4.7 Article

Opposing Roles of the Dorsolateral and Dorsomedial Striatum in the Acquisition of Skilled Action Sequencing in Rats

Journal

JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 42, Issue 10, Pages 2039-2051

Publisher

SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1907-21.2022

Keywords

automaticity; habit; orbitofrontal cortex; prefrontal cortex; skill; striatum

Categories

Funding

  1. National Health and Medical Research Council [GNT1122221]
  2. Wellcome Trust [104631/Z/14/Z]

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This study reveals a functional opposition between the dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum during skill and habit formation. Loss of function in the dorsomedial striatum accelerates sequence acquisition, while loss of function in the dorsolateral striatum impedes it. The mPFC is not involved, but the lateral orbitofrontal cortex plays a critical role.
The shift in control from dorsomedial to dorsolateral striatum during skill and habit formation has been well established, but whether striatal subregions orchestrate this shift cooperatively or competitively remains unclear. Cortical inputs have also been implicated in the shift toward automaticity, but it is unknown whether they mirror their downstream striatal targets across this transition. We addressed these questions using a five step heterogeneous action sequencing task in male rats that is optimally performed by automated chains of actions. By optimizing automatic habitual responding, we discovered that loss of function in the dorsomedial striatum accelerated sequence acquisition. In contrast, loss of function in the dorsolateral striatum impeded acquisition of sequencing, demonstrating functional opposition within the striatum. Unexpectedly, the mPFC was not involved; however, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex was critical. These results shift current theories about striatal control of behavior to a model of competitive opposition, where the dorsomedial striatum interferes with the development of dorsolateral-striatum dependent behavior.

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