title: Toward isolating the role of dopamine in the acquisition of incentive salience attribution.
abstract: Stimulus-reward learning has been heavily linked to the reward-prediction error learning hypothesis and dopaminergic function. However, some evidence suggests dopaminergic function may not strictly underlie reward-prediction error learning, but may be specific to incentive salience attribution. Utilizing a Pavlovian conditioned approach procedure consisting of two stimuli that were equally reward-predictive (both undergoing reward-prediction error learning) but functionally distinct in regard to incentive salience (levers that elicited sign-tracking and tones that elicited goal-tracking), we tested the differential role of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors and nucleus accumbens dopamine in the acquisition of sign- and goal-tracking behavior and their associated conditioned reinforcing value within individuals. Overall, the results revealed that both D1 and D2 inhibition disrupted performance of sign- and goal-tracking. However, D1 inhibition specifically prevented the acquisition of sign-tracking to a lever, instead promoting goal-tracking and decreasing its conditioned reinforcing value, while neither D1 nor D2 signaling was required for goal-tracking in response to a tone. Likewise, nucleus accumbens dopaminergic lesions disrupted acquisition of sign-tracking to a lever, while leaving goal-tracking in response to a tone unaffected. Collectively, these results are the first evidence of an intraindividual dissociation of dopaminergic function in incentive salience attribution from reward-prediction error learning, indicating that incentive salience, reward-prediction error, and their associated dopaminergic signaling exist within individuals and are stimulus-specific. Thus, individual differences in incentive salience attribution may be reflective of a differential balance in dopaminergic function that may bias toward the attribution of incentive salience, relative to reward-prediction error learning only.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: Justin R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Nickell
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: Mahesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Darna
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, USA. Electronic address: joshua.beckmann@uky.edu.
authors.forename: Joshua S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Beckmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000502:physiology; D012201:Reward
chemical_list: D065127:Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D004298:Dopamine
keywords: Dopamine; Goal-tracking; Incentive salience; Sign-tracking