showing 9 related works from this author
The zona incerta system: Involvement in attention and movement
2021
The zona incerta (ZI) is a large structure made of four neurochemically defined regions (at least, in rodents). It is globally involved in complex connections with telencephalic and brainstem centers. In this work, we focus on some of the anatomical links this structure develops with the cerebral cortex and the tectum. We also point to its integration within a larger basal ganglia network. The functions of this region are still mysterious, even if recent works suggest its participation in behavioral expression. Studies about the functional organization of the vibrissal system have provided the first integrated model, illustrating the ZI's role in sensory-motor programing. In addition, ZI co…
Melanin-concentrating hormone axons, but not orexin or tyrosine hydroxylase axons, innervate the claustrum in the rat: An immunohistochemical study
2016
The claustrum is a small, elongated nucleus close to the external capsule and deep in the insular cortex. In rodents, this nucleus is characterized by a dense cluster of parvalbumin labeling. The claustrum is connected with the cerebral cortex. It does not project to the brainstem, but brainstem structures can influence this nucleus. To identify some specific projections from the lateral hypothalamus and midbrain, we analyzed the distribution of projections labeled with antibodies against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), and hypocretin (Hcrt) in the region of the claustrum. The claustrum contains a significant projection by MCH axons, whereas it is devoid of T…
Chronic exposure to glucocorticoids induces suboptimal decision-making in mice.
2021
AbstractAnxio-depressive symptoms as well as severe cognitive dysfunction including aberrant decision-making (DM) are documented in neuropsychiatric patients with hypercortisolaemia. Yet, the influence of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis on DM processes remains poorly understood. As a tractable mean to approach this human condition, adult male C57BL/6JRj mice were chronically treated with corticosterone (CORT) prior to behavioural, physiological and neurobiological evaluation. The behavioural data indicate that chronic CORT delays the acquisition of contingencies required to orient responding towards optimal DM performance in a mouse Gambling Task (mGT). Specifically, CORT-treat…
Understanding the Significance of the Hypothalamic Nature of the Subthalamic Nucleus
2021
AbstractThe subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an essential component of the basal ganglia and has long been considered to be a part of the ventral thalamus. However, recent neurodevelopmental data indicated that this nucleus is of hypothalamic origin which is now commonly acknowledged. In this work, we aimed to verify whether the inclusion of the STN in the hypothalamus could influence the way we understand and conduct research on the organization of the whole ventral and posterior diencephalon. Developmental and neurochemical data indicate that the STN is part of a larger glutamatergic posterior hypothalamic region that includes the premammillary and mammillary nuclei. The main anatomic charact…
Chronic Distress in Male Mice Impairs Motivation Compromising Both Effort and Reward Processing With Altered Anterior Insular Cortex and Basolateral …
2021
AbstractIn humans and mammals, effort-based decision-making for monetary or food rewards paradigms contribute to the study of adaptive goal-directed behaviours acquired through reinforcement learning. Chronic distress modelled by repeated exposure to glucocorticoids in rodents induces suboptimal decision-making under uncertainty by impinging on instrumental acquisition and prompting negative valence behaviours. In order to further disentangle the motivational tenets of adaptive decision-making, this study addressed the consequences of enduring distress on relevant effort and reward processing dimensions. Experimentally, appetitive and consummatory components of motivation were evaluated in …
The claustrum is a target for projections from the supramammillary nucleus in the rat.
2019
Injection of the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHAL) into the rat rostral and caudal supramammillary nucleus (SUM) provided expected patterns of projections into the hippocampus and the septal region. In addition, unexpectedly intense projections were observed into the claustrum defined by parvalbumin expression. Injections of the retrograde tracer fluorogold (FG) into the hippocampus and the region of the claustrum showed that the cells of origin of these projections distributed similarly within the borders of the SUM. The SUM is usually involved in control of hippocampal theta activity, but the observation of intense projections into the claustrum indicates that i…
Development of the GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons of the lateral hypothalamus.
2021
In the last few years we assist to an unexpected deluge of genomic data on hypothalamic development and structure. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Lateral Zone has received much attention too. The new information focuses first of all on transcriptional heterogeneity. Many already known and a number of hitherto unknown lateral hypothalamic neurons have been described to an enormous degree of detail. Maybe the most surprising novel discoveries are two: First, some restricted regions of the embryonic forebrain neuroepithelium generate specific LHA neurons, either GABAergic or glutamatergic. Second, evidence is mounting that supports the existence of numerous kinds of "bilingual" lateral hypotha…
The antidepressant-like effect of tDCS in mice: A behavioral and neurobiological characterization
2017
Abtract Background Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive method increasingly popular for the treatment of several brain disorders, such as major depression. Despite great enthusiasm and promising results, some studies report discrepant findings and no consensus exists for the clinical use of tDCS. Objective The present study aims to (i) determine the most effective stimulation parameters to optimize antidepressant-like effect of tDCS in the forced-swim test in mice and (ii) identify brain regions recruited by tDCS and possibly involved in its behavioral effect using Fos immunohistochemistry. Results We reported that tDCS induced long-lasting antidepressant-like ef…
A basal ganglia-like cortical-amygdalar-hypothalamic network mediates feeding behavior.
2020
International audience; The network connecting the insular cortex, the central nucleus of the amygdala, and a caudal hypothalamic nuclear complex including the parasubthalamic nucleus (PSTN) is of interest due to its role in controlling feeding behavior. Here, we show that the organization of this network is similar to that of the basal ganglia network, implying that both fit within a simplified structural plan of the forebrain. Then, we demonstrate that the PSTN complex modulates behavior in response to hedonic factors normally inducing a “reward effect.” The PSTN complex is involved in a “non-feed” response equivalent of a “non-reward” evaluation: “I don’t want to consume this food, recog…