Excitatory cholecystokinin neurons of the midbrain integrate diverse temporal responses and drive auditory thalamic subdomains.

ABSTRACT: The central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) integrates information about different features of sound and then distributes this information to thalamocortical circuits. However, the lack of clear definitions of circuit elements in the ICC has limited our understanding of the nature of these circuit transformations. Here, we combine virus-based genetic access with electrophysiological and optogenetic approaches to identify a large family of excitatory, cholecystokinin-expressing thalamic projection neurons in the ICC of the Mongolian gerbil. We show that these neurons form a distinct cell type, displaying uniform morphology and intrinsic firing features, and provide powerful, spatially restricted excitation exclusively to the ventral auditory thalamus. In vivo, these neurons consist

SUBMITTER: Kreeger LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7958253 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature