Amygdala inputs to prefrontal cortex guide behavior amid conflicting cues of reward and punishment
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Author(s)
Burgos-Robles, Anthony Noel
Kimchi, Eyal Yaacov
Izadmehr, Ehsan
Porzenheim, Mary Jane
Ramos-Guasp, William A
Nieh, Edward H
Felix-Ortiz, Ada
Namburi, Praneeth
Leppla, Christopher Albert
Presbrey, Kara N.
Date Issued
April 2017
Journal
Nature Neuroscience
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Citation
Burgos-Robles, Anthony et al. “Amygdala Inputs to Prefrontal Cortex Guide Behavior Amid Conflicting Cues of Reward and Punishment.” Nature Neuroscience 20, 6 (April 2017): 824–835 © 2017 Nature America, Inc., part of Springer Nature
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
Orchestrating appropriate behavioral responses in the face of competing signals that predict either rewards or threats in the environment is crucial for survival. The basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) and prelimbic (PL) medial prefrontal cortex have been implicated in reward-seeking and fear-related responses, but how information flows between these reciprocally connected structures to coordinate behavior is unknown. We recorded neuronal activity from the BLA and PL while rats performed a task wherein competing shock- and sucrose-predictive cues were simultaneously presented. The correlated firing primarily displayed a BLA→PL directionality during the shock-associated cue. Furthermore, BLA neurons optogenetically identified as projecting to PL more accurately predicted behavioral responses during competition than unidentified BLA neurons. Finally photostimulation of the BLA→PL projection increased freezing, whereas both chemogenetic and optogenetic inhibition reduced freezing. Therefore, the BLA→PL circuit is critical in governing the selection of behavioral responses in the face of competing signals.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4553
