The role of the basal ganglia in motor control: contributions from PET

1995 ◽  
Vol 128 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia

scholarly journals Optogenetic investigation into the role of the subthalamic nucleus in motor control

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriane Guillaumin ◽  
Gian Pietro Serra ◽  
François Georges ◽  
Åsa Wallén-Mackenzie
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Motor Coordination ◽  
List Type ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Experimental Support ◽  
Freely Moving

AbstractThe subthalamic nucleus is important achieve intended movements. Loss of its normal function is strongly associated with several movement disorders. Classical basal ganglia models postulate that two parallel pathways, the direct and indirect pathways, exert opposing control over movement, with the subthalamic nucleus part of the indirect pathway through which competing motor programs are prevented. The subthalamic nucleus is regulated by both inhibitory and excitatory projections but experimental evidence for its role in motor control has remained sparse. The objective here was to tease out the selective impact of the subthalamic nucleus on several motor parameters required to achieve intended movement, including locomotion, balance and motor coordination. Optogenetic excitation and inhibition using both bilateral and unilateral stimulations of the subthalamic nucleus were implemented in freely-moving mice. The results demonstrate that selective optogenetic inhibition of the subthalamic nucleus enhances locomotion while its excitation reduces locomotion. These findings lend experimental support to basal ganglia models in terms of locomotion. However, further analysis of subthalamic nucleus excitation revealed grooming and disturbed gait. Selective excitation also caused reduced motor coordination, independent of grooming, in advanced motor tasks. This study contributes experimental evidence for a regulatory role of the subthalamic nucleus in motor control.HighlightsBilateral optogenetic excitation of the subthalamic nucleus in freely-moving mice reduces forward locomotion while optogenetic inhibition leads to its increase.Unilateral optogenetic excitation and inhibition of the subthalamic nucleus cause opposite rotational behavior.Bilateral optogenetic excitation, but not inhibition, of the subthalamic nucleus induces jumping and self-grooming behavior.Engaged in advanced motor tasks, bilateral optogenetic excitation causes mice to lose motor coordination.The results provide experimental support for predictions by the basal ganglia motor model on the role of the subthalamic nucleus in locomotion, and identifies a causal role for the subthalamic nucleus in self-grooming.

scholarly journals Covert spatial selection in primate basal ganglia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrice Arcizet ◽  
Richard J. Krauzlis
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Covert Attention ◽  
Relevant Stimulus ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Spatial Selection ◽  
Behavioral States ◽  
Selective Activity

AbstractThe basal ganglia are important for action selection. They are also implicated in perceptual and cognitive functions that seem far removed from motor control. Here, we tested whether the role of the basal ganglia in selection extends to non-motor aspects of behavior by recording neuronal activity in the caudate nucleus while animals performed a covert spatial attention task. We found that caudate neurons strongly select the spatial location of the relevant stimulus throughout the task even in the absence of any overt action. This spatially selective activity was dependent on task and visual conditions, and could be dissociated from goal-directed actions. Caudate activity was also sufficient to correctly identify every epoch in the covert attention task. These results provide a novel perspective on mechanisms of attention by demonstrating that the basal ganglia are involved in spatial selection and tracking of behavioral states even in the absence of overt orienting movements.

Regulation role of dopamine D2DR in basal ganglia involved in motor control

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Hou ◽  
Jimin Zhang ◽  
Xinwei Wang ◽  
Fei Gong ◽  
Xue Sun
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia

scholarly journals Sleep and Motor Control by a Basal Ganglia Circuit

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danqian Liu ◽  
Chenyan Ma ◽  
Weitong Zheng ◽  
Yuanyuan Yao ◽  
Yang Dan
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Gabaergic Neurons ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Glutamatergic Neurons ◽  
Locomotor Movement ◽  
Cell Groups ◽  
Major Criterion

AbstractFrom invertebrates to humans, a defining feature of sleep is behavioral immobility(Campbell and Tobler, 1984; Hendricks et al., 2000; Shaw et al., 2000). In mammals, diminished electromyographic (EMG) activity is a major criterion for both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. However, the relationship between sleep and motor control at the neuronal level remains poorly understood. Here we show that regions of the basal ganglia long known to be essential for motor suppression also play a key role in sleep generation. Optogenetic or chemogenetic activation of GABAergic neurons in mouse substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) strongly increased both REM and NREM sleep, whereas their inactivation suppressed sleep and increased wakefulness. Analysis of natural home-cage behavior showed that mice transition sequentially through several behavioral states: locomotion, non-locomotor movement, quiet wakefulness, and sleep. Activation/inactivation of SNr neurons promoted/suppressed sleep by biasing the direction of progression through the natural behavioral sequence. Virus-mediated circuit tracing showed that SNr GABAergic neurons project to multiple wake-promoting monoaminergic cell groups in addition to the thalamus and mesencephalic locomotor region, and activating each projection promoted sleep. Within the thalamus, direct optogenetic inactivation of glutamatergic neurons is sufficient to enhance sleep, but the effect is largely restricted to the regions receiving SNr projection. Furthermore, a major source of excitatory inputs to the SNr is the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and activation of neurotensin-expressing glutamatergic neurons in the STN also promoted sleep. Together, these results demonstrate a key role of the STN-SNr basal ganglia pathway in sleep generation and reveal a novel circuit mechanism linking sleep and motor control.

scholarly journals The Basal Ganglia and Motor Control

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 107-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk J. Groenewegen
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Functional Anatomy ◽  
Main Role ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Selection Mechanisms ◽  
Selection Of

This paper briefly reviews the functional anatomy of the basal ganglia and their relationships with the thalamocortical system. The basal ganglia, including the striatum, pallidum, subthalamic nucleus, and substantia nigra, are involved in a number of parallel, functionally segregated cortical-subcortical circuits. These circuits support a wide range of sensorimotor, cognitive and emotional-motivational brain functions. A main role of the basal ganglia is the learning and selection of the most appropriate motor or behavioral programs. The internal functional organization of the basal ganglia is very well suited for such selection mechanisms, both in development and in adulthood. The question of whether clumsiness may be, at least in part, attributed to dysfunction of the basal ganglia is discussed in the context of the differential, complementary, or interactive roles of the basal ganglia and the cerebellum in the development of motor control.

scholarly journals Expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia regulates vocal motor sequences in the adult songbird

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Xiao ◽  
Devin P. Merullo ◽  
Therese M. I. Koch ◽  
Mou Cao ◽  
Marissa Co ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Dopamine Receptor ◽  
Speech Disorders ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Vocal Development ◽  
Motor Actions

AbstractDisruption of the transcription factor FoxP2, which is enriched in the basal ganglia, impairs vocal development in humans and songbirds. The basal ganglia are important for the selection and sequencing of motor actions, but the circuit mechanisms governing accurate sequencing of learned vocalizations are unknown. Here, we show that expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia is vital for the fluent initiation and termination of birdsong, as well as the maintenance of song syllable sequencing in adulthood. Knockdown of FoxP2 imbalances dopamine receptor expression across striatal direct-like and indirect-like pathways, suggesting a role of dopaminergic signaling in regulating vocal motor sequencing. Confirming this prediction, we show that phasic dopamine activation, and not inhibition, during singing drives repetition of song syllables, thus also impairing fluent initiation and termination of birdsong. These findings demonstrate discrete circuit origins for the dysfluent repetition of vocal elements in songbirds, with implications for speech disorders.

The role of the basal ganglia in motivated behavior

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (5-6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Da Cunha ◽  
Alexander Gomez-A ◽  
Charles D. Blaha
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Motivated Behavior
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