The Role of Parafascicular Thalamic Circuits in Action Generation
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Principal Investigator: Henry Yin Organization: DUKE UNIVERSITY Fiscal Year: 2024 Award: $389,043 Funding agency: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Project Summary The parafascicular nucleus is a major nucleus in the so-called intralaminar group. Although it is traditionally considered part of the reticular activating system and thought to play a role in arousal and attention, its contributions to behavior are still poorly understood. Much of the work on the Pf was done in primates before the development of modern intersectional strategies for selective cell type targeting and neural circuit dissection. This proposal aims to elucidate the computational functions of specific components of the Pf circuit, and to determine how this circuit can be used for the control of attention and action selection. Preliminary results indicate that the Pf plays a key role in rapid action generation, which appears to be mediated by direct excitatory inputs from the deep/intermediate layers of the superior colliculus. Two populations of Pf projection neurons target different downstream structures and have distinct behavioral functions. We hypothesize that Pf projections to the subthalamic nucleus are especially important for fast action initiation that bypasses the canonical basal ganglia circuitry, where as the well-known Pf projections to the striatum is not needed for action initiation, suggesting that the Pf-basal ganglia pathway has a distinct function. A highly integrative approach will be employed, combining 1) Motion capture for continuous behavioral quantification in 3D; 2) wireless in vivo recording from single neurons; 3) optogenetic manipulation of defined neuronal populations; 4) 1-photon calcium imaging of genetically defined individual neurons; and 5) quantitative operant behavioral assays. These tools will be used to determine how the Pf processes inputs from the midbrain and uses this information to guide action selection via distinct output projections to the STN and striatum. Terms: <3-D><3-Dimensional><3D><Anterior Quadrigeminal Body><Architecture><Area><Arousal><Attention><Basal Ganglia><Basal Nuclei><Behavior><Behavior monitoring><Behavioral><Behavioral Assay><Bypass><Calcium><Cell Body><Cell Nucleus><Cells><Clinical><Corpus Striatum><Corpus striatum structure><Development><Disease><Disorder><Dissection><Dopamine><Electrophysiology><Electrophysiology (science)><Engineering / Architecture><Ganglia><Generations><Hydroxytyramine><Image><Impairment><Individual><Instrumental Learning><Intralaminar Nuclear Group><Intralaminar Nucleus><Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei><Learning><Lesion><Mediating><Mental disorders><Mental health disorders><Mesencephalon><Mid-brain><Midbrain><Midbrain structure><Modernization><Motion><Movement><Nerve Cells><Nerve Unit><Nervous System Diseases><Nervous System Disorder><Neural Cell><Neural Ganglion><Neurocyte><Neurologic Disorders><Neurological Disorders><Neurons><Neurophysiology / Electrophysiology><Nucleus><Nucleus Subthalamicus><Operant Conditioning><Optic Tectum><Output><Parafascicular Nucleus><Parafascicular Nucleus of the Thalamus><Parafascicular Thalamic Nucleus><Pathway interactions><Photons><Play><Population><Population Forecasts><Population Projection><Position><Positioning Attribute><Primates><Primates Mammals><Process><Psychiatric Disease><Psychiatric Disorder><Resolution><Role><Sensory Neglects><Sensory impairment><Striate Body><Striatum><Structure><Structure of subthalamic nucleus><Subthalamic Nucleus><Superior Colliculus><Symptoms><System><Thalamic structure><Thalamus><Work><attentional control><behavioral monitoring><body movement><cell type><developmental><electrophysiological><environmental change><experiment><experimental research><experimental study><experiments><flexibility><flexible><imaging><in vivo><instrumental conditioning><mental illness><neural><neural circuit><neural circuitry><neurocircuitry><neurological disease><neuronal><novel><optogenetics><pathway><psychiatric illness><psychological disorder><resolutions><social role><striatal><superior colliculus Corpora quadrigemina><synaptic circuit><synaptic circuitry><thalamic><thalamus interlaminar nuclei><three dimensional><tool><treatment strategy><visual tectum><wireless>