@article {128, title = {Generation of functional human serotonergic neurons from fibroblasts.}, journal = {Mol Psychiatry}, volume = {21}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Jan}, pages = {49-61}, abstract = {

The brain{\textquoteright}s serotonergic system centrally regulates several physiological processes and its dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders. While in the past our understanding of serotonergic neurotransmission has come mainly from mouse models, the development of pluripotent stem cell and induced fibroblast-to-neuron (iN) transdifferentiation technologies has revolutionized our ability to generate human neurons in vitro. Utilizing these techniques and a novel lentiviral reporter for serotonergic neurons, we identified and overexpressed key transcription factors to successfully generate human serotonergic neurons. We found that overexpressing the transcription factors NKX2.2, FEV, GATA2 and LMX1B in combination with ASCL1 and NGN2 directly and efficiently generated serotonergic neurons from human fibroblasts. Induced serotonergic neurons (iSNs) showed increased expression of specific serotonergic genes that are known to be expressed in raphe nuclei. iSNs displayed spontaneous action potentials, released serotonin in vitro and functionally responded to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Here, we demonstrate the efficient generation of functional human serotonergic neurons from human fibroblasts as a novel tool for studying human serotonergic neurotransmission in health and disease.

}, issn = {1476-5578}, doi = {10.1038/mp.2015.161}, author = {Vadodaria, K C and Mertens, J and Paquola, A and Bardy, C and Li, X and Jappelli, R and Fung, L and Marchetto, M C and Hamm, M and Gorris, M and Koch, P and Gage, F H} } @inbook {171, title = {Genes and Behavior: Lessons from the fruit fly}, booktitle = {International Encyclopedia of the Social \& Behavioral Sciences}, year = {2015}, publisher = {Elsevier}, organization = {Elsevier}, edition = {2nd}, address = {Oxford, UK}, isbn = {9780080970868}, url = {http://store.elsevier.com/International-Encyclopedia-of-the-Social-and-Behavioral-Sciences/isbn-9780080970875/}, author = {Greenspan, Ralph J} } @article {203, title = {Gamma band activity and the P3 reflect post-perceptual processes, not visual awareness.}, journal = {Neuroimage}, volume = {101}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Nov 1}, pages = {337-50}, abstract = {

A primary goal in cognitive neuroscience is to identify neural correlates of conscious perception (NCC). By contrasting conditions in which subjects are aware versus unaware of identical visual stimuli, a number of candidate NCCs have emerged; among them are induced gamma band activity in the EEG and the P3 event-related potential. In most previous studies, however, the critical stimuli were always directly relevant to the subjects{\textquoteright} task, such that aware versus unaware contrasts may well have included differences in post-perceptual processing in addition to differences in conscious perception per se. Here, in a series of EEG experiments, visual awareness and task relevance were manipulated independently. Induced gamma activity and the P3 were absent for task-irrelevant stimuli regardless of whether subjects were aware of such stimuli. For task-relevant stimuli, gamma and the P3 were robust and dissociable, indicating that each reflects distinct post-perceptual processes necessary for carrying-out the task but not for consciously perceiving the stimuli. Overall, this pattern of results challenges a number of previous proposals linking gamma band activity and the P3 to conscious perception.

}, keywords = {Adult, Attention, Awareness, Consciousness, Electroencephalography, Event-Related Potentials, P300, Female, Gamma Rhythm, Humans, Male, Psychomotor Performance, Visual Perception, Young Adult}, issn = {1095-9572}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.07.024}, author = {Pitts, Michael A and Padwal, Jennifer and Fennelly, Daniel and Mart{\'\i}nez, Ant{\'\i}gona and Hillyard, Steven A} } @article {163, title = {Genes involved in sex pheromone discrimination in Drosophila melanogaster and their background-dependent effect.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {7}, year = {2012}, month = {2012}, pages = {e30799}, abstract = {

Mate choice is based on the comparison of the sensory quality of potential mating partners, and sex pheromones play an important role in this process. In Drosophila melanogaster, contact pheromones differ between male and female in their content and in their effects on male courtship, both inhibitory and stimulatory. To investigate the genetic basis of sex pheromone discrimination, we experimentally selected males showing either a higher or lower ability to discriminate sex pheromones over 20 generations. This experimental selection was carried out in parallel on two different genetic backgrounds: wild-type and desat1 mutant, in which parental males showed high and low sex pheromone discrimination ability respectively. Male perception of male and female pheromones was separately affected during the process of selection. A comparison of transcriptomic activity between high and low discrimination lines revealed genes not only that varied according to the starting genetic background, but varied reciprocally. Mutants in two of these genes, Shaker and quick-to-court, were capable of producing similar effects on discrimination on their own, in some instances mimicking the selected lines, in others not. This suggests that discrimination of sex pheromones depends on genes whose activity is sensitive to genetic context and provides a rare, genetically defined example of the phenomenon known as "allele flips," in which interactions have reciprocal effects on different genetic backgrounds.

}, keywords = {Animals, Animals, Genetically Modified, Behavior, Animal, Breeding, Courtship, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Genes, Insect, Male, Mutation, Olfactory Perception, Reproduction, Sex Attractants, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Species Specificity}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0030799}, author = {Houot, Benjamin and Fraichard, St{\'e}phane and Greenspan, Ralph J and Ferveur, Jean-Fran{\c c}ois} } @conference {170, title = {Genes involved in sex pheromones discrimination and their context-dependent effect}, booktitle = {The 13th European Drosophila Neurobiology Conference (Neurofly)}, year = {2010}, publisher = {Journal of Neurogenetics, 24, 20-20, Supplement 1}, organization = {Journal of Neurogenetics, 24, 20-20, Supplement 1}, author = {Houot, Benjamin and Greenspan, Ralph J and Ferveur, Jean-Fran{\c c}ois} } @article {154, title = {Genetic feminization of brain structures and changed sexual orientation in male Drosophila.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {267}, year = {1995}, month = {1995 Feb 10}, pages = {902-5}, abstract = {

The neural basis of sexual orientation in Drosophila was studied by the production of males with regionally feminized brains. Such flies express the female form of the sex determination gene transformer in a limited number of neurons under the control of GAL4 enhancer trap inserts. This method facilitated the creation of lines with a stable pattern of feminization. In tests of sexual preferences, flies that were feminized in a portion of the antennal lobes or in a subset of the corpora pedunculata (mushroom bodies) courted both males and females. These two brain structures, both of which are involved in olfactory processing, may function in the recognition of sex-specific pheromones, in the control of sex-specific behaviors, or both.

}, keywords = {Animals, Bisexuality, Brain, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Genes, Insect, Male, Sex Attractants, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Smell}, issn = {0036-8075}, author = {Ferveur, J F and St{\"o}rtkuhl, K F and Stocker, R F and Greenspan, R J} }