Premium
The role of pedunculopontine nucleus in choice behavior under risk
Author(s) -
Leblond Mona,
Sukharnikova Tatyana,
Yu Chunxiu,
Rossi Mark A.,
Yin Henry H.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.12529
Subject(s) - neuroscience , basal ganglia , dopaminergic , dopamine , pedunculopontine nucleus , psychology , pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus , muscimol , lever , nucleus , medicine , agonist , central nervous system , parkinson's disease , physics , deep brain stimulation , quantum mechanics , receptor , disease
The dopaminergic projections to the basal ganglia have long been implicated in reward‐guided behavior and decision‐making, yet little is known about the role of the posterior pedunculopontine nucleus (p PPN ), a major source of excitatory input to the mesolimbic dopamine system. Here we studied the contributions of the p PPN to decision‐making under risk, using excitoxic lesions and reversible inactivation in rats. Rats could choose between two options – a small but certain reward on one lever; or a large but uncertain reward on the other lever. The overall payoff associated with each choice is the same, but the reward variance (risk) associated with the risky choice is much higher. In Experiment 1, we showed that excitotoxic lesions of the p PPN before training did not affect acquisition of lever pressing. But whereas the controls strongly preferred the safe choice, the lesioned rats did not. In Experiment 2, we found that muscimol inactivation of the p PPN also produced similar effects, but reversibly. These results show that permanent lesions or reversible inactivation of the p PPN both abolish risk aversion in decision‐making.