# Sensory Plasticity in the Auditory Striatum as an Impetus for Action Control

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $491,004

## Abstract

Project Summary
The ability to translate sensory experiences into action is essential for our survival. Despite its importance in
health and disease, we know remarkably little about how we assign meaning to and use sensory stimuli to
guide behavior. The dorsal striatum is thought to be particularly important for the formation of sensorimotor
associations during reinforcement learning due to the dopaminergic inputs it receives, as well as a diverse
array of cortical and subcortical inputs. There are two cell types that make up the two output pathways of the
dorsal striatum, direct pathway striatal projection neurons (dSPNs) and indirect pathway striatal neurons
(iSPNs). While much work has focused on how these pathways might function to initiate movements, very little
is known about how sensory learning influences the neuronal activity of these neurons and what effect this has
on behavior.
 The experiments that make up this proposal provide a framework for understanding how sensory input
shapes the activity of dSPNs and iSPNs in the dorsal striatum. In this proposal, we focus on a specific part of
the dorsal striatum known as the auditory striatum (AudStr), that receives dense auditory inputs. We
hypothesize that auditory sensorimotor learning enables the formation of cue-specific ensembles that correlate
with and predict motor output. We expect that these changes will be primarily driven by synaptic plasticity of
inputs that converge onto SPNs, rather than changes to their intrinsic excitability.
 We will perform two independent, inter-related aims to test this hypothesis. We will train mice on a task
that requires them to associate a 'go' cue with a specified action to receive a reward, and to suppress this
action in response to a 'no-go' cue. In Aim 1, we will employ longitudinal calcium imaging of AudStr neurons to
characterize the outputs of these neurons to cues before and after learning. In Aim 2, we will explore the
cellular mechanisms underlying anticipated changes in population activity that results from learning, and aim to
demonstrate the importance of synaptic plasticity in the AudStr to this process. In both aims we will employ
methods that enable us to identify neurons as dSPNs and iSPNs. This is crucial because a major outstanding
question in this field is whether these cell types play opposing or complementary roles in producing appropriate
motor responses. Overall, this work will lay the groundwork for a new conceptual model for understanding
how sensory learning influences striatal activity to control behavior.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10423004
- **Project number:** 1R01NS126391-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Tanya Sippy
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $491,004
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-03-01 → 2027-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10423004

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10423004, Sensory Plasticity in the Auditory Striatum as an Impetus for Action Control (1R01NS126391-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10423004. Licensed CC0.

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