Regional, Layer, and Cell-Type-Specific Connectivity of the Mouse Default Mode Network
Jennifer D. Whitesell, Adam Liska, L. Coletta, Karla E. Hirokawa, Phillip Bohn, A. Williford, Peter A. Groblewski, Nile Graddis, L. Kuan, Joseph E. Knox, Anh Ho, Wayne Wakeman, P. Nicovich, T. Nguyen, C. Velthoven, Emma J. Garren, Olivia Fong, M. Naeemi, A. Henry, N. Dee, Kimberly A. Smith, Boaz P. Levi, David Feng, Lydia Ng, Bosiljka Tasic, Hongkui Zeng, Stefan Mihalas, A. Gozzi, Julie A. Harris
Neuron December 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.11.011 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe default mode network (DMN) is a set of brain regions active at rest and vulnerable to brain disorders, but how disease affects it remains unknown. By co-registering functional MRI and axonal tracing data into the Allen mouse brain atlas, the authors show that the mouse DMN consists of preferentially interconnected cortical regions. Layer 2/3 neurons within the DMN project almost exclusively to other DMN regions, whereas layer 5 neurons project both in and out of the DMN. In the retrosplenial cortex, two layer 5 projection types were identified, distinguished by their targets, laminar position, and gene expression. These findings provide a multi-scale description of the mouse DMN's anatomical connectivity.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational study with co-registered imaging and tracing data Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Keywords | Medicine Biology |
| Key finding | The mouse default mode network consists of preferentially interconnected cortical regions, with layer 2/3 neurons projecting almost exclusively within the DMN and layer 5 neurons projecting both in and out of the DMN. |
Abstract
Summary The evolutionarily conserved default mode network (DMN) is a distributed set of brain regions coactivated during resting states that is vulnerable to brain disorders. How disease affects the DMN is unknown, but detailed anatomical descriptions could provide clues. Mice offer an opportunity to investigate structural connectivity of the DMN across spatial scales with cell-type resolution. We co-registered maps from functional magnetic resonance imaging and axonal tracing experiments into the 3D Allen mouse brain reference atlas. We find that the mouse DMN consists of preferentially interconnected cortical regions. As a population, DMN layer 2/3 (L2/3) neurons project almost exclusively to other DMN regions, whereas L5 neurons project in and out of the DMN. In the retrosplenial cortex, a core DMN region, we identify two L5 projection types differentiated by in- or out-DMN targets, laminar position, and gene expression. These results provide a multi-scale description of the anatomical correlates of the mouse DMN.