Involvement of Catecholamine Neurotransmission in the Rat Anterior Cingulate in Effort-Related Decision Making.

This study examined whether catecholamine-mediated signals in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) contribute to effort-based decision making. Rats were tested after 6-hydroxydopamine or vehicle infusions into the ACC in a T maze cost-benefit task in which the rats could choose either to climb a barr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Behavioral Neuroscience Vol. 119; no. 6; pp. 1687 - 1693
Autores principales: Schweimer, Judith, Saft, Simone, Hauber, Wolfgang
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: American Psychological Association December 2005
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:This study examined whether catecholamine-mediated signals in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) contribute to effort-based decision making. Rats were tested after 6-hydroxydopamine or vehicle infusions into the ACC in a T maze cost-benefit task in which the rats could choose either to climb a barrier to obtain a high reward in one arm or run into the other arm without a barrier to obtain a low reward. Results demonstrate that infusions of 6-hydroxydopamine induced a near total loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive fibers in the ACC. Unlike sham-lesioned rats, 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats exhibited a reduced preference for the high-cost-high-reward response option when given the choice of obtaining a low reward with little effort. Thus, catecholamine-mediated signals in the ACC could play a role in effort-based decision making. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.