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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.07.24.550364

Changes in dorsomedial striatum activity mediate expression of goal-directed vs. habit-like cue-induced cocaine seeking

Bender, B. N.·Stringfield, S. J.·Torregrossa, M. M.
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Abstract

A preclinical model of cue exposure therapy, cue extinction, reduces cue-induced cocaine seeking when drug seeking is goal-directed but not habitual. Goal-directed and habitual behaviors differentially rely on the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and dorsolateral striatum (DLS), but the effects of cue extinction on dorsal striatal responses to cue-induced drug seeking are unknown. We used fiber photometry to examine how dorsal striatal intracellular calcium and extracellular dopamine activity differs between goal-directed and habitual cue-induced cocaine seeking and how it is impacted by cue extinction. Rats trained to self-administer cocaine paired with an audiovisual cue on schedules of reinforcement that promote goal-directed or habitual cocaine seeking had different patterns of dorsal striatal calcium and dopamine responses to cue-reinforced lever presses. Cue extinction reduced calcium and dopamine responses during subsequent drug seeking in the DMS, but not in the DLS. Therefore, cue extinction may reduce goal-directed behavior through its effects on the DMS, whereas habitual behavior and the DLS are unaffected.

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Bender, B. N., Stringfield, S. J., Torregrossa, M. M.. 2023-07-26. Changes in dorsomedial striatum activity mediate expression of goal-directed vs. habit-like cue-induced cocaine seeking. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.24.550364

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