小柯机器人

科学家绘制出内脏感知的脑干图谱
2022-09-04 14:09

美国哈佛医学院Stephen D. Liberles课题组绘制出内脏感知的脑干图谱。这一研究成果于2022年8月31日在线发表在国际学术期刊《自然》上。

研究人员开发了一种双光子钙成像方案,用于了解孤束核(NTS)中的内部器官表征,孤束核是脑干的一个感觉通道,接收来自身体的迷走神经和其他输入。以肠道和上呼吸道刺激为重点,研究人员观察到单个NTS神经元被调整为检测来自特定器官的信号,并在身体位置的基础上进行拓扑组织。此外,一些来自同一器官的机械感觉和化学感觉的输入会集中在一起。感觉输入涉及特定位置的NTS域,每个域都包含异质性的细胞类型。不同器官的空间表征在NTS中被进一步锐化,超过了仅由迷走神经轴突分类所实现的,因为脑干抑制的阻断扩大了神经调谐并使内脏表征混乱。这些发现揭示了大脑用于处理知觉输入的基本组织特征。

据了解,神经系统使用各种编码策略来处理感觉输入。例如,嗅觉系统使用大量的受体复合物,并连线来识别各种气味,而视觉系统则对物体的位置、形状和运动提供高度的敏锐度。与外部感觉系统相比,感知间神经系统的感觉处理原则仍然没有得到很好的定义。

附:英文原文

Title: A brainstem map for visceral sensations

Author: Ran, Chen, Boettcher, Jack C., Kaye, Judith A., Gallori, Catherine E., Liberles, Stephen D.

Issue&Volume: 2022-08-31

Abstract: The nervous system uses various coding strategies to process sensory inputs. For example, the olfactory system uses large receptor repertoires and is wired to recognize diverse odours, whereas the visual system provides high acuity of object position, form and movement1,2,3,4,5. Compared to external sensory systems, principles that underlie sensory processing by the interoceptive nervous system remain poorly defined. Here we developed a two-photon calcium imaging preparation to understand internal organ representations in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a sensory gateway in the brainstem that receives vagal and other inputs from the body. Focusing on gut and upper airway stimuli, we observed that individual NTS neurons are tuned to detect signals from particular organs and are topographically organized on the basis of body position. Moreover, some mechanosensory and chemosensory inputs from the same organ converge centrally. Sensory inputs engage specific NTS domains with defined locations, each containing heterogeneous cell types. Spatial representations of different organs are further sharpened in the NTS beyond what is achieved by vagal axon sorting alone, as blockade of brainstem inhibition broadens neural tuning and disorganizes visceral representations. These findings reveal basic organizational features used by the brain to process interoceptive inputs.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05139-5

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05139-5

Nature:《自然》,创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团,最新IF:69.504
官方网址:http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接:http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html


本期文章:《自然》:Online/在线发表

分享到:

0