Figure 4.

Averaged population responses for excitatory (A-C) and inhibitory (D-F) cue-related neural activity in the NAc core. Cue onset is indicated by “C” on x-axis; duration is indicated by shaded area; “L” indicates lever extension. Firing rate during the preferred cue was greater than that during the non-preferred cue during choice trials (B) compared to forced trials (A). Further, peak firing was significantly higher during the choice cue when the rat subsequently chose its preferred option than when it chose its less preferred option (C). For inhibitions, there were no differences in firing during the forced cues (D) but there was differential firing during the choice cue based on the rats’ subsequent behavioral choice (E). Peak inhibitions during the cue were not different during the force trials, but firing a larger inhibition was evident during the choice cue when rats chose their preferred option (F). ** Tukey, Preferred versus Non-Preferred, P<0.001; ‡ Wilcoxon, P=0.05.