Fine-tuning motivation in the brain

Date:
December 9, 2021
Source:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Summary:
Neuroscientists have discovered a set of brain cells that influence
the motivation of mice to perform tasks for rewards. Increasing the
cells' activity makes a mouse work harder or more vigorously. The
neurons come with a feature that prevents the mouse from overdoing
it and becoming addicted to the reward. The findings reveal new
possible therapeutic strategies for treating mental illnesses like
depression that impair motivation.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A characteristic of depression is a lack of motivation. Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Bo Li, in collaboration with CSHL
Adjunct Professor Z. Josh Huang, discovered a group of neurons in the
mouse brain that influences the animal's motivation to perform tasks
for rewards. Dialing up the activity of these neurons makes a mouse work
faster or more vigorously -- up to a point.

These neurons have a feature that prevents the mouse from becoming
addicted to the reward. The findings may point to new therapeutic
strategies for treating mental illnesses like depression that affect
motivation in humans.


==========================================================================
The anterior insular cortex is a region of the brain that plays
a critical role in motivation. A set of neurons that activate a gene
called Fezf2(Fezf2 neurons) in this area are active when mice are doing
both physical and cognitive tasks. Li and his lab hypothesized that
these neurons do not affect the mouse's ability to do the task; rather,
the brain cells influence the mouse's motivational drive.

Mice were trained to lick a water bottle spout to receive a small
sugar reward.

When researchers dialed up the activity of these Fezf2 neurons, mice
would lick more vigorously. If the neuron activity was dialed down,
the mice would lick more slowly. The researchers saw a similar result
in another experiment in which the mice ran on a wheel to receive a
reward. The mice ran faster if the Fezf2 neurons were stimulated. The
same effect occurred with other tasks.

Li and his team were surprised to discover a feature that prevents the
mice from becoming addicted to the tasks and their rewards. When mice
drank their fill of sugar water and were satiated, they would not lick
or run faster to get more sugar, even if the researchers dialed up the
activity of the Fezf2 neurons.

Finding a way to fine-tune the human equivalent of these neurons
might help people struggling with motivation due to mental
illnesses like depression. Li says, "We want to selectively
increase the motivation of the person so that they can do the things
that they need to do, but we don't want to create addictive drugs." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Cold_Spring_Harbor_Laboratory. Original written by Luis Sandoval. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hanfei Deng, Xiong Xiao, Tao Yang, Kimberly Ritola, Adam Hantman,
Yulong
Li, Z. Josh Huang, Bo Li. A genetically defined insula-brainstem
circuit selectively controls motivational vigor. Cell, 2021; DOI:
10.1016/ j.cell.2021.11.019 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211209124250.htm

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