The authors present a unified account of 2 neural systems concerned with the development and expression of adaptive behaviors: a mesencephalic dopamine system for reinforcement learning and a “generic” error-processing system associated with the anterior cingulate cortex The existence of the error-processing system has been inferred from the error-related negativity (ERN), a component of the event-related brain potential elicited when human participants commit errors in reaction-time tasks The authors propose that the ERN is generated when a negative reinforcement learning signal is conveyed to the anterior cingulate cortex via the mesencephalic dopamine system and that this signal is used by the anterior cingulate cortex to modify performance on the task at hand They provide support for this proposal using both computational modeling and psychophysiological experimentation

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The neural basis of human error processing: Reinforcement learning, dopamine, and the error-related negativity.

Dopamine transmission in the initiation and expression of drug- and stress-induced sensitization of motor activity

Controversy surrounds the function of the anterior cingulate cortex. Recent discussions about its role in behavioural control have centred on three main issues: its involvement in motor control, its proposed role in cognition and its relationship with the arousal/drive state of the organism. I argue that the overlap of these three domains is key to distinguishing the anterior cingulate cortex from other frontal regions, placing it in a unique position to translate intentions to actions.

Primate anterior cingulate cortex: where motor control, drive and cognition interface.

The principal features and mechanisms of dopamine modulation in the prefrontal cortex

A circuitry model of the expression of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine-like psychostimulants

Inhibitory effects of ventral tegmental area stimulation on the activity of prefrontal cortical neurons: evidence for the involvement of both dopaminergic and GABAergic components.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the influence of the ascending monoaminergic systems on the activity of the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC). The analysis of the influence of the aminergic ascending systems on cerebral functions has generated considerable interest because several psychoactive drugs are known to interfere with dopaminergic (DA), noradrenergic (NA), or serotoninergic (5HT) neurotransmission. The PFC has a determining influence in the regulation of emotional states, in the control of motor activity, and in cognitive processes, such as representational memory. The inhibition of the spontaneous firing is the most common effect reported in the cerebral cortex. Ascending DA, 5HT, and NA neurons, which originate respectively from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the raphe nuclei, and the locus coeruleus markedly modulate neuronal activity in the PFC. The main differences in the influence of DA and 5HT as compared to NA afferents on the spontaneous activity or evoked responses of PFC cells are reviewed in the chapter. The influence of the three aminergic systems— DA, NA, and 5HT—is observed on efferent PFC neurons. A characteristic of the output PFC neurons in the rat is the extensive collateralization of their axons.

Influence of the ascending monoaminergic systems on the activity of the rat prefrontal cortex.

Inhibition of spontaneous and evoked unit activity in the rat medial prefrontal cortex by mesencephalic raphe nuclei.

The prefrontal cortex is innervated by the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems which originate from the ventral tegmental area and the locus coeruleus, respectively. There is strong evidence that these aminergic systems play a critical role in prefrontal cortex functions. In the present review, the respective roles of these two systems in the control of the spontaneous or evoked activity of prefrontal cortical cells in anesthetized rats is examined. Particular emphasis is on showing the main differences in the influence of these two pathways on the transfer of information in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex also receives innervation from the hippocampal formation (field CA1 and subiculum). This direct pathway from the hippocampus to the prelimbic area of the rat prefrontal cortex is described and its excitatory role and ability to undergo long-term potentiation is underlined.

R. Godbout

Papers

Inhibitory effects of ventral tegmental area stimulation on the activity of prefrontal cortical neurons: evidence for the involvement of both dopaminergic and GABAergic components.

Influence of the ascending monoaminergic systems on the activity of the rat prefrontal cortex.

Inhibition of spontaneous and evoked unit activity in the rat medial prefrontal cortex by mesencephalic raphe nuclei.

Influence of Afferent Systems on the Activity of the Rat Prefrontal Cortex: Electrophysiological and Pharmacological Characterization

Inhibitory effects of mesocortical dopaminergic neurons on their target cells: electrophysiological and pharmacological characterization.