Striatal cholinergic interneuron membrane voltage tracks locomotor rhythms in mice

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Motor Control

Background:

• Neural network rhythms are associated with behavior.
• The relationship between individual neuron membrane potentials and behavioral rhythms is not well understood.
• Many neurons display intrinsic pace-making properties in isolated circuits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if single-cell voltage rhythmicity is coupled to behavioral rhythms.
• To examine delta-frequency oscillations (1-4 Hz) in neuronal membrane potentials during voluntary movement.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous membrane voltage imaging of individual striatal neurons and local field potential recordings in mice.
• Recording during voluntary locomotion to correlate neural activity with behavior.

Main Results:

• Many striatal neurons, particularly cholinergic interneurons, exhibit sustained delta oscillations.
• These delta oscillations organize neuronal spiking and network oscillations at beta-frequencies (20-40 Hz).
• Cellular delta-rhythmic dynamics are coupled to the stepping cycles of the animals.

Conclusions:

• Delta-rhythmic cellular dynamics in cholinergic interneurons are crucial for regulating network rhythmicity.
• These findings highlight the role of intrinsic neuronal properties in coordinating complex behaviors like locomotion.
• Cholinergic interneurons contribute significantly to movement patterning through their pace-making capabilities.