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

Radostina Lyutova, Mareike Selcho, Maximilian Pfeuffer, Dennis Segebarth, Jens Habenstein, Astrid Rohwedder, Felix Frantzmann, Christian Wegener, Andreas S. Thum and Dennis Pauls ()
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Radostina Lyutova: University of Würzburg
Mareike Selcho: University of Würzburg
Maximilian Pfeuffer: University of Würzburg
Dennis Segebarth: University of Würzburg
Jens Habenstein: University of Würzburg
Astrid Rohwedder: University of Leipzig
Felix Frantzmann: University of Würzburg
Christian Wegener: University of Würzburg
Andreas S. Thum: University of Leipzig
Dennis Pauls: University of Würzburg

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract 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 recurrent signaling exists between Kenyon cells and dopaminergic neurons of the primary protocerebral anterior (pPAM) cluster. Optogenetic activation of Kenyon cells paired with odor stimulation is sufficient to induce appetitive memory. Simultaneous impairment of the dopaminergic pPAM neurons abolishes appetitive memory expression. Thus, we argue that dopaminergic pPAM neurons mediate reward information to the Kenyon cells, and in turn receive feedback from Kenyon cells. We further show that this feedback signaling is dependent on short neuropeptide F, but not on acetylcholine known to be important for odor-shock memories in adult flies. Our data suggest that recurrent signaling routes within the larval mushroom body circuitry may represent a mechanism subserving memory stabilization.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11092-1

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