Thalamic Regulation of Sucrose Seeking during Unexpected Reward Omission

Apr 21, 2017Neuron

Thalamus control of sugar-seeking when expected rewards are missing

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Abstract

Pharmacological inactivation of the anterior paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus increased sucrose seeking by 50% when the reward was omitted.

Cues associated with rewards activate neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus.
The anterior paraventricular nucleus is specifically involved in regulating reward-seeking behavior when rewards are unexpectedly omitted.
Photoactivation of anterior paraventricular nucleus neurons completely eliminated sucrose seeking.
The firing patterns of anterior paraventricular nucleus neurons can distinguish between conditions of reward availability.
Manipulating the connections of the anterior paraventricular nucleus to other brain regions affects sucrose seeking based on reward presence.

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The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is thought to regulate behavioral responses under emotionally arousing conditions. Reward-associated cues activate PVT neurons; however, the specific PVT efferents regulating reward seeking remain elusive. Using a cued sucrose-seeking task, we manipulated PVT activity under two emotionally distinct conditions: (1) when reward was available during the cue as expected or (2) when reward was unexpectedly omitted during the cue. Pharmacological inactivation of the anterior PVT (aPVT), but not the posterior PVT, increased sucrose seeking only when reward was omitted. Consistent with this, photoactivation of aPVT neurons abolished sucrose seeking, and the firing of aPVT neurons differentiated reward availability. Photoinhibition of aPVT projections to the nucleus accumbens or to the amygdala increased or decreased, respectively, sucrose seeking only when reward was omitted. Our findings suggest that PVT bidirectionally modulates sucrose seeking under the negative (frustrative) conditions of reward omission.

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Thalamic Regulation of Sucrose Seeking during Unexpected Reward Omission

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