Humans typically act with a purpose and often anticipate rewards. Anticipation can be a driving force for most of our behaviour, but if poorly controlled it can lead to premature and impulsive actions. While impulsivity can be advantageous in situations that require quick responses, excessive impulsivity can have adverse effects and lead to a range of negative outcomes. Impulsivity is a trait associated with several psychiatric conditions, including ADHD and addiction. Historically, impulsive behaviour has been thought to be predominantly controlled by the basal ganglia (BG) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Recent studies suggest that the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) influences impulsive behaviour in mice. Although, primarily known for its role in planning and executing voluntary movements, it is unclear whether the ALM is part of the well-established PFC-BG circuitry or forms a parallel one to control impulsive behaviour. The aim of this project is to identify neural pathways centred around the ALM that contribute to impulsive behaviour. To achieve project aim, the following objectives were formulated:
• To map the neural networks upstream of ALM
• To identify the causal relation between upstream nodes of ALM and impulsive behaviour
To achieve these objectives, we will combine electrophysiology, optogenetics, and associative-learning paradigms.