The two primary classes of emotional or motivational valence are seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. The ability to distinguish good and bad environmental cues is critical for survival, and perturbations in this ability can result in aberrat behaviors relevant to psychiatric disease. While the amygdala is known to be a region critical for processing motivational valence, a fundamental question in neuroscience is: How can opposing behavioral outputs be mediated by a similar neural mechanism? One likely possibility is that the processing of positive or negative motivation valence occurs with divergence into largely distinct circuits. Electrophysiological recording studies from the last decade provide compelling evidence that the amygdala could act as this initial divergence point. However, this hypothesis has not been directly tested. Here, we propose to directly test the hypothesis that positive and negative valence processing diverges at the basolateral amygdala, which projects to both the fear and reward circuits. We will test whether downstream projection targets define these different populations in both innate and learned associations, explore whether neural activity and synaptic plasticity are occurring preferentially in projection-defined neural populations, and identify novel targets in the fear and reward circuits. Our compelling preliminary data sets demonstrate the feasibility of applying multiple cutting-edge techniques to testing the specific hypotheses regarding causal relationships between specific neural projections and behavior, characterizing the cellular and synaptic mechanisms, and expanding our current knowledge of motivational circuitry. Specifically, this investigator has extensive expertise in projection-speciic optogenetic manipulations, electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry and pharmacological manipulations to study the neural basis of motivated behaviors. A successful outcome of the proposed research will establish a major conceptual advance in understanding the neural basis of positive and negative valence.

Public Health Relevance

This New Investigator proposal employs an interdisciplinary arsenal of cutting-edge techniques to tackle a fundamental neuroscience question: How do we distinguish positive and negative environmental cues? The innovative use of optogenetics, imaging, pharmacological and electrophysiological approaches in this proposal will provide a comprehensive answer to this elusive question. Insights about the processing of positive and negative motivational valence have broad implications for basic science to psychiatric disease.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH102441-04
Application #
9184579
Study Section
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Study Section (LAM)
Program Officer
Rossi, Andrew
Project Start
2014-01-15
Project End
2018-11-30
Budget Start
2016-12-01
Budget End
2017-11-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
001425594
City
Cambridge
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02142
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Beyeler, Anna; Chang, Chia-Jung; Silvestre, Margaux et al. (2018) Organization of Valence-Encoding and Projection-Defined Neurons in the Basolateral Amygdala. Cell Rep 22:905-918
Burgos-Robles, Anthony; Kimchi, Eyal Y; Izadmehr, Ehsan M et al. (2017) Amygdala inputs to prefrontal cortex guide behavior amid conflicting cues of reward and punishment. Nat Neurosci 20:824-835
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Matthews, Gillian A; Nieh, Edward H; Vander Weele, Caitlin M et al. (2016) Dorsal Raphe Dopamine Neurons Represent the Experience of Social Isolation. Cell 164:617-31
Beyeler, Anna; Namburi, Praneeth; Glober, Gordon F et al. (2016) Divergent Routing of Positive and Negative Information from the Amygdala during Memory Retrieval. Neuron 90:348-361
Namburi, Praneeth; Al-Hasani, Ream; Calhoon, Gwendolyn G et al. (2016) Architectural Representation of Valence in the Limbic System. Neuropsychopharmacology 41:1697-715
Felix-Ortiz, A C; Burgos-Robles, A; Bhagat, N D et al. (2016) Bidirectional modulation of anxiety-related and social behaviors by amygdala projections to the medial prefrontal cortex. Neuroscience 321:197-209
Nieh, Edward H; Vander Weele, Caitlin M; Matthews, Gillian A et al. (2016) Inhibitory Input from the Lateral Hypothalamus to the Ventral Tegmental Area Disinhibits Dopamine Neurons and Promotes Behavioral Activation. Neuron 90:1286-1298
Namburi, Praneeth; Beyeler, Anna; Yorozu, Suzuko et al. (2015) A circuit mechanism for differentiating positive and negative associations. Nature 520:675-8

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