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Complementary Contributions of Striatal Projection Pathways to Action Initiation and Execution
Fatuel Tecuapetla1, Xin Jin2, Susana Q Lima3
1Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Avenida De Brasília, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal; Neuropatologia Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad de México 04510, México.
Cell
|July 26, 2016
Summary
Both basal ganglia pathways are essential for initiating and executing learned actions. Coordinated activity, not just pathway dominance, regulates smooth movement initiation and performance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Basal Ganglia Function
Background:
- The basal ganglia are crucial for action performance, with two main pathways (direct and indirect) hypothesized to control movement facilitation and suppression.
- Understanding the precise roles of these pathways in learned action sequences is vital for motor control research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To dissect the specific contributions of the direct striatonigral and indirect striatopallidal pathways in initiating and executing learned action sequences.
- To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms governing movement initiation and execution within the basal ganglia.
Main Methods:
- Utilized state-dependent optogenetic manipulations in animal models.
- Investigated the effects of inhibiting or stimulating the direct and indirect pathways before and during action sequence performance.
Main Results:
- Both direct and indirect pathways are necessary for smooth initiation and execution of learned actions.
- Inhibition or stimulation before initiation increased latency, with striatonigral pathway manipulation slowing initiation and striatopallidal pathway manipulation aborting it.
- Inhibition after initiation impaired ongoing execution; striatonigral activation sustained performance, while striatopallidal manipulation aborted it.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a supportive versus permissive model of basal ganglia function in motor control.
- Coordinated activity patterns, rather than the relative activity levels in each pathway, are key regulators of movement initiation and execution.
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