Persistent activity underlying short-term memory encodes sensory information or instructs specific future movement and, consequently, has a crucial role in cognition. Despite extensive study, how the same set of neurons respond differentially to form selective persistent activity remains unknown. Here, we report that the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical (CBTC) circuit supports the formation of selective persistent activity in mice. Optogenetic activation or inactivation of the basal ganglia output nucleus substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr)-to-thalamus pathway biased future licking choice, without affecting licking execution. This perturbation differentially affected persistent activity in the frontal cortex and selectively modulated neural trajectory that encodes one choice but not the other. Recording showed that SNr neurons had selective persistent activity distributed across SNr, but with a hotspot in the mediolateral region. Optogenetic inactivation of the frontal cortex also differentially affected persistent activity in the SNr. Together, these results reveal a CBTC channel functioning to produce selective persistent activity underlying short-term memory.

短期记忆背后的持续活动编码感觉信息或指示特定的未来运动，因此在认知中起着至关重要的作用。尽管进行了广泛的研究，但同一组神经元如何以不同的方式响应以形成选择性持续活动仍然未知。在这里，我们报告皮质-基底神经节-丘脑-皮质 (CBTC) 电路支持小鼠选择性持续活动的形成。基底神经节输出黑质网状核 (SNr) 到丘脑通路的光遗传学激活或失活偏向于未来的舔舐选择，而不影响舔舐的执行。这种扰动对额叶皮层的持续活动产生了不同的影响，并选择性地调节了编码一个选择而不是另一个的神经轨迹。记录显示，SNr 神经元具有分布在 SNr 上的选择性持续活动，但在中外侧区域有一个热点。额叶皮层的光遗传学失活也不同地影响信噪比的持续活动。总之，这些结果揭示了 CBTC 通道的功能，可在短期记忆基础上产生选择性持续活动。