title: Attention-related Pearce-Kaye-Hall signals in basolateral amygdala require the midbrain dopaminergic system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neural activity in basolateral amygdala has recently been shown to reflect surprise or attention as predicted by the Pearce-Kaye-Hall model (PKH)--an influential model of associative learning. Theoretically, a PKH attentional signal originates in prediction errors of the kind associated with phasic firing of dopamine neurons. This requirement for prediction errors, coupled with projections from the midbrain dopamine system into basolateral amygdala, suggests that the PKH signal in amygdala may depend on dopaminergic input.
  
  
  METHODS
  To test this, we recorded single unit activity in basolateral amygdala in rats with 6-hydroxydopamine or sham lesions of the ipsilateral midbrain region. Neurons were recorded as the rats performed a task previously used to demonstrate both dopaminergic reward prediction errors and attentional signals in basolateral amygdala neurons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that neurons recorded in sham lesioned rats exhibited the same attention-related PKH signal observed in previous studies. By contrast, neurons recorded in rats with ipsilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions failed to show attentional signaling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate a linkage between the neural instantiations of the basolateral complex of the amygdala attentional signal and dopaminergic prediction errors. Such a linkage would have important implications for understanding both normal and aberrant learning and behavior, particularly in diseases thought to have a primary effect on dopamine systems, such as addiction and schizophrenia.
authors: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors: Guillem R
authors: GR
authors: Esber
authors: Matthew R
authors: MR
authors: Roesch
authors: Shreya
authors: S
authors: Bali
authors: Jason
authors: J
authors: Trageser
authors: Gregory B
authors: GB
authors: Bissonette
authors: Adam C
authors: AC
authors: Puche
authors: Peter C
authors: PC
authors: Holland
authors: Geoffrey
authors: G
authors: Schoenbaum
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009812:Odorants; D016627:Oxidopamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012201:Reward; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016627:Oxidopamine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine