Closer Look at Brain Circuits Reveals Important Role of Genetics
15/06/2017
Our results imply that assembly of neural circuits in areas required for cognition is largely controlled by intrinsic genetic programs that operate independently of the external world, Maximov explained.
A similar phenomenon was observed by the group of Professor Nils Brose at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Germany. The two complementary studies were co-published as cover stories in the April 19, 2017, issue of the journal Neuron.
The Nature vs. Nurture Question
Experience makes every brain unique by changing the patterns and properties of neuronal connections. Vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch play particularly important roles during early postnatal life when the majority of synapses is formed. New synapses also appear in the adult brain during learning. These activity-dependent changes in neuronal wiring are driven by chemical neurotransmitters that relay signals from one neuron to another. Yet, animals and humans have innate behaviors whose features are consistent across generations, suggesting that some synaptic connections are genetically predetermined.
The notion that neurons do not need to communicate to develop networks has also been supported by earlier discoveries of synapses in mice that lacked transmitter secretion in the entire brain. These studies were performed in the laboratory of Professor Thomas S dhof, who won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
We thought these experiments were quite intriguing, Maximov said, but they also had a major limitation: mice with completely disabled nervous systems became paralyzed and died shortly after birth, when circuitry in the brain is still rudimental.
The TSRI team set out to investigate if neurons can form and maintain connections with appropriate partners in genetically engineered animals that live into adulthood with virtually no synaptic activity in the hippocampus, a brain region that is critical for learning and memory storage. While the idea may sound crazy at the first glance, Maximov continued, several observations hinted that this task is technically feasible. Indeed, mammals can survive with injuries and developmental abnormalities that result in a massive loss of brain tissue.
Inspired by these examples, Richard Sando, a graduate student in the Maximov lab, generated mice whose hippocampus permanently lacked secretion of glutamate, a neurotransmitter that activates neurons when a memory is formed. Despite apparent inability to learn and remember, these animals could eat, walk around, groom, and even engage in rudimental social interactions.
Working closely with Professor Mark Ellisman, who directs the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research at the University of California, San Diego, Sando and his co-workers then examined the connectivity in permanently inactive areas. Combining contemporary genetic and imaging tools was fruitful: the collaborative team found that several key stages of neural circuit development widely believed to require synaptic activity were remarkably unaffected in their mouse model.
The outcomes of ultra-structural analyses were particularly surprising: it turns out that neurotransmission is unnecessary for assembly of basic building blocks of single synaptic connections, including so-called dendritic spines that recruit signaling complexes that enable neurons to sense glutamate.
Maximov emphasized that the mice could not function normally. In a way, their hippocampus can be compared to a computer that goes though the assembly line, but never gets plugged to a power source and loaded with software. As the next step, the team aims to exploit new chemical-genetic approaches to test if intrinsically-formed networks can support learning.
In addition to Maximov, Sando and Ellisman, authors of the study, Assembly of excitatory synapses in the absence of glutamatergic neurotransmission, were Camille Considine, Yongchuan Zhu, Min Huang and Marco Uytiepo of TSRI; and Eric Bushong, Sebastien Phan and Suyeon Ju of UC San Diego.
This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01MH085776, R01NS087026, P41GM103412, NS027177I, DA038896 and F31MH094059).
About The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the worlds largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs more than 2,500 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists including two Nobel laureates and 20 members of the National Academies of Science, Engineering or Medicine work toward their next discoveries. The institutes graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. In October 2016, TSRI announced a strategic affiliation with the California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr), representing a renewed commitment to the discovery and development of new medicines to address unmet medical needs. For more information, see www.scripps.edu.
# # #
For information:
Office of Communications
Tel: 858-784-2666
Fax: 858-784-8118
press@scripps.ed
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
14/05/2024
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Stephen Maing, the Co-Director of Union
By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. Whi...
14/05/2024
The Making of The Fall Guy
The feature film The Fall Guy marks the latest collaboration between director David Leitch and cinematographer Jonathan Sela, ASC. Sela describes the movie as ...
14/05/2024
Aerojet Rocketdyne to be Propulsion Provider for the Next Generation Interceptor
Notional render of Lockheed Martins Next Generation Interceptor. Credit: Lockheed Martin...
14/05/2024
5 Misconceptions About Satellite Imagery, Part 2
Access to commercial satellite imagery has become increasingly democratized. Students, startups, researchers and casual enthusiasts are leveraging satellite dat...
14/05/2024
Grass Valley Equips Fujairah TV with Advanced Live Production Technology
Montreal, Canada - May 14, 2024 - Grass Valley, a leader in live production solutions, proudly announces its collaboration with Fujairah TV, a prominent broadca...
14/05/2024
OpenVault Harnesses Generative AI to Improve Broadband Networks
JERSEY CITY, N.J. & COLOGNE, Germany OpenVault has released new details about how it is leveraging the power of Generative AI to significantly and securely expa...
14/05/2024
Comcast Plans Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV+ Streaming Bundle
Comcast is planning to begin offering a new streaming bundle of Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ sometime later this month at a vastly reduced price, Comcast ch...
14/05/2024
Chyron Releases Enhancements For LIVE Cloud Production Platform
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released a series of updates for its LIVE cloud-native production platform....
14/05/2024
CueScript announces passing of founder Brian Larter
Larter co-founded CueScript with Michael Accardi in 2014 By Jenny Priestley Published: May 14, 2024 Larter co-founded CueScript with Michael Accardi in 20...
14/05/2024
EMG Gravity Media Showcases its Combined Live Broadcast E...
EMG / Gravity Media, will be sharing the Group's knowledge and expertise at The Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), held on 15th and 16th May in Lond...
14/05/2024
Glensound highlights the latest in networked audio at Bro...
Glensound, industry leader in high quality audio systems, is showcasing the latest additions to its extensive portfolio of networked audio products at Broadcast...
14/05/2024
Spotlight on UK Media Tech Vendors at BroadcastAsia
The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland pavilion at BroadcastAsia 2024 (stand 6I1-5, Singapore Expo, 29 31 May) puts a group of innovative and dynamic media te...
14/05/2024
LOGIC and video processing specialist Comprimato announce...
LOGIC media solutions and video processing specialist Comprimato have entered a partnership aimed at simplifying workflows in the IP- and cloud-based production...
14/05/2024
Relo Metrics Makes a Major Debut at Cannes Lions Internat...
Relo Metrics (formerly GumGum Sports), the leading AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform for real-time data decisions, has today announced its participation...
14/05/2024
Lightware at Infocomm 2024 - Its Time to Double Down on U...
Lightware Visual Engineering, a leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for the professional integrated systems market, announced it will showcase a rang...
14/05/2024
Calrec Craft Interview - Aston Fearon Sound Supervisor
Tell us about your path to professional audio. How did you get started and what drew you to the field and technical nature of being an audio professional? As ...
14/05/2024
Fox Details 2024-2025 Schedule Before Upfront Presentation
Fox will share its 2024-2025 schedule at its upfront presentation May 13 in New York, with new shows such as Denis Leary single-cam comedy Going Dutch and the J...
14/05/2024
NBCUniversal Upfront Features Jimmy Fallon, Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Kelly Clarkson
The NBCUniversal upfront presentation kicked off at New York's Radio City Mu...
14/05/2024
NBCUniversal Stakes Claim To the Future of Advertising (Upfronts)
At a time when many are questioning the value of television advertising, NBCUniversal declared that it has more to offer than newcomers like Amazon, Netflix and...
14/05/2024
Fox Upfront Presentation Offers a Little Jon Hamm, a Little More Tom Brady, a Little More Gordon Ramsay
Fox's upfront presentation, at The Manhattan Center Monday, May 13, kicked o...
14/05/2024
Broadcast Nets Show Gains in Ad Impressions Despite Strikes, iSpot Study Finds
Despite strikes that wiped out original programming last season and a narrative about viewers streaming more and watching less linear TV, the big broadcast netw...
14/05/2024
Opinion: Why it's important to give broadcast engineers support in the move to IP
Ed Calverley, manager at large, SMPTE UK, discusses how organisations can help t...
14/05/2024
Sphere completes HOLOPLOT acquisition
HOLOPLOTs proprietary technology enables precise and digital control of sound propagation and localisation to deliver targeted, consistent and immersive audio, ...
14/05/2024
TVBEurope appoints Jenny Priestley as content director
Matthew Corrigan has also recently joined the TVBEurope editorial team as content writer By TVBEurope Staff Published: May 14, 2024 Matthew Corrigan has a...
14/05/2024
Gary Heelas Joins TSL as Principal Engineer
LOS ANGELES Gary Heelas has joined TSL as principal engineer in the company's U.S. office, the company announced....
14/05/2024
Gray Television Inks AAPB Deal for Summer Baseball
ATLANTA Gray Television Inc. has announced an agreement to bring select American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) games to free, over-the-air local t...
14/05/2024
Adsmovil Expands Nuestra.TV Distribution
MIAMI, Fla. Adsmovil has expanded access to its free, ad-supported, streaming TV service, Nuestra.TV to include Apple TV, Android TV, Smart TVs, Android media p...
14/05/2024
Roku Lands Exclusive Rights to Package of MLB Games
SAN JOSE, Calif. In another important example of how high-profile sports rights are shifting to streaming, Roku has secured the exclusive multi-year rights for ...
14/05/2024
Arkona Presents a Sneak Peek into the Future of Live Prod...
arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for Tier-1 broadcast productions, has announced that it will be supporting its growing gl...
14/05/2024
TAG Teams with Techex at MPTS to Demonstrate Best-of-Bree...
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has revealed highlights of its MPT...
14/05/2024
Blaze Audio Acquires Cornered Audios Commercial Install L...
Blaze Audio, a Copenhagen-based global leader specialising in pro audio solutions tailored for the installed sound market, has today announced it has acquired t...
14/05/2024
GBICS Offers Exclusive Free Bespoke Samples at MPTS 2024
GBICS, a pioneer in multi-vendor optical networking solutions, announces its presence at the upcoming Media Production and Technology Show (MPTS), happening on ...
14/05/2024
Glensound brings the latest in IP audio to CABSAT 2024
Glensound, industry leader in high quality audio systems, is showcasing the latest additions to its extensive portfolio of networked audio products at CABSAT. A...
14/05/2024
Marshall Cameras Deliver Efficient and Innovative Hybrid...
S&L Integrated Systems, a leader in audio-visual technology solutions, has recently transformed courtroom experiences throughout Georgia and the surrounding reg...
14/05/2024
Broadcast Bionics showcases the future of podcast technol...
Visit UK software company Broadcast Bionics in London this May at the Media Production & Technology Show (MPTS), Olympia London on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 1...
14/05/2024
Miami-Based DJ Creates Unique Mixes in His Studio With KR
Miami-based DJ, Music Producer, and Music Business Entrepreneur Christian Tian Jimenez has always enjoyed making music. From producing and mastering in his ho...
14/05/2024
Rohde and Schwarz showcases operational efficiency at MPT...
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its media technologies portfolio at the Media Production & Technology Show (stand M40, MPTS, London, 15 16 May) and demonstrate ...
14/05/2024
International OB provider DVB Production in Slovenia is f...
DVB Production, a major supplier of outside broadcast (OB) services in Slovenia and Central Europe, has integrated Calrec's all-IP Argo S audio console and ...
14/05/2024
Custom Consoles Announces Latest-Generation M-Desk Techni...
Custom Consoles will highlight major refinements to its M-Desk Technical HA heavy duty height-adjustable desk workstation on stand J26 at The Media Production &...
14/05/2024
Leader to Highlight Latest Test and Measurement Innovatio...
Leader Electronics Corporation, globally active innovator of broadcast-quality test and measurement instrumentation, will highlight three latest-generation test...
14/05/2024
IBC2024 Primed to Lead Innovation Explore Trends and Fost...
IBC2024 is now open for registration, with the global media and entertainment (M&E) industry set to converge on the RAI Amsterdam on 13-16 September. The event ...
14/05/2024
Vidzemes TV Latvia Expands with PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-...
Latvian free-to-air broadcaster Vidzemes TV has chosen PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box playout to expand the technical facilities at its studio headquarters in Val...
14/05/2024
Avid Presents - Meet the Sound Team Behind True Detective: Night Country
Avid Presents - Meet the Sound Team Behind True Detective: Night Country Brie Clayton May 13, 2024 0 Comments There's nothing quite like the sound...
14/05/2024
Rethinking Media Archiving with Object Storage
Rethinking Media Archiving with Object Storage Brie Clayton May 13, 2024 0 Comments Media producers today need to maintain online access to all conten...
14/05/2024
Liquid Morphing Motion in After Effects
Liquid Morphing Motion in After Effects Graham Quince May 13, 2024 0 Comments I'm not too sure if it is liquid motion but it's probably the b...
14/05/2024
Why APSC Lenses Might Be All You Need
Why APSC Lenses Might Be All You Need Sean Alami May 13, 2024 0 Comments Exploring the big impact of small sensors: Dive into how APSC lenses offer ci...
14/05/2024
Intelligent Video Effects with Film Impact in Adobe Premiere Pro Transitions
Intelligent Video Effects with Film Impact in Adobe Premiere Pro Transitions Colin Smith May 13, 2024 0 Comments This tutorial is part 2 of a detail...
14/05/2024
Shawne Merriman Turns on Lights Out Sports Streamer
Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman has soft-launched Lights Out Sports, a free ad-supported sports streaming service....