Reinforcement omission effects in rats with lesions of the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area

• Grant number: 12/01461-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2012
• End date: June 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Jose Lino Oliveira Bueno
• Grantee: Tatiane Ferreira Tavares
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/22178-9 - Role of temporal parameters and prediction error on triggering plasticity in amygdala nuclei and reconsolidation in an appetitive conditioning, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Reinforcement omission effects (ROEs) are characterized by higher response rates after the reinforcement omission than after its delivery. This pattern of behavior is interpreted in terms of motivational and attentional processes. Recent studies showed that bilateral lesions involving simultaneously the central nucleus (CN) and the basolateral complex (BLA) of the amygdala, but not lesions only from CN or only from BLA, eliminated the ROE. Thus, lesion involving simultaneously in these areas may have covered more connections between these nuclei and pathways with other regions that participate in the ROEs modulation. Due to the extensive amygdala connections with cortical, subcortical and mesencephalic areas, some of these connections - like connections to orbitofrontal (OFC), nucleus accumbens (ACB), substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) - modulate many processes related to the reinforcement anticipation, the stimulus association and the motivational reinforcement value. The mesencephalic projections of SNc and VTA have reciprocal connections with circuits involving the amygdala, nucleus accumbens and the cortex. These connections appear to be important targets for the mediation of reinforcement and omission of biologically important events. Thus, this study aims to verify whether the SNc and VTA integrate the circuit involved in ROEs modulating. ROEs will be evaluate in rats submitted to fixed-interval with limited hold (FI 12s LH 6s) with bilateral lesion of the SNc (Experiment 1) and bilateral lesion of the VTA (Experiment 2). If the modulation of ROEs is part of a circuit related to reinforcement processes, experimental manipulations of these areas may provide a better understanding of the process and the circuitry underlying ROEs.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

TAVARES, T. F.; JUDICE-DAHER, D. M.; BUENO, J. L. O.. Reinforcement omission effects in rats with bilateral lesions in the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, v. 52, n. 7, 2019. (12/01461-9)