# Basal forebrain parvalbumin neurons regulate attention by controlling cortical oscillations

> **NIH NIH F32** · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2020 · $71,946

## Abstract

Deficits in attention are a major feature of many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. Thus,
understanding the brain circuitry underlying attention is important to develop novel treatments. Dysfunction and
degeneration of basal forebrain (BF) neurons are early features of these diseases. Previous studies have
suggested that cholinergic BF neurons are important in attention and their loss contributes to attention deficits.
However, the majority of BF neurons are non-cholinergic and little is known about their role in cognition. Here,
we use state-of-the-art optogenetic techniques in combination with cortical local field potential (LFP) recordings
and behavioral paradigms in mice to test the role of one non-cholinergic subtype, basal forebrain parvalbumin
neurons (BF PV), in attention for the first time.
 Our group and others have shown that BF PV neurons control fast cortical oscillations. These oscillations
are associated with increased levels of arousal, alertness, and attention, but direct behavioral tests implicating
BF PV for functions in attention are lacking. This proposal will address that gap in our knowledge by
demonstrating that regulation of cortical oscillations by BF PV neurons is important for two domains of attention
(Aim 1. Attention for Action; Aim 2. Attention for Learning). The first aim will assess the role of BF PV neurons
in promoting levels of sustained attention needed for optimal performance in signal detection tasks. We predict
that BF PV optogenetic excitation with specific parameters (tonic vs patterned frequency) and during specific
task epochs (prior to vs coincident with signals) will entrain cortical oscillations to enhance performance in
attentional challenges and ameliorate vigilance decrements incurred either by sleep deprivation or time-on-
task. Furthermore, we predict that BF PV optogenetic inhibition will impair maintenance of attention and mimic
the effects of sleep deprivation. The second aim will show that BF PV neurons modulate learning by altering
the attentional salience of sensory stimuli. Research under this aim will use classical conditioning procedures
to show that BF PV activity underlies cortical processing of prediction error, the discrepancy between predicted
events and actual events, and that bidirectional optogenetic modulation of BF PV activity can promote with
excitation or disrupt with inhibition the allocation of attention to cues for the purposes of learning. The training
plan for this award includes mentorship from an expert team of Harvard Medical School professors specializing
in BF mechanisms in arousal, attention, and cortical oscillations. Indeed, the proposed training on advanced
signal processing and electrophysiological analysis techniques will prove invaluable for an independent
research career studying systems level neural mechanisms of attention.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9905923
- **Project number:** 1F32MH119838-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** Felipe Lopes Schiffino
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $71,946
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2021-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9905923

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9905923, Basal forebrain parvalbumin neurons regulate attention by controlling cortical oscillations (1F32MH119838-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9905923. Licensed CC0.

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