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Presynaptic Dopamine Dynamics in Striatal Brain Slices with Fast-scan Cyclic Voltammetry
Published on: January 12, 2012
Human striatal population state dynamics
Cole Korponay1,2, Elliot A Stein3, Thomas J Ross3
1McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|June 29, 2026
Summary
Human brain imaging reveals distinct striatal states that impact behavior and task performance. These findings offer a systems-level understanding of corticostriatal neurobiology and its role in cognitive functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Striatal projection neurons (SPNs) exhibit electrophysiological states influencing cortical interactions in animals.
- These striatal dynamics and their behavioral relevance are not well understood in humans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize population-level striatal states in humans using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- To investigate the relationship between these striatal states, task demands, arousal, and behavior.
Main Methods:
- Neurobiologically informed modeling of over 3 billion voxel-frame-wise striatal coactivation profiles with cortex.
- Analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data in humans.
Main Results:
- Identified human striatal states analogous to canonical SPN states, reorganizing with task demands, arousal, and behavior.
- Observed "down-like" and "up-like" striatal rest states modulating reaction times and reward sensitivity.
- Detected high-magnitude "bursts" of striatal coactivation with cortex, tracking task engagement and arousal.
Conclusions:
- Provides a systems-level view of corticostriatal neurobiology in humans.
- Reveals a subthreshold striatal state architecture encoding behaviorally relevant information.
- Highlights the dynamic interplay between striatal states and cognitive processes.
