved performance in scattering medium. Two photon microscopy's ultimate depth of penetration is limited by out-of-focus excitation. This work explores whether LITEF can be used to address this limitation. Here, we present experimental results displaying the feasibility of ultra-deep penetration two-photon excitation in scattering media (>>1mm) using LITEF without significant distortions or out-of-focus-excitation. Our experimental setup is based on an amplified 800nm ultrafast laser where a dual-prism grating (DPG) is used as a diffractive element, allowing light to propagate on-axis throughout the optical setup, and providing a high diffraction efficiency. These results present new opportunities for ultra deep, optically sectioned 3D two photon imaging and stimulation within scattering biological tissue, beyond the known out-of-focus excitation limit.

Activity-dependent trafficking of AMPA receptors to synapses regulates synaptic strength. Activation of the NMDA receptor induces several second messenger pathways that contribute to receptor trafficking-dependent plasticity, including the NO pathway, which elevates cGMP. In turn, cGMP activates the cGMP-dependent protein kinase type II (cGKII), which phosphorylates the AMPA receptor subunit GluA1 at serine 845, a critical step facilitating synaptic delivery in the mechanism of activity-dependent synaptic potentiation. Since cGKII is expressed in the striatum, amygdala, cerebral cortex, and hippocampus, it has been proposed that mice lacking cGKII may present phenotypic differences compared to their wild-type littermates in emotion-dependent tasks, learning and memory, and drug reward salience. Previous studies have shown that cGKII KO mice ingest higher amounts of ethanol as well as exhibit elevated anxiety levels compared to wild-type (WT) littermates. Here, we show that cGKII KO mice are significantly deficient in spatial learning while exhibiting facilitated motor coordination, demonstrating a clear dependence of memory-based tasks on cGKII. We also show diminished GluA1 phosphorylation in the postsynaptic density (PSD) of cGKII KO prefrontal cortex while in hippocampal PSD fractions, phosphorylation was not significantly altered. These data suggest that the role of cGKII may be more robust in particular brain regions, thereby impacting complex behaviors dependent on these regions differently.

Synaptic plasticity in many regions of the central nervous system leads to the continuous adjustment of synaptic strength, which is essential for learning and memory. In this study, we show by visualizing synaptic vesicle release in mouse hippocampal synaptosomes that presynaptic mitochondria and, specifically, their capacities for ATP production are essential determinants of synaptic vesicle exocytosis and its magnitude. Total internal reflection microscopy of FM1-43 loaded hippocampal synaptosomes showed that inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation reduces evoked synaptic release. This reduction was accompanied by a substantial drop in synaptosomal ATP levels. However, cytosolic calcium influx was not affected. Structural characterization of stimulated hippocampal synaptosomes revealed that higher total presynaptic mitochondrial volumes were consistently associated with higher levels of exocytosis. Thus, synaptic vesicle release is linked to the presynaptic ability to regenerate ATP, which itself is a utility of mitochondrial density and activity.

Persistent forms of synaptic plasticity are widely thought to require the synthesis of new proteins. This feature of long-lasting forms of plasticity largely has been demonstrated using inhibitors of general protein synthesis, such as either anisomycin or emetine. However, these drugs, which inhibit elongation, cannot address detailed questions about the regulation of translation initiation, where the majority of translational control occurs. Moreover, general protein synthesis inhibitors cannot distinguish between cap-dependent and cap-independent modes of translation initiation. In the present study, we took advantage of two novel compounds, 4EGI-1 and hippuristanol, each of which targets a different component of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)4F initiation complex, and investigated their effects on long-term potentiation (LTP) at CA3-CA1 synapses in the hippocampus. We found that 4EGI-1 and hippuristanol both attenuated long-lasting late-phase LTP induced by two different stimulation paradigms. We also found that 4EGI-1 and hippuristanol each were capable of blocking the expression of newly synthesized proteins immediately after the induction of late-phase LTP. These new pharmacological tools allow for a more precise dissection of the role played by translational control pathways in synaptic plasticity and demonstrate the importance of multiple aspects of eIF4F in processes underlying hippocampal LTP, laying the foundation for future studies investigating the role of eIF4F in hippocampus-dependent memory processes.

Synapses and receptive fields of the cerebral cortex are plastic. However, changes to specific inputs must be coordinated within neural networks to ensure that excitability and feature selectivity are appropriately configured for perception of the sensory environment. We induced long-lasting enhancements and decrements to excitatory synaptic strength in rat primary auditory cortex by pairing acoustic stimuli with activation of the nucleus basalis neuromodulatory system. Here we report that these synaptic modifications were approximately balanced across individual receptive fields, conserving mean excitation while reducing overall response variability. Decreased response variability should increase detection and recognition of near-threshold or previously imperceptible stimuli. We confirmed both of these hypotheses in behaving animals. Thus, modification of cortical inputs leads to wide-scale synaptic changes, which are related to improved sensory perception and enhanced behavioral performance.

Riley Day syndrome, commonly referred to as familial dysautonomia (FD), is a genetic disease with extremely labile blood pressure owing to baroreflex deafferenation. Chronic renal disease is very frequent in these patients and was attributed to recurrent arterial hypotension and renal hypoperfusion. Aggressive treatment of hypotension, however, has not reduced its prevalence. We evaluated the frequency of kidney malformations as well as the impact of hypertension, hypotension and blood pressure variability on the severity of renal impairment. We also investigated the effect of fludrocortisone treatment on the progression of renal disease. Patients with FD appeared to have an increased incidence of hydronephrosis/reflux and patterning defects. Patients <4 years old had hypertension and normal estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR). Patients with more severe hypertension and greater variability in their blood pressure had worse renal function (both, P<0.01). In contrast, there was no relationship between eGFR and the lowest blood pressure recorded during upright tilt. The progression of renal disease was faster in patients receiving fludrocortisone (P<0.02). Hypertension precedes kidney disease in these patients. Moreover, increased blood pressure variability as well as mineralocorticoid treatment accelerate the progression of renal disease. No association was found between hypotension and renal disease in patients with FD.Journal of Human Hypertension advance online publication, 1 December 2011; doi:10.1038/jhh.2011.107