Publication
Title
Cholinergic and serotonergic modulations differentially affect large-scale functional networks in the mouse brain
Author
Abstract
Resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) is a widely implemented technique used to investigate large-scale topology in the human brain during health and disease. Studies in mice provide additional advantages, including the possibility to flexibly modulate the brain by pharmacological or genetic manipulations in combination with high-throughput functional connectivity (FC) investigations. Pharmacological modulations that target specific neurotransmitter systems, partly mimicking the effect of pathological events, could allow discriminating the effect of specific systems on functional network disruptions. The current study investigated the effect of cholinergic and serotonergic antagonists on large-scale brain networks in mice. The cholinergic system is involved in cognitive functions and is impaired in, e.g., Alzheimers disease, while the serotonergic system is involved in emotional and introspective functions and is impaired in, e.g., Alzheimers disease, depression and autism. Specific interest goes to the default-mode-network (DMN), which is studied extensively in humans and is affected in many neurological disorders. The results show that both cholinergic and serotonergic antagonists impaired the mouse DMN-like network similarly, except that cholinergic modulation additionally affected the retrosplenial cortex. This suggests that both neurotransmitter systems are involved in maintaining integrity of FC within the DMN-like network in mice. Cholinergic and serotonergic modulations also affected other functional networks, however, serotonergic modulation impaired the frontal and thalamus networks more extensively. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the utility of pharmacological rsfMRI in animal models to provide insights into the role of specific neurotransmitter systems on functional networks in neurological disorders.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Brain structure & function. - Heidelberg, 2007, currens
Publication
Heidelberg : Springer , 2016
ISSN
1863-2653 [print]
1863-2661 [online]
DOI
10.1007/S00429-015-1087-7
Volume/pages
221 :6 (2016) , p. 3067-3079
ISI
000382684300011
Pubmed ID
26195064
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Studying the interaction between synaptic loss, neuroinflammation and amyloid pathology in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease
Defining fMRI resting state network alterations and perfusion deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's Disease.
Imaging of Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases (INMIND).
CalcUA as central calculation facility: supporting core facilities.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 04.11.2015
Last edited 22.01.2024
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