Description:

The department of Physiology welcomes Wen-Jun Gao, Ph.D., Professor, with the department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine

Abstract

The mediodorsal (MD) thalamus plays a critical role in cognition through its extensive innervation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but how the two structures cooperate at single-cell level to generate cognitive functions and other mPFC-dependent behaviors remains elusive. Here, we silenced rat MD activity, and evaluated GABAergic inhibition and E/I balance in PFC neurons, as well as cognition, social interaction, and anxiety. Our findings identified a pathway between the MD and mPFC PV interneurons that regulates E/I balance and a broad range of behaviors. Utilizing a novel pharmacogenetic tool, we demonstrated that PV interneurons represent a therapeutic tool for an entire sequelae of alterations in mPFC-dependent behaviors.