TY - JOUR
T1 - Inhibition of ventral tegmental area projections to the nucleus accumbens shell increases premature responding in the five-choice serial reaction time task in rats
AU - Flores-Dourojeanni, Jacques P.
AU - van den Munkhof, Marleen H.
AU - Luijendijk, Mieneke C.M.
AU - Vanderschuren, Louk J.M.J.
AU - Adan, Roger A.H.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - Exaggerated impulsivity and attentional impairments are hallmarks of certain disorders of behavioural control such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia and addiction. Pharmacological studies have implicated elevated dopamine (DA) levels in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcbS) in impulsive actions. The NAcbS receives its DA input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and we have previously shown that optogenetic activation of VTA-NAcbS projections impaired impulse control and attention in the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) in rats. To better understand the role of VTA-NAcbS projections in impulsivity and attention, the present study sought to inhibit this projection using optogenetics. We demonstrate that inhibiting VTA-NAcbS efferents during the last seconds of the inter-trial interval (i.e. immediately before presentation of the instructive cue) induces exaggerated impulsive action, in the absence of changes in attentional or motivational parameters in the 5-CSRTT. Together with our earlier observations, this suggests that impulse control in the 5-CSRTT is tightly controlled by VTA-NAcbS activity, with deviations in both directions resulting in increased impulsivity.
AB - Exaggerated impulsivity and attentional impairments are hallmarks of certain disorders of behavioural control such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia and addiction. Pharmacological studies have implicated elevated dopamine (DA) levels in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcbS) in impulsive actions. The NAcbS receives its DA input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and we have previously shown that optogenetic activation of VTA-NAcbS projections impaired impulse control and attention in the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) in rats. To better understand the role of VTA-NAcbS projections in impulsivity and attention, the present study sought to inhibit this projection using optogenetics. We demonstrate that inhibiting VTA-NAcbS efferents during the last seconds of the inter-trial interval (i.e. immediately before presentation of the instructive cue) induces exaggerated impulsive action, in the absence of changes in attentional or motivational parameters in the 5-CSRTT. Together with our earlier observations, this suggests that impulse control in the 5-CSRTT is tightly controlled by VTA-NAcbS activity, with deviations in both directions resulting in increased impulsivity.
KW - 5-CSRTT
KW - Halorhodopsin
KW - Impulsivity
KW - Nucleus accumbens shell
KW - Optogenetics
KW - Ventral tegmental area
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148851117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00429-023-02618-x
DO - 10.1007/s00429-023-02618-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 36843155
AN - SCOPUS:85148851117
SN - 1863-2653
VL - 228
SP - 787
EP - 798
JO - Brain Structure and Function
JF - Brain Structure and Function
IS - 3-4
ER -