in vivo imaging of gcamp6s to study rat trigeminal ganglion neurons

大鼠三叉神经节与钙指示剂的体内可视化

Somatosensation, the neural encoding of mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli impinging on the skin or other bodily structures, including muscles, bone, and viscera, starts with activity in primary afferent neurons that innervate these structures1. Single unit based electrophysiological approaches have provided a wealth of information about the afferent subtypes involved in this process as well as how their stimulus-responses properties may change over time1,2,3. However, while there remains strong evidence in support of the labeled line theory, which suggests specific sensory modalities are conveyed by specific subpopulation(s) of neurons, the ability of many subpopulations of neurons to respond to the same types of mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli suggests the majority of somatosensory stimuli are encoded by multiple subpopulations of neurons4,5. Thus, a better understanding of somatosensation will only come with the ability to study the activity of 10&#39;s, if not hundreds, of neurons simultaneously.
Advances in optical approaches with the relatively recent advent of confocal and, subsequently, multiphoton and digital imaging techniques have facilitated the ability to perform relatively non-invasive population-level analyses of neuronal activity6,7. One of the last hurdles in the application of this technology has been the development of tools to enable the optical assessment of neural activity. Given the speed of an action potential that can start and end in less than a millisecond, a voltage-sensitive dye with the capacity to follow changes in membrane potential at the speed of an action potential would be the ideal tool for this purpose. But while there has been tremendous progress in this area7,8,9,10, the signal-to-noise ratio for many of these dyes is still not quite high enough to enable a population analysis of hundreds of neurons at the single cell level. As an alternative approach, investigators have turned to monitoring changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). The limitations with this strategy have been clear from the start and include the fact that an increase in [Ca2+]i is an indirect measure of neural activity11; that an increase in [Ca2+]i may occur independently of Ca2+ influx associated with the activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs)12,13; that the magnitude and duration of a Ca2+ transient may be controlled by processes independent of VGCC activity11,12,14; and that the time-course of Ca2+ transients far exceeds that of an action potential15. Nevertheless, there are a number of significant advantages associated with the use of Ca2+ as an indirect measure of neural activity. Not the least of these is the signal-to-noise ratio associated with most Ca2+ indicators, reflecting both the magnitude of the change in intracellular Ca2+ and the fact that the signal is arising from the three-dimensional space of the cytosol rather than the two-dimensional space of the cell membrane. Furthermore, with the development of genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators (GECI&#39;s), it is possible to take advantage of genetic strategies to drive the expression of the Ca2+ indicators in specific subpopulations of cells, facilitating population-level analyses in intact preparations (e.g., see16).
Given the number of genetic tools now available in mice, it should be no surprise that GECI&#39;s have been used most extensively in this species. Mouse lines with constitutive GECI expression in subpopulations of sensory neurons have been developed7,16,17. With the development of mouse lines expressing recombinases in specific cell types, it is possible to use even more sophisticated strategies to control GECI expression15. However, while these tools are ever more powerful, there are a number of reasons why other species, such as rats, might be more appropriate for some experimental questions. These include the larger size, facilitating a number of experimental manipulations that are difficult, if not impossible, in the smaller mouse; the ease of training rats in relatively complex behavioral tasks; and at least some evidence that biophysical properties and expression patterns of several ion channels in rat sensory neurons may be more similar to that observed in human sensory neurons than are&#160;the same channels in mouse relative to the human18.
While the transduction of somatosensory stimuli generally occurs in the peripheral terminals of primary afferents, the action potential initiated in the periphery must pass through the structure that houses primary afferent somata, referred to as dorsal root (DRG) or trigeminal (TG) ganglia before reaching the central nervous system19. While there is evidence that not every action potential propagating along a primary afferent axon will invade the cell body20, a consequence of the fact the primary afferent somata are connected to the main afferent axon via a T-junction19, the majority of action potentials initiated in the periphery appear to invade the soma21. This confers three experimental advantages when using GECIs to assess population coding in primary afferents: the large size of the cell body relative to the axons further increases the signal to noise when using [Ca2+]i as an indirect measure of afferent activity; the DRG are generally easy to access; and assessing activity at a site that is spatially remote from the afferent terminals minimizes the potential impact of the surgery needed to expose the ganglia on the stimulus-response properties of the afferent terminals. However, because TG are located beneath the brain (or above the palette), they are far more difficult to access than DRG. Furthermore, while there are many similarities between DRG and TG neurons, there is a growing list of differences as well. This includes the roughly somatotopic organization of neurons in the TG22, unique structures innervated, different central terminal termination patterns23,24,25,26, and now a growing list of differences in both gene expression27,28 and functional receptor expression29. In addition, because we are interested in the identification of peripheral mechanisms of pain, the relatively large number of pain syndromes that appear to be unique to the trigeminal system (e.g., migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, burning mouth syndrome) that appear to involve aberrant activity in primary afferents30,31,32, suggests that the TG needs to be studied directly.
Thus, while stimulus-response properties of TG neurons have been studied with GECIs in the mouse16, because the reasons listed above suggest that the rat may be a more appropriate species to address a variety of experimental questions, the purpose of the present study was to develop an approach to use GECIs to study TG neurons in the rat. To achieve this, we utilized a viral approach to drive the expression of the GECI GCaMP6s in the peripheral nervous system. We then removed the forebrain to allow access to the TG. Finally, mechanical and thermal stimuli were applied to the face while neuronal responses were assessed under fluorescent microscopy. Together, these data support a role for utilizing the rat to investigate changes in the TG under many states, expanding the toolkit for investigators interested in sensory coding in the trigeminal system.

作者聚焦：探索三叉神经损伤中神经性疼痛的外周机制 

体内 大鼠三叉神经节感觉神经元的钙成像

The general goal of our lab is to understand the peripheral mechanisms of pain, and my project specifically investigates pain associated with trigeminal nerve injury. The preparation that I'm showing today allows us to characterize changes in sensory coating and identify afferent subpopulations contributing to neuropathic pain. So we have shown that there are differences in between the trigeminal and somatic afferents in response to nerve injury.NaV1.1 specifically is preferentially upregulated in the trigeminal nerve, suggesting that selective blockers for NaV1.1 can be used to identify different afferent subpopulations that contribute to neuropathic pain. So transgenic mice are used most extensively at the moment in combination with a variety of imaging and omic based strategies. Translating data generated in mice to other species, if not humans.Mice are really small, they're difficult to train, and there's a growing list of differences between mice, rats, and humans. So using rats may help address several of these challenges. Pain mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets differ in craniofacial structures, as in those above the neck, and other somatic and visceral structures, i.e.those below the neck. Results with this preparation suggest that there's a component of neuropathic pain, which is previously thought to reflect changes in the central nervous system, but may actually also reflect changes in the peripheral nervous system.

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In Vivo Imaging of GCaMP6s to Study Rat Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons  

GCaMP6s的体内成像以研究大鼠三叉神经节神经元

首先，使用 25 微升汉密尔顿注射器腹膜内注射 15 微升 Addgene 麻醉的大鼠幼崽。接下来，剃掉麻醉的六到八周大幼崽的毛发和胡须。将大鼠安装在带有耳杆的立体定位框架上。并在下面放置加热垫以保持动物的体温。接下来，将纱布浸入冰冷的盐水中，以尽量减少出血。用 15 号手术刀在颅骨上方的皮肤和肌肉中线切开一个切口。拉开皮肤和肌肉，露出头骨。用一乘四的圆形钻头，小心地在颅盖上穿孔，露出前脑。然后用龙格斯切开头骨。用 15 号手术刀在大脑和嗅球上切开一个切口。用刮刀小心地将硬脑膜与颅骨断开。然后轻轻抬起被切断的大脑，以显示三叉神经节和颅底。用烧灼笔烧灼出血。要对 GCaMP6-X 进行成像，请将颅骨腔放在显微镜物镜下方。然后将终末节聚焦。接下来，对面部的一平方厘米施加机械刺激。使用 20 倍物镜可视化对刺激有反应的三叉神经节神经元。要使用采集软件随时间收集荧光信号，请按采集菜单下方的流采集按钮。然后将帧数设置为 300，将采集时间设置为 90 秒。设置相机参数以帧速率采集图像。在三分钟内获得稳定的基线记录。较大的病毒滴度导致大鼠幼崽的神经元感染增加。轻机械刺激仅激活三叉神经节的V2区域。大多数神经元的静息荧光相对较低，几乎没有自发增加。自然刺激，特别是点点刺激，引发了最强大的神经元反应。慢性收缩损伤模型中的刷子刺激使损伤者相对于对侧的峰值反应幅度增加了两倍。当连续施加两个刺激时，对第二个刺激的反应有显着的放大。

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Neuroscience

In Vivo Imaging of GCaMP6s to Study Rat Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons

423 次观看.  Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. 首先，使用 25 微升汉密尔顿注射器腹膜内注射 15 微升 Addgene 麻醉的大鼠幼崽。接下来，剃掉麻醉的六到八周大幼崽的毛发和胡须。将大鼠安装在带有耳杆的立体定位框架上。并在下面放置加热垫以保持动物的体温。接下来，将纱布浸入冰冷的盐水中，以尽量减少出血。用 15 号手术刀在颅骨上方的皮肤和肌肉中线切开一个切口。拉开皮肤和肌肉，露出头骨。用一乘...

视频: In Vivo Imaging of GCaMP6s to Study Rat Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons  

In-Vivo Calcium Imaging of Sensory Neurons in the Rat Trigeminal Ganglion

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) enable imaging techniques to monitor changes in intracellular calcium in targeted cell populations. Their large signal-to-noise ratio makes GECIs a powerful tool for detecting stimulus-evoked activity in sensory neurons. GECIs facilitate population-level analysis of stimulus encoding with the number of neurons that can be studied simultaneously. This population encoding is most appropriately done in vivo. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG), which house the soma of sensory neurons innervating somatic and visceral structures below the neck, are used most extensively for in vivo imaging because these structures are accessed relatively easily. More recently, this technique was used in mice to study sensory neurons in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) that innervate oral and craniofacial structures. There are many reasons to study TG in addition to DRG, including the long list of pain syndromes specific to oral and craniofacial structures that appear to reflect changes in sensory neuron activity, such as trigeminal neuralgia. Mice are used most extensively in the study of DRG and TG neurons because of the availability of genetic tools. However, with differences in size, ease of handling, and potentially important species differences, there are reasons to study rat rather than mouse TG neurons. Thus, we developed an approach for imaging rat TG neurons in vivo. We injected neonatal pups (p2) intraperitoneally with an AAV encoding GCaMP6s, resulting in &gt;90% infection of both TG and DRG neurons. TG was visualized in the adult following craniotomy and decortication, and changes in GCaMP6s fluorescence were monitored in TG neurons following stimulation of mandibular and maxillary regions of the face. We confirmed that increases in fluorescence were stimulus-evoked with peripheral nerve block. While this approach has many potential uses, we are using it to characterize the subpopulation(s) of TG neurons changed following peripheral nerve injury.

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECI) enable a robust, population-level analysis of sensory neuron signaling. Here, we have developed a novel approach that allows for in vivo GECI visualization of rat trigeminal ganglia neuron activity.

Genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) enable imaging techniques to monitor changes in intracellular calcium in targeted cell populations. Their ...