Identification of functional role of neural networks between basal ganglia and cerebral cortex by optogenetics

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26640001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: Kurata Kiyoshi 弘前大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (30170070)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KINOSHITA Masaharu 弘前大学, 大学院医学研究科, 准教授 (60599083)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: basal ganglia / cerebellum / motor control / reaching / neuronal activity / optogenetics

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We recorded neuronal activities of the internal segment of globus pallidus (GPi) and ventral motor thalamus (VMT) while monkeys were performing a reaching task, in order to clarify what roles outputs from basal ganglia and cerebellum play in motor control. We obtained two major findings. First, the both structures contained neurons whose activity exhibit changes during motor preparation and execution periods. Second, the activities in VMT were more distinctly modulated in various phases of motor control than those in GPi. When VMT was stimulated optogenetically following channelrhodpsin (ChR2) expression, the terminal points of executed movements were more variable than control conditions. Those results suggest that VMT plays a more important role in motor preparation and execution, whereas GPi is more specialized for monitoring of intended movements, than for motor execution per se.

Free Research Field

神経生理学