Targeting Reciprocally Connected Brain Regions Through CAV-2 Mediated Interventions
Sarah Morceau*, Robin Piquet*, Mathieu Wolff and Shauna L Parkes
* Contributed equally as first authors
Brief Research Report ARTICLE
Front. Mol. Neurosci., 10 December 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2019.00303
This article is part of the Research Topic Tropism, Mapping, Modeling, or Therapy Using Canine Adenovirus Type 2 (CAV-2) Vectors in the CNS
co-edited by Eric Kremer, Melissa Andrews, Iria Gonzalez Dopeso-Reyes and Mathieu Wolff
Abstract
An important issue in contemporary neuroscience is to identify functional principles at play within neural circuits. The reciprocity of the connections between two distinct brain areas appears as an intriguing feature of some of these circuits. This organization has been viewed as “re-entry,” a process whereby two or more brain regions concurrently stimulate and are stimulated by each other, thus supporting the synchronization of neural firing required for rapid neural integration. However, until relatively recently, it was not possible to provide a comprehensive functional assessment of such reciprocal pathways. In this Brief Research Report, we highlight the use of a chemogenetic strategy to target projection-defined neurons in reciprocally connected areas through CAV-2 mediated interventions in the rat. Specifically, we targeted the bidirectional pathways between the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the mediodorsal thalamus, as well as those connecting the insular cortex (IC) and the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA). These data showcase the usefulness of CAV-2-related strategies to address circuit-level issues. Moreover, we illustrate the inherent limitation of Cre-dependent adeno-associated virues (AAVs) with “leaked” expression of the gene of interest in the absence of Cre and highlight the need for appropriate control conditions.
Context
Sarah Morceau and Robin Piquet just started their PhD with Mathieu and Shauna, respectively, but they have been working in the team as master students previously. It’s a very encouraging start for these two! :)
This contribution is also the first "senior author paper" for Shauna Parkes, a well deserved achievement!
Here a picture of this very happy crew, Shauna, Robin, Sarah and Mathieu from left to right.
