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Buabang EK, Donegan KR, Rafei P, Gillan CM. Leveraging cognitive neuroscience for making and breaking real-world habits. Trends Cogn Sci 2025; 29:41-59. [PMID: 39500685 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2024] [Revised: 10/08/2024] [Accepted: 10/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2025]
Abstract
Habits are the behavioral output of two brain systems. A stimulus-response (S-R) system that encourages us to efficiently repeat well-practiced actions in familiar settings, and a goal-directed system concerned with flexibility, prospection, and planning. Getting the balance between these systems right is crucial: an imbalance may leave people vulnerable to action slips, impulsive behaviors, and even compulsive behaviors. In this review we examine how recent advances in our understanding of these competing brain mechanisms can be harnessed to increase the control over both making and breaking habits. We discuss applications in everyday life, as well as validated and emergent interventions for clinical populations affected by the balance between these systems. As research in this area accelerates, we anticipate a rapid influx of new insights into intentional behavioral change and clinical interventions, including new opportunities for personalization of these interventions based on the neurobiology, environmental context, and personal preferences of an individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eike K Buabang
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Kelly R Donegan
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Parnian Rafei
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Claire M Gillan
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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2
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Varin C, de Kerchove d'Exaerde A. Neuronal encoding of behaviors and instrumental learning in the dorsal striatum. Trends Neurosci 2024:S0166-2236(24)00225-X. [PMID: 39632222 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2024] [Revised: 10/08/2024] [Accepted: 11/12/2024] [Indexed: 12/07/2024]
Abstract
The dorsal striatum is instrumental in regulating motor control and goal-directed behaviors. The classical description of the two output pathways of the dorsal striatum highlights their antagonistic control over actions. However, recent experimental evidence implicates both pathways and their coordinated activities during actions. In this review, we examine the different models proposed for striatal encoding of actions during self-paced behaviors and how they can account for evidence harvested during goal-directed behaviors. We also discuss how the activation of striatal ensembles can be reshaped and reorganized to support the formation of instrumental learning and behavioral flexibility. Future work integrating these considerations may resolve controversies regarding the control of actions by striatal networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Varin
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), ULB Neuroscience Institute, Neurophysiology Laboratory, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Alban de Kerchove d'Exaerde
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), ULB Neuroscience Institute, Neurophysiology Laboratory, Brussels, Belgium.
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3
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Magnard R, Cheng Y, Zhou J, Province H, Thiriet N, Janak PH, Vandaele Y. Role of dopamine in reward expectation and predictability during execution of action sequences. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.10.16.618735. [PMID: 39463939 PMCID: PMC11507917 DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.16.618735] [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: 10/29/2024]
Abstract
Reward-associated cues serve different functions depending on whether they precede or terminate action sequences. Cues that precede action sequences and signal opportunity for reward could serve as GO signals to initiate the sequence, whereas sequence termination cues could serve as response feedback by signaling reward delivery. Reward expectation during sequence execution depends on these cues and might condition whether behavior is habitual or goal-directed. However, it remains unknown how sequence initiation and termination cues differentially affect reward expectation and contribute to habit learning. Further, while mesolimbic dopamine plays a key role in cue-induced reward expectation and sequence learning, how dynamic changes in dopamine signals differ depending on the response strategy is unclear. Here, we determined how mesolimbic DA signals change over training during cue-mediated sequence learning, depending on the type of cue and the nature of behavioral control. We found sequence initiation and termination cues differentially affect reward expectation during action sequences, with the termination cue contributing to habit and automaticity. Distinct response strategies induced by sequence initiation and termination cues induced differential changes in mesolimbic DA signals that captured variations in reward expectation along sequence execution. Notably, habit-like behavior induced by the sequence termination cue was associated with a rapid shift in DA signals from reward retrieval to the cue. This habit-like behavior was reflected in behavioral inflexibility and attenuated DA reward prediction error signals. Finally, using optogenetics, we provide evidence that phasic DA activity elicited by the sequence termination cue is critical for the development of habit-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Magnard
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yifeng Cheng
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Joanna Zhou
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Haley Province
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Nathalie Thiriet
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
| | - Patricia H. Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Youna Vandaele
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Université de Poitiers, INSERM, U-1084, Laboratoire des Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Poitiers, France
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Nahum-Shani I, Yoon C. Towards the Science of Engagement with Digital Interventions. CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2024; 33:239-246. [PMID: 39552747 PMCID: PMC11567151 DOI: 10.1177/09637214241254328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2024]
Abstract
Digital technologies, such as mobile devices and wearable sensors, are ingrained in daily life, making them a promising vehicle for delivering health behavior interventions. However, a critical challenge that undermines the utility of digital interventions is the suboptimal engagement of participants, where participant engagement is defined as the investment of physical, cognitive, and affective energies in a focal stimulus or task. Recent years have seen substantial growth in research aiming to understand how to increase engagement with digital interventions. This paper highlights several limitations of the existing evidence that restrict its scientific and practical utility and discusses opportunities for advancing the science of engagement with digital interventions. Synthesizing the current body of evidence, we call for conceptualizing digital interventions as a collection of stimuli (e.g., notifications, reminders) and tasks (e.g., open the mobile app, practice a relaxation technique) and considering engagement with digital interventions as a process rather than a state (i.e., momentary conditions/experiences) or trait (i.e., a relatively stable disposition). This approach has the potential to enhance scientific rigor and transparency in measuring, reporting, and interpreting engagement with digital interventions that would ultimately serve to bolster progress towards developing strategies for optimizing engagement.
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5
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Engel L, Wolff AR, Blake M, Collins VL, Sinha S, Saunders BT. Dopamine neurons drive spatiotemporally heterogeneous striatal dopamine signals during learning. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3086-3101.e4. [PMID: 38925117 PMCID: PMC11279555 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.069] [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] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Environmental cues, through Pavlovian learning, become conditioned stimuli that invigorate and guide animals toward rewards. Dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SNc) are crucial for this process, via engagement of a reciprocally connected network with their striatal targets. Critically, it remains unknown how dopamine neuron activity itself engages dopamine signals throughout the striatum, across learning. Here, we investigated how optogenetic Pavlovian cue conditioning of VTA or SNc dopamine neurons directs cue-evoked behavior and shapes subregion-specific striatal dopamine dynamics. We used a fluorescent biosensor to monitor dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and shell, dorsomedial striatum (DMS), and dorsolateral striatum (DLS). We demonstrate spatially heterogeneous, learning-dependent dopamine changes across striatal regions. Although VTA stimulation-evoked robust dopamine release in NAc core, shell, and DMS, predictive cues preferentially recruited dopamine release in NAc core, starting early in training, and DMS, late in training. Negative prediction error signals, reflecting a violation in the expectation of dopamine neuron activation, only emerged in the NAc core and DMS. Despite the development of vigorous movement late in training, conditioned dopamine signals did not emerge in the DLS, even during Pavlovian conditioning with SNc dopamine neuron activation, which elicited robust DLS dopamine release. Together, our studies show a broad dissociation in the fundamental prediction and reward-related information generated by VTA and SNc dopamine neuron populations and signaled by dopamine across the striatum. Further, they offer new insight into how larger-scale adaptations across the striatal network emerge during learning to coordinate behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liv Engel
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Amy R Wolff
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Madelyn Blake
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Val L Collins
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Sonal Sinha
- Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Benjamin T Saunders
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, 2001 6th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Crego AC, Amaya KA, Palmer JA, Smith KS. A role for the dorsolateral striatum in prospective action control. iScience 2024; 27:110044. [PMID: 38883824 PMCID: PMC11176669 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is important for performing actions persistently, even when it becomes suboptimal, reflecting a function that is reflexive and habitual. However, there are also ways in which persistent behaviors can result from a more prospective, planning mode of behavior. To help tease apart these possibilities for DLS function, we trained animals to perform a lever press for reward and then inhibited the DLS in key test phases: as the task shifted from a 1-press to a 3-press rule (upshift), as the task was maintained, as the task shifted back to the one-press rule (downshift), and when rewards came independent of pressing. During DLS inhibition, animals always favored their initially learned strategy to press just once, particularly so during the free-reward period. DLS inhibition surprisingly changed performance speed bidirectionally depending on the task shifts. DLS inhibition thus encouraged habitual behavior, suggesting it could normally help adapt to changing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam C.G. Crego
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Kenneth A. Amaya
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Jensen A. Palmer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Kyle S. Smith
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Bornhoft KN, Prohofsky J, O'Neal TJ, Wolff AR, Saunders BT. Valence ambiguity dynamically shapes striatal dopamine heterogeneity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.17.594692. [PMID: 38798567 PMCID: PMC11118546 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.17.594692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Adaptive decision making relies on dynamic updating of learned associations where environmental cues come to predict positive and negatively valenced stimuli, such as food or threat. Flexible cue-guided behaviors depend on a network of brain systems, including dopamine signaling in the striatum, which is critical for learning and maintenance of conditioned behaviors. Critically, it remains unclear how dopamine signaling encodes multi-valent, dynamic learning contexts, where positive and negative associations must be rapidly disambiguated. To understand this, we employed a Pavlovian discrimination paradigm, where cues predicting positive and negative outcomes were intermingled during conditioning sessions, and their meaning was serially reversed across training. We found that rats readily distinguished these cues, and updated their behavior rapidly upon valence reversal. Using fiber photometry, we recorded dopamine signaling in three major striatal subregions -,the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), the nucleus accumbens core, and the nucleus accumbens medial shell - and found heterogeneous responses to positive and negative conditioned cues and their predicted outcomes. Valence ambiguity introduced by cue reversal reshaped striatal dopamine on different timelines: nucleus accumbens core and shell signals updated more readily than those in the DLS. Together, these results suggest that striatal dopamine flexibly encodes multi-valent learning contexts, and these signals are dynamically modulated by changing contingencies to resolve ambiguity about the meaning of environmental cues.
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8
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Engel L, Wolff AR, Blake M, Collins VL, Sinha S, Saunders BT. Dopamine neurons drive spatiotemporally heterogeneous striatal dopamine signals during learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.07.01.547331. [PMID: 38585717 PMCID: PMC10996462 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.01.547331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Environmental cues, through Pavlovian learning, become conditioned stimuli that invigorate and guide animals toward acquisition of rewards. Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SNC) are crucial for this process. Dopamine neurons are embedded in a reciprocally connected network with their striatal targets, the functional organization of which remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated how learning during optogenetic Pavlovian cue conditioning of VTA or SNC dopamine neurons directs cue-evoked behavior and shapes subregion-specific striatal dopamine dynamics. We used a fluorescent dopamine biosensor to monitor dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and shell, dorsomedial striatum (DMS), and dorsolateral striatum (DLS). We demonstrate spatially heterogeneous, learning-dependent dopamine changes across striatal regions. While VTA stimulation evoked robust dopamine release in NAc core, shell, and DMS, cues predictive of this activation preferentially recruited dopamine release in NAc core, starting early in training, and DMS, late in training. Corresponding negative prediction error signals, reflecting a violation in the expectation of dopamine neuron activation, only emerged in the NAc core and DMS, and not the shell. Despite development of vigorous movement late in training, conditioned dopamine signals did not similarly emerge in the DLS, even during Pavlovian conditioning with SNC dopamine neuron activation, which elicited robust DLS dopamine release. Together, our studies show broad dissociation in the fundamental prediction and reward-related information generated by different dopamine neuron populations and signaled by dopamine across the striatum. Further, they offer new insight into how larger-scale plasticity across the striatal network emerges during Pavlovian learning to coordinate behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liv Engel
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
- Current Address: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
| | - Amy R Wolff
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
| | - Madelyn Blake
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
| | - Val L Collins
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
| | | | - Benjamin T Saunders
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
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Burton CL, Longaretti A, Zlatanovic A, Gomes GM, Tonini R. Striatal insights: a cellular and molecular perspective on repetitive behaviors in pathology. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1386715. [PMID: 38601025 PMCID: PMC11004256 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1386715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals often behave repetitively and predictably. These repetitive behaviors can have a component that is learned and ingrained as habits, which can be evolutionarily advantageous as they reduce cognitive load and the expenditure of attentional resources. Repetitive behaviors can also be conscious and deliberate, and may occur in the absence of habit formation, typically when they are a feature of normal development in children, or neuropsychiatric disorders. They can be considered pathological when they interfere with social relationships and daily activities. For instance, people affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder, Huntington's disease and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome can display a wide range of symptoms like compulsive, stereotyped and ritualistic behaviors. The striatum nucleus of the basal ganglia is proposed to act as a master regulator of these repetitive behaviors through its circuit connections with sensorimotor, associative, and limbic areas of the cortex. However, the precise mechanisms within the striatum, detailing its compartmental organization, cellular specificity, and the intricacies of its downstream connections, remain an area of active research. In this review, we summarize evidence across multiple scales, including circuit-level, cellular, and molecular dimensions, to elucidate the striatal mechanisms underpinning repetitive behaviors and offer perspectives on the implicated disorders. We consider the close relationship between behavioral output and transcriptional changes, and thereby structural and circuit alterations, including those occurring through epigenetic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Raffaella Tonini
- Neuromodulation of Cortical and Subcortical Circuits Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
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10
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Fraser KM, Chen BJ, Janak PH. Nucleus accumbens and dorsal medial striatal dopamine and neural activity are essential for action sequence performance. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:220-237. [PMID: 38093522 PMCID: PMC10841748 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16210] [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] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Separable striatal circuits have unique functions in Pavlovian and instrumental behaviors but how these roles relate to performance of sequences of actions with and without associated cues are less clear. Here, we tested whether dopamine transmission and neural activity more generally in three striatal subdomains are necessary for performance of an action chain leading to reward delivery. Male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to press a series of three spatially distinct levers to receive reward. We assessed the contribution of neural activity or dopamine transmission within each striatal subdomain when progression through the action sequence was explicitly cued and in the absence of cues. Behavior in both task variations was substantially impacted following microinfusion of the dopamine antagonist, flupenthixol, into nucleus accumbens core (NAc) or dorsomedial striatum (DMS), with impairments in sequence timing and numbers of rewards earned after NAc flupenthixol. In contrast, after pharmacological inactivation to suppress overall activity, there was minimal impact on total rewards earned. Instead, inactivation of both NAc and DMS impaired sequence timing and led to sequence errors in the uncued, but not cued task. There was no impact of dopamine antagonism or reversible inactivation of dorsolateral striatum on either cued or uncued action sequence completion. These results highlight an essential contribution of NAc and DMS dopamine systems in motivational and performance aspects of chains of actions, whether cued or internally generated, as well as the impact of intact NAc and DMS function for correct sequence performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt M. Fraser
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218
| | - Bridget J. Chen
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218
| | - Patricia H. Janak
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
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11
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Malgady JM, Baez A, Hobel ZB, Jimenez K, Goldfried J, Prager EM, Wilking JA, Zhang Q, Feng G, Plotkin JL. Pathway-specific alterations in striatal excitability and cholinergic modulation in a SAPAP3 mouse model of compulsive motor behavior. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113384. [PMID: 37934666 PMCID: PMC10872927 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113384] [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] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Deletion of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)-associated gene SAP90/PSD-95-associated protein 3 (Sapap3), which encodes a postsynaptic anchoring protein at corticostriatal synapses, causes OCD-like motor behaviors in mice. While corticostriatal synaptic dysfunction is central to this phenotype, the striatum efficiently adapts to pathological changes, often in ways that expand upon the original circuit impairment. Here, we show that SAPAP3 deletion causes non-synaptic and pathway-specific alterations in dorsolateral striatum circuit function. While somatic excitability was elevated in striatal projection neurons (SPNs), dendritic excitability was exclusively enhanced in direct pathway SPNs. Layered on top of this, cholinergic modulation was altered in opposing ways: striatal cholinergic interneuron density and evoked acetylcholine release were elevated, while basal muscarinic modulation of SPNs was reduced. These data describe how SAPAP3 deletion alters the striatal landscape upon which impaired corticostriatal inputs will act, offering a basis for how pathological synaptic integration and unbalanced striatal output underlying OCD-like behaviors may be shaped.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Malgady
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, College of Arts & Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Alexander Baez
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Zachary B Hobel
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, College of Arts & Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Kimberly Jimenez
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Jack Goldfried
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Eric M Prager
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Jennifer A Wilking
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Qiangge Zhang
- Yang Tan Collective and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Guoping Feng
- Yang Tan Collective and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Joshua L Plotkin
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Center for Nervous System Disorders, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
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Leung BK, Merlin S, Walker AK, Lawther AJ, Paxinos G, Eapen V, Clarke R, Balleine BW, Furlong TM. Immp2l knockdown in male mice increases stimulus-driven instrumental behaviour but does not alter goal-directed learning or neuron density in cortico-striatal circuits in a model of Tourette syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. Behav Brain Res 2023; 452:114610. [PMID: 37541448 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Cortico-striatal neurocircuits mediate goal-directed and habitual actions which are necessary for adaptive behaviour. It has recently been proposed that some of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS), such as tics and other repetitive behaviours, may emerge because of imbalances in these neurocircuits. We have recently developed a model of ASD and GTS by knocking down Immp2l, a mitochondrial gene frequently associated with these disorders. The current study sought to determine whether Immp2l knockdown (KD) in male mice alters flexible, goal- or cue- driven behaviour using procedures specifically designed to examine response-outcome and stimulus-response associations, which underlie goal-directed and habitual behaviour, respectively. Whether Immp2l KD alters neuron density in cortico-striatal neurocircuits known to regulate these behaviours was also examined. Immp2l KD mice and wild type-like mice (WT) were trained on Pavlovian and instrumental learning procedures where auditory cues predicted food delivery and lever-press responses earned a food outcome. It was demonstrated that goal-directed learning was not changed for Immp2l KD mice compared to WT mice, as lever-press responses were sensitive to changes in the value of the food outcome, and to contingency reversal and degradation. There was also no difference in the capacity of KD mice to form habitual behaviours compared to WT mice following extending training of the instrumental action. However, Immp2l KD mice were more responsive to auditory stimuli paired with food as indicated by a non-specific increase in lever response rates during Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. Finally, there were no alterations to neuron density in striatum or any prefrontal cortex or limbic brain structures examined. Thus, the current study suggests that Immp2l is not necessary for learned maladaptive goal or stimulus driven behaviours in ASD or GTS, but that it may contribute to increased capacity for external stimuli to drive behaviour. Alterations to stimulus-driven behaviour could potentially influence the expression of tics and repetitive behaviours, suggesting that genetic alterations to Immp2l may contribute to these core symptoms in ASD and GTS. Given that this is the first application of this battery of instrumental learning procedures to a mouse model of ASD or GTS, it is an important initial step in determining the contribution of known risk-genes to goal-directed versus habitual behaviours, which should be more broadly applied to other rodent models of ASD and GTS in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice K Leung
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sam Merlin
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam K Walker
- Laboratory of ImmunoPsychiatry, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam J Lawther
- Laboratory of ImmunoPsychiatry, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - George Paxinos
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Valsamma Eapen
- Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia; Mental Health Research Unit, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, Australia
| | - Raymond Clarke
- Ingham Institute, Discipline of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bernard W Balleine
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Teri M Furlong
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, NSW, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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13
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Baker M, Kang S, Hong SI, Song M, Yang MA, Peyton L, Essa H, Lee SW, Choi DS. External globus pallidus input to the dorsal striatum regulates habitual seeking behavior in male mice. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4085. [PMID: 37438336 PMCID: PMC10338526 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39545-8] [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] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The external globus pallidus (GPe) coordinates action-selection through GABAergic projections throughout the basal ganglia. GPe arkypallidal (arky) neurons project exclusively to the dorsal striatum, which regulates goal-directed and habitual seeking. However, the role of GPe arky neurons in reward-seeking remains unknown. Here, we identified that a majority of arky neurons target the dorsolateral striatum (DLS). Using fiber photometry, we found that arky activities were higher during random interval (RI; habit) compared to random ratio (RR; goal) operant conditioning. Support vector machine analysis demonstrated that arky neuron activities have sufficient information to distinguish between RR and RI behavior. Genetic ablation of this arkyGPe→DLS circuit facilitated a shift from goal-directed to habitual behavior. Conversely, chemogenetic activation globally reduced seeking behaviors, which was blocked by systemic D1R agonism. Our findings reveal a role of this arkyGPe→DLS circuit in constraining habitual seeking in male mice, which is relevant to addictive behaviors and other compulsive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Baker
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Seungwoo Kang
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Sa-Ik Hong
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Minryung Song
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Minsu Abel Yang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Lee Peyton
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Hesham Essa
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Sang Wan Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Doo-Sup Choi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
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14
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Giangrasso DM, Veros KM, Timm MM, West PJ, Wilcox KS, Keefe KA. Glutamate dynamics in the dorsolateral striatum of rats with goal-directed and habitual cocaine-seeking behavior. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1160157. [PMID: 37251646 PMCID: PMC10213946 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1160157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The shift from drug abuse to addiction is considered to arise from the transition between goal-directed and habitual control over drug behavior. Habitual responding for appetitive and skill-based behaviors is mediated by potentiated glutamate signaling in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS), but the state of the DLS glutamate system in the context of habitual drug-behavior remains undefined. Evidence from the nucleus accumbens of cocaine-experienced rats suggests that decreased transporter-mediated glutamate clearance and enhanced synaptic glutamate release contribute to the potentiated glutamate signaling that underlies the enduring vulnerability to relapse. Preliminary evidence from the dorsal striatum of cocaine-experienced rats suggests that this region exhibits similar alterations to glutamate clearance and release, but it is not known whether these glutamate dynamics are associated with goal-directed or habitual control over cocaine-seeking behavior. Therefore, we trained rats to self-administer cocaine in a chained cocaine-seeking and -taking paradigm, which yielded goal-directed, intermediate, and habitual cocaine-seeking rats. We then assessed glutamate clearance and release dynamics in the DLS of these rats using two different methods: synaptic transporter current (STC) recordings of patch-clamped astrocytes and the intensity-based glutamate sensing fluorescent reporter (iGluSnFr). While we observed a decreased rate of glutamate clearance in STCs evoked with single-pulse stimulation in cocaine-experienced rats, we did not observe any cocaine-induced differences in glutamate clearance rates from STCs evoked with high frequency stimulation (HFS) or iGluSnFr responses evoked with either double-pulse stimulation or HFS. Furthermore, GLT-1 protein expression in the DLS was unchanged in cocaine-experienced rats, regardless of their mode of control over cocaine-seeking behavior. Lastly, there were no differences in metrics of glutamate release between cocaine-experienced rats and yoked-saline controls in either assay. Together, these results suggest that glutamate clearance and release dynamics in the DLS are largely unaltered by a history of cocaine self-administration on this established cocaine seeking-taking paradigm, regardless of whether the control over the cocaine seeking behavior was habitual or goal directed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M. Giangrasso
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Kaliana M. Veros
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Maureen M. Timm
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Peter J. West
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Karen S. Wilcox
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Kristen A. Keefe
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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15
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Wang AR, Kuijper FM, Barbosa DAN, Hagan KE, Lee E, Tong E, Choi EY, McNab JA, Bohon C, Halpern CH. Human habit neural circuitry may be perturbed in eating disorders. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eabo4919. [PMID: 36989377 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abo4919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Circuit-based mechanisms mediating the development and execution of habitual behaviors involve complex cortical-striatal interactions that have been investigated in animal models and more recently in humans. However, how human brain circuits implicated in habit formation may be perturbed in psychiatric disorders remains unclear. First, we identified the locations of the sensorimotor putamen and associative caudate in the human brain using probabilistic tractography from Human Connectome Project data. We found that multivariate connectivity of the sensorimotor putamen was altered in humans with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa and that the degree of alteration correlated with severity of disordered eating behavior. Furthermore, the extent of this circuit aberration correlated with mean diffusivity in the sensorimotor putamen and decreased basal dopamine D2/3 receptor binding potential in the striatum, consistent with previously reported microstructural changes and dopamine signaling mediating habit learning in animal models. Our findings suggest a neural circuit that links habit learning and binge eating behavior in humans, which could, in part, explain the treatment-resistant behavior common to eating disorders and other psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan R Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Fiene Marie Kuijper
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Université Paris Cité, Paris 75006, France
- Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris 75012, France
| | - Daniel A N Barbosa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, Richards Medical Research Laboratories, Pennsylvania Hospital, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kelsey E Hagan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Eric Lee
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Elizabeth Tong
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305 USA
| | - Eun Young Choi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jennifer A McNab
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305 USA
| | - Cara Bohon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Casey H Halpern
- Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, Richards Medical Research Laboratories, Pennsylvania Hospital, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Surgery, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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16
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Crego ACG, Amaya KA, Palmer JA, Smith KS. Task history dictates how the dorsolateral striatum controls action strategy and vigor. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.11.523640. [PMID: 36711550 PMCID: PMC9882068 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.11.523640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is linked to the learning and honing of action routines. However, the DLS is also important for performing behaviors that have been successful in the past. The learning function can be thought of as prospective, helping to plan ongoing actions to be efficient and often optimal. The performance function is more retrospective, helping the animal continue to behave in a way that had worked previously. How the DLS manages this all is curious. What happens when a learned behavior becomes sub-optimal due to environment changes. In this case, the prospective function of the DLS would cause animals to (adaptively) learn and plan more optimal actions. In contrast, the retrospective function would cause animals to (maladaptively) favor the old behavior. Here we find that, during a change in learned task rules, DLS inhibition causes animals to adjust less rapidly to the new task (and to behave less vigorously) in a 'maladaptive' way. Yet, when the task is changed back to the initially learned rules, DLS inhibition instead causes a rapid and vigorous adjustment of behavior in an 'adaptive' way. These results show that inhibiting the DLS biases behavior towards initially acquired strategies, implying a more retrospective outlook in action selection when the DLS is offline. Thus, an active DLS could encourage planning and learning action routines more prospectively. Moreover, the DLS control over behavior can appear to be either advantageous/flexible or disadvantageous/inflexible depending on task context, and its control over vigor can change depending on task context. Significant Statement Basal ganglia networks aid behavioral learning (a prospective planning function) but also favor the use of old behaviors (a retrospective performance function), making it unclear what happens when learned behaviors become suboptimal. Here we inhibit the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) as animals encounter a change in task rules, and again when they shift back to those learned task rules. DLS inhibition reduces adjustment to new task rules (and reduces behavioral vigor), but it increases adjustment back to the initially learned task rules later (and increases vigor). Thus, in both cases, DLS inhibition favored the use of the initially learned behavioral strategy, which could appear either maladaptive or adaptive. We suggest that the DLS might promote a prospective orientation of action control.
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17
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Lack of action monitoring as a prerequisite for habitual and chunked behavior: Behavioral and neural correlates. iScience 2022; 26:105818. [PMID: 36636348 PMCID: PMC9830217 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported the rapid development of habitual behavior in a discrete-trials instrumental task in which lever insertion and retraction act as reward-predictive cues delineating sequence execution. Here we asked whether lever cues or performance variables reflective of skill and automaticity might account for habitual behavior in male rats. Behavior in the discrete-trials habit-promoting task was compared with two task variants lacking the sequence-delineating cues of lever extension and retraction. We find that behavior is under goal-directed control in absence of sequence-delineating cues but not in their presence, and that skilled performance does not predict goal-directed vs. habitual behavior. Neural activity recordings revealed an engagement of dorsolateral striatum and a disengagement of dorsomedial striatum during the sequence execution of the habit-promoting task, specifically. Together, these results indicate that sequence delineation cues promote habit and differential engagement of striatal subregions during instrumental responding, a pattern that may reflect cue-elicited behavioral chunking.
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18
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Bortz DM, Feistritzer CM, Power CC, Grace AA. Medial septum activation improves strategy switching once strategies are well-learned via bidirectional regulation of dopamine neuron population activity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:2090-2100. [PMID: 35871093 PMCID: PMC9556587 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01387-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Strategy switching is a form of cognitive flexibility that requires inhibiting a previously successful strategy and switching to a new strategy of a different categorical modality. It is dependent on dopamine (DA) receptor activation and release in ventral striatum and prefrontal cortex, two primary targets of ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA projections. Although the circuitry that underlies strategy switching early in learning has been studied, few studies have examined it after extended discrimination training. This may be important as DA activity and release patterns change across learning, with several studies demonstrating a critical role for substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) DA activity and release once behaviors are well-learned. We have demonstrated that medial septum (MS) activation simultaneously increased VTA and decreased SNc DA population activity, as well as improved reversal learning via these actions on DA activity. We hypothesized that MS activation would improve strategy switching both early in learning and after extended training through its ability to increase VTA DA population activity and decrease SNc DA population activity, respectively. We chemogenetically activated the MS of male and female rats and measured their performance on an operant-based strategy switching task following 1, 10, or 15 days of discrimination training. Contrary to our hypothesis, MS activation did not affect strategy switching after 1 day of discrimination training. MS activation improved strategy switching after 10 days of training, but only in females. MS activation improved strategy switching in both sexes after 15 days of training. Infusion of bicuculline into the ventral subiculum (vSub) inhibited the MS-mediated decrease in SNc DA population activity and attenuated the improvement in strategy switching. Intra-vSub infusion of scopolamine inhibited the MS-mediated increase in VTA DA population activity but did not affect the improvement in strategy switching. Intra-vSub infusion of both bicuculline and scopolamine inhibited the MS-mediated effects on DA population activity in both the SNc and VTA and completely prevented the improvement in strategy switching. These data indicate that MS activation improves strategy switching once the original strategy has been sufficiently well-learned, and that this may occur via the MS's regulation of DA neuron responsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Bortz
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Catalina M Feistritzer
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Cassidy C Power
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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19
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Ambrosi P, Lerner TN. Striatonigrostriatal circuit architecture for disinhibition of dopamine signaling. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111228. [PMID: 35977498 PMCID: PMC9425427 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The basal ganglia operate largely in closed parallel loops, including an associative circuit for goal-directed behavior originating from the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and a somatosensory circuit important for habit formation originating from the dorsolateral striatum (DLS). An exception to this parallel circuit organization has been proposed to explain how information might be transferred between striatal subregions, for example, from the DMS to the DLS during habit formation. The "ascending spiral hypothesis" proposes that the DMS disinhibits dopamine signaling in the DLS through a tri-synaptic, open-loop striatonigrostriatal circuit. Here, we use transsynaptic and intersectional genetic tools to investigate both closed- and open-loop striatonigrostriatal circuits. We find strong evidence for closed loops, which would allow striatal subregions to regulate their own dopamine release. We also find evidence for functional synapses in open loops. However, these synapses are unable to modulate tonic dopamine neuron firing, questioning the prominence of their role in mediating crosstalk between striatal subregions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Ambrosi
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (NUIN), Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Talia N Lerner
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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20
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van Elzelingen W, Warnaar P, Matos J, Bastet W, Jonkman R, Smulders D, Goedhoop J, Denys D, Arbab T, Willuhn I. Striatal dopamine signals are region specific and temporally stable across action-sequence habit formation. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1163-1174.e6. [PMID: 35134325 PMCID: PMC8926842 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Habits are automatic, inflexible behaviors that develop slowly with repeated performance. Striatal dopamine signaling instantiates this habit-formation process, presumably region specifically and via ventral-to-dorsal and medial-to-lateral signal shifts. Here, we quantify dopamine release in regions implicated in these presumed shifts (ventromedial striatum [VMS], dorsomedial striatum [DMS], and dorsolateral striatum [DLS]) in rats performing an action-sequence task and characterize habit development throughout a 10-week training. Surprisingly, all regions exhibited stable dopamine dynamics throughout habit development. VMS and DLS signals did not differ between habitual and non-habitual animals, but DMS dopamine release increased during action-sequence initiation and decreased during action-sequence completion in habitual rats, whereas non-habitual rats showed opposite effects. Consistently, optogenetic stimulation of DMS dopamine release accelerated habit formation. Thus, we demonstrate that dopamine signals do not shift regionally during habit formation and that dopamine in DMS, but not VMS or DLS, determines habit bias, attributing "habit functions" to a region previously associated exclusively with non-habitual behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wouter van Elzelingen
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Pascal Warnaar
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - João Matos
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Wieneke Bastet
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Roos Jonkman
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dyonne Smulders
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jessica Goedhoop
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Damiaan Denys
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tara Arbab
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ingo Willuhn
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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21
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Seiler JL, Cosme CV, Sherathiya VN, Schaid MD, Bianco JM, Bridgemohan AS, Lerner TN. Dopamine signaling in the dorsomedial striatum promotes compulsive behavior. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1175-1188.e5. [PMID: 35134327 PMCID: PMC8930615 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Compulsive behavior is a defining feature of disorders such as substance use disorders. Current evidence suggests that corticostriatal circuits control the expression of established compulsions, but little is known about the mechanisms regulating the development of compulsions. We hypothesized that dopamine, a critical modulator of striatal synaptic plasticity, could control alterations in corticostriatal circuits leading to the development of compulsions (defined here as continued reward seeking in the face of punishment). We used dual-site fiber photometry to measure dopamine axon activity in the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) as compulsions emerged. Individual variability in the speed with which compulsions emerged was predicted by DMS dopamine axon activity. Amplifying this dopamine signal accelerated animals' transitions to compulsion, whereas inhibition delayed it. In contrast, amplifying DLS dopamine signaling had no effect on the emergence of compulsions. These results establish DMS dopamine signaling as a key controller of the development of compulsive reward seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian L Seiler
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Caitlin V Cosme
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Venus N Sherathiya
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Michael D Schaid
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Joseph M Bianco
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Abigael S Bridgemohan
- Department of Biology, Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Talia N Lerner
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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22
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Harvey AG, Callaway CA, Zieve GG, Gumport NB, Armstrong CC. Applying the Science of Habit Formation to Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments for Mental Illness. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 17:572-589. [PMID: 34495781 DOI: 10.1177/1745691621995752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Habits affect nearly every aspect of our physical and mental health. Although the science of habit formation has long been of interest to psychological scientists across disciplines, we propose that applications to clinical psychological science have been insufficiently explored. In particular, evidence-based psychological treatments (EBPTs) are interventions targeting psychological processes that cause and/or maintain mental illness and that have been developed and evaluated scientifically. An implicit goal of EBPTs is to disrupt unwanted habits and develop desired habits. However, there has been insufficient attention given to habit-formation principles, theories, and measures in the development and delivery of EBTPs. Herein we consider whether outcomes following an EBPT would greatly improve if the basic science of habit formation were more fully leveraged. We distill six ingredients that are central to habit formation and demonstrate how these ingredients are relevant to EBPTs. We highlight practice points and an agenda for future research. We propose that there is an urgent need for research to guide the application of the science of habit formation and disruption to the complex "real-life" habits that are the essence of EBPTs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Garret G Zieve
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
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23
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Badman RP, Hills TT, Akaishi R. Multiscale Computation and Dynamic Attention in Biological and Artificial Intelligence. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E396. [PMID: 32575758 PMCID: PMC7348831 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10060396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological and artificial intelligence (AI) are often defined by their capacity to achieve a hierarchy of short-term and long-term goals that require incorporating information over time and space at both local and global scales. More advanced forms of this capacity involve the adaptive modulation of integration across scales, which resolve computational inefficiency and explore-exploit dilemmas at the same time. Research in neuroscience and AI have both made progress towards understanding architectures that achieve this. Insight into biological computations come from phenomena such as decision inertia, habit formation, information search, risky choices and foraging. Across these domains, the brain is equipped with mechanisms (such as the dorsal anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) that can represent and modulate across scales, both with top-down control processes and by local to global consolidation as information progresses from sensory to prefrontal areas. Paralleling these biological architectures, progress in AI is marked by innovations in dynamic multiscale modulation, moving from recurrent and convolutional neural networks-with fixed scalings-to attention, transformers, dynamic convolutions, and consciousness priors-which modulate scale to input and increase scale breadth. The use and development of these multiscale innovations in robotic agents, game AI, and natural language processing (NLP) are pushing the boundaries of AI achievements. By juxtaposing biological and artificial intelligence, the present work underscores the critical importance of multiscale processing to general intelligence, as well as highlighting innovations and differences between the future of biological and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rei Akaishi
- Center for Brain Science, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
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24
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Gorrell S, Collins AG, Le Grange D, Yang TT. Dopaminergic activity and exercise behavior in anorexia nervosa. OBM NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 4:10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2001053. [PMID: 33569542 PMCID: PMC7872149 DOI: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2001053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Driven exercise (i.e., the tendency to exercise in excess to influence weight/shape or regulate emotion) is difficult to manage in the context of anorexia nervosa, and is associated with poorer treatment outcomes, and psychological and medical severity. Driven exercise is observed in a considerable number of those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa; however, to date, this hallmark symptom remains poorly understood. Dopamine signaling is implicated in motivating and maintaining appetitive behavior among patients with eating disorders; but, much less is known about the role of dopamine signaling specific to the symptom of driven exercise. An improved understanding of this biobehavioral mechanism may inform the etiology of driven exercise in anorexia nervosa, with the potential to impact future research and treatment efforts. This review describes the role that dopamine serves in maintaining symptoms in the context of anorexia nervosa, and synthesizes current relevant evidence on exercise in AN and related dopaminergic activity. Throughout, theoretical implications are discussed, along with critical directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasha Gorrell
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anne G.E. Collins
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Le Grange
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA (Emeritus)
| | - Tony T. Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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