A stress-sensitive frontostriatal circuit supporting effortful reward-seeking behavior

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Decision-making research
• Behavioral economics

Background:

• Effort valuation is key to decision-making, guiding action selection based on reward value and required effort.
• The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is implicated in effort valuation, but its precise circuit-level mechanisms remain unclear.
• Chronic stress disrupts effort valuation, highlighting the need to understand neural circuits involved.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in regulating effort-based decision-making.
• To elucidate how ACC-NAc circuit activity integrates reward and effort information.
• To examine the impact of chronic stress on ACC-NAc circuit function and associated behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a mouse model to study effort valuation behavior.
• Recorded neural activity in ACC-NAc projections during decision-making tasks.
• Administered chronic corticosterone to induce stress and assessed its effects on behavior and neural signals.

Main Results:

• ACC-NAc neurons were found to be critical for effort valuation behavior in mice.
• Activity in ACC-NAc cells integrates reward and effort information, encoding a signal that scales with effort requirements.
• Chronic corticosterone exposure reduced motivation, impaired effortful reward-seeking, and disrupted ACC-NAc neural signals.

Conclusions:

• A stress-sensitive ACC-NAc circuit plays a critical role in supporting effortful reward-seeking behavior.
• This circuit integrates reward and effort signals to reinforce effort allocation for maximizing rewards.
• Understanding this circuit provides insights into stress-induced motivational deficits and potential therapeutic targets.