Making and breaking habits: Revisiting the definitions and behavioral factors that influence habits in animals

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 121(1), P. 8 - 26

Published: Nov. 27, 2023

Abstract Habits have garnered significant interest in studies of associative learning and maladaptive behavior. However, habit research has faced scrutiny challenges related to the definitions methods. Differences conceptualizations habits between animal human create difficulties for translational research. Here, we review commonly used methods studying animals humans discuss potential alternative ways assess habits, such as automaticity. To better understand then focus on behavioral factors that been shown make or break animals, well mechanisms underlying influence these factors. We evidence habitual goal‐directed systems learn parallel they seem interact competitive cooperative manners. Finally, draw parallels responding compulsive drug seeking delineate similarities differences behaviors.

Language: Английский

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Rapid, automated, and experimenter-free touchscreen testing reveals reciprocal interactions between cognitive flexibility and activity-based anorexia in female rats

eLife, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 12

Published: June 30, 2023

Anorexia nervosa has among the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder and is characterized by cognitive inflexibility that persists after weight recovery contributes to chronic nature condition. What remains unknown whether predisposes individuals anorexia nervosa, a question difficult address in human studies. Our previous work using most well-established animal model known as activity-based (ABA) identified neurobiological link between susceptibility pathological loss female rats. However, testing flexible learning prior exposure ABA same animals been thus far impossible due length training required necessity daily handling, which can itself influence development ABA. Here, we describe experiments validate optimize first fully-automated experimenter-free touchscreen system for rats use this novel examine reciprocal links reversal (an assay flexibility) model. First, show substantially reduced time increased throughput compared conventional methods because engage test sessions at their own direction complete multiple per day without experimenter involvement. We also that, contrary expectations, measured task does not predispose Instead, were predisposed more quickly able learn exposure. Intriguingly, flexibility, with ABA-exposed (but weight-recovered) performing much worse than naïve on task, an impairment did occur extent exposed food restriction conditions alone. On other hand, had trained better resist upon subsequent uncovered some stable behavioral differences susceptible versus resistant during machine tools highlight possible predictors anorectic phenotypes. These findings shed new light relationship provide targets future studies investigate potential pharmacotherapies nervosa.

Language: Английский

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Distinct representation of cognitive flexibility and habitual stability in the primate putamen, caudate, and ventral striatum

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 28, 2024

Abstract Recent primate studies have demonstrated a functional distinction along the rostral—caudal axis of striatum, which has challenged conventional view that flexible adaptation and habitual action differ in processing medial—lateral axis. We found neurons rostral putamen, caudate, ventral striatum encode values flexibly updated for adaptive choices, rather than stably sustained visual habit. In reversal value learning, striatal dynamically their discrimination responses after reversals, whereas, stable retrieval, most did not value. Notably, caudate were faster to update trials neurons. Slow-learning identified selectively striatum. each trial, learning speeds similar during initial suggesting parallel region. Our findings thus indicate prioritizes cognitive flexibility over stability.

Language: Английский

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Belief inference for hierarchical hidden states in spatial navigation

Communications Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 7(1)

Published: May 21, 2024

Abstract Uncertainty abounds in the real world, and environments with multiple layers of unobservable hidden states, decision-making requires resolving uncertainties based on mutual inference. Focusing a spatial navigation problem, we develop Tiger maze task that involved simultaneously inferring local state global from probabilistically uncertain observation. We adopt Bayesian computational approach by proposing hierarchical inference model. Applying this to human behaviour, alongside functional magnetic resonance brain imaging, allows us separate neural correlates associated reinforcement reassessment belief states. The imaging results also suggest different uncertainty differentially involve basal ganglia dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, regions responsible are organised along rostral axis these areas according type level abstraction state, i.e. higher-order involves more anterior parts.

Language: Английский

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A role for the dorsolateral striatum in prospective action control

iScience, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 27(6), P. 110044 - 110044

Published: May 21, 2024

Highlights•Inhibition of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) results in perseverative behavior•This behavior is habit-like and occurs multiple task changes•DLS inhibition can both decrease increase speed depending on changesSummaryThe important for performing actions persistently, even when it becomes suboptimal, reflecting a function that reflexive habitual. However, there are also ways which persistent behaviors result from more prospective, planning mode behavior. To help tease apart these possibilities DLS function, we trained animals to perform lever press reward then inhibited key test phases: as shifted 1-press 3-press rule (upshift), was maintained, back one-press (downshift), rewards came independent pressing. During inhibition, always favored their initially learned strategy just once, particularly so during free-reward period. surprisingly changed performance bidirectionally shifts. thus encouraged habitual behavior, suggesting could normally adapt changing conditions.Graphical abstract

Language: Английский

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Curcumin alleviates arsenic trioxide-induced neural damage in the murine striatal region

Psychopharmacology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Oct. 23, 2024

Language: Английский

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Context dependent contributions of the direct and indirect pathways in the associative and sensorimotor striatum

Published: March 21, 2024

To determine whether the contributions of striatal projection neurons from direct (dSPNs) and indirect (iSPNs) pathways basal ganglia to action selection locomotion can be generalized across associative (DMS) sensorimotor (DLS) striatum we compared optogenetic activation or inhibition these on different tests. We show that self-modulation dSPNs iSPNs in either compartment has opposite real-time place preference, selecting an DMS but not DLS. During reward seeking displacements, pathway both compartments, slows movement. spontaneous showed opposing effects depending modulated. Remarkably, DLS decreases while only facilitates displacements. These findings support a model opposite, complementary undescribed context.

Language: Английский

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Dorsomedial striatum, but not dorsolateral striatum, is necessary for rat category learning

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 199, P. 107732 - 107732

Published: Feb. 9, 2023

Categorization is an adaptive cognitive function that allows us to generalize knowledge novel situations. Converging evidence from neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and neurophysiological studies suggest categorization mediated by the basal ganglia; however, there debate regarding necessity of each subregion ganglia their respective functions. The current experiment examined roles dorsomedial striatum (DMS; homologous head caudate nucleus) dorsolateral (DLS; body tail in category learning combining selective lesions with computational modeling. Using a touchscreen apparatus, rats were trained categorize distributions visual stimuli varied along two continuous dimensions (i.e., spatial frequency orientation). tasks either required attention one stimulus dimension (spatial or orientation; 1D tasks) both 2D tasks). Rats NMDA DMS impaired on tasks, whereas DLS showed no impairments. did not affect performance discrimination task had same trial structure as suggesting impairments effected processes relevant categorization. Model simulations conducted using neural network assess effect learning. Together, results critical map representations appropriate behavioral responses, necessary for

Language: Английский

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Disuse-driven plasticity in the human thalamus and putamen

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 8, 2023

Motor adaptation in cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical loops has been studied mainly animals using invasive electrophysiology. Here, we leverage functional neuroimaging humans to study motor circuit plasticity the human subcortex. We employed an experimental paradigm that combined two weeks of upper-extremity immobilization with daily resting-state and task fMRI before, during, after casting period. previously showed limb disuse leads decreased connectivity (FC) contralateral somatomotor cortex (SM1) ipsilateral cortex, increased FC cingulo-opercular network (CON) as well emergence high amplitude, signal pulses localized SM1, supplementary area cerebellum. From our prior observations, it remains unclear whether affects thalamus striatum. extended analysis include these subcortical regions found both exhibit strengthened cortical spontaneous induced by disuse. The dorsal posterior putamen central thalamus, CM, VLP VIM nuclei, changes lined up fmri activations from Human connectome project system localizer, acquired before for each participant. Our findings provide a novel understanding role potential link physiology sleep regulation. Additionally, similarities observation Parkinson Disease (PD) questions pathophysiological

Language: Английский

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Dissociating the contributions of sensorimotor striatum to automatic and visually-guided motor sequences

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: June 14, 2022

Abstract The ability to sequence movements in response new task demands enables rich and adaptive behavior. Such flexibility, however, is computationally costly can result halting performances. Practicing the same motor repeatedly render its execution precise, fast, effortless, i.e., ‘automatic’. basal ganglia are thought underlie both modes of execution, yet whether how their contributions differ unclear. We parse this rats trained perform cues an overtrained, or ‘automatic’, condition. Neural recordings sensorimotor striatum revealed a kinematic code independent mode. While lesions affected detailed kinematics similarly across modes, they disrupted high-level structure for automatic, but not visually-guided, behaviors. These results suggest that contribute learned movement essential ‘automatic’ skills be dispensable sensory-guided sequences.

Language: Английский

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