1
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Foster M, Dwibhashyam S, Patel D, Gupta K, Matz OC, Billings BK, Bitterman K, Bertelson M, Tang CY, Mars RB, Raghanti MA, Hof PR, Sherwood CC, Manger PR, Spocter MA. Comparative anatomy of the caudate nucleus in canids and felids: Associations with brain size, curvature, cross-sectional properties, and behavioral ecology. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25618. [PMID: 38686628 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25618] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The evolutionary history of canids and felids is marked by a deep time separation that has uniquely shaped their behavior and phenotype toward refined predatory abilities. The caudate nucleus is a subcortical brain structure associated with both motor control and cognitive, emotional, and executive functions. We used a combination of three-dimensional imaging, allometric scaling, and structural analyses to compare the size and shape characteristics of the caudate nucleus. The sample consisted of MRI scan data obtained from six canid species (Canis lupus lupus, Canis latrans, Chrysocyon brachyurus, Lycaon pictus, Vulpes vulpes, Vulpes zerda), two canid subspecies (Canis lupus familiaris, Canis lupus dingo), as well as three felids (Panthera tigris, Panthera uncia, Felis silvestris catus). Results revealed marked conservation in the scaling and shape attributes of the caudate nucleus across species, with only slight deviations. We hypothesize that observed differences in caudate nucleus size and structure for the domestic canids are reflective of enhanced cognitive and emotional pathways that possibly emerged during domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Foster
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Sai Dwibhashyam
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Devan Patel
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Kanika Gupta
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Olivia C Matz
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Brendon K Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Kathleen Bitterman
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Mads Bertelson
- Center for Zoo and Wild Animal Health, Copenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Cheuk Y Tang
- Departments of Radiology and Psychiatry, BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mary Ann Raghanti
- Department of Anthropology and School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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2
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Fan Y, Doi T, Gold JI, Ding L. Neural Representations of Post-Decision Accuracy and Reward Expectation in the Caudate Nucleus and Frontal Eye Field. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0902232023. [PMID: 37963761 PMCID: PMC10860634 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0902-23.2023] [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: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Performance monitoring that supports ongoing behavioral adjustments is often examined in the context of either choice confidence for perceptual decisions (i.e., "did I get it right?") or reward expectation for reward-based decisions (i.e., "what reward will I receive?"). However, our understanding of how the brain encodes these distinct evaluative signals remains limited because they are easily conflated, particularly in commonly used two-alternative tasks with symmetric rewards for correct choices. Previously we used a motion-discrimination task with asymmetric rewards to identify neural substrates of forming reward-biased perceptual decisions in the caudate nucleus (part of the striatum in the basal ganglia) and the frontal eye field (FEF, in prefrontal cortex). Here we leveraged this task design to partially decouple estimates of accuracy and reward expectation and examine their impacts on subsequent decisions and their representations in those two brain areas. We identified distinguishable representations of these two evaluative signals in individual caudate and FEF neurons, with regional differences in their distribution patterns and time courses. We observed that well-trained monkeys (both sexes) used both evaluative signals, infrequently but consistently, to adjust their subsequent decisions. We found further that these behavioral adjustments had reliable relationships with the neural representations of both evaluative signals in caudate, but not FEF. These results suggest that the cortico-striatal decision network may use diverse evaluative signals to monitor and adjust decision-making behaviors, adding to our understanding of the different roles that the FEF and caudate nucleus play in a diversity of decision-related computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunshu Fan
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, Departments of Neuroscience
| | - Takahiro Doi
- Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - Joshua I Gold
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, Departments of Neuroscience
| | - Long Ding
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, Departments of Neuroscience
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3
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Wilhelm RA, Spechler PA, Demuth MJ, Gonzalez M, Kemp C, Walls M, Aupperle RL, Paulus MP, Stewart JL, White EJ. Striatal hypoactivation during monetary loss anticipation in individuals with substance use disorders in a heterogenous urban American Indian sample. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 246:109852. [PMID: 37003108 PMCID: PMC10614574 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that disproportionate exposure to risk factors places American Indian (AI) peoples at higher risk for substance use disorders (SUD). Although SUD is linked to striatal prioritization of drug rewards over other appetitive stimuli, there are gaps in the literature related to the investigation of aversive valuation processing, and inclusion of AI samples. To address these gaps, this study compared striatal anticipatory gain and loss processing between AI-identified with SUD (SUD+; n = 52) and without SUD (SUD-; n = 35) groups from the Tulsa 1000 study who completed a monetary incentive delay (MID) task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results indicated that striatal activations in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), caudate, and putamen were greatest for anticipating gains (ps < 0.001) but showed no group differences. In contrast to gains, the SUD+ exhibited lower NAcc (p = .01, d =0.53) and putamen (p = .04, d =0.40) activation to anticipating large losses than the comparison group. Within SUD+ , lower striatal responses during loss anticipations were associated with slower MID reaction times (NAcc: r = -0.43; putamen: r = -0.35) during loss trials. This is among the first imaging studies to examine underlying neural mechanisms associated with SUD within AIs. Attenuated loss processing provides initial evidence of a potential mechanism wherein blunted prediction of aversive consequences may be a defining feature of SUD that can inform future prevention and intervention targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mara J Demuth
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Miigis Gonzalez
- Center for American Indian Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christopher Kemp
- Center for American Indian Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Melissa Walls
- Center for American Indian Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Robin L Aupperle
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA; Oxley School of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | | | - Jennifer L Stewart
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA; Oxley School of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA
| | - Evan J White
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA; Oxley School of Community Medicine, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA.
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4
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Batchu S. Transcriptomic Deconvolution of Dorsal Striata Reveals Increased Monocyte Fractions in Bipolar Disorder. Complex Psychiatry 2021; 6:83-88. [PMID: 34883498 DOI: 10.1159/000511887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Accumulating evidence suggests a relationship between the immune system, neuroinflammation, and mood disorders such as bipolar disorder (BD). However, the immunological landscape of critical brain structures implicated with BD, such as the dorsal striatum, has yet to be characterized. This study sought to investigate the immunological composition of dorsal striata in patients with BD. Methods CIBERSORTx, an established RNA deconvolution algorithm, was applied on RNA-sequencing data developed from dorsal striata of 18 BD patients and 17 controls. A validated gene signature matrix for 22 human hematopoietic cell subsets was used to infer the relative proportions of immune cells that were present in the original brain tissue. Results Deconvolution of the bulk gene expression data showed that dorsal striata from BD subjects had a significantly greater relative abundance of monocytes compared to control samples. Conclusion Monocytes may play a role in the pathogenesis of BD in dorsal striata. Further studies are warranted to confirm the computational results presented herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Batchu
- Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, New Jersey, USA
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5
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The geometry of neuronal representations during rule learning reveals complementary roles of cingulate cortex and putamen. Neuron 2021; 109:839-851.e9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Marche K, Apicella P. Activity of fast-spiking interneurons in the monkey striatum during reaching movements guided by external cues or by a free choice. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 53:1752-1768. [PMID: 33314343 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Parvalbumin-containing GABAergic interneurons in the striatum, electrophysiologically identified as fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs), exert inhibitory control over striatal output to drive appropriate behavior. While a number of studies have emphasized their importance in motor control, it is unknown how these putative interneurons adapt their functional properties to different modes of movement selection. Here, we tested whether FSIs are sensitive to externally versus internally selected movements by recording their activity while two male rhesus monkeys performed reaching movements to visual targets. Two variants were used: an external condition, in which movements were instructed via external cues, and an internal condition, in which movements were guided by an internal representation of the target location. These conditions allowed to contrast the FSI activity associated with either externally cued or internally driven movement selection. After extensive training, reaching performance was only marginally affected by the type of movement, albeit with some differences between the monkeys. Over two-thirds of the FSIs were modulated around movement onset, regardless of the condition, and consisting mostly of increased activity. We found that a subset of FSIs showed stronger activation related to the initiation of movements in the external condition than in the internal condition, suggesting a dependence on movement selection mode. Moreover, this difference in the strength of FSI activation was predominant in the motor striatum. These data indicate that changes in FSI activity carry information that is scaled by constraints on action selection reflecting the involvement of local striatal inhibitory circuits in adaptation of behavior according to task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Marche
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Paul Apicella
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Marseille, France
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7
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Fan Y, Gold JI, Ding L. Frontal eye field and caudate neurons make different contributions to reward-biased perceptual decisions. eLife 2020; 9:60535. [PMID: 33245044 PMCID: PMC7695458 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Many decisions require trade-offs between sensory evidence and internal preferences. Potential neural substrates include the frontal eye field (FEF) and caudate nucleus, but their distinct roles are not understood. Previously we showed that monkeys’ decisions on a direction-discrimination task with asymmetric rewards reflected a biased accumulate-to-bound decision process (Fan et al., 2018) that was affected by caudate microstimulation (Doi et al., 2020). Here we compared single-neuron activity in FEF and caudate to each other and to accumulate-to-bound model predictions derived from behavior. Task-dependent neural modulations were similar in both regions. However, choice-selective neurons in FEF, but not caudate, encoded behaviorally derived biases in the accumulation process. Baseline activity in both regions was sensitive to reward context, but this sensitivity was not reliably associated with behavioral biases. These results imply distinct contributions of FEF and caudate neurons to reward-biased decision-making and put experimental constraints on the neural implementation of accumulation-to-bound-like computations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunshu Fan
- Department of Neuroscience and Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Joshua I Gold
- Department of Neuroscience and Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Long Ding
- Department of Neuroscience and Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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8
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Monosov IE. How Outcome Uncertainty Mediates Attention, Learning, and Decision-Making. Trends Neurosci 2020; 43:795-809. [PMID: 32736849 PMCID: PMC8153236 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2020.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Animals and humans evolved sophisticated nervous systems that endowed them with the ability to form internal-models or beliefs and make predictions about the future to survive and flourish in a world in which future outcomes are often uncertain. Crucial to this capacity is the ability to adjust behavioral and learning policies in response to the level of uncertainty. Until recently, the neuronal mechanisms that could underlie such uncertainty-guided control have been largely unknown. In this review, I discuss newly discovered neuronal circuits in primates that represent uncertainty about future rewards and propose how they guide information-seeking, attention, decision-making, and learning to help us survive in an uncertain world. Lastly, I discuss the possible relevance of these findings to learning in artificial systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya E Monosov
- Department of Neuroscience and Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, USA; Washington University Pain Center, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, USA.
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9
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Doi T, Fan Y, Gold JI, Ding L. The caudate nucleus contributes causally to decisions that balance reward and uncertain visual information. eLife 2020; 9:56694. [PMID: 32568068 PMCID: PMC7308093 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Our decisions often balance what we observe and what we desire. A prime candidate for implementing this complex balancing act is the basal ganglia pathway, but its roles have not yet been examined experimentally in detail. Here, we show that a major input station of the basal ganglia, the caudate nucleus, plays a causal role in integrating uncertain visual evidence and reward context to guide adaptive decision-making. In monkeys making saccadic decisions based on motion cues and asymmetric reward-choice associations, single caudate neurons encoded both sources of information. Electrical microstimulation at caudate sites during motion viewing affected the monkeys’ decisions. These microstimulation effects included coordinated changes in multiple computational components of the decision process that mimicked the monkeys’ similarly coordinated voluntary strategies for balancing visual and reward information. These results imply that the caudate nucleus plays causal roles in coordinating decision processes that balance external evidence and internal preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Doi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Yunshu Fan
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Joshua I Gold
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Long Ding
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.,Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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10
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Bick SK, Patel SR, Katnani HA, Peled N, Widge A, Cash SS, Eskandar EN. Caudate stimulation enhances learning. Brain 2020; 142:2930-2937. [PMID: 31504220 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulation is a promising treatment modality for disorders of learning and memory, offering the possibility of precise alteration of disordered neural circuits. Studies to date have failed to identify an optimal target and stimulation paradigm. Six epilepsy patients with depth electrodes implanted for seizure localization participated in our study. We recorded local field potentials from implanted electrodes while subjects participated in an associative learning task requiring them to learn an association between presented images and a button press. Three subjects participated in stimulation sessions during which caudate or putamen stimulation was delivered for some images during feedback after correct responses. Caudate stimulation enhanced learning. Both caudate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex demonstrated a beta power increase during the feedback period of the learning task that was greater following correct than incorrect trials. In dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, this difference increased with learning and persisted beyond the end of the feedback period. Caudate stimulation was associated with increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex beta power following feedback. These findings suggest that temporally specific caudate stimulation is a promising neuromodulation strategy to improve learning in disorders of learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Bick
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shaun R Patel
- McCance Center for Brain Health, Genetics and Aging Research Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Husam A Katnani
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Noam Peled
- Department of Radiology, MBGH/HST Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alik Widge
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sydney S Cash
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Neurology, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emad N Eskandar
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Bronx, NY, USA
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11
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Abstract
Humans and other animals often show a strong desire to know the uncertain rewards their future has in store, even when they cannot use this information to influence the outcome. However, it is unknown how the brain predicts opportunities to gain information and motivates this information-seeking behavior. Here we show that neurons in a network of interconnected subregions of primate anterior cingulate cortex and basal ganglia predict the moment of gaining information about uncertain rewards. Spontaneous increases in their information prediction signals are followed by gaze shifts toward objects associated with resolving uncertainty, and pharmacologically disrupting this network reduces the motivation to seek information. These findings demonstrate a cortico-basal ganglia mechanism responsible for motivating actions to resolve uncertainty by seeking knowledge about the future. Animals resolve uncertainty by seeking knowledge about the future. How the brain controls this is unclear. The authors show that a network including primate anterior cingulate cortex and basal ganglia encodes opportunities to gain information about uncertain rewards and mediates information seeking.
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12
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Le TM, Zhang S, Zhornitsky S, Wang W, Li CSR. Neural correlates of reward-directed action and inhibition of action. Cortex 2019; 123:42-56. [PMID: 31747630 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Human and non-human primate studies have examined neural responses to action and inhibition of action. However, it remains unclear whether the cerebral processes supporting these two distinct responses are differentially modulated by reward. In a sample of 35 healthy human adults, we examined brain activations to action and inhibition of action in a reward go/no-go task, with approximately ⅔ go and ⅓ no-go trials. Correct go and no-go trials were rewarded with $1 or ¢5 in reward sessions. Behaviorally, reward facilitated go and impeded no-go. A conjunction analysis showed shared activation to rewarded go and no-go responses in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and inferior parietal cortex. A whole-brain two-way ANOVA of response (go vs no-go) and reward (dollar vs nickel) revealed a significant main effect of response, with greater activity for no-go vs go success in the middle frontal cortex and the reversed pattern in the dorsal ACC, insula, thalamus, and caudate. The thalamus and caudate also responded preferentially to dollar relative to nickel reward during go trials. The main effect of reward (dollar > nickel) involved not only regions associated with reward valuation (e.g., medial orbitofrontal cortex - mOFC) but also those implicated in motor control, saliency, and visual attention including the rACC, ventral striatum, insula, and occipital cortex. Finally, the mOFC distinguished go and no-go responses in the dollar but not nickel trials, suggesting a functional bias toward response execution that leads to larger rewards. Together, these findings identified both shared and non-overlapping neural processes underlying goal-directed action and inhibition of action as well as delineated the effects of reward magnitude on such processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thang M Le
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Sheng Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Simon Zhornitsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Wuyi Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Chiang-Shan R Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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13
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Rosen ML, Stern CE, Devaney KJ, Somers DC. Cortical and Subcortical Contributions to Long-Term Memory-Guided Visuospatial Attention. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:2935-2947. [PMID: 28968648 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term memory (LTM) helps to efficiently direct and deploy the scarce resources of the attentional system; however, the neural substrates that support LTM-guidance of visual attention are not well understood. Here, we present results from fMRI experiments that demonstrate that cortical and subcortical regions of a network defined by resting-state functional connectivity are selectively recruited for LTM-guided attention, relative to a similarly demanding stimulus-guided attention paradigm that lacks memory retrieval and relative to a memory retrieval paradigm that lacks covert deployment of attention. Memory-guided visuospatial attention recruited posterior callosal sulcus, posterior precuneus, and lateral intraparietal sulcus bilaterally. Additionally, 3 subcortical regions defined by intrinsic functional connectivity were recruited: the caudate head, mediodorsal thalamus, and cerebellar lobule VI/Crus I. Although the broad resting-state network to which these nodes belong has been referred to as a cognitive control network, the posterior cortical regions activated in the present study are not typically identified with supporting standard cognitive control tasks. We propose that these regions form a Memory-Attention Network that is recruited for processes that integrate mnemonic and stimulus-based representations to guide attention. These findings may have important implications for understanding the mechanisms by which memory retrieval influences attentional deployment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya L Rosen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Room 149C, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Washington, 119A Guthrie Hall, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Chantal E Stern
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Room 149C, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Memory and Brain, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Ave, 7th Floor, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn J Devaney
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Room 149C, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David C Somers
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Room 149C, Boston, MA, USA.,Center for Memory and Brain, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Ave, 7th Floor, Boston, MA, USA
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14
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O'Neill M, Schultz W. Predictive coding of the statistical parameters of uncertain rewards by orbitofrontal neurons. Behav Brain Res 2018; 355:90-94. [PMID: 29709608 PMCID: PMC6152578 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.04.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Uncertain reward outcomes are characterised by statistical parameters that capture the numerical values of the underlying probability distributions of reward values, including the expected value, risk (variance) and probability. Here we show coding of an integrated expected value signal by single orbitofrontal neurons in response to visual cues predicting uncertain rewards. Separate subpopulations of orbitofrontal neurons predominantly code the prediction of one statistical parameter with few neurons showing combined coding. These signals are likely combined with subjective value signals to inform learning and decision making under conditions of uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin O'Neill
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK.
| | - Wolfram Schultz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK.
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15
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Pacifico R, Davis RL. Transcriptome sequencing implicates dorsal striatum-specific gene network, immune response and energy metabolism pathways in bipolar disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2017; 22:441-449. [PMID: 27350034 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.94] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a highly heritable and heterogeneous mental illness whose manifestations often include impulsive and risk-taking behavior. This particular phenotype suggests that abnormal striatal function could be involved in BD etiology, yet most transcriptomic studies of this disorder have concentrated on cortical brain regions. We believe we report the first transcriptome sequencing of the postmortem human dorsal striatum comparing bipolar (18) and control (17) subjects. Fourteen genes were detected as differentially expressed at a 5% false discovery rate, including a few immune response genes such as NLRC5, S100A12, LILRA4 and FCGBP, as well as an assortment of non-protein coding genes. Functional pathway analysis found an enrichment of upregulated genes across many immune/inflammation pathways and an enrichment of downregulated genes among oxidative phosphorylation pathways. Co-expression network analysis revealed 20 modules of highly interconnected genes; two of the modules were significantly enriched for BD susceptibility single-nucleotide polymorphisms deriving from a large genome-wide association study data set. Remarkably, the module with the highest genetic association signal for BD, which contained many genes from signaling pathways, was also enriched in markers characteristic of gene expression in dorsal striatum medium spiny neurons-unlike most other modules, which showed no such regional and neuronal specificity. These findings draw a link between BD etiology at the gene level and a specific brain region, and highlight striatal signaling pathways as potential targets for the development of novel treatments to manage BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Pacifico
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - R L Davis
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute Florida, Jupiter, FL, USA
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16
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Abstract
In this review, we summarize findings supporting the existence of multiple behavioral strategies for controlling reward-related behavior, including a dichotomy between the goal-directed or model-based system and the habitual or model-free system in the domain of instrumental conditioning and a similar dichotomy in the realm of Pavlovian conditioning. We evaluate evidence from neuroscience supporting the existence of at least partly distinct neuronal substrates contributing to the key computations necessary for the function of these different control systems. We consider the nature of the interactions between these systems and show how these interactions can lead to either adaptive or maladaptive behavioral outcomes. We then review evidence that an additional system guides inference concerning the hidden states of other agents, such as their beliefs, preferences, and intentions, in a social context. We also describe emerging evidence for an arbitration mechanism between model-based and model-free reinforcement learning, placing such a mechanism within the broader context of the hierarchical control of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P O'Doherty
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125;
| | - Jeffrey Cockburn
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125;
| | - Wolfgang M Pauli
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125;
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17
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Schechtman E, Noblejas MI, Mizrahi AD, Dauber O, Bergman H. Pallidal spiking activity reflects learning dynamics and predicts performance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E6281-E6289. [PMID: 27671661 PMCID: PMC5068334 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1612392113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The basal ganglia (BG) network has been divided into interacting actor and critic components, modulating the probabilities of different state-action combinations through learning. Most models of learning and decision making in the BG focus on the roles of the striatum and its dopaminergic inputs, commonly overlooking the complexities and interactions of BG downstream nuclei. In this study, we aimed to reveal the learning-related activity of the external segment of the globus pallidus (GPe), a downstream structure whose computational role has remained relatively unexplored. Recording from monkeys engaged in a deterministic three-choice reversal learning task, we found that changes in GPe discharge rates predicted subsequent behavioral shifts on a trial-by-trial basis. Furthermore, the activity following the shift encoded whether it resulted in reward or not. The frequent changes in stimulus-outcome contingencies (i.e., reversals) allowed us to examine the learning-related neural activity and show that GPe discharge rates closely matched across-trial learning dynamics. Additionally, firing rates exhibited a linear decrease in sequences of correct responses, possibly reflecting a gradual shift from goal-directed execution to automaticity. Thus, modulations in GPe spiking activity are highest for attention-demanding aspects of behavior (i.e., switching choices) and decrease as attentional demands decline (i.e., as performance becomes automatic). These findings are contrasted with results from striatal tonically active neurons, which show none of these task-related modulations. Our results demonstrate that GPe, commonly studied in motor contexts, takes part in cognitive functions, in which movement plays a marginal role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eitan Schechtman
- Edmond and Lily Safra Centre for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Safra Campus, Jerusalem, Israel 9190401;
| | - Maria Imelda Noblejas
- Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research-Israel Canada, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel 9112001
| | - Aviv D Mizrahi
- Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research-Israel Canada, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel 9112001
| | - Omer Dauber
- Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research-Israel Canada, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel 9112001
| | - Hagai Bergman
- Edmond and Lily Safra Centre for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Safra Campus, Jerusalem, Israel 9190401; Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Medical Research-Israel Canada, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel 9112001
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18
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White JK, Monosov IE. Neurons in the primate dorsal striatum signal the uncertainty of object-reward associations. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12735. [PMID: 27623750 PMCID: PMC5027277 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
To learn, obtain reward and survive, humans and other animals must monitor, approach and act on objects that are associated with variable or unknown rewards. However, the neuronal mechanisms that mediate behaviours aimed at uncertain objects are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that a set of neurons in an internal-capsule bordering regions of the primate dorsal striatum, within the putamen and caudate nucleus, signal the uncertainty of object–reward associations. Their uncertainty responses depend on the presence of objects associated with reward uncertainty and evolve rapidly as monkeys learn novel object–reward associations. Therefore, beyond its established role in mediating actions aimed at known or certain rewards, the dorsal striatum also participates in behaviours aimed at reward-uncertain objects. The dorsal striatum (DS) is a brain region that is thought to aim actions at certain or known rewards. Here, the authors show that an internal-capsule bordering region of the primate DS signals the uncertainty of object-reward associations, suggesting a novel role for the DS in behavior under uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Kael White
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Ilya E Monosov
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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19
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Meier ML, Stämpfli P, Vrana A, Humphreys BK, Seifritz E, Hotz-Boendermaker S. Neural Correlates of Fear of Movement in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain vs. Pain-Free Individuals. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:386. [PMID: 27507941 PMCID: PMC4960248 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear of movement (FOM) can be acquired by a direct aversive experience such as pain or by social learning through observation and instruction. Excessive FOM results in heightened disability and is an obstacle for recovery from acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain (cLBP). FOM has further been identified as a significant explanatory factor in the Fear Avoidance (FA) model of cLBP that describes how individuals experiencing acute back pain may become trapped into a vicious circle of chronic disability and suffering. Despite a wealth of evidence emphasizing the importance of FOM in cLBP, to date, no related neural correlates in patients were found and this therefore has initiated a debate about the precise contribution of fear in the FA model. In the current fMRI study, we applied a novel approach encompassing: (1) video clips of potentially harmful activities for the back as FOM inducing stimuli; and (2) the assessment of FOM in both, cLBP patients (N = 20) and age- and gender-matched pain-free subjects (N = 20). Derived from the FA model, we hypothesized that FOM differentially affects brain regions involved in fear processing in patients with cLBP compared to pain-free individuals due to the recurrent pain and subsequent avoidance behavior. The results of the whole brain voxel-wise regression analysis revealed that: (1) FOM positively correlated with brain activity in fear-related brain regions such as the amygdala and the insula; and (2) differential effects of FOM between patients with cLBP and pain-free subjects were found in the extended amygdala and in its connectivity to the anterior insula. Current findings support the FOM component of the FA model in cLBP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Meier
- Interdisciplinary Spinal Pain Research (ISR), Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University HospitalZurich, Switzerland; Center of Dental Medicine, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Stämpfli
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Hospital of Psychiatry, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland; MR-Center of the Psychiatric Hospital and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of ZurichZurich, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Vrana
- Interdisciplinary Spinal Pain Research (ISR), Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Barry K Humphreys
- Interdisciplinary Spinal Pain Research (ISR), Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabina Hotz-Boendermaker
- Interdisciplinary Spinal Pain Research (ISR), Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
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20
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Macoveanu J, Fisher PM, Madsen MK, Mc Mahon B, Knudsen GM, Siebner HR. Bright-light intervention induces a dose-dependent increase in striatal response to risk in healthy volunteers. Neuroimage 2016; 139:37-43. [PMID: 27318214 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2016] [Revised: 06/13/2016] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Bright-light interventions have successfully been used to reduce depression symptoms in patients with seasonal affective disorder, a depressive disorder most frequently occurring during seasons with reduced daylight availability. Yet, little is known about how light exposure impacts human brain function, for instance on risk taking, a process affected in depressive disorders. Here we examined the modulatory effects of bright-light exposure on brain activity during a risk-taking task. Thirty-two healthy male volunteers living in the greater Copenhagen area received 3weeks of bright-light intervention during the winter season. Adopting a double-blinded dose-response design, bright-light was applied for 30minutes continuously every morning. The individual dose varied between 100 and 11.000lx. Whole-brain functional MRI was performed before and after bright-light intervention to probe how the intervention modifies risk-taking related neural activity during a two-choice gambling task. We also assessed whether inter-individual differences in the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) genotype influenced the effects of bright-light intervention on risk processing. Bright-light intervention led to a dose-dependent increase in risk-taking in the LA/LA group relative to the non-LA/LA group. Further, bright-light intervention enhanced risk-related activity in ventral striatum and head of caudate nucleus in proportion with the individual bright-light dose. The augmentation effect of light exposure on striatal risk processing was not influenced by the 5-HTTLPR-genotype. This study provides novel evidence that in healthy non-depressive individuals bright-light intervention increases striatal processing to risk in a dose-dependent fashion. The findings provide converging evidence that risk processing is sensitive to bright-light exposure during winter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Macoveanu
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark; Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Patrick M Fisher
- Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin K Madsen
- Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Brenda Mc Mahon
- Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gitte M Knudsen
- Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hartwig R Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark
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21
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Simons LE, Erpelding N, Hernandez JM, Serrano P, Zhang K, Lebel AA, Sethna NF, Berde CB, Prabhu SP, Becerra L, Borsook D. Fear and Reward Circuit Alterations in Pediatric CRPS. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 9:703. [PMID: 26834606 PMCID: PMC4717323 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In chronic pain, a number of brain regions involved in emotion (e.g., amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, insula, anterior cingulate, and prefrontal cortex) show significant functional and morphometric changes. One phenotypic manifestation of these changes is pain-related fear (PRF). PRF is associated with profoundly altered behavioral adaptations to chronic pain. For example, patients with a neuropathic pain condition known as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) often avoid use of and may even neglect the affected body area(s), thus maintaining and likely enhancing PRF. These changes form part of an overall maladaptation to chronic pain. To examine fear-related brain circuit alterations in humans, 20 pediatric patients with CRPS and 20 sex- and age-matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in response to a well-established fearful faces paradigm. Despite no significant differences on self-reported emotional valence and arousal between the two groups, CRPS patients displayed a diminished response to fearful faces in regions associated with emotional processing compared to healthy controls. Additionally, increased PRF levels were associated with decreased activity in a number of brain regions including the right amygdala, insula, putamen, and caudate. Blunted activation in patients suggests that (a) individuals with chronic pain may have deficits in cognitive-affective brain circuits that may represent an underlying vulnerability or consequence to the chronic pain state; and (b) fear of pain may contribute and/or maintain these brain alterations. Our results shed new light on altered affective circuits in patients with chronic pain and identify PRF as a potentially important treatment target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Simons
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; PAIN Research Group, Boston Children's Hospital, WalthamMA, USA; Harvard Medical School, BostonMA, USA
| | - Nathalie Erpelding
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; PAIN Research Group, Boston Children's Hospital, WalthamMA, USA
| | - Jessica M Hernandez
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, USA
| | - Paul Serrano
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; PAIN Research Group, Boston Children's Hospital, WalthamMA, USA
| | - Kunyu Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, USA
| | - Alyssa A Lebel
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; PAIN Research Group, Boston Children's Hospital, WalthamMA, USA; Harvard Medical School, BostonMA, USA
| | - Navil F Sethna
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; Harvard Medical School, BostonMA, USA
| | - Charles B Berde
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; Harvard Medical School, BostonMA, USA
| | - Sanjay P Prabhu
- Harvard Medical School, BostonMA, USA; Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA
| | - Lino Becerra
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; PAIN Research Group, Boston Children's Hospital, WalthamMA, USA; Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA
| | - David Borsook
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA; PAIN Research Group, Boston Children's Hospital, WalthamMA, USA; Harvard Medical School, BostonMA, USA; Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, BostonMA, USA
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22
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Habit Learning by Naive Macaques Is Marked by Response Sharpening of Striatal Neurons Representing the Cost and Outcome of Acquired Action Sequences. Neuron 2015; 87:853-68. [PMID: 26291166 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Revised: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Over a century of scientific work has focused on defining the factors motivating behavioral learning. Observations in animals and humans trained on a wide range of tasks support reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms as accounting for the learning. Still unknown, however, are the signals that drive learning in naive, untrained subjects. Here, we capitalized on a sequential saccade task in which macaque monkeys acquired repetitive scanning sequences without instruction. We found that spike activity in the caudate nucleus after each trial corresponded to an integrated cost-benefit signal that was highly correlated with the degree of naturalistic untutored learning by the monkeys. Across learning, neurons encoding both cost and outcome gradually acquired increasingly sharp phasic trial-end responses that paralleled the development of the habit-like, repetitive saccade sequences. Our findings demonstrate an integrated cost-benefit signal by which RL and its neural correlates could drive naturalistic behaviors in freely behaving primates.
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23
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Colder B. The basal ganglia select the expected sensory input used for predictive coding. Front Comput Neurosci 2015; 9:119. [PMID: 26441627 PMCID: PMC4585144 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2015.00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2014] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While considerable evidence supports the notion that lower-level interpretation of incoming sensory information is guided by top-down sensory expectations, less is known about the source of the sensory expectations or the mechanisms by which they are spread. Predictive coding theory proposes that sensory expectations flow down from higher-level association areas to lower-level sensory cortex. A separate theory of the role of prediction in cognition describes "emulations" as linked representations of potential actions and their associated expected sensation that are hypothesized to play an important role in many aspects of cognition. The expected sensations in active emulations are proposed to be the top-down expectation used in predictive coding. Representations of the potential action and expected sensation in emulations are claimed to be instantiated in distributed cortical networks. Combining predictive coding with emulations thus provides a theoretical link between the top-down expectations that guide sensory expectations and the cortical networks representing potential actions. Now moving to theories of action selection, the basal ganglia has long been proposed to select between potential actions by reducing inhibition to the cortical network instantiating the desired action plan. Integration of these isolated theories leads to the novel hypothesis that reduction in inhibition from the basal ganglia selects not just action plans, but entire emulations, including the sensory input expected to result from the action. Basal ganglia disinhibition is hypothesized to both initiate an action and also allow propagation of the action's associated sensory expectation down towards primary sensory cortex. This is a novel proposal for the role of the basal ganglia in biasing perception by selecting the expected sensation, and initiating the top-down transmission of those expectations in predictive coding.
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24
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Abstract
After more than a century of work concentrating on the motor functions of the basal ganglia, new ideas have emerged, suggesting that the basal ganglia also have major functions in relation to learning habits and acquiring motor skills. We review the evidence supporting the role of the striatum in optimizing behavior by refining action selection and in shaping habits and skills as a modulator of motor repertoires. These findings challenge the notion that striatal learning processes are limited to the motor domain. The learning mechanisms supported by striatal circuitry generalize to other domains, including cognitive skills and emotion-related patterns of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Graybiel
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 20139 Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 20139
| | - Scott T Grafton
- Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660 Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9660
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25
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O'Neill M, Schultz W. Economic risk coding by single neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex. JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, PARIS 2015; 109:70-7. [PMID: 24954027 PMCID: PMC4451954 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2014.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [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: 03/11/2014] [Revised: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Risk is a ubiquitous feature of the environment for all organisms. Very few things in life are achieved with absolute certainty. Therefore, it is essential that organisms process risky information efficiently to promote adaptive behaviour and enhance survival. Here we outline a clear definition of economic risk derived from economic theory and focus on two experiments in which we have shown subpopulations of single neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex of rhesus macaques that code either economic risk per se or an error-related risk signal, namely a risk prediction error. These biological risk signals are essential for processing and updating risky information in the environment to contribute to efficient decision making and adaptive behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin O'Neill
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
| | - Wolfram Schultz
- Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
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26
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Douet V, Chang L. Fornix as an imaging marker for episodic memory deficits in healthy aging and in various neurological disorders. Front Aging Neurosci 2015; 6:343. [PMID: 25642186 PMCID: PMC4294158 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The fornix is a part of the limbic system and constitutes the major efferent and afferent white matter tracts from the hippocampi. The underdevelopment of or injuries to the fornix are strongly associated with memory deficits. Its role in memory impairments was suggested long ago with cases of surgical forniceal transections. However, recent advances in brain imaging techniques, such as diffusion tensor imaging, have revealed that macrostructural and microstructural abnormalities of the fornix correlated highly with declarative and episodic memory performance. This structure appears to provide a robust and early imaging predictor for memory deficits not only in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, but also in schizophrenia and psychiatric disorders, and during neurodevelopment and “typical” aging. The objective of the manuscript is to present a systematic review regarding published brain imaging research on the fornix, including the development of its tracts, its role in various neurological diseases, and its relationship to neurocognitive performance in human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Douet
- Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Linda Chang
- Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii Honolulu, HI, USA
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27
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Aso Y, Sitaraman D, Ichinose T, Kaun KR, Vogt K, Belliart-Guérin G, Plaçais PY, Robie AA, Yamagata N, Schnaitmann C, Rowell WJ, Johnston RM, Ngo TTB, Chen N, Korff W, Nitabach MN, Heberlein U, Preat T, Branson KM, Tanimoto H, Rubin GM. Mushroom body output neurons encode valence and guide memory-based action selection in Drosophila. eLife 2014; 3:e04580. [PMID: 25535794 PMCID: PMC4273436 DOI: 10.7554/elife.04580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 409] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals discriminate stimuli, learn their predictive value and use this knowledge to modify their behavior. In Drosophila, the mushroom body (MB) plays a key role in these processes. Sensory stimuli are sparsely represented by ∼2000 Kenyon cells, which converge onto 34 output neurons (MBONs) of 21 types. We studied the role of MBONs in several associative learning tasks and in sleep regulation, revealing the extent to which information flow is segregated into distinct channels and suggesting possible roles for the multi-layered MBON network. We also show that optogenetic activation of MBONs can, depending on cell type, induce repulsion or attraction in flies. The behavioral effects of MBON perturbation are combinatorial, suggesting that the MBON ensemble collectively represents valence. We propose that local, stimulus-specific dopaminergic modulation selectively alters the balance within the MBON network for those stimuli. Our results suggest that valence encoded by the MBON ensemble biases memory-based action selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshinori Aso
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Divya Sitaraman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Toshiharu Ichinose
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Karla R Kaun
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Katrin Vogt
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Ghislain Belliart-Guérin
- Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ESPCI, Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Yves Plaçais
- Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ESPCI, Paris, France
| | - Alice A Robie
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Nobuhiro Yamagata
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | | | - William J Rowell
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Rebecca M Johnston
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Teri-T B Ngo
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Nan Chen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Wyatt Korff
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Michael N Nitabach
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Ulrike Heberlein
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Thomas Preat
- Genes and Dynamics of Memory Systems, Brain Plasticity Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, ESPCI, Paris, France
| | - Kristin M Branson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Hiromu Tanimoto
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
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Yanike M, Ferrera VP. Interpretive monitoring in the caudate nucleus. eLife 2014; 3. [PMID: 25415238 PMCID: PMC4238052 DOI: 10.7554/elife.03727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In a dynamic environment an organism has to constantly adjust ongoing behavior to adapt to a given context. This process requires continuous monitoring of ongoing behavior to provide its meaningful interpretation. The caudate nucleus is known to have a role in behavioral monitoring, but the nature of these signals during dynamic behavior is still unclear. We recorded neuronal activity in the caudate nucleus in monkeys during categorization behavior that changed rapidly across contexts. We found that neuronal activity maintained representation of the identity and context of a recently categorized stimulus, as well as interpreted the behavioral meaningfulness of the maintained trace. The accuracy of this cognitive monitoring signal was highest for behavior for which subjects were prone to make errors. Thus, the caudate nucleus provides interpretive monitoring of ongoing behavior, which is necessary for contextually specific decisions to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03727.001 The ability to adapt behavior in a changing environment is a hallmark of intelligent systems. From adjusting our driving speed to match road conditions to responding to a last-minute change of plans, mental flexibility underpins much of our day-to-day functioning. To perform optimally, an animal must continuously monitor its own behavior and adjust it according to circumstances. A region of the brain called the caudate nucleus is thought to contribute to this process by keeping track of the relation between an action and its outcomes, but it is not clear how it monitors cognitive aspects of ongoing behavior. Yanike and Ferrera have clarified this process by recording electrical activity from the caudate nucleus in two monkeys as they categorized visual stimuli. The monkeys viewed a moving stimulus and classified it as ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ relative to a reference speed that varied from trial to trial. The monkeys were trained to use two different references speeds and were told which reference speed to use at the start of each trial. They used an eye movement to indicate their decision. Most neurons within the caudate nucleus responded after the monkey had made a decision, suggesting that these neurons might be involved in evaluating the decision that had just been made. The response of the neurons depended on the stimulus speed, and also on the category (fast or slow) in which the stimulus belonged. This observation indicates that the caudate nucleus tracked the context (reference speed) as well as the stimulus speed. Yanike and Ferrera also showed that the response of the entire population of caudate neurons could be decoded to reveal both the speed of the stimulus and whether the monkey had categorized it as fast or slow. This shows that after a decision has been made, neurons continue to signal both the stimulus and the context in which that stimulus was presented. Such ‘post-decision’ monitoring is important for anticipating the outcome of the decision. Overall the results suggest that the caudate nucleus helps animals to adapt their behavior to rapidly changing circumstances by supporting decision-making that takes context into account. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03727.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Yanike
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Vincent P Ferrera
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, United States
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