Modulation of local field potentials and neuronal activity in primate hippocampus during saccades

Primates use saccades to gather information about objects and their relative spatial arrangement, a process essential for visual perception and memory. It has been proposed that signals linked to saccades reset the phase of local field potential (LFP) oscillations in the hippocampus, providing a temporal window for visual signals to activate neurons in this region and influence memory formation. We investigated this issue by measuring hippocampal LFPs and spikes in two macaques performing different tasks with unconstrained eye movements. We found that LFP phase clustering (PC) in the alpha/beta (8–16 Hz) frequencies followed foveation onsets, while PC in frequencies lower than 8 Hz followed spontaneous saccades, even on a homogeneous background. Saccades to a solid grey background were not followed by increases in local neuronal firing, whereas saccades toward appearing visual stimuli were. Finally, saccade parameters correlated with LFPs phase and amplitude: saccade direction correlated with delta (≤4 Hz) phase, and saccade amplitude with theta (4–8 Hz) power. Our results suggest that signals linked to saccades reach the hippocampus, producing synchronization of delta/theta LFPs without a general activation of local neurons. Moreover, some visual inputs co‐occurring with saccades produce LFP synchronization in the alpha/beta bands and elevated neuronal firing. Our findings support the hypothesis that saccade‐related signals enact sensory input‐dependent plasticity and therefore memory formation in the primate hippocampus.     

Effects of social subordination and oestradiol on resting‐state amygdala functional connectivity in adult female rhesus monkeys

Preclinical studies demonstrate that chronic stress modulates the effects of oestradiol (E2) on behaviour through the modification of the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neuronal structure. Clinical studies suggest that alterations in amygdala functional connectivity (FC) with the mPFC may be associated with stress‐related phenotypes, including mood and anxiety disorders. Thus, identifying the effects of stress and E2 on amygdala‐mPFC circuits is critical for understanding the neurobiology underpinning the vulnerability to stress‐related disorders in women. In the present study, we used a well‐validated rhesus monkey model of chronic psychosocial stress (subordinate social rank) to examine effects of E2 on subordinate (SUB) (i.e. high stress) and dominant (DOM) (i.e. low stress) female resting‐state amygdala FC with the mPFC and with the whole‐brain. In the non‐E2 treatment control condition, SUB was associated with stronger left amygdala FC to subgenual cingulate (Brodmann area [BA] 25: BA25), a region implicated in several psychopathologies in people. In SUB females, E2 treatment strengthened right amygdala‐BA25 FC, induced a net positive amygdala‐visual cortex FC that was positively associated with frequency of submissive behaviours, and weakened positive amygdala‐para/hippocampus FC. Our findings show that subordinate social rank alters amygdala FC and the impact of E2 on amygdala FC with BA25 and with regions involved in visual processing and memory encoding.     

Evidence in primates supporting the use of chemogenetics for the treatment of human refractory neuropsychiatric disorders

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Sub-gingival microflora in Macaca mulatta species of rhesus monkey

The Macaca mulatta species of rhesus monkey is one of several non-human primate (nhp) models for periodontal disease. This report presents the bacteriology of the gingival sulci in M. mulatta monkeys. Three sub-gingival sites (maxillary right central incisor, the disto-buccal of the mandibular left second molar and mesio-buccal of the mandibular right second molar) of 9 monkeys were evaluated clinically before scaling and 7 days after scaling. Plaque samples were obtained from sub-gingival sites before clinical examination and studied bacteriologically by dark field microscopy, selective and non-selective culture, and by primary phenotypic characterizations of culture isolates. Several gingival sites presented with mild gingival inflammation. Anaerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria were the predominant flora colonizing the gingival sulci. The major microbial groups were Haemophilus species (100% of sites; percentage of total anaerobic count (TAC); 21-51), Peptostreptococcus micros (89%, 7.5–29.5), Actinomyces sp. (85%, 7–27), Fusobacterium nucleatum (90%, 5–8), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (73%, 1.3–12), black-pigmented anaerobic rods ( BPAR ) (80%, 0.6–6.5) and oral streptococci (80%, 0.2–1.0). Microbial groups detected less often were Wolinella sp. (66%, 0–2.6), Capnocytophaga sp. (30%), Eikenella corrodens (4.7%, 0), Campylobacter sp. (28%, 0–0.1) and spirochetes (4.7%, 0–0.07). Seven days after gingival sites were scaled, the plaque score and indices for gingival inflammation declined significantly. The gingival flora after scaling were characterized by lower proportions of the Actinomyees sp., P. micros and BPAR; and increased proportions of the oral streptococci, relative to pre-scaling levels. The major microbial groups at scaled gingival sites were the Haemophilus sp., oral streptococci, F. nucleatum and A. actinomycetemcomitans. The mutual proportions of microbial groups varied non-significantly within gingival sites and between monkeys. In conclusion, the M. mulatta gingival sulci are colonized by microbial species that resemble putative pathogens of periodontal disease, and the composition and character of the gingival flora are similar to the gingival flora of other Old World monkey models.     

Development of a BiTE®-mediated CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity assay to assess immunomodulatory potential of drug candidates in Cynomolgus macaque

The immunotoxic potential of drug candidates is assessed through the examination of results from a variety of studies and endpoints. While the functional assessment of CD8⁺ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) is well-characterized in the clinic, the lack of a robust macaque CTL functional assay has been an important hurdle in evaluating and accurately quantifying cell-mediated CD8⁺ T-cell effector responses in the nonclinical setting. This paper describes the development of an assay to measure CTL activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from Cynomolgus macaques. A human EGFR/CD3 Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE^®) was used to mount a robust CD8⁺ T-cell response in the presence of target-expressing cells. Upon target engagement, degranulation of CD107a and production of interferon (IFN)-γ both reliably indicated a robust functional response in CD8⁺ T-cells. The BiTE^®-mediated stimulation method proved to be favorable when compared to other methods of stimulation in the absence of target cells. These studies demonstrated acceptable longitudinal variability of the functional assay and sensitivity to dexamethasone-mediated immunosuppression. Taken together, the results indicated an assay leveraging CD3-bispecific antibodies and target-expressing cells can provide a robust approach to the in vitro or ex vivo assessment of CTL function in Cynomolgus macaques. Because the impairment of CTL activity by immunomodulators is recognized to be an important contributor to decreased antiviral defense and increased carcinogenicity risk, we believe that this novel assay to be a valuable addition to the immunotoxicology assessment of therapeutic drug candidates.     

Rostrocaudal functional gradient among the pre‐dorsal premotor cortex,dorsal premotor cortex and primary motor cortex in goal‐directed motor behaviour

The dorsal premotor cortex residing in the dorsolateral aspect of area 6 is a rostrocaudally elongated area that is rostral to the primary motor cortex (M1) and caudal to the prefrontal cortex. This region, which is subdivided into rostral [pre‐dorsal premotor cortex (pre‐PMd)] and caudal [dorsal premotor cortex proper (PMd)] components, probably plays a central role in planning and executing actions to achieve a behavioural goal. In the present study, we investigated the functional specializations of the pre‐PMd, PMd, and M1, because the synthesis of the specific functions performed by each area is considered to be essential. Neurons were recorded while monkeys performed a conditional visuo‐goal task designed to include separate processes for determining a behavioural goal (reaching towards a right or left potential target) on the basis of visual object instructions, specifying actions (direction of reaching) to be performed on the basis of the goal, and preparing and executing the action. Neurons in the pre‐PMd and PMd retrieved and maintained behavioural goals without encoding the visual features of the visual object instructions, and subsequently specified the actions by multiplexing the goals with the locations of the targets. Furthermore, PMd and M1 neurons played a major role in representing the action during movement preparation and execution, whereas the contribution of the pre‐PMd progressively decreased as the time of the actual execution of the movement approached. These findings revealed that the multiple processing stages necessary for the realization of an action to accomplish a goal were implemented in an area‐specific manner across a functional gradient from the pre‐PMd to M1 that included the PMd as an intermediary.     

Sleeve bridging of the rhesus monkey ulnar nerve with muscular branches of the pronator teres: multiple amplification of axonal regeneration

Multiple-bud regeneration, i.e., multiple amplification, has been shown to exist in peripheral nerve regeneration. Multiple buds grow towards the distal nerve stump during proximal nerve fiber regeneration. Our previous studies have verified the limit and validity of multiple amplification of peripheral nerve regeneration using small gap sleeve bridging of small donor nerves to repair large receptor nerves in rodents. The present study sought to observe multiple amplification of myelinated nerve fiber regeneration in the primate peripheral nerve. Rhesus monkey models of distal ulnar nerve defects were established and repaired using muscular branches of the right forearm pronator teres. Proximal muscular branches of the pronator teres were sutured into the distal ulnar nerve using the small gap sleeve bridging method. At 6 months after suture, two-finger flexion and mild wrist flexion were restored in the ulnar-sided injured limbs of rhesus monkey. Neurophysiological examination showed that motor nerve conduction velocity reached 22.63 ± 6.34 m/s on the affected side of rhesus monkey. Osmium tetroxide staining demonstrated that the number of myelinated nerve fibers was 1,657 ± 652 in the branches of pronator teres of donor, and 2,661 ± 843 in the repaired ulnar nerve. The rate of multiple amplification of regenerating myelinated nerve fibers was 1.61. These data showed that when muscular branches of the pronator teres were used to repair ulnar nerve in primates, effective regeneration was observed in regenerating nerve fibers, and functions of the injured ulnar nerve were restored to a certain extent. Moreover, multiple amplification was subsequently detected in ulnar nerve axons.     

体外培养恒河猴外周血单核巨噬细胞的研究

目的：建立一种简单、经济、高效地培养恒河猴外周血单核巨噬细胞（monocyte-derived macrophage,MDM）的方法。方法：用肝素钠抗凝管采集健康成年中国恒河猴（Macaca mulatta）全血,密度梯度离心法分离外周血单核细胞（peripheral blood mononuclear cells, PBMCs）。同时用无抗凝剂采血管采集同一只猴外周血,自凝后分离血清。将猴PBMCs置于CELLBIND Surface的96孔（0.8×106个细胞/孔）或48孔培养板（3×106个细胞/孔）中,用含不同百分比的猴自体血清或胎牛血清（fetal calf serum,FCS）的RPMI 1640培养液培养24h后洗弃未贴壁细胞,加入含有猴自体血清或FCS的新鲜培养基继续培养7天后观察细胞形态学。分化良好的猴单核巨噬细胞贴壁能力强,占据板底大部分区域。胞体形态多样,多数呈长梭形。用巨噬细胞标记受体（CD14）抗体染色判断细胞纯度。并用细菌内毒素（LPS）刺激分化的巨噬细胞,检测巨噬细胞炎性因子的表达。此外,用猴艾滋病毒（SIVmac17E-Br、SIVmac251）和人-猴嵌合体艾滋病毒（SHIV KU-1）感染分化良好的猴巨噬细胞,检测病毒在猴巨噬细胞中的复制。结果：在含2%猴自体血清的RPMI 1640培养条件下,大多数（>85%）猴单核细胞能在24h内贴壁,体外分化5-7天后,猴巨噬细胞纯度大于96%。相比而言,含较高浓度（4%,8%或10%）猴自体血清或FCS的RPMI 1640 培养基对猴单核细胞的贴壁和分化作用较差。分化良好的猴巨噬细胞对LPS刺激敏感,可产生多种巨噬细胞炎性因子。此外,这些细胞对SIV或SHIV均易感,产生感染性病毒。结论：含2%猴自体血清的RPMI 1640培养基适于原代猴单核细胞的贴壁和分化。该方法简单、花费少,无需生长因子,且分化效果好,是培养猴艾滋病毒及开展相关免疫学实验的重要手段。