Open AccessDivergent pallidal pathways underlying distinct Parkinsonian behavioral deficits
Author(s) -
Varoth Lilascharoen,
Eric Hou Jen Wang,
Nam Do,
Stefan Carl Pate,
Amanda Ngoc Tran,
Christopher Dabin Yoon,
Jin Hwa Choi,
Xiao Yun Wang,
Horia Pribiag,
Young Gyun Park,
Kwanghun Chung,
Byung Kook Lim
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nature neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 13.403
H-Index - 422
eISSN - 1546-1726
pISSN - 1097-6256
DOI - 10.1038/s41593-021-00810-y
Subject(s) - neuroscience , psychology , neuroscientist , basal ganglia , biology , central nervous system , myelin , oligodendrocyte
The basal ganglia regulate a wide range of behaviors, including motor control and cognitive functions, and are profoundly affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the functional organization of different basal ganglia nuclei has not been fully elucidated at the circuit level. In this study, we investigated the functional roles of distinct parvalbumin-expressing neuronal populations in the external globus pallidus (GPe-PV) and their contributions to different PD-related behaviors. We demonstrate that substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr)-projecting GPe-PV neurons and parafascicular thalamus (PF)-projecting GPe-PV neurons are associated with locomotion and reversal learning, respectively. In a mouse model of PD, we found that selective manipulation of the SNr-projecting GPe-PV neurons alleviated locomotor deficit, whereas manipulation of the PF-projecting GPe-PV neurons rescued the impaired reversal learning. Our findings establish the behavioral importance of two distinct GPe-PV neuronal populations and, thereby, provide a new framework for understanding the circuit basis of different behavioral deficits in the Parkinsonian state.