Goal-directed actions transiently depend on dorsal hippocampus
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Abstract
The role of the hippocampus in goal-directed action is currently unclear; studies investigating this issue have produced contradictory results. Here we reconcile these contradictions by demonstrating that, in rats, goal-directed action relies on the dorsal hippocampus, but only transiently, immediately after initial acquisition. Furthermore, we found that goal-directed action also depends transiently on physical context, suggesting a psychological basis for the hippocampal regulation of goal-directed action control.
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Information of action-outcome association for goal-directed decision-making, transiently encoded in hippocampus at earlier stages of training, is transferred to RSC-projecting ACC neurons.
“Since both the ACC and RSC are crucial for learning and memory of associative information, which is transferred from the hippocampus28,38, it is conceivable that information of action-outcome association for goal-directed decision-making, which is transiently encoded in the hippocampus at earlier stages of training39, is transferred to the RSC-projecting ACC neurons.”
From Dissociable roles of prefrontal plasticity in decision-making strategy and execution of habitual behavior (2026) · cites this paper as [39]
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Asaoka, N., Pagano, D., & Hayashi, Y. (2026) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-026-75706-1
- Authors
- Bradfield, L. A., Leung, B. K., Boldt, S., Liang, S., & Balleine, B. W.
- Affiliations
- University of Technology Sydney (AU)
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Bradfield, Laura A.
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2020-08-10
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1194-1197
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- OpenAlex
- W3048202137
- Cited by
- 65
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 3.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UTS ePRESS (University of Technology Sydney) (submittedVersion)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Department of Health | National Health and Medical Research Council (GNT1087689, GNT1148244)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Keywords
- goal-directed action, dorsal hippocampus, action control, physical context, learning acquisition, rats
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Behavior, Animal, Conditioning, Operant, Female, Goals, Hippocampus, Male, Rats, Long-Evans
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