NeuroImage (Oct 2020)

fMRI detects bilateral brain network activation following unilateral chemogenetic activation of direct striatal projection neurons

  • Yuki Nakamura,
  • Yukari Nakamura,
  • Assunta Pelosi,
  • Boucif Djemai,
  • Clément Debacker,
  • Denis Hervé,
  • Jean-Antoine Girault,
  • Tomokazu Tsurugizawa

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 220
p. 117079

Abstract

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Abnormal structural and functional connectivity in the striatum during neurological disorders has been reported using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), although the effects of cell-type specific neuronal stimulation on fMRI and related behavioral alterations are not well understood. In this study, we combined DREADD technology with fMRI (“chemo-fMRI”) to investigate alterations of spontaneous neuronal activity. These were induced by the unilateral activation of dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons (D1-neurons) in the mouse dorsal striatum (DS). After clozapine (CLZ) stimulation of the excitatory DREADD expressed in D1-neurons, the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) increased bilaterally in the medial thalamus, nucleus accumbens and cortex. In addition, we found that the gamma-band of local field potentials was increased in the stimulated DS and cortex bilaterally. These results provide insights for better interpretation of cell type-specific activity changes in fMRI.

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