Optogenetic excitation of central amygdala amplifies and narrows incentive motivation to pursue one reward above another.

ABSTRACT: Choosing one reward above another is important for achieving adaptive life goals. Yet hijacked into excessive intensity in disorders such as addiction, single-minded pursuit becomes maladaptive. Here, we report that optogenetic channelrhodopsin stimulation of neurons in central nucleus of amygdala (CeA), paired with earning a particular sucrose reward in rats, amplified and narrowed incentive motivation to that single reward target. Therefore, CeA rats chose and intensely pursued only the laser-paired sucrose reward while ignoring an equally good sucrose alternative. In contrast, reward-paired stimulation of basolateral amygdala did not hijack choice. In a separate measure of incentive motivation, CeA stimulation also increased the progressive ratio breakpoint or level of effort exerted to

SUBMITTER: Robinson MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4261087 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature