1
|
Finkelman T, Furman-Haran E, Aberg KC, Paz R, Tal A. Inhibitory mechanisms in the prefrontal-cortex differentially mediate Putamen activity during valence-based learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.29.605168. [PMID: 39131397 PMCID: PMC11312490 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.29.605168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Learning from appetitive and aversive stimuli involves interactions between the prefrontal cortex and subcortical structures. Preclinical and theoretical studies indicate that inhibition is essential in regulating the relevant neural circuitry. Here, we demonstrate that GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, differentially affects how the dACC interacts with subcortical structures during appetitive and aversive learning in humans. Participants engaged in tasks involving appetitive and aversive learning, while using functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at 7T to track GABA concentrations in the dACC, alongside whole-brain fMRI scans to assess BOLD activation. During appetitive learning, dACC GABA concentrations were negatively correlated with learning performance and BOLD activity measured from the dACC and the Putamen. These correlations were absent during aversive learning, where dACC GABA concentrations negatively correlated with the connectivity between the dACC and the Putamen. Our results show that inhibition in the dACC mediates appetitive and aversive learning in humans through distinct mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tal Finkelman
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Edna Furman-Haran
- Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Kristoffer C Aberg
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rony Paz
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Assaf Tal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Awh MP, Latimer KW, Zhou N, Leveroni ZM, Poon AG, Stephens ZM, Yu JY. Persistent Impact of Prior Experience on Spatial Learning. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0266-24.2024. [PMID: 39284675 PMCID: PMC11419697 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0266-24.2024] [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: 06/17/2024] [Revised: 08/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Learning to solve a new problem involves identifying the operating rules, which can be accelerated if known rules generalize in the new context. We ask how prior experience affects learning a new rule that is distinct from known rules. We examined how rats learned a new spatial navigation task after having previously learned tasks with different navigation rules. The new task differed from the previous tasks in spatial layout and navigation rule. We found that experience history did not impact overall performance. However, by examining navigation choice sequences in the new task, we found experience-dependent differences in exploration patterns during early stages of learning, as well as differences in the types of errors made during stable performance. The differences were consistent with the animals adopting experience-dependent memory strategies to discover and implement the new rule. Our results indicate prior experience shapes the strategies for solving novel problems, and the impact of prior experience remains persistent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle P Awh
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Data Science Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Kenneth W Latimer
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Grossman Center for Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Nan Zhou
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Zachary M Leveroni
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Anna G Poon
- Data Science Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Zoe M Stephens
- University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| | - Jai Y Yu
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
- Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
McKenzie S, Sommer AL, Donaldson TN, Pimentel I, Kakani M, Choi IJ, Newman EL, English DF. Event boundaries drive norepinephrine release and distinctive neural representations of space in the rodent hippocampus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.30.605900. [PMID: 39131365 PMCID: PMC11312532 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.30.605900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Episodic memories are temporally segmented around event boundaries that tend to coincide with moments of environmental change. During these times, the state of the brain should change rapidly, or reset, to ensure that the information encountered before and after an event boundary is encoded in different neuronal populations. Norepinephrine (NE) is thought to facilitate this network reorganization. However, it is unknown whether event boundaries drive NE release in the hippocampus and, if so, how NE release relates to changes in hippocampal firing patterns. The advent of the new GRABNE sensor now allows for the measurement of NE binding with sub-second resolution. Using this tool in mice, we tested whether NE is released into the dorsal hippocampus during event boundaries defined by unexpected transitions between spatial contexts and presentations of novel objections. We found that NE binding dynamics were well explained by the time elapsed after each of these environmental changes, and were not related to conditioned behaviors, exploratory bouts of movement, or reward. Familiarity with a spatial context accelerated the rate in which phasic NE binding decayed to baseline. Knowing when NE is elevated, we tested how hippocampal coding of space differs during these moments. Immediately after context transitions we observed relatively unique patterns of neural spiking which settled into a modal state at a similar rate in which NE returned to baseline. These results are consistent with a model wherein NE release drives hippocampal representations away from a steady-state attractor. We hypothesize that the distinctive neural codes observed after each event boundary may facilitate long-term memory and contribute to the neural basis for the primacy effect.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sam McKenzie
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
| | - Alexandra L Sommer
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
| | - Tia N Donaldson
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
| | - Infania Pimentel
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts School of Engineering, Medford MA 02155
| | - Meenakshi Kakani
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM 87106
- Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284
| | - Irene Jungyeon Choi
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405
| | - Ehren L Newman
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cole N, Harvey M, Myers-Joseph D, Gilra A, Khan AG. Prediction-error signals in anterior cingulate cortex drive task-switching. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7088. [PMID: 39154045 PMCID: PMC11330528 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51368-9] [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: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Task-switching is a fundamental cognitive ability that allows animals to update their knowledge of current rules or contexts. Detecting discrepancies between predicted and observed events is essential for this process. However, little is known about how the brain computes cognitive prediction-errors and whether neural prediction-error signals are causally related to task-switching behaviours. Here we trained mice to use a prediction-error to switch, in a single trial, between responding to the same stimuli using two distinct rules. Optogenetic silencing and un-silencing, together with widefield and two-photon calcium imaging revealed that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was specifically required for this rapid task-switching, but only when it exhibited neural prediction-error signals. These prediction-error signals were projection-target dependent and were larger preceding successful behavioural transitions. An all-optical approach revealed a disinhibitory interneuron circuit required for successful prediction-error computation. These results reveal a circuit mechanism for computing prediction-errors and transitioning between distinct cognitive states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Cole
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew Harvey
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Dylan Myers-Joseph
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Aditya Gilra
- Machine Learning Group, Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Computer Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Adil G Khan
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Park G, Park Y, Yang S, Cho Y, Serikov A, Jung D, Seo DC, Lee SE, Nam MH, Kim D, Kim J. Neurotensin-specific corticothalamic circuit regulates innate response conflict. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3473-3487.e6. [PMID: 39067450 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.068] [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: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Animals must simultaneously select and balance multiple action contingencies in ambiguous situations: for instance, evading danger during feeding. This has rarely been examined in the context of information selection; despite corticothalamic pathways that mediate sensory attention being relatively well characterized, neural mechanisms filtering conflicting actions remain unclear. Here, we develop a new loom/feed test to observe conflict between naturally induced fear and feeding and identify a novel anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) output to the ventral anterior and ventral lateral thalamus (VA/VL) that adjusts selectivity between these innate actions. Using micro-endoscopy and fiber photometry, we reveal that activity in corticofugal outputs was lowered during unbalanced/singularly occupied periods, as were the resulting decreased thalamic initiation-related signals for less-favored actions, suggesting that the integration of ACC-thalamic firing may directly regulate the output of behavior choices. Accordingly, the optoinhibition of ACC-VA/VL circuits induced high bias toward feeding at the expense of defense. To identify upstream "commander" cortical cells gating this output, we established dual-order tracing (DOT)-translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP)-a scheme to label upstream neurons with transcriptome analysis-and found a novel population of neurotensin-positive interneurons (ACCNts). The photoexcitation of ACCNts cells indeed caused similarly hyper-selective behaviors. Collectively, this new "corticofugal action filter" scheme suggests that communication in multi-step cingulate circuits may critically influence the summation of motor signals in thalamic outputs, regulating bias between innate action types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Geunhong Park
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongjun Park
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Seulkee Yang
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonjeong Cho
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Almas Serikov
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Dajung Jung
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Chan Seo
- Research Animal Resources Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Eun Lee
- Research Animal Resources Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Ho Nam
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Daesoo Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeongjin Kim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, University of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rossi-Goldthorpe R, Silverstein SM, Gold JM, Schiffman J, Waltz JA, Williams TF, Powers AR, Woods SW, Zinbarg RE, Mittal VA, Ellman LM, Strauss GP, Walker EF, Levin JA, Castiello S, Kenney J, Corlett PR. Different learning aberrations relate to delusion-like beliefs with different contents. Brain 2024; 147:2854-2866. [PMID: 38637303 PMCID: PMC11292907 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae122] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The prediction error account of delusions has had success. However, its explanation of delusions with different contents has been lacking. Persecutory delusions and paranoia are the common unfounded beliefs that others have harmful intentions towards us. Other delusions include believing that one's thoughts or actions are under external control or that events in the world have specific personal meaning. We compare learning in two different cognitive tasks, probabilistic reversal learning and Kamin blocking, that have relationships to paranoid and non-paranoid delusion-like beliefs, respectively. We find that clinical high-risk status alone does not result in different behavioural results in the probabilistic reversal learning task but that an individual's level of paranoia is associated with excessive switching behaviour. During the Kamin blocking task, paranoid individuals learned inappropriately about the blocked cue. However, they also had decreased learning about the control cue, suggesting more general learning impairments. Non-paranoid delusion-like belief conviction (but not paranoia) was associated with aberrant learning about the blocked cue but intact learning about the control cue, suggesting specific impairments in learning related to cue combination. We fit task-specific computational models separately to behavioural data to explore how latent parameters vary within individuals between tasks and how they can explain symptom-specific effects. We find that paranoia is associated with low learning rates in the probabilistic reversal learning task and the blocking task. Non-paranoid delusion-like belief conviction is instead related to parameters controlling the degree and direction of similarity between cue updating during simultaneous cue presentation. These results suggest that paranoia and other delusion-like beliefs involve dissociable deficits in learning and belief updating, which, given the transdiagnostic status of paranoia, might have differential utility in predicting psychosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Rossi-Goldthorpe
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Steven M Silverstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
- Department of Opthalmology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
| | - James M Gold
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
| | - Jason Schiffman
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - James A Waltz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
| | - Trevor F Williams
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, USA
| | - Albert R Powers
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Scott W Woods
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Richard E Zinbarg
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, USA
| | - Vijay A Mittal
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, USA
| | - Lauren M Ellman
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Gregory P Strauss
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Elaine F Walker
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jason A Levin
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Santiago Castiello
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Joshua Kenney
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Philip R Corlett
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kabanova A, Fedorov L, Eschenko O. The Projection-Specific Noradrenergic Modulation of Perseverative Spatial Behavior in Adult Male Rats. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0063-24.2024. [PMID: 39160074 PMCID: PMC11334950 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0063-24.2024] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Adaptive behavior relies on efficient cognitive control. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a key node within the executive prefrontal network. The reciprocal connectivity between the locus ceruleus (LC) and ACC is thought to support behavioral reorganization triggered by the detection of an unexpected change. We transduced LC neurons with either excitatory or inhibitory chemogenetic receptors in adult male rats and trained rats on a spatial task. Subsequently, we altered LC activity and confronted rats with an unexpected change of reward locations. In a new spatial context, rats with decreased noradrenaline (NA) in the ACC entered unbaited maze arms more persistently which was indicative of perseveration. In contrast, the suppression of the global NA transmission reduced perseveration. Neither chemogenetic manipulation nor inactivation of the ACC by muscimol affected the rate of learning, possibly due to partial virus transduction of the LC neurons and/or the compensatory engagement of other prefrontal regions. Importantly, we observed behavioral deficits in rats with LC damage caused by virus injection. The latter finding highlights the importance of careful histological assessment of virus-transduced brain tissue as inadvertent damage of the targeted cell population due to virus neurotoxicity or other factors might cause unwanted side effects. Although the specific role of ACC in the flexibility of spatial behavior has not been convincingly demonstrated, our results support the beneficial role of noradrenergic transmission for an optimal function of the ACC. Overall, our findings suggest the LC exerts the projection-specific modulation of neural circuits mediating the flexibility of spatial behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kabanova
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Leonid Fedorov
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Oxana Eschenko
- Department of Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Regalado JM, Corredera Asensio A, Haunold T, Toader AC, Li YR, Neal LA, Rajasethupathy P. Neural activity ramps in frontal cortex signal extended motivation during learning. eLife 2024; 13:RP93983. [PMID: 39037775 PMCID: PMC11262795 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93983] [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: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Learning requires the ability to link actions to outcomes. How motivation facilitates learning is not well understood. We designed a behavioral task in which mice self-initiate trials to learn cue-reward contingencies and found that the anterior cingulate region of the prefrontal cortex (ACC) contains motivation-related signals to maximize rewards. In particular, we found that ACC neural activity was consistently tied to trial initiations where mice seek to leave unrewarded cues to reach reward-associated cues. Notably, this neural signal persisted over consecutive unrewarded cues until reward-associated cues were reached, and was required for learning. To determine how ACC inherits this motivational signal we performed projection-specific photometry recordings from several inputs to ACC during learning. In doing so, we identified a ramp in bulk neural activity in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)-to-ACC projections as mice received unrewarded cues, which continued ramping across consecutive unrewarded cues, and finally peaked upon reaching a reward-associated cue, thus maintaining an extended motivational state. Cellular resolution imaging of OFC confirmed these neural correlates of motivation, and further delineated separate ensembles of neurons that sequentially tiled the ramp. Together, these results identify a mechanism by which OFC maps out task structure to convey an extended motivational state to ACC to facilitate goal-directed learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josue M Regalado
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | | | - Theresa Haunold
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Andrew C Toader
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Yan Ran Li
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Lauren A Neal
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
van Herk L, Schilder FP, de Weijer AD, Bruinsma B, Geuze E. Heightened SAM- and HPA-axis activity during acute stress impairs decision-making: A systematic review on underlying neuropharmacological mechanisms. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 31:100659. [PMID: 39070283 PMCID: PMC11277380 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals might be exposed to intense acute stress while having to make decisions with far-reaching consequences. Acute stress impairs processes required for decision-making by activating different biological stress cascades that in turn affect the brain. By knowing which stress system, brain areas, and receptors are responsible for compromised decision-making processes, we can effectively find potential pharmaceutics that can prevent the deteriorating effects of acute stress. We used a systematic review procedure and found 44 articles providing information on this topic. Decision-making processes could be subdivided into 4 domains (cognitive, motivational, affective, and predictability) and could be referenced to specific brain areas, while mostly being impaired by molecules associated with the sympathetic-adrenal-medullar and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axes. Potential drugs to alleviate these effects included α1 and β adrenoceptor antagonists, α2 adrenoceptor agonists, and corticotropin releasing factor receptor1/2 antagonists, while consistent stress-like effects were found with yohimbine, an α2 adrenoceptor antagonist. We suggest possible avenues for future research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lukas van Herk
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Frank P.M. Schilder
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Antoin D. de Weijer
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Bastiaan Bruinsma
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Elbert Geuze
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Piccin A, Plat H, Wolff M, Coutureau E. Adaptive Responding to Stimulus-Outcome Associations Requires Noradrenergic Transmission in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0078242024. [PMID: 38684363 PMCID: PMC11140671 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0078-24.2024] [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: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
A dynamic environment, such as the one we inhabit, requires organisms to continuously update their knowledge of the setting. While the prefrontal cortex is recognized for its pivotal role in regulating such adaptive behavior, the specific contribution of each prefrontal area remains elusive. In the current work, we investigated the direct involvement of two major prefrontal subregions, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC, A32D + A32V) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC, VO + LO), in updating pavlovian stimulus-outcome (S-O) associations following contingency degradation in male rats. Specifically, animals had to learn that a particular cue, previously fully predicting the delivery of a specific reward, was no longer a reliable predictor. First, we found that chemogenetic inhibition of mPFC, but not of OFC, neurons altered the rats' ability to adaptively respond to degraded and non-degraded cues. Next, given the growing evidence pointing at noradrenaline (NA) as a main neuromodulator of adaptive behavior, we decided to investigate the possible involvement of NA projections to the two subregions in this higher-order cognitive process. Employing a pair of novel retrograde vectors, we traced NA projections from the locus ceruleus (LC) to both structures and observed an equivalent yet relatively segregated amount of inputs. Then, we showed that chemogenetic inhibition of NA projections to the mPFC, but not to the OFC, also impaired the rats' ability to adaptively respond to the degradation procedure. Altogether, our findings provide important evidence of functional parcellation within the prefrontal cortex and point at mPFC NA as key for updating pavlovian S-O associations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hadrien Plat
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux F-33000, France
| | - Mathieu Wolff
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, Bordeaux F-33000, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Chen AB, Duque M, Wang VM, Dhanasekar M, Mi X, Rymbek A, Tocquer L, Narayan S, Prober D, Yu G, Wyart C, Engert F, Ahrens MB. Norepinephrine changes behavioral state via astroglial purinergic signaling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.23.595576. [PMID: 38826423 PMCID: PMC11142163 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.23.595576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Both neurons and glia communicate via diffusible neuromodulatory substances, but the substrates of computation in such neuromodulatory networks are unclear. During behavioral transitions in the larval zebrafish, the neuromodulator norepinephrine drives fast excitation and delayed inhibition of behavior and circuit activity. We find that the inhibitory arm of this feedforward motif is implemented by astroglial purinergic signaling. Neuromodulator imaging, behavioral pharmacology, and perturbations of neurons and astroglia reveal that norepinephrine triggers astroglial release of adenosine triphosphate, extracellular conversion into adenosine, and behavioral suppression through activation of hindbrain neuronal adenosine receptors. This work, along with a companion piece by Lefton and colleagues demonstrating an analogous pathway mediating the effect of norepinephrine on synaptic connectivity in mice, identifies a computational and behavioral role for an evolutionarily conserved astroglial purinergic signaling axis in norepinephrine-mediated behavioral and brain state transitions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alex B. Chen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University; Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Marc Duque
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University; Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vickie M. Wang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University; Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mahalakshmi Dhanasekar
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Xuelong Mi
- Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Arlington, VA 22203, USA
| | - Altyn Rymbek
- Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Loeva Tocquer
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Sujatha Narayan
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
- Present address: Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics; Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - David Prober
- Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Guoqiang Yu
- Department of Automation, Tsinghua University; Beijing 100084, P.R. China
| | - Claire Wyart
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Florian Engert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University; Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Misha B. Ahrens
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hou Y, Li Y, Yang D, Zhao Y, Feng T, Zheng W, Xian P, Liu X, Wu S, Wang Y. Involvement and regulation of the left anterior cingulate cortex in the ultrasonic communication deficits of autistic mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1387447. [PMID: 38813469 PMCID: PMC11133516 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1387447] [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: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of diseases often characterized by poor sociability and challenges in social communication. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a core brain region for social function. Whether it contributes to the defects of social communication in ASD and whether it could be physiologically modulated to improve social communication have been poorly investigated. This study is aimed at addressing these questions. Methods Fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) mutant and valproic acid (VPA)-induced ASD mice were used. Male-female social interaction was adopted to elicit ultrasonic vocalization (USV). Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate USV-activated neurons. Optogenetic and precise target transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were utilized to modulate anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neuronal activity. Results In wild-type (WT) mice, USV elicited rapid expression of c-Fos in the excitatory neurons of the left but not the right ACC. Optogenetic inhibition of the left ACC neurons in WT mice effectively suppressed social-induced USV. In FMR1-/-- and VPA-induced ASD mice, significantly fewer c-Fos/CaMKII-positive neurons were observed in the left ACC following USV compared to the control. Optogenetic activation of the left ACC neurons in FMR1-/- or VPA-pretreated mice significantly increased social activity elicited by USV. Furthermore, precisely stimulating neuronal activity in the left ACC, but not the right ACC, by repeated TMS effectively rescued the USV emission in these ASD mice. Discussion The excitatory neurons in the left ACC are responsive to socially elicited USV. Their silence mediates the deficiency of social communication in FMR1-/- and VPA-induced ASD mice. Precisely modulating the left ACC neuronal activity by repeated TMS can promote the social communication in FMR1-/- and VPA-pretreated mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yilin Hou
- Department of Military Medical Psychology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yuqian Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Dingding Yang
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Youyi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Shaanxi Engineering Research, Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anesthesiology, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Tingwei Feng
- Department of Military Medical Psychology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wei’an Zheng
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Panpan Xian
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xufeng Liu
- Department of Military Medical Psychology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Shengxi Wu
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yazhou Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Barbier-Chebbah A, Vestergaard CL, Masson JB. Approximate information for efficient exploration-exploitation strategies. Phys Rev E 2024; 109:L052105. [PMID: 38907409 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.109.l052105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
This paper addresses the exploration-exploitation dilemma inherent in decision-making, focusing on multiarmed bandit problems. These involve an agent deciding whether to exploit current knowledge for immediate gains or explore new avenues for potential long-term rewards. We here introduce a class of algorithms, approximate information maximization (AIM), which employs a carefully chosen analytical approximation to the gradient of the entropy to choose which arm to pull at each point in time. AIM matches the performance of Thompson sampling, which is known to be asymptotically optimal, as well as that of Infomax from which it derives. AIM thus retains the advantages of Infomax while also offering enhanced computational speed, tractability, and ease of implementation. In particular, we demonstrate how to apply it to a 50-armed bandit game. Its expression is tunable, which allows for specific optimization in various settings, making it possible to surpass the performance of Thompson sampling at short and intermediary times.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alex Barbier-Chebbah
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3571, Decision and Bayesian Computation, 75015 Paris, France
- Épimethée, Inria, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Christian L Vestergaard
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3571, Decision and Bayesian Computation, 75015 Paris, France
- Épimethée, Inria, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Masson
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3571, Decision and Bayesian Computation, 75015 Paris, France
- Épimethée, Inria, 75012 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Hartmann C, Mahajan A, Borges V, Razenberg L, Thönnes Y, Karnani MM. The Switchmaze: an open-design device for measuring motivation and drive switching in mice. PEER COMMUNITY JOURNAL 2024; 4:pcjournal.416. [PMID: 38827787 PMCID: PMC7616052 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.31.578188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Animals need to switch between motivated behaviours, like drinking, feeding or social interaction, to meet environmental availability, internal needs and more complex ethological needs such as hiding future actions from competitors. Inflexible, repetitive behaviours are a hallmark of many neuropsychiatric disorders. However, how the brain orchestrates switching between the neural mechanisms controlling motivated behaviours, or drives, is unknown. This is partly due to a lack of appropriate measurement systems. We designed an automated extended home-cage, the Switchmaze, using open-source hardware and software. In this study, we use it to establish a behavioural assay of motivational switching in mice. Individual animals access the Switchmaze from the home-cage and choose between entering one of two chambers containing different goal objects or returning to the home-cage. Motivational switching is measured as a ratio of switching between chambers and continuous exploitation of one chamber. Behavioural transition analysis is used to further dissect altered motivational switching. As proof-of-concept, we show environmental manipulation, and targeted brain manipulation experiments which altered motivational switching without effect on traditional behavioural parameters. Chemogenetic inhibition of the prefrontal-hypothalamic axis increased the rate of motivation switching, highlighting the involvement of this pathway in drive switching. This work demonstrates the utility of open-design in understanding animal behaviour and its neural correlates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clara Hartmann
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ambika Mahajan
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vinicius Borges
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lotte Razenberg
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yves Thönnes
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mahesh M Karnani
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research, Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Regalado JM, Asensio AC, Haunold T, Toader AC, Li YR, Neal LA, Rajasethupathy P. Neural activity ramps in frontal cortex signal extended motivation during learning. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.15.562395. [PMID: 37905153 PMCID: PMC10614791 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.15.562395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Learning requires the ability to link actions to outcomes. How motivation facilitates learning is not well understood. We designed a behavioral task in which mice self-initiate trials to learn cue-reward contingencies and found that the anterior cingulate region of the prefrontal cortex (ACC) contains motivation-related signals to maximize rewards. In particular, we found that ACC neural activity was consistently tied to trial initiations where mice seek to leave unrewarded cues to reach reward-associated cues. Notably, this neural signal persisted over consecutive unrewarded cues until reward associated cues were reached, and was required for learning. To determine how ACC inherits this motivational signal we performed projection specific photometry recordings from several inputs to ACC during learning. In doing so, we identified a ramp in bulk neural activity in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)-to-ACC projections as mice received unrewarded cues, which continued ramping across consecutive unrewarded cues, and finally peaked upon reaching a reward associated cue, thus maintaining an extended motivational state. Cellular resolution imaging of OFC confirmed these neural correlates of motivation, and further delineated separate ensembles of neurons that sequentially tiled the ramp. Together, these results identify a mechanism by which OFC maps out task structure to convey an extended motivational state to ACC to facilitate goal-directed learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josue M. Regalado
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | | | - Theresa Haunold
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Andrew C. Toader
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Yan Ran Li
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Lauren A. Neal
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Priya Rajasethupathy
- Laboratory of Neural Dynamics & Cognition, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
- Lead contact
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
González VV, Zhang Y, Ashikyan SA, Rickard A, Yassine I, Romero-Sosa JL, Blaisdell AP, Izquierdo A. A special role for anterior cingulate cortex, but not orbitofrontal cortex or basolateral amygdala, in choices involving information. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae135. [PMID: 38610085 PMCID: PMC11014886 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae135] [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: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Subjects are often willing to pay a cost for information. In a procedure that promotes paradoxical choices, animals choose between a richer option followed by a cue that is rewarded 50% of the time (No Info) vs. a leaner option followed by one of two cues that signal certain outcomes: one always rewarded (100%) and the other never rewarded, 0% (Info). Since decisions involve comparing the subjective value of options after integrating all their features, preference for information may rely on cortico-amygdalar circuitry. To test this, male and female rats were prepared with bilateral inhibitory Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) in the anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, or null virus (control). We inhibited these regions after stable preference was acquired. We found that inhibition of the anterior cingulate cortex destabilized choice preference in female rats without affecting latency to choose or response rate to cues. A logistic regression fit revealed that previous choice predicted current choice in all conditions, however previously rewarded Info trials strongly predicted preference in all conditions except in female rats following anterior cingulate cortex inhibition. The results reveal a causal, sex-dependent role for the anterior cingulate cortex in decisions involving information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeria V González
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Yifan Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, University of Southern California, Salvatori Computer Science Center, 941 Bloom Walk, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States
| | - Sonya A Ashikyan
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Anne Rickard
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Ibrahim Yassine
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Juan Luis Romero-Sosa
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Aaron P Blaisdell
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- The Brain Research Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, 695 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California-Los Angeles, 695 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Alicia Izquierdo
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- The Brain Research Institute, University of California-Los Angeles, 695 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California-Los Angeles, 695 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
- Integrative Center for Addictions, University of California-Los Angeles, 695 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Ota K, Charles L, Haggard P. Autonomous behaviour and the limits of human volition. Cognition 2024; 244:105684. [PMID: 38101173 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105684] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Humans and some other animals can autonomously generate action choices that contribute to solving complex problems. However, experimental investigations of the cognitive bases of human autonomy are challenging, because experimental paradigms typically constrain behaviour using controlled contexts, and elicit behaviour by external triggers. In contrast, autonomy and freedom imply unconstrained behaviour initiated by endogenous triggers. Here we propose a new theoretical construct of adaptive autonomy, meaning the capacity to make behavioural choices that are free from constraints of both immediate external triggers and of routine response patterns, but nevertheless show appropriate coordination with the environment. Participants (N = 152) played a competitive game in which they had to choose the right time to act, in the face of an opponent who punished (in separate blocks) either choice biases (such as always responding early), sequential patterns of action timing across trials (such as early, late, early, late…), or predictable action-outcome dependence (such as win-stay, lose-shift). Adaptive autonomy was quantified as the ability to maintain performance when each of these influences on action selection was punished. We found that participants could become free from habitual choices regarding when to act and could also become free from sequential action patterns. However, they were not able to free themselves from influences of action-outcome dependence, even when these resulted in poor performance. These results point to a new concept of autonomous behaviour as flexible adaptation of voluntary action choices in a way that avoids stereotypy. In a sequential analysis, we also demonstrated that participants increased their reliance on belief learning in which they attempt to understand the competitor's beliefs and intentions, when transition bias and reinforcement bias were punished. Taken together, our study points to a cognitive mechanism of adaptive autonomy in which competitive interactions with other agents could promote both social cognition and volition in the form of non-stereotyped action choices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keiji Ota
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Lucie Charles
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Haggard
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Jordan R. The locus coeruleus as a global model failure system. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:92-105. [PMID: 38102059 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2023.11.006] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Predictive processing models posit that brains constantly attempt to predict their sensory inputs. Prediction errors signal when these predictions are incorrect and are thought to be instructive signals that drive corrective plasticity. Recent findings support the idea that the locus coeruleus (LC) - a brain-wide neuromodulatory system - signals several types of prediction error. I discuss how these findings support models proposing that the LC signals global model failures: instances where predictions about the world are strongly violated. Focusing on the cortex, I explore the utility of this signal in learning rate control, how the LC circuit may compute the signal, and how this view may aid our understanding of neurodivergence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Jordan
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, 1 George Square, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Tang JCY, Paixao V, Carvalho F, Silva A, Klaus A, da Silva JA, Costa RM. Dynamic behaviour restructuring mediates dopamine-dependent credit assignment. Nature 2024; 626:583-592. [PMID: 38092040 PMCID: PMC10866702 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06941-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Animals exhibit a diverse behavioural repertoire when exploring new environments and can learn which actions or action sequences produce positive outcomes. Dopamine release after encountering a reward is critical for reinforcing reward-producing actions1-3. However, it has been challenging to understand how credit is assigned to the exact action that produced the dopamine release during continuous behaviour. Here we investigated this problem in mice using a self-stimulation paradigm in which specific spontaneous movements triggered optogenetic stimulation of dopaminergic neurons. Dopamine self-stimulation rapidly and dynamically changes the structure of the entire behavioural repertoire. Initial stimulations reinforced not only the stimulation-producing target action, but also actions similar to the target action and actions that occurred a few seconds before stimulation. Repeated pairings led to a gradual refinement of the behavioural repertoire to home in on the target action. Reinforcement of action sequences revealed further temporal dependencies of refinement. Action pairs spontaneously separated by long time intervals promoted a stepwise credit assignment, with early refinement of actions most proximal to stimulation and subsequent refinement of more distal actions. Thus, a retrospective reinforcement mechanism promotes not only reinforcement, but also gradual refinement of the entire behavioural repertoire to assign credit to specific actions and action sequences that lead to dopamine release.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C Y Tang
- Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Seattle Children's Research Institute, Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Vitor Paixao
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
- Kinetikos, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Filipe Carvalho
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
- Open Ephys Production Site, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Artur Silva
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreas Klaus
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joaquim Alves da Silva
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
- Champalimaud Experimental Clinical Research Programme, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
- NOVA Medical School, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rui M Costa
- Department of Neuroscience, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
- Allen Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Wang H, Ortega HK, Kelly EB, Indajang J, Feng J, Li Y, Kwan AC. Frontal noradrenergic and cholinergic transients exhibit distinct spatiotemporal dynamics during competitive decision-making. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.23.576893. [PMID: 38328186 PMCID: PMC10849696 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.23.576893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Norepinephrine (NE) and acetylcholine (ACh) are neuromodulators that are crucial for learning and decision-making. In the cortex, NE and ACh are released at specific sites along neuromodulatory axons, which would constrain their spatiotemporal dynamics at the subcellular scale. However, how the fluctuating patterns of NE and ACh signaling may be linked to behavioral events is unknown. Here, leveraging genetically encoded NE and ACh indicators, we use two-photon microscopy to visualize neuromodulatory signals in the superficial layer of the mouse medial frontal cortex during decision-making. Head-fixed mice engage in a competitive game called matching pennies against a computer opponent. We show that both NE and ACh transients carry information about decision-related variables including choice, outcome, and reinforcer. However, the two neuromodulators differ in their spatiotemporal pattern of task-related activation. Spatially, NE signals are more segregated with choice and outcome encoded at distinct locations, whereas ACh signals can multiplex and reflect different behavioral correlates at the same site. Temporally, task-driven NE transients were more synchronized and peaked earlier than ACh transients. To test functional relevance, using optogenetics we found that evoked elevation of NE, but not ACh, in the medial frontal cortex increases the propensity of the animals to switch and explore alternate options. Taken together, the results reveal distinct spatiotemporal patterns of rapid ACh and NE transients at the subcellular scale during decision-making in mice, which may endow these neuromodulators with different ways to impact neural plasticity to mediate learning and adaptive behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Wang
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Heather K. Ortega
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Emma B. Kelly
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Jonathan Indajang
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Jiesi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Alex C. Kwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Yuan Z, Qi Z, Wang R, Cui Y, An S, Wu G, Feng Q, Lin R, Dai R, Li A, Gong H, Luo Q, Fu L, Luo M. A corticoamygdalar pathway controls reward devaluation and depression using dynamic inhibition code. Neuron 2023; 111:3837-3853.e5. [PMID: 37734380 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Reward devaluation adaptively controls reward intake. It remains unclear how cortical circuits causally encode reward devaluation in healthy and depressed states. Here, we show that the neural pathway from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) employs a dynamic inhibition code to control reward devaluation and depression. Fiber photometry and imaging of ACC pyramidal neurons reveal reward-induced inhibition, which weakens during satiation and becomes further attenuated in depression mouse models. Ablating or inhibiting these neurons desensitizes reward devaluation, causes reward intake increase and ultimate obesity, and ameliorates depression, whereas activating the cells sensitizes reward devaluation, suppresses reward consumption, and produces depression-like behaviors. Among various ACC neuron subpopulations, the BLA-projecting subset bidirectionally regulates reward devaluation and depression-like behaviors. Our study thus uncovers a corticoamygdalar circuit that encodes reward devaluation via blunted inhibition and suggests that enhancing inhibition within this circuit may offer a therapeutic approach for treating depression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengwei Yuan
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China; Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research (TIMBR), Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zhongyang Qi
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong, Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Ruiyu Wang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yuting Cui
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Sile An
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong, Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Guoli Wu
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Qiru Feng
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Rui Lin
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research (TIMBR), Beijing 102206, China
| | - Ruicheng Dai
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Anan Li
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong, Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Hui Gong
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong, Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Qingming Luo
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong, Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Ling Fu
- Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong, Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Minmin Luo
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China; Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research (TIMBR), Beijing 102206, China; Research Unit of Medical Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100005, China; New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Shenzhen 518054, China; Beijing Tiantan Hospital, 100070 Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Clairis N, Lopez-Persem A. Debates on the dorsomedial prefrontal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex: insights for future research. Brain 2023; 146:4826-4844. [PMID: 37530487 PMCID: PMC10690029 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad263] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dmPFC/dACC) is a brain area subject to many theories and debates over its function(s). Even its precise anatomical borders are subject to much controversy. In the past decades, the dmPFC/dACC has been associated with more than 15 different cognitive processes, which sometimes appear quite unrelated (e.g. body perception, cognitive conflict). As a result, understanding what the dmPFC/dACC does has become a real challenge for many neuroscientists. Several theories of this brain area's function(s) have been developed, leading to successive and competitive publications bearing different models, which sometimes contradict each other. During the last two decades, the lively scientific exchanges around the dmPFC/dACC have promoted fruitful research in cognitive neuroscience. In this review, we provide an overview of the anatomy of the dmPFC/dACC, summarize the state of the art of functions that have been associated with this brain area and present the main theories aiming at explaining the dmPFC/dACC function(s). We explore the commonalities and the arguments between the different theories. Finally, we explain what can be learned from these debates for future investigations of the dmPFC/dACC and other brain regions' functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Clairis
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC)- Brain Mind Institute (BMI)- Sciences de la Vie (SV), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alizée Lopez-Persem
- FrontLab, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Sorbonne University, AP HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Narasimhan S, Schriver BJ, Wang Q. Adaptive decision-making depends on pupil-linked arousal in rats performing tactile discrimination tasks. J Neurophysiol 2023; 130:1541-1551. [PMID: 37964751 PMCID: PMC11068411 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00309.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Perceptual decision-making is a dynamic cognitive process and is shaped by many factors, including behavioral state, reward contingency, and sensory environment. To understand the extent to which adaptive behavior in decision-making is dependent on pupil-linked arousal, we trained head-fixed rats to perform perceptual decision-making tasks and systematically manipulated the probability of Go and No-go stimuli while simultaneously measuring their pupil size in the tasks. Our data demonstrated that the animals adaptively modified their behavior in response to the changes in the sensory environment. The response probability to both Go and No-go stimuli decreased as the probability of the Go stimulus being presented decreased. Analyses within the signal detection theory framework showed that while the animals' perceptual sensitivity was invariant, their decision criterion increased as the probability of the Go stimulus decreased. Simulation results indicated that the adaptive increase in the decision criterion will increase possible water rewards during the task. Moreover, the adaptive decision-making is dependent on pupil-linked arousal as the increase in the decision criterion was the largest during low pupil-linked arousal periods. Taken together, our results demonstrated that the rats were able to adjust their decision-making to maximize rewards in the tasks, and that adaptive behavior in perceptual decision-making is dependent on pupil-linked arousal.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Perceptual decision-making is a dynamic cognitive process and is shaped by many factors. However, the extent to which changes in sensory environment result in adaptive decision-making remains poorly understood. Our data provided new experimental evidence demonstrating that the rats were able to adaptively modify their decision criterion to maximize water reward in response to changes in the statistics of the sensory environment. Furthermore, the adaptive decision-making is dependent on pupil-linked arousal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shreya Narasimhan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City, New York, United States
| | - Brian J Schriver
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City, New York, United States
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City, New York, United States
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Proskurin M, Manakov M, Karpova A. ACC neural ensemble dynamics are structured by strategy prevalence. eLife 2023; 12:e84897. [PMID: 37991007 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84897] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Medial frontal cortical areas are thought to play a critical role in the brain's ability to flexibly deploy strategies that are effective in complex settings, yet the underlying circuit computations remain unclear. Here, by examining neural ensemble activity in male rats that sample different strategies in a self-guided search for latent task structure, we observe robust tracking during strategy execution of a summary statistic for that strategy in recent behavioral history by the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), especially by an area homologous to primate area 32D. Using the simplest summary statistic - strategy prevalence in the last 20 choices - we find that its encoding in the ACC during strategy execution is wide-scale, independent of reward delivery, and persists through a substantial ensemble reorganization that accompanies changes in global context. We further demonstrate that the tracking of reward by the ACC ensemble is also strategy-specific, but that reward prevalence is insufficient to explain the observed activity modulation during strategy execution. Our findings argue that ACC ensemble dynamics is structured by a summary statistic of recent behavioral choices, raising the possibility that ACC plays a role in estimating - through statistical learning - which actions promote the occurrence of events in the environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Proskurin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, United States
| | - Maxim Manakov
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, United States
| | - Alla Karpova
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Hassani SA, Womelsdorf T. Noradrenergic alpha-2a Receptor Stimulation Enhances Prediction Error Signaling in Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Striatum. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.25.564052. [PMID: 37961384 PMCID: PMC10634832 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.25.564052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The noradrenergic system is implicated to support behavioral flexibility by increasing exploration during periods of uncertainty and by enhancing working memory for goal-relevant stimuli. Possible sources mediating these pro-cognitive effects are α2A adrenoceptors (α2AR) in prefrontal cortex or the anterior cingulate cortex facilitating fronto-striatal learning processes. We tested this hypothesis by selectively stimulating α2ARs using Guanfacine during feature-based attentional set shifting in nonhuman primates. We found that α2A stimulation improved learning from errors and facilitates updating the target feature of an attentional set. Neural recordings in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and the striatum showed that α2A stimulation selectively enhanced the neural representation of negative reward prediction errors in neurons of the ACC and of positive prediction errors in the striatum, but not in dlPFC. This modulation was accompanied by enhanced encoding of the feature and location of the attended target across the fronto-striatal network. Enhanced learning was paralleled by enhanced encoding of outcomes in putative fast-spiking interneurons in the ACC, dlPFC, and striatum but not in broad spiking cells, pointing to an interneuron mediated mechanism of α2AR action. These results illustrate that α2A receptors causally support the noradrenergic enhancement of updating attention sets through an enhancement of prediction error signaling in the ACC and the striatum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seyed A. Hassani
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37240
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20824
| | - Thilo Womelsdorf
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, TN 37240
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Mantas V, Kotoula V, Pehlivanidis A. Exploring randomness in autism. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15751. [PMID: 37529214 PMCID: PMC10389071 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15751] [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: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The fast, intuitive and autonomous system 1 along with the slow, analytical and more logical system 2 constitute the dual system processing model of decision making. Whether acting independently or influencing each other both systems would, to an extent, rely on randomness in order to reach a decision. The role of randomness, however, would be more pronounced when arbitrary choices need to be made, typically engaging system 1. The present exploratory study aims to capture the expression of a possible innate randomness mechanism, as proposed by the authors, by trying to isolate system 1 and examine arbitrary decision making in autistic participants with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Methods Autistic participants withhigh functioning ASD and an age and gender matched comparison group performed the random number generation task. The task was modified to limit the contribution of working memory and allow any innate randomness mechanisms expressed through system 1, to emerge. Results Utilizing a standard analyses approach, the random number sequences produced by autistic individuals and the comparison group did not differ in their randomness characteristics. No significant differences were identified when the sequences were examined using a moving window approach. When machine learning was used, random sequences' features could discriminate the groups with relatively high accuracy. Conclusions Our findings indicate the possibility that individual patterns during random sequence production could be consistent enough between groups to allow for an accurate discrimination between the autistic and the comparison group. In order to draw firm conclusions around innate randomness and further validate our experiment, our findings need to be replicated in a bigger sample.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vasileios Mantas
- 1st Department of Psychiatry, Aiginiteion Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Attica, Greece
| | | | - Artemios Pehlivanidis
- 1st Department of Psychiatry, Aiginiteion Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Attica, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Wang H, Kwan AC. Competitive and cooperative games for probing the neural basis of social decision-making in animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 149:105158. [PMID: 37019249 PMCID: PMC10175234 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
In a social environment, it is essential for animals to consider the behavior of others when making decisions. To quantitatively assess such social decisions, games offer unique advantages. Games may have competitive and cooperative components, modeling situations with antagonistic and shared objectives between players. Games can be analyzed by mathematical frameworks, including game theory and reinforcement learning, such that an animal's choice behavior can be compared against the optimal strategy. However, so far games have been underappreciated in neuroscience research, particularly for rodent studies. In this review, we survey the varieties of competitive and cooperative games that have been tested, contrasting strategies employed by non-human primates and birds with rodents. We provide examples of how games can be used to uncover neural mechanisms and explore species-specific behavioral differences. We assess critically the limitations of current paradigms and propose improvements. Together, the synthesis of current literature highlights the advantages of using games to probe the neural basis of social decisions for neuroscience studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Wang
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alex C Kwan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Shourkeshti A, Marrocco G, Jurewicz K, Moore T, Ebitz RB. Pupil size predicts the onset of exploration in brain and behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.24.541981. [PMID: 37292773 PMCID: PMC10245915 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.24.541981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In uncertain environments, intelligent decision-makers exploit actions that have been rewarding in the past, but also explore actions that could be even better. Several neuromodulatory systems are implicated in exploration, based, in part, on work linking exploration to pupil size-a peripheral correlate of neuromodulatory tone and index of arousal. However, pupil size could instead track variables that make exploration more likely, like volatility or reward, without directly predicting either exploration or its neural bases. Here, we simultaneously measured pupil size, exploration, and neural population activity in the prefrontal cortex while two rhesus macaques explored and exploited in a dynamic environment. We found that pupil size under constant luminance specifically predicted the onset of exploration, beyond what could be explained by reward history. Pupil size also predicted disorganized patterns of prefrontal neural activity at both the single neuron and population levels, even within periods of exploitation. Ultimately, our results support a model in which pupil-linked mechanisms promote the onset of exploration via driving the prefrontal cortex through a critical tipping point where prefrontal control dynamics become disorganized and exploratory decisions are possible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Akram Shourkeshti
- Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Gabriel Marrocco
- Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Katarzyna Jurewicz
- Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Tirin Moore
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - R. Becket Ebitz
- Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Hanganu-Opatz IL, Klausberger T, Sigurdsson T, Nieder A, Jacob SN, Bartos M, Sauer JF, Durstewitz D, Leibold C, Diester I. Resolving the prefrontal mechanisms of adaptive cognitive behaviors: A cross-species perspective. Neuron 2023; 111:1020-1036. [PMID: 37023708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) enables a staggering variety of complex behaviors, such as planning actions, solving problems, and adapting to new situations according to external information and internal states. These higher-order abilities, collectively defined as adaptive cognitive behavior, require cellular ensembles that coordinate the tradeoff between the stability and flexibility of neural representations. While the mechanisms underlying the function of cellular ensembles are still unclear, recent experimental and theoretical studies suggest that temporal coordination dynamically binds prefrontal neurons into functional ensembles. A so far largely separate stream of research has investigated the prefrontal efferent and afferent connectivity. These two research streams have recently converged on the hypothesis that prefrontal connectivity patterns influence ensemble formation and the function of neurons within ensembles. Here, we propose a unitary concept that, leveraging a cross-species definition of prefrontal regions, explains how prefrontal ensembles adaptively regulate and efficiently coordinate multiple processes in distinct cognitive behaviors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ileana L Hanganu-Opatz
- Institute of Developmental Neurophysiology, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Hamburg Center of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas Klausberger
- Center for Brain Research, Division of Cognitive Neurobiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Torfi Sigurdsson
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Simon N Jacob
- Translational Neurotechnology Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marlene Bartos
- Institute for Physiology I, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Jonas-Frederic Sauer
- Institute for Physiology I, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Daniel Durstewitz
- Department of Theoretical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health & Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Leibold
- Faculty of Biology, Bernstein Center Freiburg, BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Ilka Diester
- Optophysiology - Optogenetics and Neurophysiology, IMBIT // BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Reznikova Z. Information Theory Opens New Dimensions in Experimental Studies of Animal Behaviour and Communication. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13071174. [PMID: 37048430 PMCID: PMC10093743 DOI: 10.3390/ani13071174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last 40–50 years, ethology has become increasingly quantitative and computational. However, when analysing animal behavioural sequences, researchers often need help finding an adequate model to assess certain characteristics of these sequences while using a relatively small number of parameters. In this review, I demonstrate that the information theory approaches based on Shannon entropy and Kolmogorov complexity can furnish effective tools to analyse and compare animal natural behaviours. In addition to a comparative analysis of stereotypic behavioural sequences, information theory can provide ideas for particular experiments on sophisticated animal communications. In particular, it has made it possible to discover the existence of a developed symbolic “language” in leader-scouting ant species based on the ability of these ants to transfer abstract information about remote events.
Collapse
|
31
|
Zhang Y, Chen Y, Xin Y, Peng B, Liu S. Norepinephrine system at the interface of attention and reward. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 125:110751. [PMID: 36933778 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023]
Abstract
Reward learning is key to survival for individuals. Attention plays an important role in the rapid recognition of reward cues and establishment of reward memories. Reward history reciprocally guides attention to reward stimuli. However, the neurological processes of the interplay between reward and attention remain largely elusive, due to the diversity of the neural substrates that participate in these two processes. In this review, we delineate the complex and differentiated locus coeruleus norepinephrine (LC-NE) system in relation to different behavioral and cognitive substrates of reward and attention. The LC receives reward related sensory, perceptual, and visceral inputs, releases NE, glutamate, dopamine and various neuropeptides, forms reward memories, drives attentional bias and selects behavioral strategies for reward. Preclinical and clinical studies have found that abnormalities in the LC-NE system are involved in a variety of psychiatric conditions marked by disturbed functions in reward and attention. Therefore, we propose that the LC-NE system is an important hub in the interplay between reward and attention as well as a critical therapeutic target for psychiatric disorders characterized by compromised functions in reward and attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiao Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Yushi Xin
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Beibei Peng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Shuai Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education), Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Shanghai Changning Mental Health Center, Shanghai 200335, China; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200062, China.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Forghani R, Goodnight B, Latchoumane CFV, Karumbaiah L. AutoRG: An automatized reach-to-grasp platform technology for assessing forelimb motor function, neural circuit activation, and cognition in rodents. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 387:109798. [PMID: 36682731 PMCID: PMC10071513 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rodent reach-to-grasp function assessment is a translationally powerful model for evaluating neurological function impairments and recovery responses. Existing assessment platforms are experimenter-dependent, costly, or low-throughput with limited output measures. Further, a direct histologic comparison of neural activation has never been conducted between any novel, automated platform and the well-established single pellet skilled reach task (SRT). NEW METHOD To address these technological and knowledge gaps, we designed an open-source, low-cost Automatized Reach-to-Grasp (AutoRG) pull platform that reduces experimenter interventions and variability. We assessed reach-to-grasp function in rats across seven progressively difficult stages using AutoRG. We mapped AutoRG and SRT-activated motor circuitries in the rat brain using volumetric imaging of the immediate early gene-encoded Arc (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated) protein. RESULTS Rats demonstrated robust forelimb reaching and pulling behavior after training in AutoRG. Reliable force versus time responses were recorded for individual reach events in real time, which were used to derive several secondary functional measures of performance. Moreover, we provide the first demonstration that for a training period of 30 min, AutoRG and SRT both engage similar neural responses in the caudal forelimb area (CFA), rostral forelimb area (RFA), and sensorimotor area (S1). CONCLUSION AutoRG is the first low-cost, open-source pull system designed for the scale-up of volitional forelimb motor function testing and characterization of rodent reaching behavior. The similarities in neuronal activation patterns observed in the rat motor cortex after SRT and AutoRG assessments validate the AutoRG as a rigorously characterized, scalable alternative to the conventional SRT and expensive commercial systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rameen Forghani
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, 425 River Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Braxton Goodnight
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, 425 River Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Charles-Francois Vincent Latchoumane
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, 425 River Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Georgia, 425, River Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
| | - Lohitash Karumbaiah
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, 425 River Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Science, University of Georgia, 425, River Road, Athens, GA 30602, USA; Division of Neuroscience, Biomedical and Translational Sciences Institute, University of Georgia, 203 Pound Hall, 105 Foster Rd, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Recurrent networks endowed with structural priors explain suboptimal animal behavior. Curr Biol 2023; 33:622-638.e7. [PMID: 36657448 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The strategies found by animals facing a new task are determined both by individual experience and by structural priors evolved to leverage the statistics of natural environments. Rats quickly learn to capitalize on the trial sequence correlations of two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) tasks after correct trials but consistently deviate from optimal behavior after error trials. To understand this outcome-dependent gating, we first show that recurrent neural networks (RNNs) trained in the same 2AFC task outperform rats as they can readily learn to use across-trial information both after correct and error trials. We hypothesize that, although RNNs can optimize their behavior in the 2AFC task without any a priori restrictions, rats' strategy is constrained by a structural prior adapted to a natural environment in which rewarded and non-rewarded actions provide largely asymmetric information. When pre-training RNNs in a more ecological task with more than two possible choices, networks develop a strategy by which they gate off the across-trial evidence after errors, mimicking rats' behavior. Population analyses show that the pre-trained networks form an accurate representation of the sequence statistics independently of the outcome in the previous trial. After error trials, gating is implemented by a change in the network dynamics that temporarily decouple the categorization of the stimulus from the across-trial accumulated evidence. Our results suggest that the rats' suboptimal behavior reflects the influence of a structural prior that reacts to errors by isolating the network decision dynamics from the context, ultimately constraining the performance in a 2AFC laboratory task.
Collapse
|
34
|
Cerpa JC, Piccin A, Dehove M, Lavigne M, Kremer EJ, Wolff M, Parkes SL, Coutureau E. Inhibition of noradrenergic signalling in rodent orbitofrontal cortex impairs the updating of goal-directed actions. eLife 2023; 12:81623. [PMID: 36804007 PMCID: PMC9988255 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In a constantly changing environment, organisms must track the current relationship between actions and their specific consequences and use this information to guide decision-making. Such goal-directed behaviour relies on circuits involving cortical and subcortical structures. Notably, a functional heterogeneity exists within the medial prefrontal, insular, and orbitofrontal cortices (OFC) in rodents. The role of the latter in goal-directed behaviour has been debated, but recent data indicate that the ventral and lateral subregions of the OFC are needed to integrate changes in the relationships between actions and their outcomes. Neuromodulatory agents are also crucial components of prefrontal functions and behavioural flexibility might depend upon the noradrenergic modulation of the prefrontal cortex. Therefore, we assessed whether noradrenergic innervation of the OFC plays a role in updating action-outcome relationships in male rats. We used an identity-based reversal task and found that depletion or chemogenetic silencing of noradrenergic inputs within the OFC rendered rats unable to associate new outcomes with previously acquired actions. Silencing of noradrenergic inputs in the prelimbic cortex or depletion of dopaminergic inputs in the OFC did not reproduce this deficit. Together, our results suggest that noradrenergic projections to the OFC are required to update goal-directed actions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Marina Lavigne
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, CNRS, University of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Eric J Kremer
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, CNRS, University of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Jahn CI, Grohn J, Cuell S, Emberton A, Bouret S, Walton ME, Kolling N, Sallet J. Neural responses in macaque prefrontal cortex are linked to strategic exploration. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3001985. [PMID: 36716348 PMCID: PMC9910800 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have been shown to strategically explore. They can identify situations in which gathering information about distant and uncertain options is beneficial for the future. Because primates rely on scarce resources when they forage, they are also thought to strategically explore, but whether they use the same strategies as humans and the neural bases of strategic exploration in monkeys are largely unknown. We designed a sequential choice task to investigate whether monkeys mobilize strategic exploration based on whether information can improve subsequent choice, but also to ask the novel question about whether monkeys adjust their exploratory choices based on the contingency between choice and information, by sometimes providing the counterfactual feedback about the unchosen option. We show that monkeys decreased their reliance on expected value when exploration could be beneficial, but this was not mediated by changes in the effect of uncertainty on choices. We found strategic exploratory signals in anterior and mid-cingulate cortex (ACC/MCC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). This network was most active when a low value option was chosen, which suggests a role in counteracting expected value signals, when exploration away from value should to be considered. Such strategic exploration was abolished when the counterfactual feedback was available. Learning from counterfactual outcome was associated with the recruitment of a different circuit centered on the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), where we showed that monkeys represent chosen and unchosen reward prediction errors. Overall, our study shows how ACC/MCC-dlPFC and OFC circuits together could support exploitation of available information to the fullest and drive behavior towards finding more information through exploration when it is beneficial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline I. Jahn
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Motivation, Brain and Behavior Team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Paris Cité universités, Université Paris Descartes, Frontières du Vivant, Paris, France
- * E-mail: (CIJ); (JG); (NK); (JS)
| | - Jan Grohn
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (CIJ); (JG); (NK); (JS)
| | - Steven Cuell
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Emberton
- Biomedical Science Services, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastien Bouret
- Motivation, Brain and Behavior Team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France
| | - Mark E. Walton
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nils Kolling
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, OBHA, University of Oxford, Headington, United Kingdom
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
- * E-mail: (CIJ); (JG); (NK); (JS)
| | - Jérôme Sallet
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Univ Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Bron, France
- * E-mail: (CIJ); (JG); (NK); (JS)
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Zenil H, Marshall JAR, Tegnér J. Approximations of algorithmic and structural complexity validate cognitive-behavioral experimental results. Front Comput Neurosci 2023; 16:956074. [PMID: 36761393 PMCID: PMC9904762 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.956074] [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: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Being able to objectively characterize the intrinsic complexity of behavioral patterns resulting from human or animal decisions is fundamental for deconvolving cognition and designing autonomous artificial intelligence systems. Yet complexity is difficult in practice, particularly when strings are short. By numerically approximating algorithmic (Kolmogorov) complexity (K), we establish an objective tool to characterize behavioral complexity. Next, we approximate structural (Bennett's Logical Depth) complexity (LD) to assess the amount of computation required for generating a behavioral string. We apply our toolbox to three landmark studies of animal behavior of increasing sophistication and degree of environmental influence, including studies of foraging communication by ants, flight patterns of fruit flies, and tactical deception and competition (e.g., predator-prey) strategies. We find that ants harness the environmental condition in their internal decision process, modulating their behavioral complexity accordingly. Our analysis of flight (fruit flies) invalidated the common hypothesis that animals navigating in an environment devoid of stimuli adopt a random strategy. Fruit flies exposed to a featureless environment deviated the most from Levy flight, suggesting an algorithmic bias in their attempt to devise a useful (navigation) strategy. Similarly, a logical depth analysis of rats revealed that the structural complexity of the rat always ends up matching the structural complexity of the competitor, with the rats' behavior simulating algorithmic randomness. Finally, we discuss how experiments on how humans perceive randomness suggest the existence of an algorithmic bias in our reasoning and decision processes, in line with our analysis of the animal experiments. This contrasts with the view of the mind as performing faulty computations when presented with randomized items. In summary, our formal toolbox objectively characterizes external constraints on putative models of the "internal" decision process in humans and animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hector Zenil
- Machine Learning Group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Kellogg College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Oxford Immune Algorithmics Ltd., Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - James A. R. Marshall
- Complex Systems Modelling Research Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Jesper Tegnér
- Living Systems Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Benarroch E. What Are Current Concepts on the Functional Organization of the Locus Coeruleus and Its Role in Cognition and Neurodegeneration? Neurology 2023; 100:132-137. [PMID: 36646470 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000206736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
|
38
|
Guseva M, Bogler C, Allefeld C, Haynes JD. Instruction effects on randomness in sequence generation. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1113654. [PMID: 37034908 PMCID: PMC10075230 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1113654] [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: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Randomness is a fundamental property of human behavior. It occurs both in the form of intrinsic random variability, say when repetitions of a task yield slightly different behavioral outcomes, or in the form of explicit randomness, say when a person tries to avoid being predicted in a game of rock, paper and scissors. Randomness has frequently been studied using random sequence generation tasks (RSG). A key finding has been that humans are poor at deliberately producing random behavior. At the same time, it has been shown that people might be better randomizers if randomness is only an implicit (rather than an explicit) requirement of the task. We therefore hypothesized that randomization performance might vary with the exact instructions with which randomness is elicited. To test this, we acquired data from a large online sample (n = 388), where every participant made 1,000 binary choices based on one of the following instructions: choose either randomly, freely, irregularly, according to an imaginary coin toss or perform a perceptual guessing task. Our results show significant differences in randomness between the conditions as quantified by conditional entropy and estimated Markov order. The randomization scores were highest in the conditions where people were asked to be irregular or mentally simulate a random event (coin toss) thus yielding recommendations for future studies on randomization behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maja Guseva
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Maja Guseva,
| | - Carsten Bogler
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Allefeld
- Department of Psychology, City University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - John-Dylan Haynes
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, City University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Disentangling the roles of dopamine and noradrenaline in the exploration-exploitation tradeoff during human decision-making. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 48:1078-1086. [PMID: 36522404 PMCID: PMC10209107 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01517-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Balancing the exploration of new options and the exploitation of known options is a fundamental challenge in decision-making, yet the mechanisms involved in this balance are not fully understood. Here, we aimed to elucidate the distinct roles of dopamine and noradrenaline in the exploration-exploitation tradeoff during human choice. To this end, we used a double-blind, placebo-controlled design in which participants received either a placebo, 400 mg of the D2/D3 receptor antagonist amisulpride, or 40 mg of the β-adrenergic receptor antagonist propranolol before they completed a virtual patch-foraging task probing exploration and exploitation. We systematically varied the rewards associated with choice options, the rate by which rewards decreased over time, and the opportunity costs it took to switch to the next option to disentangle the contributions of dopamine and noradrenaline to specific choice aspects. Our data show that amisulpride increased the sensitivity to all of these three critical choice features, whereas propranolol was associated with a reduced tendency to use value information. Our findings provide novel insights into the specific roles of dopamine and noradrenaline in the regulation of human choice behavior, suggesting a critical involvement of dopamine in directed exploration and a role of noradrenaline in more random exploration.
Collapse
|
40
|
Sheffield JM, Suthaharan P, Leptourgos P, Corlett PR. Belief Updating and Paranoia in Individuals With Schizophrenia. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1149-1157. [PMID: 35430406 PMCID: PMC9827723 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Persecutory delusions are among the most common delusions in schizophrenia and represent the extreme end of the paranoia continuum. Paranoia is accompanied by significant worry and distress. Identifying cognitive mechanisms underlying paranoia is critical for advancing treatment. We hypothesized that aberrant belief updating, which is related to paranoia in human and animal models, would also contribute to persecutory beliefs in individuals with schizophrenia. METHODS Belief updating was assessed in 42 participants with schizophrenia and 44 healthy control participants using a 3-option probabilistic reversal learning task. Hierarchical Gaussian Filter was used to estimate computational parameters of belief updating. Paranoia was measured using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the revised Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale. Unusual thought content was measured with the Psychosis Symptom Rating Scale and the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory. Worry was measured using the Dunn Worry Questionnaire. RESULTS Paranoia was significantly associated with elevated win-switch rate and prior beliefs about volatility both in schizophrenia and across the whole sample. These relationships were specific to paranoia and did not extend to unusual thought content or measures of anxiety. We observed a significant indirect effect of paranoia on the relationship between prior beliefs about volatility and worry. CONCLUSIONS This work provides evidence that relationships between belief updating parameters and paranoia extend to schizophrenia, may be specific to persecutory beliefs, and contribute to theoretical models implicating worry in the maintenance of persecutory delusions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Sheffield
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
| | - Praveen Suthaharan
- Department of Psychiatry, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Pantelis Leptourgos
- Department of Psychiatry, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Philip R Corlett
- Department of Psychiatry, Connecticut Mental Health Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
McBurney-Lin J, Vargova G, Garad M, Zagha E, Yang H. The locus coeruleus mediates behavioral flexibility. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111534. [PMID: 36288712 PMCID: PMC9662304 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral flexibility is the ability to adjust behavioral strategies in response to changing environmental contingencies. A major hypothesis in the field posits that the activity of neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) plays an important role in mediating behavioral flexibility. To test this hypothesis, we developed a tactile-based rule-shift detection task in which mice responded to left and right whisker deflections in a context-dependent manner and exhibited varying degrees of switching behavior. Recording spiking activity from optogenetically tagged neurons in the LC at millisecond precision during task performance revealed a prominent graded correlation between baseline LC activity and behavioral flexibility, where higher baseline activity following a rule change was associated with faster behavioral switching to the new rule. Increasing baseline LC activity with optogenetic activation accelerated task switching and improved task performance. Overall, our study provides important evidence to reveal the link between LC activity and behavioral flexibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jim McBurney-Lin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Greta Vargova
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,These authors contributed equally
| | - Machhindra Garad
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Edward Zagha
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA,Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Hongdian Yang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Dutta CN, Christov-Moore L, Ombao H, Douglas PK. Neuroprotection in late life attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A review of pharmacotherapy and phenotype across the lifespan. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:938501. [PMID: 36226261 PMCID: PMC9548548 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.938501] [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: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For decades, psychostimulants have been the gold standard pharmaceutical treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the United States, an astounding 9% of all boys and 4% of girls will be prescribed stimulant drugs at some point during their childhood. Recent meta-analyses have revealed that individuals with ADHD have reduced brain volume loss later in life (>60 y.o.) compared to the normal aging brain, which suggests that either ADHD or its treatment may be neuroprotective. Crucially, these neuroprotective effects were significant in brain regions (e.g., hippocampus, amygdala) where severe volume loss is linked to cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Historically, the ADHD diagnosis and its pharmacotherapy came about nearly simultaneously, making it difficult to evaluate their effects in isolation. Certain evidence suggests that psychostimulants may normalize structural brain changes typically observed in the ADHD brain. If ADHD itself is neuroprotective, perhaps exercising the brain, then psychostimulants may not be recommended across the lifespan. Alternatively, if stimulant drugs are neuroprotective, then this class of medications may warrant further investigation for their therapeutic effects. Here, we take a bottom-up holistic approach to review the psychopharmacology of ADHD in the context of recent models of attention. We suggest that future studies are greatly needed to better appreciate the interactions amongst an ADHD diagnosis, stimulant treatment across the lifespan, and structure-function alterations in the aging brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cintya Nirvana Dutta
- Biostatistics Group, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training, and Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Leonardo Christov-Moore
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Hernando Ombao
- Biostatistics Group, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Pamela K. Douglas
- School of Modeling, Simulation, and Training, and Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Abstract
Deciding whether to forgo a good choice in favour of exploring a potentially more rewarding alternative is one of the most challenging arbitrations both in human reasoning and in artificial intelligence. Humans show substantial variability in their exploration, and theoretical (but only limited empirical) work has suggested that excessive exploration is a critical mechanism underlying the psychiatric dimension of impulsivity. In this registered report, we put these theories to test using large online samples, dimensional analyses, and computational modelling. Capitalising on recent advances in disentangling distinct human exploration strategies, we not only demonstrate that impulsivity is associated with a specific form of exploration—value-free random exploration—but also explore links between exploration and other psychiatric dimensions. The Stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 19/03/2021. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at 10.6084/m9.figshare.14346506.v1. Deciding between known rewarding options and exploring novel avenues is central to decision making. Humans show variability in their exploration. Here, the authors show that impulsivity is associated to an increased usage of a cognitively cheap (and sometimes sub-optimal) exploration strategy.
Collapse
|
44
|
Ciardo F, De Tommaso D, Wykowska A. Human-like behavioral variability blurs the distinction between a human and a machine in a nonverbal Turing test. Sci Robot 2022; 7:eabo1241. [PMID: 35895925 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abo1241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Variability is a property of biological systems, and in animals (including humans), behavioral variability is characterized by certain features, such as the range of variability and the shape of its distribution. Nevertheless, only a few studies have investigated whether and how variability features contribute to the ascription of humanness to robots in a human-robot interaction setting. Here, we tested whether two aspects of behavioral variability, namely, the standard deviation and the shape of distribution of reaction times, affect the ascription of humanness to robots during a joint action scenario. We designed an interactive task in which pairs of participants performed a joint Simon task with an iCub robot placed by their side. Either iCub could perform the task in a preprogrammed manner, or its button presses could be teleoperated by the other member of the pair, seated in the other room. Under the preprogrammed condition, the iCub pressed buttons with reaction times falling within the range of human variability. However, the distribution of the reaction times did not resemble a human-like shape. Participants were sensitive to humanness, because they correctly detected the human agent above chance level. When the iCub was controlled by the computer program, it passed our variation of a nonverbal Turing test. Together, our results suggest that hints of humanness, such as the range of behavioral variability, might be used by observers to ascribe humanness to a humanoid robot.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Ciardo
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
| | - D De Tommaso
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
| | - A Wykowska
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Jiang Y, Wu H, Mi Q, Zhu L. Neurocomputations of strategic behavior: From iterated to novel interactions. WIRES COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2022; 13:e1598. [PMID: 35441465 PMCID: PMC9542218 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Strategic interactions, where an individual's payoff depends on the decisions of multiple intelligent agents, are ubiquitous among social animals. They span a variety of important social behaviors such as competition, cooperation, coordination, and communication, and often involve complex, intertwining cognitive operations ranging from basic reward processing to higher‐order mentalization. Here, we review the progress and challenges in probing the neural and cognitive mechanisms of strategic behavior of interacting individuals, drawing an analogy to recent developments in studies of reward‐seeking behavior, in particular, how research focuses in the field of strategic behavior have been expanded from adaptive behavior based on trial‐and‐error to flexible decisions based on limited prior experience. We highlight two important research questions in the field of strategic behavior: (i) How does the brain exploit past experience for learning to behave strategically? and (ii) How does the brain decide what to do in novel strategic situations in the absence of direct experience? For the former, we discuss the utility of learning models that have effectively connected various types of neural data with strategic learning behavior and helped elucidate the interplay among multiple learning processes. For the latter, we review the recent evidence and propose a neural generative mechanism by which the brain makes novel strategic choices through simulating others' goal‐directed actions according to rational or bounded‐rational principles obtained through indirect social knowledge. This article is categorized under:Economics > Interactive Decision‐Making Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making Neuroscience > Cognition
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yaomin Jiang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking‐Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing China
| | - Hai‐Tao Wu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking‐Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing China
| | - Qingtian Mi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking‐Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing China
| | - Lusha Zhu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking‐Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing China
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Freezing revisited: coordinated autonomic and central optimization of threat coping. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:568-580. [PMID: 35760906 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00608-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Animals have sophisticated mechanisms for coping with danger. Freezing is a unique state that, upon threat detection, allows evidence to be gathered, response possibilities to be previsioned and preparations to be made for worst-case fight or flight. We propose that - rather than reflecting a passive fear state - the particular somatic and cognitive characteristics of freezing help to conceal overt responses, while optimizing sensory processing and action preparation. Critical for these functions are the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and acetylcholine, which modulate neural information processing and also control the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. However, the interactions between autonomic systems and the brain during freezing, and the way in which they jointly coordinate responses, remain incompletely explored. We review the joint actions of these systems and offer a novel computational framework to describe their temporally harmonized integration. This reconceptualization of freezing has implications for its role in decision-making under threat and for psychopathology.
Collapse
|
47
|
Nakayama H, Gerkin RC, Rinberg D. A behavioral paradigm for measuring perceptual distances in mice. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100233. [PMID: 35784646 PMCID: PMC9243525 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Perceptual similarities between a specific stimulus and other stimuli of the same modality provide valuable information about the structure and geometry of sensory spaces. While typically assessed in human behavioral experiments, perceptual similarities-or distances-are rarely measured in other species. However, understanding the neural computations responsible for sensory representations requires the monitoring and often manipulation of neural activity, which is more readily achieved in non-human experimental models. Here, we develop a behavioral paradigm that enables the quantification of perceptual similarity between sensory stimuli using mouse olfaction as a model system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard C. Gerkin
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Dmitry Rinberg
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Department of Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Klein-Flügge MC, Bongioanni A, Rushworth MFS. Medial and orbital frontal cortex in decision-making and flexible behavior. Neuron 2022; 110:2743-2770. [PMID: 35705077 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The medial frontal cortex and adjacent orbitofrontal cortex have been the focus of investigations of decision-making, behavioral flexibility, and social behavior. We review studies conducted in humans, macaques, and rodents and argue that several regions with different functional roles can be identified in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, perigenual anterior cingulate cortex, anterior medial frontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and medial and lateral parts of the orbitofrontal cortex. There is increasing evidence that the manner in which these areas represent the value of the environment and specific choices is different from subcortical brain regions and more complex than previously thought. Although activity in some regions reflects distributions of reward and opportunities across the environment, in other cases, activity reflects the structural relationships between features of the environment that animals can use to infer what decision to take even if they have not encountered identical opportunities in the past.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam C Klein-Flügge
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Level 6, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
| | - Alessandro Bongioanni
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Level 6, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Spatiotemporal dynamics of noradrenaline during learned behaviour. Nature 2022; 606:732-738. [PMID: 35650441 PMCID: PMC9837982 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04782-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Noradrenaline released from the locus coeruleus (LC) is a ubiquitous neuromodulator1-4 that has been linked to multiple functions including arousal5-8, action and sensory gain9-11, and learning12-16. Whether and how activation of noradrenaline-expressing neurons in the LC (LC-NA) facilitates different components of specific behaviours is unknown. Here we show that LC-NA activity displays distinct spatiotemporal dynamics to enable two functions during learned behaviour: facilitating task execution and encoding reinforcement to improve performance accuracy. To examine these functions, we used a behavioural task in mice with graded auditory stimulus detection and task performance. Optogenetic inactivation of the LC demonstrated that LC-NA activity was causal for both task execution and optimization. Targeted recordings of LC-NA neurons using photo-tagging, two-photon micro-endoscopy and two-photon output monitoring showed that transient LC-NA activation preceded behavioural execution and followed reinforcement. These two components of phasic activity were heterogeneously represented in LC-NA cortical outputs, such that the behavioural response signal was higher in the motor cortex and facilitated task execution, whereas the negative reinforcement signal was widely distributed among cortical regions and improved response sensitivity on the subsequent trial. Modular targeting of LC outputs thus enables diverse functions, whereby some noradrenaline signals are segregated among targets, whereas others are broadly distributed.
Collapse
|
50
|
Fontanier V, Sarazin M, Stoll FM, Delord B, Procyk E. Inhibitory control of frontal metastability sets the temporal signature of cognition. eLife 2022; 11:63795. [PMID: 35635439 PMCID: PMC9200403 DOI: 10.7554/elife.63795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortical dynamics are organized over multiple anatomical and temporal scales. The mechanistic origin of the temporal organization and its contribution to cognition remain unknown. Here we demonstrate the cause of this organization by studying a specific temporal signature (time constant and latency) of neural activity. In monkey frontal areas, recorded during flexible decisions, temporal signatures display specific area-dependent ranges, as well as anatomical and cell-type distributions. Moreover, temporal signatures are functionally adapted to behaviorally relevant timescales. Fine-grained biophysical network models, constrained to account for experimentally observed temporal signatures, reveal that after-hyperpolarization potassium and inhibitory GABA-B conductances critically determine areas' specificity. They mechanistically account for temporal signatures by organizing activity into metastable states, with inhibition controlling state stability and transitions. As predicted by models, state durations non-linearly scale with temporal signatures in monkey, matching behavioral timescales. Thus, local inhibitory-controlled metastability constitutes the dynamical core specifying the temporal organization of cognitive functions in frontal areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthieu Sarazin
- Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR) - UMR 7222, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Frederic M Stoll
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Bruno Delord
- Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR) - UMR 7222, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Procyk
- Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute U1208, Inserm, Lyon, France
| |
Collapse
|