Opposing roles of prelimbic and infralimbic dopamine in conditioned cue and place preference.

Anja Hayen,Amy Gates,Rutsuko Ito,Saira Meese-Tamuri

doi:10.1007/s00213-013-3414-0

Anja Hayen, Amy Gates + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3414-0

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Abstract

RationaleIncreasing evidence points to the prelimbic (PL) and infralimbic (IL) cortices of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and their dopaminergic innervations subserving opposing roles in the regulation of instrumental behavior. However, it is at present unclear if they hold similar roles in the regulation of Pavlovian learning.ObjectiveThe present study investigated the role of the dopaminergic innervations of the PL and IL in the modulation of Pavlovian appetitive cue and place conditioning, previously shown to be dependent on the basolateral amygdala and hippocampus, respectively.MethodsRats received preconditioning microinfusions of d-amphetamine, cis-flupenthixol, or vehicle solution directly into the PL or IL and were trained to simultaneously acquire conditioned cue and place preference in a radial maze.ResultsPreconditioning blockade of dopamine neurotransmission in the PL and amphetamine microinfusions in the IL had the same effect of attenuating place conditioning. In contrast, place conditioning remained intact following preconditioning amphetamine microinfusions in the PL and dopamine receptor blockade in the IL. Instead, conditioned cue preference was attenuated following IL dopamine receptor blockade.ConclusionThese data indicate that PL dopaminergic mechanisms are critical for the acquisition of appetitive place learning, while IL dopamine may oppose the influence of PL dopamine upon hippocampal-dependent learning. Furthermore, they implicate a functional reciprocity between mPFC and associated subregions of the nucleus accumbens in the regulation of limbic information processing.

Highlights

The medial prefrontal cortex is associated with a wide range of cognitive and mnemonic functions that include executive control, decision making, short-term and long-term memory, and regulation of instrumental learning and emotional behaviors
We previously demonstrated that limbic information mediated by the hippocampus (HPC, spatial information) and basolateral amygdala (BLA, discrete cue information) competes to gain control over Pavlovian reward learning and that repeated systemic amphetamine administration and repeated intra-accumbens shell amphetamine infusions cause dysregulation of this process, enhancing hippocampal control over Pavlovian approach behavior while attenuating BLA-dependent learning (Ito and Canseliet 2010; Ito and Hayen 2011)
There was a significant simple main effect of region in the performance of conditioned place preference with both amphetamine (F(1, 38)=5.19, p

Summary

Introduction

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is associated with a wide range of cognitive and mnemonic functions that include executive control, decision making, short-term and long-term memory, and regulation of instrumental learning and emotional behaviors. Repeated systemic administration of amphetamine facilitates the formation of habit, such that instrumental responding is no longer sensitive to outcome devaluation (Nelson and Killcross 2006; Nordquist et al 2007), highlighting the importance of the mesocortical–limbic dopamine system, but in particular, the dopaminergic innervation of the dorsal striatum in the regulation of instrumental behavior (Faure et al 2005). It is at present unclear whether the mesocortical dopamine system is involved in the modulation of learned motivated behavior at the acquisition stage

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