Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), College de France, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, Paris, France.
School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 4;9(1):1361. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37227-w.
The nucleusLocus Coeruleus (LC) is the major source of forebrain norepinephrine. LC is implicated in arousal, response to novelty, and cognitive functions, including decision-making and behavioral flexibility. One hypothesis is that LC activation promotes rapid shifts in cortical attentional networks following changes in environmental contingencies. Recent recordings further suggest LC is critical for mobilizing resources to deal with challenging situations. In the present study optogenetically identified LC neuronal activity was recorded in rats in a self-paced T-maze. Rats were trained on visual discrimination; then place-reward contingencies were instated. In the session where the animal shifted tasks the first time, the LC firing rate after visual cue onset increased significantly, even as the animal adhered to the previous rule. Firing rate also increased prior to crossing photodetectors that controlled stimulus onset and offset, and this was positively correlated with accelerations, consistent with a role in mobilizing effort. The results contribute to the growing evidence that the noradrenergic LC is essential for behavioral adaptation by promoting cognitive flexibility and mobilizing effort in face of changing environmental contingencies.
蓝斑核（LC）是大脑去甲肾上腺素的主要来源。LC 参与觉醒、对新奇事物的反应以及认知功能，包括决策和行为灵活性。一个假设是 LC 的激活促进了皮质注意网络在环境关联变化后的快速转变。最近的记录进一步表明，LC 对于调动资源应对具有挑战性的情况至关重要。在本研究中，通过光遗传学方法在自主式 T 迷宫中的大鼠中记录了被鉴定的 LC 神经元活动。大鼠接受视觉辨别训练；然后建立位置奖励关联。在动物第一次转换任务的会议中，视觉线索出现后 LC 的发射率显著增加，即使动物坚持以前的规则。发射率也在控制刺激开始和结束的光电探测器之前增加，这与加速度呈正相关，这与动员努力的作用一致。这些结果为越来越多的证据做出了贡献，即去甲肾上腺素能 LC 通过促进认知灵活性和在面对不断变化的环境关联时动员努力，对于行为适应是必不可少的。
