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Extinction Generates Outcome-Specific Conditioned Inhibition
Vincent Laurent1, Billy Chieng1, Bernard W Balleine1
1Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
Current Biology : CB
|January 18, 2017
Summary
Extinction learning creates outcome-specific inhibition, demonstrating a cue
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Learning and Memory
Background:
- Extinction is thought to involve inhibitory learning, but direct evidence and the nature of associative changes remain debated.
- Previous research lacked direct measures of conditioned inhibition, hindering understanding of extinction's effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide direct evidence for outcome-specific conditioned inhibition generated by extinction.
- To investigate the neural mechanisms and contextual modulation of inhibitory learning following extinction.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel behavioral approach for direct measurement of conditioned inhibition.
- Compared the influence of extinguished versus non-extinguished cues on goal-directed action choices.
- Employed M4 DREADDs to inactivate the infralimbic cortex (IL) and dorsal hippocampus (HPC).
Main Results:
- Direct evidence confirmed that extinction generates outcome-specific conditioned inhibition.
- Inactivation of the IL abolished outcome-specific inhibition, causing the cue to become excitatory.
- Context modulated inhibition: cues were excitatory outside the extinction context and inhibitory within it.
- The dorsal hippocampus (HPC) mediated context-dependent modulation of these memories.
Conclusions:
- Extinction transforms a cue into a net inhibitor influencing choice through counterfactual action-outcome associations.
- The infralimbic cortex (IL) and dorsal hippocampus (HPC) work together to control conditioned inhibitors' effects on choice.
- This study provides the first direct evidence for extinction-induced, context-modulated conditioned inhibition.
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