Distinct tonic and phasic anticipatory activity in lateral habenula and dopamine neurons
Ethan S Bromberg-Martin1, Masayuki Matsumoto, Okihide Hikosaka
1Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. bromberge@mail.nih.gov
Abstract:
Dopamine has a crucial role in anticipation of motivational events. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of this process, we analyzed the activity of dopamine neurons and one of their major sources of input, neurons in the lateral habenula, while animals anticipated upcoming behavioral tasks. We found that lateral habenula and dopamine neurons anticipated tasks in two distinct manners. First, neurons encoded the timing distribution of upcoming tasks through gradual changes in their tonic activity. This tonic signal encoded rewarding tasks in preference to punishing tasks and was correlated with classic phasic coding of motivational value. Second, neurons transmitted a phasic signal marking the time when a task began. This phasic signal encoded rewarding and punishing tasks in similar manners, as though reflecting motivational salience. Our data suggest that the habenula-dopamine pathway motivates anticipation through a combination of tonic reward-related and phasic salience-related signals.
Related Concept Videos
Diencephalon: Anatomical Regions
Diencephalon: Thalamus and Information Relay
Diencephalon: Hypothalamus and Coordination
The hypothalamus interacts with other brain regions, including the pituitary gland, through a direct physical connection called the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The hypothalamus receives somatic and visceral inputs and...
Action Potential
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
Adrenergic Neurons: Neurotransmission
Synthesis: Catecholamine synthesis requires tyrosine, which is taken...
Long-term Potentiation
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...


