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Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
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A Role for Serotonin in Modulating Opposing Drive and Brake Circuits of Impulsivity
Stephanie S Desrochers1, Mitchell G Spring1, Katherine M Nautiyal1
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|March 7, 2022
Summary
Impulsivity involves a balance between action "drive" and inhibition "brakes." Serotonin influences this balance, impacting psychiatric disorders characterized by poor impulse control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Impulsivity is characterized by reduced inhibition and heightened excitatory drive.
- It can be understood as a competition between learned action-reward associations and inhibitory associations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize research supporting a dual-systems approach to impulsivity.
- To explore the neuromodulatory role of serotonin in impulse control.
- To examine competing instrumental systems and their parallels in classical conditioning.
Main Methods:
- Review of human and animal model research.
- Analysis of behavioral and neural substrates of impulsivity.
- Examination of serotonin signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Evidence supports a dual-systems model of impulse control.
- Serotonin signaling plays a key role in balancing "drive" and "brake" circuits.
- Competing instrumental associations and classical conditioning processes offer insights into impulsivity mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the balance of motivational and inhibitory processes is crucial for impulsivity research.
- Deficits in this balance contribute to pathological impulsivity in psychiatric disorders.
- This framework aids in experimental assessment and understanding of impulsivity.
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