Circuit mechanisms of GPe pauses account for adaptive exploration

Circuit mechanisms of GPe pauses account for adaptive exploration | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Circuit mechanisms of GPe pauses account for adaptive exploration Sang Wan Lee, Minryung Song, Shinwoo Kang, Minsu Abel Yang, Doo-Sup Choi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7117998/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The external globus pallidus (GPe) has traditionally been viewed as a relay nucleus within the basal ganglia (BG), but accumulating evidence indicates a more dynamic role in reinforcement learning (RL). One key characteristic of GPe activity—transient pauses in high-frequency discharge (HFD) neurons—is preserved across species, yet its potential implications in RL remains unclear. Here, we developed a neurophysiologically grounded computational model to investigate the origin and role of GPe pauses in RL. Our model successfully replicated a range of empirical observations, including pause dynamics during learning and cue-related activity modulation. We demonstrated that the GPe-subthalamic nucleus (STN) circuit functions analogously to a denoising autoencoder, modulating baseline excitability in downstream BG circuits and that GPe pauses emerge as circuit-level consequences of strong, convergent inhibition from the GPe to STN. Simulations and in vivo recordings revealed that the activity of GPe-STN projecting neurons increases following sudden environmental changes, promoting adaptive exploration by disrupting action value contrast. Intriguingly, this same configuration impairs performance with extended training, suggesting that habitual behavior may benefit from weakened GPe-to-STN projections. These findings provide a unifying framework for understanding GPe pause dynamics and highlight circuit-level distinctions supporting the balance between flexibility and proficiency in RL. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Learning and memory/Operant learning Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Decision Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files suppl2eiC12.pdf Supplementary Figure 2 suppl1eiC11.pdf Supplementary Figure 1 SupplFigsLegends.pdf Supplementary Figures and Legends suppl3eiC31.pdf Supplementary Figure 3 suppl9behav.pdf Supplementary Figure 9 suppl7pausefr.pdf Supplementary Figure 7 suppl5pvf66gpef151.pdf Supplementary Figure 5 suppl4eiC32.pdf Supplementary Figure 4 suppl12explBehav.pdf Supplementary Figure 12 suppl6pvf66gpef152.pdf Supplementary Figure 6 suppl13alwaysPause.pdf Supplementary Figure 13 suppl11quench.pdf Supplementary Figure 11 suppl8actionspecificconnectivity.pdf Supplementary Figure 8 suppl102015.pdf Supplementary Figure 10 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7117998","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":495288750,"identity":"be371902-7eec-4a17-ab19-e8c7bf9da0b6","order_by":0,"name":"Sang Wan 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One key characteristic of GPe activity—transient pauses in high-frequency discharge (HFD) neurons—is preserved across species, yet its potential implications in RL remains unclear. Here, we developed a neurophysiologically grounded computational model to investigate the origin and role of GPe pauses in RL. Our model successfully replicated a range of empirical observations, including pause dynamics during learning and cue-related activity modulation. We demonstrated that the GPe-subthalamic nucleus (STN) circuit functions analogously to a denoising autoencoder, modulating baseline excitability in downstream BG circuits and that GPe pauses emerge as circuit-level consequences of strong, convergent inhibition from the GPe to STN. Simulations and in vivo recordings revealed that the activity of GPe-STN projecting neurons increases following sudden environmental changes, promoting adaptive exploration by disrupting action value contrast. 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