Dysfunction in circuits mediating aversion and reward underlies mental disorders, such as anxiety, major depression and addiction. Whereas recent studies have identified the lateral habenula, raphe and ventral tegmental area as key regions mediating aversion and reward, little is known afferents influencing these structures. In this proposal, we will investigate the role of the ventral pallidum and its projections in aversion and reward encoding in mice.
In Aim 1, we will characterize how glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons mediate aversion and reward in a place preference task.
In Aim 2, we will characterize how glutamatergic and GABAergic projections to downstream targets mediate aversion and reward in a place preference task.
In Aim 3, we will use single-unit recording techniques to characterize how glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum encode aversion and reward in a cost-benefit decision making task. We will also test whether VP glutamatergic neurons are necessary for execution of behavioral choice. Understanding how ventral pallidal circuits mediates aversion and reward will help guide treatment for several mental disorders.
To ensure survival, individuals must be able to pursue rewarding elements and avoid aversive stimuli. Here, we propose to investigate the role of ventral pallidal circuits mediating reward and aversion using different behavioral tasks in conjunction with optogenetic, chemogenetic, immunohistochemistry and neuronal recording approaches. Understanding how the ventral pallidum mediates reward and aversion will help unveiling the mechanisms of mental disorders such as anxiety, major depression and addiction.
