Cholinergic Interneurons in the Dorsal and Ventral Striatum: Anatomical and Functional Considerations in Normal and Diseased Conditions
Overview
Authors
Affiliations
Striatal cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) are central for the processing and reinforcement of reward-related behaviors that are negatively affected in states of altered dopamine transmission, such as in Parkinson's disease or drug addiction. Nevertheless, the development of therapeutic interventions directed at ChIs has been hampered by our limited knowledge of the diverse anatomical and functional characteristics of these neurons in the dorsal and ventral striatum, combined with the lack of pharmacological tools to modulate specific cholinergic receptor subtypes. This review highlights some of the key morphological, synaptic, and functional differences between ChIs of different striatal regions and across species. It also provides an overview of our current knowledge of the cellular localization and function of cholinergic receptor subtypes. The future use of high-resolution anatomical and functional tools to study the synaptic microcircuitry of brain networks, along with the development of specific cholinergic receptor drugs, should help further elucidate the role of striatal ChIs and permit efficient targeting of cholinergic systems in various brain disorders, including Parkinson's disease and addiction.
Extrinsic and intrinsic control of striatal cholinergic interneuron activity.
Ratna D, Francis T Front Mol Neurosci. 2025; 18:1528419.
PMID: 40018010 PMC: 11865219. DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2025.1528419.
Modulating the cholinergic system-Novel targets for deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.
Witzig V, Pjontek R, Tan S, Schulz J, Holtbernd F J Neurochem. 2024; 169(2):e16264.
PMID: 39556446 PMC: 11808463. DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16264.
Comparison of dopamine release and uptake parameters across sex, species and striatal subregions.
Kuiper L, Dawes M, West A, DiMarco E, Galante E, Kishida K Eur J Neurosci. 2024; 60(6):5113-5140.
PMID: 39161062 PMC: 11632670. DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16495.
Regional heterogeneity in the membrane properties of mouse striatal neurons.
Chuhma N, Rayport S Front Cell Neurosci. 2024; 18:1412897.
PMID: 39144155 PMC: 11321984. DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1412897.
Corticotropin releasing factor alters the functional diversity of accumbal cholinergic interneurons.
Ingebretson A, Alonso-Caraballo Y, Razidlo J, Lemos J J Neurophysiol. 2024; 132(2):403-417.
PMID: 39106208 PMC: 11427051. DOI: 10.1152/jn.00348.2023.