Distinct Olfactory Bulb-Cortex Neural Circuits Coordinate Cognitive Function in Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Cognitive dysfunction stands as a prevalent and consequential non-motor manifestation in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Although dysfunction of the olfactory system has been recognized as an important predictor of cognitive decline, the exact mechanism by which aberrant olfactory circuits contribute to cognitive dysfunction in PD is unclear. Here, we provide the first evidence for abnormal functional connectivity across olfactory bulb (OB) and piriform cortex (PC) or entorhinal cortex (EC) by clinical fMRI, and dysfunction of neural coherence in the olfactory system in PD mice. Moreover, we discovered that 2 subpopulations of mitral/tufted (M/T) cells in OB projecting to anterior PC (aPC) and EC precisely mediated the process of cognitive memory respectively by neural coherence at specific frequencies in mice. In addition, the transcriptomic profiling analysis and functional genetic regulation analysis further revealed that biorientation defective 1 ( Bod1 ) may play a pivotal role in encoding OB M/T -mediated cognitive function. We also verified that a new deep brain stimulation protocol in OB ameliorated the cognitive function of Bod1 -deficient mice and PD mice. Together, aberrant coherent activity in the olfactory system can serve as a biomarker for assessing cognitive function and provide a candidate therapeutic target for the treatment of PD.