Evaluation of ambiguous associations in the amygdala by learning the structure of the environment.

ABSTRACT: Recognizing predictive relationships is critical for survival, but an understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms remains elusive. In particular, it is unclear how the brain distinguishes predictive relationships from spurious ones when evidence about a relationship is ambiguous, or how it computes predictions given such uncertainty. To better understand this process, we introduced ambiguity into an associative learning task by presenting aversive outcomes both in the presence and in the absence of a predictive cue. Electrophysiological and optogenetic approaches revealed that amygdala neurons directly regulated and tracked the effects of ambiguity on learning. Contrary to established accounts of associative learning, however, interference from competing associations was not required

SUBMITTER: Madarasz TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5655997 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature