Theta power during encoding predicts subsequent-memory performance and default mode network deactivation.

The subsequent memory paradigm, according to which cerebral activity for later remembered (LR) and later forgotten (LF) items is contrasted, can be used to characterize the processes necessary for successful memory encoding. Previous simultaneous electroencephalography/functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG/fMRI) memory studies suggest an inverse relationship between frontal theta band power and the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal in the default mode network (DMN). The principal aim of this EEG/fMRI study was to test the hypothesis that this putative theta-DMN relationship is less evident in LF compared with LR trials. Fourteen healthy participants performed an episodic memory task in which pictorial stimuli were presented during encoding, and categorized (as LR or LF) by subsequent memory performance. For each encoding trial, the mean of the Hilbert envelope of the theta signal from 400 to 800 ms after stimulus presentation was calculated. To integrate the EEG and fMRI data, general linear models (GLMs) were used to assess the extent to which these single-trial theta values (as modulators of the main effect of stimulus) predicted DMN BOLD signal change, using: (i) whole-head univariate GLMs and (ii) GLMs in which the outcome variable was the time-course of a DMN component derived from spatial independent component analysis of the fMRI data. Theta was significantly greater for LR than LF stimuli. Furthermore, the inverse relationship between theta and BOLD in the DMN was consistently stronger for LR than LF pictures. These findings imply that theta oscillations are key to attenuating processes which may otherwise impair memory encoding.

How much does phase resetting contribute to event-related EEG abnormalities in schizophrenia?

OBJECTIVE: Patients suffering from schizophrenia demonstrate impaired low frequency electrophysiological responses to stimuli, but it remains unclear whether these abnormalities arise from phase resetting of ongoing oscillations, new phase-locked (evoked) activity or non-phase-locked (induced) activity. Our goal is to clarify the contribution of each of these three processes to the impairment of neural activity during information processing in schizophrenia, by using statistics that do not confound increases in the mean post-stimulus signal with phase resetting. METHODS: Thirty-four male schizophrenia patients and 34 healthy matched controls performed an auditory oddball task. We applied the analysis procedure developed by Martinez-Montes et al. based on complex-valued wavelet transform to event-related signal elicited by target stimuli. RESULTS: The largest abnormalities were found for phase-locked delta (1-4 Hz) and non-phase-locked theta (4-8 Hz). Delta phase resetting was moderately impaired and related to symptoms of disorganization. It also predicted evoked theta signal. CONCLUSION: The substantial reduction of both evoked and induced oscillatory activity in schizophrenia indicates diminished recruitment of brain circuits engaged not only in stimulus-locked perceptual processing but also in more extensive processing less tightly time locked to the stimulus. Although reduced phase resetting makes a lesser contribution, it indicates a deficit in the ability to harness ongoing electrical activity.

Time and frequency domain event-related electrical activity associated with response control in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: To confirm previously reported abnormalities in time domain EEG components during a go/no-go task in schizophrenia, and to test the hypothesis that patients exhibit abnormalities in frequency domain components reflecting indices of behavioural impairment. METHODS: EEG data were recorded from 17 male schizophrenia patients in a stable phase of illness and 17 healthy controls. RESULTS: As compared with controls, patients displayed smaller N200 amplitudes and less evoked theta for correct hit trials; and smaller N200 and P300 amplitudes and less evoked delta and theta for correct reject trials. Effect sizes were largest for evoked delta. Source localisation revealed reduced activation in schizophrenia patients during the N200 and P300 time windows in anterior and posterior cingulate, medial frontal gyrus and precuneus. Evoked delta and theta oscillations were significantly correlated with the variability of reaction times and the performance level statistic d-prime. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate impairment of frontal and parietal brain areas involved in response control in schizophrenia. They also suggest that the timing of oscillations in patients is less precise leading to smaller evoked amplitudes and more variable reaction times. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings add to the evidence that abnormal EEG oscillations contribute to impaired behavioural control in schizophrenia.

Inhibition of mitochondrial respiration elevates oxygen concentration but leaves regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) intact.

The transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is critical for erythropoietin and other factors involved in the adaptation of the organism to hypoxic stress. Conflicting results have been published regarding the role of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) in the regulation of HIF-1alpha. We assessed cellular hypoxia by pimonidazole staining and blotting of the O2-labile HIF-1 alpha-subunit in human osteosarcoma cell cultures (U2OS and 143B). In conventional, gas-impermeable cell culture dishes, ETC inhibitors had no effect on pimonidazole staining or HIF-1alpha abundance in a 20% O2 atmosphere; both parameters were undetectable. Pimonidazole staining and HIF activity were substantial in 0.1% O2 irrespective of ETC inhibition. At an intermediate oxygen concentration (3% O2) pimonidazole staining and HIF-alpha expression were detectable but strongly reduced after ETC inhibition in conventional cell cultures. All effects of ETC inhibition on HIF-1alpha regulation were eliminated in gas-permeable dishes. As shown in a 143B subclone deficient in mitochondrial DNA (206rho0), genetic inactivation of the ETC led to similar responses with respect to HIF-1alpha regulation as ETC inhibitors. Our data demonstrate that reduction of oxygen consumption reduces the O2 gradient in conventional cell cultures, causing elevation of the cellular O2 concentration, which leads to degradation of HIF-alpha.

Regulation of the prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (phd2/egln-1) gene: identification of a functional hypoxia-responsive element.

The HIFs (hypoxia-inducible factors) are a family of heterodimeric transcription factors essential for the adaptation of cells to reduced oxygen supply. Three human PHDs (prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins, PHD1-PHD3) initiate oxygen-dependent degradation of HIF-alpha-subunits in normoxia. RNA interference directed against PHD2, but not PHD1 or PHD3, is sufficient to stabilize HIF-1alpha in normoxia. Therefore PHD2 is regarded as the main cellular oxygen sensor. PHD2 itself is up-regulated by hypoxia and may thus limit hypoxic signalling. By sequence analysis, we predicted a promoter approx. 3.5 kb 5' of the translation start codon and a second promoter located in a CpG island immediately upstream of the coding sequence. A consensus HIF-1-binding site that is conserved in the murine phd2 gene was detected in the CpG island. By electrophoretic mobility-shift assay, we demonstrated binding of HIF-1 to the putative HIF-1-binding site. In luciferase reporter vectors, the isolated upstream promoter was inactive in all cell lines tested unless 200 bp were deleted at the 3'-end. The downstream promoter was active and induced by hypoxia. In reporter vectors containing both promoter sequences, luciferase activity was equal to vectors containing only the downstream promoter. In cells transfected with a vector containing both promoters, a single luciferase transcript was detectable. This transcript had the same length as transcripts from a vector containing the downstream promoter only. We conclude that the phd2 gene is transcribed exclusively from the downstream promoter that contains a functional hypoxia-responsive, cis-regulatory element. Our results establish that PHD2 is a direct HIF target gene.

Chelation of cellular calcium modulates hypoxia-inducible gene expression through activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha.

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) is the key transcription factor in control of the expression of hypoxia-inducible genes needed by cells to adapt to decreased oxygen availability. Herein, we investigated the HIF-1alpha-mediated gene expression of carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) in response to hypoxia and changes of intracellular calcium levels in the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Decreasing the intracellular calcium level by BAPTA (1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid) induced HIF-1alpha nuclear accumulation and enhanced HIF-1 DNA binding within 1 h of incubation. Like hypoxia, BAPTA stimulated HIF-1-dependent transcription by increasing the activity of the C-terminal transactivation domain of HIF-1alpha and greatly enhanced expression of the HIF-1 target gene CA9. Detailed analysis of HIF-1alpha accumulation revealed that BAPTA attenuated the interaction of HIF-1alpha with von-Hippel-Lindau protein thus decreasing proteasomal degradation of HIF-1alpha. Knock down of HIF-1alpha mRNA and protein by small interference RNA for HIF-1alpha revealed that both hypoxia and the BAPTA-induced gene expression of CA9 were strictly dependent on HIF-1alpha. In contrast, elevation of cytosolic calcium level by thapsigargin reduced the BAPTA-mediated effects. Measurements of intracellular calcium under hypoxia revealed a change in the cellular calcium distribution. BAPTA-dependent induction of HIF-1 activity was not caused by its in vitro capability to chelate iron. Instead, effective chelation of cellular calcium caused the accumulation of HIF-1alpha protein through inhibition of HIF-prolyl hydroxylases and activated HIF-1-dependent gene expression under normoxic conditions.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) promotes its degradation by induction of HIF-alpha-prolyl-4-hydroxylases.

An important regulator involved in oxygen-dependent gene expression is the transcription factor HIF (hypoxia-inducible factor), which is composed of an oxygen-sensitive alpha-subunit (HIF-1alpha or HIF-2alpha) and a constitutively expressed beta-subunit. In normoxia, HIF-1alpha is destabilized by post-translational hydroxylation of Pro-564 and Pro-402 by a family of oxygen-sensitive dioxygenases. The three HIF-modifying human enzymes have been termed prolyl hydroxylase domain containing proteins (PHD1, PHD2 and PHD3). Prolyl hydroxylation leads to pVHL (von-Hippel-Lindau protein)-dependent ubiquitination and rapid proteasomal degradation of HIF-1alpha. In the present study, we report that human PHD2 and PHD3 are induced by hypoxia in primary and transformed cell lines. In the human osteosarcoma cell line, U2OS, selective suppression of HIF-1alpha expression by RNA interference resulted in a complete loss of hypoxic induction of PHD2 and PHD3. Induction of PHD2 by hypoxia was lost in pVHL-deficient RCC4 cells. These results suggest that hypoxic induction of PHD2 and PHD3 is critically dependent on HIF-alpha. Using a VHL capture assay, we demonstrate that HIF-alpha prolyl-4-hydroxylase capacity of cytoplasmic and nuclear protein extracts was enhanced by prolonged exposure to hypoxia. Degradation of HIF-1alpha after reoxygenation was accelerated, which demonstrates functional relevance of the present results. We propose a direct, negative regulatory mechanism, which limits accumulation of HIF-1alpha in hypoxia and leads to accelerated degradation on reoxygenation after long-term hypoxia.