Ventromedial Thalamus-Projecting DCN Neurons Modulate Associative Sensorimotor Responses in Mice  

作　　者：Jie Zhang Hao Chen Li-Bin Zhang Rong-Rong Li Bin Wang Qian-Hui Zhang Liu-Xia Tong Wei-Wei Zhang Zhong-Xiang Yao Bo Hu 

机构地区：[1]Department of Physiology,College of Basic Medical Sciences,Army Medical University,Chongqing 400038,China [2]Experimental Center of Basic Medicine,College of Basic Medical Sciences,Army Medical University,Chongqing 400038,China [3]3948th Hospital of PLA,Wusu 833300,China [4]College of Basic Medical Sciences,Army Medical University,Squadron 15,Battalion 5,Chongqing 400038,China [5]Department of Foreign Language,College of Basic Medical Sciences,Army Medical University,Chongqing 400038,China [6]Brain and Intelligence Research Key Laboratory of Chongqing Education Commission,Army Medical University,Chongqing 400038,China

出　　处：《Neuroscience Bulletin》2022年第5期459-473,共15页神经科学通报（英文版）

基　　金：This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81871039);the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing Municipality(cstc2019jcyj-msxmX0424);the Frontier Interdisciplinary Project of the College of Basic Sciences(2020JCZX02);the Special Training Program for Undergraduates of Army Medical University(2020XBK09 and 2021XBK45).

摘　　要：The deep cerebellar nuclei(DCN)integrate various inputs to the cerebellum and form the final cerebellar outputs critical for associative sensorimotor learning.However,the functional relevance of distinct neuronal subpopulations within the DCN remains poorly understood.Here,we examined a subpopulation of mouse DCN neurons whose axons specifically project to the ventromedial(Vm)thalamus(DCNVm neurons),and found that these neurons represent a specific subset of DCN units whose activity varies with trace eyeblink conditioning(tEBC),a classical associative sensorimotor learning task.Upon conditioning,the activity of DCNVm neurons signaled the performance of conditioned eyeblink responses(CRs).Optogenetic activation and inhibition of the DCNVm neurons in well-trained mice amplified and diminished the CRs,respectively.Chemogenetic manipulation of the DCNVm neurons had no effects on non-associative motor coordination.Furthermore,optogenetic activation of the DCNVm neurons caused rapid elevated firing activity in the cingulate cortex,a brain area critical for bridging the time gap between sensory stimuli and motor execution during tEBC.Together,our data highlights DCNVm neurons’function and delineates their kinematic parameters that modulate the strength of associative sensorimotor responses.

关 键 词：Deep cerebellar nuclei Ventromedial thalamus Trace eyeblink conditioning Sensorimotor learning 

分 类 号：R741[医药卫生—神经病学与精神病学]