Université de Fribourg

Gene expression analysis in the mouse brainstem identifies Cart and Nesfatin as neuropeptides coexpressed in the Calbindin-positive neurons of the Nucleus papilio

Girard, Franck ; von Siebenthal, Michelle ; Davis, Fred P. ; Celio, Marco R.

In: Sleep, 2020, vol. 43, no. 2020-11, p. zsaa085

Study Objectives: The brainstem contains several neuronal populations, heterogeneous in terms of neurotransmitter/neuropeptide content, which are important for controlling various aspects of the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep. Among these populations are the Calbindin (Calb)-immunoreactive NPCalb neurons, located in the Nucleus papilio, within the dorsal paragigantocellular nucleus...

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

The orbitofrontal cortex projects to the parvafox nucleus of the ventrolateral hypothalamus and to its targets in the ventromedial periaqueductal grey matter

Babalian, Alexandre ; Eichenberger, Simone ; Bilella, Alessandro ; Girard, Franck ; Szabolcsi, Viktoria ; Roccaro, Diana ; Alvarez-Bolado, Gonzalo ; Xu, Chun ; Celio, Marco R.

In: Brain Structure and Function, 2019, vol. 224, no. 1, p. 293–314

Although connections between the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)—the seat of high cognitive functions—the lateral hypothalamus and the periaqueductal grey (PAG) have been recognized in the past, the precise targets of the descending fibres have not been identified. In the present study, viral tracer-transport experiments revealed neurons of the lateral (LO) and the ventrolateral (VLO) OFC...

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

Expression of the calcium binding proteins Necab-1,-2 and -3 in the adult mouse hippocampus and dentate gyrus

Zimmermann, B. ; Girard, Franck ; Mészàr, Zoltán ; Celio, Marco R.

In: Brain Research, 2013, vol. 1528, p. 1–7

The family of EF-hand calcium binding proteins is composed of more than 250 members. In search for other neuronal markers, we studied the expression pattern of Necab-1, -2 and -3 in the Ammons horn of adult mice at the gene- and protein levels using in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. The genes for the three Necab's were expressed in specific, non-overlapping areas of the hippocampus....

Université de Fribourg

Gene expression analysis in the parvalbumin-immunoreactive PV1 nucleus of the mouse lateral hypothalamus

Girard, Franck ; Mészár, Zoltán ; Marti, Christiane ; Davis, F. P. ; Celio, Marco R.

In: European Journal of Neuroscience, 2011, vol. 34, no. 12, p. 1934–1943

A solitary, elongated cluster of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons has been previously observed in the rodent ventrolateral hypothalamus. However, the function of this so-called PV1 nucleus is unknown. In this article, we report the results of an unbiased, broad and in-depth molecular characterization of this small, compact group of neurons. The Allen Brain Atlas database of in situ...

Université de Fribourg

The lateral hypothalamic parvalbumin-immunoreactive (PV1) nucleus in rodents

Mészár, Zoltán ; Girard, Franck ; Saper, Clifford B. ; Celio, Marco R.

In: The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2011, p. -

In the lateral hypothalamus, groups of functionally related cells tend to be widely scattered rather than confined to discrete, anatomically distinct units. However, using parvalbumin (PV)-specific antibodies, a solitary, compact cord of PV-immunoreactive cells (the PV1-nucleus) has been identified in the ventrolateral tuberal hypothalamus in various species. Here we describe the topography, the...