Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Center for Brain-Inspired Computing Research, Beijing Innovation Center for Future Chips, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
Neurosci Bull. 2021 May;37(5):623-640. doi: 10.1007/s12264-021-00632-9. Epub 2021 Feb 6.
The nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) plays an important role in reward and aversion. Traditionally, NAc dopamine receptor 2-expressing (D2) neurons are assumed to function in aversion. However, this has been challenged by recent reports which attribute positive motivational roles to D2 neurons. Using optogenetics and multiple behavioral tasks, we found that activation of D2 neurons in the dorsomedial NAcSh drives preference and increases the motivation for rewards, whereas activation of ventral NAcSh D2 neurons induces aversion. Stimulation of D2 neurons in the ventromedial NAcSh increases movement speed and stimulation of D2 neurons in the ventrolateral NAcSh decreases movement speed. Combining retrograde tracing and in situ hybridization, we demonstrated that glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum receive inputs differentially from the dorsomedial and ventral NAcSh. All together, these findings shed light on the controversy regarding the function of NAcSh D2 neurons, and provide new insights into understanding the heterogeneity of the NAcSh.
伏隔核壳（NAcSh）在奖励和厌恶中起着重要作用。传统上，假定伏隔核多巴胺受体 2 表达（D2）神经元在厌恶中起作用。然而，最近的报告对这一观点提出了挑战，这些报告将积极的动机作用归因于 D2 神经元。通过光遗传学和多种行为任务，我们发现激活背内侧 NAcSh 中的 D2 神经元会引起偏好并增加对奖励的动机，而激活腹侧 NAcSh 中的 D2 神经元则会引起厌恶。刺激腹侧 NAcSh 中的 D2 神经元会增加运动速度，而刺激腹外侧 NAcSh 中的 D2 神经元会降低运动速度。通过逆行追踪和原位杂交，我们证明了腹侧苍白球中的谷氨酸能和 GABA 能神经元从背内侧和腹侧 NAcSh 接收到不同的输入。综上所述，这些发现阐明了 NAcSh D2 神经元功能的争议，并为理解 NAcSh 的异质性提供了新的见解。
