查看文章

Striatal cholinergic interneurons are critical elements of the striatal circuitry controlling motor planning, movement, and associative learning. Intrastriatal release of dopamine and inhibition of interneuron activity is thought to be a critical link between behaviorally relevant events, such as reward, and alterations in striatal function. However, the mechanisms mediating this modulation are unclear. Using a combination of electrophysiological, molecular, and computational approaches, the studies reported here show that D₂ dopamine receptor modulation of Na⁺ currents underlying autonomous spiking contributes to a slowing of discharge rate, such as that seen in vivo. Four lines of evidence support this conclusion. First, D₂ receptor stimulation in tissue slices reduced the autonomous spiking in the presence of synaptic blockers. Second, in acutely isolated neurons, D₂ receptor activation led to a reduction in Na …