PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Justin K. O’Hare
AU  - Haofang Li
AU  - Namsoo Kim
AU  - Erin Gaidis
AU  - Kristen K. Ade
AU  - Jeffrey M. Beck
AU  - Henry H. Yin
AU  - Nicole Calakos
TI  - Striatal fast-spiking interneurons drive habitual behavior
AID  - 10.1101/152918
DP  - 2017 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 152918
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/20/152918.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/20/152918.full
AB  - Habit formation is a behavioral adaptation that automates routine actions. Habitual behavior correlates with broad reconfigurations of dorsolateral striatal (DLS) circuit properties that increase gain and shift pathway timing. The mechanism(s) for these circuit adaptations are unknown and could be responsible for habitual behavior. Here we find that a single class of interneuron, fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs), modulates all of these habit-predictive properties. Consistent with a role in habits, FSIs are more excitable in habitual mice compared to goal-directed and acute chemogenetic inhibition of FSIs in DLS prevents the expression of habitual lever pressing. In vivo recordings further reveal a previously unappreciated selective modulation of SPNs based on their firing patterns; FSIs inhibit most SPNs but paradoxically promote the activity of a subset displaying high fractions of gamma-frequency spiking. These results establish a microcircuit mechanism for habits and provide a new example of how interneurons mediate experience-dependent behavior.