Basal Ganglia Population Activity in Innate and Learned Behaviors

Minkowicz, Samuel

doi:https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-xsxh-n110

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Basal Ganglia Population Activity in Innate and Learned Behaviors

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Vertebrate brains evolved to facilitate a diverse array of behaviors and internal cognitive processes. Theories of neural function have proposed that neural computation is organized within populations or ensembles of neurons. Here, we identify ensembles of neurons in the striatum, the main input nucleus of the basal ganglia, in which units show correlated activity during grooming.Ensembles are comprised of putative striatal projection neurons and fast spiking interneurons. These ensembles encode grooming duration as well as transitions into and out of grooming. In a collaborative study utilizing fiber photometry, we record bulk population activity of ventral tegmental area dopaminergic neurons during aversive learning. We find that dopaminergic activity consistently varies across learning. A single dose of ketamine—a rapidly acting antidepressant—is sufficient to restore changes in behavior and dopaminergic neuron activity. Further, we identify the medial prefrontal cortex as the locus for ketamine’s effects on behavior and the dopaminergic system. Finally, we describe the development of fully implantable, miniaturized wireless devices for optogenetic manipulation of neuronal activity. These devices provide real-time user programmability over multiple independent light sources, in head-mounted and back-mounted designs. These devices facilitate the study of natural, ethological behaviors without the mechanical constraints imposed by a tethered configuration. Overall, these studies improve our understanding of how populations of neurons control innate and learned behaviors and provide tools to interrogate neural control of behavior.

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