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Basal ganglia outputs map instantaneous position coordinates during behavior.

Joseph W Barter1, Suellen Li2, Tatyana Sukharnikova2

  • 1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|February 13, 2015
PubMed
Summary

The basal ganglia (BG) control movement by modulating neuron firing rates in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr). SNr output directly correlates with head position, enabling movement trajectory reconstruction.

Keywords:
GABAParkinson's diseasebasal gangliasubstantia nigra

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Systems Neuroscience

Background:

  • The basal ganglia (BG) are crucial for motor control but their precise role in movement generation is not fully understood.
  • Movement disorders are often linked to basal ganglia dysfunction, highlighting the need to elucidate their functional mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between basal ganglia output and motor behavior in real-time.
  • To determine how neuronal activity in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) encodes movement parameters.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized wireless in vivo recordings to measure SNr neuronal activity in mice.
  • Employed video tracking to simultaneously monitor animal movements and head position.
  • Analyzed neuronal firing rates in relation to Cartesian coordinates (x and y) of head position.

Main Results:

  • A majority of SNr neurons exhibited firing rates correlated with the x or y coordinates of head position.
  • Neuronal activity showed directional tuning, with specific neuron types increasing firing for movement in one direction and decreasing in the opposite.
  • Movement trajectories were successfully reconstructed from the recorded neural activity, demonstrating a quantitative link between BG output and behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Basal ganglia output from the SNr exhibits a continuous and quantitative relationship with motor behavior.
  • A stable SNr firing rate corresponds to maintained posture and lack of movement, while changes in firing rate signify movement initiation and execution.
  • SNr output is hypothesized to quantitatively dictate movement direction, velocity, and amplitude, facilitating voluntary actions by modulating downstream control systems.