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Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Basal Ganglia Function and Dysfunction

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Air date: Monday, September 29, 2014, 12:00:00 PM
Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local
Views: Total views: 669 (36 Live, 633 On-demand)
Category: Neuroscience
Runtime: 00:58:45
Description: Neuroscience Seminar Series

The control of movement is among the most fundamental functions of the nervous system. The basal ganglia, and the striatum in particular, play a critical role in the learning, selection, and initiation of appropriate actions. Individuals suffering from movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD) or Huntington’s Disease (HD) have profound difficulties performing appropriate movements, yet the cellular and synaptic basis of these disorders is not well understood. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying circuit function in the basal ganglia, both in health and disease, will provide a framework that can be used to develop novel treatments for neurological disorders.

To address the functional properties of basal ganglia motor circuits, Dr. Kreitzer's laboratory applies a variety of experimental approaches. They perform whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology in brain slices, which allows them to record and analyze the properties of synaptic currents from individual neurons. Optical imaging and optical stimulation provide techniques to monitor activity in larger populations of neurons and within microcircuits. They also utilize transgenic animals designed to allow in vitro and in vivo identification and modification of basal ganglia circuit function. Additionally, they use genetic and pharmacological animal models of human disease, as well as a battery of behavioral testing procedures.

A major focus of the laboratory is the striatum, which forms the input nucleus of the basal ganglia. Striatal projection neurons target either the substantia nigra pars reticulata (direct pathway) or the lateral globus pallidus (indirect pathway). Imbalances between neural activity in these two circuits have been proposed to underlie the profound motor deficits observed in PD and HD. They have described important differences in the cellular and synaptic properties of striatal medium spiny neurons in these pathways, including the selective expression of a form of long-term synaptic depression (LTD) mediated by endocannabinoid signalling and regulated by dopamine at indirect pathway synapses. Current studies are aimed at elucidating additional pathway-specific mechanisms of neuromodulation and synaptic plasticity in the striatum and their role in basal ganglia circuit function and motor control.
NLM Title: Circuit mechanisms underlying basal ganglia function and dysfunction / Anatol Kreitzer.
Author: Kreitzer, Anatol.
National Institutes of Health (U.S.),
Publisher:
Abstract: (CIT): Neuroscience Seminar Series The control of movement is among the most fundamental functions of the nervous system. The basal ganglia, and the striatum in particular, play a critical role in the learning, selection, and initiation of appropriate actions. Individuals suffering from movement disorders such as Parkinson"s Disease (PD) or Huntington"s Disease (HD) have profound difficulties performing appropriate movements, yet the cellular and synaptic basis of these disorders is not well understood. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying circuit function in the basal ganglia, both in health and disease, will provide a framework that can be used to develop novel treatments for neurological disorders. To address the functional properties of basal ganglia motor circuits, Dr. Kreitzer's laboratory applies a variety of experimental approaches. They perform whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology in brain slices, which allows them to record and analyze the properties of synaptic currents from individual neurons. Optical imaging and optical stimulation provide techniques to monitor activity in larger populations of neurons and within microcircuits. They also utilize transgenic animals designed to allow in vitro and in vivo identification and modification of basal ganglia circuit function. Additionally, they use genetic and pharmacological animal models of human disease, as well as a battery of behavioral testing procedures. A major focus of the laboratory is the striatum, which forms the input nucleus of the basal ganglia. Striatal projection neurons target either the substantia nigra pars reticulata (direct pathway) or the lateral globus pallidus (indirect pathway). Imbalances between neural activity in these two circuits have been proposed to underlie the profound motor deficits observed in PD and HD. They have described important differences in the cellular and synaptic properties of striatal medium spiny neurons in these pathways, including the selective expression of a form of long-term synaptic depression (LTD) mediated by endocannabinoid signalling and regulated by dopamine at indirect pathway synapses. Current studies are aimed at elucidating additional pathway-specific mechanisms of neuromodulation and synaptic plasticity in the striatum and their role in basal ganglia circuit function and motor control.
Subjects: Basal Ganglia Cerebrovascular Disease--physiopathology
Basal Ganglia--physiology
Synaptic Transmission
Publication Types: Lecture
Webcast
 
NLM Classification: WL 307
NLM ID: 101645864
CIT Live ID: 14817
Permanent link: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=14817

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