Authors:
Asheeta A. Prasad & Åsa Wallén-Mackenzie

Abstract:
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a major neuromodulation target for the alleviation of neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms using deep brain stimulation (DBS). STN-DBS is today applied as treatment in Parkinson´s disease, dystonia, essential tremor, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). STN-DBS also shows promise as a treatment for refractory Tourette syndrome. However, the internal organization of the STN has remained elusive and challenges researchers and clinicians: How can this small brain structure engage in the multitude of functions that renders it a key hub for therapeutic intervention of a variety of brain disorders ranging from motor to affective to cognitive? Based on recent gene expression studies of the STN, a comprehensive view of the anatomical and cellular organization, including revelations of spatio-molecular heterogeneity, is now possible to outline. In this review, we focus attention to the neurobiological architecture of the STN with specific emphasis on molecular patterns discovered within this complex brain area. Studies from human, non-human primate, and rodent brains now reveal anatomically defined distribution of specific molecular markers. Together their spatial patterns indicate a heterogeneous molecular architecture within the STN. Considering the translational capacity of targeting the STN in severe brain disorders, the addition of molecular profiling of the STN will allow for advancement in precision of clinical STN-based interventions.

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05691-4

Authors:
M. Angela Cenci, Arvind Kumar

Abstract:
L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is the most common form of hyperkinetic movement disorder resulting from altered information processing in the cortico-basal ganglia network. We here review recent advances clarifying the altered interplay between striatal output pathways in this movement disorder. We also review studies revealing structural and synaptic changes to the striatal microcircuitry and altered cortico-striatal activity dynamics in LID. We furthermore highlight the recent progress made in understanding the involvement of cerebellar and brain stem nuclei. These recent developments illustrate that dyskinesia research continues to provide key insights into cellular and circuit-level plasticity within the cortico-basal ganglia network and its interconnected brain regions.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959438823001587

Lund University Medical Faculty has an open call for recruitment of excellent young scientists. The call is part of a broader initiative to foster future scientific leaders at Lund University: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about-university/work-lund-university/associate-senior-lecturer-vacancies-lund-university

The strategic research area MultiPark (multidisciplinary research on Parkinson´s and related disorders, multipark.lu.se) welcomes applicants with a neuroscience background and commits to providing different types of support to excellent candidates interested in joining our environment.

Eligibility: The call addresses promising researchers aiming to lead pioneering research projects. Candidates should have obtained one´s PhD degree within 5 years from the application deadline (i.e. not earlier than February 15, 2019, with extensions for parental leave, sick leave, or military service). The call is reserved to applicants with experience of post-doctoral biomedical research in an institute outside of Sweden, resulting in publications at a high scientific level. Candidates need not have held a position or scholarship in Sweden during the past 4 years (i.e. after February 15, 2020).

Application deadline: February 15, 2024 (11:59 PM) 

Position start date: earliest on February 16, 2025.

For further information and contact details see the attached flyer.

We warmly welcome Filip Bergquist as a new Board member. He will be replacing Gesine Paul-Visse as SWEMODIS representative.

You can read more about Filip on the board page.

We hope you aren’t missing out on our awesome archive of webinar lectures. We wish to provide you with valuable insights and knowledge, and the latest from the fascinating world of the basal ganglia.

But we want to hear from you, too! Please let us know what more you would like to hear about or the specific researchers and experts you’d like to hear from. Your input helps us tailor our future content to your interests and needs.

Here’s a taste of what our archive has to offer:

Title:	Presenter:
A single-cell perspective on human dopaminergic neurons in the developing and adult midbrain	Ernest Arenas
Adaptive DBS – are  we ready for clinical application?	Andrea Kuhn
Alcohol Shifts the Balance Between Associative and Sensorimotor Cortico-Thalamo-Basal Ganglia Circuit Control of Behavior	David M Lovinger
Altered striatal dopamine in tardive dyskinesia	Alexandra Nelson
Axonal gating of striatal dopamine transmission by neuronal and non-neuronal networks	Stephanie Cragg
Bayesian mapping of the striatal microcircuit	Mark Humphries
Behavioural and neurophysiological transformations elicited by nicotine	Louise Adermark
Cell-type specific auditory responses in the auditory striatum are driven by feed forward inhibition	Tanya Sippy
Circuit-Based Strategies For Long-Lasting Motor Recovery Following Dopamine Depletion	Aryn H. Gittis
Clinical studies on serotonin mechanisms in L-dopa-induced dyskinesias	Per Svenningsson
Computational models of basal ganglia physiology: dopamine, beta oscillations, and nigrothalamic transmission	Robert Schmitt
Cortico-basal ganglia connections: a across species-approach for understanding and probing circuits in the human brain	Suzanne Haber
Data-driven simulations of basal ganglia microcircuits	Jeanette Hellgren-Kotaleski
Developing a novel chemogenetic strategy for opiod use disorder	Lucas L. Sjulson
Disinhibitory gating of discrimination learning and spine enlargement by dopamine D2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens	Sho Yagishita
Disruption of mitochondrial complex I induced progressive parkinsonism with nigral determinants	James Surmeier
Distinct cortico- and thalamo-striatal plasticity subtends distinct learning strategies	Laurent Venance
Diversity of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons	Rajeshwar Awatramani
Dopamine and acetylcholine: enigmantic modulators of the striatum.	Jeff Wickens
Dopamine Dynamics for Learning and Motivation	Joshua Berke
Dopamine neurons and reward	Wolfram Schultz
Dopamine waves as a mechanism for spatiotemporal credit assignment	Arif Hamid
Encoding and updating action-outcome associations in the striatum and affiliated circuits	Bernard Balleine
Feedforward and feedback interactions in the triatum	Arvind Kumar
GPCR hetorecomplexes in the brain and their reorganization increases our understanding of Parkinson’s disease	Kjell Fuxe
In search of a unifying function of the dorsal striatum…a simple question of effort?	David Robbe
Instrinsic dopamine and acetylcholine dynamics in the striatum of mice	Nicolas Tritch
Interrogating dopamine neuron development at the single cell level	Thomas Perlmann
Learning from Dysfunction: A view from the globus pallidus	Nicolas Mallet
Liking’ as shaping; ‘wanting’ as reinforcing	Peter Dayan
Linking brainstem locomotor command pathways to restoration of motor function in Parkinsonism	Ole Kiehn
Making sense of dopaminergic heterogeneity	Ilana Witten
Mapping from basal ganglia dynamics to decision policies	Jonathan E. Rubin
Mapping the organization and function of brain circuits	Dinos Meletis
Midbrain circuits regulating motor gating	Juan Mena Segovia
Motor learning regulator? Significance of proteostasis pathway activity in striatal cholinergic interneurons.	Nicole Calakos
Neurons to Network in the Globus Pallidus	Charles Wilson
Possible roles of alpha-synuclein in the pathogenesis of basl ganglia discorder	Patrik Brundin
Possible roles of the basal ganglia in control and inference	Kenji Doya
Sensory transmission in corticostriatal networks	Ramón Reig García
Sentitized dopamine transmission in the parkinsonian brain	Gilberto Fisone
Stem cell therapy for Parkinson´s disease: From cell replacement to circuitry repair	Anders Björklund
Stimulating at the right time	Hayriye Cagnan
Striatal pathways and dopamine receptors in L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia	Angela Cenci Nilsson
Synaptic Connectivity in the Striatal Orchestra	Gilad Silberberg
The coming of age of the basal ganglia	Ann Graybiel
The involvement of cortico-basal ganglia circuits in spontaneous and learned behaviors	Per Petersson
The neuroscientist’s guide to schizophrenia: a data-driven prioritization of circuits	Jens Hjerling Leffler
The role of basal ganglia input to the ventromedial thalamus in motor decision making and timing	Dieter Jaeger
The role of the basal ganglia in motor skill learning and execution	Bence P Ölveczky
To sleep or not to sleep in Parkinson’s disease and DBS procedure?	Hagai Bergman
Traveling waves of acetylcholine and dopamine release in the striatum	Josh Goldberg
Upregulation of D1 receptor signaling biases toward punishment-resistant alcohol drinking	Veronica Alvarez
What does basal ganglia activity teach us about the pathophysiology of movement disorders?	Atsushi Nambu
With the basal ganglia over 500 million years – function and intrinsic networks	Sten Grillner
ZSwim6: A window into mechanisms of disease-associated striatal dysfunction	Marc Fuccillo

Dive into our archive, and let us know your thoughts and suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to provide valuable content for your interests.

All Members are welcome to our annual meeting scheduled for November 24 at 15:00-15:30 CET.
Please find the agenda here: https://swebags.ebrains.se/forums/topic/annual-meeting-2023/

New recordings from the latest webinar are now available in the webinar archive:

Dopamine waves as a mechanism for spatiotemporal credit assignment with Arif Hamid

Traveling waves of acetylcholine and dopamine release in the striatum with Josh Goldberg