Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2021 Oct;184:107498. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107498. Epub 2021 Jul 29.
Cognitive flexibility is a prefrontal cortex-dependent neurocognitive process that enables behavioral adaptation in response to changes in environmental contingencies. Electrical vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) enhances several forms of learning and neuroplasticity, but its effects on cognitive flexibility have not been evaluated. In the current study, a within-subjects design was used to assess the effects of VNS on performance in a novel visual discrimination reversal learning task conducted in touchscreen operant chambers. The task design enabled simultaneous assessment of acute VNS both on reversal learning and on recall of a well-learned discrimination problem. Acute VNS delivered in conjunction with stimuli presentation during reversal learning reliably enhanced learning of new reward contingencies. Enhancement was not observed, however, if VNS was delivered during the session but was not coincident with presentation of to-be-learned stimuli. In addition, whereas VNS delivered at 30 HZ enhanced performance, the same enhancement was not observed using 10 or 50 Hz. Together, these data show that acute VNS facilitates reversal learning and indicate that the timing and frequency of the VNS are critical for these enhancing effects. In separate rats, administration of the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine also enhanced reversal learning in the same task, consistent with a noradrenergic mechanism through which VNS enhances cognitive flexibility.
认知灵活性是一种依赖于前额叶皮层的神经认知过程,它使行为能够适应环境变化的偶然性。电迷走神经刺激(VNS)增强了多种形式的学习和神经可塑性,但它对认知灵活性的影响尚未得到评估。在目前的研究中,采用了被试内设计来评估 VNS 对在触摸屏操作性条件反射室中进行的新型视觉辨别反转学习任务中的表现的影响。该任务设计能够同时评估急性 VNS 对反转学习和对已熟练辨别问题的回忆的影响。急性 VNS 与反转学习过程中的刺激呈现相结合可靠地增强了新奖励偶然性的学习。然而,如果 VNS 在会话期间给药但与要学习的刺激呈现不同时,则不会观察到增强。此外,尽管以 30 Hz 传递 VNS 增强了性能,但以 10 或 50 Hz 传递则没有观察到相同的增强。这些数据共同表明,急性 VNS 促进了反转学习,并表明 VNS 的时间和频率对于这些增强效果至关重要。在单独的大鼠中,去甲肾上腺素再摄取抑制剂托莫西汀的给药也增强了相同任务中的反转学习,这与 VNS 通过去甲肾上腺素能机制增强认知灵活性的机制一致。
Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2021-10
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2016-7
Cell Rep Methods. 2025-4-21
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2025-4
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2024-9
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2021-6
J Psychopharmacol. 2021-7
Front Neurosci. 2020-11-6
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2020-11