Cell-type specific basal forebrain modulation shapes global functional network organizations supporting behavioral variability

Activations of the basal forebrain (BF) were associated with arousal fluctuations1, and the regulation of the default model network2,3. However, it remains ambiguous how the cell-type specific BF neurons shape the behavioral performances. We developed an awake mouse fMRI setup with simultaneous cell-type specific optogenetic stimulations in BF. Combined with the anterograde tracing data4, we revealed weak structural-functional correspondence of BF neurons, and demonstrated the cell-type specific BF modulations shaped global functional network organizations supporting behavioral variability. Our results made great sense on the understanding the cerebral regulations and behaviors from BF neurons in a macroscopic whole-brain view.