Abstract:
In the rodent brain, the striatum corresponds to the caudate nucleus and putamen regions of the human brain and it is the main recipient of cortical excitatory drive within the basal ganglia system. The most common neuron type in the striatum is the GABAergic spiny projection neurons (SPNs) that carry striatal output to the substantia nigra and the globus pallidus. But SPNs are not the only cell types in the striatum. They are accompanied by a minority of cells comprising 5-10% of the entire striatal population, which do not extend axons outside of the striatum and exhibit a considerable diversity in terms of their neurochemical and electrophysiological make-ups. Despite their small numbers, they shape SPN activity profoundly, and can filter the cortical drive onto the SPNs in various different ways, thereby shaping the striatal output. This project focuses on one particular type of striatal interneurons which is identified by the expression of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH+). Within the scope of this project the role of striatal TH+ interneurons in striatum-dependent behaviors will be investigated in the normal and dopamine-depleted states