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Subramanian R, Bauman A, Carpenter O, Cho C, Coste G, Dam A, Drake K, Ehnstrom S, Fitzgerald N, Jenkins A, Koolpe H, Liu R, Paserman T, Petersen D, Chavez DS, Rozental S, Thompson H, Tsukuda T, Zweig S, Gall M, Zupan B, Bergstrom H. An Infralimbic Cortex Neuronal Ensemble Encoded During Learning Attenuates Fear Generalization Expression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.18.608308. [PMID: 39229064 PMCID: PMC11370439 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.18.608308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Generalization allows for experience to flexibly guide behavior when conditions change. A basic physical unit of memory storage and expression in the brain are sparse, distributed groups of neurons known as ensembles (i.e., the engram). The infralimbic (IL) subregion of the ventral medial prefrontal cortex plays a key role in modulating conditioned defensive responses. How IL neuronal ensembles established during learning contribute to generalized responses is unknown. In this set of experiments, generalization was tested in male and female mice by presenting a novel, ambiguous, tone generalization stimulus following Pavlovian defensive (fear) conditioning. The first experiment was designed to test a role for IL in generalization using chemogenetic manipulations. Results show IL bidirectionally regulates defensive behavior. IL silencing promotes a switch in defensive state from vigilant scanning to generalized freezing, while IL stimulation reduces freezing in favor of scanning. Leveraging activity-dependent tagging technology (ArcCreERT2 x eYFP system), a neuronal ensemble, preferentially located in IL superficial layer 2/3, was associated with the generalization stimulus. Remarkably, in the identical discrete location, fewer reactivated neurons were associated with the generalization stimulus at the remote timepoint (30 days) following learning. When an IL neuronal ensemble established during learning was selectively chemogenetically silenced, generalization increased. Conversely, IL neuronal ensemble stimulation reduced generalization. Overall, these data identify a crucial role for IL in suppressing generalized responses. Further, we uncover an IL neuronal ensemble, formed during learning, functions to later attenuate the expression of generalization in the presence of ambiguous threat stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajani Subramanian
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Avery Bauman
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Olivia Carpenter
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Chris Cho
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Gabrielle Coste
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Ahona Dam
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Kasey Drake
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Sara Ehnstrom
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Naomi Fitzgerald
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Abigail Jenkins
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Hannah Koolpe
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Runqi Liu
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Tamar Paserman
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - David Petersen
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Diego Scala Chavez
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Stefano Rozental
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Hannah Thompson
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Tyler Tsukuda
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Sasha Zweig
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Megan Gall
- Department of Biology, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Bojana Zupan
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
| | - Hadley Bergstrom
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY 12603 USA
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Ho YY, Yang Q, Boddu P, Bulkin DA, Warden MR. Infralimbic parvalbumin neural activity facilitates cued threat avoidance. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.18.553864. [PMID: 37645876 PMCID: PMC10462114 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.18.553864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The infralimbic cortex (IL) is essential for flexible behavioral responses to threatening environmental events. Reactive behaviors such as freezing or flight are adaptive in some contexts, but in others a strategic avoidance behavior may be more advantageous. IL has been implicated in avoidance, but the contribution of distinct IL neural subtypes with differing molecular identities and wiring patterns is poorly understood. Here, we study IL parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in mice as they engage in active avoidance behavior, a behavior in which mice must suppress freezing in order to move to safety. We find that activity in inhibitory PV neurons increases during movement to avoid the shock in this behavioral paradigm, and that PV activity during movement emerges after mice have experienced a single shock, prior to learning avoidance. PV neural activity does not change during movement toward cued rewards or during general locomotion in the open field, behavioral paradigms where freezing does not need to be suppressed to enable movement. Optogenetic suppression of PV neurons increases the duration of freezing and delays the onset of avoidance behavior, but does not affect movement toward rewards or general locomotion. These data provide evidence that IL PV neurons support strategic avoidance behavior by suppressing freezing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Yun Ho
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Neurotech, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Qiuwei Yang
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Priyanka Boddu
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - David A. Bulkin
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Neurotech, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Melissa R. Warden
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Neurotech, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Ronquillo J, Nguyen MT, Rothi LY, Bui‐Tu T, Yang J, Halladay LR. Nature and nurture: Comparing mouse behavior in classic versus revised anxiety-like and social behavioral assays in genetically or environmentally defined groups. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2023; 22:e12869. [PMID: 37872655 PMCID: PMC10733577 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Widely used rodent anxiety assays like the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the open field test (OFT) are conflated with rodents' natural preference for dark over light environments or protected over open spaces. The EPM and OFT have been used for decades but are often criticized by behavioral scientists. Years ago, two revised anxiety assays were designed to improve upon the "classic" tests by excluding the possibility to avoid or escape aversion. The 3-D radial arm maze (3DR) and the 3-D open field test (3Doft) utilize continual motivational conflict to better model anxiety; each consist of an open space connected to ambiguous paths toward uncertain escape. Despite their utility, the revised assays have not caught on. This could be because no study yet has directly compared classic and revised assays in the same animals. To remedy this, we contrasted behavior from a battery of assays (EPM, OFT, 3DR, 3Doft and a sociability test) in mice defined genetically by isogenic strain, or environmentally by postnatal experience. One major motivation for this work is to inform future studies by offering a transparent look at individual outcomes on these assays, as there is no one-size-fits-all test to assess rodent anxiety-like behavior. Findings suggest that classic assays may sufficiently characterize differences across genetically defined groups, but the revised 3DR may be advantageous for investigating more nuanced behavioral differences such as those stemming from environmental factors. Finally, exposure to multiple assays significantly affected sociability, highlighting concerns for designing and interpreting batteries of rodent behavioral tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Ronquillo
- Department of PsychologySanta Clara UniversitySanta ClaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Michael T. Nguyen
- Department of PsychologySanta Clara UniversitySanta ClaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Linnea Y. Rothi
- Department of PsychologySanta Clara UniversitySanta ClaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Trung‐Dan Bui‐Tu
- Department of PsychologySanta Clara UniversitySanta ClaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jocelyn Yang
- Department of PsychologySanta Clara UniversitySanta ClaraCaliforniaUSA
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Ronquillo J, Nguyen MT, Rothi L, Bui-Tu TD, Yang J, Halladay LR. Nature and nurture: comparing mouse behavior in classic versus revised anxiety-like and social behavioral assays in genetically or environmentally defined groups. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.16.545212. [PMID: 37398211 PMCID: PMC10312802 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.16.545212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Widely used rodent anxiety assays like the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the open field test (OFT) are often conflated with rodents' natural preference for dark over light environments or protected over open spaces. The EPM and OFT have been used for many decades, yet have also been criticized by generations of behavioral scientists. Several years ago, two revised anxiety assays were designed to improve upon the "classic" tests by excluding the possibility to avoid or escape aversive areas of each maze. The 3-D radial arm maze (3DR) and the 3-D open field test (3Doft) each consist of an open space connected to ambiguous paths toward uncertain escape. This introduces continual motivational conflict, thereby increasing external validity as an anxiety model. But despite this improvement, the revised assays have not caught on. One issue may be that studies to date have not directly compared classic and revised assays in the same animals. To remedy this, we contrasted behavior in a battery of assays (EPM, OFT, 3DR, 3Doft, and a sociability test) in mice defined either genetically by isogenic strain, or environmentally by postnatal experience. Findings indicate that the optimal assay to assess anxiety-like behavior may depend upon grouping variable (e.g. genetic versus environment). We argue that the 3DR may be the most ecologically valid of the anxiety assays tested, while the OFT and 3Doft provided the least useful information. Finally, exposure to multiple assays significantly affected sociability measures, raising concerns for designing and interpreting batteries of behavioral tests in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Ronquillo
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053, USA
| | - Michael T. Nguyen
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053, USA
| | - Linnea Rothi
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053, USA
| | - Trung-Dan Bui-Tu
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053, USA
| | - Jocelyn Yang
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053, USA
| | - Lindsay R. Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053, USA
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Halladay LR. Investigating Neural Correlates of Behavior Through In Vivo Electrophysiology. Curr Protoc 2023; 3:e769. [PMID: 37154436 PMCID: PMC10290908 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral neuroscience has long relied on in vivo electrophysiology to provide spatially and temporally precise answers to complex questions about the neural dynamics underlying sensory processing and action execution. Investigating the neural correlates of behavior can be challenging in freely behaving animals, especially when making inferences related to internal states that are temporally or conceptually ambiguous, such as decision-making or motivation. This necessitates careful creation of appropriate and rigorous controls and awareness of the many potential confounds when attributing neural signals to animal behavior. This article discusses fundamental considerations for the optimal design and interpretation of in vivo rodent electrophysiological recording experiments and focuses on the different optimization strategies required when investigating neural encoding of external stimuli versus free behavior. The first protocol offers suggestions specific to intracranial surgical implantation of multielectrode arrays. The second protocol delves into optimization strategies and tips useful for designing and interpreting recording experiments conducted in freely behaving rodents. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Surgical implantation of the multielectrode array Basic Protocol 2: Optimizing experimental design and parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay R. Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California, 95053, USA
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Nett KE, LaLumiere RT. Infralimbic cortex functioning across motivated behaviors: Can the differences be reconciled? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:704-721. [PMID: 34624366 PMCID: PMC8642304 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The rodent infralimbic cortex (IL) is implicated in higher order executive functions such as reward seeking and flexible decision making. However, the precise nature of its role in these processes is unclear. Early evidence indicated that the IL promotes the extinction and ongoing inhibition of fear conditioning and cocaine seeking. However, evidence spanning other behavioral domains, such as natural reward seeking and habit-based learning, suggests a more nuanced understanding of IL function. As techniques have advanced and more studies have examined IL function, identifying a unifying explanation for its behavioral function has become increasingly difficult. Here, we discuss evidence of IL function across motivated behaviors, including associative learning, drug seeking, natural reward seeking, and goal-directed versus habit-based behaviors, and emphasize how context-specific encoding and heterogeneous IL neuronal populations may underlie seemingly conflicting findings in the literature. Together, the evidence suggests that a major IL function is to facilitate the encoding and updating of contingencies between cues and behaviors to guide subsequent behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelle E Nett
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Ryan T LaLumiere
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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7
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Glover LR, McFadden KM, Bjorni M, Smith SR, Rovero NG, Oreizi-Esfahani S, Yoshida T, Postle AF, Nonaka M, Halladay LR, Holmes A. A prefrontal-bed nucleus of the stria terminalis circuit limits fear to uncertain threat. eLife 2020; 9:60812. [PMID: 33319747 PMCID: PMC7899651 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In many cases of trauma, the same environmental stimuli that become associated with aversive events are experienced on other occasions without adverse consequence. We examined neural circuits underlying partially reinforced fear (PRF), whereby mice received tone-shock pairings on half of conditioning trials. Tone-elicited freezing was lower after PRF conditioning than fully reinforced fear (FRF) conditioning, despite an equivalent number of tone-shock pairings. PRF preferentially activated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Chemogenetic inhibition of BNST-projecting mPFC neurons increased PRF, not FRF, freezing. Multiplexing chemogenetics with in vivo neuronal recordings showed elevated infralimbic cortex (IL) neuronal activity during CS onset and freezing cessation; these neural correlates were abolished by chemogenetic mPFC→BNST inhibition. These data suggest that mPFC→BNST neurons limit fear to threats with a history of partial association with an aversive stimulus, with potential implications for understanding the neural basis of trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas R Glover
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Kerry M McFadden
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Max Bjorni
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Sawyer R Smith
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Natalie G Rovero
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Sarvar Oreizi-Esfahani
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Takayuki Yoshida
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Abagail F Postle
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Mio Nonaka
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
| | - Lindsay R Halladay
- Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, United States
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, United States
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Halladay LR, Kocharian A, Piantadosi PT, Authement ME, Lieberman AG, Spitz NA, Coden K, Glover LR, Costa VD, Alvarez VA, Holmes A. Prefrontal Regulation of Punished Ethanol Self-administration. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:967-978. [PMID: 31937415 PMCID: PMC7217757 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A clinical hallmark of alcohol use disorder is persistent drinking despite potential adverse consequences. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) are positioned to exert top-down control over subcortical regions, such as the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcS) and basolateral amygdala, which encode positive and negative valence of ethanol (EtOH)-related stimuli. Prior rodent studies have implicated these regions in regulation of punished EtOH self-administration (EtOH-SA). METHODS We conducted in vivo electrophysiological recordings in mouse vmPFC and dmPFC to obtain neuronal correlates of footshock-punished EtOH-SA. Ex vivo recordings were performed in NAcS D1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons receiving vmPFC input to examine punishment-related plasticity in this pathway. Optogenetic photosilencing was employed to assess the functional contribution of the vmPFC, dmPFC, vmPFC projections to NAcS, or vmPFC projections to basolateral amygdala, to punished EtOH-SA. RESULTS Punishment reduced EtOH lever pressing and elicited aborted presses (lever approach followed by rapid retraction). Neurons in the vmPFC and dmPFC exhibited phasic firing to EtOH lever presses and aborts, but only in the vmPFC was there a population-level shift in coding from lever presses to aborts with punishment. Closed-loop vmPFC, but not dmPFC, photosilencing on a postpunishment probe test negated the reduction in EtOH lever presses but not in aborts. Punishment was associated with altered plasticity at vmPFC inputs to D1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons in the NAcS. Photosilencing vmPFC projections to the NAcS, but not to the basolateral amygdala, partially reversed suppression of EtOH lever presses on probe testing. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate a key role for the vmPFC in regulating EtOH-SA after punishment, with implications for understanding the neural basis of compulsive drinking in alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay R Halladay
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California.
| | - Adrina Kocharian
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Patrick T Piantadosi
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Center on Compulsive Behaviors, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Michael E Authement
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Center on Compulsive Behaviors, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Abby G Lieberman
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Nathen A Spitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kendall Coden
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Lucas R Glover
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Vincent D Costa
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Veronica A Alvarez
- Laboratory on Neurobiology of Compulsive Behaviors, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Center on Compulsive Behaviors, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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Sieveritz B, García-Muñoz M, Arbuthnott GW. Thalamic afferents to prefrontal cortices from ventral motor nuclei in decision-making. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 49:646-657. [PMID: 30346073 PMCID: PMC6587977 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The focus of this literature review is on the three interacting brain areas that participate in decision‐making: basal ganglia, ventral motor thalamic nuclei, and medial prefrontal cortex, with an emphasis on the participation of the ventromedial and ventral anterior motor thalamic nuclei in prefrontal cortical function. Apart from a defining input from the mediodorsal thalamus, the prefrontal cortex receives inputs from ventral motor thalamic nuclei that combine to mediate typical prefrontal functions such as associative learning, action selection, and decision‐making. Motor, somatosensory and medial prefrontal cortices are mainly contacted in layer 1 by the ventral motor thalamic nuclei and in layer 3 by thalamocortical input from mediodorsal thalamus. We will review anatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioral evidence for the proposed participation of ventral motor thalamic nuclei and medial prefrontal cortex in rat and mouse motor decision‐making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Sieveritz
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Marianela García-Muñoz
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Gordon W Arbuthnott
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
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10
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Bergstrom HC, Pinard CR. Corticolimbic circuits in learning, memory, and disease. J Neurosci Res 2018; 95:795-796. [PMID: 28094866 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hadley C Bergstrom
- Department of Psychological Science, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
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11
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Grunfeld IS, Likhtik E. Mixed selectivity encoding and action selection in the prefrontal cortex during threat assessment. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 49:108-115. [PMID: 29454957 PMCID: PMC5889962 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regulates expression of emotional behavior. The mPFC combines multivariate information from its inputs, and depending on the imminence of threat, activates downstream networks that either increase or decrease the expression of anxiety-related motor behavior and autonomic activation. Here, we selectively highlight how subcortical input to the mPFC from two example structures, the amygdala and ventral hippocampus, help shape mixed selectivity encoding and action selection during emotional processing. We outline a model where prefrontal subregions modulate behavior along orthogonal motor dimensions, and exhibit connectivity that selects for expression of one behavioral strategy while inhibiting the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itamar S Grunfeld
- Biology Department, Hunter College, CUNY, United States; Neuroscience Collaborative, The Graduate Center, CUNY, United States
| | - Ekaterina Likhtik
- Biology Department, Hunter College, CUNY, United States; Neuroscience Collaborative, The Graduate Center, CUNY, United States.
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12
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Modeling hypohedonia following repeated social defeat: Individual vulnerability and dopaminergic involvement. Physiol Behav 2017; 177:99-106. [PMID: 28433467 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Social defeat in rodents putatively can model hypohedonia. The present studies examined models for assessing hypohedonia-like behavior and tested the hypotheses that 1) individual differences in baseline reward sensitivity predict vulnerability, and 2) defeat elicits changes in pharmacological measures of striatal dopaminergic function. Male Wistar rats (n=142) received repeated defeat (3 "triad" blocks of 3 defeats) or control handling. To determine whether defeat influenced consumption of SuperSac (glucose-saccharin) over an isocaloric, less preferred, glucose solution, a 2-choice paradigm was used. To determine repeated defeat effects on the reinforcing efficacy of SuperSac, a progressive-ratio schedule of reinforcement was used. Amphetamine-induced locomotor activity (0.08mg/kg, s.c.) was determined as a measure sensitive to striatal dopaminergic function. Defeat reduced SuperSac consumption during the first two triads-an effect seen in the third triad only in defeated rats with High vs. Low baseline SuperSac intake. The characteristic escalation in PR breakpoint for SuperSac normally seen in controls was absent in defeated rats, leading to a significant difference by the third triad. Defeat-induced blunting of the escalation in PR performance was greater in rats with High antecedent PR breakpoints and persisted 2.5weeks post-defeat. Repeated defeat also blunted amphetamine-induced locomotion 13days post-defeat. Thus, hypohedonic-like effects of social defeat were detected and accompanied by persistently attenuated striatal dopamine function. Early effects were seen for consumption of differentially-palatable solutions, and persistent effects were seen for the "breakpoint" motivational measure. The results implicate initial reward sensitivity as a risk factor for stress-induced hypohedonia.
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