Genetically Distinct Parallel Pathways in the Entopeduncular Nucleus for Limbic and Sensorimotor Output of the Basal Ganglia.

ABSTRACT: The basal ganglia (BG) integrate inputs from diverse sensorimotor, limbic, and associative regions to guide action-selection and goal-directed behaviors. The entopeduncular nucleus (EP) is a major BG output nucleus and has been suggested to channel signals from distinct BG nuclei to target regions involved in diverse functions. Here we use single-cell transcriptional and molecular analyses to demonstrate that the EP contains at least three classes of projection neurons-glutamate/GABA co-releasing somatostatin neurons, glutamatergic parvalbumin neurons, and GABAergic parvalbumin neurons. These classes comprise functionally and anatomically distinct output pathways that differentially affect EP target regions, such as the lateral habenula (LHb) and thalamus. Furthermore, LHb- and thalamic-pr

SUBMITTER: Wallace ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5439268 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature