Light/Clock Influences Membrane Potential Dynamics to Regulate Sleep States.

The circadian rhythm is a fundamental process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. This rhythm is regulated by core clock genes that oscillate to create a physiological rhythm of circadian neuronal activity. However, we do not know much about the mechanism by which circadian inputs influence neurons involved in sleep-wake architecture. One possible mechanism involves the photoreceptor cryptochrome (CRY). In Drosophila, CRY is receptive to blue light and resets the circadian rhythm. CRY also influences membrane potential dynamics that regulate neural activity of circadian clock neurons in Drosophila, including the temporal structure in sequences of spikes, by interacting with subunits of the voltage-dependent potassium channel. Moreover, several core clock molecules interact with voltage-dependent/independent channels, channel-binding protein, and subunits of the electrogenic ion pump. These components cooperatively regulate mechanisms that translate circadian photoreception and the timing of clock genes into changes in membrane excitability, such as neural firing activity and polarization sensitivity. In clock neurons expressing CRY, these mechanisms also influence synaptic plasticity. In this review, we propose that membrane potential dynamics created by circadian photoreception and core clock molecules are critical for generating the set point of synaptic plasticity that depend on neural coding. In this way, membrane potential dynamics drive formation of baseline sleep architecture, light-driven arousal, and memory processing. We also discuss the machinery that coordinates membrane excitability in circadian networks found in Drosophila, and we compare this machinery to that found in mammalian systems. Based on this body of work, we propose future studies that can better delineate how neural codes impact molecular/cellular signaling and contribute to sleep, memory processing, and neurological disorders.

The Wiring Logic of an Identified Serotonergic Neuron That Spans Sensory Networks.

Serotonergic neurons project widely throughout the brain to modulate diverse physiological and behavioral processes. However, a single-cell resolution understanding of the connectivity of serotonergic neurons is currently lacking. Using a whole-brain EM dataset of a female Drosophila, we comprehensively determine the wiring logic of a broadly projecting serotonergic neuron (the CSDn) that spans several olfactory regions. Within the antennal lobe, the CSDn differentially innervates each glomerulus, yet surprisingly, this variability reflects a diverse set of presynaptic partners, rather than glomerulus-specific differences in synaptic output, which is predominately to local interneurons. Moreover, the CSDn has distinct connectivity relationships with specific local interneuron subtypes, suggesting that the CSDn influences distinct aspects of local network processing. Across olfactory regions, the CSDn has different patterns of connectivity, even having different connectivity with individual projection neurons that also span these regions. Whereas the CSDn targets inhibitory local neurons in the antennal lobe, the CSDn has more distributed connectivity in the LH, preferentially synapsing with principal neuron types based on transmitter content. Last, we identify individual novel synaptic partners associated with other sensory domains that provide strong, top-down input to the CSDn. Together, our study reveals the complex connectivity of serotonergic neurons, which combine the integration of local and extrinsic synaptic input in a nuanced, region-specific manner.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT All sensory systems receive serotonergic modulatory input. However, a comprehensive understanding of the synaptic connectivity of individual serotonergic neurons is lacking. In this study, we use a whole-brain EM microscopy dataset to comprehensively determine the wiring logic of a broadly projecting serotonergic neuron in the olfactory system of Drosophila Collectively, our study demonstrates, at a single-cell level, the complex connectivity of serotonergic neurons within their target networks, identifies specific cell classes heavily targeted for serotonergic modulation in the olfactory system, and reveals novel extrinsic neurons that provide strong input to this serotonergic system outside of the context of olfaction. Elucidating the connectivity logic of individual modulatory neurons provides a ground plan for the seemingly heterogeneous effects of modulatory systems.

Identified Serotonergic Modulatory Neurons Have Heterogeneous Synaptic Connectivity within the Olfactory System of Drosophila.

Modulatory neurons project widely throughout the brain, dynamically altering network processing based on an animal's physiological state. The connectivity of individual modulatory neurons can be complex, as they often receive input from a variety of sources and are diverse in their physiology, structure, and gene expression profiles. To establish basic principles about the connectivity of individual modulatory neurons, we examined a pair of identified neurons, the "contralaterally projecting, serotonin-immunoreactive deutocerebral neurons" (CSDns), within the olfactory system of Drosophila Specifically, we determined the neuronal classes providing synaptic input to the CSDns within the antennal lobe (AL), an olfactory network targeted by the CSDns, and the degree to which CSDn active zones are uniformly distributed across the AL. Using anatomical techniques, we found that the CSDns received glomerulus-specific input from olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) and projection neurons (PNs), and networkwide input from local interneurons (LNs). Furthermore, we quantified the number of CSDn active zones in each glomerulus and found that CSDn output is not uniform, but rather heterogeneous, across glomeruli and stereotyped from animal to animal. Finally, we demonstrate that the CSDns synapse broadly onto LNs and PNs throughout the AL but do not synapse upon ORNs. Our results demonstrate that modulatory neurons do not necessarily provide purely top-down input but rather receive neuron class-specific input from the networks that they target, and that even a two cell modulatory network has highly heterogeneous, yet stereotyped, pattern of connectivity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Modulatory neurons often project broadly throughout the brain to alter processing based on physiological state. However, the connectivity of individual modulatory neurons to their target networks is not well understood, as modulatory neuron populations are heterogeneous in their physiology, morphology, and gene expression. In this study, we use a pair of identified serotonergic neurons within the Drosophila olfactory system as a model to establish a framework for modulatory neuron connectivity. We demonstrate that individual modulatory neurons can integrate neuron class-specific input from their target network, which is often nonreciprocal. Additionally, modulatory neuron output can be stereotyped, yet nonuniform, across network regions. Our results provide new insight into the synaptic relationships that underlie network function of modulatory neurons.