
==== Front
bioRxiv
BIORXIV
bioRxiv
2692-8205
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

10.1101/2024.08.28.610136
preprint
1
Article
Segregated basal ganglia output pathways correspond to genetically divergent neuronal subclasses
Mendelsohn Alana I. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4320-798X

Nikoobakht Laudan
Bikoff Jay B.
Costa Rui M.
29 8 2024
2024.08.28.610136https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.
http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2024.08.28.610136
nihpp-2024.08.28.610136.pdf
SUMMARY

The basal ganglia control multiple sensorimotor behaviors though anatomically segregated and topographically organized subcircuits with outputs to specific downstream circuits. However, it is unclear how the anatomical organization of basal ganglia output circuits relates to the molecular diversity of cell types. Here, we demonstrate that the major output nucleus of the basal ganglia, the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) is comprised of transcriptomically distinct subclasses that reflect its distinct progenitor lineages. We show that these subclasses are topographically organized within SNr, project to distinct targets in the midbrain and hindbrain, and receive inputs from different striatal subregions. Finally, we show that these mouse subclasses are also identifiable in human SNr neurons, suggesting that the genetic organization of SNr is evolutionarily conserved. These findings provide a unifying logic for how the developmental specification of diverse SNr neurons relates to the anatomical organization of basal ganglia circuits controlling specialized downstream brain regions.
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pmc
