AI Summary
This study examines a frontostriatal circuit that supports effortful reward-seeking behavior. The researchers found that neurons connecting the anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens integrate information about reward and effort to guide future choices. They also suggest that disruptions in this circuit's activity may contribute to motivational anhedonia, a condition characterized by a lack of pleasure in previously rewarding activities, following chronic stress. This research sheds light on the neural mechanisms involved in goal-directed behavior and provides insights into potential therapeutic targets for conditions related to reward processing.
Fetcho, Parekh et al. show how anterior cingulate-to-nucleus accumbens-projecting neurons integrate reward and effort information to support future effortful choices. They show that motivational anhedonia following chronic stress may be driven in part by a disruption in the effort-sensitive reward activity of this circuit.