Serotonin neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus encode reward signals

Yi Li, Weixin Zhong, Daqing Wang, Qiru Feng, Zhixiang Liu, Jingfeng Zhou, Chunying Jia, Fei Hu, Jiawei Zeng, Qingchun Guo, Ling Fu and Minmin Luo ()
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Yi Li: Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Weixin Zhong: Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Daqing Wang: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Qiru Feng: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Zhixiang Liu: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Jingfeng Zhou: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Chunying Jia: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Fei Hu: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Jiawei Zeng: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Qingchun Guo: National Institute of Biological Sciences, Zhongguancun Life Science Park 7 Science Park Road, Beijing 102206, China
Ling Fu: Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics-Huazhong, Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, University of Science and Technology
Minmin Luo: Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is involved in organizing reward-related behaviours; however, it remains unclear how genetically defined neurons in the DRN of a freely behaving animal respond to various natural rewards. Here we addressed this question using fibre photometry and single-unit recording from serotonin (5-HT) neurons and GABA neurons in the DRN of behaving mice. Rewards including sucrose, food, sex and social interaction rapidly activate 5-HT neurons, but aversive stimuli including quinine and footshock do not. Both expected and unexpected rewards activate 5-HT neurons. After mice learn to wait for sucrose delivery, most 5-HT neurons fire tonically during waiting and then phasically on reward acquisition. Finally, GABA neurons are activated by aversive stimuli but inhibited when mice seek rewards. Thus, DRN 5-HT neurons positively encode a wide range of reward signals during anticipatory and consummatory phases of reward responses. Moreover, GABA neurons play a complementary role in reward processing.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10503

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