Understanding the role of the basal forebrain (BFB) in controlling the dynamics of brain processes is of great interest. We aimed to investigate the influence of selective unilateral stimulation of BFB cholinergic neurons on functional connectivity (FC) in the rodent default-mode like network (DMLN). By combining resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) with chemogenetics, we demonstrate that stimulation of the cholinergic neurons in the right BFB significantly decreased right intra-hemispheric and inter-hemispheric FC in the DMLN in rats. These findings provide new critical insights into the interplay between attentional networks and DMLN in rodents.
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