A GABAergic nigrotectal pathway for coordination of drinking behavior.
Published
Journal Article
The contribution of basal ganglia outputs to consummatory behavior remains poorly understood. We recorded from the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR), the major basal ganglia output nucleus, during self-initiated drinking in mice. The firing rates of many lateral SNR neurons were time-locked to individual licks. These neurons send GABAergic projections to the deep layers of the orofacial region of the lateral tectum (superior colliculus, SC). Many tectal neurons were also time-locked to licking, but their activity was usually in antiphase with that of SNR neurons, suggesting inhibitory nigrotectal projections. We used optogenetics to selectively activate the GABAergic nigrotectal afferents in the deep layers of the SC. Photo-stimulation of the nigrotectal projections transiently inhibited the activity of the lick-related tectal neurons, disrupted their licking-related oscillatory pattern and suppressed self-initiated drinking. These results demonstrate that GABAergic nigrotectal projections have a crucial role in coordinating drinking behavior.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Rossi, MA; Li, HE; Lu, D; Kim, IH; Bartholomew, RA; Gaidis, E; Barter, JW; Kim, N; Cai, MT; Soderling, SH; Yin, HH
Published Date
- May 2016
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 19 / 5
Start / End Page
- 742 - 748
PubMed ID
- 27043290
Pubmed Central ID
- 27043290
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1546-1726
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1038/nn.4285
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States