Acetylcholine-mediated modulation of striatal function

Striatal spiny neurones serve as a major anatomical locus for the relay of cortical information now through the basal ganglia. These projection neuron es also represent the main synaptic target of cholinergic interneurones,who se physiological role in striatal activity still remains largely enigmatic. The striatal cholinergic system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, but the cellular mechan isms underlying cholinergic-neurone function are still unknown. On the basi s of in vitro electrophysiological evidence,obtained from a rat corticostri atal-slice preparation, we propose that endogenous ACh exerts a complex mod ulation of striatal synaptic transmission, which produces both short-term a nd long-term effects. ACh-mediated mechanisms might be of crucial importanc e in processing the cortical inputs to the striatum.