Brain substrates for automatic retrieval of value memory in the primate basal ganglia

AbstractOur behavior is often carried out automatically. Automatic behavior can be guided by past experiences, such as learned values associated with objects. Passive-viewing and free-viewing tasks with no immediate outcomes provide a testable condition in which monkeys and humans automatically retrieve value memories and perform habitual searching. Interestingly, in these tasks, caudal regions of the basal ganglia structures are involved in automatic retrieval of learned object values and habitual gaze. In contrast, rostral regions do not participate in these activities but instead monitor the changes in outcomes. These findings indicate that automatic behaviors based on the value memories are processed selectively by the caudal regions of the primate basal ganglia system. Understanding the distinct roles of the caudal basal ganglia may provide insight into finding selective causes of behavioral disorders in basal ganglia disease.

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Biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease: a treatable differential diagnosis of Leigh syndrome

Neuropediatrics ◽

10.1055/s-0033-1337695 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (02) ◽

Author(s):

F Distelmaier ◽

P Huppke ◽

J Schaper ◽

E Morava ◽

E Mayatepek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Basal Ganglia ◽

Leigh Syndrome ◽

Basal Ganglia Disease

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Echogenicity of basal ganglia structures in different phenotypes of Huntington's disease

Klinische Neurophysiologie ◽

10.1055/s-0034-1371182 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (01) ◽

Author(s):

C Krogias ◽

R Hoffmann ◽

K Straßburger-Krogias ◽

P Klotz ◽

G Ellrichmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Basal Ganglia ◽

Huntington's Disease ◽

Huntington’S Disease ◽

Basal Ganglia Structures

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Common coding of expected value and value uncertainty memories in the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia output

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abe0693 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (20) ◽

pp. eabe0693

Author(s):

Ali Ghazizadeh ◽

Okihide Hikosaka

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Basal Ganglia ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Expected Value ◽

Common Coding ◽

Repetition Suppression ◽

Free Viewing ◽

Gaze Bias ◽

Single Unit Recordings ◽

Value Preferences

Recent evidence implicates both basal ganglia and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) in encoding value memories. However, comparative roles of cortical and basal nodes in value memory are not well understood. Here, single-unit recordings in vlPFC and substantia nigra reticulata (SNr), within macaque monkeys, revealed a larger value signal in SNr that was nevertheless correlated with and had a comparable onset to the vlPFC value signal. The value signal was maintained for many objects (>90) many weeks after reward learning and was resistant to extinction in both regions and to repetition suppression in vlPFC. Both regions showed comparable granularity in encoding expected value and value uncertainty, which was paralleled by enhanced gaze bias during free viewing. The value signal dynamics in SNr could be predicted by combining responses of vlPFC neurons according to their value preferences consistent with a scheme in which cortical neurons reached SNr via direct and indirect pathways.

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Thalamic Volume Mediates Associations Between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Memory in People With Parkinson’s

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1619 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 501-502

Author(s):

Andrew Petkus ◽

Megan Gomez ◽

Dawn Schiehser ◽

Vincent Filoteo ◽

Jennifer Hui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Basal Ganglia ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Intracranial Volume ◽

Vo2 Max ◽

Basal Ganglia Structures

Abstract Cognitive deficits occur in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with both current and future cognitive decline in this disease. The underlying neurobiological factors explaining this relationship, however, are not well known. In this cross-sectional study we examined the associations between CRF and cognitive performance and whether such associations were mediated by grey matter volumes of basal ganglia structures. A total of 33 individuals with PD underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), CRF evaluation (VO2max), and neuropsychological assessment. Composite scores of episodic memory, executive functioning, attention, language, and visuospatial functioning were generated. Brain MRI morphological measurements was performed with the Freesurfer image analysis suite. Structural equation models were constructed to examine whether sMRI volume estimates of basal ganglia structures, specifically the thalamus and pallidum, mediated associations between VO2 max and cognitive performance while adjusting for age, education, PD disease duration, sex, and intracranial volume. Higher VO2max was associated with better episodic memory (Standardized β=0.390; p=0.009), executive functioning (Standardized β=0.263; p=0.021), and visuospatial performance (β=0.408; p=0.004). Higher VO2max was associated with larger thalamic (Standardized β=0.602; p<0.001) and pallidum (Standardized β=0.539; p<0.001) volumes. Thalamic volume significantly mediated the association between higher VO2max and better episodic memory (indirect effect=0.209) and visuospatial ability (indirect effect=0.178) performance (p<.05). The pallidum did not significantly mediate associations between VO2 max and cognitive outcomes. These results suggest the thalamus plays an important role in the association between CRF episodic memory and visuospatial functioning in individuals with PD.

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