Dopamine modulation of neural circuits in the amygdala
Project Overview
Motivated, goal-directed behaviours exist to sustain life and permit both humans and animals to learn to navigate the world while pursuing rewards and avoiding threats and punishment. Motivation is therefore flexible, and subject to changes in the external environment and to internal states. These behaviours require precise communication between many areas of the brain, yet many of these connections are undefined. Layered on top of this is the effect of neuromodulators that act to shift, amplify, or dampen neural activity and behaviour. Neuromodulators can act in very precise ways within a given brain region to promote or inhibit different aspects of behaviour. Here we will study the effects of the neuromodulator dopamine on specific populations of neurons in the basolateral amygdala. The basolateral amygdala plays a critical role in integrating sensory cues to coordinate motivated behaviours. Dopamine in the basolateral amygdala regulates these behaviours by promoting the learning of cue-outcome relationships, but it is not clear which circuits dopamine acts on. Here we will examine dopamine modulation of neural circuits in the basolateral amygdala.
Principal Investigator
Corey Baimel , Dalhousie University