Pallidal prototypic neuron and astrocyte activities regulate flexible reward-seeking behaviors

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Behavioral flexibility is crucial for adapting to environmental changes.
• The basal ganglia are vital for adaptation, but the external globus pallidus (GPe) role is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the roles of prototypic GPe neurons (Proto^GPe→STN) and GPe astrocytes in behavioral flexibility.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal operant conditioning with context reversals.
• Investigated Proto^GPe→STN neurons and GPe astrocytes.
• Examined neural activity and behavioral adaptation.

Main Results:

• Proto^GPe→STN neurons dynamically encoded contextual information related to performance.
• GPe astrocytes showed gradual contextual encoding, independent of performance.
• Deleting Proto^GPe→STN neurons impaired adaptation but not initial learning.

Conclusions:

• Proto^GPe→STN neurons are critical for behavioral flexibility and adapting to changing action-outcome contingencies.
• These neurons integrate striatal and subthalamic inputs to modulate basal ganglia circuits.
• Proto^GPe→STN neurons and astrocytes play complementary roles in flexible reward-seeking behavior.