A basolateral amygdala to dorsolateral striatum projection modulates stimulus-evoked motor behavior.

A direct BLA to DLS projection modulates stimulus-evoked grooming behavior and is strengthened in compulsive mice, revealing limbic influence on sensorimotor circuits.

• Why it matters: Understanding how emotional salience impacts motor learning is crucial, as limbic inputs to the striatum may underlie maladaptive behaviors like compulsive grooming.
• What they did: Using mice, the study identified a specific BLA-DLS pathway from a distinct neuronal population, employing optogenetics to examine synaptic effects and plasticity related to behavior.
• The result: Repeated activation of this pathway enhanced grooming and induced plasticity, with the projection being pathologically strengthened in compulsive mice, suggesting a mechanism for limbic modulation of motor output.