Sep 2026· Journal of Neuroscience· Vol 46· 0 citations
Medicine
TL;DR
This work uses cell type-specific retrograde anatomy and ex vivo slice physiology and optogenetics to characterize the properties of synapses onto CINs in the NAc core of mice of either sex, and establishes how these inputs and receptors evoke action potentials and influence spontaneous firing.
Abstract
Cholinergic interneurons (CINs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) play a key role in regulating motivated behaviors. Here we examine the connectivity and functional impact of cortical and thalamic inputs onto CINs in the NAc core of mice of either sex. We first use cell type-specific retrograde anatomy to identify the prefrontal cortex and thalamus as putative afferents. We then combine ex vivo slice physiology and optogenetics to characterize the properties of synapses onto CINs. We demonstrate that thalamic inputs strongly facilitate, whereas cortical inputs exhibit marked depression. We also show that a combination of AMPA and NMDA receptors contribute to both cortical and thalamic responses. Lastly, we establish how these inputs and receptors evoke action potentials and influence spontaneous firing. Our findings show how CINs in the NAc core process long-range inputs, highlighting differences from equivalent circuits in other parts of striatum.
It is proposed that the simultaneous connections onto LC‐NA neurons and LC‐iINs, along with cell type–specific differences in transmitter release plasticity, may enable the mPFC to effectively multiplex information to the LC for adaptive behavioral regulation.
Pin-Hua Lai, Wei-Chen Hung, Ming-Yuan Min et al.· European Journal of Neurosci...· 0 citations
The organizing principle of input and projection of medium spiny neurons across NAc in adult male mice at single-cell resolution was examined, revealing topographic distribution principles of these neurons and their terminals in the substantia innominata (SI) subdivision.
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Summary The dorsal striatum is divided into dorsomedial (DMS) and dorsolateral (DLS) subregions, which support distinct aspects of motor learning. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) encodes emotionally salient information and can influence striatal function, but its connection to the sensorimotor DLS remains poorly underst...
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Despite their established role in motivated behavior, how nucleus accumbens (NAc) cholinergic interneurons (CINs) contribute to natural reward seeking remains unclear. Here, we report that NAc CINs are key modulators of the approach phase of reward pursuit. Using in vivo fiber photometry in Chat-ires-Cre mice, we show...
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It is found that circuit dysfunction can selectively bias the processing of specific afferent pathways rather than produce a uniform disruption of cortical excitability, with direct relevance for understanding hippocampal–prefrontal dysconnectivity in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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