Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons
Abstract The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region for motivated behaviors, yet how distinct neuronal populations encode appetitive or aversive stimuli remains undetermined. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging in mice, we tracked NAc shell D1- or D2-medium spiny neurons’ (MSNs) activity du...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55269-9 |
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| author | Ana Verónica Domingues Tawan T. A. Carvalho Gabriela J. Martins Raquel Correia Bárbara Coimbra Ricardo Bastos-Gonçalves Marcelina Wezik Rita Gaspar Luísa Pinto Nuno Sousa Rui M. Costa Carina Soares-Cunha Ana João Rodrigues |
| author_facet | Ana Verónica Domingues Tawan T. A. Carvalho Gabriela J. Martins Raquel Correia Bárbara Coimbra Ricardo Bastos-Gonçalves Marcelina Wezik Rita Gaspar Luísa Pinto Nuno Sousa Rui M. Costa Carina Soares-Cunha Ana João Rodrigues |
| author_sort | Ana Verónica Domingues |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region for motivated behaviors, yet how distinct neuronal populations encode appetitive or aversive stimuli remains undetermined. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging in mice, we tracked NAc shell D1- or D2-medium spiny neurons’ (MSNs) activity during exposure to stimuli of opposing valence and associative learning. Despite drift in individual neurons’ coding, both D1- and D2-population activity was sufficient to discriminate opposing valence unconditioned stimuli, but not predictive cues. Notably, D1- and D2-MSNs were similarly co-recruited during appetitive and aversive conditioning, supporting a concurrent role in associative learning. Conversely, when contingencies changed, there was an asymmetric response in the NAc, with more pronounced changes in the activity of D2-MSNs. Optogenetic manipulation of D2-MSNs provided causal evidence of the necessity of this population in the extinction of aversive associations. Our results reveal how NAc shell neurons encode valence, Pavlovian associations and their extinction, and unveil mechanisms underlying motivated behaviors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3de549da099b4954be16fa8c1bd0f99d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-3de549da099b4954be16fa8c1bd0f99d2025-01-05T12:40:08ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116112010.1038/s41467-024-55269-9Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neuronsAna Verónica Domingues0Tawan T. A. Carvalho1Gabriela J. Martins2Raquel Correia3Bárbara Coimbra4Ricardo Bastos-Gonçalves5Marcelina Wezik6Rita Gaspar7Luísa Pinto8Nuno Sousa9Rui M. Costa10Carina Soares-Cunha11Ana João Rodrigues12Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoZuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia UniversityLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoZuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia UniversityLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of MinhoAbstract The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region for motivated behaviors, yet how distinct neuronal populations encode appetitive or aversive stimuli remains undetermined. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging in mice, we tracked NAc shell D1- or D2-medium spiny neurons’ (MSNs) activity during exposure to stimuli of opposing valence and associative learning. Despite drift in individual neurons’ coding, both D1- and D2-population activity was sufficient to discriminate opposing valence unconditioned stimuli, but not predictive cues. Notably, D1- and D2-MSNs were similarly co-recruited during appetitive and aversive conditioning, supporting a concurrent role in associative learning. Conversely, when contingencies changed, there was an asymmetric response in the NAc, with more pronounced changes in the activity of D2-MSNs. Optogenetic manipulation of D2-MSNs provided causal evidence of the necessity of this population in the extinction of aversive associations. Our results reveal how NAc shell neurons encode valence, Pavlovian associations and their extinction, and unveil mechanisms underlying motivated behaviors.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55269-9 |
| spellingShingle | Ana Verónica Domingues Tawan T. A. Carvalho Gabriela J. Martins Raquel Correia Bárbara Coimbra Ricardo Bastos-Gonçalves Marcelina Wezik Rita Gaspar Luísa Pinto Nuno Sousa Rui M. Costa Carina Soares-Cunha Ana João Rodrigues Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons Nature Communications |
| title | Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons |
| title_full | Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons |
| title_fullStr | Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons |
| title_short | Dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell D1- and D2-medium spiny neurons |
| title_sort | dynamic representation of appetitive and aversive stimuli in nucleus accumbens shell d1 and d2 medium spiny neurons |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55269-9 |
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