Noradrenergic alpha-2a Receptor Stimulation Enhances Prediction Error Signaling in Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Striatum.

ABSTRACT: The noradrenergic system is implicated to support behavioral flexibility by increasing exploration during periods of uncertainty and by enhancing working memory for goal-relevant stimuli. Possible sources mediating these pro-cognitive effects are α2A adrenoceptors (α2AR) in prefrontal cortex or the anterior cingulate cortex facilitating fronto-striatal learning processes. We tested this hypothesis by selectively stimulating α2ARs using Guanfacine during feature-based attentional set shifting in nonhuman primates. We found that α2A stimulation improved learning from errors and facilitates updating the target feature of an attentional set. Neural recordings in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and the striatum showed that α2A stimulation selecti

SUBMITTER: Hassani SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10634832 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature