A Comparison of Dopaminergic and Cholinergic Populations Reveals Unique Contributions of VTA Dopamine Neurons to Short-Term Memory

Choi, Jung Yoon, Jang, Hee Jae, Ornelas, Sharon, Fleming, Weston T, Fürth, Daniel, Au, Jennifer, Bandi, Akhil, Engel, Esteban A, Witten, Ilana B (December 2020) A Comparison of Dopaminergic and Cholinergic Populations Reveals Unique Contributions of VTA Dopamine Neurons to Short-Term Memory. Cell Reports, 33 (11). p. 108492. ISSN 2211-1247

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Abstract

We systematically compare the contributions of two dopaminergic and two cholinergic ascending populations to a spatial short-term memory task in rats. In ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTA-DA) and nucleus basalis cholinergic (NB-ChAT) populations, trial-by-trial fluctuations in activity during the delay period relate to performance with an inverted-U, despite the fact that both populations have low activity during that time. Transient manipulations reveal that only VTA-DA neurons, and not the other three populations we examine, contribute causally and selectively to short-term memory. This contribution is most significant during the delay period, when both increases and decreases in VTA-DA activity impair short-term memory. Our results reveal a surprising dissociation between when VTA-DA neurons are most active and when they have the biggest causal contribution to short-term memory, and they also provide support for classic ideas about an inverted-U relationship between neuromodulation and cognition.

Item Type:	Paper
Subjects:	bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > dopamine organism description > animal behavior > memory organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > ventral tegmental area
CSHL Authors:	Furth, Daniel
Communities:	CSHL labs > Lee lab
SWORD Depositor:	CSHL Elements
Depositing User:	CSHL Elements
Date:	15 December 2020
Date Deposited:	09 Jul 2021 13:30
Last Modified:	19 Aug 2024 14:54
PMCID:	PMC8038523
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/40263

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