151
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Defining the place of habit in substance use disorders. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 87:22-32. [PMID: 28663112 PMCID: PMC5748018 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2017] [Revised: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
It has long been suggested that alcohol or substance use disorders could emerge from the progressive development and dominance of drug habits. Like habits, drug-related behaviors are often triggered by drug-associated cues. Like habits, addictive behaviors are strong, rigid and "hard to break". Like habits, these behaviors are insensitive to their outcome and persist despite negative consequences. "Pathological habit" thus appears as a good candidate to explain the transition to compulsive drug use. However, drug use could also be considered as a goal-directed choice, driven by the expectation of drug outcomes. For example, drug addicts may engage in drug-seeking behaviors because they view the drug as more valuable than available alternatives. Substance use disorders therefore may not be all about habit, nor fully intentional, and could be considered as resulting from an imbalance between goal-directed and habitual control. The main objective of this review is to disentangle the relative contribution of habit formation and impairment of goal-directed behavior in this unbalanced control of addictive behaviors. Although deficits in goal-directed behavior have been demonstrated in alcohol and substance use disorders, reliable demonstration of abnormal habit formation has been curtailed by the paucity of paradigms designed to assess habit as a positive result. Refining our animal and human model of habit is therefore required to precisely define the place of habit in substance use disorders and develop appropriate and adapted neurobehavioral treatments.
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152
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Sweis BM, Thomas MJ, Redish AD. Beyond simple tests of value: measuring addiction as a heterogeneous disease of computation-specific valuation processes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:501-512. [PMID: 30115772 PMCID: PMC6097760 DOI: 10.1101/lm.047795.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Addiction is considered to be a neurobiological disorder of learning and memory because addiction is capable of producing lasting changes in the brain. Recovering addicts chronically struggle with making poor decisions that ultimately lead to relapse, suggesting a view of addiction also as a neurobiological disorder of decision-making information processing. How the brain makes decisions depends on how decision-making processes access information stored as memories in the brain. Advancements in circuit-dissection tools and recent theories in neuroeconomics suggest that neurally dissociable valuation processes access distinct memories differently, and thus are uniquely susceptible as the brain changes during addiction. If addiction is to be considered a neurobiological disorder of memory, and thus decision-making, the heterogeneity with which information is both stored and processed must be taken into account in addiction studies. Addiction etiology can vary widely from person to person. We propose that addiction is not a single disease, nor simply a disorder of learning and memory, but rather a collection of symptoms of heterogeneous neurobiological diseases of distinct circuit-computation-specific decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M Sweis
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - A David Redish
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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153
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Girotti M, Adler SM, Bulin SE, Fucich EA, Paredes D, Morilak DA. Prefrontal cortex executive processes affected by stress in health and disease. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 85:161-179. [PMID: 28690203 PMCID: PMC5756532 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Prefrontal cortical executive functions comprise a number of cognitive capabilities necessary for goal directed behavior and adaptation to a changing environment. Executive dysfunction that leads to maladaptive behavior and is a symptom of psychiatric pathology can be instigated or exacerbated by stress. In this review we survey research addressing the impact of stress on executive function, with specific focus on working memory, attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. We then consider the neurochemical pathways underlying these cognitive capabilities and, where known, how stress alters them. Finally, we review work exploring potential pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches that can ameliorate deficits in executive function. Both preclinical and clinical literature indicates that chronic stress negatively affects executive function. Although some of the circuitry and neurochemical processes underlying executive function have been characterized, a great deal is still unknown regarding how stress affects these processes. Additional work focusing on this question is needed in order to make progress on developing interventions that ameliorate executive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Girotti
- Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
| | - Samantha M Adler
- Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Sarah E Bulin
- Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Fucich
- Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Denisse Paredes
- Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - David A Morilak
- Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
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154
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Novick AM, Levandowski ML, Laumann LE, Philip NS, Price LH, Tyrka AR. The effects of early life stress on reward processing. J Psychiatr Res 2018; 101:80-103. [PMID: 29567510 PMCID: PMC5889741 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS), in the form of childhood maltreatment, abuse, or neglect, increases the risk for psychiatric sequelae later in life. The neurobiology of response to early stress and of reward processing overlap substantially, leading to the prediction that reward processing may be a primary mediator of the effects of early life stress. We describe a growing body of literature investigating the effects of early life stressors on reward processing in animals and humans. Despite variation in the reviewed studies, an emerging pattern of results indicates that ELS results in deficits of ventral striatum-related functions of reward responsiveness and approach motivation, especially when the stressor is experienced in early in development. For stressors experienced later in the juvenile period and adolescence, the animal literature suggests an opposite effect, in which ELS results in increased hedonic drive. Future research in this area will help elucidate the transdiagnostic impact of early life stress, and therefore potentially identify and intervene with at-risk youth, prior to the emergence of clinical psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Novick
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA,Corresponding author: Andrew M Novick, MD PhD, Butler Hospital, 345 Blackstone Blvd, Providence, RI 02906, USA,
| | - Mateus L. Levandowski
- Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (DCNL), Graduate Program in Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Laura E. Laumann
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Noah S. Philip
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA,Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Providence VA, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Lawrence H. Price
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Audrey R. Tyrka
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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155
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Zhang X, Cheng H, Zuo Z, Zhou K, Cong F, Wang B, Zhuo Y, Chen L, Xue R, Fan Y. Individualized Functional Parcellation of the Human Amygdala Using a Semi-supervised Clustering Method: A 7T Resting State fMRI Study. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:270. [PMID: 29755313 PMCID: PMC5932177 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The amygdala plays an important role in emotional functions and its dysfunction is considered to be associated with multiple psychiatric disorders in humans. Cytoarchitectonic mapping has demonstrated that the human amygdala complex comprises several subregions. However, it's difficult to delineate boundaries of these subregions in vivo even if using state of the art high resolution structural MRI. Previous attempts to parcellate this small structure using unsupervised clustering methods based on resting state fMRI data suffered from the low spatial resolution of typical fMRI data, and it remains challenging for the unsupervised methods to define subregions of the amygdala in vivo. In this study, we developed a novel brain parcellation method to segment the human amygdala into spatially contiguous subregions based on 7T high resolution fMRI data. The parcellation was implemented using a semi-supervised spectral clustering (SSC) algorithm at an individual subject level. Under guidance of prior information derived from the Julich cytoarchitectonic atlas, our method clustered voxels of the amygdala into subregions according to similarity measures of their functional signals. As a result, three distinct amygdala subregions can be obtained in each hemisphere for every individual subject. Compared with the cytoarchitectonic atlas, our method achieved better performance in terms of subregional functional homogeneity. Validation experiments have also demonstrated that the amygdala subregions obtained by our method have distinctive, lateralized functional connectivity (FC) patterns. Our study has demonstrated that the semi-supervised brain parcellation method is a powerful tool for exploring amygdala subregional functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianchang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MR Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hewei Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Bioinformatics, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhentao Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MR Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Zhou
- College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fei Cong
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MR Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MR Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MR Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MR Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China
| | - Rong Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MR Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Fan
- Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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156
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Damme KS, Young CB, Nusslock R. Elevated nucleus accumbens structural connectivity associated with proneness to hypomania: a reward hypersensitivity perspective. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:928-936. [PMID: 28338785 PMCID: PMC5472153 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Reward Hypersensitivity Model of bipolar disorder argues that hypersensitivity to reward-relevant cues characterizes risk for hypo/mania. This hypersensitivity leads to increased goal-directed motivation during reward-relevant life events that, in the extreme, is reflected in hypo/manic symptoms. In line with this perspective, individuals with bipolar disorder display elevated activation in a cortico-striatal reward circuit including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). To date, however, research on reward-related neural circuitry underlying bipolar symptoms focuses on syndromal bipolar disorder (bipolar I, bipolar II), and typically examines neural regions in isolation of each other. Accordingly, this study examines the relationship between subsyndromal hypo/mania proneness and structural connectivity between the NAcc and both the mOFC and amygdala in a medication-free sample. Fifty-four community participants completed diffusion-weighted imaging and a self-report measure of bipolar risk (hypo/mania proneness). As predicted, elevated structural connectivity between the NAcc and both the mOFC and amygdala were associated with elevated hypo/mania proneness. This relationship was specific to NAcc-centered reward connectivity, as there was no relationship between hypo/mania proneness and either whole-brain or cortico-amygdala connectivity. Results suggest that reward-relevant tractography from cortical (mOFC) and subcortical (amygdala) regions amplify NAcc-centered reward processing in bipolar risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine S Damme
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Christina B Young
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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157
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Rosa LA. The High-Order and Conscious Emotion: Assessing the Foundations, Contributions, and Implications of LeDoux’s Model of Conscious and Cognitive Emotion. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s41470-018-0015-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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158
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Salamone JD, Correa M, Yang JH, Rotolo R, Presby R. Dopamine, Effort-Based Choice, and Behavioral Economics: Basic and Translational Research. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:52. [PMID: 29628879 PMCID: PMC5876251 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Operant behavior is not only regulated by factors related to the quality or quantity of reinforcement, but also by the work requirements inherent in performing instrumental actions. Moreover, organisms often make effort-related decisions involving economic choices such as cost/benefit analyses. Effort-based decision making is studied using behavioral procedures that offer choices between high-effort options leading to relatively preferred reinforcers vs. low effort/low reward choices. Several neural systems, including the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system and other brain circuits, are involved in regulating effort-related aspects of motivation. Considerable evidence indicates that mesolimbic DA transmission exerts a bi-directional control over exertion of effort on instrumental behavior tasks. Interference with DA transmission produces a low-effort bias in animals tested on effort-based choice tasks, while increasing DA transmission with drugs such as DA transport blockers tends to enhance selection of high-effort options. The results from these pharmacology studies are corroborated by the findings from recent articles using optogenetic, chemogenetic and physiological techniques. In addition to providing important information about the neural regulation of motivated behavior, effort-based choice tasks are useful for developing animal models of some of the motivational symptoms that are seen in people with various psychiatric and neurological disorders (e.g., depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease). Studies of effort-based decision making may ultimately contribute to the development of novel drug treatments for motivational dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Salamone
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Merce Correa
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.,Area de Psicobiologia, Universitat de Jaume I, Castelló, Spain
| | - Jen-Hau Yang
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Renee Rotolo
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Rose Presby
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
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159
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Kowiański P, Lietzau G, Steliga A, Czuba E, Ludkiewicz B, Waśkow M, Spodnik JH, Moryś J. Nicotine-induced CREB and DeltaFosB activity is modified by caffeine in the brain reward system of the rat. J Chem Neuroanat 2018; 88:1-12. [PMID: 29100904 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2017.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Coffee and nicotine consumption are frequently combined, indicating possible intensifying effect of caffeine on smoking behavior, although neurobiological background of this phenomenon remains unknown. We aimed at determining the effect of caffeine and nicotine, applied separately or simultaneously, on activation of six structures of the brain reward system: nucleus accumbens (NAc), ventral tegmental area (VTA), amygdala (Amg), hippocampus (Hip), medial prefrontal cortex (mPfr) and dorsal striatum (CdP) in the adult male Wistar rats. Activation of two transcription factors, the phosphorylated form of cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (pCREB) and DeltaFosB (ΔFosB) was assessed by immunohistochemistry after multiple-dose five-days psychostimulants administration followed by 20min and 24h survival, respectively. Nicotine evoked the highest increase of pCREB-immunoreactivity (-ir) in NAc, while caffeine exerted the weakest effect in mPfr and CdP. Nicotine/caffeine co-administration resulted in decrease of pCREB-ir in NAc and increase in Amg, compared with the effect of each psychostimulant used separately. Nicotine was the strongest psychostimulant activating ΔFosB-ir in Amg, whereas caffeine - in Hip. Nicotine/caffeine-exerted effect upon ΔFosB-ir in Amg was weaker, whereas in mPfr stronger, than nicotine-evoked effect in these structures. In summary, pCREB and ΔFosB activation is dependent on the type of stimulus, brain structure and functional context. Activation of both transcription factors is responsible for caffeine's modifying effect upon nicotine-related behaviors and must be taken into account while quitting cigarette smoking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Kowiański
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 1 Debinki Str., 80-211 Gdansk, Poland; Department of Health Sciences, Pomeranian University of Slupsk, 64 Bohaterów Westerplatte Str., 76-200 Slupsk, Poland.
| | - Grażyna Lietzau
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 1 Debinki Str., 80-211 Gdansk, Poland; Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Internal Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Aleksandra Steliga
- Department of Health Sciences, Pomeranian University of Slupsk, 64 Bohaterów Westerplatte Str., 76-200 Slupsk, Poland
| | - Ewelina Czuba
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 1 Debinki Str., 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Beata Ludkiewicz
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 1 Debinki Str., 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Monika Waśkow
- Department of Health Sciences, Pomeranian University of Slupsk, 64 Bohaterów Westerplatte Str., 76-200 Slupsk, Poland
| | - Jan H Spodnik
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 1 Debinki Str., 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Janusz Moryś
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical University of Gdansk, 1 Debinki Str., 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
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160
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Anderson LC, Petrovich GD. Distinct recruitment of the hippocampal, thalamic, and amygdalar neurons projecting to the prelimbic cortex in male and female rats during context-mediated renewal of responding to food cues. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 150:25-35. [PMID: 29496643 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Persistent responding to food cues may underlie the difficulty to resist palatable foods and to maintain healthy eating habits. Renewal of responding after extinction is a model of persistent food seeking that can be used to study the underlying neural mechanisms. In context-mediated renewal, a return to the context in which the initial cue-food learning occurred induces robust responding to the cues that were extinguished elsewhere. Previous work found sex differences in context-mediated renewal and in the recruitment of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) during that behavior. Males exhibited renewal of responding to food cues and had higher Fos induction in the prelimbic area (PL) of the vmPFC, while females failed to exhibit renewal of responding and had lower Fos induction in the PL. The main aim of the current study was to determine key components of the PL circuitry mediating renewal. The focus was on inputs from three areas important in appetitive associative learning and contextual processing: the amygdala, ventral hippocampal formation, and the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus. The goal was to determine whether neurons from these areas that send direct projections to the PL (identified with a retrograde tracer) are selectively activated (Fos induction) during renewal and whether they are differently recruited in males and females. The Fos induction patterns demonstrated that the PL-projecting neurons in each of these areas were recruited in a sex-specific way that corresponded to the behavioral differences between males and females. These pathways were selectively activated in the male experimental group-the only group that showed renewal behavior. The findings suggest the pathways from the ventral hippocampal formation, paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, and basolateral amygdala to the PL mediate renewal in males. The lack of recruitment in females suggests that under activation of these pathways may underlie their lack of renewal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren C Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, United States.
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161
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Klenowski PM. Emerging role for the medial prefrontal cortex in alcohol-seeking behaviors. Addict Behav 2018; 77:102-106. [PMID: 28992574 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays an important role in high-order executive processes and sends highly organized projections to sub-cortical regions controlling mood, motivation and impulsivity. Recent preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated alcohol-induced effects on the activity and composition of the PFC which are implicated in associative learning processes and may disrupt executive control over impulsivity, leading to an inability to self-limit alcohol intake. Animal studies have begun to dissect the role of the mPFC circuitry in alcohol-seeking behavior and withdrawal, and have identified a key role for projections to sub-cortical sites including the extended amygdala and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Importantly, these studies have highlighted that alcohol can have contrasting effects on the mPFC compared to other addictive substances and also produce differential effects on the structure and activity of the mPFC following short-term versus long-term consumption. Because of these differences, how the mPFC influences the initial aspects of alcohol-seeking behavior and how we can better understand the long-term effects of alcohol use on the activity and connectivity of the mPFC need to be considered. Given the lack of preclinical data from long-term drinking models, an increased focus should be directed towards identifying how long-term alcohol use changes the mPFC, in order to provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the transition to dependence.
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162
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Montag C, Zhao Z, Sindermann C, Xu L, Fu M, Li J, Zheng X, Li K, Kendrick KM, Dai J, Becker B. Internet Communication Disorder and the structure of the human brain: initial insights on WeChat addiction. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2155. [PMID: 29391461 PMCID: PMC5794793 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19904-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
WeChat represents one of the most popular smartphone-based applications for communication. Although the application provides several useful features that simplify daily life, a growing number of users spend excessive amounts of time on the application. This may lead to interferences with everyday life and even to addictive patterns of use. In the context of the ongoing discussion on Internet Communication Disorder (ICD), the present study aimed to better characterize the addictive potential of communication applications, using WeChat as an example, by examining associations between individual variations in tendencies towards WeChat addiction and brain structural variations in fronto-striatal-limbic brain regions. To this end levels of addictive tendencies, frequency of use and structural MRI data were assessed in n = 61 healthy participants. Higher tendencies towards WeChat addiction were associated with smaller gray matter volumes of the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, a key region for monitoring and regulatory control in neural networks underlying addictive behaviors. Moreover, a higher frequency of the paying function was associated with smaller nucleus accumbens volumes. Findings were robust after controlling for levels of anxiety and depression. The present results are in line with previous findings in substance and behavioral addictions, and suggest a similar neurobiological basis in ICD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Montag
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
- Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
| | - Zhiying Zhao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | | | - Lei Xu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Meina Fu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jialin Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zheng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Keshuang Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jing Dai
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Chengdu Mental Health Center, Chengdu, 610031, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
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163
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Nasser HM, Lafferty DS, Lesser EN, Bacharach SZ, Calu DJ. Disconnection of basolateral amygdala and insular cortex disrupts conditioned approach in Pavlovian lever autoshaping. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 147:35-45. [PMID: 29169849 PMCID: PMC5972554 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Revised: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Previously established individual differences in appetitive approach and devaluation sensitivity observed in goal- and sign-trackers may be attributed to differences in the acquisition, modification, or use of associative information in basolateral amygdala (BLA) pathways. Here, we sought to determine the extent to which communication of associative information between BLA and anterior portions of insular cortex (IC) supports ongoing Pavlovian conditioned approach behaviors in sign- and goal-tracking rats, in the absence of manipulations to outcome value. We hypothesized that the BLA mediates goal-, but not sign- tracking approach through interactions with the IC, a brain region involved in supporting flexible behavior. We first trained rats in Pavlovian lever autoshaping to determine their sign- or goal-tracking tendency. During alternating test sessions, we gave unilateral intracranial injections of vehicle or a cocktail of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonists, baclofen and muscimol, unilaterally into the BLA and contralaterally or ipsilaterally into the IC prior to reinforced lever autoshaping sessions. Consistent with our hypothesis we found that contralateral inactivation of BLA and IC increased the latency to approach the food cup and decreased the number of food cup contacts in goal-trackers. While contralateral inactivation of BLA and IC did not affect the total number of lever contacts in sign-trackers, this manipulation increased the latency to approach the lever. Ipsilateral inactivation of BLA and IC did not impact approach behaviors in Pavlovian lever autoshaping. These findings, contrary to our hypothesis, suggest that communication between BLA and IC maintains a representation of initially learned appetitive associations that commonly support the initiation of Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior regardless of whether it is directed at the cue or the location of reward delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen M Nasser
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Danielle S Lafferty
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ellen N Lesser
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sam Z Bacharach
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Donna J Calu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
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164
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Ng KH, Pollock MW, Urbanczyk PJ, Sangha S. Altering D1 receptor activity in the basolateral amygdala impairs fear suppression during a safety cue. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2018; 147:26-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/19/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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165
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Yoder KJ, Decety J. The neuroscience of morality and social decision-making. PSYCHOLOGY, CRIME & LAW : PC & L 2017; 24:279-295. [PMID: 30766017 PMCID: PMC6372234 DOI: 10.1080/1068316x.2017.1414817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Across cultures humans care deeply about morality and create institutions, such as criminal courts, to enforce social norms. In such contexts, judges and juries engage in complex social decision-making to ascertain a defendant's capacity, blameworthiness, and culpability. Cognitive neuroscience investigations have begun to reveal the distributed neural networks which interact to implement moral judgment and social decision-making, including systems for reward learning, valuation, mental state understanding, and salience processing. These processes are fundamental to morality, and their underlying neural mechanisms are influenced by individual differences in empathy, caring and justice sensitivity. This new knowledge has important implication in legal settings for understanding how triers of fact reason. Moreover, recent work demonstrates how disruptions within the social decision-making network facilitate immoral behavior, as in the case of psychopathy. Incorporating neuroscientific methods with psychology and clinical neuroscience has the potential to improve predictions of recidivism, future dangerousness, and responsivity to particular forms of rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith J. Yoder
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jean Decety
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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166
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Baimel C, Lau BK, Qiao M, Borgland SL. Projection-Target-Defined Effects of Orexin and Dynorphin on VTA Dopamine Neurons. Cell Rep 2017; 18:1346-1355. [PMID: 28178514 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 10/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Circuit-specific signaling of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons drives different aspects of motivated behavior, but the neuromodulatory control of these circuits is unclear. We tested the actions of co-expressed lateral hypothalamic peptides, orexin A (oxA) and dynorphin (dyn), on projection-target-defined dopamine neurons in mice. We determined that VTA dopamine neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens lateral shell (lAcbSh), medial shell (mAcbSh), and basolateral amygdala (BLA) are largely non-overlapping cell populations with different electrophysiological properties. Moreover, the neuromodulatory effects of oxA and dyn on these three projections differed. OxA selectively increased firing in lAcbSh- and mAcbSh-projecting dopamine neurons. Dyn decreased firing in the majority of mAcbSh- and BLA-projecting dopamine neurons but reduced firing only in a small fraction of those that project to the lAcbSh. In conclusion, the oxA-dyn input to the VTA may drive reward-seeking behavior by tuning dopaminergic output in a projection-target-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey Baimel
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, 2176 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Benjamin K Lau
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Min Qiao
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Stephanie L Borgland
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
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167
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Schuetze M, Rohr CS, Dewey D, McCrimmon A, Bray S. Reinforcement Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Psychol 2017; 8:2035. [PMID: 29209259 PMCID: PMC5702301 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Early behavioral interventions are recognized as integral to standard care in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and often focus on reinforcing desired behaviors (e.g., eye contact) and reducing the presence of atypical behaviors (e.g., echoing others' phrases). However, efficacy of these programs is mixed. Reinforcement learning relies on neurocircuitry that has been reported to be atypical in ASD: prefrontal-sub-cortical circuits, amygdala, brainstem, and cerebellum. Thus, early behavioral interventions rely on neurocircuitry that may function atypically in at least a subset of individuals with ASD. Recent work has investigated physiological, behavioral, and neural responses to reinforcers to uncover differences in motivation and learning in ASD. We will synthesize this work to identify promising avenues for future research that ultimately can be used to enhance the efficacy of early intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Schuetze
- Child and Adolescent Imaging Research Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Behaviour and the Developing Brain, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Christiane S. Rohr
- Child and Adolescent Imaging Research Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Behaviour and the Developing Brain, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Deborah Dewey
- Behaviour and the Developing Brain, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Adam McCrimmon
- Behaviour and the Developing Brain, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Educational Psychology, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Signe Bray
- Child and Adolescent Imaging Research Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Behaviour and the Developing Brain, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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168
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Adolescence and Reward: Making Sense of Neural and Behavioral Changes Amid the Chaos. J Neurosci 2017; 37:10855-10866. [PMID: 29118215 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1834-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of significant neural and behavioral change with remarkable development in social, emotional, and cognitive skills. It is also a time of increased exploration and risk-taking (e.g., drug use). Many of these changes are thought to be the result of increased reward-value coupled with an underdeveloped inhibitory control, and thus a hypersensitivity to reward. Perturbations during adolescence can alter the developmental trajectory of the brain, resulting in long-term alterations in reward-associated behaviors. This review highlights recent developments in our understanding of how neural circuits, pubertal hormones, and environmental factors contribute to adolescent-typical reward-associated behaviors with a particular focus on sex differences, the medial prefrontal cortex, social reward, social isolation, and drug use. We then introduce a new approach that makes use of natural adaptations of seasonally breeding species to investigate the role of pubertal hormones in adolescent development. This research has only begun to parse out contributions of the many neural, endocrine, and environmental changes to the heightened reward sensitivity and increased vulnerability to mental health disorders that characterize this life stage.
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169
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Functional Heterogeneity within Rat Orbitofrontal Cortex in Reward Learning and Decision Making. J Neurosci 2017; 37:10529-10540. [PMID: 29093055 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1678-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rat orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is located in the dorsal bank of the rhinal sulcus, and is divided into the medial orbital area, ventral orbital area, ventrolateral orbital area, lateral orbital area, dorsolateral orbital area, and agranular insular areas. Over the past 20 years, there has been a marked increase in the number of publications focused on the functions of rat OFC. While collectively this extensive body of work has provided great insight into the functions of OFC, leading to theoretical and computational models of its functions, one issue that has emerged relates to what is defined as OFC because targeting of this region can be quite variable between studies of appetitive behavior, even within the same species. Also apparent is that there is an oversampling and undersampling of certain subregions of rat OFC for study, and this will be demonstrated here. The intent of the Viewpoint is to summarize studies in rat OFC, given the diversity of what groups refer to as "OFC," and to integrate these with the findings of recent anatomical studies. The primary aim is to help discern functions in reward learning and decision-making, clearing the course for future empirical work.
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170
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Optogenetic Inhibition Reveals Distinct Roles for Basolateral Amygdala Activity at Discrete Time Points during Risky Decision Making. J Neurosci 2017; 37:11537-11548. [PMID: 29079687 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2344-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 10/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Decision making is a multifaceted process, consisting of several distinct phases that likely require different cognitive operations. Previous work showed that the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a critical substrate for decision making involving risk of punishment; however, it is unclear how the BLA is recruited at different stages of the decision process. To this end, the current study used optogenetics to inhibit the BLA during specific task phases in a model of risky decision making (risky decision-making task) in which rats choose between a small, "safe" reward and a large reward accompanied by varying probabilities of footshock punishment. Male Long-Evans rats received intra-BLA microinjections of viral vectors carrying either halorhodopsin (eNpHR3.0-mCherry) or mCherry alone (control) followed by optic fiber implants and were trained in the risky decision-making task. Laser delivery during the task occurred during intertrial interval, deliberation, or reward outcome phases, the latter of which was further divided into the three possible outcomes (small, safe; large, unpunished; large, punished). Inhibition of the BLA selectively during the deliberation phase decreased choice of the large, risky outcome (decreased risky choice). In contrast, BLA inhibition selectively during delivery of the large, punished outcome increased risky choice. Inhibition had no effect during the other phases, nor did laser delivery affect performance in control rats. Collectively, these data indicate that the BLA can either inhibit or promote choice of risky options, depending on the phase of the decision process in which it is active.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To date, most behavioral neuroscience research on neural mechanisms of decision making has used techniques that preclude assessment of distinct phases of the decision process. Here we show that optogenetic inhibition of the BLA has opposite effects on choice behavior in a rat model of risky decision making, depending on the phase in which inhibition occurs. BLA inhibition during a period of deliberation between small, safe and large, risky outcomes decreased risky choice. In contrast, BLA inhibition during receipt of the large, punished outcome increased risky choice. These findings highlight the importance of temporally targeted approaches to understand neural substrates underlying complex cognitive processes. More importantly, they reveal novel information about dynamic BLA modulation of risky choice.
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171
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Lower Fractional Anisotropy in the Gray Matter of Amygdala-Hippocampus-Nucleus Accumbens Circuit in Methamphetamine Users: an In Vivo Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. Neurotox Res 2017; 33:801-811. [PMID: 29038922 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-017-9828-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Revised: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA), hippocampal ventral subiculum, and nucleus accumbens (NAc) comprise the amygdala-hippocampus-NAc (AHN) circuit, which is implicated in drug seeking and reward. The goal of this study was to evaluate microstructural changes and relevant clinical features of the AHN circuit gray matter (GM) in methamphetamine (MA) users using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Thirty MA users and 30 age-matched normal volunteers underwent 3-T MR imaging to obtain structural T1-weighted images and DTI data. Freesurfer software was used to automatically segment the NAc and subiculum. A Jülich probability map was employed to parcellate the BLA. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) maps were generated and non-linearly coregistered to structural space. DTI measures of the AHN circuit GM were compared between MA users and controls using repeated measures analysis of variance. Correlation analyses were performed between DTI measures and clinical characteristics. Anatomical correlations between the NAc and BLA/subiculum in both groups were assessed using correlation analyses. The MA group had significant lower FA in the bilateral BLA, subiculum, and NAc. Higher total MA dose corresponded with lower FA in all three structures. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale scores negatively correlated with the right subiculum FA. Lower left BLA FA was associated with higher thinking disorder and hostile-suspicion factor scores. Left BLA FA was significantly associated with bilateral NAc FA in MA users. Those findings provided neuroimaging evidence of MA-induced microstructural impairment in the AHN circuit GM. Enhanced anatomical correlations between the left BLA and bilateral NAc may be part of the mechanism of MA intake relapse and for development of psychosis.
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172
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Hernandez CM, Vetere LM, Orsini CA, McQuail JA, Maurer AP, Burke SN, Setlow B, Bizon JL. Decline of prefrontal cortical-mediated executive functions but attenuated delay discounting in aged Fischer 344 × brown Norway hybrid rats. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 60:141-152. [PMID: 28946018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the fact that prefrontal cortex (PFC) function declines with age, aged individuals generally show an enhanced ability to delay gratification, as evident by less discounting of delayed rewards in intertemporal choice tasks. The present study was designed to evaluate relationships between 2 aspects of PFC-dependent cognition (working memory and cognitive flexibility) and intertemporal choice in young (6 months) and aged (24 months) Fischer 344 × brown Norway F1 hybrid rats. Rats were also evaluated for motivation to earn rewards using a progressive ratio task. As previously reported, aged rats showed attenuated discounting of delayed rewards, impaired working memory, and impaired cognitive flexibility compared with young. Among aged rats, greater choice of delayed reward was associated with preserved working memory, impaired cognitive flexibility, and less motivation to work for food. These relationships suggest that age-related changes in PFC and incentive motivation contribute to variance in intertemporal choice within the aged population. Cognitive impairments mediated by PFC are unlikely, however, to fully account for the enhanced ability to delay gratification that accompanies aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren M Vetere
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Caitlin A Orsini
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Joseph A McQuail
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Andrew P Maurer
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sara N Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Barry Setlow
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jennifer L Bizon
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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173
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Lichtenberg NT, Pennington ZT, Holley SM, Greenfield VY, Cepeda C, Levine MS, Wassum KM. Basolateral Amygdala to Orbitofrontal Cortex Projections Enable Cue-Triggered Reward Expectations. J Neurosci 2017; 37:8374-8384. [PMID: 28743727 PMCID: PMC5577854 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0486-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
To make an appropriate decision, one must anticipate potential future rewarding events, even when they are not readily observable. These expectations are generated by using observable information (e.g., stimuli or available actions) to retrieve often quite detailed memories of available rewards. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are two reciprocally connected key nodes in the circuitry supporting such outcome-guided behaviors. But there is much unknown about the contribution of this circuit to decision making, and almost nothing known about the whether any contribution is via direct, monosynaptic projections, or the direction of information transfer. Therefore, here we used designer receptor-mediated inactivation of OFC→BLA or BLA→OFC projections to evaluate their respective contributions to outcome-guided behaviors in rats. Inactivation of BLA terminals in the OFC, but not OFC terminals in the BLA, disrupted the selective motivating influence of cue-triggered reward representations over reward-seeking decisions as assayed by Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. BLA→OFC projections were also required when a cued reward representation was used to modify Pavlovian conditional goal-approach responses according to the reward's current value. These projections were not necessary when actions were guided by reward expectations generated based on learned action-reward contingencies, or when rewards themselves, rather than stored memories, directed action. These data demonstrate that BLA→OFC projections enable the cue-triggered reward expectations that can motivate the execution of specific action plans and allow adaptive conditional responding.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Deficits anticipating potential future rewarding events are associated with many psychiatric diseases. Presently, we know little about the neural circuits supporting such reward expectation. Here we show that basolateral amygdala to orbitofrontal cortex projections are required for expectations of specific available rewards to influence reward seeking and decision making. The necessity of these projections was limited to situations in which expectations were elicited by reward-predictive cues. These projections therefore facilitate adaptive behavior by enabling the orbitofrontal cortex to use environmental stimuli to generate expectations of potential future rewarding events.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sandra M Holley
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | | | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | - Michael S Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
- Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology and
- Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
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174
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Warlow SM, Robinson MJF, Berridge KC. Optogenetic Central Amygdala Stimulation Intensifies and Narrows Motivation for Cocaine. J Neurosci 2017; 37:8330-8348. [PMID: 28751460 PMCID: PMC5577851 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3141-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Addiction is often characterized by intense motivation for a drug, which may be narrowly focused at the expense of other rewards. Here, we examined the role of amygdala-related circuitry in the amplification and narrowing of motivation focus for intravenous cocaine. We paired optogenetic channelrhodopsin (ChR2) stimulation in either central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) or basolateral amygdala (BLA) of female rats with one particular nose-poke porthole option for earning cocaine infusions (0.3 mg/kg, i.v.). A second alternative porthole earned identical cocaine but without ChR2 stimulation. Consequently, CeA rats quickly came to pursue their CeA ChR2-paired cocaine option intensely and exclusively, elevating cocaine intake while ignoring their alternative cocaine alone option. By comparison, BLA ChR2 pairing failed to enhance cocaine motivation. CeA rats also emitted consummatory bites toward their laser-paired porthole, suggesting that higher incentive salience made that cue more attractive. A separate progressive ratio test of incentive motivation confirmed that CeA ChR2 amplified rats' motivation, raising their breakpoint effort price for cocaine by 10-fold. However, CeA ChR2 laser on its own lacked any reinforcement value: laser by itself was never self-stimulated, not even by the same rats in which it amplified motivation for cocaine. Conversely, CeA inhibition by muscimol/baclofen microinjections prevented acquisition of cocaine self-administration and laser preference, whereas CeA inhibition by optogenetic halorhodopsin suppressed cocaine intake, indicating that CeA circuitry is needed for ordinary cocaine motivation. We conclude that CeA ChR2 excitation paired with a cocaine option specifically focuses and amplifies motivation to produce intense pursuit and consumption focused on that single target.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In addiction, intense incentive motivation often becomes narrowly focused on a particular drug of abuse. Here we show that pairing central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) optogenetic stimulation with one option for earning intravenous cocaine makes that option almost the exclusive focus of intense pursuit and consumption. CeA stimulation also elevated the effort cost rats were willing to pay for cocaine and made associated cues become intensely attractive. However, we also show that CeA laser had no reinforcing properties at all when given alone for the same rats. Therefore, CeA laser pairing makes its associated cocaine option and cues become powerfully attractive in a nearly addictive fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley M Warlow
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, and
| | - Mike J F Robinson
- Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06459
| | - Kent C Berridge
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, and
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175
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Shariff M, Klenowski P, Morgan M, Patkar O, Mu E, Bellingham M, Belmer A, Bartlett SE. Binge-like sucrose consumption reduces the dendritic length and complexity of principal neurons in the adolescent rat basolateral amygdala. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183063. [PMID: 28813474 PMCID: PMC5558950 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A compelling body of evidence suggests that the worldwide obesity epidemic is underpinned by excessive sugar consumption, typified by the modern western diet. Furthermore, evidence is beginning to emerge of maladaptive changes in the mesolimbic reward pathway of the brain in relation to excess sugar consumption that highlights the importance of examining this neural circuitry in an attempt to understand and subsequently mitigate the associated morbidities with obesity. While the basolateral amygdala (BLA) has been shown to mediate the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse, it has also been shown to play an important role in affective and motivated behaviours and has been shown to undergo maladaptive changes in response to drugs of abuse and stress. Given the overlap in neural circuitry affected by drugs of abuse and sucrose, we sought to examine the effect of short- and long-term binge-like sucrose consumption on the morphology of the BLA principal neurons using an intermittent-access two-bottle choice paradigm. We used Golgi-Cox staining to impregnate principal neurons from the BLA of short- (4 week) and long-term (12 week) sucrose consuming adolescent rats and compared these to age-matched water controls. Our results indicate possibly maladaptive changes to the dendritic architecture of BLA principal neurons, particularly on apical dendrites following long-term sucrose consumption. Specifically, our results show reduced total dendritic arbor length of BLA principal neurons following short- and long-term sucrose consumption. Additionally, we found that long-term binge-like sucrose consumption caused a significant reduction in the length and complexity of apical dendrites. Taken together, our results highlight the differences between short- and long-term binge-like sucrose consumption on BLA principal neuron morphology and are suggestive of a perturbation in the diverse synaptic inputs to these neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masroor Shariff
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Paul Klenowski
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Michael Morgan
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Omkar Patkar
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Erica Mu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Mark Bellingham
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Arnauld Belmer
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Selena E. Bartlett
- Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
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176
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Kress L, Aue T. The link between optimism bias and attention bias: A neurocognitive perspective. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:688-702. [PMID: 28780313 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Both optimism bias and reward-related attention bias have crucial implications for well-being and mental health. Yet, the extent to which the two biases interact remains unclear because, to date, they have mostly been discussed in isolation. Examining interactions between the two biases can lead to new directions in neurocognitive research by revealing their underlying cognitive and neurophysiological mechanisms. In the present article, we suggest that optimism bias and reward-related attention bias mutually enforce each other and recruit a common underlying neural network. Key components of this network include specific activations in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex with connections to the amygdala. We further postulate that biased memory processes influence the interplay of optimism and reward-related attention bias. Studying such causal relations between cognitive biases reveals important information not only about normal functioning and adaptive neural pathways in maintaining mental health, but also about the development and maintenance of psychological diseases, thereby contributing to the effectiveness of treatment.
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177
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Baker PM, Mizumori SJY. Control of behavioral flexibility by the lateral habenula. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2017; 162:62-68. [PMID: 28778738 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2017.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Revised: 07/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The ability to rapidly switch behaviors in dynamic environments is fundamental to survival across species. Recognizing when an ongoing behavioral strategy should be replaced by an alternative one requires the integration of a diverse number of cues both internal and external to the organism including hunger, stress, or the presence of reward predictive cues. Increasingly sophisticated behavioral paradigms coupled with state of the art electrophysiological and pharmacological approaches have delineated a brain circuit involved in behavioral flexibility. However, how diverse contextual cues are integrated to influence strategy selection on a trial by trial basis remains largely unknown. One promising candidate for integration of internal and external cues to determine whether an ongoing behavioral strategy is appropriate is the lateral habenula (LHb). The LHb receives input from many brain areas that signal both internal and external environmental contexts and in turn projects to areas involved in behavioral monitoring and plasticity. This review examines how these connections, combined with recent pharmacological and electrophysiological results reveal a critical role for the LHb in behavioral flexibility in dynamic environments. This proposed role extends the known contributions of the LHb to motivated behaviors and suggests that the fundamental role of the LHb in these behaviors goes beyond signaling rewards and punishments to dopaminergic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip M Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Sheri J Y Mizumori
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.
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178
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Genesis and Maintenance of Attentional Biases: The Role of the Locus Coeruleus-Noradrenaline System. Neural Plast 2017; 2017:6817349. [PMID: 28808590 PMCID: PMC5541826 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6817349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotionally arousing events are typically better remembered than mundane ones, in part because emotionally relevant aspects of our environment are prioritized in attention. Such biased attentional tuning is itself the result of associative processes through which we learn affective and motivational relevance of cues. We propose that the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system plays an important role in the genesis of attentional biases through associative learning processes as well as their maintenance. We further propose that individual differences in and disruptions of the LC-NA system underlie the development of maladaptive biases linked to psychopathology. We provide support for the proposed role of the LC-NA system by first reviewing work on attentional biases in development and its link to psychopathology in relation to alterations and individual differences in NA availability. We focus on pharmacological manipulations to demonstrate the effect of a disrupted system as well as the ADRA2b polymorphism as a tool to investigate naturally occurring differences in NA availability. We next review associative learning processes that-modulated by the LC-NA system-result in such implicit attentional biases. Further, we demonstrate how NA may influence aversive and appetitive conditioning linked to anxiety disorders as well as addiction and depression.
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179
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Stolyarova A, Izquierdo A. Complementary contributions of basolateral amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex to value learning under uncertainty. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28682238 PMCID: PMC5533586 DOI: 10.7554/elife.27483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We make choices based on the values of expected outcomes, informed by previous experience in similar settings. When the outcomes of our decisions consistently violate expectations, new learning is needed to maximize rewards. Yet not every surprising event indicates a meaningful change in the environment. Even when conditions are stable overall, outcomes of a single experience can still be unpredictable due to small fluctuations (i.e., expected uncertainty) in reward or costs. In the present work, we investigate causal contributions of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in rats to learning under expected outcome uncertainty in a novel delay-based task that incorporates both predictable fluctuations and directional shifts in outcome values. We demonstrate that OFC is required to accurately represent the distribution of wait times to stabilize choice preferences despite trial-by-trial fluctuations in outcomes, whereas BLA is necessary for the facilitation of learning in response to surprising events. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.27483.001 Nobody likes waiting – we opt for online shopping to avoid standing in lines, grow impatient in traffic, and often prefer restaurants that serve food quickly. When making decisions, humans and other animals try to maximize the benefits by weighing up the costs and rewards associated with a situation. Many regions in the brain help us choose the best options based on quality and size of rewards, and required waiting times. Even before we make decisions, the activity in these brain regions predicts what we will choose. Sometimes, however, unexpected changes can lead to longer waiting times and our preferences suddenly become less desirable. The brain can detect such changes by comparing the outcomes we anticipate to those we experience. When the outcomes are surprising, specific areas in the brain such as the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex help us learn to make better choices. However, as surprising events can occur purely by chance, we need to be able to ignore irrelevant surprises and only learn from meaningful ones. Until now, it was not clear whether the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex play specific roles in successfully learning under such conditions. Stolyarova and Izquierdo trained rats to select between two images and rewarded them with sugar pellets after different delays. If rats chose one of these images they received the rewards after a predictable delay that was about 10 seconds, while choosing the other one produced variable delays – sometimes the time intervals were either very short or very long. Then, the waiting times for one of the alternatives changed unexpectedly. Rats with healthy brains quickly learned to choose the option with the shorter waiting time. Stolyarova and Izquierdo repeated the experiments with rats that had damage in a part of the amygdala. These rats learned more slowly, particularly when the variable option changed for the better. Rats with damage to the orbitofrontal cortex failed to learn at all. Stolyarova and Izquierdo then examined the rats’ behavior during delays. Rats with damage to the orbitofrontal cortex could not distinguish between meaningful and irrelevant surprises and always looked for the food pellet (i.e. anticipated a reward) at the average delay interval. These findings highlight two brain regions that help us distinguish meaningful surprises from irrelevant ones. A next step will be to examine how the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex interact during learning and see if changes to the activity of these brain regions may affect responses. Advanced methods to non-invasively manipulate brain activity in humans may help people who find it hard to cope with changes; or individuals suffering from substance use disorders, who often struggle to give up drugs that provide them immediate and predictable rewards. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.27483.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Stolyarova
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Alicia Izquierdo
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Integrative Center for Addictions, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,The Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
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180
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Motivational neural circuits underlying reinforcement learning. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:505-512. [PMID: 28352111 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Reinforcement learning (RL) is the behavioral process of learning the values of actions and objects. Most models of RL assume that the dopaminergic prediction error signal drives plasticity in frontal-striatal circuits. The striatum then encodes value representations that drive decision processes. However, the amygdala has also been shown to play an important role in forming Pavlovian stimulus-outcome associations. These Pavlovian associations can drive motivated behavior via the amygdala projections to the ventral striatum or the ventral tegmental area. The amygdala may, therefore, play a central role in RL. Here we compare the contributions of the amygdala and the striatum to RL and show that both the amygdala and striatum learn and represent expected values in RL tasks. Furthermore, value representations in the striatum may be inherited, to some extent, from the amygdala. The striatum may, therefore, play less of a primary role in learning stimulus-outcome associations in RL than previously suggested.
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181
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Regulation of Alcohol Extinction and Cue-Induced Reinstatement by Specific Projections among Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Nucleus Accumbens, and Basolateral Amygdala. J Neurosci 2017; 37:4462-4471. [PMID: 28336571 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3383-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to inhibit drinking is a significant challenge for recovering alcoholics, especially in the presence of alcohol-associated cues. Previous studies have demonstrated that the regulation of cue-guided alcohol seeking is mediated by the basolateral amygdala (BLA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, given the high interconnectivity between these structures, it is unclear how mPFC projections to each subcortical structure, as well as projections between BLA and NAc, mediate alcohol-seeking behaviors. Here, we evaluate how cortico-striatal, cortico-amygdalar, and amygdalo-striatal projections control extinction and relapse in a rat model of alcohol seeking. Specifically, we used a combinatorial viral technique to express diphtheria toxin receptors in specific neuron populations based on their projection targets. We then used this strategy to create directionally selective ablations of three distinct pathways after acquisition of ethanol self-administration but before extinction and reinstatement. We demonstrate that ablation of mPFC neurons projecting to NAc, but not BLA, blocks cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking and neither pathway is necessary for extinction of responding. Further, we show that ablating BLA neurons that project to NAc disrupts extinction of alcohol approach behaviors and attenuates reinstatement. Together, these data provide evidence that the mPFC→NAc pathway is necessary for cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking, expand our understanding of how the BLA→NAc pathway regulates alcohol behavior, and introduce a new methodology for the manipulation of target-specific neural projections.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The vast majority of recovering alcoholics will relapse at least once and understanding how the brain regulates relapse will be key to developing more effective behavior and pharmacological therapies for alcoholism. Given the high interconnectivity of cortical, striatal, and limbic structures that regulate alcohol intake, it has been difficult to disentangle how separate projections between them may control different aspects of these complex behaviors. Here, we demonstrate a new approach for noninvasively ablating each of these pathways and testing their necessity for both extinction and relapse. We show that inputs to the nucleus accumbens from medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala regulate alcohol-seeking behaviors differentially, adding to our understanding of the neural control of alcoholism.
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182
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Keefer SE, Petrovich GD. Distinct recruitment of basolateral amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex pathways across Pavlovian appetitive conditioning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2017; 141:27-32. [PMID: 28288832 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2017.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Revised: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Associative learning can enable environmental cues to signal food and stimulate feeding, independent of physiological hunger. Two forebrain regions necessary in cue driven feeding, the basolateral area of the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex, communicate via extensive, topographically organized connections. The basolateral nucleus (BLA) sends extensive projections to the prelimbic cortex (PL), and our aim here was to determine if this pathway was selectively recruited during cue-food associative learning. The anterior and posterior basolateral nuclei are recruited during different phases of cue-food learning, and thus we examined whether distinct pathways that originate in these nuclei and project to the PL are differently recruited during early and late stages of learning. To accomplish this we used neuroanatomical tract tracing combined with the detection of Fos induction. To identify projecting neurons within the BLA, prior to training, rats received a retrograde tracer, Fluoro-Gold (FG) into the PL. Rats were given either one or ten sessions of tone-food presentations (Paired group) or tone-only presentations (Control group). The Paired group learned the tone-food association quickly and robustly and had greater Fos induction within the anterior and posterior BLA during early and late learning compared to the Control group. Notably, the Paired group had more double-labeled neurons (FG + Fos) during late training compared to the Control group, specifically in the anterior BLA. This demonstrates selective recruitment of the anterior BLA-PL pathway by late cue-food learning. These findings indicate plasticity and specificity in the BLA-PL pathways across cue-food associative learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Keefer
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3807, USA
| | - Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3807, USA.
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183
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Oikonomidis L, Santangelo AM, Shiba Y, Clarke FH, Robbins TW, Roberts AC. A dimensional approach to modeling symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders in the marmoset monkey. Dev Neurobiol 2017; 77:328-353. [PMID: 27589556 PMCID: PMC5412688 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Revised: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Some patients suffering from the same neuropsychiatric disorder may have no overlapping symptoms whilst others may share symptoms common to other distinct disorders. Therefore, the Research Domain Criteria initiative recognises the need for better characterisation of the individual symptoms on which to focus symptom-based treatment strategies. Many of the disorders involve dysfunction within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and so the marmoset, due to their highly developed PFC and small size, is an ideal species for studying the neurobiological basis of the behavioural dimensions that underlie these symptoms.Here we focus on a battery of tests that address dysfunction spanning the cognitive (cognitive inflexibility and working memory), negative valence (fear generalisation and negative bias) and positive valence (anhedonia) systems pertinent for understanding disorders such as ADHD, Schizophrenia, Anxiety, Depression and OCD. Parsing the separable prefrontal and striatal circuits and identifying the selective neurochemical modulation (serotonin vs dopamine) that underlie cognitive dysfunction have revealed counterparts in the clinical domain. Aspects of the negative valence system have been explored both at individual- (trait anxiety and genetic variation in serotonin transporter) and circuit-based levels enabling the understanding of generalisation processes, negative biases and differential responsiveness to SSRIs. Within the positive valence system, the combination of cardiovascular and behavioural measures provides a framework for understanding motivational, anticipatory and consummatory aspects of anhedonia and their neurobiological mechanisms. Together, the direct comparison of experimental findings in marmosets with clinical studies is proving an excellent translational model to address the behavioural dimensions and neurobiology of neuropsychiatric symptoms. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 328-353, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Oikonomidis
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea M Santangelo
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Yoshiro Shiba
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - F Hannah Clarke
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
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184
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Chong TTJ, Apps M, Giehl K, Sillence A, Grima LL, Husain M. Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective valuation of effort costs. PLoS Biol 2017; 15:e1002598. [PMID: 28234892 PMCID: PMC5325181 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In everyday life, we have to decide whether it is worth exerting effort to obtain rewards. Effort can be experienced in different domains, with some tasks requiring significant cognitive demand and others being more physically effortful. The motivation to exert effort for reward is highly subjective and varies considerably across the different domains of behaviour. However, very little is known about the computational or neural basis of how different effort costs are subjectively weighed against rewards. Is there a common, domain-general system of brain areas that evaluates all costs and benefits? Here, we used computational modelling and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the mechanisms underlying value processing in both the cognitive and physical domains. Participants were trained on two novel tasks that parametrically varied either cognitive or physical effort. During fMRI, participants indicated their preferences between a fixed low-effort/low-reward option and a variable higher-effort/higher-reward offer for each effort domain. Critically, reward devaluation by both cognitive and physical effort was subserved by a common network of areas, including the dorsomedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the intraparietal sulcus, and the anterior insula. Activity within these domain-general areas also covaried negatively with reward and positively with effort, suggesting an integration of these parameters within these areas. Additionally, the amygdala appeared to play a unique, domain-specific role in processing the value of rewards associated with cognitive effort. These results are the first to reveal the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective cost–benefit valuation across different domains of effort and provide insight into the multidimensional nature of motivation. Model-based fMRI in humans shows that cognitive and physical motivation are underpinned by overlapping neural substrates, but the amygdala plays a unique role in valuation of cognitive effort. Rewards are rarely obtained without the motivation to exert effort. In humans, effort can be perceived in both the cognitive and physical domains, yet little is known about how the brain evaluates whether it is worth exerting different types of effort in return for rewards. In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine the neural and computational basis of effort processing. We developed two novel tasks that were either cognitively or physically effortful and had participants indicate their preference for a low-effort/low-reward versus a higher-effort/higher-reward version of each. Our results showed distinct patterns of reward devaluation across the different domains of effort. Furthermore, regardless of the type of effort involved, motivation was subserved by a large network of overlapping brain areas across the parieto-prefrontal cortex and insula. However, we also found that the amygdala plays a unique role in motivating cognitively—but not physically—effortful behaviours. These data impact current neuroeconomic theories of value-based decision making by revealing the neurocomputational signatures that underlie the variability in individuals’ motivation to exert different types of effort in return for reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor T.-J. Chong
- Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (TTJC); (MA)
| | - Matthew Apps
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (TTJC); (MA)
| | - Kathrin Giehl
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Annie Sillence
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Laura L. Grima
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Masud Husain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom
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185
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General and emotion-specific neural effects of ketamine during emotional memory formation. Neuroimage 2017; 150:308-317. [PMID: 28232170 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.02.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal studies suggest that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) dependent signalling in limbic and prefrontal regions is critically involved in both cognitive and emotional functions. In humans, ketamine-induced transient, and disorder associated chronic NMDAR hypofunction (i.e. in schizophrenia) has been associated with deficient performance in the domains of memory and higher-order emotional functioning, as well as altered neural activity in the underlying limbic-prefrontal circuits. To model the effects of NMDAR hypofunction on the integration of emotion and cognition the present pharmacological fMRI study applied the NMDAR antagonist ketamine (target plasma level=100ng/ml) to 21 healthy volunteers in a within-subject placebo-controlled crossover design during encoding of neutral, positive and negative pictures. Our results show that irrespective of emotion, ketamine suppressed parahippocampal and medial prefrontal activity. In contrast, ketamine selectively increased amygdala and orbitofrontal activity during successful encoding of negative stimuli. On the network level ketamine generally increased medial prefrontal-parahippocampal coupling while specifically decreasing amygdala-orbitofrontal interplay during encoding of negative stimuli. On the behavioural level, ketamine produced generally decreased memory performance and abolished the emotional enhancement of memory after a wash-out period of 5 days. The present findings suggest that ketamine produces general as well as valence-specific effects during emotional memory formation. The pattern partly overlaps with alterations previously observed in patients with schizophrenia.
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186
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Mohammadian Z, Sahraei H, Meftahi GH, Ali-Beik H. Effects of unilatral- and bilateral inhibition of rostral ventral tegmental area and central nucleus of amygdala on morphine-induced place conditioning in male Wistar rat. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2017; 44:403-412. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.12715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Mohammadian
- Department of Biology; School of Science, North Branch of Tehran; Azad University; Tehran Iran
| | - Hedayat Sahraei
- Neuroscience Research Center; Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences; Tehran Iran
| | | | - Hengameh Ali-Beik
- Department of Biology; School of Science, North Branch of Tehran; Azad University; Tehran Iran
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187
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Lichtenberg NT, Wassum KM. Amygdala mu-opioid receptors mediate the motivating influence of cue-triggered reward expectations. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 45:381-387. [PMID: 27862489 PMCID: PMC5293612 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Environmental reward-predictive stimuli can retrieve from memory a specific reward expectation that allows them to motivate action and guide choice. This process requires the basolateral amygdala (BLA), but little is known about the signaling systems necessary within this structure. Here we examined the role of the neuromodulatory opioid receptor system in the BLA in such cue-directed action using the outcome-specific Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) test in rats. Inactivation of BLA mu-, but not delta-opioid receptors was found to dose-dependently attenuate the ability of a reward-predictive cue to selectively invigorate the performance of actions directed at the same unique predicted reward (i.e. to express outcome-specific PIT). BLA mu-opioid receptor inactivation did not affect the ability of a reward itself to similarly motivate action (outcome-specific reinstatement), suggesting a more selective role for the BLA mu-opioid receptor in the motivating influence of currently unobservable rewarding events. These data reveal a new role for BLA mu-opioid receptor activation in the cued recall of precise reward memories and the use of this information to motivate specific action plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina T Lichtenberg
- Department of Psychology, UCLA, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, UCLA, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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188
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Hart EE, Izquierdo A. Basolateral amygdala supports the maintenance of value and effortful choice of a preferred option. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 45:388-397. [PMID: 27977047 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 11/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is known to be involved in appetitive behavior, yet its role in cost-benefit choice of qualitatively different rewards (more/less preferred), beyond magnitude differences (larger/smaller), is poorly understood. We assessed the effects of BLA inactivations on effortful choice behavior. Rats were implanted with cannulae in BLA and trained to stable lever pressing for sucrose pellets on a progressive ratio schedule. Rats were then introduced to a choice: chow was concurrently available while they could work for the preferred sucrose pellets. Rats were infused with either vehicle control (aCSF) or baclofen/muscimol prior to test. BLA inactivations produced a significant decrease in lever presses for sucrose pellets compared to vehicle, and chow consumption was unaffected. Inactivation had no effect on sucrose pellet preference when both options were freely available. Critically, when lab chow was not concurrently available, BLA inactivations had no effect on the number of lever presses for sucrose pellets, indicating that primary motivation in the absence of choice remains intact with BLA offline. After a test under specific satiety for sucrose pellets, BLA inactivation rendered animals less sensitive to devaluation relative to control. The effects of BLA inactivations in our task are not mediated by decreased appetite, an inability to perform the task, a change in food preference, or decrements in primary motivation. Taken together, BLA supports the specific value and effortful choice of a preferred option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan E Hart
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall Box, Los Angeles, CA, 95156, USA
| | - Alicia Izquierdo
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall Box, Los Angeles, CA, 95156, USA.,The Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Integrative Center for Addictions, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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189
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Abnormal effective fronto-limbic connectivity during emotion processing in schizophrenia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2017; 72:1-8. [PMID: 27528110 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2016.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is associated with core emotional dysfunctions. At the neural level, functional neuro-imaging studies have highlighted fronto-limbic alterations during emotion processing in schizophrenia, as well as impaired connectivity between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. However, the direction of the impaired fronto-limbic connections remains largely unknown. To clarify this issue, we performed an effective connectivity study on emotion processing in schizophrenia. METHODS Forty-one healthy individuals and 39 schizophrenia patients (DSM-IV criteria) viewed negative, positive and neutral images during an fMRI session. Effective connectivity between significantly activated regions was examined using Granger causality and psychophysical interaction analyses. RESULTS Subjective ratings of emotionally neutral images were higher in schizophrenia patients than in controls. Across groups, significant activations were observed in the dorso-medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the bilateral amygdala. The Granger connectivity from the right amygdala to the dmPFC was significantly reduced in schizophrenia patients, relative to controls, during the negative and neutral conditions. The Granger connectivity from the left amygdala to the dmPFC was significantly reduced in schizophrenia patients, relative to controls, during the positive condition. DISCUSSION The finding of a reduced lagged connectivity from the bilateral amygdala to the dmPFC in schizophrenia suggests that the bottom-up mechanisms involved in the processing of highly arousing emotional stimuli are impaired in this disorder. The finding of an impaired lagged connectivity from the right amygdala to the dmPFC during the processing of emotionally neutral stimuli in schizophrenia is novel and may explain why these patients tend to confer emotional significance to irrelevant stimuli.
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190
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Marwha D, Halari M, Eliot L. Meta-analysis reveals a lack of sexual dimorphism in human amygdala volume. Neuroimage 2016; 147:282-294. [PMID: 27956206 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Revised: 11/27/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala plays a key role in many affective behaviors and psychiatric disorders that differ between men and women. To test whether human amygdala volume (AV) differs reliably between the sexes, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of AVs reported in MRI studies of age-matched healthy male and female groups. Using four search strategies, we identified 46 total studies (58 matched samples) from which we extracted effect sizes for the sex difference in AV. All data were converted to Hedges g values and pooled effect sizes were calculated using a random-effects model. Each dataset was further meta-regressed against study year and average participant age. We found that uncorrected amygdala volume is about 10% larger in males, with pooled sex difference effect sizes of g=0.581 for right amygdala (κ=28, n=2022), 0.666 for left amygdala (κ=28, n=2006), and 0.876 for bilateral amygdala (κ=16, n=1585) volumes (all p values < 0.001). However, this difference is comparable to the sex differences in intracranial volume (ICV; g=1.186, p<.001, 11.9% larger in males, κ=11) and total brain volume (TBV; g=1.278, p<0.001, 11.5% larger in males, κ=15) reported in subsets of the same studies, suggesting the sex difference in AV is a product of larger brain size in males. Among studies reporting AVs normalized for ICV or TBV, sex difference effect sizes were small and not statistically significant: g=0.171 for the right amygdala (p=0.206, κ=13, n=1560); 0.233 for the left amygdala (p=0.092, κ=12, n=1512); and 0.257 for bilateral volume (p=0.131, κ=5, n=1629). These values correspond to less than 0.1% larger corrected right AV and 2.5% larger corrected left AV in males compared to females. In summary, AV is not selectively enhanced in human males, as often claimed. Although we cannot rule out subtle male-female group differences, it is not accurate to refer to the human amygdala as "sexually dimorphic."
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhruv Marwha
- Department of Neuroscience, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, United States
| | - Meha Halari
- Department of Neuroscience, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, United States
| | - Lise Eliot
- Department of Neuroscience, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, United States.
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191
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Anderson LC, Petrovich GD. Sex specific recruitment of a medial prefrontal cortex-hippocampal-thalamic system during context-dependent renewal of responding to food cues in rats. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 139:11-21. [PMID: 27940080 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2016.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Renewal, or reinstatement, of responding to food cues after extinction may explain the inability to resist palatable foods and change maladaptive eating habits. Previously, we found sex differences in context-dependent renewal of extinguished Pavlovian conditioned responding to food cues. Context-induced renewal involves cue-food conditioning and extinction in different contexts and the renewal of conditioned behavior is induced by return to the conditioning context (ABA renewal). Male rats showed renewal of responding while females did not. In the current study we sought to identify recruitment of key neural systems underlying context-mediated renewal and sex differences. We examined Fos induction within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), hippocampal formation, thalamus and amygdala in male and female rats during the test for renewal. We found sex differences in vmPFC recruitment during renewal. Male rats in the experimental condition showed renewal of responding and had more Fos induction within the infralimbic and prelimbic vmPFC areas compared to controls that remained in the same context throughout training and testing. Females in the experimental condition did not show renewal or an increase in Fos induction. Additionally, Fos expression differed between experimental and control groups and between the sexes in the hippocampal formation, thalamus and amygdala. Within the ventral subiculum, the experimental groups of both sexes had more Fos compared to control groups. Within the dorsal CA1 and the anterior region of the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, in males, the experimental group had higher Fos induction, while both females groups had similar number of Fos-positive neurons. Within the capsular part of the central amygdalar nucleus, females in the experimental group had higher Fos induction, while males groups had similar amounts. The differential recruitment corresponded to the behavioral differences between males and females and suggests the medial prefrontal cortex-hippocampal-thalamic system is a critical site of sex differences during renewal of appetitive Pavlovian responding to food cues. These findings provide evidence for novel neural mechanisms underlying sex differences in food motivation and contextual processing in associative learning and memory. The results should also inform future molecular and translational work investigating sex differences and maladaptive eating habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren C Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3807, USA
| | - Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3807, USA.
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192
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Loonen AJM, Ivanova SA. Circuits Regulating Pleasure and Happiness: The Evolution of the Amygdalar-Hippocampal-Habenular Connectivity in Vertebrates. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:539. [PMID: 27920666 PMCID: PMC5118621 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Appetitive-searching (reward-seeking) and distress-avoiding (misery-fleeing) behavior are essential for all free moving animals to stay alive and to have offspring. Therefore, even the oldest ocean-dwelling animal creatures, living about 560 million years ago and human ancestors, must have been capable of generating these behaviors. The current article describes the evolution of the forebrain with special reference to the development of the misery-fleeing system. Although, the earliest vertebrate ancestor already possessed a dorsal pallium, which corresponds to the human neocortex, the structure and function of the neocortex was acquired quite recently within the mammalian evolutionary line. Up to, and including, amphibians, the dorsal pallium can be considered to be an extension of the medial pallium, which later develops into the hippocampus. The ventral and lateral pallium largely go up into the corticoid part of the amygdala. The striatopallidum of these early vertebrates becomes extended amygdala, consisting of centromedial amygdala (striatum) connected with the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (pallidum). This amygdaloid system gives output to hypothalamus and brainstem, but also a connection with the cerebral cortex exists, which in part was created after the development of the more recent cerebral neocortex. Apart from bidirectional connectivity with the hippocampal complex, this route can also be considered to be an output channel as the fornix connects the hippocampus with the medial septum, which is the most important input structure of the medial habenula. The medial habenula regulates the activity of midbrain structures adjusting the intensity of the misery-fleeing response. Within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis the human homolog of the ancient lateral habenula-projecting globus pallidus may exist; this structure is important for the evaluation of efficacy of the reward-seeking response. The described organization offers a framework for the regulation of the stress response, including the medial habenula and the subgenual cingulate cortex, in which dysfunction may explain the major symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton J. M. Loonen
- Department of Pharmacy, University of GroningenGroningen, Netherlands
- GGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant (GGZ-WNB)Halsteren, Netherlands
| | - Svetlana A. Ivanova
- Mental Health Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center of the Russian Academy of SciencesTomsk, Russia
- Department of Ecology and Basic Safety, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic UniversityTomsk, Russia
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193
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Kaniuga E, Taracha E, Stępień T, Wierzba-Bobrowicz T, Płaźnik A, Chrapusta SJ. Rats showing low and high sensitization of frequency-modulated 50-kHz vocalization response to amphetamine differ in amphetamine-induced brain Fos expression. Brain Res 2016; 1648:356-364. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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194
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Coppin G. The anterior medial temporal lobes: Their role in food intake and body weight regulation. Physiol Behav 2016; 167:60-70. [PMID: 27591841 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The anterior medial temporal lobes are one of the most studied parts of the brain. Classically, their two main structures - the amygdalae and the hippocampi - have been linked to key cognitive and affective functions, related in particular to learning and memory. Based on abundant evidence, we will argue for an alternative but complementary point of view: they may also play a major role in food intake and body weight regulation. First, an overview is given of early clinical evidence in this line of thought. Subsequently, empirical evidence is presented on how food intake, including in the extreme case of obesity, may relate to amygdalian and hippocampal functioning. The focus is on the amygdala's role in processing the relevance of food stimuli, cue-induced feeding, and stress-induced eating and on the hippocampus' involvement in the use of interoceptive signals of hunger and satiety, as well as memory and inhibitory processes related to food intake. Additionally, an elaboration takes place on possible reciprocal links between food intake, body weight, and amygdala and hippocampus functioning. Finally, issues that seemed particularly critical for future research in the field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Géraldine Coppin
- The John B. Pierce Laboratory, School of Medicine, Yale University, 290 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT 06519, USA; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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195
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Sex differences, learning flexibility, and striatal dopamine D1 and D2 following adolescent drug exposure in rats. Behav Brain Res 2016; 308:104-14. [PMID: 27091300 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Corticostriatal circuitry supports flexible reward learning and emotional behavior from the critical neurodevelopmental stage of adolescence through adulthood. It is still poorly understood how prescription drug exposure in adolescence may impact these outcomes in the long-term. We studied adolescent methylphenidate (MPH) and fluoxetine (FLX) exposure in rats and their impact on learning and emotion in adulthood. In Experiment 1, male and female rats were administered MPH, FLX, or saline (SAL), and compared with methamphetamine (mAMPH) treatment beginning in postnatal day (PND) 37. The rats were then tested on discrimination and reversal learning in adulthood. In Experiment 2, animals were administered MPH or SAL also beginning in PND 37 and later tested in adulthood for anxiety levels. In Experiment 3, we analyzed striatal dopamine D1 and D2 receptor expression in adulthood following either extensive learning (after Experiment 1) or more brief emotional measures (after Experiment 2). We found sex differences in discrimination learning and attenuated reversal learning after MPH and only sex differences in adulthood anxiety. In learners, there was enhanced striatal D1, but not D2, after either adolescent MPH or mAMPH. Lastly, also in learners, there was a sex x treatment group interaction for D2, but not D1, driven by the MPH-pretreated females, who expressed significantly higher D2 levels compared to SAL. These results show enduring effects of adolescent MPH on reversal learning in rats. Developmental psychostimulant exposure may interact with learning to enhance D1 expression in adulthood, and affect D2 expression in a sex-dependent manner.
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196
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Izquierdo A, Brigman JL, Radke AK, Rudebeck PH, Holmes A. The neural basis of reversal learning: An updated perspective. Neuroscience 2016; 345:12-26. [PMID: 26979052 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 346] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Reversal learning paradigms are among the most widely used tests of cognitive flexibility and have been used as assays, across species, for altered cognitive processes in a host of neuropsychiatric conditions. Based on recent studies in humans, non-human primates, and rodents, the notion that reversal learning tasks primarily measure response inhibition, has been revised. In this review, we describe how cognitive flexibility is measured by reversal learning and discuss new definitions of the construct validity of the task that are serving as a heuristic to guide future research in this field. We also provide an update on the available evidence implicating certain cortical and subcortical brain regions in the mediation of reversal learning, and an overview of the principal neurotransmitter systems involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Izquierdo
- Department of Psychology, The Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - J L Brigman
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - A K Radke
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - P H Rudebeck
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10014, USA
| | - A Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
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197
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Tan D, Vyas A. Infection of male rats with Toxoplasma gondii induces effort-aversion in a T-maze decision-making task. Brain Behav Immun 2016; 53:273-277. [PMID: 26783701 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2015] [Revised: 12/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats chronically infected with protozoan Toxoplasma gondii exhibit greater delay aversion in an inter-temporal task. Moreover T. gondii infection also results in dendritic atrophy of basolateral amygdala neurons. Basolateral amygdala is reported to bias decision making towards greater effortful alternatives. In this context, we report that T. gondii increases effort aversion in infected male rats. This host-parasite association has been widely studied in the context of loss of innate fear in the infected males. It is suggested that reduced fear towards predators reflects a parasitic behavioral manipulation to enhance trophic transmission of T. gondii. Observations reported here extend this paradigm away from a monolithic change in fear and towards a multi-dimensional change in decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna Tan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Ajai Vyas
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
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198
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Parkes SL, Ferreira G, Coutureau E. Acquisition of specific response–outcome associations requires NMDA receptor activation in the basolateral amygdala but not in the insular cortex. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2016; 128:40-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2015.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Revised: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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199
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Baker PM, Oh SE, Kidder KS, Mizumori SJY. Ongoing behavioral state information signaled in the lateral habenula guides choice flexibility in freely moving rats. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:295. [PMID: 26582981 PMCID: PMC4631824 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral habenula (LHb) plays a role in a wide variety of behaviors ranging from maternal care, to sleep, to various forms of cognition. One prominent theory with ample supporting evidence is that the LHb serves to relay basal ganglia and limbic signals about negative outcomes to midbrain monoaminergic systems. This makes it likely that the LHb is critically involved in behavioral flexibility as all of these systems have been shown to contribute when flexible behavior is required. Behavioral flexibility is commonly examined across species and is impaired in various neuropsychiatric conditions including autism, depression, addiction, and schizophrenia; conditions in which the LHb is thought to play a role. Therefore, a thorough examination of the role of the LHb in behavioral flexibility serves multiple functions including understanding possible connections with neuropsychiatric illnesses and additional insight into its role in cognition in general. Here, we assess the LHb’s role in behavioral flexibility through comparisons of the roles its afferent and efferent pathways are known to play. Additionally, we provide new evidence supporting the LHb contributions to behavioral flexibility through organization of specific goal directed actions under cognitively demanding conditions. Specifically, in the first experiment, a majority of neurons recorded from the LHb were found to correlate with velocity on a spatial navigation task and did not change significantly when reward outcomes were manipulated. Additionally, measurements of local field potential (LFP) in the theta band revealed significant changes in power relative to velocity and reward location. In a second set of experiments, inactivation of the LHb with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonists baclofen and muscimol led to an impairment in a spatial/response based repeated probabilistic reversal learning task. Control experiments revealed that this impairment was likely due to the demands of repeated switching behaviors as rats were unimpaired on initial discrimination acquisition or retention of probabilistic learning. Taken together, these novel findings compliment other work discussed supporting a role for the LHb in action selection when cognitive or emotional demands are increased. Finally, we discuss future mechanisms by which a superior understanding of the LHb can be obtained through additional examination of behavioral flexibility tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip M Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sujean E Oh
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kevan S Kidder
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA
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200
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Simmank J, Murawski C, Bode S, Horstmann A. Incidental rewarding cues influence economic decisions in people with obesity. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:278. [PMID: 26528158 PMCID: PMC4606016 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research suggests that obesity is linked to prominent alterations in learning and decision-making. This general difference may also underlie the preference for immediately consumable, highly palatable but unhealthy and high-calorie foods. Such poor food-related inter-temporal decision-making can explain weight gain; however, it is not yet clear whether this deficit can be generalized to other domains of inter-temporal decision-making, for example financial decisions. Further, little is known about the stability of decision-making behavior in obesity, especially in the presence of rewarding cues. To answer these questions, obese and lean participants (n = 52) completed two sessions of a novel priming paradigm including a computerized monetary delay discounting task. In the first session, general differences between groups in financial delay discounting were measured. In the second session, we tested the general stability of discount rates. Additionally, participants were primed by affective visual cues of different contextual categories before making financial decisions. We found that the obese group showed stronger discounting of future monetary rewards than the lean group, but groups did not differ in their general stability between sessions nor in their sensitivity toward changes in reward magnitude. In the obese group, a fast decrease of subjective value over time was directly related to a higher tendency for opportunistic eating. Obese in contrast to lean people were primed by the affective cues, showing a sex-specific pattern of priming direction. Our findings demonstrate that environments rich of cues, aiming at inducing unhealthy consumer decisions, can be highly detrimental for obese people. It also underscores that obesity is not merely a medical condition but has a strong cognitive component, meaning that current dietary and medical treatment strategies may fall too short.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Simmank
- Junior Research Group 'Decision-making in obesity', IFB Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Center Leipzig, Germany ; Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carsten Murawski
- Department of Finance, The University of Melbourne Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stefan Bode
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne Victoria, Australia
| | - Annette Horstmann
- Junior Research Group 'Decision-making in obesity', IFB Adiposity Diseases, Leipzig University Medical Center Leipzig, Germany ; Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany ; Collaborative Research Centre, Leipzig University Medical Center Leipzig, Germany
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