Emergence of context-dependent variability across a basal ganglia network.
Context dependence is a key feature of cortical-basal ganglia circuit activity, and in songbirds the cortical outflow of a basal ganglia circuit specialized for song, LMAN, shows striking increases in trial-by-trial variability and bursting when birds sing alone rather than to females. To reveal where this variability and its social regulation emerge, we recorded stepwise from corticostriatal (HVC) neurons and their target spiny and pallidal neurons in Area X. We find that corticostriatal and spiny neurons both show precise singing-related firing across both social settings. Pallidal neurons, in contrast, exhibit markedly increased trial-by-trial variation when birds sing alone, created by highly variable pauses in firing. This variability persists even when recurrent inputs from LMAN are ablated. These data indicate that variability and its context sensitivity emerge within the basal ganglia network, suggest a network mechanism for this emergence, and highlight variability generation and regulation as basal ganglia functions.
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada. Electronic address: sarah.woolley@mcgill.ca.
Sarah C
SC
Woolley
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pashan Road, Pune 411008, Maharashra, India.
Raghav
R
Rajan
Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Mati
M
Joshua
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
Allison J
AJ
Doupe
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D046369:Finches; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*