Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Cell Rep. 2020 Mar 17;30(11):3729-3742.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.095.
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) contributes to behavioral inhibition and compulsions, but circuit mechanisms are unclear. Recent evidence suggests that amygdala and thalamic inputs exert opposing control over behavior, much like direct and indirect pathway output neurons. Accordingly, opponent processes between these NAc inputs or cell types may underlie efficient reward seeking. We assess the contributions of these circuit elements to mouse operant behavior during recurring conditions when reward is and is not available. Although direct pathway stimulation is rewarding and indirect pathway stimulation aversive, the activity of both cell types is elevated during periods of behavioral suppression, and the inhibition of either cell-type selectively increases unproductive reward seeking. Amygdala and thalamic inputs are also necessary for behavioral suppression, even though they both support self-stimulation and innervate different NAc subregions. These data suggest that efficient reward seeking relies on complementary activity across NAc cell types and inputs rather than opponent processes between them.
伏隔核（NAc）有助于行为抑制和强迫，但电路机制尚不清楚。最近的证据表明，杏仁核和丘脑输入对行为施加相反的控制，就像直接和间接通路输出神经元一样。因此，这些 NAc 输入或细胞类型之间的对抗过程可能是有效奖励寻求的基础。我们评估了这些电路元件在反复出现奖励和不可用时的小鼠操作性行为中的贡献。尽管直接通路刺激是奖赏性的，间接通路刺激是厌恶的，但在行为抑制期间，两种细胞类型的活动都会升高，并且选择性抑制任何一种细胞类型都会增加无效率的奖励寻求。即使杏仁核和丘脑输入都支持自我刺激并支配不同的 NAc 亚区，它们对于行为抑制也是必需的。这些数据表明，有效的奖励寻求依赖于 NAc 细胞类型和输入之间的互补活动，而不是它们之间的对抗过程。
