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Graybiel, A. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Graybiel, A. M..

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Mutations in CalDAG-GEFI Lead to Striatal Signaling Deficits and Psychomotor Symptoms in Multiple Species Including Human

Syndromes caused by mutations in Ras-MAP kinase signaling molecules are known as RASopathies and share features such as developmental delay, autistic traits, and cancer. Syndromic features of Rap-MAP kinase signaling defects remain undefined. CalDAG-GEFI is a calcium-responsive Rap-GTPase activator that is enriched in the matrix of the sensorimotor striatum and down-regulated in Huntingtons disease. We show here that CalDAG-GEFI mutations, including striatum-specific deletions and spontaneous mutations in the enzymatic domain, are associated with psychomotor phenotypes in humans, dogs and mice. The identification of these neural mutants was guided by the overt bleeding phenotype in CalDAG-GEFI knockout mice, and then in humans and other species with conserved platelet signaling deficits. Knockout mice exhibit loss of striatal long-term potentiation and deficits in dopamine, acetylcholine and glutamate signaling, along with delayed motor learning and drug-induced perseverative behaviors. Thus, loss of CalDAG-GEFI signaling produces an evolutionarily conserved syndrome characterized by bleeding and psychomotor dysfunction.

neuroscience↗

Microstimulation of primate neocortex targeting striosomes induces negative decision-making

Affective judgment and decision-making are strongly modulated by the pregenual anterior cingulate (pACC) and caudal orbitofrontal (cOFC) cortical regions. By combining MRI-guided electrical microstimulation with viral tracing methods in non-human primates, we demonstrate that circumscribed pACC and cOFC microstimulation sites that induce negative decision-making preferentially project to striosomes in the anterior striatum. These results outline a behaviorally important circuit from pACC/cOFC to striosomes causally modulating decision-making under emotional conflict.

neuroscience↗

Radial glial lineage progression and differential intermediate progenitor amplification underlie striatal compartments and circuit organization

The circuitry of the striatum is characterized by two organizational plans: the division into striosome and matrix compartments, thought to mediate evaluation and action, and the direct and indirect pathways, thought to promote or suppress behavior. The developmental origins of and relationships between these organizations are unknown, leaving a conceptual gap in understanding the cortico-basal ganglia system. Through genetic fate mapping, we demonstrate that striosome-matrix compartmentalization arises from a lineage program embedded in lateral ganglionic eminence radial glial progenitors mediating neurogenesis through two distinct types of intermediate progenitors (IPs). The early phase of this program produces striosomal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) through fate-restricted apical IPs (aIPSs) with limited capacity; the late phase produces matrix SPNs through fate-restricted basal IPs (bIPMs) with expanded capacity. Remarkably, direct and indirect pathway SPNs arise within both aIPS and bIPM pools, suggesting that striosome-matrix architecture is the fundamental organizational plan of basal ganglia circuitry organization.

neuroscience↗

Two-Photon Imaging of Striatum Demonstrates Distinct Functions for Striosomes and Matrix in Reinforcement Learning

Despite the discovery of striosomes several decades ago, technical difficulties have hampered the study of their functions. Here we used 2-photon calcium imaging in neuronal birthdate-labeled Mash1-CreER mice to image simultaneously the activity of striosomal and matrix neurons in vivo. We report that with this method we can visually identify circumscribed zones of neuropil that correspond to striosomes as verified in immunostained sections. We find that striosomal neurons, relative to matrix neurons, preferentially encode reward-predicting cues, and that their activity contains more information about expected outcome. These characteristics emerge during training and further strengthen during overtraining. Both striatal compartments are active similarly after reward delivery, firing at neuron-specific times during or after consummatory licking. Finally, we find that immediate reward history strongly modulates neuronal activation in the next trial, especially in matrix neurons. These results suggest that striosomes and matrix have distinct functions in relation to reinforcement learning.

neuroscience↗