ABSTRACT
The basal forebrain (BF) constitutes a contiguous set of nuclei that envelops the rostral and ventral aspects of the basal ganglia. These include the medial septal nucleus, the vertical and horizontal limbs of the diagonal band of Broca, and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis. An important role of the BF appears to relate to the functional organization of population dynamics in its target neuronal networks across the sleep-waking cycle. A potentially important one is that of neurotensin, as the receptors to this neuropeptide have been shown by anatomical techniques to be selectively associated to cholinergic neurons within the BF. Several studies have identified a group of BF projection neurons that fire at low rates during slow-wave sleep and increase their firing rates during waking and paradoxical sleep. Interestingly, many of the MS cholinergic cells switched to a bursting mode during slow-wave sleep.
