Neuronal basis of projection from CM thalamus to striatum for action selection and learning

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26290009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: Tamagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Kimura Minoru 玉川大学, 脳科学研究所, 教授 (40118451)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): ENOMOTO Kazuki 玉川大学, 脳科学研究所, 特任助教 (10585904) ; YAMANAKA Ko 順天堂大学, スポーツ健康科学部, 助教 (40551479)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 神経科学 / 生理学 / 意志決定 / 大脳基底核 / 視床

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We obtained two lines of new findings about the functional roles of thalamo-striatal projection in behavioral learning and selection. First, we examined which functional class of neurons in the centromedian (CM) nucleus of thalamus project their axons to the dorsal striatum. By electrical stimulation of putamen and we observed antidromically activated action potentials in 4 CM neurons among 13 neurons tested. These thalamo-striatal neurons were activated by visual stimuli asking reward- and no-reward-associated behavior at differential latency. Second, CM neurons with short latency (< 50 ms) responses to visual stimuli responded to external events which occurred against prediction of action-outcome contingency or order of event sequence toward reward. This indicated involvement of these neurons in signaling unexpectedly occurred external events and in associating the events with behavioral context.

Free Research Field

神経科学