Biology subjects

Kushinsky, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Kushinsky, D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Daily light-induced transcription in visual cortex neurons drives downward Firing Rate Homeostasis and stabilizes sensory processing

Balancing plasticity and stability in neural circuits is essential for an animals ability to learn from its environment while preserving the proper processing and perception of sensory information. However, unlike the mechanisms that drive plasticity in neural circuits, the activity-induced molecular mechanisms that convey functional stability remain poorly understood. Focusing on the visual cortex of adult mice and combining transcriptomics, electrophysiology and 2-photon imaging, we find that the daily appearance of light induces in excitatory neurons a large gene program along with rapid and transient shifts in the ratio of excitation and inhibition (E/I-ratio) and ongoing neural activity. Furthermore, we find that the light-induced transcription factor NPAS4 drives these daily normalizations of E/I-ratio and neural activity rates and that it stabilizes the neurons response properties. These findings indicate that daily sensory-induced transcription normalizes E/I-ratio and drives downward Firing Rate Homeostasis to maintain proper sensory processing and perception.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

2P-NucTag: on-demand phototagging for molecular analysis of functionally identified cortical neurons

Neural circuits are characterized by genetically and functionally diverse cell types. A mechanistic understanding of circuit function is predicated on linking the genetic and physiological properties of individual neurons. However, it remains highly challenging to map the molecular properties onto functionally heterogeneous neuronal subtypes in mammalian cortical circuits in vivo. Here, we introduce a high-throughput two-photon nuclear phototagging (2P-NucTag) approach for on-demand and indelible labeling of single neurons via a photoactivatable red fluorescent protein following in vivo functional characterization in behaving mice. Using this novel function-forward pipeline to selectively label and transcriptionally profile previously inaccessible place and silent cells in the hippocampus of behaving mice, we identify unexpected differences in gene expression between these hippocampal pyramidal neurons with distinct spatial coding properties. Thus, 2P-NucTag opens a new way to uncover the molecular principles that govern the functional organization of neural circuits. One-Sentence Summary2P-NucTag - A novel high-throughput on-demand phototagging approach to identify selective gene expression of functionally distinct neurons in vivo in behaving animals.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

In vivo Effects of Temperature on the Heart and Pyloric Rhythms in the Crab, Cancer borealis

Summary StatementTemperature elevation increases the frequency of the heart and pyloric rhythms of the crab, Cancer borealis, but the heart rhythm has a higher critical temperature than the pyloric rhythm.\n\nAbstractThe heart and pyloric rhythms of crustaceans have been studied separately and extensively over many years. Local and hormonal neuromodulation and sensory inputs onto these central pattern generating circuits play a significant role in the animals responses to perturbations, but are usually lost or removed during in vitro studies. To examine simultaneously the in vivo motor output of the heart and pyloric rhythms, we used photoplethysmography (PPG). In the population measured (n = 49), the heart rhythm frequencies ranged from 0.3-2.3 Hz. The pyloric rhythms varied from 0.2-1.6 Hz. During multiple hour-long recordings, many animals held at control temperature showed strong inhibitory bouts in which the heart decreased in frequency or become quiescent and the pyloric rhythm also decreased in frequency. Many animals show significant coherence in frequency between the rhythms at the frequency of the heart rhythm. We measured the simultaneous responses of the rhythms to temperature ramps by heating or cooling the saline bath while recording both the heart and pyloric muscle movements. Q10s, critical temperatures (temperatures at which function is compromised), and changes in frequency were calculated for each of the rhythms tested. The heart rhythm was more robust to high temperature than the pyloric rhythm.

neuroscience↗