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. 2020 Feb 19;40(8):1732–1743. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2196-19.2020

Figure 5.

Figure 5.

Photo-stimulation of BLA neurons potentiates incentive motivation for a CS. A, In Experiment 3b, rats that had not received photo-stimulation of BLA neurons during previous Pavlovian CS-UCS conditioning (eYFP rats and ChR2-No laser control rats from Experiment 3a) were used to assess the effects of photo-stimulation of BLA neurons during instrumental responding for the CS. B, During a session without laser stimulation, both groups pressed more on the active versus inactive lever, and there were no group differences in lever-pressing behavior. C, During sessions where BLA photo-stimulation was paired with each earned CS presentation, ChR2 rats pressed more on the active lever than eYFP rats did. This indicates that photo-stimulation of BLA neurons during CS presentation enhances the incentive motivational value of the CS. D, During sessions where BLA photo-stimulation was explicitly unpaired with each earned CS presentation, ChR2 rats still pressed more on the active versus inactive lever, but lever-pressing behavior did not differ between ChR2 and eYFP rats. n = 7–8/group. *p < 0.05; α p < 0.05 active lever presses versus inactive lever presses in ChR2 rats. Values are mean ± SEM.