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Investigating the neurobiology regulating cognitive effort allocation using a rodent model of cost/benefit decision making Silveira, Mason Manuel
Abstract
Choosing adaptively among candidate actions requires a cost-benefit analysis, in which potential rewards are considered against the costs required to obtain them. One cost frequently encountered by humans is the cost of cognitive effort, in which executive processes spanning attention, working memory, reasoning, and the like are taxed. This form of effort is in contrast to the physical effort costs that have generally been the focus of the cost/benefit decision-making literature. This thesis reviews the currently available literature investigating the brain regions and neurotransmitter systems guiding these respective forms of decision making, and then carries out a set of experiments to further characterize the neurobiology guiding cognitive effort allocation. These experiments utilize an animal model of decision making known as the rodent Cognitive Effort Task (rCET), in which subjects decide whether to exert more attention in pursuit of larger rewards, or to obtain smaller reward for comparatively less attentional demand. In experiment 1, I use chemogenetics to downregulate cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain as rats perform the rCET, to determine whether this neuronal population is responsible for the previously ascribed role of acetylcholine in regulating decision making with cognitive effort costs. Experiments 2 and 3 use standard inactivation techniques to investigate striatal and orbitofrontal cortex contributions to this form of decision making, and Experiment 4 uses a disconnection procedure to assess whether BLA- ACC signaling regulates willingness to apply cognitive effort. Collectively, the current findings complement existing work in the domain of physical effort allocation, and support the notion that these two forms of effort-based decision making are mediated by distinct, albeit overlapping circuitries. While this work fundamentally contributes to an understanding of how organisms navigate their environment, it also has practical utility. Indeed, work with the rCET and related cognitive effort paradigms may help identify behavioural or pharmacological therapies that can boost cognitive willingness. Alternatively, information gained may shed light on the aberrant processes underlying a blunted desire to achieve lucrative outcomes, as observed in disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s Disease.
Item Metadata
Title |
Investigating the neurobiology regulating cognitive effort allocation using a rodent model of cost/benefit decision making
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2018
|
Description |
Choosing adaptively among candidate actions requires a cost-benefit analysis, in
which potential rewards are considered against the costs required to obtain them.
One cost frequently encountered by humans is the cost of cognitive effort, in
which executive processes spanning attention, working memory, reasoning, and
the like are taxed. This form of effort is in contrast to the physical effort costs that
have generally been the focus of the cost/benefit decision-making literature. This
thesis reviews the currently available literature investigating the brain regions and
neurotransmitter systems guiding these respective forms of decision making, and
then carries out a set of experiments to further characterize the neurobiology
guiding cognitive effort allocation. These experiments utilize an animal model of
decision making known as the rodent Cognitive Effort Task (rCET), in which
subjects decide whether to exert more attention in pursuit of larger rewards, or to
obtain smaller reward for comparatively less attentional demand. In experiment
1, I use chemogenetics to downregulate cholinergic neurons of the basal
forebrain as rats perform the rCET, to determine whether this neuronal
population is responsible for the previously ascribed role of acetylcholine in
regulating decision making with cognitive effort costs. Experiments 2 and 3 use
standard inactivation techniques to investigate striatal and orbitofrontal cortex
contributions to this form of decision making, and Experiment 4 uses a
disconnection procedure to assess whether BLA- ACC signaling regulates willingness to apply cognitive effort. Collectively, the current findings complement
existing work in the domain of physical effort allocation, and support the notion
that these two forms of effort-based decision making are mediated by distinct,
albeit overlapping circuitries. While this work fundamentally contributes to an
understanding of how organisms navigate their environment, it also has practical
utility. Indeed, work with the rCET and related cognitive effort paradigms may
help identify behavioural or pharmacological therapies that can boost cognitive
willingness. Alternatively, information gained may shed light on the aberrant
processes underlying a blunted desire to achieve lucrative outcomes, as
observed in disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s Disease.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2018-10-09
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0372368
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2018-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International