Uslaner Jason M, Robinson Terry E
Biopsychology and Neuroscience Programs, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, East Hall, 525 E. University Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48019-1109, USA.
Eur J Neurosci. 2006 Oct;24(8):2345-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.05117.x.
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is traditionally thought of as part of a system involved in motor control but recent evidence suggests that it may also play a role in other psychological processes. Here we examined the effects of STN lesions on two measures of impulsivity and found that STN lesions increased 'impulsive action' (produced behavioral disinhibition), as measured by performance on a differential reinforcement of low rates of responding task, but decreased 'impulsive choice' (impulsive decision making), as measured by a delay discounting task. In addition, amphetamine and food restriction increased 'impulsive action' and decreased 'impulsive choice' to a greater extent in STN-lesioned animals than in sham controls. We speculate that these apparently discrepant effects may be because STN lesions enhance the incentive salience assigned to rewards. These findings suggest that the STN may serve as a novel target for the treatment of psychological disorders characterized by deficits in behavioral control, such as drug addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
传统上认为，丘脑底核（STN）是参与运动控制的系统的一部分，但最近的证据表明，它也可能在其他心理过程中发挥作用。在这里，我们研究了STN损伤对两种冲动性指标的影响，发现STN损伤增加了“冲动行为”（导致行为抑制解除），这通过对低反应率任务的差别强化表现来衡量，但减少了“冲动选择”（冲动决策），这通过延迟折扣任务来衡量。此外，与假手术对照组相比，苯丙胺和食物限制在STN损伤动物中更大程度地增加了“冲动行为”并减少了“冲动选择”。我们推测，这些明显矛盾的效应可能是因为STN损伤增强了赋予奖励的激励显著性。这些发现表明，STN可能成为治疗以行为控制缺陷为特征的心理障碍（如药物成瘾和注意力缺陷多动障碍）的新靶点。
