scholarly journals The Paraventricular Thalamus is a Critical Mediator of Top-down Control of Cue-motivated Behavior in Rats

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Campus ◽  
Ignacio R. Covelo ◽  
Youngsoo Kim ◽  
Aram Parsegian ◽  
Brittany N. Kuhn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maladaptive Behavior ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Prelimbic Cortex ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens Shell ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Incentive Value ◽  
Motivated Behavior ◽  
Paraventricular Thalamus ◽  
Stimulation Of

AbstractCues in the environment can elicit complex emotional states, and thereby maladaptive behavior, as a function of their ascribed value. Here we capture individual variation in the propensity to attribute motivational value to reward-cues using the sign-tracker/goal-tracker animal model. Goal-trackers attribute predictive value to reward-cues, and sign-trackers attribute both predictive and incentive value. Using chemogenetics and microdialysis, we show that, in sign-trackers, stimulation of the neuronal pathway from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) decreases the incentive value of a reward-cue. In contrast, in goal-trackers, inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway increases both the incentive value and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens shell. The PrL-PVT pathway, therefore, exerts top-down control over the dopamine-dependent process of incentive salience attribution. These results highlight PrL-PVT pathway as a potential target for treating psychopathologies associated with the attribution of excessive incentive value to reward-cues, including addiction.

scholarly journals The paraventricular thalamus is a critical mediator of top-down control of cue-motivated behavior in rats

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Campus ◽  
Ignacio R Covelo ◽  
Youngsoo Kim ◽  
Aram Parsegian ◽  
Brittany N Kuhn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maladaptive Behavior ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Prelimbic Cortex ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens Shell ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Incentive Value ◽  
Motivated Behavior ◽  
Paraventricular Thalamus ◽  
Stimulation Of

Cues in the environment can elicit complex emotional states, and thereby maladaptive behavior, as a function of their ascribed value. Here we capture individual variation in the propensity to attribute motivational value to reward-cues using the sign-tracker/goal-tracker animal model. Goal-trackers attribute predictive value to reward-cues, and sign-trackers attribute both predictive and incentive value. Using chemogenetics and microdialysis, we show that, in sign-trackers, stimulation of the neuronal pathway from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) decreases the incentive value of a reward-cue. In contrast, in goal-trackers, inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway increases both the incentive value and dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens shell. The PrL-PVT pathway, therefore, exerts top-down control over the dopamine-dependent process of incentive salience attribution. These results highlight PrL-PVT pathway as a potential target for treating psychopathologies associated with the attribution of excessive incentive value to reward-cues, including addiction.

scholarly journals Inhibition of a cortico-thalamic circuit attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in “relapse prone” male rats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany N. Kuhn ◽  
Paolo Campus ◽  
Marin S. Klumpner ◽  
Stephen E. Chang ◽  
Amanda G. Iglesias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Drug Seeking ◽  
Drug Cues ◽  
Cortical Input ◽  
Incentive Value ◽  
Seeking Behavior

AbstractRelapse often occurs when individuals are exposed to stimuli or cues previously associated with the drug-taking experience. The ability of drug cues to trigger relapse is believed to be a consequence of incentive salience attribution, a process by which the incentive value of reward is transferred to the reward-paired cue. Sign-tracker (ST) rats that attribute enhanced incentive value to reward cues are more prone to relapse compared to goal-tracker (GT) rats that primarily attribute predictive value to such cues. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this individual variation in relapse propensity remains largely unexplored. The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has been identified as a critical node in the regulation of cue-elicited behaviors in STs and GTs, including cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior. Here we used a chemogenetic approach to assess whether “top-down” cortical input from the prelimbic cortex (PrL) to the PVT plays a role in mediating individual differences in relapse propensity. Chemogenetic inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway selectively decreased cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in STs, without affecting behavior in GTs. In contrast, cocaine-primed drug-seeking behavior was not affected in either phenotype. Furthermore, when rats were characterized based on a different behavioral phenotype – locomotor response to novelty – inhibition of the PrL-PVT pathway had no effect on either cue- or drug-induced reinstatement. These results highlight an important role for the PrL-PVT pathway in vulnerability to relapse that is driven by individual differences in the propensity to attribute incentive salience to discrete reward cues.

scholarly journals Author response: The paraventricular thalamus is a critical mediator of top-down control of cue-motivated behavior in rats

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Campus ◽  
Ignacio R Covelo ◽  
Youngsoo Kim ◽  
Aram Parsegian ◽  
Brittany N Kuhn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Author Response ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Motivated Behavior ◽  
Paraventricular Thalamus

Thirst

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil E. Rowland
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Body Fluid ◽  
Water Deprivation ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Fluid Loss ◽  
Incentive Salience ◽  
Motivated Behavior ◽  
Dry Food ◽  
Body Fluid Balance

Thirst is a specific and compelling sensation, often arising from internal signals of dehydration but modulated by many environmental variables. There are several historical landmarks in the study of thirst and drinking behavior. The basic physiology of body fluid balance is important, in particular the mechanisms that conserve fluid loss. The transduction of fluid deficits can be discussed in relation to osmotic pressure (osmoreceptors) and volume (baroreceptors). Other relevant issues include the neurobiological mechanisms by which these signals are transformed to intracellular and extracellular dehydration thirsts, respectively, including the prominent role of structures along the lamina terminalis. Other considerations are the integration of signals from natural dehydration conditions, including water deprivation, thermoregulatory fluid loss, and thirst associated with eating dry food. These mechanisms should also be considered within a broader theoretical framework of organization of motivated behavior based on incentive salience.

Features of the involvement of the dopamine and serotonin brain systems in positive and negative emotional states in rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-130
Author(s):  
Eugenii R. Bychkov ◽  
Andrei A. Lebedev ◽  
Nikolai S. Efimov ◽  
Artyem S. Kryukov ◽  
Inessa V. Karpova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Lateral Hypothalamus ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Aversive Stimulation ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Diseases ◽  
Self Stimulation ◽  
Stimulation Of

The aim was to study the effect of rewarding and aversive stimulation of lateral hypothalamus on the turnover of monoamines in the terminal structures of the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal systems: the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and striatum (St). The Wistar male rats were implanted electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus and further trained in self-stimulation test. Animals were also selected on aversive emotional reactions were observed after pressing the pedal for self-stimulation. Subsequently, forced stimulation was performed for 5 minutes and the animals were decapitated. The content of norepinephrine, dopamine (DA) and its metabolites 3,4-dioxiphenylacetic acid (DOPАС) and homovanilinic acid, serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the nucleus accumbens and striatum were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Positive and aversive stimulation of lateral hypothalamus decreased the level of DA in the NAc, however, only stimulation of the positive emotiogenic zone increased the DA and 5-HT turnover in the NAc, as evidenced by an increase in the DOPАС/DA and 5-HIAA/SER ratios, respectively. Rewarding and aversive stimulation decreased the level of 5-HT in St, however, only rewarding stimulation decreased the St level of 5-HIAA compared to control and animals with aversive stimulation. Rewarding stimulation increased the turnover of serotonin in St, as evidenced by the increase of 5-HIAA/5-HT ratios. The activity of the noradrenergic system did not change after rewarding and aversive stimulation. Thus, both rewarding and aversive electrical stimulation increases the turnover of DA and 5-HT in NAc and St. However, these changes are more significant after rewarding stimulation. DA turnover increases more in NAc, and 5-HT turnover in St. The data obtained indicate the specificity of the dopaminergic and serotonergic involvement for the formation of a modality of emotional reactions. Data may provide guidance for developing treatment strategies for neuropsychiatric diseases related to the malfunction of the reward system.

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