Stimulation of the nucleus accumbens as behavioral reward in awake behaving monkeys.

ABSTRACT: It has been known that monkeys will repeatedly press a bar for electrical stimulation in several different brain structures. We explored the possibility of using electrical stimulation in one such structure, the nucleus accumbens, as a substitute for liquid reward in animals performing a complex task, namely visual search. The animals had full access to water in the cage at all times on days when stimulation was used to motivate them. Electrical stimulation was delivered bilaterally at mirror locations in and around the accumbens, and the animals' motivation to work for electrical stimulation was quantified by the number of trials they performed correctly per unit of time. Acute mapping revealed that stimulation over a large area successfully supported behavioral performance during the tas

SUBMITTER: Bichot NP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3152958 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature