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Brown, J. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Brown, J. A..

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Sensory cortical disinhibition is required for long-term fear memory in humans

The transformation of transient threats into enduring memories is fundamental to survival, yet how the human brain constructs long-term fear memory remains elusive. Early sensory cortex, traditionally viewed as a passive feature analyzer, is increasingly recognized as an active participant in fear processing. Here, using a multimodal approach combining high-definition -frequency transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD -tACS) with simultaneous EEG-fMRI and transformer-based neural decoding, we tracked fear memory development across early formation, consolidation, and long-term retention stages (assessed at 15 min, 24 h, and 7 days post-conditioning). Spatiotemporal memory representations were evident at all three time points, beginning at an early sensory stage (40-60 ms post-stimulus). Conditioning potentiated occipital -oscillation desynchronization (a marker of visual cortical disinhibition), which predicted the strength of subsequent long-term memory traces. Critically, targeted -tACS over early visual cortex induced V1/V2 inhibition, abolished conditioning-potentiated desynchronization, and selectively disrupted fear-memory consolidation and retention while leaving initial acquisition intact. These findings establish sensory cortical disinhibition as a necessary mechanism for long-term fear memory in humans and identify early sensory cortex as a causal node for interventions targeting persistent maladaptive fear.

neuroscience↗

Sex-specific control of feeding and defensive behaviors by MC3R neurons in the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis

The bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) is a nuclear complex that coordinates neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses associated with maintaining homeostasis. Here, we demonstrate that melanocortin 3 receptor (MC3R) neurons in the BST (BSTMC3R) play a key role in modulating feeding behaviors and responses to stressful events. BSTMC3R neurons are primarily GABAergic and colocalize with neuropeptides known to regulate feeding and affective behaviors. Chemogenetic activation of BSTMC3R neurons causes reduced feeding, particularly in males. BSTMC3R neurons are also robustly activated by stress and can control responses to stress and defensive behaviors in both sexes. Whole-brain monosynaptic rabies tracing identified multiple sexually dimorphic inputs to BSTMC3R neurons that may contribute to observed functional sexual dimorphisms. Altogether, these data reveal that BSTMC3R neurons participate in sexually dimorphic circuits that influence feeding and defensive behaviors, responses to stress, and may represent a potential therapeutic target for stress- and eating-related disorders.

neuroscience↗

Blood-based Transcriptomics Reveal Sex- and Amyloid-Modulated Biology of Plasma pTau217 in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease

Plasma pTau217, an emerging Alzheimers disease (AD) biomarker, may reflect a synaptic response to {beta}-amyloid (A{beta}) plaques before cortical tangle formation, but its broader biological correlates remain unclear. We sought to identify associations between whole blood gene expression and plasma pTau217, and to determine whether APOE{varepsilon}4, sex, and neocortical A{beta}-PET modify these associations in 724 participants from the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimers and accompanying LEARN studies (A4/LEARN, Agemean(SD)=72.2(4.6); 63%female). Of 20,621 genes tested (1,048 X-linked), none were directly associated with pTau217; one gene was moderated by APOE{varepsilon}4, 1,540 genes by A{beta}-PET, and 772 genes by both A{beta}-PET and sex. Over 100 of these significant associations were X-linked, supporting a role of the X chromosome in AD. Sex interactions were only observed in the presence of elevated A{beta}-PET. Our results underscore the complexity of molecular mechanisms that can be linked to plasma pTau217, particularly in the context of elevated A{beta}-PET.

neuroscience↗

Anxious vision: Trait-like visual cortical hyperactivity in trait anxiety

Sensory processing varies across individuals, often manifesting as distinct traits. Some traits, particularly sensory hypersensitivity, even to basic non-valenced stimuli, are closely linked to emotional traits and implicated in a diversity of psychiatric disorders. Extant theories attribute this sensory-emotion linkage to limbic and prefrontal modulation, but empirical support remains limited. Meanwhile, it is increasingly recognized that sensory cortex supports flexible, value-based processing beyond labeled-line sensory analysis. Assaying early visual cortical activity (using visual evoked potentials/VEPs) across four high-density electroencephalogram (hd-EEG) experiments, involving three independent samples (N = 150) and repeated assessments (up to three waves), we identify a reliable and generalizable pattern of visual cortical hyperactivity related to high trait anxiety. Notably, this effect was specific to the parvocellular (vs. magnocellular) pathway, emerging as early as 46 ms and localized to V1. Underscoring its trait-like stability, the effect was reproducible across different arousal states, neutral and negative stimuli, extended time intervals, and varied experimental paradigms. Moreover, its ecological validity was affirmed by its presence in response to both basic low-level stimuli (Gabor patches) and complex real-world images. Crucially, an excitation-inhibition (E/I) ratio (indexed by the resting-state EEG aperiodic exponent; 1/f slope) predicted parvocellular VEP magnitude in subjects with low but not high trait anxiety, suggesting disrupted E/I modulation in trait anxiety underpins this hyperactivity. We conclude that in trait anxiety, early visual processing deviates from strict "fidelity" to physical-world input or mere "subservience" to top-down modulation, instead adapting to an individuals biological propensity at the earliest processing stage. HighlightsO_LIHyperactivity in primary visual cortex is stable, trait-like C_LIO_LIIt occurs as early as 46 ms post-stimulus, during initial feedforward sweep C_LIO_LIIt covaries with trait anxiety, a key personality factor and risk predisposition for psychiatric disorders C_LIO_LIIt is related to disrupted excitation-inhibition modulation of visual cortex in trait anxiety C_LI

neuroscience↗

Viability Differentiation Improves the Diagnostic Potential of 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing in Ready-to-Eat Meat Manufacturing

Molecular-based microbiological approaches have become valuable tools for the food industry. However, even the most advanced molecular techniques are limited in their ability to differentiate based on viability creating the potential for biased results when applied to the food industry. The objective of this study was to generate a viable microbial bio-map of a commercial ready-to-eat (RTE) meat manufacturing process and assess its utility as a diagnostic tool. Product samples were collected from a commercial RTE meat manufacturing facility at various locations throughout processing. Samples were homogenized and aliquoted for culture-based microbial isolation and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Homogenates were split into pairs and subject to either no treatment (Control) or treated with 25 M PMAxx (PMA) to remove free and non-viable cellular DNA. Overall, PMA treatment resulted in a less rich microbial community compared to Control samples. Paired analysis revealed that the impact of PMA varied by location with the greatest effects being observed at the beginning and end of manufacturing. Both Control and PMA treated samples identified a shift in the microbial population after thermal processing; however, only PMA treated samples identified a secondary shift in the microbial population occurring after slicing. Taxonomic analysis identified Lactobacillus as a predominant genera in sliced and packaged products. These results were further confirmed by the identification of Lactobacillus sakei on packaged product using a culture-based approach. These results suggest PMA treatment provides a higher level of sequencing resolution by removing background DNA. ImportanceMicrobial bio-mapping is a valuable tool for the meat and poultry industry to assess process control and evaluate the efficacy of intervention systems. In recent years it has become more common to incorporate the use of molecular techniques, such as qPCR and 16S rRNA, to quantitatively track target pathogens and gain a more holistic understanding of the microbial community throughout processing. One major limitation we face when applying these DNA-based techniques to the food industry is their inability to differentiate between DNA from viable versus non-viable cells, which may result in the false identification of pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms and bias microbiota results. To practically apply this technology in a ready-to-eat meat manufacturing setting, it is crucial to develop and validate strategies that are capable of differentiating between viable and non-viable cellular DNA.

microbiology↗

Alpha-frequency stimulation strengthens coupling between temporal fluctuations in alpha oscillation power and default mode network connectivity

Alpha (8-12 Hz) oscillations and default mode network (DMN) activity dominate the brains intrinsic activity in the temporal and spatial domains, respectively. They are thought to play crucial roles in the spatiotemporal organization of the complex brain system. Relatedly, both have been implicated, often concurrently, in diverse neuropsychiatric disorders, with accruing electroencephalogram/magnetoencephalogram (EEG/MEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data linking these two neural activities both at rest and during key cognitive operations. Prominent theories and extant findings thus converge to suggest a mechanistic relationship between alpha oscillations and the DMN. Here, we leveraged simultaneous EEG-fMRI data acquired before and after alpha-frequency transcranial alternating current stimulation (-tACS) and observed that -tACS tightened the dynamic coupling between spontaneous fluctuations in alpha power and DMN connectivity (especially, in the posterior DMN, between the posterior cingulate cortex and the bilateral angular gyrus). In comparison, no significant changes were observed for temporal correlations between power in other oscillatory frequencies and connectivity in other major networks. These results thus suggest an inherent coupling between alpha and DMN activity in humans. Importantly, these findings highlight the efficacy of -tACS in regulating the DMN, a clinically significant network that is challenging to target directly with non-invasive methods. Significance StatementAlpha (8-12 Hz) oscillations and the default mode network (DMN) represent two major intrinsic activities of the brain. Prominent theories and extant findings converge to suggest a mechanistic relationship between alpha oscillations and the DMN. Combining simultaneous electroencephalogram-functional-magnetic-resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) with alpha-frequency transcranial alternating current stimulation (-tACS), we demonstrated tightened coupling between alpha oscillations and DMN connectivity. These results lend credence to an inherent alpha-DMN link. Given DMN dysfunctions in multiple major neuropsychiatric conditions, the findings also highlight potential utility of -tACS in clinical interventions by regulating the DMN.

neuroscience↗

Characterization of the Gastrointestinal Tract Holstein x Angus Cross Cattle Microbiome During Harvest after Feed Withdrawal

Stress during the beef pre-harvest period can induce an inflammatory response and acidotic conditions in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), which affects the gastrointestinal tract microbiome. The objective of this study was to characterize the status of the GIT microbiome at harvest in beef cattle entering a small USDA processing facility. Nine beef cattle were shipped from a producer in Columbia County, WI to the USDA processing facility at University of Wisconsin-Madison and were harvested across four dates. Digesta samples were collected from eight GIT locations: rumen solids, rumen liquids, abomasum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, and large intestines. After DNA extraction with the DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit, the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Sequences were analyzed for alpha and beta diversity metrics (ANOVA and ADONOS), core microbiome, ANCOM, and co-occurrence network analyses. Harvest date and GIT location had a significant impact on microbial diversity and community composition (P<0.05), and there was an interaction between GIT location and harvest date (P<0.05). Taxonomic composition shifted throughout the GIT, though Prevotella and Treponema were core members in several different GIT locations. The co-occurrence analysis revealed microorganisms potentially associated with clinical infections, such as Moryella in the rumen and Acinetobacter in the hindgut, were considered keystone species. These results suggest that the pre-harvest period may negatively impact the beef cattle GIT microbiome. Modulating the GIT microbiome during the pre-harvest period may offer an opportunity to improve food safety.

molecular biology↗

Comparison of Wild-Type and High-risk PNPLA3 variants in a Human Biomimetic Liver Microphysiology System for Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease Precision Therapy

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a worldwide health epidemic with a global occurrence of approximately 30%. The pathogenesis of MASLD is a complex, multisystem disorder driven by multiple factors including genetics, lifestyle, and the environment. Patient heterogeneity presents challenges for developing MASLD therapeutics, creation of patient cohorts for clinical trials and optimization of therapeutic strategies for specific patient cohorts. Implementing pre-clinical experimental models for drug development creates a significant challenge as simple in vitro systems and animal models do not fully recapitulate critical steps in the pathogenesis and the complexity of MASLD progression. To address this, we implemented a precision medicine strategy that couples the use of our liver acinus microphysiology system (LAMPS) constructed with patient-derived primary cells. We investigated the MASLD-associated genetic variant PNPLA3 rs738409 (I148M variant) in primary hepatocytes, as it is associated with MASLD progression. We constructed LAMPS with genotyped wild type and variant PNPLA3 hepatocytes together with key non-parenchymal cells and quantified the reproducibility of the model. We altered media components to mimic blood chemistries, including insulin, glucose, free fatty acids, and immune activating molecules to reflect normal fasting (NF), early metabolic syndrome (EMS) and late metabolic syndrome (LMS) conditions. Finally, we investigated the response to treatment with resmetirom, an approved drug for metabolic syndrome-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), the progressive form of MASLD. This study using primary cells serves as a benchmark for studies using "patient biomimetic twins" constructed with patient iPSC-derived liver cells using a panel of reproducible metrics. We observed increased steatosis, immune activation, stellate cell activation and secretion of pro-fibrotic markers in the PNPLA3 GG variant compared to wild type CC LAMPS, consistent with the clinical characterization of this variant. We also observed greater resmetirom efficacy in PNPLA3 wild type CC LAMPS compared to the GG variant in multiple MASLD metrics including steatosis, stellate cell activation and the secretion of pro-fibrotic markers. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the capability of the LAMPS platform for the development of MASLD precision therapeutics, enrichment of patient cohorts for clinical trials, and optimization of therapeutic strategies for patient subgroups with different clinical traits and disease stages.

cell biology↗

Atrophy-driven functional network collapse in neurodegenerative disease

Cognitive and behavioral deficits in Alzheimers disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) result from brain atrophy and altered functional connectivity. However, it is unclear how atrophy relates to functional connectivity disruptions across dementia subtypes and stages. We addressed this question using structural and functional MRI from 221 patients with AD (n=82), behavioral variant FTD (n=41), corticobasal syndrome (n=27), nonfluent (n=34) and semantic (n=37) variant primary progressive aphasia, and 100 cognitively normal individuals. Using partial least squares regression, we identified three principal structure-function components. The first component showed overall atrophy correlating with primary cortical hypo-connectivity and subcortical/association cortical hyper-connectivity. Components two and three linked focal syndrome-specific atrophy to peri-lesional hypo-connectivity and distal hyper-connectivity. Structural and functional component scores predicted global and domain-specific cognitive deficits. Anatomically, functional connectivity changes reflected alterations in specific brain activity gradients. Eigenmode analysis identified temporal phase and amplitude collapse as an explanation for atrophy-driven functional connectivity changes.

neuroscience↗

Attention, Musicality, and Familiarity Shape Cortical Speech Tracking at the Musical Cocktail Party

The "cocktail party problem" challenges our ability to understand speech in noisy environments, which often include background music. Here, we explored the role of background music in speech-in-noise listening. Participants listened to an audiobook in familiar and unfamiliar music while tracking keywords in either speech or song lyrics. We used EEG to measure neural tracking of the audiobook. When speech was masked by music, the modeled peak latency at 50 ms (P1TRF) was prolonged compared to unmasked. Additionally, P1TRF amplitude was larger in unfamiliar background music, suggesting improved speech tracking. We observed prolonged latencies at 100 ms (N1TRF) when speech was not the attended stimulus, though only in less musical listeners. Our results suggest early neural representations of speech are enhanced with both attention and concurrent unfamiliar music, indicating familiar music is more distracting. Ones ability to perceptually filter "musical noise" at the cocktail party depends on objective musical abilities.

neuroscience↗

Transcranial stimulation of alpha oscillations modulates brain state dynamics in sustained attention

The brain operates an advanced complex system to support mental activities. Cognition is thought to emerge from dynamic states of the complex brain system, which are organized spatially through large- scale neural networks and temporally via neural synchrony. However, specific mechanisms underlying these processes remain obscure. Applying high-definition alpha-frequency transcranial alternating-current stimulation (HD -tACS) in a continuous performance task (CPT) during functional resonance imaging (fMRI), we causally elucidate these major organizational architectures in a key cognitive operation-- sustained attention. We demonstrated that -tACS enhanced both electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha power and sustained attention, in a correlated fashion. Akin to temporal fluctuations inherent in sustained attention, our hidden Markov modeling (HMM) of fMRI timeseries uncovered several recurrent, dynamic brain states, which were organized through a few major neural networks and regulated by the alpha oscillation. Specifically, during sustain attention, -tACS regulated the temporal dynamics of the brain states by suppressing a Task-Negative state (characterized by activation of the default mode network/DMN) and Distraction state (with activation of the ventral attention and visual networks). These findings thus linked dynamic states of major neural networks and alpha oscillations, providing important insights into systems-level mechanisms of attention. They also highlight the efficacy of non-invasive oscillatory neuromodulation in probing the functioning of the complex brain system and encourage future clinical applications to improve neural systems health and cognitive performance.

neuroscience↗

Dissociating instructive from permissive roles of brain circuits with reversible neural activity manipulations

Recent work has demonstrated that both permanent lesions and acute inactivation experiments can lead to erroneous conclusions about the causal role of brain areas in specific behaviors, casting serious doubt on major avenues by which neuroscientists study the brain. To overcome this challenge, we developed a three-stage optogenetic approach which leverages the ability to precisely control the temporal period of regional inactivation with either brief or sustained illumination, enabling investigators to dissociate between putative permissive and instructive roles of brain areas in behavior. We applied this approach to the mouse primary visual cortex (V1) to probe whether V1 is permissive or instructive for the detection low contrast stimuli. Acute inactivation of V1 drastically suppressed performance, but during persistent inactivation, the animals contrast detection recovered to pre-silencing levels. This recovery was itself reversible, as returning the animals to intermittent V1 inactivation reinstated the behavioral deficit. These results argue that V1 is the default circuit mice use to detect visual stimuli, but in its absence, other regions can compensate for it. This novel, temporally controllable optogenetic perturbation paradigm should be useful in other brain circuits to assess whether they are instructive or permissive in a brain function or behavior.

neuroscience↗

Gut bacteria-derived serotonin promotes immune tolerance in early life

The gut microbiome promotes immune system development in early life, but the neonatal gut metabolome remains undefined. Here, we demonstrate that, distinct from adults, the neonatal mouse gut is enriched with neurotransmitters, and specific bacteria produce serotonin directly while downregulating monoamine oxidase A to limit serotonin breakdown. Serotonin inhibits mTOR activation to promote regulatory T cells and suppress T cell responses both ex vivo and in vivo in the neonatal intestine. Oral gavage of serotonin into neonatal mice leads to long-term immune tolerance toward both dietary antigens and commensal bacteria as well as alterations of the gut microbiome. Together, our study has uncovered unique microbiome-dependent mechanisms to maximize serotonin in the neonatal gut and a novel role for intestinal serotonin to promote immune tolerance in early life.

immunology↗

Familiarity of Background Music Modulates the Cortical Tracking of Target Speech at the Cocktail Party

The "cocktail party" problem - how a listener perceives speech in noisy environments - is typically studied using speech (multi-talker babble) or noise maskers. However, realistic cocktail party scenarios often include background music (e.g., coffee shops, concerts). Studies investigating musics effects on concurrent speech perception have predominantly used highly controlled synthetic music or shaped noise which do not reflect naturalistic listening environments. Behaviorally, familiar background music and songs with vocals/lyrics inhibit concurrent speech recognition. Here, we investigated the neural bases of these effects. While recording multichannel EEG, participants listened to an audiobook while popular songs (or silence) played in the background at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio. Songs were either familiar or unfamiliar to listeners and featured either vocals or isolated instrumentals from the original audio recordings. Comprehension questions probed task engagement. We used temporal response functions (TRFs) to isolate cortical tracking to the target speech envelope and analyzed neural responses around 100 ms (i.e., auditory N1 wave). We found that speech comprehension was, expectedly, impaired during background music(s) compared to silence. Target speech tracking was further hindered by the presence of vocals. When masked by familiar music, response latencies to speech were less susceptible to informational masking, suggesting concurrent neural tracking of speech was easier during music known to the listener. These differential effects of music familiarity were further exacerbated in listeners with less musical ability. Our neuroimaging results and their dependence on listening skills are consistent with early attentional gain mechanisms where familiar music is easier to tune out (listeners already know the songs expectancies) and thus can allocate fewer attentional resources to the background music to better monitor concurrent speech material.

neuroscience↗

Dynamic autonomic nervous system patterns differentiate human emotions and manifest in resting physiology

Whether activity in the autonomic nervous system differs during distinct emotions remains controversial. We obtained continuous multichannel recordings of autonomic nervous system activity in healthy adults during a video-based emotional reactivity task. Dimensionality reduction revealed five principal components in the autonomic time series data, and these modes of covariation differentiated periods of baseline from those of video-viewing. Unsupervised clustering of the principal component time series data uncovered separable autonomic states that distinguished among the five emotion-inducing trials. These autonomic states were also detected in baseline physiology but were intermittent and of smaller magnitude. Our results suggest the autonomic nervous system assembles dynamic activity patterns during emotions that are similar across people and are present even during undirected moments of rest. One Sentence SummaryDynamic autonomic patterns distinguish among emotions and are evident in resting physiology.

neuroscience↗

Intrinsic brain activity gradients dynamically coordinate functional connectivity states

A central goal of systems neuroscience is to determine the functional-anatomical basis of brain-wide activity dynamics. While brain activity patterns appear to be low-dimensional and guided by spatial gradients, the set of gradients remains provisional and their mode of interaction is unclear. Here we applied deep learning-based dimensionality reduction to task-free fMRI images to derive an intrinsic latent space of human brain activity. Each dimension represented a discrete, dynamically fluctuating spatial activity gradient. The principal dimension was a novel unipolar sensory-association gradient underlying the global signal. A small set of gradients appeared to underlie key functional connectomics phenomena. Different task activation patterns were generated by gradients adopting task-specific configurations. Dynamical systems modelling revealed that gradients interact via state-specific coupling parameters, allowing accurate forecasts and simulations of task-specific brain activity. Together, these findings indicate that a small set of dynamic, interacting gradients create the repertoire of possible brain activity states.

neuroscience↗

Auditory cortex supports verbal working memory capacity

Working memory (WM) is a fundamental construct of human cognition. The neural basis of auditory WM is thought to reflect a distributed brain network consisting of canonical memory and central executive brain regions including frontal lobe, prefrontal areas, and hippocampus. Yet, the role of auditory (sensory) cortex in supporting active memory representations remains controversial. Here, we recorded neuroelectric activity via EEG as listeners actively performed an auditory version of the Sternberg memory task. Memory load was taxed by parametrically manipulating the number of auditory tokens (letter sounds) held in memory. Source analysis of scalp potentials showed that sustained neural activity maintained in auditory cortex (AC) prior to memory retrieval closely scaled with behavioral performance. Brain-behavior correlations revealed lateralized modulations in left (but not right) AC predicted individual differences in auditory WM capacity. Our findings confirm a prominent role of auditory cortex, traditionally viewed as a sensory-perceptual processor, in actively maintaining memory traces and dictating individual differences in behavioral WM limits.

neuroscience↗

Structure-aided development of small molecule inhibitors of ENPP1, the extracellular phosphodiesterase of the immunotransmitter cGAMP

Cancer cells initiate an innate immune response by synthesizing and exporting the small molecule immunotransmitter cGAMP, which activates the anti-cancer Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway in the host. An extracellular enzyme, ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase 1 (ENPP1), hydrolyzes cGAMP and negatively regulates this anti-cancer immune response. Small molecule ENPP1 inhibitors are much needed as tools to study basic biology of extracellular cGAMP and as investigational cancer immunotherapy drugs. Here, we surveyed structure-activity relationships around a series of cell-impermeable and thus extracellular-targeting phosphonate inhibitors of ENPP1. Additionally, we solved the crystal structure of an exemplary phosphonate inhibitor to elucidate the interactions that drive potency. This study yielded several best-in-class compounds with Ki < 2 nM and excellent physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. Finally, we demonstrate that an ENPP1 inhibitor delays tumor growth in a breast cancer mouse model. Together, we have developed ENPP1 inhibitors that are excellent tool compounds and potential therapeutics.

biochemistry↗