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Dorsolateral striatum engagement during reversal learning.
Hadley C Bergstrom1, Abby G Lieberman1, Carolyn Graybeal1
1Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20852, USA.
Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|September 16, 2020
Summary
The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) dynamically signals changes in stimulus-reward learning. This brain region
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- Learning and Memory
Background:
- The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is traditionally linked to stimulus-response learning.
- Its role in outcome-based learning and behavioral flexibility remains less understood.
- Understanding DLS function is crucial for deciphering adaptive learning mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the involvement of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) in outcome-based learning.
- To examine DLS neuronal activity during a reversal learning task.
- To determine if DLS engagement facilitates updating choice behavior after contingency changes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a touchscreen-based reversal task in mice.
- Performed in vivo single-unit recordings in the DLS.
- Employed optogenetic photosilencing of DLS neurons during choice.
Main Results:
- Reversal learning induced a population-level shift from neuronal excitation to inhibition in the DLS.
- The magnitude of this neural shift correlated with faster reversal performance.
- Optogenetic inhibition of DLS neurons during choice impaired reversal learning, increasing errors.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic engagement of the DLS is critical for behavioral flexibility during reversal learning.
- The DLS may signal changes in stimulus-reward contingencies to other brain regions.
- These findings highlight the DLS's role in updating learned associations.
