scholarly journals Multidimensional encoding of movement and contextual variables by rat globus pallidus neurons during a novel environment exposure task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noam D Peer ◽  
Hagar G Yamin ◽  
Dana Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Indirect Pathway ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Animal Survival ◽  
Environment Exposure ◽  
Locomotion Speed

The basal ganglia (BG) play a critical role in a variety of functions that are essential for animal survival. Information from different cortical areas propagates through the BG in anatomically segregated circuits along the parallel direct and indirect pathways. We examined how the globus pallidus (GP), a central nucleus within the indirect pathway, encodes input from the motor and cognitive domains. We chronically recorded and analyzed neuronal activity in the GP of rats engaged in a novel environment exposure task. GP neurons displayed multidimensional responses to movement and contextual information. A model predicting single unit activity required many task-related variables, thus confirming the multidimensionality of GP neurons. In addition, populations of GP neurons, but not single units, reliably encoded the animals' locomotion speed and the environmental novelty. We posit that the GP independently processes information from different domains, effectively compresses it and collectively conveys it to successive nuclei.

Pre- and Postsynaptic Serotoninergic Excitation of Globus Pallidus Neurons

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. 1053-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moshe Rav-Acha ◽  
Hagai Bergman ◽  
Yosef Yarom
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Firing Rate ◽  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Afferent Input ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Intracellular Recordings ◽  
Current Clamp ◽  
Acid Release

The basal ganglia (BG) play a critical role in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Recent studies indicate that serotoninergic systems modulate BG activity and may be implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of PD. The globus pallidus (GP), the rodent homologue of the primate GPe, is the main central nucleus of the basal ganglia, affecting the striatum, the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and BG output structures. We therefore studied the effect of serotonin (5-HT) and specific 5-HT agonists and antagonists on GP neurons from rat brain slices. Using intra- and extracellular recordings of GP neurons we found that serotonin increases the firing rate of GP neurons. Analyzing the effects of specific 5-HT agonists and antagonists on the firing rate of GP neurons showed that the increase in firing rate is due to the activation of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1A receptors. Intracellular recordings in both voltage- and current-clamp modes revealed that serotonin mediates its effect via pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms. The presynaptic effect is mediated by attenuation of γ-aminobutyric acid release, probably through activation of 5-HT1B receptors. Postsynaptically, serotonin activates a hyperpolarization-activated cation channel, probably via 5-HT1A receptors. Furthermore, serotonin decreases the fast synaptic depression characteristic of the striatal afferent input. The decreased serotonin concentrations in the BG nuclei in PD may contribute to depressed GP activity and enhance the emergence of BG pathological synchronous oscillations. We therefore suggest that future therapeutics of PD should be directed toward restoration of normal serotonin levels in BG nuclei.

scholarly journals The Medial Temporal Lobe Is Critical for Spatial Relational Perception

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1780-1795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Ruiz ◽  
Michael R. Meager ◽  
Sachin Agarwal ◽  
Mariam Aly
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Attention And Perception

The medial temporal lobe (MTL) is traditionally considered to be a system that is specialized for long-term memory. Recent work has challenged this notion by demonstrating that this region can contribute to many domains of cognition beyond long-term memory, including perception and attention. One potential reason why the MTL (and hippocampus specifically) contributes broadly to cognition is that it contains relational representations—representations of multidimensional features of experience and their unique relationship to one another—that are useful in many different cognitive domains. Here, we explore the hypothesis that the hippocampus/MTL plays a critical role in attention and perception via relational representations. We compared human participants with MTL damage to healthy age- and education-matched individuals on attention tasks that varied in relational processing demands. On each trial, participants viewed two images (rooms with paintings). On “similar room” trials, they judged whether the rooms had the same spatial layout from a different perspective. On “similar art” trials, they judged whether the paintings could have been painted by the same artist. On “identical” trials, participants simply had to detect identical paintings or rooms. MTL lesion patients were significantly and selectively impaired on the similar room task. This work provides further evidence that the hippocampus/MTL plays a ubiquitous role in cognition by virtue of its relational and spatial representations and highlights its important contributions to rapid perceptual processes that benefit from attention.

T273. A Critical Role for the Globus Pallidus in Cocaine-Triggered Plasticity Revealed Byrabies Activity Screen

2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. S235-S236
Author(s):  
Kevin Beier ◽  
Christina Kim ◽  
Paul Hoerbelt ◽  
Lin Wai Hung ◽  
Boris Heifets ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Critical Role

scholarly journals Alcohol dependence potentiates substance P/neurokinin-1 receptor signaling in the rat central nucleus of amygdala

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. eaaz1050
Author(s):  
S. Khom ◽  
T. Steinkellner ◽  
T. S. Hnasko ◽  
M. Roberto
Keyword(s):  
Substance P ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Gaba Release ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Neurokinin 1 Receptor ◽  
Neurokinin 1 ◽  
Gaba Transmission ◽  
Alcohol Dependent

Behavioral and clinical studies suggest a critical role of substance P (SP)/neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) signaling in alcohol dependence. Here, we examined regulation of GABA transmission in the medial subdivision of the central amygdala (CeM) by the SP/NK-1R system, and its neuroadaptation following chronic alcohol exposure. In naïve rats, SP increased action potential–dependent GABA release, and the selective NK-1R antagonist L822429 decreased it, demonstrating SP regulation of CeM activity under basal conditions. SP induced a larger GABA release in alcohol-dependent rats accompanied by decreased NK-1R expression compared to naïve controls, suggesting NK-1R hypersensitivity which persisted during protracted alcohol withdrawal. The NK-1R antagonist blocked acute alcohol-induced GABA release in alcohol-dependent and withdrawn but not in naïve rats, indicating that dependence engages the SP/NK-1R system to mediate acute effects of alcohol. Collectively, we report long-lasting CeA NK-1R hypersensitivity corroborating that NK-1Rs are promising targets for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

scholarly journals Role of PKA signaling in D2 receptor-expressing neurons in the core of the nucleus accumbens in aversive learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (36) ◽  
pp. 11383-11388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Yamaguchi ◽  
Akihiro Goto ◽  
Ichiro Nakahara ◽  
Satoshi Yawata ◽  
Takatoshi Hikida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
D2 Receptor ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Memory Retention ◽  
Aversive Learning ◽  
Indirect Pathway ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Direct Pathway

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) serves as a key neural substrate for aversive learning and consists of two distinct subpopulations of medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs). The MSNs of the direct pathway (dMSNs) and the indirect pathway (iMSNs) predominantly express dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 receptors, respectively, and are positively and negatively modulated by DA transmitters via Gs- and Gi-coupled cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling cascades, respectively. In this investigation, we addressed how intracellular PKA signaling is involved in aversive learning in a cell type-specific manner. When the transmission of either dMSNs or iMSNs was unilaterally blocked by pathway-specific expression of transmission-blocking tetanus toxin, infusion of PKA inhibitors into the intact side of the NAc core abolished passive avoidance learning toward an electric shock in the indirect pathway-blocked mice, but not in the direct pathway-blocked mice. We then examined temporal changes in PKA activity in dMSNs and iMSNs in behaving mice by monitoring Förster resonance energy transfer responses of the PKA biosensor with the aid of microendoscopy. PKA activity was increased in iMSNs and decreased in dMSNs in both aversive memory formation and retrieval. Importantly, the increased PKA activity in iMSNs disappeared when aversive memory was prevented by keeping mice in the conditioning apparatus. Furthermore, the increase in PKA activity in iMSNs by aversive stimuli reflected facilitation of aversive memory retention. These results indicate that PKA signaling in iMSNs plays a critical role in both aversive memory formation and retention.

scholarly journals Neurobiology of nicotine dependence

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1507) ◽  
pp. 3159-3168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athina Markou
Keyword(s):  
Nicotine Dependence ◽  
Smoking Habit ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Nicotine Withdrawal ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Cholinergic Transmission ◽  
Preclinical Research ◽  
Metabotropic Glutamate ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Gaba Transmission

Nicotine is a psychoactive ingredient in tobacco that significantly contributes to the harmful tobacco smoking habit. Nicotine dependence is more prevalent than dependence on any other substance. Preclinical research in animal models of the various aspects of nicotine dependence suggests a critical role of glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), cholinergic and dopamine neurotransmitter interactions in the ventral tegmental area and possibly other brain sites, such as the central nucleus of the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, in the effects of nicotine. Specifically, decreasing glutamate transmission or increasing GABA transmission with pharmacological manipulations decreased the rewarding effects of nicotine and cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking. Furthermore, early nicotine withdrawal is characterized by decreased function of presynaptic inhibitory metabotropic glutamate 2/3 receptors and increased expression of postsynaptic glutamate receptor subunits in limbic and frontal brain sites, while protracted abstinence may be associated with increased glutamate response to stimuli associated with nicotine administration. Finally, adaptations in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function are also involved in nicotine dependence. These neuroadaptations probably develop to counteract the decreased glutamate and cholinergic transmission that is hypothesized to characterize early nicotine withdrawal. In conclusion, glutamate, GABA and cholinergic transmission in limbic and frontal brain sites are critically involved in nicotine dependence.

scholarly journals Endocannabinoids and Dopamine Balance Basal Ganglia Output

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilach Gorodetski ◽  
Yocheved Loewenstern ◽  
Anna Faynveitz ◽  
Izhar Bar-Gad ◽  
Kim T. Blackwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Control Unit ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Primary Afferents ◽  
Entopeduncular Nucleus ◽  
Indirect Pathway ◽  
Relay Nucleus ◽  
Prevailing View

The entopeduncular nucleus is one of the basal ganglia's output nuclei, thereby controlling basal ganglia information processing. Entopeduncular nucleus neurons integrate GABAergic inputs from the Striatum and the globus pallidus, together with glutamatergic inputs from the subthalamic nucleus. We show that endocannabinoids and dopamine interact to modulate the long-term plasticity of all these primary afferents to the entopeduncular nucleus. Our results suggest that the interplay between dopamine and endocannabinoids determines the balance between direct pathway (striatum) and indirect pathway (globus pallidus) in entopeduncular nucleus output. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, despite the lack of axon collaterals, information is transferred between neighboring neurons in the entopeduncular nucleus via endocannabinoid diffusion. These results transform the prevailing view of the entopeduncular nucleus as a feedforward “relay” nucleus to an intricate control unit, which may play a vital role in the process of action selection.

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