Article
Neurosciences
Cristina E. Maria-Rios, Geoffrey G. Murphy, Jonathan D. Morrow
Summary: There are intrinsic differences in excitability between medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the NAc core and shell, with shell MSNs being more excitable, having greater input resistance, lower cell capacitance, and faster firing frequency. These differences may be linked to the distinct anatomical characteristics and functional roles of core and shell MSNs in reward learning.
Article
Neurosciences
Heather J. Pribut, Daniela Vazquez, Alice D. Wei, Stephen S. Tennyson, Ian R. Davis, Matthew R. Roesch, Xuan Li
Summary: This study found that overexpression of HDAC5 in the dorsal striatum of rats leads to faster response and more frequent selection of high-value rewards in the first set of trials, but less flexibility in reversing these contingencies in the second set. At the neural level, HDAC5 overexpression in the dorsal striatum increases and decreases the number of cells in the dorsolateral striatum that respond to stimuli and rewards, respectively, and shifts encoding towards cues predicting more immediate rewards.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Erika Lucente, Bo Soederpalm, Mia Ericson, Louise Adermark
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the acute and sustained effects of nicotine on the female rat brain, focusing on changes in dopamine neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity. The findings showed that nicotine can decrease excitatory neurotransmission, enhance synaptic long-term depression, and induce behavioral sensitization and increased neurophysiological responsiveness. These effects may contribute to the establishment of persistent nicotine taking habits.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Kara K. Cover, Abby G. Lieberman, Morgan M. Heckman, Brian N. Mathur
Summary: The dorsal striatum (DS) plays a role in selecting actions for reward, which is crucial for survival. Striatal pathology is linked to various neuropsychiatric conditions, including addiction-related aberrant reward-based action selection. The rostral intralaminar nuclei (rILN) of the thalamus, a major source of glutamate for the striatum, transmit information to support action selection, although the specifics are unknown. This study found that rILN neurons projecting to the DS receive inputs from various cortical and subcortical regions, and these neurons signal during action initiation and reward acquisition in a task involving sucrose reward. Activation of this pathway increased the number of successful trials, while inhibition decreased it, indicating the role of the rostral intralaminar nuclear complex in reinforcing actions.
Article
Neurosciences
Kurt M. Fraser, Heather J. Pribut, Patricia H. Janak, Ronald Keiflin
Summary: Reward seeking requires coordination of motor programs. Midbrain dopamine neurons are critical for reinforcement and learning. Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons imbue actions and cues with motivational value, allowing flexible pursuit, whereas substantia nigra (SNc) dopamine neurons support precise, action-specific learning. This heterogeneous dopamine system supports unique forms of instrumental learning and reward-seeking strategies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Kei Oyama, Yukiko Hori, Koki Mimura, Yuji Nagai, Mark A. G. Eldridge, Richard C. Saunders, Naohisa Miyakawa, Toshiyuki Hirabayashi, Yuki Hori, Ken-ichi Inoue, Tetsuya Suhara, Masahiko Takada, Makoto Higuchi, Barry J. Richmond, Takafumi Minamimoto
Summary: This study used DREADDs technology to disrupt the interaction between OFC and rmCD in monkeys, and found that it significantly affected the sensitivity to cued reward value for goal-directed behavior. This finding extends the understanding of the physiological basis of psychiatric disorders.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Sanja Klein, Onno Kruse, Isabell Tapia Leon, Lukas Van Oudenhove, Sophie R. van 't Hof, Tim Klucken, Tor D. Wager, Rudolf Stark
Summary: Sharing and comparing imaging data across psychological tasks is becoming more feasible with the advancement of open science movement. This study validates the commonalities between aversive and appetitive classical conditioning through a multivariate approach, providing an empirical method to integrate fMRI findings across paradigms.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marlene Cervantes, Robert G. Lewis, Maria Agnese Della-Fazia, Emiliana Borrelli, Paolo Sassone-Corsi
Summary: The circadian clock and metabolism are closely linked, relying on interactions between organ systems for proper timing. Substance use disrupts communication between organs and alters rhythmic activities. This study finds that alterations in dopamine signaling in the brain can affect circadian metabolism in peripheral organs. Drugs like cocaine that increase dopamine levels disrupt circadian metabolic profiles in the liver, especially when dopamine D2 receptors are lost.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biology
Alexander Soutschek, Susanna C. Weber, Thorsten Kahnt, Boris B. Quednow, Philippe N. Tobler
Summary: The study found that pharmacological manipulations can affect human desires for rewards rather than preferences, with stronger neural connectivity. Opioid receptors impact reward motivation, whereas dopamine receptors do not affect behavior or neural activity.
Article
Neurosciences
Joshua W. Callahan, David L. Wokosin, Mark D. Bevan
Summary: This study used optogenetics and electrophysiology to reveal some characteristics of early Huntington's disease, including abnormal activity of the indirect pathway neurons and changes in inhibitory mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Keri S. Rosch, Mitchell A. Batschelett, Deana Crocetti, Stewart H. Mostofsky, Karen E. Seymour
Summary: The study investigates the integrity of white matter connections in the fronto-subcortical neural circuitry of children with ADHD and typically developing (TD) controls. The findings suggest that there are differences in these connections between the two groups, which may contribute to the pathophysiology of ADHD. Additionally, the study suggests that the integrity of these connections is related to individual differences in delay discounting, a behavior associated with ADHD, and that there may be sex differences in these relationships.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Linda M. Amarante, Mark Laubach
Summary: The study found that both MFC and OFC cortices generate theta range activity simultaneously, encoding the value of consumed fluids. MFC plays a top-down role in controlling consumption.
Article
Neurosciences
Kathleen G. Bryant, Mitchell A. Nothem, Lauren A. Buck, Binay Singh, Sana Amin, Christina M. Curran-Alfaro, Jacqueline M. Barker
Summary: Although the long-term effects of chronic exposure to lower levels of alcohol are not well understood, previous studies have shown that chronic low-dose ethanol exposure can enhance motivation for sucrose in male mice. This may be due to the effects of ethanol on reward learning and motivation. In this study, the researchers found that chronic ethanol exposure suppressed the activity of the ventral hippocampus (vHPC) in mice, and inhibiting vHPC activity increased reward motivation in ethanol-naive controls.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastien Kessler, Gwenael Labouebe, Sophie Croizier, Sevasti Gaspari, David Tarussio, Bernard Thorens
Summary: This study identified glucokinase-expressing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), which have opposite glucose sensing properties and control over feeding behavior compared to previously characterized neurons. Through projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), these neurons play a role in regulating food intake and sucrose-seeking behavior. The findings provide insight into the complex mechanisms involved in the control of feeding behavior by the PVT.
Article
Neurosciences
Maria Bretzke, Hannes Wahl, Michael M. Plichta, Nicole Wolff, Veit Roessner, Nora C. Vetter, Judith Buse
Summary: Adolescents and adults show differences in their response to rewards and handling uncertainty, possibly influenced by different reward probabilities. Adolescents exhibit faster reaction times under lower reward probabilities in experiments, but overall slower response speed compared to adults.
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)