Spontaneous Thalamic Activity Modulates the Cortical Innervation of the Primary Visual Nucleus of the Thalamus

Moreno‐Juan, Verónica; Aníbal-Martínez, Mar; Herrero-Navarro, Álvaro; Valdeolmillos, Miguel; Martini, Francisco J.; López‐Bendito, Guillermina

doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.022

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Despite this difference in spatiotemporal properties, both stage 1 and 2 waves that persist in the β2-nAChR-KO mice are blocked by gap junction receptor antagonist rather than blockers of fast neurotransmitter receptors ( Kirkby and Feller, 2013 ). Recent evidence suggests that embryonic activity throughout developing sensory system may influence many aspects of visual systems development ( Martini et al, 2021 ; Moreno-Juan et al, 2023 ). Whether the various visual system phenotypes observed in β2-nAChR-KO mice can be attributed in part to reduced stage 1 waves remains to be determined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circuit mechanisms underlying embryonic retinal waves

Voufo

Chen

Smith

et al. 2023

eLife

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Spontaneous activity is a hallmark of developing neural systems. In the retina, spontaneous activity comes in the form of retinal waves, comprised of three stages persisting from embryonic day 16 (E16) to eye opening at postnatal day 14 (P14). Though postnatal retinal waves have been well characterized, little is known about the spatiotemporal properties or the mechanisms mediating embryonic retinal waves, designated Stage 1 waves. Using a custom-built macroscope to record spontaneous calcium transients from whole embryonic retinas, we show that Stage 1 waves are initiated at several locations across the retina and propagate across a broad range of areas. Blocking gap junctions reduced the frequency and size of Stage 1 waves, nearly abolishing them. Global blockade of nAChRs similarly nearly abolished Stage 1 waves. Thus, Stage 1 waves are mediated by a complex circuitry involving subtypes of nAChRs and gap junctions. Stage 1 waves in mice lacking the β2 subunit of the nAChRs (β2-nAChR-KO) persisted with altered propagation properties and were abolished by a gap junction blocker. To assay the impact of Stage 1 waves on retinal development, we compared the spatial distribution of a subtype of retinal ganglion cells, intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which undergo a significant amount of cell death, in WT and β2-nAChR-KO mice. We found that the developmental decrease of ipRGC density is preserved between WT and β2-nAChR-KO mice, indicating that processes regulating ipRGC distribution are not influenced by spontaneous activity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circuit mechanisms underlying embryonic retinal waves

Voufo

Chen

Smith

et al. 2023

eLife

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“…However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that guide the entry of corticothalamic axons into the thalamus remain poorly understood. Nevertheless, removal of retinal input alters corticothalamic innervation of the dLGN, inducing premature entry of L6 axons and an abnormal cross-hierarchical invasion of L5 axons that would otherwise be designated to the LP (Brooks et al, 2013;Grant et al, 2016;Moreno-Juan et al, 2022). Timeline showing milestones in mouse thalamic development (red boxes).…”

Section: The Development Of Corticothalamic Projectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building thalamic neuronal networks during mouse development

Huerga-Gómez

Martini

López‐Bendito

2023

Front. Neural Circuits

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The thalamic nuclear complex contains excitatory projection neurons and inhibitory local neurons, the two cell types driving the main circuits in sensory nuclei. While excitatory neurons are born from progenitors that reside in the proliferative zone of the developing thalamus, inhibitory local neurons are born outside the thalamus and they migrate there during development. In addition to these cell types, which occupy most of the thalamus, there are two small thalamic regions where inhibitory neurons target extra-thalamic regions rather than neighboring neurons, the intergeniculate leaflet and the parahabenular nucleus. Like excitatory thalamic neurons, these inhibitory neurons are derived from progenitors residing in the developing thalamus. The assembly of these circuits follows fine-tuned genetic programs and it is coordinated by extrinsic factors that help the cells find their location, associate with thalamic partners, and establish connections with their corresponding extra-thalamic inputs and outputs. In this review, we bring together what is currently known about the development of the excitatory and inhibitory components of the thalamocortical sensory system, in particular focusing on the visual pathway and thalamic interneurons in mice.

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“…Layer 6 axons arrive in the dLGN around P0 but only innervate the nucleus after the retinal input has traversed the structure at P3. The cortical innervation of dLGN is accelerated in the absence of RGC input (Seabrook et al 2013), a process modulated by neural activity (Moreno-Juan et al 2023). Corticogeniculate feedback also regulates the experiencedependent refinement of retinogeniculate synapses after eye-opening (Thompson et al 2016).…”

Section: Retinotopic Alignment Of Feedforward and Feedback Connection...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the Retina onto the Brain

Kerschensteiner,

Feller

2023

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol

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Vision begins in the retina, which extracts salient features from the environment and encodes them in the spike trains of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the output neurons of the eye. RGC axons innervate diverse brain areas (>50 in mice) to support perception, guide behavior, and mediate influences of light on physiology and internal states. In recent years, complete lists of RGC types (∼45 in mice) have been compiled, detailed maps of their dendritic connections drawn, and their light responses surveyed at scale. We know less about the RGCs' axonal projection patterns, which map retinal information onto the brain. However, some organizing principles have emerged. Here, we review the strategies and mechanisms that govern developing RGC axons and organize their innervation of retinorecipient brain areas.

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Spontaneous Thalamic Activity Modulates the Cortical Innervation of the Primary Visual Nucleus of the Thalamus

Cited by 5 publications

References 39 publications

Circuit mechanisms underlying embryonic retinal waves

Circuit mechanisms underlying embryonic retinal waves

Building thalamic neuronal networks during mouse development

Mapping the Retina onto the Brain

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