Off-Target Influences of Arch-Mediated Axon Terminal Inhibition on Network Activity and Behavior.

ABSTRACT: Archaerhodopsin (ArchT)-mediated photoinhibition of axon terminals is commonly used to test the involvement of specific long-range neural projections in behavior. Although sustained activation of this opsin in axon terminals has the unintended consequence of enhancing spontaneous vesicle release, it is unclear whether this desynchronized signaling is consequential for ArchT's behavioral effects. Here, we compare axon terminal and cell body photoinhibition of nucleus accumbens (NAc) afferents to test the utility of these approaches for uncovering pathway-specific contributions of neural circuits to behavior. First, in brain slice recordings we confirmed that ArchT photoinhibition of glutamatergic axons reduces evoked synaptic currents and increases spontaneous transmitter release. A further

SUBMITTER: Lafferty CK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7109268 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature