Cell-type-specific neuromodulation guides synaptic credit assignment in a spiking neural network.

Brains learn tasks via experience-driven differential adjustment of their myriad individual synaptic connections, but the mechanisms that target appropriate adjustment to particular connections remain deeply enigmatic. While Hebbian synaptic plasticity, synaptic eligibility traces, and top-down feedback signals surely contribute to solving this synaptic credit-assignment problem, alone, they appear to be insufficient. Inspired by new genetic perspectives on neuronal signaling architectures, here, we present a normative theory for synaptic learning, where we predict that neurons communicate their contribution to the learning outcome to nearby neurons via cell-type-specific local neuromodulation. Computational tests suggest that neuron-type diversity and neuron-type-specific local neuromodulation may be critical pieces of the biological credit-assignment puzzle. They also suggest algorithms for improved artificial neural network learning efficiency.

Joint inference of discrete cell types and continuous type-specific variability in single-cell datasets with MMIDAS.

Reproducible definition and identification of cell types is essential to enable investigations into their biological function, and understanding their relevance in the context of development, disease and evolution. Current approaches model variability in data as continuous latent factors, followed by clustering as a separate step, or immediately apply clustering on the data. We show that such approaches can suffer from qualitative mistakes in identifying cell types robustly, particularly when the number of such cell types is in the hundreds or even thousands. Here, we propose an unsupervised method, MMIDAS, which combines a generalized mixture model with a multi-armed deep neural network, to jointly infer the discrete type and continuous type-specific variability. Using four recent datasets of brain cells spanning different technologies, species, and conditions, we demonstrate that MMIDAS can identify reproducible cell types and infer cell type-dependent continuous variability in both uni-modal and multi-modal datasets.

A scalable and modular computational pipeline for axonal connectomics: automated tracing and assembly of axons across serial sections.

Progress in histological methods and in microscope technology has enabled dense staining and imaging of axons over large brain volumes, but tracing axons over such volumes requires new computational tools for 3D reconstruction of data acquired from serial sections. We have developed a computational pipeline for automated tracing and volume assembly of densely stained axons imaged over serial sections, which leverages machine learning-based segmentation to enable stitching and alignment with the axon traces themselves. We validated this segmentation-driven approach to volume assembly and alignment of individual axons over centimeter-scale serial sections and show the application of the output traces for analysis of local orientation and for proofreading over aligned volumes. The pipeline is scalable, and combined with recent advances in experimental approaches, should enable new studies of mesoscale connectivity and function over the whole human brain.

Predictive and robust gene selection for spatial transcriptomics.

A prominent trend in single-cell transcriptomics is providing spatial context alongside a characterization of each cell's molecular state. This typically requires targeting an a priori selection of genes, often covering less than 1% of the genome, and a key question is how to optimally determine the small gene panel. We address this challenge by introducing a flexible deep learning framework, PERSIST, to identify informative gene targets for spatial transcriptomics studies by leveraging reference scRNA-seq data. Using datasets spanning different brain regions, species, and scRNA-seq technologies, we show that PERSIST reliably identifies panels that provide more accurate prediction of the genome-wide expression profile, thereby capturing more information with fewer genes. PERSIST can be adapted to specific biological goals, and we demonstrate that PERSIST's binarization of gene expression levels enables models trained on scRNA-seq data to generalize with to spatial transcriptomics data, despite the complex shift between these technologies.

Single-neuron models linking electrophysiology, morphology, and transcriptomics across cortical cell types.

Which cell types constitute brain circuits is a fundamental question, but establishing the correspondence across cellular data modalities is challenging. Bio-realistic models allow probing cause-and-effect and linking seemingly disparate modalities. Here, we introduce a computational optimization workflow to generate 9,200 single-neuron models with active conductances. These models are based on 230 in vitro electrophysiological experiments followed by morphological reconstruction from the mouse visual cortex. We show that, in contrast to current belief, the generated models are robust representations of individual experiments and cortical cell types as defined via cellular electrophysiology or transcriptomics. Next, we show that differences in specific conductances predicted from the models reflect differences in gene expression supported by single-cell transcriptomics. The differences in model conductances, in turn, explain electrophysiological differences observed between the cortical subclasses. Our computational effort reconciles single-cell modalities that define cell types and enables causal relationships to be examined.

Consistent cross-modal identification of cortical neurons with coupled autoencoders.

Consistent identification of neurons in different experimental modalities is a key problem in neuroscience. Although methods to perform multimodal measurements in the same set of single neurons have become available, parsing complex relationships across different modalities to uncover neuronal identity is a growing challenge. Here we present an optimization framework to learn coordinated representations of multimodal data and apply it to a large multimodal dataset profiling mouse cortical interneurons. Our approach reveals strong alignment between transcriptomic and electrophysiological characterizations, enables accurate cross-modal data prediction, and identifies cell types that are consistent across modalities.

New light on cortical neuropeptides and synaptic network plasticity.

Neuropeptides, members of a large and evolutionarily ancient family of proteinaceous cell-cell signaling molecules, are widely recognized as extremely potent regulators of brain function and behavior. At the cellular level, neuropeptides are known to act mainly via modulation of ion channel and synapse function, but functional impacts emerging at the level of complex cortical synaptic networks have resisted mechanistic analysis. New findings from single-cell RNA-seq transcriptomics now illuminate intricate patterns of cortical neuropeptide signaling gene expression and new tools now offer powerful molecular access to cortical neuropeptide signaling. Here we highlight some of these new findings and tools, focusing especially on prospects for experimental and theoretical exploration of peptidergic and synaptic networks interactions underlying cortical function and plasticity.

Whole-Neuron Synaptic Mapping Reveals Spatially Precise Excitatory/Inhibitory Balance Limiting Dendritic and Somatic Spiking.

The balance between excitatory and inhibitory (E and I) synapses is thought to be critical for information processing in neural circuits. However, little is known about the spatial principles of E and I synaptic organization across the entire dendritic tree of mammalian neurons. We developed a new open-source reconstruction platform for mapping the size and spatial distribution of E and I synapses received by individual genetically-labeled layer 2/3 (L2/3) cortical pyramidal neurons (PNs) in vivo. We mapped over 90,000 E and I synapses across twelve L2/3 PNs and uncovered structured organization of E and I synapses across dendritic domains as well as within individual dendritic segments. Despite significant domain-specific variation in the absolute density of E and I synapses, their ratio is strikingly balanced locally across dendritic segments. Computational modeling indicates that this spatially precise E/I balance dampens dendritic voltage fluctuations and strongly impacts neuronal firing output.

Single-cell transcriptomic evidence for dense intracortical neuropeptide networks.

Seeking new insights into the homeostasis, modulation and plasticity of cortical synaptic networks, we have analyzed results from a single-cell RNA-seq study of 22,439 mouse neocortical neurons. Our analysis exposes transcriptomic evidence for dozens of molecularly distinct neuropeptidergic modulatory networks that directly interconnect all cortical neurons. This evidence begins with a discovery that transcripts of one or more neuropeptide precursor (NPP) and one or more neuropeptide-selective G-protein-coupled receptor (NP-GPCR) genes are highly abundant in all, or very nearly all, cortical neurons. Individual neurons express diverse subsets of NP signaling genes from palettes encoding 18 NPPs and 29 NP-GPCRs. These 47 genes comprise 37 cognate NPP/NP-GPCR pairs, implying the likelihood of local neuropeptide signaling. Here, we use neuron-type-specific patterns of NP gene expression to offer specific, testable predictions regarding 37 peptidergic neuromodulatory networks that may play prominent roles in cortical homeostasis and plasticity.

Neuronal cell types and connectivity: lessons from the retina.

We describe recent progress toward defining neuronal cell types in the mouse retina and attempt to extract lessons that may be generally useful in the mammalian brain. Achieving a comprehensive catalog of retinal cell types now appears within reach, because researchers have achieved consensus concerning two fundamental challenges. The first is accuracy-defining pure cell types rather than settling for neuronal classes that are mixtures of types. The second is completeness-developing methods guaranteed to eventually identify all cell types, as well as criteria for determining when all types have been found. Case studies illustrate how these two challenges are handled by combining state-of-the-art molecular, anatomical, and physiological techniques. Progress is also being made in observing and modeling connectivity between cell types. Scaling up to larger brain regions, such as the cortex, will require not only technical advances but also careful consideration of the challenges of accuracy and completeness.

Automated computation of arbor densities: a step toward identifying neuronal cell types.

The shape and position of a neuron convey information regarding its molecular and functional identity. The identification of cell types from structure, a classic method, relies on the time-consuming step of arbor tracing. However, as genetic tools and imaging methods make data-driven approaches to neuronal circuit analysis feasible, the need for automated processing increases. Here, we first establish that mouse retinal ganglion cell types can be as precise about distributing their arbor volumes across the inner plexiform layer as they are about distributing the skeletons of the arbors. Then, we describe an automated approach to computing the spatial distribution of the dendritic arbors, or arbor density, with respect to a global depth coordinate based on this observation. Our method involves three-dimensional reconstruction of neuronal arbors by a supervised machine learning algorithm, post-processing of the enhanced stacks to remove somata and isolate the neuron of interest, and registration of neurons to each other using automatically detected arbors of the starburst amacrine interneurons as fiducial markers. In principle, this method could be generalizable to other structures of the CNS, provided that they allow sparse labeling of the cells and contain a reliable axis of spatial reference.

Olfactory projectome in the zebrafish forebrain revealed by genetic single-neuron labelling.

Chemotopic odour representations in the olfactory bulb are transferred to multiple forebrain areas and translated into appropriate output responses. However, a comprehensive projection map of bulbar output neurons at single-axon resolution is lacking in vertebrates. Here we unravel a projectome of the zebrafish olfactory bulb through genetic single-neuron tracing and image registration. We show that five major target regions receive distinct modes of projections from olfactory bulb glomeruli. The central portion of posterior telencephalon receives non-selective, interspersed inputs from all glomeruli, whereas the ventral telencephalon is diffusely innervated by axons from particular glomerular clusters. The right habenula and posterior tuberculum (diencephalic nuclei) receive convergent inputs from restricted and all glomerular clusters, respectively. The bulbar recurrent projections are coarsely topographic. Thus, the primary chemotopic organization is transformed into distinct sensory representations in higher olfactory centres. These findings provide a framework to understand general principles as well as species-specific features in decoding of odour information.

A genetic and computational approach to structurally classify neuronal types.

The importance of cell types in understanding brain function is widely appreciated but only a tiny fraction of neuronal diversity has been catalogued. Here we exploit recent progress in genetic definition of cell types in an objective structural approach to neuronal classification. The approach is based on highly accurate quantification of dendritic arbor position relative to neurites of other cells. We test the method on a population of 363 mouse retinal ganglion cells. For each cell, we determine the spatial distribution of the dendritic arbors, or arbor density, with reference to arbors of an abundant, well-defined interneuronal type. The arbor densities are sorted into a number of clusters that is set by comparison with several molecularly defined cell types. The algorithm reproduces the genetic classes that are pure types, and detects six newly clustered cell types that await genetic definition.

Improved time series reconstruction for dynamic magnetic resonance imaging.

Time series of in vivo magnetic resonance images exhibit high levels of temporal correlation. Higher temporal resolution reconstructions are obtained by acquiring data at a fraction of the Nyquist rate and resolving the resulting aliasing using the correlation information. The dynamic imaging experiment is modeled as a linear dynamical system. A Kalman filter based unaliasing reconstruction is described for accelerated dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The algorithm handles arbitrary readout trajectories naturally. The reconstruction is causal and very fast, making it applicable to real-time imaging. In vivo results are presented for cardiac MRI of healthy volunteers.

A practical acceleration algorithm for real-time imaging.

A practical acceleration algorithm for real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is presented. Neither separate training scans nor embedded training samples are used. The Kalman filter based algorithm provides a fast and causal reconstruction of dynamic MRI acquisitions with arbitrary readout trajectories. The algorithm is tested against abrupt changes in the imaging conditions and offline reconstructions of in vivo cardiac MRI experiments are presented.

Fractional free space, fractional lenses, and fractional imaging systems.

Continuum extensions of common dual pairs of operators are presented and consolidated, based on the fractional Fourier transform. In particular, the fractional chirp multiplication, fractional chirp convolution, and fractional scaling operators are defined and expressed in terms of their common nonfractional special cases, revealing precisely how they are interpolations of their conventional counterparts. Optical realizations of these operators are possible with use of common physical components. These three operators can be interpreted as fractional lenses, fractional free space, and fractional imaging systems, respectively. Any optical system consisting of an arbitrary concatenation of sections of free space and thin lenses can be interpreted as a fractional imaging system with spherical reference surfaces. As a special case, a system departing from the classical single-lens imaging condition can be interpreted as a fractional imaging system.