Involvement of catecholamine neurotransmission in the rat anterior cingulate in effort-related decision making.

Journal article

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.

Authors: Schweimer, J; Saft, S; Hauber, W

• Journal: Behavioral neuroscience
• Volume: 119
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 1687-1692
• Publication date: 2005-12-01
• DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.119.6.1687
• EISSN: 1939-0084
• ISSN: 0735-7044
• Language: English
• Keywords: Adrenergic Agents; Gyrus Cinguli; Maze Learning; Animals; Decision Making; Male; Discrimination Learning; Oxidopamine; Rats; Behavior, Animal; Catecholamines