Vagus nerve stimulation drives selective circuit modulation through cholinergic reinforcement

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulation therapy for a broad and expanding set of neurologic conditions. However, the mechanism through which VNS influences central nervous system circuitry is not well described, limiting therapeutic optimization. VNS leads to widespread brain activation,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 110; no. 17; p. 2867
Main Authors: Bowles, Spencer, Hickman, Jordan, Peng, Xiaoyu, Williamson, W Ryan, Huang, Rongchen, Washington, Kayden, Donegan, Dane, Welle, Cristin G
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 07.09.2022
Subjects:
Animals
Brain
Cholinergic Agents - pharmacology
Mice
Nervous System Diseases - therapy
Neuronal Plasticity - physiology
Vagus Nerve Stimulation - methods
neuromodulation
motor cortex
motor learning
basal forebrain
cholinergic
plasticity
learning
vagus nerve stimulation
reinforcement
outcome
ISSN:1097-4199, 1097-4199
Online Access:Get more information
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Summary:Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulation therapy for a broad and expanding set of neurologic conditions. However, the mechanism through which VNS influences central nervous system circuitry is not well described, limiting therapeutic optimization. VNS leads to widespread brain activation, but the effects on behavior are remarkably specific, indicating plasticity unique to behaviorally engaged neural circuits. To understand how VNS can lead to specific circuit modulation, we leveraged genetic tools including optogenetics and in vivo calcium imaging in mice learning a skilled reach task. We find that VNS enhances skilled motor learning in healthy animals via a cholinergic reinforcement mechanism, producing a rapid consolidation of an expert reach trajectory. In primary motor cortex (M1), VNS drives precise temporal modulation of neurons that respond to behavioral outcome. This suggests that VNS may accelerate motor refinement in M1 via cholinergic signaling, opening new avenues for optimizing VNS to target specific disease-relevant circuitry.
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ISSN:1097-4199
1097-4199
DOI:10.1016/j.neuron.2022.06.017