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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Nov 10.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Top Dev Biol. 2014;109:97–169. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-397920-9.00001-9

Table 3.1.

Striatal cell types

Cell type Transmitter Nomenclature Afferent
connections		 Efferent
connections		 Specific
markers		 Major electrophysiological
properties
Projection neurons GABA MSN— Direct pathway Cortex, thalamus, interneurons, GPe GPi, SNr, collaterals to GPe DARPP-32, D1R Fire sparsely. Require coordinated excitatory synaptic input to initiate spike
MSN— Indirect pathway Cortex, thalamus, interneurons, GPe GPe DARPP-32, D2R, A2A receptors Fire sparsely. Require coordinated excitatory synaptic input to initiate spike
Interneurons GABA FSI Cortex, CM/Pf thalamus, GPe, interneurons Proximal MSN dendrites/soma Parvalbumin Strong monosynaptic inhibition of MSN in vitro
PLTS MSN distal dendrite NPY, SST, nNOS Small IPSP on postsynaptic neuron
CR+ CR
TH+ TH GABA-dependent IPSP on postsynaptic neuron
Cholinergic TAN CM/pf thalamus, cortex, interneurons MSN, interneurons, volume transmission ChAT, VAChT, TrkA Spontaneously fire at low frequencies (< 10 Hz). Pause in response to salient behavioral events