Cui Lele, Tang Shunhang, Pan Jingwei, Deng Li, Zhang Zhaoran, Zhao Kai, Si Bailu, Xu Ning-Long
Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Brain-inspired Intelligence Technology, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
Cell Rep. 2025 Jan 28;44(1):115084. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115084. Epub 2024 Dec 21.
In the dorsal striatum (DS), the direct- and indirect-pathway striatal projection neurons (dSPNs and iSPNs) play crucial opposing roles in controlling actions. However, it remains unclear whether and how dSPNs and iSPNs provide distinct and specific contributions to decision-making, a process transforming sensory inputs to actions. Here, we perform causal interrogations on the roles of dSPNs and iSPNs in the posterior DS (pDS) in auditory-guided decision-making. Unilateral activation of dSPNs or iSPNs produces strong opposite drives to choice behaviors regardless of task difficulty. However, inactivation of dSPNs or iSPNs leads to pronounced choice bias preferentially in difficult trials, suggesting decision-specific contributions. Indeed, temporally specific iSPN activation within, but not outside, the decision period significantly biased choices. Finally, concurrent disinhibition of both pathways via inactivating parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons leads to contralateral bias primarily in difficult trials. These results reveal specific contributions by coordinated dSPN and iSPN activity to decision-making processes.
在背侧纹状体（DS）中，直接通路和间接通路的纹状体投射神经元（dSPN和iSPN）在控制行为方面发挥着至关重要的相反作用。然而，dSPN和iSPN是否以及如何对决策（一个将感觉输入转化为行为的过程）做出独特而具体的贡献仍不清楚。在这里，我们对dSPN和iSPN在听觉引导决策中后DS（pDS）的作用进行了因果探究。无论任务难度如何，dSPN或iSPN的单侧激活都会对选择行为产生强烈的相反驱动。然而，dSPN或iSPN的失活在困难试验中优先导致明显的选择偏差，表明决策特异性贡献。事实上，在决策期内而非决策期外对iSPN进行时间特异性激活会显著偏向选择。最后，通过使小清蛋白（PV）阳性中间神经元失活同时对两条通路进行去抑制，主要在困难试验中导致对侧偏差。这些结果揭示了dSPN和iSPN的协同活动对决策过程的具体贡献。
