IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v606y2022i7915d10.1038_s41586-022-04782-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatiotemporal dynamics of noradrenaline during learned behaviour

Author

Listed:
  • Vincent Breton-Provencher

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    CERVO Brain Research Center
    Université Laval)

  • Gabrielle T. Drummond

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Jiesi Feng

    (Peking University School of Life Sciences)

  • Yulong Li

    (Peking University School of Life Sciences)

  • Mriganka Sur

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Noradrenaline released from the locus coeruleus (LC) is a ubiquitous neuromodulator1–4 that has been linked to multiple functions including arousal5–8, action and sensory gain9–11, and learning12–16. Whether and how activation of noradrenaline-expressing neurons in the LC (LC-NA) facilitates different components of specific behaviours is unknown. Here we show that LC-NA activity displays distinct spatiotemporal dynamics to enable two functions during learned behaviour: facilitating task execution and encoding reinforcement to improve performance accuracy. To examine these functions, we used a behavioural task in mice with graded auditory stimulus detection and task performance. Optogenetic inactivation of the LC demonstrated that LC-NA activity was causal for both task execution and optimization. Targeted recordings of LC-NA neurons using photo-tagging, two-photon micro-endoscopy and two-photon output monitoring showed that transient LC-NA activation preceded behavioural execution and followed reinforcement. These two components of phasic activity were heterogeneously represented in LC-NA cortical outputs, such that the behavioural response signal was higher in the motor cortex and facilitated task execution, whereas the negative reinforcement signal was widely distributed among cortical regions and improved response sensitivity on the subsequent trial. Modular targeting of LC outputs thus enables diverse functions, whereby some noradrenaline signals are segregated among targets, whereas others are broadly distributed.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincent Breton-Provencher & Gabrielle T. Drummond & Jiesi Feng & Yulong Li & Mriganka Sur, 2022. "Spatiotemporal dynamics of noradrenaline during learned behaviour," Nature, Nature, vol. 606(7915), pages 732-738, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:606:y:2022:i:7915:d:10.1038_s41586-022-04782-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04782-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04782-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41586-022-04782-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Rebecca J. Rabinovich & Daniel D. Kato & Randy M. Bruno, 2022. "Learning enhances encoding of time and temporal surprise in mouse primary sensory cortex," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Wenqi Chen & Jiejunyi Liang & Qiyun Wu & Yunyun Han, 2024. "Anterior cingulate cortex provides the neural substrates for feedback-driven iteration of decision and value representation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:606:y:2022:i:7915:d:10.1038_s41586-022-04782-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.