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Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
Published on: February 15, 2015
Monoamine levels within the orbitofrontal cortex and putamen interact to predict reversal learning performance
Stephanie M Groman1, Alex S James, Emanuele Seu
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA.
Biological Psychiatry
|January 22, 2013
Summary
Neurochemical interactions in the brain influence behavioral flexibility. Specific levels of serotonin and dopamine in certain brain regions are crucial for adaptive goal-directed behaviors, impacting conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Compulsive behaviors in psychiatric disorders may stem from neurochemical dysfunction in goal-directed behavior circuits.
- Serotonin and dopamine modulate flexible responding, as shown by experiments altering their levels in specific brain regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between naturally occurring monoamine levels and individual differences in flexible, reward-directed behaviors.
- To determine if neurochemical variations in specific brain areas predict behavioral flexibility.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 24 juvenile monkeys on tasks measuring acquisition, retention, and reversal learning.
- Measured monoamine levels (serotonin, dopamine) in the orbitofrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, and putamen.
Main Results:
- An interaction between dopamine in the putamen and serotonin in the orbitofrontal cortex explained 61% of the variance in behavioral flexibility.
- Poorest reversal learning occurred at both low and high levels of this serotonin-dopamine interaction.
Conclusions:
- Cortical and subcortical neuromodulatory systems interact to guide goal-directed behavior.
- Findings offer insights into neurochemical underpinnings of inflexible and compulsive behaviors seen in psychiatric disorders.
