Topic: globus pallidus externa

The globus pallidus externa (GPe) is a basal ganglia structure with a high content of astrocytes compared to neighboring brain regions. Apart from its well-known role in locomotor behavior, recent studies showed that the GPe is also involved in cognitive functions, motivated behavior and sensory integration. The vast majority of studies has focused on neuronal subpopulations in GPe, while the function of the numerically superior astrocytes remain elusive. Recently, we showed that astrocytes in GPe express dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs), and their selective manipulation can have profound effects

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no cure, characterized by significant neurodegeneration of striatal GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Early stages of the disease are characterized by the loss of dopamine 2 receptor-expressing MSNs (D2 MSNs) followed by degeneration of dopamine 1 receptor-expressing MSNs (D1 MSNs), leading to aberrant basal ganglia signaling. While the early degeneration of D2 MSNs and impaired GABAergic transmission are well-documented, potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2), a key regulator of GABAergic signaling, has not bee