Investigating striatal function through cell-type-specific manipulations

The striatum integrates convergent input from the cortex, thalamus, and midbrain, and has a powerful influence over motivated behavior via outputs to downstream basal ganglia nuclei. Although the anatomy and physiology of distinct classes of striatal neurons have been intensively studied, the specific functions of these cell subpopulations have been more difficult to address. Recently, application of new methodologies for perturbing activity and signaling in different cell types in vivo has begun to allow direct tests of the causal roles of striatal neurons in behavior.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Function and Dysfunction of the Basal Ganglia.

▶Cell-type-specific manipulations enable insight into striatal function. ▶Several techniques have been used to knockout, ablate, or inactivate striatal neurons. ▶Optogenetic methods have enabled selective stimulation of striatal neurons. ▶A remarkable convergence of results indicates unique functions for D1 MSNs, D2 MSNs, and striatal interneurons.