Université de Fribourg

Neurons in the Nucleus papilio contribute to the control of eye movements during REM sleep

Gutierrez Herrera, C. ; Girard, Franck ; Bilella, Alessandro ; Gent, T. C. ; Roccaro-Waldmeyer, Diana M. ; Adamantidis, A. ; Celio, Marco R.

In: Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 1–11

Rapid eye movements (REM) are characteristic of the eponymous phase of sleep, yet the underlying motor commands remain an enigma. Here, we identified a cluster of Calbindin-D28K-expressing neurons in the Nucleus papilio (NPCalb), located in the dorsal paragigantocellular nucleus, which are active during REM sleep and project to the three contralateral eye-muscle nuclei. The firing of...

Université de Fribourg

Eliminating the VGlut2-dependent glutamatergic transmission of parvalbumin-expressing neurons leads to deficits in locomotion and vocalization, decreased pain sensitivity, and increased dominance

Roccaro-Waldmeyer, Diana M. ; Girard, Franck ; Milani, Daniele ; Vannoni, Elisabetta ; Prétôt, Laurent ; Wolfer, David P. ; Celio, Marco R.

In: Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2018, vol. 12, p. -

The calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) is a recognized marker of short-axon GABA-ergic neurons in the cortex and the hippocampus. However in addition, PV is expressed by excitatory, glutamatergic neurons in various areas of the brain and spinal cord. Depending on the location of these neurons, loading of their synaptic vesicles with glutamate is mediated by either of three vesicular...

Université de Fribourg

Reduction in 50-kHz call-numbers and suppression of tickling-associated positive affective behaviour after lesioning of the lateral hypothalamic parvafox nucleus in rats

Roccaro-Waldmeyer, Diana M. ; Babalian, Alexandre ; Müller, Annelies ; Celio, Marco R.

In: Behavioural Brain Research, 2016, vol. 298, Part B, p. 167–180

The parvafox nucleus is located ventrolaterally in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). Its core and shell are composed of neurons expressing the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV) and the transcription factor Foxb1, respectively. Given the known functions of the LHA and that the parvafox nucleus receives afferents from the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and projects to the periaqueductal...