Dopamine is essential for striatal function and learning. Striatal dopamine release can be triggered by dopamine cell firing, but also by coordinated cholinergic interneuron activity, which stimulates dopamine release via presynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on dopamine axons. While acetylcholine-dependent dopamine release is well-documented ex vivo and under artificial optogenetic stimulation in vivo, its role during natural behavior has remained unclear. One possible endogenous driver of acetylcholine-dependent dopamine release is thalamic input, which provides strong excitatory drive to cholinergic interneurons. To examine whether thalamic input provokes acetylcholine-dependent dopamine release during behavior, we performed simultaneous fiber photometry recordings of striatal dopamine (GRAB-rDA3m) and thalamic axon activity (gCaMP8m) in the dorsomedial (DMS) and dorsolateral striatum (DLS) of mice learning the accelerating rotarod, a striatal-dependent task that demands precise and effortful motor control. Recordings were obtained on- and off-task and across days of training to capture the full arc of learning. Dopamine transients in DMS, but not DLS, were frequently coupled to peaks in thalamic axon activity via an acetylcholine-dependent mechanism. The occurrence of these thalamic-evoked DMS dopamine transients depended on learning, task engagement, and the recent history of dopamine activity, but did not contribute to motor error signals. Together, these findings establish thalamic input as a physiological driver of acetylcholine-dependent dopamine release in DMS. Moreover, they reveal that striatal sensitivity to this local release mechanism is dynamically gated by dopaminergic history, providing a compelling framework for understanding how local and soma-triggered dopamine signals are coordinated to support learning.

High-resolution extracellular electrophysiology is the gold standard for recording spikes from distributed neural populations and is especially powerful when combined with optogenetics for manipulation of specific cell types with high temporal resolution. We integrated these approaches into prototype Neuropixels Opto probes, which combine electronic and photonic circuits. These devices pack 960 electrical recording sites and two sets of 14 light emitters onto a 70-μm-wide, 1-cm-long shank, allowing spatially addressable optogenetic stimulation with blue and red light. In mouse cortex, Neuropixels Opto probes delivered high-quality recordings together with spatially addressable optogenetics, differentially activating or silencing neurons at distinct cortical depths. In the mouse striatum and other deep structures, Neuropixels Opto probes delivered efficient optotagging, facilitating the identification of two cell types in parallel. Neuropixels Opto probes represent a promising tool for recording, identifying and manipulating neuronal populations.

Although learning in response to extrinsic reinforcement is theorized to be driven by dopamine signals that encode the difference between expected and experienced rewards, skills that enable verbal or musical expression can be learned without extrinsic reinforcement. Instead, spontaneous execution of these skills is thought to be intrinsically reinforcing. Whether dopamine signals similarly guide learning of these intrinsically reinforced behaviours is unknown. In juvenile zebra finches learning from an adult tutor, dopamine signalling in a song-specialized basal ganglia region is required for successful song copying, a spontaneous, intrinsically reinforced process. Here we show that dopamine dynamics in the song basal ganglia faithfully track the learned quality of juvenile song performance on a rendition-by-rendition basis. Furthermore, dopamine release in the basal ganglia is driven not only by inputs from midbrain dopamine neurons classically associated with reinforcement learning but also by song premotor inputs, which act by means of local cholinergic signalling to elevate dopamine during singing. Although both cholinergic and dopaminergic signalling are necessary for juvenile song learning, only dopamine tracks the learned quality of song performance. Therefore, dopamine dynamics in the basal ganglia encode performance quality during self-directed, long-term learning of natural behaviours.

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.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) are rare structural vascular abnormalities that create communications between pulmonary arteries and veins, resulting in right-to-left shunts. PAVMs are often asymptomatic; however, patients may exhibit a range of clinical symptoms, including dyspnea, hemoptysis, chest pain, and cyanosis. Common serious complications include cerebrovascular events (eg, paradoxical embolism resulting in stroke or transient ischemic attack) and infectious complications (eg, brain abscess). PAVMs do not always require treatment; management should be guided by factors such as feeding artery size and patient symptoms. When intervention is indicated, percutaneous transcatheter embolization is the primary treatment and demonstrates efficacy in most cases. This report describes a case of recurrent cerebral embolism attributed to an undiagnosed PAVM, which was treated with percutaneous transcatheter embolization. CASE REPORT A 67-year-old man lacking prior medical history or medication use experienced recurrent cerebral embolism within 3 months despite therapeutic anticoagulation. The paradoxical embolism was attributed to a PAVM diagnosed by contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography. Subsequent transcatheter embolization of the PAVM was successfully performed. No recurrence was observed at the 4-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS In cases of unexplained cerebral embolism, PAVMs should be considered a potential underlying etiology. Hemorrhagic transformation requires careful risk assessment but is not an absolute contraindication to percutaneous transcatheter embolization. Timely diagnosis and embolization are essential to prevent disabling recurrent events.

BACKGROUND Blood cancers account for 7% of all malignant neoplastic diseases worldwide. However, there has been an increase in the survival rate of patients with hematological cancer. These data indicate the need to make patients aware of the importance of physical activity. We aimed to assess the level of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle of patients with hematological cancer treated with monoclonal antibodies as a monotherapy or combination therapy (immunochemotherapy), compared with that of healthy individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients (n=155) treated for hematological malignancies (study group) and healthy individuals (n=137) were divided using World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on physical activity into groups of adults aged 18-64 years and 65 years and older. All participants completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). RESULTS In the younger adult group, the median IPAQ total score in the study group was 1235.00 compared with 3186.00 in healthy individuals (P<0.0001). Importantly, the study group also differed from healthy individuals in terms of sitting time: 1200.00 vs 360.00 (P<0.0001). In the older adult group, no significant difference was found in the median IPAQ total score: 1188.00 vs 1777.00 (P=0.25); however, significant differences were observed for sitting time: 900.00 vs 300.00 (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Patients with hematological cancer treated with monoclonal antibodies as a monotherapy or combination therapy (immunochemotherapy) show, regardless of age, lower levels of physical activity and longer sitting time than healthy individuals, indicating the need for education and promotion of physical activity in this group of patients.

IntroductionThe role of shared decision making (SDM) has become increasingly pivotal, particularly in nuanced choices such as those involving implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy. This study evaluates the impact of the Dutch ICD Decision Aid on SDM in patients up for ICD implantation or replacement.MethodsA stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial was conducted across 6 Dutch hospitals between February 2018 and September 2019, involving patients eligible for ICD implantation or pulse-generator exchange. SDM experiences of the patients and involved medical professionals were assessed using SDM-Q-9 and SDM-Q-Doc questionnaires, respectively. The Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) scores measured effective decision making. The intervention group received the decision aid on top of standard care.ResultsA total of 150 patients and 233 health care providers were included in the study. For health care providers, SDM scores did not differ: the SDM-Q-Doc median score was 36 (28-38) in the control phase and 35 (33-40) in the intervention phase ( = 0.81). Patients in both the intervention and control groups demonstrated high SDM scores as well. Decisional conflict scores were low: the median DCS score was 12.5 (4.3-23.4) in the intervention phase and 16.4 (6.25-25.0) in the control phase ( = 0.45). Patients with a higher education provided more correct answers to the theoretical knowledge questions. In addition, patients up for a pulse-generator exchange also had significantly more correct answers.ConclusionsAlthough the Dutch ICD Decision Aid did not result in significant differences in SDM scores or levels of decisional conflict between patient groups, both measures remained consistently favorable overall. The decision aid still holds promise as a valuable resource. Efforts should focus on refining decision-making tools and improving patient knowledge and the quality of patient-centered care.HighlightsA digital decision aid did not significantly increase shared decision-making (SDM) scores for patients and health care providers, as SDM levels were already high across all groups.Despite high SDM scores, patient knowledge about implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy remained low, highlighting a gap in understanding.Patients with higher education or prior experience with ICDs demonstrated better knowledge retention, indicating the need for tailored educational interventions.The study emphasizes the ongoing challenge of ensuring unbiased, well-informed decision making in ICD therapy, especially during pulse-generator replacements.