Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Neuropharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1501896
This article is part of the Research Topic Serotonergic Modulation of Theta Activity and Cognition View all articles

Prefrontal serotonin depletion delays reversal learning and increases theta synchronization of the infralimbic-prelimbic-orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex circuit

Provisionally accepted
Yoana Estrada-Reyes Yoana Estrada-Reyes 1,2José Miguel Cervantes-Alfaro José Miguel Cervantes-Alfaro 3Miguel Ángel López-Vázquez Miguel Ángel López-Vázquez 1,2*María Esther Olvera-Cortés María Esther Olvera-Cortés 1,2*
  • 1 Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Michoacán (CIBIMI), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
  • 2 Mexican Social Security Institute, Mexico City, Mexico
  • 3 División de Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas y Biológicas "Dr. Ignacio Chávez", Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, México, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Prefrontal serotonin plays a role in the expression of flexible behavior during reversal learning tasks since its depletion delays reversal learning. However, the mechanisms by which serotonin modulates the prefrontal cortex during reversal learning remains unclear. Nevertheless, serotonin has been shown to modulate theta activity during spatial learning and memory. Hence, we evaluated the effect of prefrontal serotonin depletion on theta activity in the prefrontal infralimbic, prelimbic, and orbitofrontal (IL, PL, and OFC) subregions of male rats during a spatial reversal learning task in an aquatic T-maze. Prefrontal serotonin depletion delayed spatial reversal learning and led to an increase in theta power in the PL and OFC. Furthermore, animals with serotonin depletion showed an increase in the functional coupling between the OFC and the IL and PL cortices compared with the control group. These results indicate that serotonin regulates reversal learning through modulation of prefrontal theta activity by tuning both the power and functional synchronization of the prefrontal subregions.

    Keywords: Spatial learning1, reversal learning2, serotonin3, theta activity4, Prefrontal Cortex5

    Received: 25 Sep 2024; Accepted: 07 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Estrada-Reyes, Cervantes-Alfaro, López-Vázquez and Olvera-Cortés. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Miguel Ángel López-Vázquez, Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Michoacán (CIBIMI), Morelia, 58000, Michoacán, Mexico
    María Esther Olvera-Cortés, Mexican Social Security Institute, Mexico City, Mexico

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.