Dopaminergic projections to the prefrontal cortex are critical for rapid threat avoidance learning.

ABSTRACT: To survive, animals must rapidly learn to avoid predictable threats. Such learning depends on detecting reliable cue-outcome relationships that efficiently drive behavioral adaptations. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) integrates learned information about the environment to guide adaptive behaviors^1-7 and is critical for threat avoidance^8-15. However, as most studies have focused on well-learned threat avoidance strategies, the specific inputs that signal avoidability and drive rapid avoidance learning remain poorly understood. Dopamine (DA) inputs from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) potently modulate prefrontal function and are preferentially engaged by aversive stimuli^16-21. Previous studies implicated VTA and prefrontal DA in aversive learning²

SUBMITTER: Zeidler Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11722269 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature