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Muscarinic receptors regulate auditory and prefrontal cortical communication during auditory processing
Nicholas M James1, Howard J Gritton1, Nancy Kopell2
1Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
Neuropharmacology
|October 24, 2018
Summary
Acetylcholine continuously gates sensory information to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) even during passive listening. This neuromodulation in the auditory cortex (AC) shapes PFC responses, revealing a broader role for cholinergic signaling in cortical communication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Understanding acetylcholine's role in prefrontal cortex (PFC) function often focuses on attentive states.
- Limited knowledge exists on PFC recruitment during passive sensory processing and acetylcholine's influence on inter-areal connectivity outside of tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the involvement of the PFC and cholinergic neuromodulation in passive auditory processing.
- To explore how acetylcholine in the auditory cortex (AC) influences PFC activity during non-attentive states.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous recordings were performed in the AC and PFC of awake mice.
- Mice were presented with auditory stimuli (white noise) with or without local cholinergic antagonists in the AC.
Main Results:
- A subset of PFC neurons responded to auditory stimuli even without associative meaning, indicating PFC's role in passive monitoring.
- Cholinergic signaling in the AC modulated the strength of auditory-driven PFC responses via muscarinic interactions.
Conclusions:
- Cholinergic mechanisms continuously gate sensory information via muscarinic receptors during passive processing.
- These findings broaden the understanding of PFC function and cholinergic modulation in cortical communication.
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