Biology subjects

Darwin, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Darwin, B..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Host genetics maps to behaviour and brain structure in mice

Gene-environment interactions in the postnatal period have a long-term impact on neurodevelopment. To effectively model neurodevelopment in the mouse, we incorporated several validated behavioural tests to develop a behavioural pipeline that measures translationally relevant milestones of development in mice. The behavioral phenotype of 1060 wild type and genetically-modified mice was examined in parallel with structural brain imaging. The influence of genetics, sex, and early life stress on behaviour and neuroanatomy was determined using traditional statistical and machine learning methods. The results demonstrated that neuroanatomical diversity was primarily associated with genotype whereas behavioural phenotypic diversity was observed to be more susceptible to gene-environment interactions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Transcriptomic similarity in the mouse and human brain

The ever-increasing use of mouse models in preclinical neuroscience research calls for an improvement in the methods used to translate findings between mouse and human brains. Using openly accessible brain-wide transcriptomic data sets, we evaluated the similarity of mouse and human brain regions on the basis of homologous gene expression. Our results suggest that mouse-human homologous genes capture broad patterns of neuroanatomical organization, but that the resolution of cross-species correspondences can be improved using a novel supervised machine learning approach. Using this method, we demonstrate that sensorimotor subdivisions of the neocortex exhibit greater similarity between species, compared with supramodal sub-divisions, and that mouse isocortical regions separate into sensorimotor and supramodal clusters based on their similarity to human cortical regions. We also find that mouse and human striatal regions are strongly conserved, with the mouse caudoputamen exhibiting an equal degree of similarity to both the human caudate and putamen.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Genetic and behavioural requirements for structural brain plasticity

1Human MRI studies show that experience can lead to changes in the volume of task-specific brain regions; however, the behavioural and molecular processes driving these changes remain poorly understood. Here, we used in-vivo mouse MRI and RNA sequencing to investigate the neuroanatomical and transcriptional changes induced by environmental enrichment, exercise, and social interaction. Additionally, we asked whether the volume changes require CREB, a transcription factor critical for memory formation and neuronal plasticity. Enrichment rapidly increased cortical and hippocampal volume, and these effects were not attributable to exercise or social interaction. Instead, they likely arise from learning and sensorimotor experience. Nevertheless, the volume changes were not attenuated in mice with memory impairments caused by loss of CREB, indicating that these effects are driven by processes distinct from this canonical learning and memory pathway. Finally, within brain regions that underwent volume changes, enrichment increased the expression of genes associated with axonogenesis, dendritic spine development, synapse structural plasticity, and neurogenesis, suggesting these processes underlie the volume changes detected with MRI.

neuroscience↗