title: Aversive prediction error signals in the amygdala.
abstract: Prediction error signals are fundamental to learning. Here, in mice, we show that aversive prediction signals are found in the hemodynamic responses and theta oscillations recorded from the basolateral amygdala. During fear conditioning, amygdala responses evoked by footshock progressively decreased, whereas responses evoked by the auditory cue that predicted footshock concomitantly increased. Unexpected footshock evoked larger amygdala responses than expected footshock. The magnitude of the amygdala response to the footshock predicted behavioral responses the following day. The omission of expected footshock led to a decrease below baseline in the amygdala response suggesting a negative aversive prediction error signal. Thus, in mice, amygdala activity conforms to temporal difference models of aversive learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom, and stephen.mchugh@psy.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4739-453X
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom, and.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barkus
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom, and.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom, and.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capitão
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom, and.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lowry
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD, United Kingdom, and.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bannerman
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000679:Amygdala / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D059031:Anticipation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D004597:Electroshock; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic; D006439:Hemodynamics; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology
keywords: amygdala; fear; hemodynamic; prediction error; theta oscillations; tissue oxygen