1
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Ferguson LA, Matamales M, Nolan C, Balleine BW, Bertran-Gonzalez J. Adaptation of sequential action benefits from timing variability related to lateral basal ganglia circuitry. iScience 2024; 27:109274. [PMID: 38496293 PMCID: PMC10943431 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Streamlined action sequences must remain flexible should stable contingencies in the environment change. By combining analyses of behavioral structure with a circuit-specific manipulation in mice, we report on a relationship between action timing variability and successful adaptation that relates to post-synaptic targets of primary motor cortical (M1) projections to dorsolateral striatum (DLS). In a two-lever instrumental task, mice formed successful action sequences by, first, establishing action scaffolds and, second, smoothly extending action duration to adapt to increased task requirements. Interruption of DLS neurons in M1 projection territories altered this process, evoking higher-rate actions that were more stereotyped in their timing, reducing opportunities for success. Based on evidence from neuronal tracing experiments, we propose that DLS neurons in M1 projection territories supply action timing variability to facilitate adaptation, a function that may involve additional downstream subcortical processing relating to collateralization of descending motor pathways to multiple basal ganglia centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan A. Ferguson
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Miriam Matamales
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Christopher Nolan
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bernard W. Balleine
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jesus Bertran-Gonzalez
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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2
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Akefe IO, Saber SH, Matthews B, Venkatesh BG, Gormal RS, Blackmore DG, Alexander S, Sieriecki E, Gambin Y, Bertran-Gonzalez J, Vitale N, Humeau Y, Gaudin A, Ellis SA, Michaels AA, Xue M, Cravatt B, Joensuu M, Wallis TP, Meunier FA. The DDHD2-STXBP1 interaction mediates long-term memory via generation of saturated free fatty acids. EMBO J 2024; 43:533-567. [PMID: 38316990 PMCID: PMC10897203 DOI: 10.1038/s44318-024-00030-7] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The phospholipid and free fatty acid (FFA) composition of neuronal membranes plays a crucial role in learning and memory, but the mechanisms through which neuronal activity affects the brain's lipid landscape remain largely unexplored. The levels of saturated FFAs, particularly of myristic acid (C14:0), strongly increase during neuronal stimulation and memory acquisition, suggesting the involvement of phospholipase A1 (PLA1) activity in synaptic plasticity. Here, we show that genetic ablation of the PLA1 isoform DDHD2 in mice dramatically reduces saturated FFA responses to memory acquisition across the brain. Furthermore, DDHD2 loss also decreases memory performance in reward-based learning and spatial memory models prior to the development of neuromuscular deficits that mirror human spastic paraplegia. Via pulldown-mass spectrometry analyses, we find that DDHD2 binds to the key synaptic protein STXBP1. Using STXBP1/2 knockout neurosecretory cells and a haploinsufficient STXBP1+/- mouse model of human early infantile encephalopathy associated with intellectual disability and motor dysfunction, we show that STXBP1 controls targeting of DDHD2 to the plasma membrane and generation of saturated FFAs in the brain. These findings suggest key roles for DDHD2 and STXBP1 in lipid metabolism and in the processes of synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac O Akefe
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Academy for Medical Education, Medical School, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, 4006, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Saber H Saber
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Benjamin Matthews
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Bharat G Venkatesh
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Rachel S Gormal
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Daniel G Blackmore
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Suzy Alexander
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Emma Sieriecki
- School of Medical Science, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, 2052, Australia
- EMBL Australia, Single Molecule Node, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Yann Gambin
- School of Medical Science, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, 2052, Australia
- EMBL Australia, Single Molecule Node, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | | | - Nicolas Vitale
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, UPR-3212 CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yann Humeau
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 5297, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Arnaud Gaudin
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Sevannah A Ellis
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Alysee A Michaels
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- The Cain Foundation Laboratories, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mingshan Xue
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- The Cain Foundation Laboratories, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin Cravatt
- The Department of Chemistry and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Merja Joensuu
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Tristan P Wallis
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Frédéric A Meunier
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
- The School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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3
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Bertran-Gonzalez J, Dinale C, Matamales M. Restoring the youthful state of striatal plasticity in aged mice re-enables cognitive control of action. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1997-2007.e5. [PMID: 37141886 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Multidisciplinary evidence suggests that the control of voluntary action arbitrates between two major forms of behavioral processing: cognitively guided (or goal directed) and autonomously guided (or habitual). Brain-state irregularities affecting the striatum-such as aging-commonly shift control toward the latter, although the responsible neural mechanisms remain unknown. Combining instrumental conditioning with cell-specific mapping and chemogenetics in striatal neurons, we explored strategies that invigorate goal-directed capacity in aged mice. We found that, under conditions favoring goal-directed control, aged animals resiliently expressed autonomously guided behavior, a response that was underpinned by a characteristic one-to-one functional engagement of the two main neuronal populations in the striatum-D1- and D2-dopamine receptor-expressing spiny projection neurons (SPNs). Chemogenetically induced desensitization of D2-SPN signaling in aged transgenic mice recapitulated the striatal plasticity state observed in young mice, an effect that shifted behavior toward vigorous, goal-directed action. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the neural bases of behavioral control and propose neural system interventions that enhance cognitive functioning in habit-prone brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus Bertran-Gonzalez
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Caroline Dinale
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Miriam Matamales
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
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4
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Cheng Y, Xie X, Lu J, Gangal H, Wang W, Melo S, Wang X, Jerger J, Woodson K, Garr E, Huang Y, Janak P, Wang J. Optogenetic induction of orbitostriatal long-term potentiation in the dorsomedial striatum elicits a persistent reduction of alcohol-seeking behavior in rats. Neuropharmacology 2021; 191:108560. [PMID: 33894220 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Uncontrolled drug-seeking and -taking behaviors are generally driven by maladaptive corticostriatal synaptic plasticity. The orbital frontal cortex (OFC) and its projections to the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) have been extensively implicated in drug-seeking and relapse behaviors. The influence of the synaptic plasticity of OFC projections to the DMS (OFC→DMS) on drug-seeking and -taking behaviors has not been fully characterized. To investigate this, we trained rats to self-administer 20% alcohol and then delivered an in vivo optogenetic protocol designed to induce long-term potentiation (LTP) selectively at OFC→DMS synapses. We selected LTP induction because we found that voluntary alcohol self-administration suppressed OFC→DMS transmission and LTP may normalize this transmission, consequently reducing alcohol-seeking behavior. Importantly, ex vivo slice electrophysiology studies confirmed that this in vivo optical stimulation protocol resulted in a significant increase in excitatory OFC→DMS transmission strength on day two after stimulation, suggesting that LTP was induced in vivo. Rat alcohol-seeking and -taking behaviors were significantly reduced on days 1-3, but not on days 7-11, after LTP induction. Striatal synaptic plasticity is modulated by several critical neurotransmitter receptors, including dopamine D1 receptors (D1Rs) and adenosine A2A receptors (A2ARs). We found that delivery of in vivo optical stimulation in the presence of a D1R antagonist abolished the LTP-associated decrease in alcohol-seeking behavior, whereas delivery in the presence of an A2AR antagonist may facilitate this LTP-induced behavioral change. These results demonstrate that alcohol-seeking behavior was negatively regulated by the potentiation of excitatory OFC→DMS neurotransmission. Our findings provide direct evidence that the OFC exerts "top-down" control of alcohol-seeking behavior via the DMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifeng Cheng
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA; Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Xueyi Xie
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Jiayi Lu
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Himanshu Gangal
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Sebastian Melo
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Xuehua Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Jared Jerger
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Kayla Woodson
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Eric Garr
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Yufei Huang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Patricia Janak
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA.
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5
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Garr E, Delamater AR. Chemogenetic inhibition in the dorsal striatum reveals regional specificity of direct and indirect pathway control of action sequencing. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 169:107169. [PMID: 31972244 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Animals engage in intricate action sequences that are constructed during instrumental learning. There is broad consensus that the basal ganglia play a crucial role in the formation and fluid performance of action sequences. To investigate the role of the basal ganglia direct and indirect pathways in action sequencing, we virally expressed Cre-dependent Gi-DREADDs in either the dorsomedial (DMS) or dorsolateral (DLS) striatum during and/or after action sequence learning in D1 and D2 Cre rats. Action sequence performance in D1 Cre rats was slowed down early in training when DREADDs were activated in the DMS, but sped up when activated in the DLS. Acquisition of the reinforced sequence was hindered when DREADDs were activated in the DLS of D2 Cre rats. Outcome devaluation tests conducted after training revealed that the goal-directed control of action sequence rates was immune to chemogenetic inhibition-rats suppressed the rate of sequence performance when rewards were devalued. Sequence initiation latencies were generally sensitive to outcome devaluation, except in the case where DREADD activation was removed in D2 Cre rats that previously experienced DREADD activation in the DMS during training. Sequence completion latencies were generally not sensitive to outcome devaluation, except in the case where D1 Cre rats experienced DREADD activation in the DMS during training and test. Collectively, these results suggest that the indirect pathway originating from the DLS is part of a circuit involved in the effective reinforcement of action sequences, while the direct and indirect pathways originating from the DMS contribute to the goal-directed control of sequence completion and initiation, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Garr
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, United States; Brooklyn College, City University of New York, United States.
| | - Andrew R Delamater
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, United States; Brooklyn College, City University of New York, United States
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6
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Monroy E, Diaz A, Tendilla-Beltrán H, de la Cruz F, Flores G. Bexarotene treatment increases dendritic length in the nucleus accumbens without change in the locomotor activity and memory behaviors, in old mice. J Chem Neuroanat 2019; 104:101734. [PMID: 31887346 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2019.101734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The aged brain has biochemical and morphological alterations in the dendrites of the pyramidal neurons of the limbic system, which consequently trigger motor and cognitive deficits. Bexarotene 4-[1-(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-6,7-dihydronaphthalen-2-yl)ethenyl]benzoic acid is a selective agonist of X-retinoid receptors which acts by binding to the intracellular retinoic acid receptors (RAR). It decreases oxidative and inflammatory activity, in addition to the transport of lipids, mechanisms that together could have a neuroprotective effect. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of bexarotene on the motor and cognitive processes, as well as its influence on the dendritic morphology of neurons in the limbic system of elderly mice. Dendritic morphology was evaluated with the Golgi-Cox staining procedure followed by the Sholl analysis. Bexarotene was administered at different doses: 0.0; 0.5; 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg for 60 days in 18-month-old mice. After the treatment, locomotor activity in a novel environment and spatial memory in the water labyrinth were evaluated. Mice treated with bexarotene did not show significant changes in their behavior. Moreover, bexarotene-treated mice only showed a significant increase in the density of the dendritic spines and the dendritic length in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) neurons. In conclusion, the administration of bexarotene improves the plasticity of the NAcc of aged mice, and therefore could be a pharmacological alternative to prevent or delay neuroplasticity disruptions in brain aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elibeth Monroy
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico; Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). CDMX, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Diaz
- Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico
| | - Hiram Tendilla-Beltrán
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico; Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). CDMX, Mexico
| | - Fidel de la Cruz
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). CDMX, Mexico
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Laboratorio de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Puebla, Mexico.
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7
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Garr E. Contributions of the basal ganglia to action sequence learning and performance. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:279-295. [PMID: 31541637 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Animals engage in intricately woven and choreographed action sequences that are constructed from trial-and-error learning. The mechanisms by which the brain links together individual actions which are later recalled as fluid chains of behavior are not fully understood, but there is broad consensus that the basal ganglia play a crucial role in this process. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the role of the basal ganglia in action sequencing, with a focus on whether the computational framework of reinforcement learning can capture key behavioral features of sequencing and the neural mechanisms that underlie them. While a simple neurocomputational model of reinforcement learning can capture key features of action sequence learning, this model is not sufficient to capture goal-directed control of sequences or their hierarchical representation. The hierarchical structure of action sequences, in particular, poses a challenge for building better models of action sequencing, and it is in this regard that further investigations into basal ganglia information processing may be informative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Garr
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 5(th) Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States.
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8
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Bradfield LA, Matamales M, Bertran-Gonzalez J. The Thalamostriatal Pathway and the Hierarchical Control of Action. Neuron 2019; 100:521-523. [PMID: 30408439 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Sequential ordering of motor commands is required for the simplest of our daily activities. In this issue of Neuron, Díaz-Hernández et al. (2018) show that distinct thalamic inputs to different regions of the dorsal striatum critically modulate the initiation and execution of action sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Bradfield
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia; St. Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, St. Vincent's Hospital Sydney Limited, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.
| | - Miriam Matamales
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Jesus Bertran-Gonzalez
- Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
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9
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Halbout B, Marshall AT, Azimi A, Liljeholm M, Mahler SV, Wassum KM, Ostlund SB. Mesolimbic dopamine projections mediate cue-motivated reward seeking but not reward retrieval in rats. eLife 2019; 8:43551. [PMID: 31107241 PMCID: PMC6548499 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient foraging requires an ability to coordinate discrete reward-seeking and reward-retrieval behaviors. We used pathway-specific chemogenetic inhibition to investigate how rats’ mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine circuits contribute to the expression and modulation of reward seeking and retrieval. Inhibiting ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons disrupted the tendency for reward-paired cues to motivate reward seeking, but spared their ability to increase attempts to retrieve reward. Similar effects were produced by inhibiting dopamine inputs to nucleus accumbens, but not medial prefrontal cortex. Inhibiting dopamine neurons spared the suppressive effect of reward devaluation on reward seeking, an assay of goal-directed behavior. Attempts to retrieve reward persisted after devaluation, indicating they were habitually performed as part of a fixed action sequence. Our findings show that complete bouts of reward seeking and retrieval are behaviorally and neurally dissociable from bouts of reward seeking without retrieval. This dichotomy may prove useful for uncovering mechanisms of maladaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briac Halbout
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Andrew T Marshall
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Ali Azimi
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Mimi Liljeholm
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Stephen V Mahler
- Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Sean B Ostlund
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Irvine Center for Addiction Neuroscience, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
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