Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• McElvain, Lauren E.
• Chen, Yuncong
• Moore, Jeffrey D.
• Brigidi, G. Stefano
• Bloodgood, Brenda L.
• Lim, Byung Kook
• Costa, Rui M.
• Kleinfeld, David

Titel

Specific populations of basal ganglia output neurons target distinct brain stem areas while collateralizing throughout the diencephalon

Ist Teil von

• Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.), 2021-05, Vol.109 (10), p.1721-1738.e4

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Basal ganglia play a central role in regulating behavior, but the organization of their outputs to other brain areas is incompletely understood. We investigate the largest output nucleus, the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), and delineate the organization and physiology of its projection populations in mice. Using genetically targeted viral tracing and whole-brain anatomical analysis, we identify over 40 SNr targets that encompass a roughly 50-fold range of axonal densities. Retrograde tracing from the volumetrically largest targets indicates that the SNr contains segregated subpopulations that differentially project to functionally distinct brain stem regions. These subpopulations are electrophysiologically specialized and topographically organized and collateralize to common diencephalon targets, including the motor and intralaminar thalamus as well as the pedunculopontine nucleus and the midbrain reticular formation. These findings establish that SNr signaling is organized as dense, parallel outputs to specific brain stem targets concurrent with extensive collateral branches that encompass the majority of SNr axonal boutons. [Display omitted] •SNr neurons project to diverse structures throughout the diencephalon and brain stem•Neuronal subsets project differentially and strongly to distinct brain stem targets•Neuronal subsets differ in their subthreshold and spiking electrophysiology•Neuronal subsets additionally form collaterals that universally target PPN and thalamus McElvain et al. map the complete set of brain-wide projections from the largest output nucleus of the murine basal ganglia, the substantia nigra pars reticulata. Spatially segregated and electrophysiologically distinct subpopulations are revealed that project to different brain stem regions along with extensive collaterals to the pedunculopontine nucleus and diencephalon targets.