Serotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.

Updated theoretical accounts of the role of serotonin (5-HT) in motivation propose that 5-HT operates at the intersection of aversion and inhibition, promoting withdrawal in the face of aversive predictions. However, the specific cognitive mechanisms through which 5-HT modulates withdrawal behavior...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Crockett, M, Clark, L, Apergis-Schoute, A, Morein-Zamir, S, Robbins, T
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2012
_version_ 1797099880301199360
author Crockett, M
Clark, L
Apergis-Schoute, A
Morein-Zamir, S
Robbins, T
author_facet Crockett, M
Clark, L
Apergis-Schoute, A
Morein-Zamir, S
Robbins, T
author_sort Crockett, M
collection OXFORD
description Updated theoretical accounts of the role of serotonin (5-HT) in motivation propose that 5-HT operates at the intersection of aversion and inhibition, promoting withdrawal in the face of aversive predictions. However, the specific cognitive mechanisms through which 5-HT modulates withdrawal behavior remain poorly understood. Behavioral inhibition in response to punishments reflects at least two concurrent processes: instrumental aversive predictions linking stimuli, responses, and punishments, and Pavlovian aversive predictions linking stimuli and punishments irrespective of response. In the current study, we examined to what extent 5-HT modulates the impact of instrumental vs Pavlovian aversive predictions on behavioral inhibition. We used acute tryptophan depletion to lower central 5-HT levels in healthy volunteers, and observed behavior in a novel task designed to measure the influence of Pavlovian and instrumental aversive predictions on choice (response bias) and response vigor (response latencies). After placebo treatment, participants were biased against responding on the button that led to punishment, and they were slower to respond in a punished context, relative to a non-punished context. Specifically, participants slowed their responses in the presence of stimuli predictive of punishments. Tryptophan depletion removed the bias against responding on the punished button, and abolished slowing in the presence of punished stimuli, irrespective of response. We suggest that this set of results can be explained by a role for 5-HT in Pavlovian aversive predictions. These findings suggest additional specificity for the influence of 5-HT on aversively motivated behavioral inhibition and extend recent models of the role of 5-HT in aversive predictions.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T05:29:56Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:e1e783c2-9c9b-4c9e-bac7-31a0ab4f8c73
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T05:29:56Z
publishDate 2012
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:e1e783c2-9c9b-4c9e-bac7-31a0ab4f8c732022-03-27T09:57:27ZSerotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:e1e783c2-9c9b-4c9e-bac7-31a0ab4f8c73EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2012Crockett, MClark, LApergis-Schoute, AMorein-Zamir, SRobbins, TUpdated theoretical accounts of the role of serotonin (5-HT) in motivation propose that 5-HT operates at the intersection of aversion and inhibition, promoting withdrawal in the face of aversive predictions. However, the specific cognitive mechanisms through which 5-HT modulates withdrawal behavior remain poorly understood. Behavioral inhibition in response to punishments reflects at least two concurrent processes: instrumental aversive predictions linking stimuli, responses, and punishments, and Pavlovian aversive predictions linking stimuli and punishments irrespective of response. In the current study, we examined to what extent 5-HT modulates the impact of instrumental vs Pavlovian aversive predictions on behavioral inhibition. We used acute tryptophan depletion to lower central 5-HT levels in healthy volunteers, and observed behavior in a novel task designed to measure the influence of Pavlovian and instrumental aversive predictions on choice (response bias) and response vigor (response latencies). After placebo treatment, participants were biased against responding on the button that led to punishment, and they were slower to respond in a punished context, relative to a non-punished context. Specifically, participants slowed their responses in the presence of stimuli predictive of punishments. Tryptophan depletion removed the bias against responding on the punished button, and abolished slowing in the presence of punished stimuli, irrespective of response. We suggest that this set of results can be explained by a role for 5-HT in Pavlovian aversive predictions. These findings suggest additional specificity for the influence of 5-HT on aversively motivated behavioral inhibition and extend recent models of the role of 5-HT in aversive predictions.
spellingShingle Crockett, M
Clark, L
Apergis-Schoute, A
Morein-Zamir, S
Robbins, T
Serotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.
title Serotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.
title_full Serotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.
title_fullStr Serotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.
title_full_unstemmed Serotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.
title_short Serotonin modulates the effects of Pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor.
title_sort serotonin modulates the effects of pavlovian aversive predictions on response vigor
work_keys_str_mv AT crockettm serotoninmodulatestheeffectsofpavlovianaversivepredictionsonresponsevigor
AT clarkl serotoninmodulatestheeffectsofpavlovianaversivepredictionsonresponsevigor
AT apergisschoutea serotoninmodulatestheeffectsofpavlovianaversivepredictionsonresponsevigor
AT moreinzamirs serotoninmodulatestheeffectsofpavlovianaversivepredictionsonresponsevigor
AT robbinst serotoninmodulatestheeffectsofpavlovianaversivepredictionsonresponsevigor