Cholinergic interneurons (CINs) are essential elements of striatal circuits and functions. Although acetylcholine signaling via muscarinic receptors (mAChRs) has been well studied, more recent data indicate that postsynaptic nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) located on striatal GABAergic interneurons (GINs) are equally critical. One example is that CIN stimulation induces large disynaptic inhibition of striatal projection neurons (SPNs) mediated by nAChR activation of GINs. Although these circuits are ideally positioned to modulate striatal output, the neurons involved are not definitively identified because of an incomplete mapping of CINs-GINs interconnections. Here, we show that CINs modulate four GINs populations via an intricate mechanism involving co-activation of presynaptic and postsynaptic mAChRs and nAChRs. Using optogenetics, we demonstrate the participation of tyrosine hydroxylase-expressing GINs in the disynaptic inhibition of SPNs via heterotypic electrical coupling with neurogliaform interneurons. Altogether, our results highlight the importance of CINs in regulating GINs microcircuits via complex synaptic/heterosynaptic mechanisms.

Voltage imaging has emerged as a powerful tool for recording membrane potential changes in living cells, offering a direct measurement of rapid neuronal events with high temporal precision. Since the brain is a three-dimensional circuit, it is essential to record signals across a volume. However, achieving effective three-dimensional voltage imaging over large neuronal populations remains challenging due to the need for high imaging speed, high signal-to-noise ratio, and extensive volume coverage. In this study, we demonstrate in vivo three-dimensional voltage imaging in larval zebrafish using oblique plane microscopy and QFDBD-QUAS-driven expression of the genetically encoded voltage indicator Ace-mNeon2-Kv2.1, achieving volumetric imaging rates of up to 200 volumes per second (VPS). This approach enables dye-free voltage imaging, simplifying experimental workflows and improving the reproducibility of in vivo voltage imaging experiments for investigating neuronal circuit dynamics in the living zebrafish animal model.

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is essential in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recent studies highlight the significance of interactions between ACh and various neuromodulators in regulating complex behaviors. The ability to simultaneously image ACh and other neuromodulators can provide valuable information regarding the mechanisms underlying these behaviors. Here we developed a series of red fluorescent G-protein-coupled receptor activation-based ACh sensors, with a wide detection range and expanded spectral profile. The high-affinity sensor rACh1h reliably detects ACh release in various brain regions, including the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus and cortex. Moreover, rACh1h can be coexpressed with green fluorescent sensors to record ACh release together with other neurochemicals in various behavioral contexts using fiber photometry, mesoscopic imaging and two-photon imaging with high spatiotemporal resolution.

Basal Ganglia Advances is a collection highlighting research on the structure, function, and disorders of the basal ganglia. It features studies spanning neuroscience, clinical insights, and computational models, serving as a hub for advances in movement, cognition, and behavior.

Recent advances in the field of Voltage Imaging, with a special focus on new constructs and novel implementations.

Work related to place tuning, spatial navigation, orientation and direction. Mainly includes articles on connectivity in the hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and related areas.

Bacterial pneumonia and sepsis are common severe infectious diseases in pediatrics. The overlapping early clinical manifestations of these two conditions often lead to misdiagnosis. Establishing a precise early differential diagnostic method is crucial for improving patient outcomes. This retrospective cohort study enrolled 126 children with bacterial pneumonia, 116 children with sepsis, and 65 healthy children as controls. Plasma procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and peripheral blood leukocyte subset indicators were measured, and their differential diagnostic efficacy was analyzed. The results showed that PCT, CRP, white blood cell count, and absolute neutrophil count (NE#) were significantly higher in the sepsis group than in the bacterial pneumonia group ( < 0.05). The area under the curve for PCT in differentiating sepsis was 0.85, with an optimal cut-off value of 5.8 ng/mL. The optimal cut-off values for CRP in diagnosing sepsis and bacterial pneumonia were 28.5 mg/L and 20.0 mg/L, respectively, which could help distinguish local from systemic infection. The diagnostic value of NE# was significantly superior to that of the neutrophil percentage (AUC: 0.79 vs. 0.65). The sepsis group also had a longer disease course and a higher proportion of patients with a history of previous hospitalization ( < 0.05). The study confirmed that PCT and CRP have significant differential diagnostic value for pediatric bacterial pneumonia and sepsis, with PCT showing superior efficacy for identifying sepsis. The differentiated CRP cut-off values could reflect infection severity, and NE# was more suitable as an inflammatory assessment indicator in pediatric infections. Combining these biomarkers with clinical features like disease course and prior hospitalization history can guide early and precise clinical differentiation, providing a reference for timely targeted anti-infective therapy.

Magnesiothermic reduction (MgTR) is a convenient route capable of reducing oxides such as SiO to produce porous Si. The Mg/SiO system is optimized, understood, and has enabled researchers to tailor synthesis conditions that afford materials suitable for targeted applications. The extension of MgTR to hierarchical, multi-component oxide precursors containing transition metals remains underexplored. In this study, we investigate nickel phyllosilicate-coated Stöber silica nanoparticles as a prototypical hierarchical MgTR precursor. Through methodical variation of the Mg content, processing temperature, and heating profile, we elucidate the influence of these experimental parameters on reaction pathways, phase purity, morphological control, and porosity. This approach reveals competing byproduct pathways responsible for intractable impurities, loss of phase control, and morphological degradation, while demonstrating that NiSi is the preferentially formed silicide phase under small scale optimized conditions. Porous Si@NiSi nanoparticles were successfully synthesized, with surface areas increasing from 40 m g in the nickel phyllosilicate-coated precursor to 148 m g following MgTR and purification. X-ray diffraction of crude and purified products confirmed NiSi/Si phase formation; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy verified the reduction of both Ni and Si. Electron microscopy confirmed particle shape retention and surface topology characteristic of MgTR, as well as preservation of the hierarchical architecture of the precursor nanoparticles. Nitrogen adsorption measurements confirmed mesopore generation consistent with the observed surface area enhancement. This work presents an example of how MgTR can be used to convert hierarchical, multi-component oxide precursors, providing insight into reaction pathway control and enabling the targeted synthesis of complex nanostructures.