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The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a non-human primate that provides valuable models for neuroscience and aging research due to its anatomical similarities to humans and relatively short lifespan. This study was carried out to examine whether aged marmosets develop glaucoma, as seen in humans. We found that 11% of the aged marmosets presented with glaucoma-like characteristics; this incident rate is very similar to that in humans. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a significant volume loss in the visual cortex, and histological analyses confirmed the degeneration of the lateral geniculate nuclei and visual cortex in the affected marmosets. These marmosets did not have elevated intraocular pressure, but showed an increased oxidative stress level, low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, and low brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and TrkB expression in the retina, optic nerve head and CSF. Our findings suggest that marmosets have potential to provide useful information for the research of eye and the visual system.

The lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) has a strong monosynaptic connection with the caudate nucleus (CdN) of the striatum. Previous human MRI studies have suggested that this LPFC-CdN pathway plays an important role in inhibitory control and working memory. We aimed to validate the function of this pathway at a causal level by pathway-selective manipulation of neural activity in non-human primates. To this end, we trained macaque monkeys on a delayed oculomotor response task with reward asymmetry and expressed an inhibitory type of chemogenetic receptors selectively to LPFC neurons that project to the CdN. Ligand administration reduced the inhibitory control of impulsive behavior, as well as the task-related neuronal responses observed in the local field potentials from the LPFC and CdN. These results show that we successfully suppressed pathway-selective neural activity in the macaque brain, and the resulting behavioral changes suggest that the LPFC-CdN pathway is involved in inhibitory control., In order to validate a previously inferred function of the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC)-caudate nucleus (CdN) pathway in humans in inhibitory control and working memory, Oguchi et al used pathway-selective chemogenetic manipulation of neural activity in macaques. By suppressing pathway-specific neural activity and observing resultant behavioural changes, they provided evidence that the LPFC-CdN pathway does indeed play a role in inhibitory control.

Pheromones are crucial for eliciting innate responses and inducing social and sexual behaviors in mammals. The vomeronasal receptor 1 genes, V1Rs, encode members of a pheromone receptor family that are mainly expressed in the vomeronasal organ (VNO). The V1R family shows extraordinary variety in gene number among vertebrates owing to successive gene gains and losses during evolution. Such diversity is believed to reflect a degree of dependence on the VNO. We investigated V1R evolution in primate lineages closely related to humans because these VNOs show a trend toward degeneration. We performed extensive phylogenetic analyses for V1Rs from a broad range of primate species. Although the decline of intact genes was evident in anthropoids (hominoids, Old World monkeys and New World monkeys), we found that a certain number of intact genes persist in New World monkeys. In one New World monkey species, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), we examined seven putatively functional V1Rs using in situ hybridization and reverse transcription-PCR. Based on their mRNA expression patterns in the VNO and other organs, two types of V1Rs emerged: the canonical class with VNO-specific expression, and a second group having more ubiquitous expression in various organs as well as VNO. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis revealed that the class with the more widespread expression had been retained longer in evolution than the VNO-specific type. We propose that the acquisition of a novel non-VNO-related function(s) may have led to the survival of a small but persistent number of V1Rs in anthropoid primates.

Pheromones are crucial for eliciting social and sexual behaviors in diverse animal species. The vomeronasal receptor type-1 (V1R) genes, encoding members of a pheromone receptor family, are highly variable in number and repertoire among mammals due to extensive gene gain and loss. Here, we report a novel pheromone receptor gene belonging to the V1R family, named ancient V1R (ancV1R), which is shared among most Osteichthyes (bony vertebrates) from the basal lineage of ray-finned fishes to mammals. Phylogenetic and syntenic analyses of ancV1R using 115 vertebrate genomes revealed that it represents an orthologous gene conserved for >400 My of vertebrate evolution. Interestingly, the loss of ancV1R in some tetrapods is coincident with the degeneration of the vomeronasal organ in higher primates, cetaceans, and some reptiles including birds and crocodilians. In addition, ancV1R is expressed in most mature vomeronasal sensory neurons in contrast with canonical V1Rs, which are sparsely expressed in a manner that is consistent with the "one neuron-one receptor" rule. Our results imply that a previously undescribed V1R gene inherited from an ancient Silurian ancestor may have played an important functional role in the evolution of vertebrate vomeronasal organ.

The olfactory system has been well studied in mammals such as mice and rats. However, few studies have focused on characterizing this system in diurnal primates that rely on their sense of smell to a lesser extent due to their ecological environment. In the present study, we determined the histological organization of the olfactory bulb in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). We then constructed 3-dimensional models of the glomeruli of the olfactory bulb, and estimated the number of glomeruli. Olfactory glomeruli are the functional units of olfactory processing, and have been investigated in detail using mice. There are approximately 1800 glomeruli in a mouse hemibulb, and olfactory sensory neurons expressing one selected olfactory receptor converge onto one or two glomeruli. Because mice have about 1000 olfactory receptor genes, it is proposed that the number of glomeruli in mammals is nearly double that of olfactory receptor genes. The common marmoset carries only about 400 intact olfactory receptor genes. The present study revealed that the number of glomeruli in a marmoset hemibulb was approximately 1500-1800. This result suggests that the number of glomeruli is not positively correlated with the number of intact olfactory receptor genes in mammals.

Anemonefish, Amphiprion spp., are socially controlled, protandrous sex changers with a monogamous mating system. Under certain conditions, sexually immature anemonefish with ambisexual gonads differentiate directly into males or females. Formation and maintenance of social rank in a group are considered key requirements for the induction of sex change or differentiation. Generally, each animal living in a social group experiences a different level of social stress in accordance with its social rank, and we hypothesize that the stress situation of individual anemonefish influences its sex determination. Groups of three sexually immature anemonefish were placed into each of five experimental tanks and kept for 10 days to allow for social rank formation and behavioral observation. The fish were then euthanized, and blood and brain samples were collected from each fish. The social rank of each individual was distinguishable from day 1 of the experiment. Aggressive behaviors were most frequent and blood Cortisol values were higher in dominant individuals. The transcription of mRNA for stress-related genes, i.e., those encoding for glucocorticoid and arginine vasotocin receptors, was higher in the brains of dominant individuals than in other social ranks. Furthermore, we detected higher transcription levels of gonad and brain aromatase genes, which encode the enzyme that converts androgens into estrogens, in the brains of dominant individuals. These results suggest that social rank reflects the blood Cortisol value, which in turn leads to sex differentiation by manipulating transcription of genes, including aromatase genes, in the brain.

A sex difference has been reported in the responsiveness of the vomeronasal (VN) system to pheromones. In the present study, to clarify a direct and acute influence of 17β-estradiol (E2) on the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) neurons, we investigated the effect of E2 on dendritic spines in cultured AOB cells derived from male and female neonatal rats. After 17-18 days in vitro (DIV), cultured AOB cells were transfected with GFP expression vectors. At 21-23 DIV, cells were treated with E2, and time-lapse images of transfected AOB neurons identified as granule cells were taken under a confocal laser scanning microscope for 3h. The dendritic spine head area of granule cells was quantitatively evaluated, and spine heads were classified into larger (≥ 1 μm²) and smaller (

Previously, a coculture system of accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) neurons and vomeronasal (VN) neurons was established for studying the functional roles of AOB neurons in pheromonal signal processing. In this study, the effect of VN neurons on the development of AOB neurons was examined in a coculture system. Spine density was quantitatively measured for various culture periods of 21, 28, 36, and 42 days in vitro. The densities of dendritic spines were lower in the coculture than in single culture for all periods in vitro. Synapse formation on spines was analyzed immunocytochemically using an anti-synaptophysin antibody. The ratio of the density of synaptophysin-immunopositive spine/total spine density was larger in the coculture than in the single culture. The volume of spine head was larger in the coculture than in single culture. These changes were not observed in the coculture in which there was no physical contact between AOB neurons and VN neurons. These observations suggest that synapse formation on the spines of AOB neurons is modified by physical contact with VN neurons.

To analyze the mechanisms of perception and processing of pheromonal signals in vitro, we previously developed a new culture system for vomeronasal receptor neurons (VRNs), referred to as the vomeronasal pocket (VN pocket). However, very few VRNs were found to express the olfactory marker protein (OMP) and to have protruding microvilli in VN pockets, indicating that these VRNs are immature and that VN pockets are not appropriate for pheromonal recognition. To induce VRN maturation in VN pockets, we here attempted to coculture VN pockets with a VRN target-accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) neurons. At 3 weeks of coculture with AOB neurons, the number of OMP-immunopositive VRNs increased. By electron microscopy, the development of microvilli in VRNs was found to occur coincidentally with OMP expression in vitro. These results indicate that VRN maturation is induced by coculture with AOB neurons. The OMP expression of VRNs was induced not only by AOB neurons but also by neurons of other parts of the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, VRN maturation requires only CNS neurons. Since the maturation of VRNs was not induced in one-well separate cultures, the nonspecific induction of OMP expression by CNS neurons suggests the involvement of a direct contact effect with CNS in VRN maturation.

Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of synaptic arrangement on a particular dendrite provides essential information regarding neuronal properties and neural microcircuits. Unconventional synapses are particularly good candidates for such steric attribution. In main and accessory olfactory bulbs (MOBs and AOBs), there are dendrodendritic reciprocal synapses (RSs) between excitatory projection neurons and inhibitory interneurons. Although the fine structure and configuration of these synapses have been investigated in MOB, their characteristics in AOB were unknown. In this study, we performed 3D AOB reconstruction using serial section transmission electron microscopy. We found numerous RSs on primary dendrites from glomeruli to mitral/tufted (MT) cell somas. These synapses formed between dendritic shafts of MT cells and large dendritic spines, or so-called gemmules, of granule (Gr) cells. This indicates that chemical signals received by a glomerulus are regulated in the primary dendrite of an MT cell before reaching its soma. In MOB, RSs are located on secondary dendrites and act as lateral and self-inhibiting following mitral cell depolarization. Our results indicate that AOB intrabulbar microcircuitry is quite different from that in the MOB.

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a species of New World monkeys. Because of its ease of maintenance and breeding in laboratories, use of the marmoset is growing rapidly in biomedical research. In neuroscience, the marmosets are attracting more attention, since they have the developed cerebral cortex which plays a key role in higher brain functions. In this review on neuroscience research using the marmoset, experimental techniques developed in our laboratory are summarized. We introduce artificial rearing of neonates, stereotaxic surgery, neuroanatomy including virtual microscopy based on the Internet technology, behavioral study using a large number of marmosets, and primary neuron culture study.

To investigate the morphological changes of accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) neurons arising from pheromonal signals, a coculture system of AOB neurons and vomeronasal (VN) neurons had been established. Our previous study indicates that under coculture condition, the density of dendritic spines of an AOB neuron is less and the individual spine-head volume is larger than those under monoculture condition. In this study, to determine whether these differences in the dendrites of AOB neurons reflect the differences in synapse formation and synaptic properties, we observed these cultured cells by electron microscopy. Various synapses were observed under each culture condition. Synapses were classified on the basis of their postsynaptic structure and the size of postsynaptic density (PSD) was measured. Under the coculture condition with VN neurons, synapses on dendritic spines, which formed between AOB neurons, were observed frequently. In contrast, many synapses were formed on dendritic shafts under monoculture condition. The PSD of asymmetrical synapses on the spines under coculture condition was larger than that under monoculture condition. Moreover, some dendrodendritic reciprocal synapses were found only in coculture. We confirmed synapse formation between VN axons and AOB dendrites by immunohistochemical electron microscopy; thus, the characteristics of synapses between AOB neurons are considered to be modified by the synaptic contacts with VN axons.