PMID- 19135429
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20090421
LR  - 20211020
IS  - 1872-6240 (Electronic)
IS  - 0006-8993 (Print)
IS  - 0006-8993 (Linking)
VI  - 1259
DP  - 2009 Mar 9
TI  - Environmental enrichment alters neuronal processing in the nucleus accumbens core 
      during appetitive conditioning.
PG  - 59-67
LID - 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.12.038 [doi]
AB  - Although the core region of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) has been implicated in 
      motor control and the acquisition of appetitive learning, these processes are 
      altered by environmental experience. To assess how environment influences 
      neuronal processing in NAcc core, we recorded single-unit activity during 
      acquisition of an appetitive learning task in which rats reared in an 
      environmentally enriched condition (EC) learned the operant response (nosepoke 
      into a lit hole) for sucrose reinforcement faster than rats reared in an isolated 
      condition (IC). In the first training session, even before the emergence of 
      learning differences, core neurons were more likely to respond (increase or 
      decrease activity) during the operant and consummatory responses in EC than IC 
      rats. By the third training session, when learning differences emerged, EC 
      neurons continued to be more responsive than IC neurons, but in very different 
      ways: the response shifted to the cues that signaled trial onset (1900 Hz tone 
      and green LED) and reward availability (4500 Hz tone and yellow LED). Cue-related 
      responding, moreover, was dominated by neuronal excitations. In contrast, 
      post-acquisition recordings revealed no EC-IC differences. Collectively, these 
      results suggest that core neurons are initially more responsive to discrete, 
      goal-directed movements in EC rats, but as learning materializes, the neuronal 
      response shifts to the cues that predict these movements. Thus, environmental 
      experience alters core neuronal processing of both motor- and sensory-related 
      events but at different stages over the course of learning.
FAU - Wood, David A
AU  - Wood DA
AD  - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Division of Sleep 
      Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA., USA.
FAU - Rebec, George V
AU  - Rebec GV
LA  - eng
GR  - R01 DA012964/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - F31 DA019300/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA 12964/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA 02451/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - F31 DA019300-01/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - F31 DA019300-02/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA 19300/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - R01 DA002451/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - R01 DA002451-24/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - DA 05312/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
GR  - P50 DA005312/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
DEP - 20081224
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Brain Res
JT  - Brain research
JID - 0045503
RN  - 57-50-1 (Sucrose)
SB  - IM
MH  - Action Potentials
MH  - Animals
MH  - Conditioning, Operant/*physiology
MH  - Cues
MH  - *Environment
MH  - Feeding Behavior
MH  - Learning/physiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Microelectrodes
MH  - Neurons/*physiology
MH  - Nucleus Accumbens/*physiology
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Sprague-Dawley
MH  - Reward
MH  - Social Isolation
MH  - Sucrose
PMC - PMC2656408
MID - NIHMS84890
EDAT- 2009/01/13 09:00
MHDA- 2009/04/22 09:00
PMCR- 2010/03/09
CRDT- 2009/01/13 09:00
PHST- 2008/09/19 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2008/12/04 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2008/12/05 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2009/01/13 09:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2009/01/13 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2009/04/22 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2010/03/09 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - S0006-8993(08)02998-3 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.12.038 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Brain Res. 2009 Mar 9;1259:59-67. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.12.038. Epub 2008 
      Dec 24.