»Exploiting individual differences in cue-reward learning to identify the neural mechanisms underlying inhibitory control«
Prof. Shelly B. Flagel, Ph.D.; University of Michigan
Individuals vary in how they respond to cues, or stimuli, in their surrounding environment. This variability is based, largely, on learned associations and the value attributed to such stimuli. However, we know from studies with rodents that there are inherent differences in how individuals learn about associative stimuli.
When rats are exposed to a Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure, in which a levercue is repeatedly paired with a food reward, some rats, sign-trackers, attribute incentive motivational value (i.e., incentive salience) to the lever-cue and, in turn, approach and interact with the cue upon its presentation. Other rats, goal-trackers, predominantly attribute predictive value to the lever-cue and upon its presentation go to the food cup to await reward delivery. Both sign- and goaltrackers learn the cue-reward relationship, but the value attributed to the cue differs. Relative to goal-trackers, sign-trackers are also more impulsive, more compulsive, exhibit attentional deficits, and are more likely to reinstate drug-seeking behavior (i.e., relapse).
These behavioral phenotypes also differ on a neurobiological level, with goal-trackers relying on dominant cortical control systems, and sign-trackers being driven by subcortical emotional and motivational systems. Thus, simply by characterizing rats based on Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior, we are capturing a neurobehavioral endophenotype of relevance to psychiatric disorders. In this talk I will present both published and unpublished data to illustrate how we can utilize these individual differences in behavior across species to uncover the neural mechanisms that contribute to deficits in inhibitory control that are characteristic of several psychiatric disorders.
Prof. Shelly Flagel ist Professorin für Neurowissenschaften, Psychiatrie, und Psychologie an der University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. In ihrer Forschung untersucht sie in Mausmodellen Mechanismen der Pawlowscher Konditionierung sowie ihre inter-individuellen Unterschiede. Zudem geht sie der Frage nach, wie diese inter-individuellen Unterschiede psychiatrischen Störungen zugrunde liegen können, mit einem besonderen Fokus auf Störungen der Impulskontrolle. In ihrer Forschung hat sie bahnbrechende Erkenntnisse zu den biologischen Grundlagen von mathematischen Modellen von Belohnungslernen hervorgebracht, sowie Tiermodelle für eine Reihe psychiatrischer Erkrankungen entwickelt.
Hier finden Sie in Kürze den Link zur Veranstaltung*
*Weiterleitung zu MS Teams - um ein möglichst unterbrechungsfreies Live-Streaming zu gewährleisten, empfehlen wir Ihnen, die Software im Vorfeld zu installieren. Wenn Sie über Ihr Smartphone an der Ringvorlesung teilnehmen wollen, laden Sie bitte vorher die entsprechende (kostenfreie) App herunter.
