How does the brain integrate information to drive decision making?
Postdoctoral work in the Fuccillo Lab at Penn and plans for future independent work
Adapted from Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas
The dorsomedial striatum (DMS) is a central processing node for goal-directed behaviors
As the main input region of the basal ganglia, the DMS receives widespread cortical, thalamic, and limbic inputs and integrates them to drive action selection.
Accordingly, the DMS is critically involved in goal-directed and decision-making behaviors. A central aim of my research is to investigate how the DMS integrates divergent inputs to drive choice through action selection. To explore this, my work focuses on
(1) local striatal interneuron circuits during goal-directed behaviors
(2) striatal integration of cortical afferents during decision-making
Local striatal interneuron circuits during goal-directed behaviors
The DMS is primarily comprised of spiny projection neurons (SPNs), which are locally modulated by sparse populations of interneurons. While interneurons are poised to play important roles in shaping SPN activity to guide action selection, their roles in goal-directed behaviors have been largely unexplored.
A primary focus of my postdoctoral research has been characterizing the role of one striatal interneuron subtype, low-threshold spiking interneurons (LTSIs). I have discovered that LTSIs show robust reward-circumscribed activity that is downmodulated across goal-directed learning, and this decreased LTSI activity is critical for task acquisition1.
Relevant Publications:
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Holly EN, Davatolhagh MF, España RA, Fuccillo MV (2021). Striatal low-threshold spiking interneurons locally gate dopamine. Current Biology, in press
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Holly EN, Davatolhagh MF, Choi K, Alabi OA, Vargas Cifuentes L, Fuccillo MV (2019). Striatal low-threshold spiking interneurons regulate goal-directed learning. Neuron, 103:92-101.
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Choi K*, Holly EN*, Davatolhagh MF, Beier KT, Fuccillo MV (2019). Integrated anatomical and physiological mapping of striatal afferent projections. European Journal of Neuroscience, 49:623-636.
Striatal integration of cortical afferents during decision-making
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