Abstract
Rationale
Catecholamine transmission modulates numerous cognitive and reward-related processes that can subserve more complex functions such as cost/benefit decision making. Dopamine has been shown to play an integral role in decisions involving reward uncertainty, yet there is a paucity of research investigating the contributions of noradrenaline (NA) transmission to these functions.
Objectives
The present study was designed to elucidate the contribution of NA to risk/reward decision making in rats, assessed with a probabilistic discounting task.
Methods
We examined the effects of reducing noradrenergic transmission with the α2 agonist clonidine (10–100 μg/kg), and increasing activity at α2A receptor sites with the agonist guanfacine (0.1–1 mg/kg), the α2 antagonist yohimbine (1–3 mg/kg), and the noradrenaline transporter (NET) inhibitor atomoxetine (0.3–3 mg/kg) on probabilistic discounting. Rats chose between a small/certain reward and a larger/risky reward, wherein the probability of obtaining the larger reward either decreased (100–12.5 %) or increased (12.5–100 %) over a session.
Results
In well-trained rats, clonidine reduced risky choice by decreasing reward sensitivity, whereas guanfacine did not affect choice behavior. Yohimbine impaired adjustments in decision biases as reward probability changed within a session by altering negative feedback sensitivity. In a subset of rats that displayed prominent discounting of probabilistic rewards, the lowest dose of atomoxetine increased preference for the large/risky reward when this option had greater long-term utility.
Conclusions
These data highlight an important and previously uncharacterized role for noradrenergic transmission in mediating different aspects of risk/reward decision making and mediating reward and negative feedback sensitivity.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP 89861) to SBF. We thank Lauren Ogilvie for her assistance with behavioral testing. DRM and CMS contributed equally to this work.
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Montes, D.R., Stopper, C.M. & Floresco, S.B. Noradrenergic modulation of risk/reward decision making. Psychopharmacology 232, 2681–2696 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-3904-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-015-3904-3