Topic: striatal interneurons

We are investigating the developmental origins of alterations in striatal interneurons observed in brain of patients diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome using organoid models cultured from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. Here we provide a first characterization of organoids differentiated using a new protocol aimed to induce ventral forebrain fates in 7 iPSC lines from neurotypical adults. During neural induction with dual SMAD inhibition, patterning was carried out over 5 days using the Wnt-antagonist XAV939 alone in our standard dorsal forebrain protocol, and in combination wi

Growing evidence suggests that striatal-related behaviors and pathologies display clear sexual dimorphism. Previous research linking sex and striatal function has focused primarily on the effects of spiny projection neurons (SPNs). Sex hormones have been proposed to also modulate the activity of striatal interneurons, although this modulation has only been investigated at the behavioral level. In this study, we combined ex vivo pharmacological and optogenetic approaches with fiber photometry to examine how sex and the estrous cycle affect the FSIs’ integration of thalamic inputs and intrinsic