Topic: indirect pathway

The direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia (BG) are classically thought to promote and suppress action, respectively. However, observed coactivation of neurons initiating the two pathways, striatal direct (dMSNs) and indirect (iMSNs) medium spiny neurons, has called this view into question. Here we study these circuits in mice performing an interval categorization task that requires a series of self-initiated and cued actions, and critically, a sustained period of dynamic action suppression. While movement produced similar activation of iMSNs and dMSNs in sensorimotor, dorsolateral

A major organizing principle of the brain proposes that the cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus are interconnected in parallel recurrent loops. According to this model, the two principal basal ganglia pathways – termed direct and indirect – are thought to excite and inhibit cortical activity via their outputs to thalamus. Here, we test this model by simultaneously recording activity across cortex and striatum, while inhibiting the direct or indirect basal ganglia pathway as mice perform an evidence-accumulation task in which each manipulation produces opposing decision biases. Inconsistent wit

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are characterized by irresistible urges to act without foresight and an impaired inhibition of these behaviors, which constitute an important feature of substances or behavioral addictions, such as gambling, hypersexuality, or compulsive eating. In Parkinson’s disease patients, dopaminergic D2-receptor (DA D2R) agonist treatment pramipexole (PPX) has been shown to trigger ICD’s for 2/3 of them, highlighting the involvement of DA transmission in ICDs onset, especially through the D2R family.Striatal D2R transmission is acting principally through the indirect pat

Basal ganglia (BG) are believed to involve in motor planning and control. Its striatum receives cortical, thalamic, and substantia nigra inputs and shows uneven distribution of μ-opioid receptor (MOR)-rich striosome and poor matrix. Medium spiny striatal neurons (MSN), distinguished into direct and indirect pathway, are present in both the striosome and matrix. Striatum also contains cholinergic and parvalbumin (PV) interneurons. Despite the complexity, BG are usually discussed with its direct and indirect pathways and overlooking the striosome and matrix compartmentation. Here we studied the

This study addresses the question of how previous choices affect the interaction between the basal ganglia and anterolateral motor cortex (ALM) during a cued auditory dual choice task in mice. We did Ca imaging in the ALM and used ChR2 for excitation of neurons in the indirect pathway. We discovered that optogenetic manipulation's impact varied with the animal's past decisions. Notably, trials following the same choice were less influenced by optogenetic stimulation, suggesting a form of neural adaptation or memory effect within the circuit. Our analysis shows distinct activity patterns in the

The basal ganglia (BG) play an essential role in shaping vertebrate behavior, ranging from motor learning to emotions, but comprehensive maps of their canonical synaptic architecture are missing. In mammals, three spatially separated main neuronal pathways through the BG were described - the direct, indirect, and hyperdirect pathways - that work together to orchestrate behavior. In songbirds, the cell types associated with these pathways appear intermingled in the basal ganglia nucleus Area X, essential for song learning. Here, we describe the first vertebrate basal ganglia connectome, compris

The basal ganglia are notorious for their influence on action control and modulation of movements. Proper organization of neuronal activity within the two efferent pathways of the dorsal striatum, a major input of basal ganglia, is critical for appropriate behavioral control. The classical model of basal ganglia suggests that striatal indirect and direct pathways exert opposite action on the thalamo-cortical activation triggering motor control. Recent studies challenged this view by describing conjoint neuronal activities during action initiation or decision-making. Therefore, additional inves