title: A unifying model of the role of the infralimbic cortex in extinction and habits.
abstract: The infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IL) has been shown to be critical for the regulation of flexible behavior, but its precise function remains unclear. This region has been shown to be critical for the acquisition, consolidation, and expression of extinction learning, leading many to hypothesize that IL suppresses behavior as part of a "stop" network. However, this framework is at odds with IL function in habitual behavior in which the IL has been shown to be required for the expression and acquisition of ongoing habitual behavior. Here, we will review the current state of knowledge of IL anatomy and function in behavioral flexibility and provide a testable framework for a single IL mechanism underlying its function in both extinction and habit learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA barker.jacqui@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jacqueline M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06519, USA.
authors.forename: Jane R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA.
authors.forename: L Judson
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chandler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D008954:Models, Biological; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward