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Open Access 01-07-2021 | Original Article

Contribution of the basal forebrain to corticocortical network interactions

Authors: Peter Gombkoto, Matthew Gielow, Peter Varsanyi, Candice Chavez, Laszlo Zaborszky

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 6/2021

Abstract

Basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic neurons provide the cerebral cortex with acetylcholine. Despite the long-established involvement of these cells in sensory processing, attention, and memory, the mechanisms by which cholinergic signaling regulates cognitive processes remain elusive. In this study, we recorded spiking and local field potential data simultaneously from several locations in the BF, and sites in the orbitofrontal and visual cortex in transgenic ChAT-Cre rats performing a visual discrimination task. We observed distinct differences in the fine spatial distributions of gamma coherence values between specific basalo-cortical and cortico-cortical sites that shifted across task phases. Additionally, cholinergic firing induced spatial changes in cortical gamma power, and optogenetic activation of BF increased coherence between specific cortico-cortical sites, suggesting that the cholinergic system contributes to selective modulation of cortico-cortical circuits. Furthermore, the results suggest that cells in specific BF locations are dynamically recruited across behavioral epochs to coordinate interregional cortical processes underlying cognition.

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Title: Contribution of the basal forebrain to corticocortical network interactions
Authors: Peter Gombkoto
Matthew Gielow
Peter Varsanyi
Candice Chavez
Laszlo Zaborszky
Publication date: 01-07-2021
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Brain Structure and Function / Issue 6/2021
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02290-z

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Contribution of the basal forebrain to corticocortical network interactions

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