Dissociable contributions of dorsal and ventral striatal regions on a rodent cost/benefit decision-making task requiring cognitive effort

Neuropharmacology
Mason M SilveiraCatharine A Winstanley

Abstract

Cognitive effort is a ubiquitous process, yet surprisingly little is known about the brain mechanisms responsible for evaluating it. Here, we utilize the rat Cognitive Effort Task (rCET) to probe the striatum's role in deciding between options that vary in the amount of cognitive effort required for success. In the rCET, animals choose to perform either an easy trial, in which the attentional demand is low but the potential reward is small, or a difficult trial which is more attentionally demanding but can yield twice the sugar pellets. Twenty-six male Long Evans rats were trained on the rCET and the effects of pharmacologically inactivating the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and core region of the nucleus accumbens were determined. Temporary inactivation of the DMS decreased all animals' choice of the high-effort, high-reward option, impaired attentional accuracy, and robustly increased premature responding without impairing general indices of motor ability. The DMS therefore appears necessary for the integration of cognitive signals required for optimal performance. In stark contrast, following temporary inactivation of the ventral striatum, subjects were fundamentally unable to perform the task, as reflected by a drastic decreas...Continue Reading

Citations

Jan 9, 2020·Journal of Psychopharmacology·Mason M SilveiraCatharine A Winstanley
Aug 19, 2020·The European Journal of Neuroscience·Mason M SilveiraCatharine A Winstanley
Jan 1, 2021·Neurobiology of Learning and Memory·Jackson D SchumacherStan B Floresco
Dec 31, 2020·Cell Reports Medicine·Kelly J AtkinsTrevor T-J Chong

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Barrel cortex

Here is the latest research on barrel cortex, a region of somatosensory and motor corticies in the brain, which are used by animals that rely on whiskers for world exploration.

Basal Ganglia

Basal Ganglia are a group of subcortical nuclei in the brain associated with control of voluntary motor movements, procedural and habit learning, emotion, and cognition. Here is the latest research.