In models of visual spatial attention control, it is commonly held that top–down control signals originate in the dorsal attention network, propagating to the visual cortex to modulate baseline neural activity and bias sensory processing. However, the precise distribution of these top–down influences across different levels of the visual hierarchy is debated. In addition, it is unclear whether these baseline neural activity changes translate into improved performance. We analyzed attention-related baseline activity during the anticipatory period of a voluntary spatial attention task, using two independent functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets and two analytic approaches. First, as in prior studies, univariate analysis showed that covert attention significantly enhanced baseline neural activity in higher-order visual areas contralateral to the attended visual hemifield, while effects in lower-order visual areas (e.g., V1) were weaker and more variable. Second, in contrast, mult

Growth hormone (GH) is a neuromodulator that binds to receptors in the hippocampus and alters synaptic plasticity. A decline in GH levels is associated with normal aging, stress, and disease, and the mechanisms proposed involve the hippocampal circuit plasticity. To see how GH affects the hippocampal neural code, we recorded single neurons in the CA1 region of male Long–Evans rats with locally altered GH levels. Rats received injections of adeno-associated viruses into the hippocampus to make the cells overexpress either GH or an antagonizing mutated GH (aGH). Place cells were recorded in both familiar and novel environments to allow the assessment of pattern separation in the neural representations termed remapping. All the animals showed intact and stable place fields in the familiar environment. In the novel environment, aGH transfection increased the average firing rate, peak rate, and information density of the CA1 place fields. The tendency of global remapping increased in the GH

A common impairment in aging is age-related hearing loss (presbycusis), which manifests as impaired spectrotemporal processing. Presbycusis can be caused by a dysfunction of the peripheral and central auditory system, and these dysfunctions might differ between the sexes. To date, the circuit mechanisms in the central nervous system responsible for age-related auditory dysfunction remain mostly unknown. In the auditory cortex (ACtx), aging is accompanied by alteration in normal inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmission and changes in excitatory (NMDA and AMPA) synapses, but which circuits are affected has been unclear. Here we investigated how auditory cortical microcircuits change with age and if sex-dependent differences existed. We performed laser-scanning photostimulation (LSPS) combined with whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from layer (L) 2/3 cells in the primary auditory cortex (A1) in young adult (2–3 months) and aged (older than 18 months) male and female CBA/CaJ mice which have nor

Maintaining concentration on demanding cognitive tasks, such as vigilance (VG) and working memory (WM) tasks, is crucial for successful task completion. Previous research suggests that internal concentration maintenance fluctuates, potentially declining to suboptimal states, which can influence trial-by-trial performance in these tasks. However, the timescale of such alertness maintenance, as indicated by slow changes in pupil diameter, has not been thoroughly investigated. This study explored whether “pupil trends”—which selectively signal suboptimal tonic alertness maintenance at various timescales—negatively correlate with trial-by-trial performance in VG and WM tasks. Using the psychomotor vigilance task (VG) and the visual–spatial two-back task (WM), we found that human pupil trends lasting over 10 s were significantly higher in trials with longer reaction times, indicating poorer performance, compared with shorter reaction time trials, which indicated better performance. The atte

Food intake is controlled by multiple converging signals: hormonal signals that provide information about energy homeostasis and hedonic and motivational aspects of food and food cues that can drive nonhomeostatic or “hedonic” feeding. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a brain region implicated in the hedonic and motivational impact of food and food cues, as well as consumption of rewards. Disinhibition of VP neurons has been shown to generate intense hyperphagia, or overconsumption. While VP GABA neurons have been implicated in cue-elicited reward-seeking and motivation, the role of these neurons in the hyperphagia resulting from VP activation remains unclear. Here, we used designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs to activate VP GABA neurons in nonrestricted male and female rats during chow and sucrose consumption. We found that activation of VP GABA neurons increases consumption of chow and sucrose in male rats, but not female rats. Together, these findings suggest that

Chronic pain is a debilitative disease affecting one in five adults globally and is a major risk factor for anxiety ( [Goldberg and McGee, 2011][1]; [Lurie, 2018][2]). Given the current dearth of available treatments for both individuals living with chronic pain and mental illnesses, there is a critical need for research into the molecular mechanisms involved in order to discover novel treatment targets. Cellular homeostasis is crucial for normal bodily functions, and investigations of this process may provide better understanding of the mechanisms driving the development of chronic pain. Using the spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathic pain, we found contrasting roles for BECLIN-1 in the development of pain hypersensitivity and anxiety-like behaviors in a sex-dependent manner. Remarkably, we found that male SNI mice with impaired BECLIN-1 function demonstrated heightened mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity compared with male wild-type SNI mice, while female SNI mice with i