A reinforcement learning algorithm shapes maternal care in mice

The neural substrates for processing classical rewards such as food or drugs of abuse are well-understood. In contrast, the mechanisms by which organisms perceive social contact as rewarding and subsequently modify their interactions are unclear. Here we tracked the gradual emergence of a repetitive...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:bioRxiv
Main Authors: Xie, Yunyao, Huang, Longwen, Corona, Alberto, Pagliaro, Alexa H, Shea, Stephen David
Format: Paper
Language:English
Published: Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 21.03.2022
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Edition:1.1
Subjects:
Drug abuse
Information processing
Mesencephalon
Neuroscience
Parental behavior
Reinforcement
Stereotyped behavior
ISSN:2692-8205, 2692-8205
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The neural substrates for processing classical rewards such as food or drugs of abuse are well-understood. In contrast, the mechanisms by which organisms perceive social contact as rewarding and subsequently modify their interactions are unclear. Here we tracked the gradual emergence of a repetitive and highly-stereotyped parental behavior and show that trial-by-trial performance correlates with the history of midbrain dopamine (DA) neuron activity. We used a novel behavior paradigm to manipulate the subject's expectation of imminent pup contact and show that DA signals conform to reward prediction error, a fundamental component of reinforcement learning (RL). Finally, closed-loop optogenetic inactivation of DA neurons at the onset of pup contact dramatically slowed emergence of parental care. We conclude that this prosocial behavior is shaped by an RL mechanism in which social contact itself is the primary reward. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
Bibliography:SourceType-Working Papers-1
ObjectType-Working Paper/Pre-Print-1
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Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared no competing interest.
ISSN:2692-8205
2692-8205
DOI:10.1101/2022.03.21.485130