Adolescent rats engage the orbitofrontal-striatal pathway differently than adults during impulsive actions

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by increased impulsive and risk-taking behaviors. To better understand the neural networks that subserves impulsivity in adolescents, we used a reward-guided behavioral model that quantifies age differences in impulsive actions in adult and adolescent rats of both sexes. Using chemogenetics, we identified orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) projections to the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) as a critical pathway for age-related execution of impulsive actions. Simultaneous recording of single units and local field potentials in the OFC and DMS during task performance revealed an overall muted response in adolescents during impulsive actions as well as age-specific differences in theta power and OFC–DMS functional connectivity. Collectively, these data reveal that the OFC–DMS pathway is critical for age-differences in reward-guided impulsive actions and provide a network mechanism to enhance our understanding of how adolescent and adult brains coordinate behavioral inhibition.