| 1. |
- Drissi, Natasha Morales, 1980-
(författare)
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Brain Networks and Dynamics in Narcolepsy
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness with frequent uncontrollable sleep attacks. In addition to sleeprelated problems, changes in cognition have also been observed in patients with narcolepsy and has been linked to the loss of Orexin-A in a number of studies. Results from previous functional and structural neuroimaging studies would suggest that the loss of Orexin-A has numerous downstream effects in terms of both resting state glucose metabolism and perfusion and reduction in cortical grey matter.Specifically, studies investigating narcolepsy with positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have observed aberrant perfusion and glucose metabolism in the hypothalamus and thalamus, as well as in prefrontal cortex. A very recent PET study in a large cohort of adolescents with type 1 narcolepsy further observed that the hypoand hypermetabolism in many of these cortico-frontal and subcortical brain regions also exhibited significant correlations with performance on a number of neurocognitive tests. These findings parallel those found in structural neuroimaging studies, where a reduction of cortical grey matter in frontotemporal areas has been observed.The Aim of this thesis was to investigate mechanisms and aetiology behind the symptoms in narcolepsy through the application of different neuroimaging techniques. I present in this thesis evidence supporting that the complaints about subjective memory deficits in narcolepsy are related to a misallocation of resources.I further describe how this has its seat in defective default mode network activation, possibly involving alterations to GABA and Glutamate signaling. In addition to this, I present our findings of a structural deviation in an area of the brainstem previously not described in the aetiology of narcolepsy.This finding may have implications for further understanding the aetiology of the disease and the specific neuronal populations involved.In addition to this, I show evidence from adipose tissue measurements in specific compartments, confirming that weight gain in narcolepsy is characterized by centrally located weight gain and may be specifically related to OX changes, but maybe not brown adipose tissue volume.The findings presented in this thesis provides new insights to the pathophysiology of narcolepsy beyond the well-known depletion of OX producing neurons in the hypothalamus.
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| 2. |
- Larsson, Johan, 1990-
(författare)
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Molecular mechanisms of modulation of KV7 channels by polyunsaturated fatty acids and their analogues
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Ion channels are membrane proteins that regulate the permeability of ions across the cell membrane. The sequential opening of different types of ion channels produces action potentials in excitable cells. Action potentials are a way for the body to, for example, transmit signals quickly over a long distance.The KV7 family is an important group of voltage-gated potassium channels. Mutations that cause dysfunction in members of the KV7 family are associated with several forms of disease. Compounds that can activate KV7 channels have previously been shown to work as medical treatments. However, the previously available antiepileptic drug retigabine, has been withdrawn due to adverse effects. Thus, there is a need for further development of compounds that target these channels. PUFA and PUFA analogs have previously been demonstrated to activate KV7.1 through an electrostatic mechanism. This thesis investigates new aspects of the interaction between KV7 channels and PUFA-related compounds.The data in this thesis are from human KV7 channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The currents produced by the channels expressed in the oocytes have been studied using twoelectrode voltage clamp. Our aim was to study the mechanism for the activation of KV7 channels by PUFA and PUFA analogs. More specifically, we intended to study why the beta subunit KCNE1 abolishes the activating effect of PUFA on KV7.1 and how PUFAs activate KV7.2 and KV7.3. Additionally, we wanted to study aspects that may affect whether these compounds are viable as medical treatments. For instance, whether these compounds can activate channels containing disease-causing mutations and whether we can improve compound selectivity towards certain KV7 channels.In Paper I, we introduce disease-causing mutations found in patients into KV7.1 and KCNE1. The characterization showed that these channels had altered biophysical properties compared to wild type channels. A PUFA analog was found to activate and, to a large degree, restore wild type-like biophysical properties in the mutated channels regardless of the localization of the mutation in the channel.In Paper II, we demonstrate why PUFA is unable to activate KV7.1 co-expressed with beta subunit KCNE1. KCNE1 induces a conformational change of KV7.1 that moves the S5-Phelix loop closer to the PUFA binding site. This causes negative charges of the loop to attract protons that reduce local pH at the PUFA binding site. The decreased local pH leads to protonation of PUFA and the PUFAs therefore lose their negative charge. Thus, PUFA cannot activate KV7.1 when it is co-expressed with KCNE1.In Paper III, we study a group of PUFA-related substances, endocannabinoids, on KV7 channels. One endocannabinoid, Arachidonoyl-L-Serine (ARA-S), was identified as a potent activator of the neuronal M-channel, comprising KV7.2 and KV7.3 heteromers. We study the activating mechanism of ARA-S in KV7.2 and KV7.3, demonstrating how the activating effect is linked to two parts of the channel protein, one in the voltage sensor domain and the other in the pore domain. ARA-S was also found to activate KV7.1 and KV7.5 but not KV7.4, which instead was inhibited. Retigabine, a compound that activates the M-channel but has a different KV7 subtype selectivity compared to ARA-S, was used in combination with ARA-S to maintain a potent effect on the M-channel while limiting the activation of other KV7 channels.In conclusion, the activating effect of PUFA analogs on KV7 channels may be helpful in the development of future drug candidates for diseases such as arrhythmia and epilepsy.
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| 3. |
- Lundengård, Karin, 1985-
(författare)
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Mechanistic modelling - a BOLD response to the fMRI information loss problem
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a common technique for imaging brain activity in humans. However, the fMRI signal stems from local changes in oxygen level rather than from neuronal excitation. The change in oxygen level is referred to as the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) response, and is connected to neuronal excitation and the BOLD response are connected by the neurovascular coupling. The neurons affect the oxygen metabolism, blood volume and blood flow, and this in turn controls the shape of the BOLD response. This interplay is complex, and therefore fMRI analysis often relies on models. However, none of the previously existing models are based on the intracellular mechanisms of the neurovascular coupling. Systems biology is a relatively new field where mechanistic models are used to integrate data from many different parts of a system in order to holistically analyze and predict system properties. This thesis presents a new framework for analysis of fMRI data, based on mechanistic modelling of the neurovascular coupling, using systems biology methods. Paper I presents the development of the first intracellular signaling model of the neurovascular coupling. Using models, a feed-forward and a feedback hypothesis are tested against each other. The resulting model can mechanistically explain both the initial dip, the main response and the post-peak undershoot of the BOLD response. It is also fitted to estimation data from the visual cortex and validated against variations in frequency and intensity of the stimulus. In Paper II, I present a framework for separating activity from noise by investigating the influence of the astrocytes on the blood vessels via release of vasoactive sub- stances, using observability analysis. This new method can recognize activity in both measured and simulated data, and separate differences in stimulus strength in simulated data. Paper III investigates the effects of the positive allosteric GABA modulator diazepam on working memory in healthy adults. Both positive and negative BOLD was measured during a working memory task, and activation in the cingulate cortex was negatively correlated to the plasma concentration of diazepam. In this area, the BOLD response had decreased below baseline in test subjects with >0.01 mg/L diazepam in the blood. Paper IV expands the model presented in Paper I with a GABA mechanism so that it can describe neuronal inhibition and the negative BOLD response. Sensitization of the GABA receptors by diazepam was added, which enabled the model to explain how changes to the BOLD response described in Paper III could occur without a change in the balance between the GABA and glutamate concentrations.The framework presented herein may serve as the basis for a new method for identification of both brain activity and useful potential biomarkers for brain diseases and disorders, which will bring us a deeper understanding of the functioning of the human brain.
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| 4. |
- Nilsson, Michelle, 1993-
(författare)
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Voltage-Sensor Domains of Ion Channels : Physiology, Regulation, and Role in Disease
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Brain function depends on the ability of neurons to sense and respond to electricity, which is mediated by small modules in the neuronal membrane called voltage-sensor domains (VSDs). Disruption of VSD function can cause neurological disease such as epilepsy. VSDs contain positively charged amino acids that move in response to changes in membrane potential. This movement transfer energy to other coupled effectors, such as the pore of a voltage-gated ion channel. In this thesis, I have studied the physiology and regulation of ion-channel VSDs, as well as their role in disease.Voltage-gated ion channels are composed of four VSDs that controls the opening of a central ion-conducting pore. Voltage-gated potassium (KV) channels are tetramers assembled by four subunits, where each subunit consists of a VSD and 1/4 of the pore. In contrast, voltage-gated sodium (NaV) and voltage-gated calcium (CaV) channels are pseudotetramers composed of four non-identical, concatenated subunits (repeats I-IV). Our genes encode a broad repertoire of voltage-gated ion channels, promoting diversity and specialization of neuronal subtypes. Specifically, 40 KV-, 9 NaV-, and 10 CaV-channels have been identified. This thesis includes studies on i) VSD operation in the CaV2.2 channel, known for its role in pain transmission, ii) G-proteins Gβγ inhibition of CaV2.2 VSDs, a potential tool to control pain, and iii) characterization of two different epilepsy-associated mutations in the VSD of the KV1.2 channel, important for repolarization of the action potential. To do this, the methods voltage-clamp fluorometry (VCF) under cut-open oocyte voltage clamp mode using Xenopus oocytes, or flow cytometry using a mammalian cell line (COS-7) were used.VCF was implemented in the human CaV2.2 channel and VSD activation in relation to pore opening was characterized. The voltage dependence of VSD-I activation was found to correlate with pore opening, VSD II is likely immobile (it did not generate any VCF signals), VSD III activated at very negative potentials, and VSD IV activation had similar voltagedependence to that of pore opening. Next, Gβγ-inhibition of the VSDs was explored. VSD I was strongly and proportionally inhibited compared to pore opening, VSD III was unaffected and VSD IV was modestly inhibited. In the following studies, the role of the KV1.2-VSD in disease was explored. Two different epilepsy-associated mutations in the VSD of KV1.2 were characterized. The first mutation, F302L, facilitated channel activation and spontaneous closure (inactivation) without affecting surface trafficking. The second mutation, F233S, caused a severe surface trafficking deficiency, extending to WT-subunits and closely related KV1.4 partner subunits. In conclusion, VSDs of ion channels are fundamental for the complexity of our nervous system, their regulation can be used to further diversify neurons or to control excitability, and their importance is revealed by disease-associated mutations that prevent normal function.
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| 5. |
- Ottosson, Nina
(författare)
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Molecular Mechanisms of Resin Acids and Their Derivatives on the Opening of a Potassium Channel
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Voltage-gated ion channels play fundamental roles in excitable cells, such as neurons, where they enable electric signaling. Normally, this signaling is well controlled, but brain damage, alterations in the ionic composition of the extracellular solution, or dysfunctional ion channels can increase the electrical excitability thereby causing epilepsy. Voltage-gated ion channels are obvious targets for antiepileptic drugs, and, as a rule of thumb, excitability is dampened either by closing voltagegated sodium channels (Nav channels) or by opening voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv channels). For example, several classical antiepileptic drugs block the ion-conducting pore of Nav channels. Despite the large number of existing antiepileptic drugs, one third of the patients with epilepsy suffer from intractable or pharmacoresistant seizures.Our research group has earlier described how different polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) open a Kv channel by binding close to the voltage sensor and, from this position, electrostatically facilitate the movement of the voltage-sensor, thereby opening the channel. However, PUFAs affect a wide range of ion channels, making it difficult to use them as pharmaceutical drugs; it would be desirable to find smallmolecule compounds with an electrostatic, PUFA-like mechanism of action. The aim of the research leading to this thesis was to find, characterize, and refine drug candidates capable of electrostatically opening a Kv channel.The majority of the experiments were performed on the cloned Shaker Kv channel, expressed in oocytes from the frog Xenopus laevis, and the channel activity was explored with the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. By systematically mutating the extracellular end of the channel’s voltage sensor, we constructed a highly PUFAsensitive channel, called the 3R channel. Such a channel is a useful tool in the search for electrostatic Kv-channel openers. We found that resin acids, naturally occurring in tree resins, act as electrostatic Shaker Kv channel openers. To explore the structure-activity relationship in detail, we synthesized 120 derivatives, whereof several were potent Shaker Kv channel openers. We mapped a common resin acidbinding site to a pocket formed by the voltage sensor, the channel’s third transmembrane segment, and the lipid membrane, a principally new binding site for small-molecule compounds. Further experiments showed that there are specific interactions between the compounds and the channel, suggesting promises for further drug development. Several of the most potent Shaker Kv channel openers also dampened the excitability in dorsal-root-ganglion neurons from mice, elucidating the pharmacological potency of these compounds. In conclusion, we have found that resin-acid derivatives are robust Kv-channel openers and potential drug candidates against diseases caused by hyperexcitability, such as epilepsy.
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| 6. |
- Renhorn, Jakob, 1981-
(författare)
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Conformational Changes during Potassium-Channel Gating
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Voltage-gated ion channels have a paramount importance in many physiological processes such as cell-to-cell communication, action potential-propagation, and cell motility. Voltage-gated ion channels are characterized by their ability to sense membrane voltage and to greatly change channel activity in response to small changes in the voltage. The ability to sense voltage resides in the four voltage-sensor domains (VSDs) surrounding the central ion-conducting pore. Membrane depolarization causes the inside of the membrane to become positively charged, electrostatically repelling the positively charged fourth transmembrane segment (S4), or voltage sensor, in the VSD, causing the voltage sensor to move outwards. This motion provides necessary energy to open the pore and allow ion conductivity. Prolonged channel activation leads to alterations in the selectivity filter which cease ion conductivity, in a process called slow inactivation. In this thesis, we investigated the movement of S4 during activation of the channel. We also studied the communication between the four subunits during activation as well as the communication between the pore domain and VSD during slow inactivation.We have shown that voltage sensors move approximately 12 Å outwards during activation. The positively charged amino acid residues in S4 create temporary salt bridges with negative counter-charges in the other segments of the VSD as it moves through a membrane. We have also shown that the movement of one of the four voltage sensors can affect the movement of the neighboring voltage sensors. When at least one voltage sensor has moved to an up-position, it stabilizes other voltage sensors in the up-position, increasing the energy required for the voltage sensor to return to the down position.We have also shown reciprocal communication between the pore domain and the VSDs. Alterations in the VSD or the interface between the pore and the VSD cause changes in the rate of slow inactivation. Likewise, modifications in the pore domain cause changes to the voltage-sensor movement. This indicates communication between the pore and the VSD during slow inactivation.The information from our work could be used to find new approaches when designing channel-modifying drugs for the treatment of diseases caused by increased neuronal excitability, such as chronic pain and epilepsy.
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| 7. |
- Silverå Ejneby, Malin, 1987-
(författare)
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Site and Mechanism of Action of Resin Acids on Voltage-Gated Ion Channels
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Voltage-gated ion channels are pore-forming membrane proteins that open or close their gates when the voltage across the membrane is changed. They underlie the electrical activity that enables the heart to pump blood and the brain to receive and send signals. Changes in expression, distribution, and functional properties of voltage-gated ion channels can lead to diseases, such as epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and pain-related disorders. Drugs that modulate the function of voltage-gated ion channels control these diseases in some patients, but the existing drugs do not adequately help all patients, and some also have severe side effects.Resin acids are common components of pine resins, with a hydrophobic three-ringed motif and a negatively charged carboxyl group. They open big-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels and voltage-gated potassium (KV) channels. We aimed to characterize the binding site and mechanism of action of resin acids on a KV channel and explore the effect of a resin acid by modifying the position and valence of charge of the carboxyl group. We tested the effect on several voltage-gated ion channels, including two KV channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and several voltage-gated ion channels expressed in cardiomyocytes. For this endeavour different electrophysiological techniques, ion channels, and cell types were used together with chemical synthesis of about 140 resin-acid derivatives, mathematical models, and computer simulations.We found that resin acids bind between the lipid bilayer and the Shaker KV channel, in the cleft between transmembrane segment S3 and S4, on the extracellular side of the voltage-sensor domain. This is a fundamentally new interaction site for small-molecule compounds that otherwise usually bind to ion channels in pockets surrounded by water. We also showed that the resin acids open the Shaker KV channel via an electrostatic mechanism, exerted on the positively charged voltage sensor S4. The effect of a resin acid increased when the negatively charged carboxyl group (the effector) and the hydrophobic three-ringed motif (anchor in lipid bilayer) were separated by three atoms: longer stalks decreased the effect. The length rule, in combination with modifications of the anchor, was used to design new resin-acid derivatives that open the human M-type (Kv7.2/7.3) channel. A naturally occurring resin acid also reduced the excitability of cardiomyocytes by affecting the voltage-dependence of several voltage-gated ion channels. The major finding was that the resin acid inactivated sodium and calcium channels, while it activated KV channels at more negative membrane voltages. Computer simulations confirmed that the combined effect on different ion channels reduced the excitability of a cardiomyocyte. Finally, the resin acid reversed induced arrhythmic firing of the cardiomyocytes.In conclusion, resin acids are potential drug candidates for diseases such as epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmia: knowing the binding site and mechanism of action can help to fine tune the resin acid to increase the effect, as well as the selectivity.
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| 8. |
- Sten, Sebastian, 1993-
(författare)
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Mathematical modeling of neurovascular coupling
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The brain is critically dependent on the continuous supply of oxygen and glucose, which is carried and delivered by blood. When a brain region is activated, metabolism of these substrates increases rapidly, but is quickly offset by a substantially higher increase in blood flow to that region, resulting in a brief oversupply of these substrates. This phenomenon is referred to as functional hyperemia, and forms the foundation of functional neuroimaging techniques such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), which captures a Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent (BOLD) signal. fMRI exploits these BOLD signals to infer brain activity, an approach that has revolutionized the research of brain function over the last 30 years. Due to the indirect nature of this measure, a deeper understanding of the connection between brain activity and hemodynamic changes — a neurovascular coupling (NVC) — is essential in order to fully interpret such functional imaging data. NVC connects the synaptic activity of neurons with local changes in cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume, and cerebral metabolism of oxygen, through a complex signaling network, consisting of multiple different brain cells which release a myriad of distinct vasoactive messengers with specific vascular targets. To aid with this complexity, mathematical modeling can provide vital help using methods and tools from the field of Systems Biology. Previous models of the NVC exist, conventionally describing quasi-phenomenological steps translating neuronal activity into hemodynamic changes. However, no mechanistic mathematical model that describe the known intracellular mechanisms or hypotheses underlying the NVC, and which can account for a wide variety of NVC related measurements, currently exists. Therefore, in this thesis, we apply a Systems Biology approach to develop such intracellular mechanisms based models using in vivo experimental data consisting of different NVC related measures in rodents, primates, and humans.Paper I investigates two widely discussed hypotheses describing the NVC: the metabolic feedback hypothesis, and the vasoactive feed-forward hypothesis. We illustrate through multiple model rejections that only a model describing a combination of the two hypotheses can capture the qualitative features of the BOLD signal, as measured in humans. This combined model can describe data used for training, as well as predict independent validation data not previously seen by the model before.Paper II extends this model to describe the negative BOLD response, where the blood oxygenation drops below basal levels, which is commonly observed in clinical and cognitive studies. The model explains the negative BOLD response as the result of neuronal inhibition, describing and adequately predicting experimental data from two different experiments.In Paper III, we develop a first model including the cell-specific contributions of GABAergic interneurons and pyramidal neurons to functional hyperemia, using data of optogenetic and sensory stimuli in rodents for both awake and anesthesia conditions. The model captures the effect of the anesthetic as purely acting on the neuronal level if a Michaelis-Menten expression is included, and it also correctly predicts data from experiments with different pharmacological inhibitors.Finally, in Paper IV, we extend the model in Paper III to describe and predict a majority of the relevant hemodynamic NVC measures using data from rodents, primates, and humans. The model suggests an explanation for observed bi-modal behaviors, and can be used to generate new insights regarding the underpinnings of other complicated observed behaviors. This model constitutes the most complete mechanistic model of the NVC to date.This new model-based understanding opens the door for a more integrative approach to the analysis of neuroimaging data, with potential applications in both basic science and in the clinic.
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| 9. |
- Sundberg, Sofie, 1984-
(författare)
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Neuromodulation, Short-Term and Long-Term Plasticity in Corticothalamic and Hippocampal Neuronal Networks
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Research in neuroscience relies to a large extent on the use of genetically modified animals. Extensive validation of new and existing models is a requirement for the acquisition of trustworthy data and to enable generalization to human physiology and disease. This thesis includes, as one part (project I and II), validation of a transgenic mouse model with the expression of the enzyme Cre-recombinase restricted to neurons in a band in the deepest layer of the cerebral cortex. Secondly, in project III we use this mouse model to study the process of short-term plasticity in neuronal cultures. Lastly, we investigate synaptic plasticity by studying the effect that the developmental signaling factor Hedgehog (Hh) has on mature hippocampal cultures (project IV). In project I and II, we identified the transgenic mouse Neurotensin receptor 1-Cre GN220 (Ntsr1-Cre) to have Cre expression targeted to the corticothalamic (CT) pyramidal neuron population in neocortical layer 6. Further, we identified a small group of Ntsr1-Cre positive neurons present in the white matter that is distinct from the CT population. We also identified that the transcription factor Forkhead box protein 2 (FoxP2) was specifically expressed by CT neurons in neocortex. In project I, we further explored the sensitivity of CT neurons to cholinergic modulation and found that they are sensitive to even low concentrations of acetylcholine. Both nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors depolarize the neurons. Presenting CT neurons as a potential target for cholinergic modulation in wakefulness and arousal. In project III we studied Ntsr1-Cre neurons in cortical cultures and found that cultured neurons have similar properties to CT neurons in the intact nervous system. Ntsr1-Cre neurons in culture often formed synapses with itself, i. e. autapses, with short-term synaptic plasticity that was different to ordinary synapses. By expressing the light-controlled ion channel channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in Ntsr1-Cre neurons we could compare paired pulse ratios with either electrical or light stimulation. Electrical stimulation typically produced paired-pulse facilitation while light stimulation produced paired pulse depression, presumably due to unphysiological Ca2+ influx in presynaptic terminals. Thus, cultured Ntsr1- Cre neurons can be used to study facilitation, and ChR2 could be used as a practical tool to further study the dependence of Ca2+ for short-term plasticity. In project IV we investigated the role of Hedgehog (Hh) for hippocampal neuron plasticity. Non-canonical Hh-signaling negatively regulated NMDA- receptor function through an unknown mechanism resulting in changes in NMDA-receptor mediated currents and subsequent changes in AMPA- receptors in an LTP/LTD manner in mature neurons. Proposing Hh as a slow-acting factor with ability to scale down excitation for instances of excessive activity, e.g. during an epileptic seizure, as a mechanism to make the activity in the neuronal networks stable.
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