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Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage

Considerable evidence has demonstrated a critical role for the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the acquisition and flexibility of behavioral strategies. These processes are guided by the activity of two discrete neuron types, dopamine D1- or D2-receptor expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-/D2-MSNs). Here...

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Autores principales: Macpherson, Tom, Morita, Makiko, Wang, Yanyan, Sasaoka, Toshikuni, Sawa, Akira, Hikida, Takatoshi
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918782/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27317196
http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/lm.042507.116
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author Macpherson, Tom
Morita, Makiko
Wang, Yanyan
Sasaoka, Toshikuni
Sawa, Akira
Hikida, Takatoshi
author_facet Macpherson, Tom
Morita, Makiko
Wang, Yanyan
Sasaoka, Toshikuni
Sawa, Akira
Hikida, Takatoshi
author_sort Macpherson, Tom
collection PubMed
description Considerable evidence has demonstrated a critical role for the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the acquisition and flexibility of behavioral strategies. These processes are guided by the activity of two discrete neuron types, dopamine D1- or D2-receptor expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-/D2-MSNs). Here we used the IntelliCage, an automated group-housing experimental cage apparatus, in combination with a reversible neurotransmission blocking technique to examine the role of NAc D1- and D2-MSNs in the acquisition and reversal learning of a place discrimination task. We demonstrated that NAc D1- and D2-MSNs do not mediate the acquisition of the task, but that suppression of activity in D2-MSNs impairs reversal learning and increased perseverative errors. Additionally, global knockout of the dopamine D2L receptor isoform produced a similar behavioral phenotype to D2-MSN-blocked mice. These results suggest that D2L receptors and NAc D2-MSNs act to suppress the influence of previously correct behavioral strategies allowing transfer of behavioral control to new strategies.
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spelling pubmed-49187822017-07-01 Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage Macpherson, Tom Morita, Makiko Wang, Yanyan Sasaoka, Toshikuni Sawa, Akira Hikida, Takatoshi Learn Mem Research Considerable evidence has demonstrated a critical role for the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in the acquisition and flexibility of behavioral strategies. These processes are guided by the activity of two discrete neuron types, dopamine D1- or D2-receptor expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-/D2-MSNs). Here we used the IntelliCage, an automated group-housing experimental cage apparatus, in combination with a reversible neurotransmission blocking technique to examine the role of NAc D1- and D2-MSNs in the acquisition and reversal learning of a place discrimination task. We demonstrated that NAc D1- and D2-MSNs do not mediate the acquisition of the task, but that suppression of activity in D2-MSNs impairs reversal learning and increased perseverative errors. Additionally, global knockout of the dopamine D2L receptor isoform produced a similar behavioral phenotype to D2-MSN-blocked mice. These results suggest that D2L receptors and NAc D2-MSNs act to suppress the influence of previously correct behavioral strategies allowing transfer of behavioral control to new strategies. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 2016-07 /pmc/articles/PMC4918782/ /pubmed/27317196 http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/lm.042507.116 Text en © 2016 Macpherson et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ This article is distributed exclusively by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the first 12 months after the full-issue publication date (see http://learnmem.cshlp.org/site/misc/terms.xhtml). After 12 months, it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International), as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
spellingShingle Research
Macpherson, Tom
Morita, Makiko
Wang, Yanyan
Sasaoka, Toshikuni
Sawa, Akira
Hikida, Takatoshi
Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage
title Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage
title_full Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage
title_fullStr Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage
title_full_unstemmed Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage
title_short Nucleus accumbens dopamine D2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the IntelliCage
title_sort nucleus accumbens dopamine d2-receptor expressing neurons control behavioral flexibility in a place discrimination task in the intellicage
topic Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918782/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27317196
http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/lm.042507.116
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