Phasic dopamine release in the rat nucleus accumbens predicts approach and avoidance performance.

ABSTRACT: Dopamine (DA) is critical for reward processing, but significantly less is known about its role in punishment avoidance. Using a combined approach-avoidance task, we measured phasic DA release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats during presentation of cues that predicted reward, punishment or neutral outcomes and investigated individual differences based on avoidance performance. Here we show that DA release within a single microenvironment is higher for reward and avoidance cues compared with neutral cues and positively correlated with poor avoidance behaviour. We found that DA release delineates trial-type during sessions with good avoidance but is non-selective during poor avoidance, with high release correlating with poor performance. These data demonstrate that phasic DA is release

SUBMITTER: Gentry RN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5095290 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature