Fig. 4: Degrading task requirements reveals circuit specialization in integrating reward history. | Nature Communications

Fig. 4: Degrading task requirements reveals circuit specialization in integrating reward history.

From: Reward integration in prefrontal-cortical and ventral-hippocampal nucleus accumbens inputs cooperatively modulates engagement

Fig. 4

A One-lever task schematic55. B Estimated mean mPFC-NAc activity across consecutive trial pairs (t-1→t0) showing rewarded+rewarded (R→R), rewarded+unrewarded (R→U), unrewarded+rewarded (U→R), and unrewarded+unrewarded (U→U) trial pairs (male n = 7, female n = 6). Dashed line y = 0. We analyzed 8–10 sec post-press (ITI end, shaded). (C) On trial t0, reward suppresses mPFC-NAc (male n = 7, female n = 6; U→U vs U→R: Z = 18.8757, p = 1.08E−78; R→U vs R→R: Z = 12.0687, p = 9.27E−23; U→U vs R→R: Z = 18.2004, p = 3.07E−73). When trial t0 is unrewarded, mPFC-NAc remains suppressed by prior reward, t-1, (U→U vs R→U: Z = 6.3467, p = 1.32E−9; U→R vs R→R: Z = −0.7826, p = 0.9671; U→R vs R→U: Z = 12.7865, p = 1.17E−36). D Estimated mean vHip-NAc activity across trial pairs (t-1→t0) (male n = 8, female n = 6). E On trial t0, reward suppresses vHip-NAc (male n = 8, female n = 6; U→U vs U→R: Z = 8.5245, p = 9.21E−17; R→U vs R→R: Z = 4.0519, p = 0.0003; U→U vs R→R: Z = 10.2097, p1.08E−23). When trial t0 is unrewarded, vHip-NAc remains suppressed by prior reward, t-1, (U→U vs R→U: Z = 6.2425, p = 2.58E−9; U→R vs R→R: Z = 1.7019, p = 0.4275; U→R vs R→U: Z = 2.3408, p = 0.1101). F No-lever task schematic55. G Estimated mean mPFC-NAc activity across trial pairs (t-1→t0) (male n = 7, female n = 6). H On trial t0, reward suppresses mPFC-NAc (male n = 7, female n = 6; U→U vs U→R: Z = 8.2136, p = 1.29E−15; R→U vs R→R: Z = 7.4647, p = 5.01E−13; U→U vs R→R: Z = 8.5242, p = 9.23E−17; U→U vs R→U: Z = 1.1662, p = 0.8126; U→R vs R→R: Z = 0.3493, p = 0.9996; U→R vs R→U: Z = 7.1124, p = 6.84E−12). I Estimated mean vHip-NAc activity across trial pairs (t-1→t0) (male n = 8, female n = 6). J On trial t0, reward suppresses vHip-NAc only if trial t-1 was unrewarded (male n = 8, female n = 6; U→U vs U→R: Z = 3.7413, p = 0.0011; R→U vs R→R: Z = 1.5289, p = 0.5551; U→U vs R→R: Z = 5.3913, p = 4.20E−7). When trial t0 is unrewarded, vHip-NAc remains suppressed by prior reward, t-1, (U→U vs R→U: Z = 3.8661, p = 0.0007; U→R vs R→R: Z = 1.6584, p = 0.4587; U→R vs R→U: Z = −0.1282, p = 0.9999). Circles (male) and triangles (female) indicate individual-animal averages. Two-sided Z-test with Sidak’s correction for multiple comparisons. Error bars represent SEM of estimated mean. Source data in Source Data file. ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001.

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