Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural Injury
Most organisms suffer neuronal damage throughout their lives, which can impair performance of core behaviors. Their neural circuits need to maintain function despite injury, which in particular requires preserving key system outputs. In this work, we explore whether and how certain structural and fu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/4/462 |
| _version_ | 1797538766935556096 |
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| author | Charles B. Delahunt Pedro D. Maia J. Nathan Kutz |
| author_facet | Charles B. Delahunt Pedro D. Maia J. Nathan Kutz |
| author_sort | Charles B. Delahunt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most organisms suffer neuronal damage throughout their lives, which can impair performance of core behaviors. Their neural circuits need to maintain function despite injury, which in particular requires preserving key system outputs. In this work, we explore whether and how certain structural and functional neuronal network motifs act as injury mitigation mechanisms. Specifically, we examine how <i>(i)</i> Hebbian learning, <i>(ii)</i> high levels of noise, and <i>(iii)</i> parallel inhibitory and excitatory connections contribute to the robustness of the olfactory system in the <i>Manduca sexta</i> moth. We simulate injuries on a detailed computational model of the moth olfactory network calibrated to data. The injuries are modeled on focal axonal swellings, a ubiquitous form of axonal pathology observed in traumatic brain injuries and other brain disorders. Axonal swellings effectively compromise spike train propagation along the axon, reducing the effective neural firing rate delivered to downstream neurons. All three of the network motifs examined significantly mitigate the effects of injury on readout neurons, either by reducing injury’s impact on readout neuron responses or by restoring these responses to pre-injury levels. These motifs may thus be partially explained by their value as adaptive mechanisms to minimize the functional effects of neural injury. More generally, robustness to injury is a vital design principle to consider when analyzing neural systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:36:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-be559183d1504aacbad4a161bb766581 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:36:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-be559183d1504aacbad4a161bb7665812023-11-21T14:17:05ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252021-04-0111446210.3390/brainsci11040462Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural InjuryCharles B. Delahunt0Pedro D. Maia1J. Nathan Kutz2Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3925, USADepartment of Mathematics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USADepartment of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3925, USAMost organisms suffer neuronal damage throughout their lives, which can impair performance of core behaviors. Their neural circuits need to maintain function despite injury, which in particular requires preserving key system outputs. In this work, we explore whether and how certain structural and functional neuronal network motifs act as injury mitigation mechanisms. Specifically, we examine how <i>(i)</i> Hebbian learning, <i>(ii)</i> high levels of noise, and <i>(iii)</i> parallel inhibitory and excitatory connections contribute to the robustness of the olfactory system in the <i>Manduca sexta</i> moth. We simulate injuries on a detailed computational model of the moth olfactory network calibrated to data. The injuries are modeled on focal axonal swellings, a ubiquitous form of axonal pathology observed in traumatic brain injuries and other brain disorders. Axonal swellings effectively compromise spike train propagation along the axon, reducing the effective neural firing rate delivered to downstream neurons. All three of the network motifs examined significantly mitigate the effects of injury on readout neurons, either by reducing injury’s impact on readout neuron responses or by restoring these responses to pre-injury levels. These motifs may thus be partially explained by their value as adaptive mechanisms to minimize the functional effects of neural injury. More generally, robustness to injury is a vital design principle to consider when analyzing neural systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/4/462neuronal injuryinjury mitigationfocal axonal swellings (FAS)moth olfactory network |
| spellingShingle | Charles B. Delahunt Pedro D. Maia J. Nathan Kutz Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural Injury Brain Sciences neuronal injury injury mitigation focal axonal swellings (FAS) moth olfactory network |
| title | Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural Injury |
| title_full | Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural Injury |
| title_fullStr | Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural Injury |
| title_full_unstemmed | Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural Injury |
| title_short | Built to Last: Functional and Structural Mechanisms in the Moth Olfactory Network Mitigate Effects of Neural Injury |
| title_sort | built to last functional and structural mechanisms in the moth olfactory network mitigate effects of neural injury |
| topic | neuronal injury injury mitigation focal axonal swellings (FAS) moth olfactory network |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/4/462 |
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