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The caudal forelimb area (CFA) of the mouse cortex is essential in many forelimb movements, and diverse types of GABAergic interneuron in the CFA are distinct in the mediation of cortical inhibition in motor information processing. However, their long-range inputs remain unclear. In the present study, we combined the monosynaptic rabies virus system with Cre driver mouse lines to generate a whole-brain map of the inputs to three major inhibitory interneuron types in the CFA. We discovered that each type was innervated by the same upstream areas, but there were quantitative differences in the inputs from the cortex, thalamus, and pallidum. Comparing the locations of the interneurons in two sub-regions of the CFA, we discovered that their long-range inputs were remarkably different in distribution and proportion. This whole-brain mapping indicates the existence of parallel pathway organization in the forelimb subnetwork and provides insight into the inhibitory processes in forelimb movement to reveal the structural architecture underlying the functions of the CFA.

Figure 1. Strategies for tracing monosynaptic inputs to three interneuron types in the CFA.

This study is aimed to explore the long-range inputs of caudal forelimb area (CFA). Using the monosynaptic RV system, the authors studied the long-range input connections of CFA interneurons at the whole-brain level in mice, and generated a comprehensive long-range input atlas of interneurons in the CFAMOp and CFASSp.

 
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