Medial prefrontal cortical control of reward‐ and aversion‐based behavioral output: Bottom‐up modulation

How does the brain guide our actions? This is a complex issue, where the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a crucial role. The mPFC is essential for cognitive flexibility and decision making. These functions are related to reward‐ and aversion‐based learning, which ultimately drive behavior. Tho...

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Published in:The European journal of neuroscience Vol. 53; no. 9; pp. 3039 - 3062
Main Authors: Pastor, Verónica, Medina, Jorge Horacio
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: France Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2021
Subjects:
acetylcholine
approach‐avoidance conflict
Aversion
Avoidance behavior
Behavior
Cognitive ability
Decision making
dopamine
Dopamine receptors
Mental disorders
Neuromodulation
noradrenaline
Norepinephrine
Prefrontal cortex
Reinforcement
Serotonin
top‐down control
serotonin
approach-avoidance conflict
noradrenaline
acetylcholine
top-down control
dopamine
ISSN:0953-816X, 1460-9568, 1460-9568
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:How does the brain guide our actions? This is a complex issue, where the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a crucial role. The mPFC is essential for cognitive flexibility and decision making. These functions are related to reward‐ and aversion‐based learning, which ultimately drive behavior. Though, cortical projections and modulatory systems that may regulate those processes in the mPFC are less understood. How does the mPFC regulate approach‐avoidance behavior in the case of conflicting aversive and appetitive stimuli? This is likely dependent on the bottom‐up neuromodulation of the mPFC projection neurons. In this review, we integrate behavioral‐, pharmacological‐, and viral‐based circuit manipulation data showing the involvement of mPFC dopaminergic, noradrenergic, cholinergic, and serotoninergic inputs in reward and aversion processing. Given that an incorrect balance of reward and aversion value could be a key problem in mental diseases such as substance use disorders, we discuss outstanding questions for future research on the role of mPFC modulation in reward and aversion. Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is involved in reward‐ and aversion‐based behavior. Modern techniques shed light on the role of mPFC projections to specific output targets in approach and avoidance behavioral output. However, how the mPFC change from pursuing reward to avoid punishment remains unknown. Modulatory systems are key for tuning the mPFC control of reward‐ and aversion‐based behavior, and their impairment may induce neuropsychiatric diseases such as substance use disorder.
Bibliography:Martin Giurfa
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ISSN:0953-816X
1460-9568
1460-9568
DOI:10.1111/ejn.15168