Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Experimental Center of Basic Medicine, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China.
Neurosci Bull. 2023 Jun;39(6):962-972. doi: 10.1007/s12264-022-01015-4. Epub 2023 Jan 11.
The anterior auditory field (AAF) is a core region of the auditory cortex and plays a vital role in discrimination tasks. However, the role of the AAF corticostriatal neurons in frequency discrimination remains unclear. Here, we used c-Fos staining, fiber photometry recording, and pharmacogenetic manipulation to investigate the function of the AAF corticostriatal neurons in a frequency discrimination task. c-Fos staining and fiber photometry recording revealed that the activity of AAF pyramidal neurons was significantly elevated during the frequency discrimination task. Pharmacogenetic inhibition of AAF pyramidal neurons significantly impaired frequency discrimination. In addition, histological results revealed that AAF pyramidal neurons send strong projections to the striatum. Moreover, pharmacogenetic suppression of the striatal projections from pyramidal neurons in the AAF significantly disrupted the frequency discrimination. Collectively, our findings show that AAF pyramidal neurons, particularly the AAF-striatum projections, play a crucial role in frequency discrimination behavior.
前听皮层（AAF）是听觉皮层的核心区域，在辨别任务中起着至关重要的作用。然而，AAF 皮质纹状体神经元在频率辨别中的作用尚不清楚。在这里，我们使用 c-Fos 染色、光纤光度记录和遗传药理学操作来研究 AAF 皮质纹状体神经元在频率辨别任务中的功能。c-Fos 染色和光纤光度记录显示，AAF 锥体神经元的活性在频率辨别任务中显著升高。遗传药理学抑制 AAF 锥体神经元显著损害了频率辨别。此外，组织学结果显示 AAF 锥体神经元向纹状体发出强烈的投射。此外，遗传药理学抑制 AAF 锥体神经元对纹状体的投射显著破坏了频率辨别。总之，我们的研究结果表明，AAF 锥体神经元，特别是 AAF-纹状体投射，在频率辨别行为中起着至关重要的作用。
