斯坦福大学医学院Jun B. Ding团队的一项最新研究开发出运动学习过程中皮质纹状体轴突钮扣的重塑。相关论文发表在2025年7月30日出版的《自然》杂志上。

采用体内纵向双光子成像技术，研究了清醒小鼠背外侧纹状体皮质纹状体轴突钮扣的活动。研究人员发现学习一项新的运动技能会动态地调节这些钮扣。运动皮质纹状体轴突钮扣的活动表现出对奖赏运动（RM）和非奖赏运动（UM）的选择性。值得注意的是，同一轴突分支上的钮扣在行为中表现出不同的反应。运动学习显著增加了RM钮扣的比例，降低了钮扣活动的异质性。

此外，运动学习在钮扣中诱发了深刻的结构动力。通过结合结构和功能成像，该研究团队发现新形成的轴突钮扣更有可能对RM表现出选择性，并且在运动学习过程中稳定下来，而UM钮扣则被选择性地消除。这些发现揭示了皮质纹状体轴突可塑性的一种新形式，并表明运动学习驱动动态按钮重组以支持运动技能的获得和执行。

研究人员表示，运动技能学习在树突棘和运动皮质神经元向纹状体的输出处诱发持久的突触可塑性。然而，研究团队对成人大脑学习过程中皮质纹状体轴突的活动和结构可塑性知之甚少。

附：英文原文

Title: Remodelling of corticostriatal axonal boutons during motor learning

Author: Sheng, Mengjun, Lu, Di, Roth, Richard H., Hwang, Fuu-Jiun, Sheng, Kaiwen, Ding, Jun B.

Issue&Volume: 2025-07-30

Abstract: Motor skill learning induces long-lasting synaptic plasticity at dendritic spines1,2,3,4 and at the outputs of motor cortical neurons to the striatum5,6. However, little is known about corticostriatal axon activity and structural plasticity during learning in the adult brain. Here, using longitudinal in vivo two-photon imaging, we tracked thousands of corticostriatal axonal boutons in the dorsolateral striatum of awake mice. We found that learning a new motor skill dynamically regulated these boutons. The activities of motor corticostriatal axonal boutons exhibited selectivity for rewarded movements (RM) and unrewarded movements (UM). Notably, boutons on the same axonal branches showed diverse responses during behaviour. Motor learning significantly increased the proportion of RM boutons and reduced the heterogeneity of bouton activities. Moreover, motor learning induced profound structural dynamism in boutons. By combining structural and functional imaging, we saw that newly formed axonal boutons were more likely to exhibit selectivity for RM and were stabilized during motor learning, whereas UM boutons were selectively eliminated. These findings reveal a novel form of plasticity in corticostriatal axons and show that motor learning drives dynamic bouton reorganization to support motor skill acquisition and execution.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09336-w

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09336-w