A stress-sensitive frontostriatal circuit supporting effortful reward-seeking behavior.
Neuron
; 112(3): 473-487.e4, 2024 Feb 07.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37963470
ABSTRACT
Effort valuation-a process for selecting actions based on the anticipated value of rewarding outcomes and expectations about the work required to obtain them-plays a fundamental role in decision-making. Effort valuation is disrupted in chronic stress states and is supported by the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), but the circuit-level mechanisms by which the ACC regulates effort-based decision-making are unclear. Here, we show that ACC neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens (ACC-NAc) play a critical role in effort valuation behavior in mice. Activity in ACC-NAc cells integrates both reward- and effort-related information, encoding a reward-related signal that scales with effort requirements and is necessary for supporting future effortful decisions. Chronic corticosterone exposure reduces motivation, suppresses effortful reward-seeking, and disrupts ACC-NAc signals. Together, our results delineate a stress-sensitive ACC-NAc circuit that supports effortful reward-seeking behavior by integrating reward and effort signals and reinforcing effort allocation in the service of maximizing reward.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Motivation
/
Nucleus Accumbens
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Neuron
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article