Reward-seeking behavior is regulated by a diverse collection of inputs to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The information encoded in each excitatory afferent to the NAc is unknown, in part because it is unclear when these pathways are active in relation to behavior. Here we compare the activity profiles of amygdala, hippocampal, and thalamic inputs to the NAc shell in mice performing a cued reward-seeking task using GCaMP-based fiber photometry. We find that the rostral and caudal ends of the NAc shell are innervated by distinct but intermingled populations of forebrain neurons that exhibit divergent feeding-related activity. In the rostral NAc shell, a coordinated network-wide reduction in excitatory drive correlates with feeding, and reduced input from individual pathways is sufficient to promote it. Overall, the data suggest that pathway-specific input activity at a population level may vary more across the NAc than between pathways.

Highlights d D1 and D2 neuron activity in the NAc is elevated during behavioral suppression d Inhibition of D1 or D2 neurons in the NAc increases unproductive reward seeking d BLA and PVT axons innervate distinct NAc subregions, yet both inputs are reinforcing d Inhibition of BLA or PVT inputs to the NAc increases unproductive reward seeking

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