Prefrontal cortical regulation of brainwide circuit dynamics and reward-related behavior
Abstract
Which brain regions are causally involved in reward-related behavior? Ferenczi et al. combined focal, cell type-specific, optogenetic manipulations with brain imaging, behavioral testing, and in vivo electrophysiology (see the Perspective by Robbins). Stimulation of midbrain dopamine neurons increased activity in a brain region called the striatum and was correlated with reward-seeking across individual animals. However, elevated excitability of an area called the medial prefrontal cortex reduced both striatal responses to the stimulation of dopamine neurons and the behavioral drive to seek the stimulation of dopamine neurons. Finally, modulating the excitability of medial prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons drove changes in neural circuit synchrony, as well as corresponding anhedonic behavior. These observations resemble imaging and clinical phenotypes observed in human depression, addiction, and schizophrenia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.aac9698
Entities
People
- Amit Etkin
- Brian Knutson
- Brian Patenaude
- Charu Ramakrishnan
- Conor Liston
- Debha Amatya
- Emily A. Ferenczi
- Gary H. Glover
- Hershel Mehta
- Karl Deisseroth
- Kelly A. Zalocusky
- Kiefer Katovich
- Logan Grosenick
- Melissa R. Warden
- Paul Kalanithi
Organizations
- Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
- Carl Marshall and Mildred Almen Reeves Foundation
- Cornell University
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Gatsby Charitable Foundation
- H. L. Snyder Medical Foundation
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- Simons Foundation
- Stanford University
- Weill Cornell Medicine