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Updated: Oct 27, 2025

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior
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Thalamic input to motor cortex facilitates goal-directed action initiation.

Naoya Takahashi1, Sara Moberg2, Timothy A Zolnik1

  • 1Institute for Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.

Current Biology : CB
|July 24, 2021
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Summary

The ventromedial thalamic nucleus (VM) signals to the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM), facilitating faster, more vigorous initiation of planned licking movements in mice.

Keywords:
anterior lateral motor cortexaxonal calcium imaginggoal-directed actionmotor thalamusreaction timethalamocortical projection

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Thalamocortical Circuits

Background:

  • Basal ganglia and frontal cortex interactions are crucial for action selection and initiation.
  • The ventromedial thalamic nucleus (VM) relays basal ganglia output to frontal cortical areas like the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM).
  • Previous research suggests basal ganglia output to the motor thalamus conveys urgency, influencing reaction times.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the signals transmitted from the motor thalamus (VM) to the cortex (ALM) during cued movements.
  • To understand how these signals contribute to the initiation of planned motor actions.
  • To explore the role of VM-ALM circuits in sensory-cued, rewarded movements.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a tactile-cued licking task in mice to measure reaction times.
  • Employed two-photon Ca2+ imaging to monitor VM axon activity in ALM.
  • Used chemogenetics and optogenetics to manipulate VM axon function in ALM.

Main Results:

  • Inactivation of ALM led to delayed initiation of cued licking.
  • VM axon terminals in ALM showed transient activity predictive of licking onset.
  • VM inputs were found to facilitate cue-triggered and impulsive licking initiation.

Conclusions:

  • VM thalamocortical inputs play a critical role in the initiation of planned motor responses.
  • These inputs enhance the probability and vigor of movement initiation.
  • The VM-ALM pathway is a key component in rapid, cued motor execution.