Ngfr+ cholinergic projection from SI/nBM to mPFC selectively regulates temporal order recognition memory

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 7342 - 20
• Main Authors: Mei, Fan, Zhao, Chen, Li, Shangjin, Xue, Zeping, Zhao, Yueyang, Xu, Yihua, Ye, Rongrong, You, He, Yu, Peng, Han, Xinyu, Carr, Gregory V., Weinberger, Daniel R., Yang, Feng, Lu, Bai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 26-08-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13/44; 14/19; 38/89; 631/378/1595; 631/378/340; 631/378/3920; 64/60; 82/80; 9/74; Acetylcholine; Acetylcholine - metabolism; Activity recognition; Animals; Basal Nucleus of Meynert - metabolism; Basal Nucleus of Meynert - physiology; Cholinergic Neurons - metabolism; Cholinergic Neurons - physiology; Cholinergics; Cognitive ability; Depolarization; Excitability; Growth factors; Hippocampus - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Innervation; Male; Memory; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Molecular modelling; multidisciplinary; Nerve growth factor receptors; Neurons; Nucleus basalis; Object recognition; Photometry; Potassium-chloride cotransporter; Potentiation; Prefrontal cortex; Prefrontal Cortex - metabolism; Prefrontal Cortex - physiology; Pyramidal cells; Pyramidal Cells - metabolism; Pyramidal Cells - physiology; Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; Recognition, Psychology - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Subpopulations; Temporal lobe; Temporal variations; γ-Aminobutyric acid
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51707-w

Acetylcholine regulates various cognitive functions through broad cholinergic innervation. However, specific cholinergic subpopulations, circuits and molecular mechanisms underlying recognition memory remain largely unknown. Here we show that
Ngfr
+
cholinergic neurons in the substantia innominate (SI)/nucleus basalis of Meynert (nBM)-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) circuit selectively underlies recency judgements. Loss of
nerve growth factor receptor
(
Ngfr
−/−
mice) reduced the excitability of cholinergic neurons in the SI/nBM-mPFC circuit but not in the medial septum (MS)-hippocampus pathway, and impaired temporal order memory but not novel object and object location recognition. Expression of
Ngfr
in
Ngfr
−/−
SI/nBM restored defected temporal order memory. Fiber photometry revealed that acetylcholine release in mPFC not only predicted object encounters but also mediated recency judgments of objects, and such acetylcholine release was absent in
Ngfr
−/−
mPFC. Chemogenetic and optogenetic inhibition of SI/nBM projection to mPFC in ChAT-Cre mice diminished mPFC acetylcholine release and deteriorated temporal order recognition. Impaired cholinergic activity led to a depolarizing shift of GABAergic inputs to mPFC pyramidal neurons, due to disturbed KCC2-mediated chloride gradients. Finally, potentiation of acetylcholine signaling upregulated KCC2 levels, restored GABAergic driving force and rescued temporal order recognition deficits in
Ngfr
−/−
mice. Thus, NGFR-dependent SI/nBM-mPFC cholinergic circuit underlies temporal order recognition memory.
Functional roles of the diverse cholinergic subpopulations such as those in the substantia innominate (SI) and the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nBM) are not fully understood. Here the authors show that
Ngfr
+
cholinergic neurons in the SI/nBM-mPFC circuit selectively regulates recency judgement in recognition memory.