Schizophrenia is a multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hallucinations,delusions,cognitive deficits,and emotional dysregulation.The prefrontal cortex(PFC),essential for executive functions,working...Schizophrenia is a multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hallucinations,delusions,cognitive deficits,and emotional dysregulation.The prefrontal cortex(PFC),essential for executive functions,working memory,and emotional regulation,is notably impaired in this condition.This review consolidates current insights into the role of PFC dysfunction in schizophrenia,with a focus on its implications for therapeutic strategies.The neuroanatomical and neurobiological foundations of PFC dysfunction are explored,emphasizing structural abnormalities,functional dysconnectivity,and microcircuit disruptions that contribute to cognitive deficits and impaired decision-making.Clinical implications are discussed,particularly the correlation between PFC dysfunction and the severity and progression of schizophrenia symptoms.Additionally,pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches aimed at modulating PFC activity are reviewed as potential therapeutic options.In conclusion,a deeper understanding of PFC dysfunction is pivotal for developing targeted treatments,and ongoing research offers promising avenues for enhancing outcomes for individuals affected by this debilitating disorder.展开更多
Objective:To elucidate the specific mechanisms by which electroacupuncture(EA)alleviates anxiety and fear behaviors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD),focusing on the role of lipocalin-2(Lcn2).Methods...Objective:To elucidate the specific mechanisms by which electroacupuncture(EA)alleviates anxiety and fear behaviors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD),focusing on the role of lipocalin-2(Lcn2).Methods:The PTSD mouse model was subjected to single prolonged stress and shock(SPS&S),and the animals received 15 min sessions of EA at Shenmen acupoint(HT7).Behavioral tests were used to investigate the effects of EA at HT7 on anxiety and fear.Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to quantify Lcn2 and inflammatory cytokine levels in the prefrontal cortex(PFC).Additionally,the activity of PFC neurons was evaluated by immunofluorescence and in vivo electrophysiology.Results:Mice subjected to SPS&S presented increased anxiety-and fear-like behaviors.Lcn2 expression in the PFC was significantly upregulated following SPS&S,leading to increased expression of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-6 and suppression of PFC neuronal activity.However,EA at HT7 inhibited Lcn2 release,reducing neuroinflammation and hypoexcitability in the PFC.Lcn2 overexpression mitigated the effects of EA at HT7,resulting in anxiety-and fear-like behaviors.Conclusion:EA at HT7 can ameliorate PTSD-associated anxiety and fear,and its mechanism of action appears to involve the inhibition of Lcn2-mediated neural activity and inflammation in the PFC.展开更多
Humans and animals have a fundamental ability to use experiences and environmental information to organize behavior.It often happens that humans and animals make decisions and prepare actions under uncertain situation...Humans and animals have a fundamental ability to use experiences and environmental information to organize behavior.It often happens that humans and animals make decisions and prepare actions under uncertain situations.Uncertainty would significantly affect the state of animals’minds,but may not be reflected in behavior.How to“read animals’mind state”under different situations is a challenge.Here,we report that neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)of rats can reflect the environmental uncertainty when the task situation changes from certain to uncertain.Rats were trained to perform behavioral tasks under certain and uncertain situations.Under certain situations,rats were required to simply repeat two nose-poking actions that each triggered short auditory tone feedback(single-task situation).Whereas under the uncertain situation,the feedback could randomly be either the previous tone or a short musical rhythm.No additional action was required upon the music feedback,and the same secondary nose-poking action was required upon the tone feedback(dual-task situation);therefore,the coming task was uncertain before action initiation.We recorded single-unit activity from the mPFC when the rats were performing the tasks.We found that in the dual task,when uncertainty was introduced,many mPFC neurons were actively engaged in dealing with the uncertainty before the task initiation,suggesting that the rats could be aware of the task situation change and encode the information in the mPFC before the action of task initiation.展开更多
Anxiety disorder is a major symptom of autism spectrum disorder(ASD)with a comorbidity rate of~40%.However,the neural mechanisms of the emergence of anxiety in ASD remain unclear.In our study,we found that hyperactivi...Anxiety disorder is a major symptom of autism spectrum disorder(ASD)with a comorbidity rate of~40%.However,the neural mechanisms of the emergence of anxiety in ASD remain unclear.In our study,we found that hyperactivity of basolateral amygdala(BLA)pyramidal neurons(PNs)in Shank3 InsG3680 knock-in(InsG3680+/+)mice is involved in the development of anxiety.Electrophysiological results also showed increased excitatory input and decreased inhibitory input in BLA PNs.Chemogenetic inhibition of the excitability of PNs in the BLA rescued the anxiety phenotype of InsG3680+/+mice.Further study found that the diminished control of the BLA by medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)and optogenetic activation of the mPFC-BLA pathway also had a rescue effect,which increased the feedforward inhibition of the BLA.Taken together,our results suggest that hyperactivity of the BLA and alteration of the mPFC-BLA circuitry are involved in anxiety in InsG3680+/+mice.展开更多
The relation between evolution of spatial working memory function and of morphology of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex among the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) and the tree shre...The relation between evolution of spatial working memory function and of morphology of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex among the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) and the tree shrew (Tupaia belangen chinensis) were reported in present paper. The results read as follows: In the DR performance with training, the rhesus monkeys and slow lorises could reach a criterion of 90% correct response at 1.1 ± 3.2 seconds, and 3.8±0.4 seconds delay interval, respectively, by 1000 training trails. The tree shrews failed to reach the criterion of 90% correct response even at 0 seconds delay interval by 1000 training trails. If a delay interval was tested in one session (30 trails) only, doing the DR performamce without training, the rhesus monkeys reached a correct of 80% or higher in each session at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 seconds delay, respectively. The percent correct in each session of the slow lorises showed no differences from the rhesus monkeys at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 seconds delay. However, when the delay interval was increased to 5 seconds, the percent correct of the DR performance declined to 70% or lower in the slow lorises. In the tree shrews the percent correct in each session reached to 70% or lower at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 seconds delay interval, respectively. The morphological studies revealed that the size of the prefrontal cortex increased, and the structure got complex in the course of the evolution in primates. It is suggested that the relation of evolution between the spatial working memory function and anatomy in the prefrontal cortex might be significant among the three species, both the development of morphology and that of the spatial working memory function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are later than other regions of cerebral cortex in phylogenetic evolution course.展开更多
Objective The ventral part of the medial prefrontal cortex（mPFC）plays an important role in initiation and control of voluntary movement,mood and cognition.However,after the degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway,...Objective The ventral part of the medial prefrontal cortex（mPFC）plays an important role in initiation and control of voluntary movement,mood and cognition.However,after the degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway,the neuronal activity of the ventral mPFC and the role of serotonin1A（5-hydroxytryptamine,5-HT1A）receptors in the firing of the neurons are still unknown.The present study is to investigate the change of neuronal activity in the ventral mPFC and the effect of systemic administration of the selective 5-HT1Areceptor antagonist WAY-100635 on the activity of the neurons in normal and 6-hydroxydopamine（6-OHDA）-lesioned rats.Methods Single unit responses were recorded extracellularly with glass microelectrodes from ventral mPFC neurons in normal rats and 6-OHDA unilaterally lesiond rats in vivo.Results 6-OHDA lesion of the substantia nigra pars compacta（SNc）significantly increased the firing rate with no change in the firing pattern of neurons of the ventral mPFC in rats.Systemic administration of WAY-100635（0.1 mg/kg,i.v.）did not change the mean firing rate and firing pattern of ventral mPFC neurons in normal rats.In contrast,WAY-100635 signifi- cantly decreased the mean firing rate of the neurons in rats with 6-OHDA lesion of the SNc.Conclusion These data suggest that the degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway results in an increase of neuronal activity of ventral mPFC and dysfunction of 5-HT1Areceptor.展开更多
This study aimed to investigate the association between atrophy in the prefrontal cortex with executive function and verbal fluency in elderly male and female patients poststroke. Thirty elderly female patients with n...This study aimed to investigate the association between atrophy in the prefrontal cortex with executive function and verbal fluency in elderly male and female patients poststroke. Thirty elderly female patients with non-aphasic ischemic stroke aged -〉 60 years and 30 age-matched non-aphasic male patients with ischemic stroke were recruited. Automatic magnetic resonance imaging segmentation was used to assess the volume of the whole prefrontal cortex, along with its subdivisions： anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The Semantic Verbal Fluency Test was administered at 3 and 15 months poststroke. At 3 months poststroke, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume was significantly correlated with Verbal Fluency Test score in female patients only （partial coefficient = 0.453, P = 0.045）, after controlling for age, education, diabetes, neurological deficit, white matter lesions volume, as well as the location and volume of infarcts. At 15 months poststroke, there remained a significant association between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.661, P = 0.001） and between the left prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.573, P = 0.004） in female patients after the same adjustments. These findings indicate that atrophy of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to the impairment of verbal fluency in elderly female patients with stroke. Sex differences may be present in the neuropsychological mechanisms of verbal fluency impairment in patients with stroke.展开更多
Orexins, produced in the lateral hypothalamus, are important neuropeptides that participate in the sleep/wake cycle, and their expres- sion coincides with the projection area of the vagus nerve in the brain. Vagus ner...Orexins, produced in the lateral hypothalamus, are important neuropeptides that participate in the sleep/wake cycle, and their expres- sion coincides with the projection area of the vagus nerve in the brain. Vagus nerve stimulation has been shown to decrease the amounts of daytime sleep and rapid eye movement in epilepsy patients with traumatic brain injury. In the present study, we investigated whether vagus nerve stimulation promotes wakefulness and affects orexin expression. A rat model of traumatic brain injury was established using the free fall drop method. In the stimulated group, rats with traumatic brain injury received vagus nerve stimulation （frequency, 30 Hz, current, 1.0 mA; pulse width, 0.5 ms; total stimulation time, 15 minutes）. In the antagonist group, rats with traumatic brain injury were intracerebroventricularly injected with the orexin receptor type 1 （OXIR） antagonist SB334867 and received vagus nerve stimulation. Changes in consciousness were observed after stimulation in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blot assay and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the levels of orexin-A and OX1R expression in the prefrontal cortex. In the stimulated group, consciousness was substantially improved, orexin-A protein expression gradually increased within 24 hours after injury and OX1R expres- sion reached a peak at 12 hours, compared with rats subjected to traumatic brain injury only. In the antagonist group, the wake-promoting effect of vagus nerve stimulation was diminished, and orexin-A and OX1R expression were decreased, compared with that of the stim- ulated group. Taken together, our findings suggest that vagus nerve stimulation promotes the recovery of consciousness in comatose rats after traumatic brain injury. The upregulation of orexin-A and OXIR expression in the prefrontal cortex might be involved in the wake-promoting effects of vagus nerve stimulation.展开更多
Schizophrenia is hypothesized to arise from disrupted brain connectivity. This ＂dysconnectivity hypothesis＂ has generated interest in discovering whether there is anatomical and functional dysconnectivity between th...Schizophrenia is hypothesized to arise from disrupted brain connectivity. This ＂dysconnectivity hypothesis＂ has generated interest in discovering whether there is anatomical and functional dysconnectivity between the prefrontal cortex （PFC） and other brain regions, and how this dysconnectivity is linked to the impaired cognitive functions and aberrant behaviors of schizophrenia. Critical advances in neuroimaging technologies, including diffusion tensor imaging （DTI） and functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）, make it possible to explore these issues. DTI affords the possibility to explore anatomical connectivity in the human brain in vivo and fMRI can be used to make inferences about functional connections between brain regions. In this review, we present major advances in the understanding of PFC anatomical and functional dysconnectivity and their implications in schizophrenia. We then briefly discuss future prospects that need to be explored in order to move beyond simple mapping of connectivity changes to elucidate the neuronal mechanisms underlying schizophrenia.展开更多
The short allele of the serotonin-transporter gene is associated with higher risk for anxiety and depression in Caucasians, but this association is still unclear in Asians. Here, we addressed this issue using behavior...The short allele of the serotonin-transporter gene is associated with higher risk for anxiety and depression in Caucasians, but this association is still unclear in Asians. Here, we addressed this issue using behavioral and multi-modal MRI approaches in a large group of healthy Han Chinese participants （n = 233）. In contrast to findings in Caucasians, we found that long-allele （L） carriers had higher anxiety scores. In another group （n = 64） experiencing significant levels of depression or anxiety, the L-allele frequency was also significantly higher. In healthy participants, L-carriers had reduced functional and anatomical connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex （PFC）, which was correlated with anxiety or depression scores. Our findings demonstrated that in Chinese Han participants, in contrast to Caucasians, the L-allele confers vulnerability to anxiety or depression and weakens top-down emotional control between the PFC and amygdala. Therefore, ethnic background should be taken into account in gene-related studies and their potential clinical applications.展开更多
The ability to recall and recognize facts we experienced in the past is based on a complex mechanism in which several cerebral regions are implicated. Neuroimaging and lesion studies agree in identifying the frontal l...The ability to recall and recognize facts we experienced in the past is based on a complex mechanism in which several cerebral regions are implicated. Neuroimaging and lesion studies agree in identifying the frontal lobe as a crucial structure for memory processes, and in particular for working memory and episodic memory and their relationships. Furthermore, with the introduction of transcranial magnetic stimulation （TMS） a new way was proposed to investigate the relationships between brain correlates, memory functions and behavior. The aim of this review is to present the main findings that have emerged from experiments which used the TMS technique for memory analysis. They mainly focused on the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in memory process. Furthermore, we present state-of-the-art evidence supporting a possible use of TMS in the clinic. Specifically we focus on the treatment of memory deficits in depression and anxiety disorders.展开更多
Previous studies have demonstrated that doublecortin-positive immature neurons exist pre- dominantly in the superficial layer of the cerebral cortex of adult mammals such as guinea pigs, and these neurons exhibit very...Previous studies have demonstrated that doublecortin-positive immature neurons exist pre- dominantly in the superficial layer of the cerebral cortex of adult mammals such as guinea pigs, and these neurons exhibit very weak properties of self-proliferation during adulthood under physiological conditions. To verify whether environmental enrichment has an impact on the proliferation and maturation of these immature neurons in the prefrontal cortex of adult guinea pigs, healthy adult guinea pigs were subjected to short-term environmental enrichment. Animals were allowed to play with various cognitive and physical stimulating objects over a period of 2 weeks, twice per day, for 60 minutes each. Immunofluorescence staining results indicated that the number of doublecortin-positive cells in layer II of the prefrontal cortex was significantly increased after short-term environmental enrichment exposure. In addition, these doublecortin-positive cells co-expressed 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine （a marker of cell prolifera- tion）, c-Fos （a marker of cell viability） and NeuN （a marker of mature neurons）. Experimental findings showed that short-term environmental enrichment can induce proliferation, activation and maturation of doublecortin-positive cells in layer II of the prefrontal cortex of adult guinea pigs.展开更多
Objective Working memory is a key cognitive function in which the prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role. This study aimed to show the firing patterns of a neuronal population in the prefrontal cortex of the rat in a ...Objective Working memory is a key cognitive function in which the prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role. This study aimed to show the firing patterns of a neuronal population in the prefrontal cortex of the rat in a working memory task and to explore how a neuronal ensemble encodes a working memory event. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a Y-maze until they reached an 80% correct rate in a working memory task. Then a 16-channel microelectrode array was implanted in the prefrontal cortex. After recovery, neuronal population activity was recorded during the task, using the Cerebus data-acquisition system. Spatio-temporal trains of action potentials were obtained from the original neuronal population signals. Results During the Y-maze working memory task, some neurons showed significantly in- creased firing rates and evident neuronal ensemble activity. Moreover, the anticipatory activity was associated with the delayed alternate choice of the upcoming movement. In correct trials, the averaged pre-event firing rate （10.86 ± 1.82 spikes/ bin） was higher than the post-event rate （8.17 ± 1.15 spikes/bin） （P 〈0.05）. However, in incorrect trials, the rates did not differ. Conclusion The results indicate that the anticipatory activity of a neuronal ensemble in the prefrontal cortex may play a role in encoding working memory events.展开更多
The activity in sensory cortices and the prefrontal cortex （PFC） throughout the delay interval of working memory （WM） tasks reflect two aspects of WM-quality and quantity, respectively. The delay activity in senso...The activity in sensory cortices and the prefrontal cortex （PFC） throughout the delay interval of working memory （WM） tasks reflect two aspects of WM-quality and quantity, respectively. The delay activity in sensory cortices is fine-tuned to sensory information and forms the neural basis of the precision of WM storage, while the delay activity in the PFC appears to represent behavioral goals and filters out irrelevant distractions, forming the neural basis of the quantity of task-relevant information in WM. The PFC and sensory cortices interact through different frequency bands of neuronal oscillation （theta, alpha, and gamma） to fulfill goal-directed behaviors.展开更多
Parkinson’s disease can affect not only motor functions but also cognitive abilities,leading to cognitive impairment.One common issue in Parkinson’s disease with cognitive dysfunction is the difficulty in executive ...Parkinson’s disease can affect not only motor functions but also cognitive abilities,leading to cognitive impairment.One common issue in Parkinson’s disease with cognitive dysfunction is the difficulty in executive functioning.Executive functions help us plan,organize,and control our actions based on our goals.The brain area responsible for executive functions is called the prefrontal co rtex.It acts as the command center for the brain,especially when it comes to regulating executive functions.The role of the prefrontal cortex in cognitive processes is influenced by a chemical messenger called dopamine.However,little is known about how dopamine affects the cognitive functions of patients with Parkinson’s disease.In this article,the authors review the latest research on this topic.They start by looking at how the dopaminergic syste m,is alte red in Parkinson’s disease with executive dysfunction.Then,they explore how these changes in dopamine impact the synaptic structure,electrical activity,and connection components of the prefrontal cortex.The authors also summarize the relationship between Parkinson’s disease and dopamine-related cognitive issues.This information may offer valuable insights and directions for further research and improvement in the clinical treatment of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease.展开更多
Cognition and pain share common neural substrates and interact reciprocally: chronic pain compromises cognitive performance, whereas cognitive processes modulate pain perception. In the present study, we established a...Cognition and pain share common neural substrates and interact reciprocally: chronic pain compromises cognitive performance, whereas cognitive processes modulate pain perception. In the present study, we established a non-drug-dependent rat model of context-based analgesia,where two different contexts(dark and bright) were matched with a high(52°C) or low(48°C) temperature in the hot-plate test during training. Before and after training,we set the temperature to the high level in both contexts.Rats showed longer paw licking latencies in trials with the context originally matched to a low temperature than those to a high temperature, indicating successful establishment of a context-based analgesic effect in rats. This effect was blocked by intraperitoneal injection of naloxone(an opioid receptor antagonist) before the probe. The context-based analgesic effect also disappeared after optogenetic activation or inhibition of the bilateral infralimbic or prelimbic sub-region of the prefrontal cortex. In brief, we established a context-based, non-drug dependent, placebo-like analgesia model in the rat. This model provides a new and useful tool for investigating the cognitive modulation of pain.展开更多
Methyl-CpG binding protein 2(MeCP2) is a basic nuclear protein involved in the regulation of gene expression and microRNA processing.Duplication of MECP2-containing genomic segments causes MECP2 duplication syndrome,a...Methyl-CpG binding protein 2(MeCP2) is a basic nuclear protein involved in the regulation of gene expression and microRNA processing.Duplication of MECP2-containing genomic segments causes MECP2 duplication syndrome,a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability,motor dysfunction,heightened anxiety,epilepsy,autistic phenotypes,and early death.Reversal of the abnormal phenotypes in adult mice with MECP2 duplication(MECP2-TG) by normalizing the MeCP2 levels across the whole brain has been demonstrated.However,whether different brain areas or neural circuits contribute to different aspects of the behavioral deficits is still unknown.Here,we found that MECP2-TG mice showed a significant social recognition deficit,and were prone to display aversive-like behaviors,including heightened anxiety-like behaviors and a fear generalization phenotype.In addition,reduced locomotor activity was observed in MECP2-TG mice.However,appetitive behaviors and learning and memory were comparable in MECP2-TG and wild-type mice.Functional magnetic resonance imaging illustrated that the differences between MECP2-TG and wild-type mice were mainly concentrated in brain areas regulating emotion and social behaviors.We used the CRISPR-Cas9 method to restore normal MeCP2 levels in the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC) and bed nuclei of the stria terminalis(BST) of adult MECP2-TG mice,and found that normalization of MeCP2 levels in the mPFC but not in the BST reversed the social recognition deficit.These data indicate that the mPFC is responsible for the social recognition deficit in the transgenic mice,and provide new insight into potential therapies for MECP2 duplication syndrome.展开更多
The aim of this study was to investigate proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy metabolite values in the medial prefrontal cortex of individuals with euthymic bipolar disorder. The subjects consisted of 15 patients wi...The aim of this study was to investigate proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy metabolite values in the medial prefrontal cortex of individuals with euthymic bipolar disorder. The subjects consisted of 15 patients with euthymic bipolar disorder type I and 15 healthy controls. We performed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex and measured levels of N-acetyl aspartate, choline and creatine. Levels of these three metabolites in the medial prefrontal cortex were found to be lower in patients with bipolar disorder compared with healthy controls. A positive correlation was found between illness duration and choline levels in the right medial prefrontal cortex. Our study suggests that during the euthymic period, there are abnormalities in cellular energy and membrane phospholipid metabolism in the medial prefrontal cortex, and that this may impair neuronal activity and integrity.展开更多
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex （DLPFC） is considered to play a crucial role in many high-level functions, such as cognitive control and emotional regula- tion. Many studies have reported that the DLPFC can be ac...The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex （DLPFC） is considered to play a crucial role in many high-level functions, such as cognitive control and emotional regula- tion. Many studies have reported that the DLPFC can be activated during the processing of emotional information in tasks requiring working memory. However, it is still not clear whether modulating the activity of the DLPFC influences emotional perception in a detection task. In the present study, using transcranial direct-current stimulation （tDCS）, we investigated （I） whether modulating the right DLPFC influences emotional face processing in a detection task, and （2） whether the DLPFC plays equal roles in processing positive and negative emotional faces. The results showed that anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC specifically facilitated the perception of positive faces, but did not influence the processing of negative faces. In addition, anodal tDCS over the right primary visual cortex enhanced performance in the detection task regardless of emotional valence. Our findings suggest, for the first time,that modulating the right DLPFC influences emotional face perception, especially faces showing positive emotion.展开更多
Object:Early-life neglect has irreversible emotional effects on the central nervous system.In this work,we aimed to elucidate distinct functional neural changes in me-dial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)of model rats.Methods:...Object:Early-life neglect has irreversible emotional effects on the central nervous system.In this work,we aimed to elucidate distinct functional neural changes in me-dial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)of model rats.Methods:Maternal separation with early weaning was used as a rat model of early-life neglect.The excitation of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in rat mPFC was recorded and analyzed by whole-cell patch clamp.Results:Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons of mPFC were distinguished by typi-cal electrophysiological properties.The excitation of mPFC glutamatergic neurons was significantly increased in male groups,while the excitation of mPFC GABAergic neurons was significant in both female and male groups,but mainly in terms of rest membrane potential and amplitude,respectively.Conclusions:Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in medial prefrontal cortex showed different excitability changes in a rat model of early-life neglect,which can contribute to distinct mechanisms for emotional and cognitive manifestations.展开更多
文摘Schizophrenia is a multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by hallucinations,delusions,cognitive deficits,and emotional dysregulation.The prefrontal cortex(PFC),essential for executive functions,working memory,and emotional regulation,is notably impaired in this condition.This review consolidates current insights into the role of PFC dysfunction in schizophrenia,with a focus on its implications for therapeutic strategies.The neuroanatomical and neurobiological foundations of PFC dysfunction are explored,emphasizing structural abnormalities,functional dysconnectivity,and microcircuit disruptions that contribute to cognitive deficits and impaired decision-making.Clinical implications are discussed,particularly the correlation between PFC dysfunction and the severity and progression of schizophrenia symptoms.Additionally,pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches aimed at modulating PFC activity are reviewed as potential therapeutic options.In conclusion,a deeper understanding of PFC dysfunction is pivotal for developing targeted treatments,and ongoing research offers promising avenues for enhancing outcomes for individuals affected by this debilitating disorder.
基金supported by the Anhui Provincial Department of Education Outstanding Young Teachers Cultivation Key Project(No.YQZD2023046)the Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine School Talent Support Program Project(Nos.DT2400000222 and DT2100000545)。
文摘Objective:To elucidate the specific mechanisms by which electroacupuncture(EA)alleviates anxiety and fear behaviors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD),focusing on the role of lipocalin-2(Lcn2).Methods:The PTSD mouse model was subjected to single prolonged stress and shock(SPS&S),and the animals received 15 min sessions of EA at Shenmen acupoint(HT7).Behavioral tests were used to investigate the effects of EA at HT7 on anxiety and fear.Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to quantify Lcn2 and inflammatory cytokine levels in the prefrontal cortex(PFC).Additionally,the activity of PFC neurons was evaluated by immunofluorescence and in vivo electrophysiology.Results:Mice subjected to SPS&S presented increased anxiety-and fear-like behaviors.Lcn2 expression in the PFC was significantly upregulated following SPS&S,leading to increased expression of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-6 and suppression of PFC neuronal activity.However,EA at HT7 inhibited Lcn2 release,reducing neuroinflammation and hypoexcitability in the PFC.Lcn2 overexpression mitigated the effects of EA at HT7,resulting in anxiety-and fear-like behaviors.Conclusion:EA at HT7 can ameliorate PTSD-associated anxiety and fear,and its mechanism of action appears to involve the inhibition of Lcn2-mediated neural activity and inflammation in the PFC.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32060199,32360197,31971035,and 31771182)the Jiangxi Province Natural Science Foundation(20224ACB206016).
文摘Humans and animals have a fundamental ability to use experiences and environmental information to organize behavior.It often happens that humans and animals make decisions and prepare actions under uncertain situations.Uncertainty would significantly affect the state of animals’minds,but may not be reflected in behavior.How to“read animals’mind state”under different situations is a challenge.Here,we report that neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)of rats can reflect the environmental uncertainty when the task situation changes from certain to uncertain.Rats were trained to perform behavioral tasks under certain and uncertain situations.Under certain situations,rats were required to simply repeat two nose-poking actions that each triggered short auditory tone feedback(single-task situation).Whereas under the uncertain situation,the feedback could randomly be either the previous tone or a short musical rhythm.No additional action was required upon the music feedback,and the same secondary nose-poking action was required upon the tone feedback(dual-task situation);therefore,the coming task was uncertain before action initiation.We recorded single-unit activity from the mPFC when the rats were performing the tasks.We found that in the dual task,when uncertainty was introduced,many mPFC neurons were actively engaged in dealing with the uncertainty before the task initiation,suggesting that the rats could be aware of the task situation change and encode the information in the mPFC before the action of task initiation.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31970902,U22A20306,and 3192010300)the Municipal Administration of Hospitals Incubating Program(PZ2023009)+1 种基金the Key-Area R&D Program of Guangdong Province(2019B030335001)the Autism Research Special Fund of Zhejiang Foundation for Disabled Persons(2022003).
文摘Anxiety disorder is a major symptom of autism spectrum disorder(ASD)with a comorbidity rate of~40%.However,the neural mechanisms of the emergence of anxiety in ASD remain unclear.In our study,we found that hyperactivity of basolateral amygdala(BLA)pyramidal neurons(PNs)in Shank3 InsG3680 knock-in(InsG3680+/+)mice is involved in the development of anxiety.Electrophysiological results also showed increased excitatory input and decreased inhibitory input in BLA PNs.Chemogenetic inhibition of the excitability of PNs in the BLA rescued the anxiety phenotype of InsG3680+/+mice.Further study found that the diminished control of the BLA by medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)and optogenetic activation of the mPFC-BLA pathway also had a rescue effect,which increased the feedforward inhibition of the BLA.Taken together,our results suggest that hyperactivity of the BLA and alteration of the mPFC-BLA circuitry are involved in anxiety in InsG3680+/+mice.
文摘The relation between evolution of spatial working memory function and of morphology of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex among the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) and the tree shrew (Tupaia belangen chinensis) were reported in present paper. The results read as follows: In the DR performance with training, the rhesus monkeys and slow lorises could reach a criterion of 90% correct response at 1.1 ± 3.2 seconds, and 3.8±0.4 seconds delay interval, respectively, by 1000 training trails. The tree shrews failed to reach the criterion of 90% correct response even at 0 seconds delay interval by 1000 training trails. If a delay interval was tested in one session (30 trails) only, doing the DR performamce without training, the rhesus monkeys reached a correct of 80% or higher in each session at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 seconds delay, respectively. The percent correct in each session of the slow lorises showed no differences from the rhesus monkeys at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 seconds delay. However, when the delay interval was increased to 5 seconds, the percent correct of the DR performance declined to 70% or lower in the slow lorises. In the tree shrews the percent correct in each session reached to 70% or lower at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 seconds delay interval, respectively. The morphological studies revealed that the size of the prefrontal cortex increased, and the structure got complex in the course of the evolution in primates. It is suggested that the relation of evolution between the spatial working memory function and anatomy in the prefrontal cortex might be significant among the three species, both the development of morphology and that of the spatial working memory function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are later than other regions of cerebral cortex in phylogenetic evolution course.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China（No.30370464） ；the Science and Technological Program of Shaanxi Province,China（No.2005K13-G6）
文摘Objective The ventral part of the medial prefrontal cortex（mPFC）plays an important role in initiation and control of voluntary movement,mood and cognition.However,after the degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway,the neuronal activity of the ventral mPFC and the role of serotonin1A（5-hydroxytryptamine,5-HT1A）receptors in the firing of the neurons are still unknown.The present study is to investigate the change of neuronal activity in the ventral mPFC and the effect of systemic administration of the selective 5-HT1Areceptor antagonist WAY-100635 on the activity of the neurons in normal and 6-hydroxydopamine（6-OHDA）-lesioned rats.Methods Single unit responses were recorded extracellularly with glass microelectrodes from ventral mPFC neurons in normal rats and 6-OHDA unilaterally lesiond rats in vivo.Results 6-OHDA lesion of the substantia nigra pars compacta（SNc）significantly increased the firing rate with no change in the firing pattern of neurons of the ventral mPFC in rats.Systemic administration of WAY-100635（0.1 mg/kg,i.v.）did not change the mean firing rate and firing pattern of ventral mPFC neurons in normal rats.In contrast,WAY-100635 signifi- cantly decreased the mean firing rate of the neurons in rats with 6-OHDA lesion of the SNc.Conclusion These data suggest that the degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway results in an increase of neuronal activity of ventral mPFC and dysfunction of 5-HT1Areceptor.
基金supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR,No. 452906
文摘This study aimed to investigate the association between atrophy in the prefrontal cortex with executive function and verbal fluency in elderly male and female patients poststroke. Thirty elderly female patients with non-aphasic ischemic stroke aged -〉 60 years and 30 age-matched non-aphasic male patients with ischemic stroke were recruited. Automatic magnetic resonance imaging segmentation was used to assess the volume of the whole prefrontal cortex, along with its subdivisions： anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The Semantic Verbal Fluency Test was administered at 3 and 15 months poststroke. At 3 months poststroke, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume was significantly correlated with Verbal Fluency Test score in female patients only （partial coefficient = 0.453, P = 0.045）, after controlling for age, education, diabetes, neurological deficit, white matter lesions volume, as well as the location and volume of infarcts. At 15 months poststroke, there remained a significant association between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.661, P = 0.001） and between the left prefrontal cortex volume and Verbal Fluency Test （partial coefficient = 0.573, P = 0.004） in female patients after the same adjustments. These findings indicate that atrophy of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributes to the impairment of verbal fluency in elderly female patients with stroke. Sex differences may be present in the neuropsychological mechanisms of verbal fluency impairment in patients with stroke.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81260295the Graduate Student Innovation Fund of Jiangxi Province of China,No.YC2015-S090
文摘Orexins, produced in the lateral hypothalamus, are important neuropeptides that participate in the sleep/wake cycle, and their expres- sion coincides with the projection area of the vagus nerve in the brain. Vagus nerve stimulation has been shown to decrease the amounts of daytime sleep and rapid eye movement in epilepsy patients with traumatic brain injury. In the present study, we investigated whether vagus nerve stimulation promotes wakefulness and affects orexin expression. A rat model of traumatic brain injury was established using the free fall drop method. In the stimulated group, rats with traumatic brain injury received vagus nerve stimulation （frequency, 30 Hz, current, 1.0 mA; pulse width, 0.5 ms; total stimulation time, 15 minutes）. In the antagonist group, rats with traumatic brain injury were intracerebroventricularly injected with the orexin receptor type 1 （OXIR） antagonist SB334867 and received vagus nerve stimulation. Changes in consciousness were observed after stimulation in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blot assay and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the levels of orexin-A and OX1R expression in the prefrontal cortex. In the stimulated group, consciousness was substantially improved, orexin-A protein expression gradually increased within 24 hours after injury and OX1R expres- sion reached a peak at 12 hours, compared with rats subjected to traumatic brain injury only. In the antagonist group, the wake-promoting effect of vagus nerve stimulation was diminished, and orexin-A and OX1R expression were decreased, compared with that of the stim- ulated group. Taken together, our findings suggest that vagus nerve stimulation promotes the recovery of consciousness in comatose rats after traumatic brain injury. The upregulation of orexin-A and OXIR expression in the prefrontal cortex might be involved in the wake-promoting effects of vagus nerve stimulation.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Development Program (973 Program) of China (2011CB707800)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB02030300)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91132301 and 81371476)
文摘Schizophrenia is hypothesized to arise from disrupted brain connectivity. This ＂dysconnectivity hypothesis＂ has generated interest in discovering whether there is anatomical and functional dysconnectivity between the prefrontal cortex （PFC） and other brain regions, and how this dysconnectivity is linked to the impaired cognitive functions and aberrant behaviors of schizophrenia. Critical advances in neuroimaging technologies, including diffusion tensor imaging （DTI） and functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI）, make it possible to explore these issues. DTI affords the possibility to explore anatomical connectivity in the human brain in vivo and fMRI can be used to make inferences about functional connections between brain regions. In this review, we present major advances in the understanding of PFC anatomical and functional dysconnectivity and their implications in schizophrenia. We then briefly discuss future prospects that need to be explored in order to move beyond simple mapping of connectivity changes to elucidate the neuronal mechanisms underlying schizophrenia.
基金supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Program(973)(2011CB707800)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB02030300)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of China(91132301and81000582)the Beijing Nova Program(2010B06)
文摘The short allele of the serotonin-transporter gene is associated with higher risk for anxiety and depression in Caucasians, but this association is still unclear in Asians. Here, we addressed this issue using behavioral and multi-modal MRI approaches in a large group of healthy Han Chinese participants （n = 233）. In contrast to findings in Caucasians, we found that long-allele （L） carriers had higher anxiety scores. In another group （n = 64） experiencing significant levels of depression or anxiety, the L-allele frequency was also significantly higher. In healthy participants, L-carriers had reduced functional and anatomical connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex （PFC）, which was correlated with anxiety or depression scores. Our findings demonstrated that in Chinese Han participants, in contrast to Caucasians, the L-allele confers vulnerability to anxiety or depression and weakens top-down emotional control between the PFC and amygdala. Therefore, ethnic background should be taken into account in gene-related studies and their potential clinical applications.
文摘The ability to recall and recognize facts we experienced in the past is based on a complex mechanism in which several cerebral regions are implicated. Neuroimaging and lesion studies agree in identifying the frontal lobe as a crucial structure for memory processes, and in particular for working memory and episodic memory and their relationships. Furthermore, with the introduction of transcranial magnetic stimulation （TMS） a new way was proposed to investigate the relationships between brain correlates, memory functions and behavior. The aim of this review is to present the main findings that have emerged from experiments which used the TMS technique for memory analysis. They mainly focused on the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in memory process. Furthermore, we present state-of-the-art evidence supporting a possible use of TMS in the clinic. Specifically we focus on the treatment of memory deficits in depression and anxiety disorders.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30900773the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province in China,No.11JJ2020Young Teachers Training Program of University of Hunan Province
文摘Previous studies have demonstrated that doublecortin-positive immature neurons exist pre- dominantly in the superficial layer of the cerebral cortex of adult mammals such as guinea pigs, and these neurons exhibit very weak properties of self-proliferation during adulthood under physiological conditions. To verify whether environmental enrichment has an impact on the proliferation and maturation of these immature neurons in the prefrontal cortex of adult guinea pigs, healthy adult guinea pigs were subjected to short-term environmental enrichment. Animals were allowed to play with various cognitive and physical stimulating objects over a period of 2 weeks, twice per day, for 60 minutes each. Immunofluorescence staining results indicated that the number of doublecortin-positive cells in layer II of the prefrontal cortex was significantly increased after short-term environmental enrichment exposure. In addition, these doublecortin-positive cells co-expressed 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine （a marker of cell prolifera- tion）, c-Fos （a marker of cell viability） and NeuN （a marker of mature neurons）. Experimental findings showed that short-term environmental enrichment can induce proliferation, activation and maturation of doublecortin-positive cells in layer II of the prefrontal cortex of adult guinea pigs.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61074131,91132722)the Doctoral Fund of the Ministry of Education of China(20101202110007)
文摘Objective Working memory is a key cognitive function in which the prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role. This study aimed to show the firing patterns of a neuronal population in the prefrontal cortex of the rat in a working memory task and to explore how a neuronal ensemble encodes a working memory event. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a Y-maze until they reached an 80% correct rate in a working memory task. Then a 16-channel microelectrode array was implanted in the prefrontal cortex. After recovery, neuronal population activity was recorded during the task, using the Cerebus data-acquisition system. Spatio-temporal trains of action potentials were obtained from the original neuronal population signals. Results During the Y-maze working memory task, some neurons showed significantly in- creased firing rates and evident neuronal ensemble activity. Moreover, the anticipatory activity was associated with the delayed alternate choice of the upcoming movement. In correct trials, the averaged pre-event firing rate （10.86 ± 1.82 spikes/ bin） was higher than the post-event rate （8.17 ± 1.15 spikes/bin） （P 〈0.05）. However, in incorrect trials, the rates did not differ. Conclusion The results indicate that the anticipatory activity of a neuronal ensemble in the prefrontal cortex may play a role in encoding working memory events.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Development Program (973 Program) of China (2013CB329501)a Scientific Project of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, China (11140900600)+2 种基金the Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (15ZR1410600)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31100742)funds from the MIND Research Institute, Irvine, CA, USA
文摘The activity in sensory cortices and the prefrontal cortex （PFC） throughout the delay interval of working memory （WM） tasks reflect two aspects of WM-quality and quantity, respectively. The delay activity in sensory cortices is fine-tuned to sensory information and forms the neural basis of the precision of WM storage, while the delay activity in the PFC appears to represent behavioral goals and filters out irrelevant distractions, forming the neural basis of the quantity of task-relevant information in WM. The PFC and sensory cortices interact through different frequency bands of neuronal oscillation （theta, alpha, and gamma） to fulfill goal-directed behaviors.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.82101263Jiangsu Province Science Foundation for Youths,No.BK20210903Research Foundation for Talented Scholars of Xuzhou Medical University,No.RC20552114(all to CT)。
文摘Parkinson’s disease can affect not only motor functions but also cognitive abilities,leading to cognitive impairment.One common issue in Parkinson’s disease with cognitive dysfunction is the difficulty in executive functioning.Executive functions help us plan,organize,and control our actions based on our goals.The brain area responsible for executive functions is called the prefrontal co rtex.It acts as the command center for the brain,especially when it comes to regulating executive functions.The role of the prefrontal cortex in cognitive processes is influenced by a chemical messenger called dopamine.However,little is known about how dopamine affects the cognitive functions of patients with Parkinson’s disease.In this article,the authors review the latest research on this topic.They start by looking at how the dopaminergic syste m,is alte red in Parkinson’s disease with executive dysfunction.Then,they explore how these changes in dopamine impact the synaptic structure,electrical activity,and connection components of the prefrontal cortex.The authors also summarize the relationship between Parkinson’s disease and dopamine-related cognitive issues.This information may offer valuable insights and directions for further research and improvement in the clinical treatment of cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91732107, 31200835, 81571067, and 81521063)the National Basic Research Development Program (973 Program) of China (2014CB548200 and 2015CB554503)
文摘Cognition and pain share common neural substrates and interact reciprocally: chronic pain compromises cognitive performance, whereas cognitive processes modulate pain perception. In the present study, we established a non-drug-dependent rat model of context-based analgesia,where two different contexts(dark and bright) were matched with a high(52°C) or low(48°C) temperature in the hot-plate test during training. Before and after training,we set the temperature to the high level in both contexts.Rats showed longer paw licking latencies in trials with the context originally matched to a low temperature than those to a high temperature, indicating successful establishment of a context-based analgesic effect in rats. This effect was blocked by intraperitoneal injection of naloxone(an opioid receptor antagonist) before the probe. The context-based analgesic effect also disappeared after optogenetic activation or inhibition of the bilateral infralimbic or prelimbic sub-region of the prefrontal cortex. In brief, we established a context-based, non-drug dependent, placebo-like analgesia model in the rat. This model provides a new and useful tool for investigating the cognitive modulation of pain.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China grants (31625013 and 91732302)a Shanghai Brain-Intelligence Project of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(16JC1420501)+4 种基金the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDBS01060200)Program of Shanghai Academic Research Leaderthe Open Large Infrastructure Research of Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (2018SHZDZX05)National Natural Science Foundation of China (81801354)。
文摘Methyl-CpG binding protein 2(MeCP2) is a basic nuclear protein involved in the regulation of gene expression and microRNA processing.Duplication of MECP2-containing genomic segments causes MECP2 duplication syndrome,a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability,motor dysfunction,heightened anxiety,epilepsy,autistic phenotypes,and early death.Reversal of the abnormal phenotypes in adult mice with MECP2 duplication(MECP2-TG) by normalizing the MeCP2 levels across the whole brain has been demonstrated.However,whether different brain areas or neural circuits contribute to different aspects of the behavioral deficits is still unknown.Here,we found that MECP2-TG mice showed a significant social recognition deficit,and were prone to display aversive-like behaviors,including heightened anxiety-like behaviors and a fear generalization phenotype.In addition,reduced locomotor activity was observed in MECP2-TG mice.However,appetitive behaviors and learning and memory were comparable in MECP2-TG and wild-type mice.Functional magnetic resonance imaging illustrated that the differences between MECP2-TG and wild-type mice were mainly concentrated in brain areas regulating emotion and social behaviors.We used the CRISPR-Cas9 method to restore normal MeCP2 levels in the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC) and bed nuclei of the stria terminalis(BST) of adult MECP2-TG mice,and found that normalization of MeCP2 levels in the mPFC but not in the BST reversed the social recognition deficit.These data indicate that the mPFC is responsible for the social recognition deficit in the transgenic mice,and provide new insight into potential therapies for MECP2 duplication syndrome.
基金supported by Pamukkale University(Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit)
文摘The aim of this study was to investigate proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy metabolite values in the medial prefrontal cortex of individuals with euthymic bipolar disorder. The subjects consisted of 15 patients with euthymic bipolar disorder type I and 15 healthy controls. We performed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex and measured levels of N-acetyl aspartate, choline and creatine. Levels of these three metabolites in the medial prefrontal cortex were found to be lower in patients with bipolar disorder compared with healthy controls. A positive correlation was found between illness duration and choline levels in the right medial prefrontal cortex. Our study suggests that during the euthymic period, there are abnormalities in cellular energy and membrane phospholipid metabolism in the medial prefrontal cortex, and that this may impair neuronal activity and integrity.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91132302, 31730039)Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2015CB351701).
文摘The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex （DLPFC） is considered to play a crucial role in many high-level functions, such as cognitive control and emotional regula- tion. Many studies have reported that the DLPFC can be activated during the processing of emotional information in tasks requiring working memory. However, it is still not clear whether modulating the activity of the DLPFC influences emotional perception in a detection task. In the present study, using transcranial direct-current stimulation （tDCS）, we investigated （I） whether modulating the right DLPFC influences emotional face processing in a detection task, and （2） whether the DLPFC plays equal roles in processing positive and negative emotional faces. The results showed that anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC specifically facilitated the perception of positive faces, but did not influence the processing of negative faces. In addition, anodal tDCS over the right primary visual cortex enhanced performance in the detection task regardless of emotional valence. Our findings suggest, for the first time,that modulating the right DLPFC influences emotional face perception, especially faces showing positive emotion.
基金CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences(CIFMS),Grant/Award Number:2021-I2M-1-034National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:31970510Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program by CAST,Grant/Award Number:2019QNRC001。
文摘Object:Early-life neglect has irreversible emotional effects on the central nervous system.In this work,we aimed to elucidate distinct functional neural changes in me-dial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)of model rats.Methods:Maternal separation with early weaning was used as a rat model of early-life neglect.The excitation of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in rat mPFC was recorded and analyzed by whole-cell patch clamp.Results:Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons of mPFC were distinguished by typi-cal electrophysiological properties.The excitation of mPFC glutamatergic neurons was significantly increased in male groups,while the excitation of mPFC GABAergic neurons was significant in both female and male groups,but mainly in terms of rest membrane potential and amplitude,respectively.Conclusions:Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in medial prefrontal cortex showed different excitability changes in a rat model of early-life neglect,which can contribute to distinct mechanisms for emotional and cognitive manifestations.
