title: Cell-Type-Specific Sensorimotor Processing in Striatal Projection Neurons during Goal-Directed Behavior.
abstract: Goal-directed sensorimotor transformation drives important aspects of mammalian behavior. The striatum is thought to play a key role in reward-based learning and action selection, receiving glutamatergic sensorimotor signals and dopaminergic reward signals. Here, we obtain whole-cell membrane potential recordings from the dorsolateral striatum of mice trained to lick a reward spout after a whisker deflection. Striatal projection neurons showed strong task-related modulation, with more depolarization and action potential firing on hit trials compared to misses. Direct pathway striatonigral neurons, but not indirect pathway striatopallidal neurons, exhibited a prominent early sensory response. Optogenetic stimulation of direct pathway striatonigral neurons, but not indirect pathway striatopallidal neurons, readily substituted for whisker stimulation evoking a licking response. Our data are consistent with direct pathway striatonigral neurons contributing a "go" signal for goal-directed sensorimotor transformation leading to action initiation. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sippy
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lapray
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crochet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland. Electronic address: carl.petersen@epfl.ch.
authors.forename: Carl C H
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006040:Goals; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D062308:Optogenetics / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward