Fig. 4: CeA ChR2 shock-rod attraction enhances shock-rod ‘seeking’ and cue incentive salience.
From: The central amygdala recruits mesocorticolimbic circuitry for pursuit of reward or pain
a Apparatus shows novel opaque barrier interposed between rat and shock rod after 5 min into session. Number of barrier crosses to reach shock rod (ChR2 rats, N = 5 vs. eYFP rats, N = 5, two-sided unpaired t-test: t8 = 3.0, p = 0.02, d = 2.04). Number of shocked touches on shock rod: two-sided unpaired t-test: t8 = 1.1, p = 0.08. Time spent chewing on shock rod: two-sided unpaired t-test: t8 = 1.1, p = 0.08. b Instrumental conditioned reinforcement test. Rats nosepoked to earn presentations of auditory conditioned stimulus (CS)+ previously paired with shock-rod encounters (top) or a different auditory CS− previously paired with homecage. Right graph depicts CS+ seeking as difference score between the number of nosepokes to earn CS+ sound (shock-rod-paired CS) over the number of nosepokes in inactive hole that earned nothing. Left depicts CS− seeking: the number of nosepokes to earn CS− (homecage sound) sound over the number of nosepokes in inactive hole. CS+ vs. CS− were tested in separate sessions. Difference score for each day (CS nosepokes − inactive nosepokes) during CS+ and CS− sessions (ChR2 rats, N = 8, eYFP rats, N = 6; two-way repeated measures ANOVA, CS type × virus interaction: F1,12 = 3.84, p = 0.04; CS+: two-sided unpaired t-test: p = 0.03, 95% CI: 1.5, 29.6, d = 1.35; CS−: two-sided unpaired t-test: p = 0.57). Data represent mean and SEM. *p < 0.05.
