Control of locomotor speed, arousal, and hippocampal theta rhythms by the nucleus incertus

Navigation requires not only the execution of locomotor programs but also high arousal and real-time retrieval of spatial memory that is often associated with hippocampal theta oscillations. However, the neural circuits for coordinately controlling these important processes remain to be fully dissected.

It is thus possible that different neuron populations within the NI synergistically regulate various behavioral processes by acting at specific cell types in distinct downstream brain areas. Dissecting the functionally relevant GABAergic and glutamatergic NMB outputs in a cell type- and brain area-specific manner will be an exciting topic to pursue in the future.