Presented by Justin P. Smith DECISION-MAKING PERFORMANCE IS RELATED TO LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND DIFFERENTIAL RECRUITMENT OF FRONTOSTRIATAL AREAS IN MALE RATS L. DE VISSER, A. M. BAARS, M. LAVRIJSEN, C. M. M. VAN DER WEERD and R. VAN DEN BOS Presented by Justin P. Smith

Stress and Anxiety (McEwen 2012) Theme: Stress causes imbalance of neural circuitry and effects anxiety and decision making Chronic stress Dendritic shortening: mPFC, Amyg ↑ Amyg unlearned fear/fear conditioning ↑ aggression from hyperactive Amyg

Stress and Anxiety High responders Low responders ↑ locomotion ↓ freezing ↑ DA in Nac ↓ DA in mPFC ↓ 5-HT overall Longer/larger DA response to stress ↓ GR expression in Hipp Differ HPA axis response Low responders ↓locomotion ↑ freezing ↓ DA in Nac ↑ DA in mPFC ↑ 5-HT overall shorter/lower DA response to stress ↑ GR expression in Hipp Differ HPA axis response

fMRI Paper (Lui 2009) Resting state Dysfunctional connectivity Amyg, mPFC, ant. cingulate gyrus, supplementary motor area, ventral striatum, insula and hippocampus

This is your brain. This is your brain after heroin ↓Decision making (OFC/PFC) ↓ inhibitory control (ACC/SMA) ↓working memory (AMYG/HIPP)

Links Stress or Heroin can cause changes in brain plasticity Ecological and/or self-induced Pre-disposition? Anxiety-Decision Making

Background Anxious individuals at risk for mood disorders & drug addiction Anxiety induces negative cognitive bias Anxious human subjects perform poorly Iowa Gambling Task (IGT)

IGT revisited Over 100 trials Net = -$2,500 Net = -$2,500 Net = $2,500

Animals Male Wistar Rats, 10wks Pair housed, revers e 12hr light cycle Cage enrichment: tissue paper & shelter Radio as background noise Sustenance ad libitum Except during exp

Behavioral tests EPM r-IGT

c-Fos Immediate early gene Indirect marker of neuronal activity

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Brain areas used to determine neural activity by c-fos immunohistochemistry -OFC, orbitofrontal cortex -Cg1, cingulate area 1 -PrL, prelimbic cortex* -IL, infralimbic cortex* -INS, insular cortex -NaS, nucleus accumbens shell* -NaC, nucleus accumbens core* -CeN, central nucleus of the amygdala -BLA, basolateral amygdala

Fig 4 2hr after last trial

Take home Higher anxiety= poor r-IGT performance mPFC & ventral striatum play pivotal role

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