Environmental complexity modulates information processing and the balance between decision-making systems.

Autor:	Mugan U; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA., Hoffman SL; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA., Redish AD; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. Electronic address: redish@umn.edu.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Neuron [Neuron] 2024 Oct 24. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 24.
DOI:	10.1016/j.neuron.2024.10.004
Abstrakt:	Behavior in naturalistic scenarios occurs in diverse environments. Adaptive strategies rely on multiple neural circuits and competing decision systems. However, past studies of rodent decision making have largely measured behavior in simple environments. To fill this gap, we recorded neural ensembles from hippocampus (HC), dorsolateral striatum (DLS), and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) while rats foraged for food under changing rules in environments with varying topological complexity. Environmental complexity increased behavioral variability, lengthened HC nonlocal sequences, and modulated action caching. We found contrasting representations between DLS and HC, supporting a competition between decision systems. dmPFC activity was indicative of setting this balance, in particular predicting the extent of HC non-local coding. Inactivating mPFC impaired short-term behavioral adaptation and produced long-term deficits in balancing decision systems. Our findings reveal the dynamic nature of decision-making systems and how environmental complexity modulates their engagement with implications for behavior in naturalistic environments. Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests. (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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