Seo, M;
(2014)
The role of front-striatal brain circuits and dopamine in cognitive motor control of sequential behaviour.
Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).
Abstract
Our daily lives are filled with routine behaviours that we develop with repeated practice over time. These routine behaviours, often executed automatically without requiring much attention become an integral part of our lives. However, a seemingly effective automatic behaviour can become inappropriate or inefficient with changes in the environment and we naturally turn to a more adaptable, perceptually guided behaviour to achieve the same goal. What are the networks that mediate these automatic and perceptually guided behaviours? This thesis focuses on understanding the role of frontal-striatal circuits in the cognitive motor control of sequential behaviour, as well as the contribution of dopamine (DA) in these areas. The aim of the studies presented in this work was to address these questions from a number of perspectives. Firstly, in an awake-behaving non-human primate study the goal was to develop a behavioural task that differentiates the automatic and attention demanding sequential actions. Secondly, ensembles of neurons in the frontal cortex and the dorsal striatum were recorded simultaneously with a multichannel single unit recording system to characterise neural responses to our different task conditions and thereby investigating the role of prefrontal cortex and the dorsal striatum in these behaviours. Thirdly, we locally injected DA receptor antagonists into the dorsal striatum, during the behavioural task to examine the effects of DA on behaviour. Finally, in a study using patients with Parkinson’s disease we examined their performance in a sequence learning task from positive and negative feedback processing while they were off and on their DA medication. This approach helped to strengthen the link between findings in the non-human primate and the human subjects with specific involvement of DA or disruption of the frontal-striatal circuits in sequence learning.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Title: | The role of front-striatal brain circuits and dopamine in cognitive motor control of sequential behaviour |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Decision making, Neuroscience, Neuron, Parkinson Disease, Dopamine, Sequence Learning, Prefrontal Cortex, Striatum, Neurophysiology |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1420697 |
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