Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to treat multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's Disease (PD). Despite widespread clinical use, its therapeutic mechanisms are unknown. Here, we developed a mouse model of subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS for PD, to permit investigation using cell type-specific tools available in mice. We found that electrical STN DBS relieved bradykinesia, as measured by movement velocity. In addition, our model recapitulated several hallmarks of human STN DBS, including rapid onset and offset, frequency dependence, dyskinesia at higher stimulation intensity, and associations between electrode location, therapeutic benefit, and side effects. We used this model to assess whether high frequency stimulation is necessary for effective STN DBS, or if low frequency stimulation can be effective when paired with compensatory adjustments in other parameters. We found that low frequency stimulation, paired with greater pulse width and amplitude, relieved bradykinesia. Moreover, a composite metric incorporating pulse width, amplitude, and frequency predicted therapeutic efficacy better than frequency alone. We found a similar relationship between this composite metric and movement speed in a retrospective analysis of human data, suggesting correlations observed in the mouse model may extend to human patients. Together, these data establish a mouse model for elucidating mechanisms of DBS.

Action selection relies on the coordinated activity of striatal direct and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (dMSNs and iMSNs, respectively). Loss of dopamine in Parkinson's disease is thought to disrupt this balance. While dopamine replacement with levodopa may restore normal function, the development of involuntary movements (levodopa-induced dyskinesia [LID]) limits therapy. How chronic dopamine loss and replacement with levodopa modulate the firing of identified MSNs in behaving animals is unknown. Using optogenetically labeled striatal single-unit recordings, we assess circuit dysfunction in parkinsonism and LID. Counter to current models, we found that following dopamine depletion, iMSN firing was elevated only during periods of immobility, while dMSN firing was dramatically and persistently reduced. Most notably, we identified a subpopulation of dMSNs with abnormally high levodopa-evoked firing rates, which correlated specifically with dyskinesia. These findings provide key insights into the circuit mechanisms underlying parkinsonism and LID, with implications for developing targeted therapies.

It is now clear that many neuronal populations release more than one classical neurotransmitter, yet in most cases the functional role of corelease is unknown. Striatal cholinergic interneurons release both glutamate and acetylcholine, and vesicular loading of glutamate has been shown to enhance acetylcholine content. Using a combination of optogenetics and whole-cell recordings in mice, we now provide physiological evidence that optogenetic stimulation of cholinergic interneurons triggers monosynaptic glutamate- and acetylcholine-mediated currents in striatal fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs), both of which depend on the expression of the vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3). In contrast to corticostriatal glutamatergic inputs onto FSIs, which are mediated primarily by AMPA-type glutamate receptors, glutamate release by cholinergic interneurons activates both AMPA- and NMDA-type glutamate receptors, suggesting a unique role for these inputs in the modulation of FSI activity. Importantly, we find that the loss of VGLUT3 not only markedly attenuates glutamatergic and cholinergic inputs on FSIs, but also significantly decreases disynaptic GABAergic input onto medium spiny neurons (MSNs), the major output neurons of the striatum. Our data demonstrate that VGLUT3 is required for normal cholinergic signaling onto FSIs, as well as for acetylcholine-dependent disynaptic inhibition of MSNs. Thus, by supporting fast glutamatergic transmission as well as by modulating the strength of cholinergic signaling, VGLUT3 has the capacity to exert widespread influence on the striatal network.

Abnormal involuntary movements, or dyskinesias, are seen in many neurologic diseases, including disorders where the brain appears grossly normal. This observation suggests that alterations in neural activity or connectivity may underlie dyskinesias. One influential model proposes that involuntary movements are driven by an imbalance in the activity of striatal direct and indirect pathway neurons (dMSNs and iMSNs, respectively). Indeed, in some animal models, there is evidence that dMSN hyperactivity contributes to dyskinesia. Given the many diseases associated with dyskinesia, it is unclear whether these findings generalize to all forms. Here, we used male and female mice in a mouse model of paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia (PNKD) to assess whether involuntary movements are related to aberrant activity in the striatal direct and indirect pathways. In this model, as in the human disorder PNKD, animals experience dyskinetic attacks in response to caffeine or alcohol. Using optically identified striatal single-unit recordings in freely moving PNKD mice, we found a loss of iMSN firing during dyskinesia bouts. Further, chemogenetic inhibition of iMSNs triggered dyskinetic episodes in PNKD mice. Finally, we found that these decreases in iMSN firing are likely because of aberrant endocannabinoid-mediated suppression of glutamatergic inputs. These data show that striatal iMSN dysfunction contributes to the etiology of dyskinesia in PNKD, and suggest that indirect pathway hypoactivity may be a key mechanism for the generation of involuntary movements in other disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Involuntary movements, or dyskinesias, are part of many inherited and acquired neurologic syndromes. There are few effective treatments, most of which have significant side effects. Better understanding of which cells and patterns of activity cause dyskinetic movements might inform the development of new neuromodulatory treatments. In this study, we used a mouse model of an inherited human form of paroxysmal dyskinesia in combination with cell type-specific tools to monitor and manipulate striatal activity. We were able to narrow in on a specific group of neurons that causes dyskinesia in this model, and found alterations in a well-known form of plasticity in this cell type, endocannabinoid-dependent synaptic LTD. These findings point to new areas for therapeutic development.

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) has been linked to avoidance and decision-making under conflict, key neural computations altered in anxiety disorders. However, the heterogeneity of prefrontal projections has obscured identification of specific top-down projections involved. While the dmPFC-amygdala circuit has long been implicated in controlling reflexive fear responses, recent work suggests that dmPFC-dorsomedial striatum (DMS) projections may be more important for regulating avoidance. Using fiber photometry recordings in both male and female mice during the elevated zero maze task, we show heightened neural activity in frontostriatal but not frontoamygdalar projection neurons during exploration of the anxiogenic open arms. Additionally, using optogenetics, we demonstrate that this frontostriatal projection preferentially excites postsynaptic D₁ receptor-expressing neurons in the DMS and causally controls innate avoidance behavior. These results support a model for prefrontal control of defensive behavior in which the dmPFC-amygdala projection controls reflexive fear behavior and the dmPFC-striatum projection controls anxious avoidance behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The medial prefrontal cortex has been extensively linked to several behavioral symptom domains related to anxiety disorders, with much of the work centered around reflexive fear responses. Comparatively little is known at the mechanistic level about anxious avoidance behavior, a core feature across anxiety disorders. Recent work has suggested that the striatum may be an important hub for regulating avoidance behaviors. Our work uses optical circuit dissection techniques to identify a specific corticostriatal circuit involved in encoding and controlling avoidance behavior. Identifying neural circuits for avoidance will enable the development of more targeted symptom-specific treatments for anxiety disorders.

Neural circuits are endowed with several forms of intrinsic and synaptic plasticity that could contribute to adaptive changes in behavior, but circuit complexities have hindered linking specific cellular mechanisms with their behavioral consequences. Eye movements generated by simple brainstem circuits provide a means for relating cellular plasticity to behavioral gain control. Here we show that firing rate potentiation, a form of intrinsic plasticity mediated by reductions in BK-type calcium-activated potassium currents in spontaneously firing neurons, is engaged during optokinetic reflex compensation for inner ear dysfunction. Vestibular loss triggers transient increases in postsynaptic excitability, occlusion of firing rate potentiation, and reductions in BK currents in vestibular nucleus neurons. Concurrently, adaptive increases in visually evoked eye movements rapidly restore oculomotor function in wild-type mice but are profoundly impaired in BK channel-null mice. Activity-dependent regulation of intrinsic excitability may be a general mechanism for adaptive control of behavioral output in multisensory circuits.

Studies of striatal physiology and motor control have increasingly relied on the use of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice expressing fluorophores or other genes under the control of genetic regulatory elements for the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) or dopamine D2 receptor (D2R). Three recent studies have compared wild-type, D1R, and D2R BAC transgenic mice, and found significant differences in physiology and behavior, calling into question the use of these mice in studies of normal circuit function. We repeated the behavioral portions of these studies in wild-type C57BL/6 mice and hemizygous Drd1a-td Tomato (D1-Tmt), Drd1a-eGFP (D1-GFP), and Drd2-eGFP (D2-GFP) mice backcrossed into the C57BL/6 background. Our three laboratories independently found that open-field locomotion, acute locomotor responses to cocaine (20 mg/kg), locomotor sensitization to 5 d of daily injections of cocaine (15 mg/kg) or amphetamine (3 mg/kg), cocaine (20 mg/kg) conditioned place preference, and active avoidance learning to paired light and footshock were indistinguishable in these four mouse lines. These results suggest that while it is crucial to screen new transgenic mouse lines for abnormal behavior and physiology, these BAC transgenic mouse lines remain extremely valuable tools for evaluating the cellular, synaptic, and circuit basis of striatal motor control and associative learning.

One long-standing model of striatal function divides the striatum into compartments called striosome and matrix. While some anatomical evidence suggests that these populations represent distinct striatal pathways with differing inputs and outputs, functional investigation has been limited by the methods for identifying and manipulating these populations. Here, we utilize hs599CreER mice as a new tool for targeting striosome projection neurons and testing their functional connectivity. Extending anatomical work, we demonstrate that striosome neurons receive greater synaptic input from prelimbic cortex, whereas matrix neurons receive greater input from primary motor cortex. We also identify functional differences in how striosome and matrix neurons process excitatory input, providing the first electrophysiological method for delineating striatal output neuron subtypes. Lastly, we provide the first functional demonstration that striosome neurons are the predominant striatal output to substantia nigra pars compacta dopamine neurons. These results identify striosome and matrix as functionally distinct striatal pathways.

Striatal cholinergic interneurons are implicated in motor control, associative plasticity, and reward-dependent learning. Synchronous activation of cholinergic interneurons triggers large inhibitory synaptic currents in dorsal striatal projection neurons, providing one potential substrate for control of striatal output, but the mechanism for these GABAergic currents is not fully understood. Using optogenetics and whole-cell recordings in brain slices, we find that a large component of these inhibitory responses derive from action-potential-independent disynaptic neurotransmission mediated by nicotinic receptors. Cholinergically driven IPSCs were not affected by ablation of striatal fast-spiking interneurons but were greatly reduced after acute treatment with vesicular monoamine transport inhibitors or selective destruction of dopamine terminals with 6-hydroxydopamine, indicating that GABA release originated from dopamine terminals. These results delineate a mechanism in which striatal cholinergic interneurons can co-opt dopamine terminals to drive GABA release and rapidly inhibit striatal output neurons.