{"title":"The nucleus accumbens in reward and aversion processing: insights and implications","authors":"Ying Xu, Yingjie Lin, Ming Yu, Kuikui Zhou","doi":"10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1420028","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The nucleus accumbens (NAc), a central component of the brain’s reward circuitry, has been implicated in a wide range of behaviors and emotional states. Emerging evidence, primarily drawing from recent rodent studies, suggests that the function of the NAc in reward and aversion processing is multifaceted. Prolonged stress or drug use induces maladaptive neuronal function in the NAc circuitry, which results in pathological conditions. This review aims to provide comprehensive and up-to-date insights on the role of the NAc in motivated behavior regulation and highlights areas that demand further in-depth analysis. It synthesizes the latest findings on how distinct NAc neuronal populations and pathways contribute to the processing of opposite valences. The review examines how a range of neuromodulators, especially monoamines, influence the NAc’s control over various motivational states. Furthermore, it delves into the complex underlying mechanisms of psychiatric disorders such as addiction and depression and evaluates prospective interventions to restore NAc functionality.","PeriodicalId":12368,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1420028","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc), a central component of the brain’s reward circuitry, has been implicated in a wide range of behaviors and emotional states. Emerging evidence, primarily drawing from recent rodent studies, suggests that the function of the NAc in reward and aversion processing is multifaceted. Prolonged stress or drug use induces maladaptive neuronal function in the NAc circuitry, which results in pathological conditions. This review aims to provide comprehensive and up-to-date insights on the role of the NAc in motivated behavior regulation and highlights areas that demand further in-depth analysis. It synthesizes the latest findings on how distinct NAc neuronal populations and pathways contribute to the processing of opposite valences. The review examines how a range of neuromodulators, especially monoamines, influence the NAc’s control over various motivational states. Furthermore, it delves into the complex underlying mechanisms of psychiatric disorders such as addiction and depression and evaluates prospective interventions to restore NAc functionality.
期刊介绍:
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience is a leading journal in its field, publishing rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying behavior. Field Chief Editor Nuno Sousa at the Instituto de Pesquisa em Ciências da Vida e da Saúde (ICVS) is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international experts. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians and the public worldwide.
This journal publishes major insights into the neural mechanisms of animal and human behavior, and welcomes articles studying the interplay between behavior and its neurobiological basis at all levels: from molecular biology and genetics, to morphological, biochemical, neurochemical, electrophysiological, neuroendocrine, pharmacological, and neuroimaging studies.