Characterising the fronto-cortical dopamine and serotonin dynamics underlying internal model-based decision-making

灵活的决策是成功应对环境挑战的关键。由于这在一些精神疾病中受损，确定其潜在的神经基础是至关重要的。神经调节系统非常适合于形成适应性决策，然而，与简单地报告决策变量相反，尚不清楚它们在何时何地会对选择行为产生因果影响。因此，我将结合因果操纵和活动测量来研究多巴胺（DA）和血清素（5HT）如何单独或串联地报告和影响小鼠灵活行为模型中的决策。特别是，我将描述与灵活决策任务相关的DA和5HT动力学中涉及的活动模式和大脑区域特异性，以及在任务执行的关键阶段对这些途径的光遗传学操作如何影响后续选择和其他神经调节系统的活动。

Flexible decision-making is pivotal for successfully navigating environmental challenges. As this is impaired in several psychiatric disorders, determining its underlying neural basis is crucial. Neuromodulatory systems are ideally suited for shaping adaptive decisions, however it remains unclear where and when they causally influence choice behaviour, as opposed to simply reporting decision variables. Thus, I will combine causal manipulations and activity measurements to investigate how dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5HT), both individually and in tandem, report and influence decision-making in mouse models of flexible behaviour. Particularly, I will characterise the patterns of activity and brain region specificity involved in DA's and 5HT's dynamics in relation to a flexible decision-making task, and how optogenetic manipulation of these pathways at key stages of task performance may affect subsequent choices, and activity of the other neuromodulatory system.