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Cortical spreading depolarizations (CSDs) are increasingly suspected to play an exacerbating role in a range of acute brain injuries, including stroke, possibly through their interactions with cortical blood flow. We use simultaneous wide-field imaging of neural activity and hemodynamics in Thy1-GCaMP6f mice to explore the neurovascular dynamics of CSDs during and following Rose Bengal-mediated photothrombosis. CSDs are observed in all mice as slow-moving waves of GCaMP fluorescence extending far beyond the photothrombotic area. Initial CSDs are accompanied by profound vasoconstriction and leave residual oligemia and ischemia in their wake. Later, CSDs evoke variable responses, from constriction to biphasic to vasodilation. However, CSD-evoked vasoconstriction is found to be more likely during rapid, high-amplitude CSDs in regions with stronger oligemia and ischemia, which, in turn, worsens after each repeated CSD. This feedback loop may explain the variable but potentially devastating effects of CSDs in the context of acute brain injury.

Diffusely infiltrating gliomas are known to cause alterations in cortical function, vascular disruption, and seizures. These neurological complications present major clinical challenges, yet their underlying mechanisms and causal relationships to disease progression are poorly characterized. Here, we follow glioma progression in awake Thy1-GCaMP6f mice using in vivo wide-field optical mapping to monitor alterations in both neuronal activity and functional hemodynamics. The bilateral synchrony of spontaneous neuronal activity gradually decreases in glioma-infiltrated cortical regions, while neurovascular coupling becomes progressively disrupted compared to uninvolved cortex. Over time, mice develop diverse patterns of high amplitude discharges and eventually generalized seizures that appear to originate at the tumors' infiltrative margins. Interictal and seizure events exhibit positive neurovascular coupling in uninfiltrated cortex; however, glioma-infiltrated regions exhibit disrupted hemodynamic responses driving seizure-evoked hypoxia. These results reveal a landscape of complex physiological interactions occurring during glioma progression and present new opportunities for exploring novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

The cognitive abilities that characterize humans are thought to emerge from unique features of the cortical circuit architecture of the human brain, which include increased cortico-cortical connectivity. However, the evolutionary origin of these changes in connectivity and how they affected cortical circuit function and behaviour are currently unknown. The human-specific gene duplication SRGAP2C emerged in the ancestral genome of the Homo lineage before the major phase of increase in brain size.sup.1,2. SRGAP2C expression in mice increases the density of excitatory and inhibitory synapses received by layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons (PNs).sup.3-5. Here we show that the increased number of excitatory synapses received by layer 2/3 PNs induced by SRGAP2C expression originates from a specific increase in local and long-range cortico-cortical connections. Mice humanized for SRGAP2C expression in all cortical PNs displayed a shift in the fraction of layer 2/3 PNs activated by sensory stimulation and an enhanced ability to learn a cortex-dependent sensory-discrimination task. Computational modelling revealed that the increased layer 4 to layer 2/3 connectivity induced by SRGAP2C expression explains some of the key changes in sensory coding properties. These results suggest that the emergence of SRGAP2C at the birth of the Homo lineage contributed to the evolution of specific structural and functional features of cortical circuits in the human cortex. The human-specific gene duplication SRGAP2C is identified as a modifier of structural and functional features of cortical circuits leading to improved behavioural performance that may have allowed the emergence of cognitive properties characterizing the human brain., Author(s): Ewoud R. E. Schmidt [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.6] , Hanzhi T. Zhao [sup.2] [sup.3] , Jung M. Park [sup.1] [sup.2] , Mario Dipoppa [sup.2] [sup.4] , Mauro M. Monsalve-Mercado [sup.2] [...]

Advancements in brain imaging techniques have significantly expanded the size and complexity of real-time neuroimaging and behavioral data. However, identifying patterns, trends and synchronies within these datasets presents a significant computational challenge. Here, we demonstrate an approach that can translate time-varying neuroimaging data into unique audiovisualizations consisting of audible representations of dynamic data merged with simplified, color-coded movies of spatial components and behavioral recordings. Multiple variables can be encoded as different musical instruments, letting the observer differentiate and track multiple dynamic parameters in parallel. This representation enables intuitive assimilation of these datasets for behavioral correlates and spatiotemporal features such as patterns, rhythms and motifs that could be difficult to detect through conventional data interrogation methods. These audiovisual representations provide a novel perception of the organization and patterns of real-time activity in the brain, and offer an intuitive and compelling method for complex data visualization for a wider range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are characterized by their ability of unlimited self-renewal in vitro and pluripotent developmental potential, which endows them with great values in basic research and future clinical application. However, realization of full potential of ESCs is dependent on the elucidation of molecular mechanisms governing ESCs, among which signaling pathways play critical roles. A great deal of efforts has been made in the past decades to understand what and how signaling pathways contribute to the establishment and maintenance of pluripotency. In this review, we discuss signaling networks in both mouse and human ESCs, focusing on signals involved in the control of self-renewal and differentiation. In addition, the modulation of signaling pathways by pluripotency-associated transcription factors is also briefly summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although modern techniques such as two-photon microscopy can now provide cellular-level three-dimensional imaging of the intact living brain, the speed and fields of view of these techniques remain limited. Conversely, two-dimensional wide-field optical mapping (WFOM), a simpler technique that uses a camera to observe large areas of the exposed cortex under visible light, can detect changes in both neural activity and haemodynamics at very high speeds. Although WFOM may not provide single-neuron or capillarylevel resolution, it is an attractive and accessible approach to imaging large areas of the brain in awake, behaving mammals at speeds fast enough to observe widespread neural firing events, as well as their dynamic coupling to haemodynamics. Although such wide-field optical imaging techniques have a long history, the advent of genetically encoded fluorophores that can report neural activity with high sensitivity, as well as modern technologies such as light emitting diodes and sensitive and high-speed digital cameras have driven renewed interest in WFOM. To facilitate the wider adoption and standardization of WFOM approaches for neuroscience and neurovascular coupling research, we provide here an overview of the basic principles of WFOM, considerations for implementation of wide-field fluorescence imaging of neural activity, spectroscopic analysis and interpretation of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related dementia characterized by progressive neuronal loss. However, the molecular mechanisms for the neuronal loss is still debated. Here, we used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from somatic cells of familial AD patients carrying PSEN1 mutations to study the early pathogenic event of AD. We found that premature neuronal differentiation with decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis occured in AD-iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (AD-NPCs) once neuronal differentiation was initiated, together with higher levels of Aβ42 and phosphorylated tau. Premature neuronal differentiation in AD-NPCs was caused by PSEN1 mutations and might be correlated to multiple dysregulated processes including but not limited to Wnt-Notch pathway. Our study documented previously unappreciated early NPC dysfunction in AD-NPCs, providing valuable new insights into the early mechanisms underlying AD pathogenesis.

Although modern techniques such as two-photon microscopy can now provide cellular-level three-dimensional imaging of the intact living brain, the speed and fields of view of these techniques remain limited. Conversely, two-dimensional wide-field optical mapping (WFOM), a simpler technique that uses a camera to observe large areas of the exposed cortex under visible light, can detect changes in both neural activity and haemodynamics at very high speeds. Although WFOM may not provide single-neuron or capillary-level resolution, it is an attractive and accessible approach to imaging large areas of the brain in awake, behaving mammals at speeds fast enough to observe widespread neural firing events, as well as their dynamic coupling to haemodynamics. Although such wide-field optical imaging techniques have a long history, the advent of genetically encoded fluorophores that can report neural activity with high sensitivity, as well as modern technologies such as light emitting diodes and sensitive and high-speed digital cameras have driven renewed interest in WFOM. To facilitate the wider adoption and standardization of WFOM approaches for neuroscience and neurovascular coupling research, we provide here an overview of the basic principles of WFOM, considerations for implementation of wide-field fluorescence imaging of neural activity, spectroscopic analysis and interpretation of results.This article is part of the themed issue 'Interpreting BOLD: a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience'., (© 2016 The Authors.)