Preface. Acknowledgements. Introduction. References. List of Structures. Index of Abbreviations. Diagrams.

The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates

Automated Anatomical Labeling of Activations in SPM Using a Macroscopic Anatomical Parcellation of the MNI MRI Single-Subject Brain

Staging of brain pathology related to sporadic Parkinson’s disease

Thirty years of brain imaging research has converged to define the brain’s default network—a novel and only recently appreciated brain system that participates in internal modes of cognition Here we synthesize past observations to provide strong evidence that the default network is a specific, anatomically defined brain system preferentially active when individuals are not focused on the external environment Analysis of connectional anatomy in the monkey supports the presence of an interconnected brain system Providing insight into function, the default network is active when individuals are engaged in internally focused tasks including autobiographical memory retrieval, envisioning the future, and conceiving the perspectives of others Probing the functional anatomy of the network in detail reveals that it is best understood as multiple interacting subsystems The medial temporal lobe subsystem provides information from prior experiences in the form of memories and associations that are the building blocks of mental simulation The medial prefrontal subsystem facilitates the flexible use of this information during the construction of self-relevant mental simulations These two subsystems converge on important nodes of integration including the posterior cingulate cortex The implications of these functional and anatomical observations are discussed in relation to possible adaptive roles of the default network for using past experiences to plan for the future, navigate social interactions, and maximize the utility of moments when we are not otherwise engaged by the external world We conclude by discussing the relevance of the default network for understanding mental disorders including autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease

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The Brain's Default Network Anatomy, Function, and Relevance to Disease

I have developed "tennis elbow" from lugging this book around the past four weeks, but it is worth the pain, the effort, and the aspirin. It is also worth the (relatively speaking) bargain price. Including appendixes, this book contains 894 pages of text. The entire panorama of the neural sciences is surveyed and examined, and it is comprehensive in its scope, from genomes to social behaviors. The editors explicitly state that the book is designed as "an introductory text for students of biology, behavior, and medicine," but it is hard to imagine any audience, interested in any fragment of neuroscience at any level of sophistication, that would not enjoy this book. The editors have done a masterful job of weaving together the biologic, the behavioral, and the clinical sciences into a single tapestry in which everyone from the molecular biologist to the practicing psychiatrist can find and appreciate his or

Principles of Neural Science

Cortico-striatal neurocircuits mediate goal-directed and habitual actions which are necessary for adaptive behaviour. It has recently been proposed that some of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS), such as tics and repetitive behaviours, may emerge because of imbalances in these neurocircuits. We have recently developed a model of ASD and GTS by knocking down Immp2l, a mitochondrial gene frequently associated with these disorders. The current study sought to determine whether Immp2l knockdown (KD) in male mice alters flexible, goal- or cue-driven behaviour using procedures specifically designed to examine response-outcome and stimulus-response associations, which underlie goal-directed and habitual behaviour, respectively. Whether Immp2l KD alters neuron density in cortico-striatal neurocircuits known to regulate these behaviours was also examined. Immp2l KD mice and wild type-like mice (WT) were trained on Pavlovian and instrumental learning procedures where auditory cues predicted food delivery and lever-press responses earned a food outcome. It was demonstrated that goal-directed learning was not changed for Immp2l KD mice compared to WT mice, as lever-press responses were sensitive to changes in the value of the food outcome, and to contingency reversal and degradation. There was also no difference in the capacity of KD mice to form habitual behaviours compared to WT mice following extending training of the instrumental action. However, Immp2l KD mice were more responsive to auditory stimuli paired with food as indicated by a non-specific increase in lever response rates during Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. Finally, there were no alterations to neuron density in striatum or any prefrontal cortex or limbic brain structures examined. Thus, the current study suggests that Immp2l is not necessary for learned maladaptive goal or stimulus driven behaviours in ASD or GTS, but that it may contribute to increased capacity for external stimuli to drive behaviour. Alterations to stimulus-driven behaviour could potentially influence the expression of tics and repetitive behaviours, suggesting that genetic alterations to Immp2l may contribute to these core symptoms in ASD and GTS. Given that this is the first application of this battery of instrumental learning procedures to a mouse model of ASD or GTS, it is an important initial step in determining the contribution of known risk-genes to goal-directed versus habitual behaviours, which should be more broadly applied to other rodent models of ASD and GTS in the future.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2023/02/13/2023.02.12.528225.full.pdf

Immp2l knockdown increases stimulus-driven instrumental behaviour but does not alter goal-directed learning or neuron density in cortico-striatal circuits in a mouse model of Tourette syndrome and autism spectrum disorder

OCD has been characterized by recent data as a disorder of cognition. Recent data also show pathology in prefrontal-subcortical networks. We leveraged cross-species prefrontal-subcortical cytoarchitectonic homologies in order to parse anatomical abnormalities in people with OCD into higher resolution areas and neuronal networks. We established that the anatomical abnormalities associated with OCD predominantly reside in a neuronal network associated with emotional processing. We further provide evidence that current tests do not accurately dissociate emotion from cognition and so relying on them risks mis-stating the role of prefrontal-subcortical networks. Taken together, these findings reveal the neglect of the role of emotion in the pathophysiology of OCD.

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The anatomy of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

When working with mouse brain models it becomes apparent, that anatomically detailed, three dimensional atlases are not readily available. On one hand, histological atlases are two dimensional, whereas three dimensional MRI atlases might only define 40 brain structures. Our aim is to create an digital atlas using high resolution images produced by a 16.4 T MRI scanner, complemented by histological data. A higher grade of segmentation, for example 45 structures in the cerebellum and 35 in the hippocampus, will enable the researcher to compare normal mouse brain anatomy to pathological anatomical changes in models of disease.

A new approach to mouse brain mapping

A new technique for ablation of persistent ectopic activity with atypical electrocardiographic characteristics at the vicinity of the right ventricular outflow tract is described. A new circular mapping and ablation catheter initially designed for pulmonary vein ablation was used. Abolition of ectopic activity was achieved with minimal fluoroscopy and ablation times.

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George Paxinos

Papers

Immp2l knockdown increases stimulus-driven instrumental behaviour but does not alter goal-directed learning or neuron density in cortico-striatal circuits in a mouse model of Tourette syndrome and autism spectrum disorder

The anatomy of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A new approach to mouse brain mapping

Use of a circular mapping and ablation catheter for ablation of atypical right ventricular outflow tract arrhythmia.

Excitation-modulation by anodal pulses in biphasic brain stimulation