A Corticostriatal Path Targeting Striosomes Controls Decision-Making under Conflict
Alexander Friedman1, Daigo Homma1, Leif G Gibb1
1McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Cell
|June 2, 2015
Summary
The striatum
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Decision-making research
Background:
- The striatum is compartmentalized into striosomes and matrix, with unclear functional significance.
- Striosomal anatomical connections suggest links to emotion-related brain regions like the medial prefrontal cortex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the selective functions of striosomes using pathway-specific optogenetics and electrophysiology.
- To explore the role of the medial prefronto-striosomal circuit in decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Pathway-specific optogenetics and electrophysiology in behaving rats.
- Investigating neural circuits during cost-benefit decision-making under conflict.
Main Results:
- A medial prefronto-striosomal circuit is selectively active during cost-benefit decision-making under approach-avoidance conflict.
- This circuit is causally necessary for decision-making in anxiety-evoking conditions.
- The circuit exhibits unique dynamic properties potentially related to striatal interneuron function.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive and emotion-related functions are encoded in compartmentalized forebrain representations.
- Striosome-targeting corticostriatal circuits are crucial for neural processing of survival-related decisions.
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