The nucleus accumbens: an interface between cognition, emotion, and action.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Decades of research on the nucleus accumbens (NAc) have generated extensive data on its behavioral functions.
• However, significant controversies and misconceptions persist regarding the precise roles of the NAc.

Purpose of the Study:

• This review re-evaluates the function of the NAc, challenging the traditional "reward center" hypothesis.
• It proposes that the NAc is central to action selection, integrating cognitive and affective inputs.

Main Methods:

• This is a review article, synthesizing findings from nearly 40 years of research on the NAc.
• The review integrates evidence from cognitive, affective, and systems neuroscience.

Main Results:

• The NAc integrates cognitive and affective information from frontal and temporal lobes.
• It enhances the efficiency and vigor of motivated behaviors, particularly under conditions of ambiguity or uncertainty.
• Specific subregions of the NAc contribute distinctly to refining action selection and guiding subsequent actions.

Conclusions:

• The NAc's primary role is action selection, not solely reward processing.
• It optimizes behavior by integrating diverse neural signals, especially in challenging situations.
• Understanding the NAc's nuanced functions is critical for deciphering motivated behaviors.