Vanderbilt Brain Institute , Nashville , Tennessee 37232 , United States.
Medical Scientist Training Program , Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , Nashville , Tennessee 37232 , United States.
ACS Chem Neurosci. 2018 Sep 19;9(9):2114-2126. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00420. Epub 2018 Jan 24.
Synaptic plasticity contributes to behavioral adaptations. As a key node in the reward pathway, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is important for determining motivation-to-action outcomes. Across animal models of motivation including addiction, depression, anxiety, and hedonic feeding, selective recruitment of neuromodulatory signals and plasticity mechanisms have been a focus of physiologists and behaviorists alike. Experience-dependent plasticity mechanisms within the NAc vary depending on the distinct afferents and cell-types over time. A greater understanding of molecular mechanisms determining how these changes in synaptic strength track with behavioral adaptations will provide insight into the process of learning and memory along with identifying maladaptations underlying pathological behavior. Here, we summarize recent findings detailing how changes in NAc synaptic strength and mechanisms of plasticity manifest in various models of motivational disorders.
突触可塑性有助于行为适应。作为奖励通路中的一个关键节点，伏隔核（NAc）对于确定动机与行为结果之间的关系至关重要。在包括成瘾、抑郁、焦虑和享乐性进食在内的各种动机动物模型中，神经调质信号和可塑性机制的选择性募集一直是生理学家和行为学家关注的焦点。NAc 内的经验依赖性可塑性机制随时间的推移而变化，这取决于不同的传入神经和细胞类型。深入了解决定这些突触强度变化如何与行为适应相关的分子机制，将有助于深入了解学习和记忆的过程，并确定病理性行为的适应不良基础。在这里，我们总结了最近的发现，详细说明了 NAc 突触强度变化和可塑性机制在各种动机障碍模型中的表现。
