Striatal cholinergic interneurons exhibit compartment-specific anatomical and functional organization in the mouse

Abstract

Striatal output is dynamically modulated by cholinergic interneurons (CINs), the primary source of acetylcholine in the striatum. CINs have been classically viewed as a random and homogeneous population, but recent evidence suggests heterogeneity in their anatomical and functional organization. Here, using systematic mapping and quantitative spatial analyses, we found that—contrary to current dogma—CINs exhibited striking enrichment and nonrandom clustering in the striosome compartment, particularly in the lateral striatum. Similar analyses carried out for parvalbumin- and somatostatin-expressing interneurons revealed that compartmental organization is interneuron specific. The strong “striosome preference” exhibited by CINs was confined within striosome borders, not extending to the surrounding matrix. We further found that striosome and matrix CINs differed in their expression levels of phospho-S6 ribosomal protein-Ser240/244 and choline acetyltransferase, suggesting functional differences, and clustered CINs differed from unclustered CINs in their intrinsic membrane properties. Finally, CINs expressing Lhx6, which defines a distinct γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) coreleasing population, were notably absent from regions where highly clustered striosomal CINs appeared. Collectively, our findings uncover important dimensions of CIN organization, suggesting that modulation of regional and compartmental striatal output may depend upon the spatial–functional heterogeneity of CINs.