Topic: laser scanning photostimulation

The basal ganglia (BG) are involved in various functions such as movement regulation and decision-making. As the main input structure, the dorsal striatum constitutes the primary integration hub for sensory and motor, cortical and subcortical information. Exploring BG function requires analyzing how striatal neurons select and integrate sensory information. Studies of corticostriatal connectivity have long been centered on striatal projections neurons (SPNs), representing approximately 95% of the striatal cells and our group has recently showed the discrete nature of their sensory innervations

Sensorimotor regions of the neocortex send dense projections to the dorsal striatum making this region of basal ganglia an important structure of sensory integration. Anatomically, this innervation is diffuse, with axons from various cortical areas overlapping in the same striatal region. This suggests significant integration of information by striatal projection neurons (SPNs), contributing to the striatum’s role in decision making. However, the specific role of neurons forming direct and indirect pathways (d/iSPNs), as well as the level of convergence within one sensory modality onto single