| First Author | Morgenstern NA | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Sci Adv | Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | eabh4315 |
| PubMed ID | 35138902 | Mgi Jnum | J:349771 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6885075 | Doi | 10.1126/sciadv.abh4315 |
| Citation | Morgenstern NA, et al. (2022) Pyramidal tract neurons drive amplification of excitatory inputs to striatum through cholinergic interneurons. Sci Adv 8(6):eabh4315 |
| abstractText | Corticostriatal connectivity is central for many cognitive and motor processes, such as reinforcement or action initiation and invigoration. The cortical input to the striatum arises from two main cortical populations: intratelencephalic (IT) and pyramidal tract (PT) neurons. We report a previously unknown excitatory circuit, supported by a polysynaptic motif from PT neurons to cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) to glutamate-releasing axons, which runs in parallel to the canonical monosynaptic corticostriatal connection. This motif conveys a delayed second phase of excitation to striatal spiny projection neurons, through an acetylcholine-dependent glutamate release mechanism mediated by alpha4-containing nicotinic receptors, resulting in biphasic corticostriatal signals. These biphasic signals are a hallmark of PT, but not IT, corticostriatal inputs, due to a stronger relative input from PT neurons to ChIs. These results describe a previously unidentified circuit mechanism by which PT activity amplifies excitatory inputs to the striatum, with potential implications for behavior, plasticity, and learning. |
