Inhibiting Rho kinase promotes goal-directed decision making and blocks habitual responding for cocaine

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Andrew M. Swanson, Emory University; Lauren M. DePoy, Emory University; Shannon Gourley, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-11-30
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group: Nature Communications
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2017
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01915-4
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Nature Communications
• ISSN: 2041-1723
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 1861
• End Page: 1861
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the Emory Egleston Children’s Research Center, NIH MH101477, DA015040, DA034808, DA036316, and DA036737.; The Emory Integrated Cellular Imaging Core is supported by an NINDS Core Facilities grant, P30NS055077.; he Yerkes National Primate Research Center is supported by the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/OD P51OD011132-53.
• Keywords: DENDRITIC SPINES; MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX; SEEKING; ARG; FRONTAL-CORTEX; RATS; BEHAVIOR; INSTRUMENTAL ACTION; PRELIMBIC CORTEX; PLASTICITY; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Science & Technology; Multidisciplinary Sciences
• Research Categories: Biology, Neuroscience; Psychology, General

Abstract

The prelimbic prefrontal cortex is necessary for associating actions with their consequences, enabling goal-directed decision making. We find that the strength of action-outcome conditioning correlates with dendritic spine density in prelimbic cortex, suggesting that new action-outcome learning involves dendritic spine plasticity. To test this, we inhibited the cytoskeletal regulatory factor Rho kinase. We find that the inhibitor fasudil enhances action-outcome memory, resulting in goal-directed behavior in mice that would otherwise express stimulus-response habits. Fasudil transiently reduces prelimbic cortical dendritic spine densities during a period of presumed memory consolidation, but only when paired with new learning. Fasudil also blocks habitual responding for cocaine, an effect that persists over time, across multiple contexts, and depends on actin polymerization. We suggest that Rho kinase inhibition promotes goal-oriented action selection by augmenting the plasticity of prelimbic cortical dendritic spines during the formation of new action-outcome memories.