Reward signaling in a recurrent circuit of dopaminergic neurons and Kenyon cells

Dopaminergic neurons in the brain of the Drosophila larva play a key role in mediating reward information to the mushroom bodies during appetitive olfactory learning and memory. Using optogenetic activation of Kenyon cells we provide evidence that a functional recurrent signaling loop exists between...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inbioRxiv
Main Authors Lyutova, Radostina, Pfeuffer, Maximilian, Segebarth, Dennis, Habenstein, Jens, Selcho, Mareike, Wegener, Christian, Thum, Andreas S, Pauls, Dennis
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 28.06.2018
Subjects
Cell activation
Dopamine receptors
Larvae
Mushroom bodies
Neurons
Odor
Olfactory discrimination learning
Reinforcement
Sugar
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Summary:Dopaminergic neurons in the brain of the Drosophila larva play a key role in mediating reward information to the mushroom bodies during appetitive olfactory learning and memory. Using optogenetic activation of Kenyon cells we provide evidence that a functional recurrent signaling loop exists between Kenyon cells and dopaminergic neurons of the primary protocerebral anterior (pPAM) cluster. An optogenetic activation of Kenyon cells paired with an odor is sufficient to induce appetitive memory, while a simultaneous impairment of the dopaminergic pPAM neurons abolishes memory expression. Thus, dopaminergic pPAM neurons mediate reward information to the Kenyon cells, but in turn receive feedback from Kenyon cells. We further show that the activation of recurrent signaling routes within mushroom body circuitry increases the persistence of an odor-sugar memory. Our results suggest that sustained activity in a neuronal circuitry is a conserved mechanism in insects and vertebrates to consolidate memories. Footnotes * The first version included a mistake, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 were the same. We changed that.
DOI:10.1101/357145