Morphology of Dbx1 respiratory neurons in the preBötzinger complex and reticular formation of neonatal mice

Abstract

The relationship between neuron morphology and function is a perennial issue in neuroscience. Information about synaptic integration, network connectivity, and the specific roles of neuronal subpopulations can be obtained through morphological analysis of key neurons within a microcircuit. Here we present morphologies of two classes of brainstem respiratory neurons. First, interneurons derived from Dbx1-expressing precursors (Dbx1 neurons) in the preBötzinger complex (preBötC) of the ventral medulla that generate the rhythm for inspiratory breathing movements. Second, Dbx1 neurons of the intermediate reticular formation that influence the motor pattern of pharyngeal and lingual movements during the inspiratory phase of the breathing cycle. We describe the image acquisition and subsequent digitization of morphologies of respiratory Dbx1 neurons from the preBötC and the intermediate reticular formation that were first recorded in vitro. These data can be analyzed comparatively to examine how morphology influences the roles of Dbx1 preBötC and Dbx1 reticular interneurons in respiration and can also be utilized to create morphologically accurate compartmental models for simulation and modeling of respiratory circuits.

Unraveling the Mechanisms Underlying Irregularities in Inspiratory Rhythm Generation in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease

“…Next, we assessed the anatomic integrity of Dbx1 neurons, a specific subpopulation of glutamatergic neurons critical for rhythmogenesis and frequency control within the preBötC (Cui et al, 2016;Akins et al, 2017;Baertsch et al, 2018). Consistent with our observations in Vglut 2 -cre;Ai6 mice, we observed a significant reduction in the number of Dbx1 1 cells along the VRC of PD mice (1064 6 14 vs control: 2461 6 59 Dbx1 1 cells; t test, t = 10.0, p = 0.029; Fig.…”

“…To delimitate the ventral respiratory column (VRC) area, we used an ImageJ software to overlap a circle (radius of 60.82 mm) for all the pictures in the VRC. To delimitate this area, we used a dark field (non-fluorescent) to define anatomic and cytoarchitecture based on previous studies (Akins et al, 2017;Kottick et al, 2017;Baertsch et al, 2018;Vann et al, 2018;Oliveira et al, 2019). We choose to represent the VRC non-compartmentalized (i.e., BötC, preBötC, rVRG, and cVRG).…”

“…Once the section that contains the rostral portion of Amb (more densely packed) is the section that contains the rostral portion of the VRC. In a caudal direction the Amb turns in a semi-compacta portion, and non-compacta even more caudal (Akins et al, 2017;Kottick et al, 2017;Baertsch et al, 2018;Vann et al, 2018) and the VRC was analyzed in all that extension. PiCo was anatomically characterized by immunohistological labeling, revealing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)positive neurons located dorsomedial to Amb, located dorsal and caudal to the facial nucleus (Anderson et al, 2016;Toor et al, 2019).…”

An open repository for single-cell reconstructions of the brain forest

“…In this regard, before describing representative examples of re-usage application in the next section, it is worth mentioning that leading publishers, including Springer-Nature, Elsevier, and the Public Library of Science, recommend NeuroMorpho.Org as a trusted database for deposition of digitized morphological reconstructions. This is particularly important given the growing opportunity for ‘data publication’ 12 .…”

Quimiossensibilidade central e ritmicidade respiratória na Doença de Parkinson.

“…Além disso, ~56% expressam Cdh9 (um gene que possui relação com a geração de ação ou "arousal"), enquanto os restantes (~27% dos neurônios Dbx1) parecem ser exclusivamente ritmogênicos (Gray et al, 2010;Yackle et al, 2017). Com base na literatura e nos resultados atuais, foram quantificados 2.460 neurônios Dbx1 na CRV em animais saudáveis (Akins et al, 2017;Vann et al, 2018). Os camundongos induzidos à DP exibiram uma redução de 43% e específica dos neurônios que expressam este gene Dbx1, já que contamos apenas ~1.060 células Dbx1 + .…”