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Experience-dependent changes in neuronal processing in the nucleus accumbens shell in a discriminative learning task
David A Wood1, Tony L Walker, George V Rebec
1Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, CLS 717, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Brain Research
|March 23, 2011
Summary
Environmental enrichment impacts brain function, but nucleus accumbens shell neurons show similar responses in enriched versus isolated rats during learning. NAcc shell neurons encode natural reward cues and are less responsive with experience.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Learning and Memory
Background:
- Environmental enrichment (EC) enhances learning and alters reward-seeking behavior.
- The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is crucial for goal-directed behavior.
- Previous studies show EC affects NAcc core neuronal activity during learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the NAcc shell in learning and reward processing under different environmental conditions.
- To compare NAcc shell neuronal responses in rats raised in enriched (EC) versus isolated (IC) conditions during a discriminative learning task.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological recordings of NAcc shell neurons in rats during a discriminative learning task.
- Comparison of neuronal activity between EC and IC rats.
- Analysis of neuronal responses to movements, cues, and reward absence.
Main Results:
- NAcc shell neuronal responses to movements and cues were similar in EC and IC rats during task acquisition and after learning.
- The proportion of task-related NAcc shell neuronal activity decreased with task experience.
- NAcc shell neuronal firing shifted from excitatory to inhibitory in the absence of reward-predictive cues.
Conclusions:
- NAcc shell neurons encode cues associated with natural rewards.
- NAcc shell responses during appetitive behavior are less sensitive to environmental enrichment in familiar contexts.
- Environmental enrichment does not alter learning-related differences in NAcc shell neuronal activity.
