Negative Reward Signals from the Lateral Habenula to Dopamine Neurons Are Mediated by Rostromedial Tegmental Nucleus in Primates

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1384-11.2011
• Publication Date: 2011-08-10T19:52:10Z
• Authors: Simon Hong; Thomas C. Jhou; Mitchell Smith; Kadharbatcha S. S...; Okihide Hikosaka
• Keywords: Habenula

Lateral habenula (LHb) neurons signal negative “reward-prediction errors” and inhibit midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. Yet LHb are largely glutamatergic, indicating that this inhibition may occur through an intermediate structure. Recent studies in rats have suggested a candidate for role, the GABAergic rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), but neural pathway has not yet been tested directly. We now show using electrophysiology anatomic tracing (1) monkey inhibitory structure similar to rat RMTg; (2) RMTg receive excitatory input from LHb, exhibit reward-prediction errors, send axonal projections near DA soma; (3) stimulating inhibits Surprisingly, some responded reward cues earlier than carry “state-value” signals found Thus, our data suggest translates errors (negative) into (positive), while transmitting additional motivational non-DA networks.