What’s Wrong with the Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons in Parkinson’s Disease? Focus on Intrinsic Excitability

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons that results in a hypercholinergic state in the striatum. This hypercholinergic state contributes to the clinical signs of PD. However, the mechanisms that underlie this state remain unknown. Cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) are the main source of acetylcholine in the striatum. Many studies have highlighted the importance of their normal physiological activity to guarantee a normal motor control and goal‐directed behaviour. Moreover, recent studies with optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches have shown that reducing ChIs activity ameliorates parkinsonian symptoms and modifies L‐dopa induced dyskinesia in PD animal models. Here, we review the described alterations in ChIs physiology that may contribute to a hypercholinergic state in PD. The best‐established finding is an increase of ChIs intrinsic membrane excitability after dopaminergic denervation of striatum. Understanding the molecular basis of ChIs dysfunction in PD could help to develop new therapeutic tools to restore their normal activity and decrease parkinsonian symptoms, improving life quality of PD patients.