1
|
Hwang H, Jin SW, Lee I. Differential functions of the dorsal and intermediate regions of the hippocampus for optimal goal-directed navigation in VR space. eLife 2024; 13:RP97114. [PMID: 39012807 PMCID: PMC11251721 DOI: 10.7554/elife.97114] [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: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Goal-directed navigation requires the hippocampus to process spatial information in a value-dependent manner, but its underlying mechanism needs to be better understood. Here, we investigated whether the dorsal (dHP) and intermediate (iHP) regions of the hippocampus differentially function in processing place and its associated value information. Rats were trained in a place-preference task involving reward zones with different values in a visually rich virtual reality environment where two-dimensional navigation was possible. Rats learned to use distal visual scenes effectively to navigate to the reward zone associated with a higher reward. Inactivation of both dHP and iHP with muscimol altered the efficiency and precision of wayfinding behavior, but iHP inactivation induced more severe damage, including impaired place preference. Our findings suggest that the iHP is more critical for value-dependent navigation toward higher-value goal locations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyeri Hwang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Seung-Woo Jin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of WashingtonSeattleUnited States
| | - Inah Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu X, Lu T, Chen X, Huang S, Zheng W, Zhang W, Meng S, Yan W, Shi L, Bao Y, Xue Y, Shi J, Yuan K, Han Y, Lu L. Memory consolidation drives the enhancement of remote cocaine memory via prefrontal circuit. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:730-741. [PMID: 38221548 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02364-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Remote memory usually decreases over time, whereas remote drug-cue associated memory exhibits enhancement, increasing the risk of relapse during abstinence. Memory system consolidation is a prerequisite for remote memory formation, but neurobiological underpinnings of the role of consolidation in the enhancement of remote drug memory are unclear. Here, we found that remote cocaine-cue associated memory was enhanced in rats that underwent self-administration training, together with a progressive increase in the response of prelimbic cortex (PrL) CaMKII neurons to cues. System consolidation was required for the enhancement of remote cocaine memory through PrL CaMKII neurons during the early period post-training. Furthermore, dendritic spine maturation in the PrL relied on the basolateral amygdala (BLA) input during the early period of consolidation, contributing to remote memory enhancement. These findings indicate that memory consolidation drives the enhancement of remote cocaine memory through a time-dependent increase in activity and maturation of PrL CaMKII neurons receiving a sustained BLA input.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxing Liu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Tangsheng Lu
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Xuan Chen
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), 100191, Beijing, China
- Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, 453003, China
| | - Shihao Huang
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zheng
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Shiqiu Meng
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Yan
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Le Shi
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Yanping Bao
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Yanxue Xue
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China.
| | - Jie Shi
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Yuan
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Han
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China.
| | - Lin Lu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), 100191, Beijing, China.
- National Institute on Drug Dependence and Beijing Key Laboratory of Drug Dependence Research, Peking University, 100191, Beijing, China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China.
- Research Unit of Diagnosis and Treatment of Mood Cognitive Disorder, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (No. 2018RU006), Dongcheng, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Aguirre CG, Woo JH, Romero-Sosa JL, Rivera ZM, Tejada AN, Munier JJ, Perez J, Goldfarb M, Das K, Gomez M, Ye T, Pannu J, Evans K, O'Neill PR, Spigelman I, Soltani A, Izquierdo A. Dissociable Contributions of Basolateral Amygdala and Ventrolateral Orbitofrontal Cortex to Flexible Learning Under Uncertainty. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0622232023. [PMID: 37968116 PMCID: PMC10860573 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0622-23.2023] [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: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Reversal learning measures the ability to form flexible associations between choice outcomes with stimuli and actions that precede them. This type of learning is thought to rely on several cortical and subcortical areas, including the highly interconnected orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA), and is often impaired in various neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders. However, the unique contributions of these regions to stimulus- and action-based reversal learning have not been systematically compared using a chemogenetic approach particularly before and after the first reversal that introduces new uncertainty. Here, we examined the roles of ventrolateral OFC (vlOFC) and BLA during reversal learning. Male and female rats were prepared with inhibitory designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs targeting projection neurons in these regions and tested on a series of deterministic and probabilistic reversals during which they learned about stimulus identity or side (left or right) associated with different reward probabilities. Using a counterbalanced within-subject design, we inhibited these regions prior to reversal sessions. We assessed initial and pre-/post-reversal changes in performance to measure learning and adjustments to reversals, respectively. We found that inhibition of the ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex (vlOFC), but not BLA, eliminated adjustments to stimulus-based reversals. Inhibition of BLA, but not vlOFC, selectively impaired action-based probabilistic reversal learning, leaving deterministic reversal learning intact. vlOFC exhibited a sex-dependent role in early adjustment to action-based reversals, but not in overall learning. These results reveal dissociable roles for BLA and vlOFC in flexible learning and highlight a more crucial role for BLA in learning meaningful changes in the reward environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C G Aguirre
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J H Woo
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - J L Romero-Sosa
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Z M Rivera
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - A N Tejada
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J J Munier
- Section of Biosystems and Function, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J Perez
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - M Goldfarb
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - K Das
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - M Gomez
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - T Ye
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - J Pannu
- Section of Biosystems and Function, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - K Evans
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - P R O'Neill
- Shirley and Stefan Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - I Spigelman
- Section of Biosystems and Function, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - A Soltani
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - A Izquierdo
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ottenheimer DJ, Vitale KR, Ambroggi F, Janak PH, Saunders BT. Basolateral amygdala population coding of a cued reward seeking state depends on orbitofrontal cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.31.573789. [PMID: 38260546 PMCID: PMC10802313 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.31.573789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Basolateral amygdala (BLA) neuronal responses to conditioned stimuli are closely linked to the expression of conditioned behavior. An area of increasing interest is how the dynamics of BLA neurons relate to evolving behavior. Here, we recorded the activity of individual BLA neurons across the acquisition and extinction of conditioned reward seeking and employed population-level analyses to assess ongoing neural dynamics. We found that, with training, sustained cue-evoked activity emerged that discriminated between the CS+ and CS- and correlated with conditioned responding. This sustained population activity continued until reward receipt and rapidly extinguished along with conditioned behavior during extinction. To assess the contribution of orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a major reciprocal partner to BLA, to this component of BLA neural activity, we inactivated OFC while recording in BLA and found blunted sustained cue-evoked activity in BLA that accompanied reduced reward seeking. Optogenetic disruption of BLA activity and OFC terminals in BLA also reduced reward seeking. Our data suggest that sustained cue-driven activity in BLA, which in part depends on OFC input, underlies conditioned reward-seeking states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David J Ottenheimer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, University of Washington
| | | | - Frederic Ambroggi
- Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix-Marseilles Universite, CNRS, INT
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University
| | - Benjamin T Saunders
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
He Y, Huang YH, Schlüter OM, Dong Y. Cue- versus reward-encoding basolateral amygdala projections to nucleus accumbens. eLife 2023; 12:e89766. [PMID: 37963179 PMCID: PMC10645419 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89766] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In substance use disorders, drug use as unconditioned stimulus (US) reinforces drug taking. Meanwhile, drug-associated cues (conditioned stimulus [CS]) also gain incentive salience to promote drug seeking. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is implicated in both US- and CS-mediated responses. Here, we show that two genetically distinct BLA neuronal types, expressing Rspo2 versus Ppp1r1b, respectively, project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and form monosynaptic connections with both dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-expressing neurons. While intra-NAc stimulation of Rspo2 or Ppp1r1b presynaptic terminals establishes intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS), only Ppp1r1b-stimulated mice exhibit cue-induced ICSS seeking. Furthermore, increasing versus decreasing the Ppp1r1b-to-NAc, but not Rspo2-to-NAc, subprojection increases versus decreases cue-induced cocaine seeking after cocaine withdrawal. Thus, while both BLA-to-NAc subprojections contribute to US-mediated responses, the Ppp1r1b subprojection selectively encodes CS-mediated reward and drug reinforcement. Such differential circuit representations may provide insights into precise understanding and manipulation of drug- versus cue-induced drug seeking and relapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi He
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Yanhua H Huang
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Oliver M Schlüter
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Yan Dong
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Departments of Psychiatry, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Aguirre CG, Woo JH, Romero-Sosa JL, Rivera ZM, Tejada AN, Munier JJ, Perez J, Goldfarb M, Das K, Gomez M, Ye T, Pannu J, Evans K, O'Neill PR, Spigelman I, Soltani A, Izquierdo A. Dissociable contributions of basolateral amygdala and ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex to flexible learning under uncertainty. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.03.535471. [PMID: 37066321 PMCID: PMC10104064 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.03.535471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Reversal learning measures the ability to form flexible associations between choice outcomes with stimuli and actions that precede them. This type of learning is thought to rely on several cortical and subcortical areas, including highly interconnected orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA), and is often impaired in various neuropsychiatric and substance use disorders. However, unique contributions of these regions to stimulus- and action-based reversal learning have not been systematically compared using a chemogenetic approach and particularly before and after the first reversal that introduces new uncertainty. Here, we examined the roles of ventrolateral OFC (vlOFC) and BLA during reversal learning. Male and female rats were prepared with inhibitory DREADDs targeting projection neurons in these regions and tested on a series of deterministic and probabilistic reversals during which they learned about stimulus identity or side (left or right) associated with different reward probabilities. Using a counterbalanced within-subject design, we inhibited these regions prior to reversal sessions. We assessed initial and pre-post reversal changes in performance to measure learning and adjustments to reversals, respectively. We found that inhibition of vlOFC, but not BLA, eliminated adjustments to stimulus-based reversals. Inhibition of BLA, but not vlOFC, selectively impaired action-based probabilistic reversal learning, leaving deterministic reversal learning intact. vlOFC exhibited a sex-dependent role in early adjustment to action-based reversals, but not in overall learning. These results reveal dissociable roles for BLA and vlOFC in flexible learning and highlight a more crucial role for BLA in learning meaningful changes in the reward environment.
Collapse
|
7
|
Hauser SR, Deehan GA, Knight CP, Waeiss RA, Engleman EA, Ding ZM, Johnson PL, McBride WJ, Truitt WA, Rodd ZA. Inhibitory and excitatory alcohol-seeking cues distinct roles in behavior, neurochemistry, and mesolimbic pathway in alcohol preferring (P) rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 2023; 246:109858. [PMID: 37028106 PMCID: PMC10212692 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109858] [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: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
Cues associated with alcohol use can readily enhance self-reported cravings for alcohol, which increases the likelihood of reusing alcohol. Understanding the neuronal mechanisms involved in alcohol-seeking behavior is important for developing strategies to treat alcohol use disorder. In all experiments, adult female alcohol-preferring (P) rats were exposed to three conditioned odor cues; CS+ associated with EtOH self-administration, CS- associated with the absence of EtOH (extinction training), and a CS0, a neutral stimulus. The data indicated that presentation of an excitatory conditioned cue (CS+) can enhance EtOH- seeking while the CS- can inhibit EtOH-seeking under multiple test conditions. Presentation of the CS+ activates a subpopulation of dopamine neurons within the interfascicular nucleus of the posterior ventral tegmental area (posterior VTA) and basolateral amygdala (BLA). Pharmacological inactivation of the BLA with GABA agonists inhibits the ability of the CS+ to enhance EtOH-seeking but does not alter context-induced EtOH-seeking or the ability of the CS- to inhibit EtOH-seeking. Presentation of the conditioned odor cues in a non-drug-paired environment indicated that presentation of the CS+ increased dopamine levels in the BLA. In contrast, presentation of the CS- decreased both glutamate and dopamine levels in the BLA. Further analysis revealed that presentation of a CS+ EtOH-associated conditioned cue activates GABA interneurons but not glutamate projection neurons. Overall, the data indicate that excitatory and inhibitory conditioned cues can contrarily alter EtOH-seeking behaviors and that different neurocircuitries are mediating these distinct cues in critical brain regions. Pharmacotherapeutics for craving should inhibit the CS+ and enhance the CS- neurocircuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheketha R Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
| | - Gerald A Deehan
- Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 37614, USA
| | - Christopher P Knight
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Robert A Waeiss
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Eric A Engleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Zheng-Ming Ding
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, The Pennsylvania State University, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Phillip L Johnson
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - William J McBride
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - William A Truitt
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Zachary A Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Fraser KM, Janak PH. Basolateral amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, but not dorsal hippocampus, are necessary for the control of reward-seeking by occasion setters. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:623-635. [PMID: 36056949 PMCID: PMC9931670 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06227-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Reward-seeking in the world is driven by cues that can have ambiguous predictive and motivational value. To produce adaptive, flexible reward-seeking, it is necessary to exploit occasion setters, other distinct features in the environment, to resolve the ambiguity of Pavlovian reward-paired cues. Despite this, very little research has investigated the neurobiological underpinnings of occasion setting, and as a result little is known about which brain regions are critical for occasion setting. To address this, we exploited a recently developed task that was amenable to neurobiological inquiry where a conditioned stimulus is only predictive of reward delivery if preceded in time by the non-overlapping presentation of a separate cue-an occasion setter. This task required male rats to maintain and link cue-triggered expectations across time to produce adaptive reward-seeking. We interrogated the contributions of the basolateral amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex to occasion setting as these regions are thought to be critical for the computation and exploitation of state value, respectively. Reversible inactivation of either structure prior to the occasion-setting task resulted in a profound inability of rats to use the occasion setter to guide reward-seeking. In contrast, inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus, a region fundamental for context-specific responding was without effect nor did inactivation of the basolateral amygdala or orbitofrontal cortex in a standard Pavlovian conditioning preparation affect conditioned responding. We conclude that neural activity within the orbitofrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala circuit is necessary to update and resolve ambiguity in the environment to promote cue-driven reward-seeking.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kurt M Fraser
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Martin AB, Cardenas MA, Andersen RK, Bowman AI, Hillier EA, Bensmaia S, Fuglevand AJ, Gothard KM. A context-dependent switch from sensing to feeling in the primate amygdala. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112056. [PMID: 36724071 PMCID: PMC10430631 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112056] [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: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The skin transmits affective signals that integrate into our social vocabulary. As the socio-affective aspects of touch are likely processed in the amygdala, we compare neural responses to social grooming and gentle airflow recorded from the amygdala and the primary somatosensory cortex of non-human primates. Neurons in the somatosensory cortex respond to both types of tactile stimuli. In the amygdala, however, neurons do not respond to individual grooming sweeps even though grooming elicits autonomic states indicative of positive affect. Instead, many show changes in baseline firing rates that persist throughout the grooming bout. Such baseline fluctuations are attributed to social context because the presence of the groomer alone can account for the observed changes in baseline activity. It appears, therefore, that during grooming, the amygdala stops responding to external inputs on a short timescale but remains responsive to social context (or the associated affective states) on longer time scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne B Martin
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Michael A Cardenas
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Rose K Andersen
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Archer I Bowman
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Hillier
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Sliman Bensmaia
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Andrew J Fuglevand
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Katalin M Gothard
- Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
The Recruitment of a Neuronal Ensemble in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala During the First Extinction Episode Has Persistent Effects on Extinction Expression. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:300-308. [PMID: 36336498 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive behavior depends on the delicate and dynamic balance between acquisition and extinction memories. Disruption of this balance, particularly when the extinction of memory loses control over behavior, is the root of treatment failure of maladaptive behaviors such as substance abuse or anxiety disorders. Understanding this balance requires a better understanding of the underlying neurobiology and its contribution to behavioral regulation. METHODS We microinjected Daun02 in Fos-lacZ transgenic rats following a single extinction training episode to delete extinction-recruited neuronal ensembles in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CN) and examined their contribution to behavior in an appetitive Pavlovian task. In addition, we used immunohistochemistry and neuronal staining methods to identify the molecular markers of activated neurons in the BLA and CN during extinction learning or retrieval. RESULTS CN neurons were preferentially engaged following extinction, and deletion of these extinction-activated ensembles in the CN but not the BLA impaired the retrieval of extinction despite additional extinction training and promoted greater levels of behavioral restoration in spontaneous recovery and reinstatement. Disrupting extinction processing in the CN in turn increased activity in the BLA. Our results also show a specific role for CN PKCδ+ neurons in behavioral inhibition but not during initial extinction learning. CONCLUSIONS We showed that the initial extinction-recruited CN ensemble is critical to the acquisition-extinction balance and that greater behavioral restoration does not mean weaker extinction contribution. These findings provide a novel avenue for thinking about the neural mechanisms of extinction and for developing treatments for cue-triggered appetitive behaviors.
Collapse
|
11
|
Calabro R, Lyu Y, Leong YC. Trial-by-trial fluctuations in amygdala activity track motivational enhancement of desirable sensory evidence during perceptual decision-making. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5690-5703. [PMID: 36398723 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
People are biased toward seeing outcomes that they are motivated to see. For example, wanting their favored team to prevail biases sports fans to perceive an ambiguous foul in a manner that is favorable to the team they support. Here, we test the hypothesis that such motivational biases in perceptual decision-making are associated with amygdala activity. We used monetary incentives to experimentally manipulate participants to want to see one percept over another while they performed a categorization task involving ambiguous images. Participants were more likely to categorize an image as the category we motivated them to see, suggesting that wanting to see a particular percept biased their perceptual decisions. Heightened amygdala activity was associated with motivation consistent categorizations and tracked trial-by-trial enhancement of neural activity in sensory cortices encoding the desirable category. Analyses using a drift diffusion model further suggest that trial-by-trial amygdala activity was specifically associated with biases in the accumulation of sensory evidence. In contrast, frontoparietal regions commonly associated with biases in perceptual decision-making were not associated with motivational bias. Altogether, our results suggest that wanting to see an outcome biases perceptual decisions via distinct mechanisms and may depend on dynamic fluctuations in amygdala activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ren Calabro
- 5848 S University Avenue, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL 60637 , USA
| | - Yizhou Lyu
- 5848 S University Avenue, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL 60637 , USA
| | - Yuan Chang Leong
- 5848 S University Avenue, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago , Chicago, IL 60637 , USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Keefer SE, Petrovich GD. Necessity and recruitment of cue-specific neuronal ensembles within the basolateral amygdala during appetitive reversal learning. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 194:107663. [PMID: 35870716 PMCID: PMC10326893 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Through Pavlovian appetitive conditioning, environmental cues can become predictors of food availability. Over time, however, the food, and thus the value of the associated cues, can change based on environmental variations. This change in outcome necessitates updating of the value of the cue to appropriately alter behavioral responses to these cues. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical in updating the outcomes of learned cues. However, it is unknown if the same BLA neuronal ensembles that are recruited in the initial associative memory are required when the new cue-outcome association is formed during reversal learning. The current study used the Daun02 inactivation method that enables selective targeting and disruption of activated neuronal ensembles in Fos-lacZ transgenic rats. Rats were implanted with bilateral cannulas that target the BLA and underwent appetitive discriminative conditioning in which rats had to discriminate between two auditory stimuli. One stimulus (CS+) co-terminated with food delivery, and the other stimulus was unrewarded (CS-; counterbalanced). Rats were then tested for CS+ or CS- memory retrieval and infused with either Daun02 or a vehicle solution into the BLA to inactivate either CS+ or CS- neuronal ensembles that were activated during that test. To assess if the same neuronal ensembles are necessary to update the value of the new association when the outcomes are changed, rats underwent reversal learning: the CS+ was no longer followed by food (reversal CS-, rCS-), and the CS- was now followed by food (reversal CS+; rCS+). The group that received Daun02 following CS+ session showed a decrease in conditioned responding and increased latency to the rCS- (previously CS+) during the first session of reversal learning, specifically during the first trial. This indicates that the neuronal ensemble that was activated during the recall of the CS+ memory was the same neuronal ensemble needed for learning the new outcome of the same CS, now rCS-. Additionally, the group that received Daun02 following CS- session was slower to respond to the rCS+ (previously CS-) during reversal learning. This indicates that the neuronal ensemble that was activated during the recall of the CS- memory was the same neuronal ensemble needed for learning the new outcome of the same CS. These results demonstrate that different neuronal ensembles within the BLA mediate memory recall of CS+ and CS- cues and reactivation of each cue-specific neuronal ensemble is necessary to update the value of that specific cue to respond appropriately during reversal learning. These results also indicate substantial plasticity within the BLA for behavioral flexibility as both groups eventually showed similar terminal levels of reversal learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Keefer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
| | - Gorica D Petrovich
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Wassum KM. Amygdala-cortical collaboration in reward learning and decision making. eLife 2022; 11:e80926. [PMID: 36062909 PMCID: PMC9444241 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive reward-related decision making requires accurate prospective consideration of the specific outcome of each option and its current desirability. These mental simulations are informed by stored memories of the associative relationships that exist within an environment. In this review, I discuss recent investigations of the function of circuitry between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and lateral (lOFC) and medial (mOFC) orbitofrontal cortex in the learning and use of associative reward memories. I draw conclusions from data collected using sophisticated behavioral approaches to diagnose the content of appetitive memory in combination with modern circuit dissection tools. I propose that, via their direct bidirectional connections, the BLA and OFC collaborate to help us encode detailed, outcome-specific, state-dependent reward memories and to use those memories to enable the predictions and inferences that support adaptive decision making. Whereas lOFC→BLA projections mediate the encoding of outcome-specific reward memories, mOFC→BLA projections regulate the ability to use these memories to inform reward pursuit decisions. BLA projections to lOFC and mOFC both contribute to using reward memories to guide decision making. The BLA→lOFC pathway mediates the ability to represent the identity of a specific predicted reward and the BLA→mOFC pathway facilitates understanding of the value of predicted events. Thus, I outline a neuronal circuit architecture for reward learning and decision making and provide new testable hypotheses as well as implications for both adaptive and maladaptive decision making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Integrative Center for Addictive Disorders, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bujarski KA, Song Y, Xie T, Leeds Z, Kolankiewicz SI, Wozniak GH, Guillory S, Aronson JP, Chang L, Jobst BC. Modulation of Emotion Perception via Amygdala Stimulation in Humans. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:795318. [PMID: 35221888 PMCID: PMC8864965 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.795318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Multiple lines of evidence show that the human amygdala is part of a neural network important for perception of emotion from environmental stimuli, including for processing of intrinsic attractiveness/“goodness” or averseness/“badness,” i.e., affective valence. Objective/Hypothesis With this in mind, we investigated the effect of electrical brain stimulation of the human amygdala on perception of affective valence of images taken from the International Affective Picture Set (IAPS). Methods Using intracranial electrodes in patients with epilepsy, we first obtained event-related potentials (ERPs) in eight patients as they viewed IAPS images of varying affective valence. Next, in a further cohort of 10 patients (five female and five male), we measured the effect of 50 Hz electrical stimulation of the left amygdala on perception of affective valence from IAPS images. Results We recorded distinct ERPs from the left amygdala and found significant differences in the responses between positively and negatively valenced stimuli (p = 0.002), and between neutral and negatively valenced stimuli (p = 0.017) 300–500 ms after stimulus onset. Next, we found that amygdala stimulation did not significantly affect how patients perceived valence for neutral images (p = 0.58), whereas stimulation induced patients to report both positively (p = 0.05) and negatively (< 0.01) valenced images as more neutral. Conclusion These results render further evidence that the left amygdala participates in a neural network for perception of emotion from environmental stimuli. These findings support the idea that electrical stimulation disrupts this network and leads to partial disruption of perception of emotion. Harnessing this effect may have clinical implications in treatment of certain neuropsychiatric disorders using deep brain stimulation (DBS) and neuromodulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof A. Bujarski
- Department of Neurology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
- *Correspondence: Krzysztof A. Bujarski,
| | - Yinchen Song
- Department of Neurology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Tiankang Xie
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States
- Department of Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Zachary Leeds
- Department of Neurology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Sophia I. Kolankiewicz
- Department of Neurology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Gabriella H. Wozniak
- Department of Neurology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Sean Guillory
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Joshua P. Aronson
- Department of Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| | - Luke Chang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Barbara C. Jobst
- Department of Neurology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, United States
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Courtin J, Bitterman Y, Müller S, Hinz J, Hagihara KM, Müller C, Lüthi A. A neuronal mechanism for motivational control of behavior. Science 2022; 375:eabg7277. [PMID: 34990249 DOI: 10.1126/science.abg7277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Acting to achieve goals depends on the ability to motivate specific behaviors based on their predicted consequences given an individual’s internal state. However, the underlying neuronal mechanisms that encode and maintain such specific motivational control of behavior are poorly understood. Here, we used Ca2+ imaging and optogenetic manipulations in the basolateral amygdala of freely moving mice performing noncued, self-paced instrumental goal-directed actions to receive and consume rewards. We found that distinct neuronal activity patterns sequentially represent the entire action-consumption behavioral sequence. Whereas action-associated patterns integrated the identity, value, and expectancy of pursued goals, consumption-associated patterns reflected the identity and value of experienced outcomes. Thus, the interplay between these patterns allows the maintenance of specific motivational states necessary to adaptively direct behavior toward prospective rewards.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Courtin
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Y Bitterman
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - S Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - J Hinz
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, CH-4000 Basel, Switzerland
| | - K M Hagihara
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, CH-4000 Basel, Switzerland
| | - C Müller
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - A Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, CH-4000 Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Dannenhoffer CA, Robertson MM, Macht VA, Mooney SM, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Chronic alcohol exposure during critical developmental periods differentially impacts persistence of deficits in cognitive flexibility and related circuitry. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 160:117-173. [PMID: 34696872 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility in decision making depends on prefrontal cortical function and is used by individuals to adapt to environmental changes in circumstances. Cognitive flexibility can be measured in the laboratory using a variety of discrete, translational tasks, including those that involve reversal learning and/or set-shifting ability. Distinct components of flexible behavior rely upon overlapping brain circuits, including different prefrontal substructures that have separable impacts on decision making. Cognitive flexibility is impaired after chronic alcohol exposure, particularly during development when the brain undergoes rapid maturation. This review examines how cognitive flexibility, as indexed by reversal and set-shifting tasks, is impacted by chronic alcohol exposure in adulthood, adolescent, and prenatal periods in humans and animal models. We also discuss areas for future study, including mechanisms that may contribute to the persistence of cognitive deficits after developmental alcohol exposure and the compacting consequences from exposure across multiple critical periods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C A Dannenhoffer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - M M Robertson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Victoria A Macht
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - S M Mooney
- Nutrition Research Institute and Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - C A Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Keefer SE, Gyawali U, Calu DJ. Choose your path: Divergent basolateral amygdala efferents differentially mediate incentive motivation, flexibility and decision-making. Behav Brain Res 2021; 409:113306. [PMID: 33887310 PMCID: PMC8189324 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
To survive in a complex environment, individuals form associations between environmental stimuli and rewards to organize and optimize reward seeking behaviors. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) uses these learned associations to inform decision-making processes. In this review, we describe functional projections between BLA and its cortical and striatal targets that promote learning and motivational processes central to decision-making. Specifically, we compare and contrast divergent projections from the BLA to the orbitofrontal (OFC) and to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and examine the roles of these pathways in associative learning, value-guided decision-making, choice behaviors, as well as cue and context-driven drug seeking. Finally, we consider how these projections are involved in disorders of motivation, with a focus on Substance Use Disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Keefer
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Utsav Gyawali
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Donna J Calu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Differential encoding of place value between the dorsal and intermediate hippocampus. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3053-3072.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
|
19
|
Sias AC, Morse AK, Wang S, Greenfield VY, Goodpaster CM, Wrenn TM, Wikenheiser AM, Holley SM, Cepeda C, Levine MS, Wassum KM. A bidirectional corticoamygdala circuit for the encoding and retrieval of detailed reward memories. eLife 2021; 10:e68617. [PMID: 34142660 PMCID: PMC8266390 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive reward-related decision making often requires accurate and detailed representation of potential available rewards. Environmental reward-predictive stimuli can facilitate these representations, allowing one to infer which specific rewards might be available and choose accordingly. This process relies on encoded relationships between the cues and the sensory-specific details of the rewards they predict. Here, we interrogated the function of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and its interaction with the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC) in the ability to learn such stimulus-outcome associations and use these memories to guide decision making. Using optical recording and inhibition approaches, Pavlovian cue-reward conditioning, and the outcome-selective Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) test in male rats, we found that the BLA is robustly activated at the time of stimulus-outcome learning and that this activity is necessary for sensory-specific stimulus-outcome memories to be encoded, so they can subsequently influence reward choices. Direct input from the lOFC was found to support the BLA in this function. Based on prior work, activity in BLA projections back to the lOFC was known to support the use of stimulus-outcome memories to influence decision making. By multiplexing optogenetic and chemogenetic inhibition we performed a serial circuit disconnection and found that the lOFC→BLA and BLA→lOFC pathways form a functional circuit regulating the encoding (lOFC→BLA) and subsequent use (BLA→lOFC) of the stimulus-dependent, sensory-specific reward memories that are critical for adaptive, appetitive decision making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana C Sias
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Ashleigh K Morse
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Sherry Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Venuz Y Greenfield
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Caitlin M Goodpaster
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Tyler M Wrenn
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Andrew M Wikenheiser
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Sandra M Holley
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Michael S Levine
- Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Integrative Center for Addictive Disorders, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lee J, An B, Choi S. Longitudinal recordings of single units in the basal amygdala during fear conditioning and extinction. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11177. [PMID: 34045527 PMCID: PMC8159982 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90530-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The balance between activities of fear neurons and extinction neurons in the basolateral nucleus of the basal amygdala (BAL) has been hypothesized to encode fear states after extinction. However, it remains unclear whether these neurons are solely responsible for encoding fear states. In this study, we stably recorded single-unit activities in the BAL during fear conditioning and extinction for 3 days, providing a comprehensive view on how different BAL neurons respond during fear learning. We found BAL neurons that showed excitatory responses to the conditioned stimulus (CS) after fear conditioning ('conditioning-potentiated neurons') and another population that showed excitatory responses to the CS after extinction ('extinction-potentiated neurons'). Interestingly, we also found BAL neurons that developed inhibitory responses to the CS after fear conditioning ('conditioning-inhibited neurons') or after extinction ('extinction-inhibited neurons'). BAL neurons that showed excitatory responses to the CS displayed various functional connectivity with each other, whereas less connectivity was observed among neurons with inhibitory responses to the CS. Intriguingly, we found correlative neuronal activities between conditioning-potentiated neurons and neurons with inhibitory responses to the CS. Our findings suggest that distinct BAL neurons, which are responsive to the CS with excitation or inhibition, encode various facets of fear conditioning and extinction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junghwa Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Bobae An
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Sukwoo Choi
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Smith DM, Torregrossa MM. Valence encoding in the amygdala influences motivated behavior. Behav Brain Res 2021; 411:113370. [PMID: 34051230 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is critical for emotional processing and motivated behavior. Its role in these functions is due to its processing of the valence of environmental stimuli. The amygdala receives direct sensory input from sensory thalamus and cortical regions to integrate sensory information from the environment with aversive and/or appetitive outcomes. As many reviews have discussed the amygdala's role in threat processing and fear conditioning, this review will focus on how the amygdala encodes positive valence and the mechanisms that allow it to distinguish between stimuli of positive and negative valence. These findings are also extended to consider how valence encoding populations in the amygdala contribute to local and long-range circuits including those that integrate environmental cues and positive valence. Understanding the complexity of valence encoding in the amygdala is crucial as these mechanisms are implicated in a variety of disease states including anxiety disorders and substance use disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dana M Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
| | - Mary M Torregrossa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 450 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Brockett AT, Vázquez D, Roesch MR. Prediction errors and valence: From single units to multidimensional encoding in the amygdala. Behav Brain Res 2021; 404:113176. [PMID: 33596433 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala-one of the primary structures of the limbic system-is comprised of interconnected nuclei situated within the temporal lobe. It has a well-established role in the modulation of negative affective states, as well as in fear processing. However, its vast projections with diverse brain regions-ranging from the cortex to the brainstem-are suggestive of its more complex involvement in affective or motivational aspects of cognitive processing. The amygdala can play an invaluable role in context-dependent associative learning, unsigned prediction error learning, influencing outcome selection, and multidimensional encoding. In this review, we delve into the amygdala's role in associative learning and outcome selection, emphasizing its intrinsic involvement in the appropriate context-dependent modulation of motivated behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam T Brockett
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States.
| | - Daniela Vázquez
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States
| | - Matthew R Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States; Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Crouse RB, Kim K, Batchelor HM, Girardi EM, Kamaletdinova R, Chan J, Rajebhosale P, Pittenger ST, Role LW, Talmage DA, Jing M, Li Y, Gao XB, Mineur YS, Picciotto MR. Acetylcholine is released in the basolateral amygdala in response to predictors of reward and enhances the learning of cue-reward contingency. eLife 2020; 9:57335. [PMID: 32945260 PMCID: PMC7529459 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is critical for associating initially neutral cues with appetitive and aversive stimuli and receives dense neuromodulatory acetylcholine (ACh) projections. We measured BLA ACh signaling and activity of neurons expressing CaMKIIα (a marker for glutamatergic principal cells) in mice during cue-reward learning using a fluorescent ACh sensor and calcium indicators. We found that ACh levels and nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) cholinergic terminal activity in the BLA (NBM-BLA) increased sharply in response to reward-related events and shifted as mice learned the cue-reward contingency. BLA CaMKIIα neuron activity followed reward retrieval and moved to the reward-predictive cue after task acquisition. Optical stimulation of cholinergic NBM-BLA terminal fibers led to a quicker acquisition of the cue-reward contingency. These results indicate BLA ACh signaling carries important information about salient events in cue-reward learning and provides a framework for understanding how ACh signaling contributes to shaping BLA responses to emotional stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard B Crouse
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Yale Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, New Haven, United States
| | - Kristen Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Yale Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, New Haven, United States
| | - Hannah M Batchelor
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Yale Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, New Haven, United States
| | - Eric M Girardi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Rufina Kamaletdinova
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,City University of New York, Hunter College, New York, United States
| | - Justin Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Prithviraj Rajebhosale
- Program in Neuroscience, Stony Brook University, New York, United States.,National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Bethesda, United States
| | | | - Lorna W Role
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Bethesda, United States
| | - David A Talmage
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, United States
| | - Miao Jing
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR), 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
| | - Xiao-Bing Gao
- Section of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Yann S Mineur
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States
| | - Marina R Picciotto
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, United States.,Yale Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, New Haven, United States
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Brain-behaviour correlates of habitual motivation in chronic back pain. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11090. [PMID: 32632166 PMCID: PMC7338353 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67386-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain may sap the motivation for positive events and stimuli. This may lead to a negative behavioural cycle reducing the establishment of appetitive habitual engagement. One potential mechanism for this might be biased learning. In our experiment, chronic back pain patients and healthy controls completed an appetitive Pavlovian-instrumental transfer procedure. We examined participants` behaviour and brain activity and reported pain, depression and anxiety. Patients showed reduced habitual behaviour and increased responses in the hippocampus than controls. This behavioural bias was related to motivational value and reflected in the updating of brain activity in prefrontal–striatal–limbic circuits. Moreover, this was influenced by pain symptom duration, depression and anxiety (explained variance: up to 50.7%). Together, findings identify brain-behaviour pathways for maladaptive habitual learning and motivation in chronic back pain, which helps explaining why chronic pain can be resistant to change, and where clinical characteristics are significant modulators.
Collapse
|
25
|
Servonnet A, Hernandez G, El Hage C, Rompré PP, Samaha AN. Optogenetic Activation of the Basolateral Amygdala Promotes Both Appetitive Conditioning and the Instrumental Pursuit of Reward Cues. J Neurosci 2020; 40:1732-1743. [PMID: 31953370 PMCID: PMC7046336 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2196-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Reward-associated stimuli can both evoke conditioned responses and acquire reinforcing properties in their own right, becoming avidly pursued. Such conditioned stimuli (CS) can guide reward-seeking behavior in adaptive (e.g., locating food) and maladaptive (e.g., binge eating) ways. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) regulates conditioned responses evoked by appetitive CS, but less is known about how the BLA contributes to the instrumental pursuit of CS. Here we studied the influence of BLA neuron activity on both behavioral effects. Water-restricted male rats learned to associate a light-tone cue (CS) with water delivery into a port. During these Pavlovian conditioning sessions, we paired CS presentations with photo-stimulation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2)-expressing BLA neurons. BLA photo-stimulation potentiated CS-evoked port entries during conditioning, indicating enhanced conditioned approach and appetitive conditioning. Next, new rats received Pavlovian conditioning without photo-stimulation. These rats then received instrumental conditioning sessions where they could press an inactive lever or an active lever that produced CS presentation, without water delivery. Rats pressed more on the active versus inactive lever, and pairing CS presentation with BLA-ChR2 photo-stimulation intensified responding for the CS. This suggests that BLA-ChR2 photo-stimulation enhanced CS incentive value. In a separate experiment, rats did not reliably self-administer BLA-ChR2 stimulations, suggesting that BLA neurons do not carry a primary reward signal. Last, intra-BLA infusions of d-amphetamine also intensified lever-pressing for the CS. The findings suggest that BLA-mediated activity facilitates CS control over behavior by enhancing both appetitive Pavlovian conditioning and instrumental pursuit of CS.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cues paired with rewards can guide animals to valuable resources such as food. Cues can also promote dysfunctional reward-seeking behavior, as in overeating. Reward-paired cues influence reward seeking through two major mechanisms. First, reward-paired cues evoke conditioned anticipatory behaviors to prepare for impending rewards. Second, reward-paired cues are powerful motivators and they can evoke pursuit in their own right. Here we show that increasing neural activity in the basolateral amygdala enhances both conditioned anticipatory behaviors and pursuit of reward-paired cues. The basolateral amygdala therefore facilitates cue-induced control over behavior by both increasing anticipation of impending rewards and making reward cues more attractive.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Giovanni Hernandez
- Department of Neurosciences
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal H4H 1R3, Quebec, Canada
| | | | | | - Anne-Noël Samaha
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology,
- Groupe de recherche sur le Système Nerveux Central, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal H3T 1J4, Quebec, Canada, and
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
State-specific gating of salient cues by midbrain dopaminergic input to basal amygdala. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:1820-1833. [PMID: 31611706 PMCID: PMC6858554 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0506-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Basal amygdala (BA) neurons guide associative learning via acquisition of responses to stimuli that predict salient appetitive or aversive outcomes. We examined the learning- and state-dependent dynamics of BA neurons and ventral tegmental area dopamine axons that innervate BA (VTADA➜BA) using two-photon imaging and photometry in behaving mice. BA neurons did not respond to arbitrary visual stimuli, but acquired responses to stimuli that predicted either rewards or punishments. Most VTADA➜BA axons were activated by both rewards and punishments, and acquired responses to cues predicting these outcomes during learning. Responses to cues predicting food rewards in VTADA➜BA axons and BA neurons in hungry mice were strongly attenuated following satiation, while responses to cues predicting unavoidable punishments persisted or increased. Therefore, VTADA➜BA axons may provide a reinforcement signal of motivational salience that invigorates adaptive behaviors by promoting learned responses to appetitive or aversive cues in distinct, intermingled sets of BA excitatory neurons.
Collapse
|
27
|
Schönfeld LM, Zech MP, Schäble S, Wöhr M, Kalenscher T. Lesions of the rat basolateral amygdala reduce the behavioral response to ultrasonic vocalizations. Behav Brain Res 2019; 378:112274. [PMID: 31589896 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Rats emit vocalizations in the ultrasonic range (ultrasonic vocalizations; USVs), of which 50-kHz USVs could communicate positive affective states and induce approach behavior in conspecifics, whereas 22-kHz USVs might signal negative affective states and potential threats. Listening to 50-kHz USVs can be rewarding, but it is unknown which brain mechanisms are responsible for the assignment of reinforcing value to 50-kHz USVs . The behavioral responses induced by listening to 22-kHz USVs are heterogeneous and need further characterization. The amygdala is a region relevant for social perception, behavior and reward. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays a causal role in motivating behavioral responses to 50-kHz and 22-kHz USVs. Rats with lesions of the BLA or sham lesions were repeatedly exposed to playback of either 50-kHz or 22-kHz USVs in a radial maze. Compared to sham rats, BLA-lesioned rats spent less time in the arms close to the USV speaker during playback of both 50-kHz or 22-kHz USVs. This difference in behavior was not due to impaired motor or general auditory abilities, indicating that BLA lesions selectively reduced the responsiveness to stimuli with social significance. This finding provides further support for the hypothesis that the BLA plays an important role in motivating approach behavior to social reinforcers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa-Maria Schönfeld
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Maurice-Philipp Zech
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sandra Schäble
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Kalenscher
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Gründemann J, Bitterman Y, Lu T, Krabbe S, Grewe BF, Schnitzer MJ, Lüthi A. Amygdala ensembles encode behavioral states. Science 2019; 364:364/6437/eaav8736. [PMID: 31000636 DOI: 10.1126/science.aav8736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Internal states, including affective or homeostatic states, are important behavioral motivators. The amygdala regulates motivated behaviors, yet how distinct states are represented in amygdala circuits is unknown. By longitudinally imaging neural calcium dynamics in freely moving mice across different environments, we identified opponent changes in activity levels of two major, nonoverlapping populations of basal amygdala principal neurons. This population signature does not report global anxiety but predicts switches between exploratory and nonexploratory, defensive states. Moreover, the amygdala separately processes external stimuli and internal states and broadcasts state information via several output pathways to larger brain networks. Our findings extend the concept of thalamocortical "brain-state" coding to include affective and exploratory states and provide an entry point into the state dependency of brain function and behavior in defined circuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Gründemann
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel, Switzerland. .,Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50-70, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yael Bitterman
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tingjia Lu
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Krabbe
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin F Grewe
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University and ETH Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, Switzerland.,Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mark J Schnitzer
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CNC Program, James H. Clark Center for Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andreas Lüthi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, Basel, Switzerland. .,University of Basel, 4000 Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Cui Y, Lv G, Jin S, Peng J, Yuan J, He X, Gong H, Xu F, Xu T, Li H. A Central Amygdala-Substantia Innominata Neural Circuitry Encodes Aversive Reinforcement Signals. Cell Rep 2018; 21:1770-1782. [PMID: 29141212 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.10.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aversive stimuli can impact motivation and support associative learning as reinforcers. However, the neural circuitry underlying the processing of aversive reinforcers has not been elucidated. Here, we report that a subpopulation of central amygdala (CeA) GABAergic neurons expressing protein kinase C-delta (PKC-δ+) displays robust responses to aversive stimuli during negative reinforcement learning. Importantly, projections from PKC-δ+ neurons of the CeA to the substantia innominata (SI) could bi-directionally modulate negative reinforcement learning. Moreover, consistent with the idea that SI-projecting PKC-δ+ neurons of the CeA encode aversive information, optogenetic activation of this pathway produces conditioned place aversion, a behavior prevented by simultaneous ablating of SI glutamatergic neurons. Taken together, our data define a cell-type-specific neural circuitry modulating associative learning by encoding aversive reinforcement signals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Cui
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Guanghui Lv
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Sen Jin
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan, China
| | - Jie Peng
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Jing Yuan
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Xiaobin He
- Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan, China
| | - Hui Gong
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Fuqiang Xu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems and State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Wuhan, China
| | - Tonghui Xu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| | - Haohong Li
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China; MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Eom TY, Bayazitov IT, Anderson K, Yu J, Zakharenko SS. Schizophrenia-Related Microdeletion Impairs Emotional Memory through MicroRNA-Dependent Disruption of Thalamic Inputs to the Amygdala. Cell Rep 2018; 19:1532-1544. [PMID: 28538174 PMCID: PMC5457478 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) are at high risk of developing psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia. Individuals with 22q11DS and schizophrenia are impaired in emotional memory, anticipating, recalling, and assigning a correct context to emotions. The neuronal circuits responsible for these emotional memory deficits are unknown. Here, we show that 22q11DS mouse models have disrupted synaptic transmission at thalamic inputs to the lateral amygdala (thalamo-LA projections). This synaptic deficit is caused by haploinsufficiency of the 22q11DS gene Dgcr8, which is involved in microRNA processing, and is mediated by the increased dopamine receptor Drd2 levels in the thalamus and by reduced probability of glutamate release from thalamic inputs. This deficit in thalamo-LA synaptic transmission is sufficient to cause fear memory deficits. Our results suggest that dysregulation of the Dgcr8–Drd2 mechanism at thalamic inputs to the amygdala underlies emotional memory deficits in 22q11DS. Thalamic inputs to the lateral amygdala (LA) are impaired in 22q11DS mice Thalamo-LA disruption is sufficient to cause associative fear memory deficits Deficiency in microRNA-processing Dgcr8 causes thalamo-LA and fear memory deficits Fear memory deficits in 22q11DS mice are rescued by thalamic Drd2 inhibition
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tae-Yeon Eom
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Ildar T Bayazitov
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Kara Anderson
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Jing Yu
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Stanislav S Zakharenko
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Millan EZ, Kim HA, Janak PH. Optogenetic activation of amygdala projections to nucleus accumbens can arrest conditioned and unconditioned alcohol consummatory behavior. Neuroscience 2017; 360:106-117. [PMID: 28757250 PMCID: PMC5752133 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Following a Pavlovian pairing procedure, alcohol-paired cues come to elicit behavioral responses that lead to alcohol consumption. Here we used an optogenetic approach to activate basolateral amygdala (BLA) axonal terminals targeting the shell of nucleus accumbens (AcbSh) and investigated a possible influence over cue-conditioned alcohol seeking and alcohol drinking, based on the demonstrated roles of these areas in behavioral responding to Pavlovian cues and in feeding behavior. Rats were trained to anticipate alcohol or sucrose following the onset of a discrete conditioned stimulus (CS). Channelrhodopsin-mediated activation of the BLA-to-AcbSh pathway concurrent with each CS disrupted cued alcohol seeking. Activation of the same pathway caused rapid cessation of alcohol drinking from a sipper tube. Neither effect was accompanied by an overall change in locomotion. Finally, the suppressive effect of photoactivation on cued-triggered seeking was also evidenced in animals trained with sucrose. Together these findings suggest that photoactivation of BLA terminals in the AcbSh can override the conditioned motivational properties of reward-predictive cues as well as unconditioned consummatory responses necessary for alcohol drinking. The findings provide evidence for a limbic-striatal influence over motivated behavior for orally consumed rewards, including alcohol.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Zayra Millan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD 21218, United States.
| | - H Amy Kim
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD 21218, United States
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD 21218, United States; Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD 21205, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Nucleus accumbens feedforward inhibition circuit promotes cocaine self-administration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E8750-E8759. [PMID: 28973852 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707822114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The basolateral amygdala (BLA) sends excitatory projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and regulates motivated behaviors partially by activating NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Here, we characterized a feedforward inhibition circuit, through which BLA-evoked activation of NAc shell (NAcSh) MSNs was fine-tuned by GABAergic monosynaptic innervation from adjacent fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs). Specifically, BLA-to-NAcSh projections predominantly innervated NAcSh FSIs compared with MSNs and triggered action potentials in FSIs preceding BLA-mediated activation of MSNs. Due to these anatomical and temporal properties, activation of the BLA-to-NAcSh projection resulted in a rapid FSI-mediated inhibition of MSNs, timing-contingently dictating BLA-evoked activation of MSNs. Cocaine self-administration selectively and persistently up-regulated the presynaptic release probability of BLA-to-FSI synapses, entailing enhanced FSI-mediated feedforward inhibition of MSNs upon BLA activation. Experimentally enhancing the BLA-to-FSI transmission in vivo expedited the acquisition of cocaine self-administration. These results reveal a previously unidentified role of an FSI-embedded circuit in regulating NAc-based drug seeking and taking.
Collapse
|
33
|
Hernandez CM, Vetere LM, Orsini CA, McQuail JA, Maurer AP, Burke SN, Setlow B, Bizon JL. Decline of prefrontal cortical-mediated executive functions but attenuated delay discounting in aged Fischer 344 × brown Norway hybrid rats. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 60:141-152. [PMID: 28946018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Despite the fact that prefrontal cortex (PFC) function declines with age, aged individuals generally show an enhanced ability to delay gratification, as evident by less discounting of delayed rewards in intertemporal choice tasks. The present study was designed to evaluate relationships between 2 aspects of PFC-dependent cognition (working memory and cognitive flexibility) and intertemporal choice in young (6 months) and aged (24 months) Fischer 344 × brown Norway F1 hybrid rats. Rats were also evaluated for motivation to earn rewards using a progressive ratio task. As previously reported, aged rats showed attenuated discounting of delayed rewards, impaired working memory, and impaired cognitive flexibility compared with young. Among aged rats, greater choice of delayed reward was associated with preserved working memory, impaired cognitive flexibility, and less motivation to work for food. These relationships suggest that age-related changes in PFC and incentive motivation contribute to variance in intertemporal choice within the aged population. Cognitive impairments mediated by PFC are unlikely, however, to fully account for the enhanced ability to delay gratification that accompanies aging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren M Vetere
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Caitlin A Orsini
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Joseph A McQuail
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Andrew P Maurer
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sara N Burke
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Barry Setlow
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Jennifer L Bizon
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Lichtenberg NT, Pennington ZT, Holley SM, Greenfield VY, Cepeda C, Levine MS, Wassum KM. Basolateral Amygdala to Orbitofrontal Cortex Projections Enable Cue-Triggered Reward Expectations. J Neurosci 2017; 37:8374-8384. [PMID: 28743727 PMCID: PMC5577854 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0486-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
To make an appropriate decision, one must anticipate potential future rewarding events, even when they are not readily observable. These expectations are generated by using observable information (e.g., stimuli or available actions) to retrieve often quite detailed memories of available rewards. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are two reciprocally connected key nodes in the circuitry supporting such outcome-guided behaviors. But there is much unknown about the contribution of this circuit to decision making, and almost nothing known about the whether any contribution is via direct, monosynaptic projections, or the direction of information transfer. Therefore, here we used designer receptor-mediated inactivation of OFC→BLA or BLA→OFC projections to evaluate their respective contributions to outcome-guided behaviors in rats. Inactivation of BLA terminals in the OFC, but not OFC terminals in the BLA, disrupted the selective motivating influence of cue-triggered reward representations over reward-seeking decisions as assayed by Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. BLA→OFC projections were also required when a cued reward representation was used to modify Pavlovian conditional goal-approach responses according to the reward's current value. These projections were not necessary when actions were guided by reward expectations generated based on learned action-reward contingencies, or when rewards themselves, rather than stored memories, directed action. These data demonstrate that BLA→OFC projections enable the cue-triggered reward expectations that can motivate the execution of specific action plans and allow adaptive conditional responding.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Deficits anticipating potential future rewarding events are associated with many psychiatric diseases. Presently, we know little about the neural circuits supporting such reward expectation. Here we show that basolateral amygdala to orbitofrontal cortex projections are required for expectations of specific available rewards to influence reward seeking and decision making. The necessity of these projections was limited to situations in which expectations were elicited by reward-predictive cues. These projections therefore facilitate adaptive behavior by enabling the orbitofrontal cortex to use environmental stimuli to generate expectations of potential future rewarding events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sandra M Holley
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | | | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | - Michael S Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
- Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology and
- Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Aghajani M, Klapwijk ET, van der Wee NJ, Veer IM, Rombouts SARB, Boon AE, van Beelen P, Popma A, Vermeiren RRJM, Colins OF. Disorganized Amygdala Networks in Conduct-Disordered Juvenile Offenders With Callous-Unemotional Traits. Biol Psychiatry 2017; 82:283-293. [PMID: 27502216 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Revised: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The developmental trajectory of psychopathy seemingly begins early in life and includes the presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., deficient emotional reactivity, callousness) in conduct-disordered (CD) youth. Though subregion-specific anomalies in amygdala function have been suggested in CU pathophysiology among antisocial populations, system-level studies of CU traits have typically examined the amygdala as a unitary structure. Hence, nothing is yet known of how amygdala subregional network function may contribute to callous-unemotionality in severely antisocial people. METHODS We addressed this important issue by uniquely examining the intrinsic functional connectivity of basolateral amygdala (BLA) and centromedial amygdala (CMA) networks across three matched groups of juveniles: CD offenders with CU traits (CD/CU+; n = 25), CD offenders without CU traits (CD/CU-; n = 25), and healthy control subjects (n = 24). We additionally examined whether perturbed amygdala subregional connectivity coincides with altered volume and shape of the amygdaloid complex. RESULTS Relative to CD/CU- and healthy control youths, CD/CU+ youths showed abnormally increased BLA connectivity with a cluster that included both dorsal and ventral portions of the anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortices, along with posterior cingulate, sensory associative, and striatal regions. In contrast, compared with CD/CU- and healthy control youths, CD/CU+ youths showed diminished CMA connectivity with ventromedial/orbitofrontal regions. Critically, these connectivity changes coincided with local hypotrophy of BLA and CMA subregions (without being statistically correlated) and were associated to more severe CU symptoms. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide unique insights into a putative mechanism for perturbed attention-emotion interactions, which could bias salience processing and associative learning in youth with CD/CU+.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moji Aghajani
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden.
| | - Eduard T Klapwijk
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden
| | - Nic J van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden
| | - Ilya M Veer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Serge A R B Rombouts
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden
| | - Albert E Boon
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; Lucertis Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Rotterdam
| | - Peter van Beelen
- Forensic Psychiatry Unit Het Palmhuis, De Jutters Institute for Mental Health Care, The Hague, The Netherlands
| | - Arne Popma
- Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, Leiden University, Leiden; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam
| | - Robert R J M Vermeiren
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden
| | - Olivier F Colins
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Motivational neural circuits underlying reinforcement learning. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:505-512. [PMID: 28352111 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Reinforcement learning (RL) is the behavioral process of learning the values of actions and objects. Most models of RL assume that the dopaminergic prediction error signal drives plasticity in frontal-striatal circuits. The striatum then encodes value representations that drive decision processes. However, the amygdala has also been shown to play an important role in forming Pavlovian stimulus-outcome associations. These Pavlovian associations can drive motivated behavior via the amygdala projections to the ventral striatum or the ventral tegmental area. The amygdala may, therefore, play a central role in RL. Here we compare the contributions of the amygdala and the striatum to RL and show that both the amygdala and striatum learn and represent expected values in RL tasks. Furthermore, value representations in the striatum may be inherited, to some extent, from the amygdala. The striatum may, therefore, play less of a primary role in learning stimulus-outcome associations in RL than previously suggested.
Collapse
|
37
|
Burgos-Robles A, Kimchi EY, Izadmehr EM, Porzenheim MJ, Ramos-Guasp WA, Nieh EH, Felix-Ortiz AC, Namburi P, Leppla CA, Presbrey KN, Anandalingam KK, Pagan-Rivera PA, Anahtar M, Beyeler A, Tye KM. Amygdala inputs to prefrontal cortex guide behavior amid conflicting cues of reward and punishment. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:824-835. [PMID: 28436980 PMCID: PMC5448704 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Orchestrating appropriate behavioral responses in the face of competing signals that predict either rewards or threats in the environment is crucial for survival. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and prelimbic (PL) medial prefrontal cortex have been implicated in reward-seeking and fear-related responses, but how information flows between these reciprocally connected structures to coordinate behavior is unknown. We recorded neuronal activity from the BLA and PL while rats performed a task wherein competing shock- and sucrose-predictive cues were simultaneously presented. The correlated firing primarily displayed a BLA→PL directionality during the shock-associated cue. Furthermore, BLA neurons optogenetically identified as projecting to PL more accurately predicted behavioral responses during competition than unidentified BLA neurons. Finally photostimulation of the BLA→PL projection increased freezing, whereas both chemogenetic and optogenetic inhibition reduced freezing. Therefore, the BLA→PL circuit is critical in governing the selection of behavioral responses in the face of competing signals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Burgos-Robles
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eyal Y Kimchi
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ehsan M Izadmehr
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary Jane Porzenheim
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - William A Ramos-Guasp
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Edward H Nieh
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ada C Felix-Ortiz
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Praneeth Namburi
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Christopher A Leppla
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kara N Presbrey
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kavitha K Anandalingam
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Pablo A Pagan-Rivera
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Melodi Anahtar
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anna Beyeler
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Synaptic Plasticity, Engrams, and Network Oscillations in Amygdala Circuits for Storage and Retrieval of Emotional Memories. Neuron 2017; 94:731-743. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
|
39
|
Do-Monte FH, Minier-Toribio A, Quiñones-Laracuente K, Medina-Colón EM, Quirk GJ. Thalamic Regulation of Sucrose Seeking during Unexpected Reward Omission. Neuron 2017; 94:388-400.e4. [PMID: 28426970 PMCID: PMC5484638 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is thought to regulate behavioral responses under emotionally arousing conditions. Reward-associated cues activate PVT neurons; however, the specific PVT efferents regulating reward seeking remain elusive. Using a cued sucrose-seeking task, we manipulated PVT activity under two emotionally distinct conditions: (1) when reward was available during the cue as expected or (2) when reward was unexpectedly omitted during the cue. Pharmacological inactivation of the anterior PVT (aPVT), but not the posterior PVT, increased sucrose seeking only when reward was omitted. Consistent with this, photoactivation of aPVT neurons abolished sucrose seeking, and the firing of aPVT neurons differentiated reward availability. Photoinhibition of aPVT projections to the nucleus accumbens or to the amygdala increased or decreased, respectively, sucrose seeking only when reward was omitted. Our findings suggest that PVT bidirectionally modulates sucrose seeking under the negative (frustrative) conditions of reward omission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabricio H Do-Monte
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, PO Box 365067, San Juan 00936, Puerto Rico.
| | - Angélica Minier-Toribio
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, PO Box 365067, San Juan 00936, Puerto Rico
| | - Kelvin Quiñones-Laracuente
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, PO Box 365067, San Juan 00936, Puerto Rico
| | - Estefanía M Medina-Colón
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, PO Box 365067, San Juan 00936, Puerto Rico
| | - Gregory J Quirk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, PO Box 365067, San Juan 00936, Puerto Rico
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
GABA Cells in the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala Promote Cataplexy. J Neurosci 2017; 37:4007-4022. [PMID: 28209737 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4070-15.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cataplexy is a hallmark of narcolepsy characterized by the sudden uncontrollable onset of muscle weakness or paralysis during wakefulness. It can occur spontaneously, but is typically triggered by positive emotions such as laughter. Although cataplexy was identified >130 years ago, its neural mechanism remains unclear. Here, we show that a newly identified GABA circuit within the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) promotes cataplexy. We used behavioral, electrophysiological, immunohistochemical, and chemogenetic strategies to target and manipulate CeA activity selectively in narcoleptic (orexin-/-) mice to determine its functional role in controlling cataplexy. First, we show that chemogenetic activation of the entire CeA produces a marked increase in cataplexy attacks. Then, we show that GABA cells within the CeA are responsible for mediating this effect. To manipulate GABA cells specifically, we developed a new mouse line that enables genetic targeting of GABA cells in orexin-/- mice. We found that chemogenetic activation of GABA CeA cells triggered a 253% increase in the number of cataplexy attacks without affecting their duration, suggesting that GABA cells play a functional role in initiating but not maintaining cataplexy. We show that GABA cell activation only promotes cataplexy attacks associated with emotionally rewarding stimuli, not those occurring spontaneously. However, we found that chemogenetic inhibition of GABA CeA cells does not prevent cataplexy, suggesting these cells are not required for initiating cataplexy attacks. Our results indicate that the CeA promotes cataplexy onset and that emotionally rewarding stimuli may trigger cataplexy by activating GABA cells in the CeA.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although cataplexy has been closely linked to positive emotions for >130 years, the neural circuitry that underlies this relationship is poorly understood. Recent work suggests that the amygdala, a brain area important for processing emotion, may be part of this circuit. This study provides the first functional evidence to implicate GABA cells in the amygdala as regulators of cataplexy triggered by positive emotions and identifies the amygdala as the brain region important more for gating the entrance into rather than the exit from cataplexy. We also generated a new mouse model for studying GABA neurons in narcoleptic mice, which could serve as a useful tool for studying the neurobiological underpinnings of narcolepsy.
Collapse
|
41
|
Aghajani M, Colins OF, Klapwijk ET, Veer IM, Andershed H, Popma A, van der Wee NJ, Vermeiren RRJM. Dissociable relations between amygdala subregional networks and psychopathy trait dimensions in conduct-disordered juvenile offenders. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:4017-4033. [PMID: 27453465 PMCID: PMC5129576 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 06/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychopathy is a serious psychiatric phenomenon characterized by a pathological constellation of affective (e.g., callous, unemotional), interpersonal (e.g., manipulative, egocentric), and behavioral (e.g., impulsive, irresponsible) personality traits. Though amygdala subregional defects are suggested in psychopathy, the functionality and connectivity of different amygdala subnuclei is typically disregarded in neurocircuit-level analyses of psychopathic personality. Hence, little is known of how amygdala subregional networks may contribute to psychopathy and its underlying trait assemblies in severely antisocial people. We addressed this important issue by uniquely examining the intrinsic functional connectivity of basolateral (BLA) and centromedial (CMA) amygdala networks in relation to affective, interpersonal, and behavioral traits of psychopathy, in conduct-disordered juveniles with a history of serious delinquency (N = 50, mean age = 16.83 ± 1.32). As predicted, amygdalar connectivity profiles exhibited dissociable relations with different traits of psychopathy. Interpersonal psychopathic traits not only related to increased connectivity of BLA and CMA with a corticostriatal network formation accommodating reward processing, but also predicted stronger CMA connectivity with a network of cortical midline structures supporting sociocognitive processes. In contrast, affective psychopathic traits related to diminished CMA connectivity with a frontolimbic network serving salience processing and affective responding. Finally, behavioral psychopathic traits related to heightened BLA connectivity with a frontoparietal cluster implicated in regulatory executive functioning. We suggest that these trait-specific shifts in amygdalar connectivity could be particularly relevant to the psychopathic phenotype, as they may fuel a self-centered, emotionally cold, and behaviorally disinhibited profile. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4017-4033, 2016. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moji Aghajani
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Olivier F Colins
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
- School of Law, Psychology, and Social Work, Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden
| | - Eduard T Klapwijk
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ilya M Veer
- Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Henrik Andershed
- School of Law, Psychology, and Social Work, Orebro University, Orebro, Sweden
| | - Arne Popma
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Faculty of Law, Leiden University, Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Nic J van der Wee
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Robert R J M Vermeiren
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Iordanova MD, Deroche MLD, Esber GR, Schoenbaum G. Neural correlates of two different types of extinction learning in the amygdala central nucleus. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12330. [PMID: 27531638 PMCID: PMC4992052 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Extinction is a fundamental form of memory updating in which one learns to stop expecting an event that no longer occurs. This learning ensues when one experiences a change in environmental contingencies, that is, when an expected outcome fails to occur (simple extinction), or when a novel inflated expectation of a double outcome (overexpectation) is in conflict with the real outcome, and is a process that has been linked to amygdala function. Here, we show that in rats, the same neuronal population in the amygdala central nucleus updates reward expectancies and behaviour in both types of extinction, and neural changes in one paradigm are reflected in the other. This work may have implications for the management of addiction and anxiety disorders that require treatments based on the outcome omission, and disorders such as obesity that could use overexpectation, but not omission strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela D. Iordanova
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch, Behavioral Neurophysiology Research Section, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, 20 Penn Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4B 1R6
| | - Mickael L. D. Deroche
- Center for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University, 3640 Rue de la Montagne, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 2A8
| | - Guillem R. Esber
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch, Behavioral Neurophysiology Research Section, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Geoffrey Schoenbaum
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Cellular Neurobiology Research Branch, Behavioral Neurophysiology Research Section, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, 20 Penn Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, the Johns Hopkins Univeristy, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Millan EZ, Reese RM, Grossman CD, Chaudhri N, Janak PH. Nucleus Accumbens and Posterior Amygdala Mediate Cue-Triggered Alcohol Seeking and Suppress Behavior During the Omission of Alcohol-Predictive Cues. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:2555-65. [PMID: 25872917 PMCID: PMC4569945 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Neurobiological mechanisms that influence behavior in the presence of alcohol-associated stimuli involve processes that organize behavior during the presence of these cues, and separately, regulation of behavior in their absence. However, little is known about anatomical structures that might mediate this regulation. Here we examined nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) as a possible neural substrate mediating behavior modulation triggered by the presence and absence of alcohol-associated environmental cues and contexts. We also examined subregions of basal amygdala nuclei- rostral basolateral (BLA) and basal posterior (BAP)- as they provide a major source of glutamatergic input to the AcbSh. Animals were trained to associate an auditory conditioning stimulus with alcohol in a discriminative context and then subsequently tested for conditioned port-entries across contexts either previously associated or not associated with alcohol. We found that, on test to the alcohol cue alone, AcbSh inactivation prevented conditioned port-entries in contexts that either were associated with alcohol or were novel, while also increasing unconditioned port-entries during the intertrial intervals. When tested to alcohol-reinforced cues, AcbSh inactivation produced more cue-trial omissions and elevated unconditioned port-entries. Interestingly, BLA and BAP inactivation produced dissociable effects. BAP but not BLA increased unconditioned port-entries, while both manipulations prevented conditioned port-entries during the alcohol-cue. We conclude that AcbSh is necessary for modulating control over behavior otherwise guided by the presence of alcohol-predictive environmental stimuli and contexts. Moreover, this role may involve integration of functionally segregated inputs from rostral and posterior portions of basal amygdala nuclei.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Zayra Millan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Dunning Hall, room 224, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA, Tel: +1 707 400 3135, Fax: +1 410 516 0494, E-mail:
| | - Rebecca M Reese
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cooper D Grossman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nadia Chaudhri
- Center for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology/Groupe de recherche en neurobiologie comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Calhoon GG, Tye KM. Resolving the neural circuits of anxiety. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1394-404. [PMID: 26404714 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 437] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although anxiety disorders represent a major societal problem demanding new therapeutic targets, these efforts have languished in the absence of a mechanistic understanding of this subjective emotional state. While it is impossible to know with certainty the subjective experience of a rodent, rodent models hold promise in dissecting well-conserved limbic circuits. The application of modern approaches in neuroscience has already begun to unmask the neural circuit intricacies underlying anxiety by allowing direct examination of hypotheses drawn from existing psychological concepts. This information points toward an updated conceptual model for what neural circuit perturbations could give rise to pathological anxiety and thereby provides a roadmap for future therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gwendolyn G Calhoon
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Increased Basolateral Amygdala Pyramidal Cell Excitability May Contribute to the Anxiogenic Phenotype Induced by Chronic Early-Life Stress. J Neurosci 2015; 35:9730-40. [PMID: 26134655 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0384-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Adolescence represents a particularly vulnerable period during which exposure to stressors can precipitate the onset of psychiatric disorders and addiction. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays an integral role in the pathophysiology of anxiety and addiction. Acute and chronic stress promote increases in BLA pyramidal cell firing, and decreasing BLA excitability alleviates anxiety measures in humans and rodents. Notably, the impact of early-life stress on the mechanisms that govern BLA excitability is unknown. To address this gap in our knowledge, we used a rodent model of chronic early-life stress that engenders robust and enduring increases in anxiety-like behaviors and ethanol intake and examined the impact of this model on the intrinsic excitability of BLA pyramidal cells. Adolescent social isolation was associated with a significant increase in the intrinsic excitability of BLA pyramidal cells and a blunting of the medium component of the afterhyperpolarization potential, a voltage signature of calcium-activated potassium (Kca) channel activity. Western blot analysis revealed reduced expression of small-conductance Kca (SK) channel protein in the BLA of socially isolated (SI) rats. Bath application of a positive SK channel modulator (1-EBIO) normalized firing in ex vivo recordings from SI rats, and in vivo intra-BLA 1-EBIO infusion reduced anxiety-like behaviors. These findings reveal that chronic adolescent stress impairs SK channel function, which contributes to an increase in BLA pyramidal cell excitability and highlights BLA SK channels as promising targets for the treatment of anxiety disorders and comorbid addiction. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although anxiety disorders and alcohol addiction frequently co-occur, the mechanisms that contribute to this comorbidity are poorly understood. Here, we used a rodent early-life stress model that leads to robust and longlasting increases in behaviors associated with elevated risk of anxiety disorders and addiction to identify novel neurobiological substrates that may underlie these behaviors. Our studies focused on the primary output neurons of the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that plays a key role in anxiety and addiction. We discovered that early-life stress decreases the activity of a specific class of potassium channels and increases the intrinsic excitability of BLA neurons and present evidence that enhancing the function of these channels normalizes BLA excitability and attenuates anxiety-like behaviors.
Collapse
|
46
|
Wassum KM, Izquierdo A. The basolateral amygdala in reward learning and addiction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 57:271-83. [PMID: 26341938 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2015] [Revised: 08/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Sophisticated behavioral paradigms partnered with the emergence of increasingly selective techniques to target the basolateral amygdala (BLA) have resulted in an enhanced understanding of the role of this nucleus in learning and using reward information. Due to the wide variety of behavioral approaches many questions remain on the circumscribed role of BLA in appetitive behavior. In this review, we integrate conclusions of BLA function in reward-related behavior using traditional interference techniques (lesion, pharmacological inactivation) with those using newer methodological approaches in experimental animals that allow in vivo manipulation of cell type-specific populations and neural recordings. Secondly, from a review of appetitive behavioral tasks in rodents and monkeys and recent computational models of reward procurement, we derive evidence for BLA as a neural integrator of reward value, history, and cost parameters. Taken together, BLA codes specific and temporally dynamic outcome representations in a distributed network to orchestrate adaptive responses. We provide evidence that experiences with opiates and psychostimulants alter these outcome representations in BLA, resulting in long-term modified action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alicia Izquierdo
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Malvaez M, Greenfield VY, Wang AS, Yorita AM, Feng L, Linker KE, Monbouquette HG, Wassum KM. Basolateral amygdala rapid glutamate release encodes an outcome-specific representation vital for reward-predictive cues to selectively invigorate reward-seeking actions. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12511. [PMID: 26212790 PMCID: PMC4648450 DOI: 10.1038/srep12511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental stimuli have the ability to generate specific representations of the rewards they predict and in so doing alter the selection and performance of reward-seeking actions. The basolateral amygdala participates in this process, but precisely how is unknown. To rectify this, we monitored, in near-real time, basolateral amygdala glutamate concentration changes during a test of the ability of reward-predictive cues to influence reward-seeking actions (Pavlovian-instrumental transfer). Glutamate concentration was found to be transiently elevated around instrumental reward seeking. During the Pavlovian-instrumental transfer test these glutamate transients were time-locked to and correlated with only those actions invigorated by outcome-specific motivational information provided by the reward-predictive stimulus (i.e., actions earning the same specific outcome as predicted by the presented CS). In addition, basolateral amygdala AMPA, but not NMDA glutamate receptor inactivation abolished the selective excitatory influence of reward-predictive cues over reward seeking. These data support [corrected] the hypothesis that transient glutamate release in the BLA can encode the outcome-specific motivational information provided by reward-predictive stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alice S. Wang
- Dept. of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | | | - Lili Feng
- Dept. of Chemical Engineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kay E. Linker
- Dept. of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | | | - Kate M. Wassum
- Dept. of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Brain Research Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Orsini CA, Moorman DE, Young JW, Setlow B, Floresco SB. Neural mechanisms regulating different forms of risk-related decision-making: Insights from animal models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 58:147-67. [PMID: 26072028 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 20 years there has been a growing interest in the neural underpinnings of cost/benefit decision-making. Recent studies with animal models have made considerable advances in our understanding of how different prefrontal, striatal, limbic and monoaminergic circuits interact to promote efficient risk/reward decision-making, and how dysfunction in these circuits underlies aberrant decision-making observed in numerous psychiatric disorders. This review will highlight recent findings from studies exploring these questions using a variety of behavioral assays, as well as molecular, pharmacological, neurophysiological, and translational approaches. We begin with a discussion of how neural systems related to decision subcomponents may interact to generate more complex decisions involving risk and uncertainty. This is followed by an overview of interactions between prefrontal-amygdala-dopamine and habenular circuits in regulating choice between certain and uncertain rewards and how different modes of dopamine transmission may contribute to these processes. These data will be compared with results from other studies investigating the contribution of some of these systems to guiding decision-making related to rewards vs. punishment. Lastly, we provide a brief summary of impairments in risk-related decision-making associated with psychiatric disorders, highlighting recent translational studies in laboratory animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin A Orsini
- Department of Psychiatry and Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - David E Moorman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, United States; VISN-22 Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Barry Setlow
- Department of Psychiatry and Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Stan B Floresco
- Department of Psychology and Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Rau AR, Ariwodola OJ, Weiner JL. Postsynaptic adenosine A2A receptors modulate intrinsic excitability of pyramidal cells in the rat basolateral amygdala. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyv017. [PMID: 25716780 PMCID: PMC4438553 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyv017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The basolateral amygdala plays a critical role in the etiology of anxiety disorders and addiction. Pyramidal neurons, the primary output cells of this region, display increased firing following exposure to stressors, and it is thought that this increase in excitability contributes to stress responsivity and the expression of anxiety-like behaviors. However, much remains unknown about the underlying mechanisms that regulate the intrinsic excitability of basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons. METHODS Ex vivo gramicidin perforated patch recordings were conducted in current clamp mode where hyper- and depolarizing current steps were applied to basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons to assess the effects of adenosine A(2A) receptor modulation on intrinsic excitability. RESULTS Activation of adenosine A(2A) receptors with the selective A(2A) receptor agonist CGS-21680 significantly increased the firing rate of basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons in rat amygdala brain slices, likely via inhibition of the slow afterhyperpolarization potential. Both of these A(2A) receptor-mediated effects were blocked by preapplication of a selective A(2A) receptor antagonist (ZM-241385) or by intra-pipette infusion of a protein kinase A inhibitor, suggesting a postsynaptic locus of A(2A) receptors on basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons. Interestingly, bath application of the A(2A) receptor antagonist alone significantly attenuated basolateral amygdala pyramidal cell firing, consistent with a role for tonic adenosine in the regulation of the intrinsic excitability of these neurons. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these data suggest that adenosine, via activation of A(2A) receptors, may directly facilitate basolateral amygdala pyramidal cell output, providing a possible balance for the recently described inhibitory effects of adenosine A1 receptor activation on glutamatergic excitation of basolateral amygdala pyramidal cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Rau
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine (Mr Rau, Mr Ariwodola, and Dr Weiner), Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Mr Rau), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Olusegun J Ariwodola
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine (Mr Rau, Mr Ariwodola, and Dr Weiner), Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Mr Rau), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Jeff L Weiner
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine (Mr Rau, Mr Ariwodola, and Dr Weiner), Neuroscience Graduate Program, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Mr Rau), Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Janak PH, Tye KM. From circuits to behaviour in the amygdala. Nature 2015; 517:284-92. [PMID: 25592533 PMCID: PMC4565157 DOI: 10.1038/nature14188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1260] [Impact Index Per Article: 140.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala has long been associated with emotion and motivation, playing an essential part in processing both fearful and rewarding environmental stimuli. How can a single structure be crucial for such different functions? With recent technological advances that allow for causal investigations of specific neural circuit elements, we can now begin to map the complex anatomical connections of the amygdala onto behavioural function. Understanding how the amygdala contributes to a wide array of behaviours requires the study of distinct amygdala circuits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia H Janak
- 1] Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA. [2] Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
| | - Kay M Tye
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| |
Collapse
|