Barker, Jacqueline M.Glen, W. BaileyLinsenbardt, David N.Lapish, Christopher C.Chandler, L. Judson2018-06-062018-06-062018-01-03Barker, J. M., Glen, W. B., Linsenbardt, D. N., Lapish, C. C., & Chandler, L. J. (2017). Habitual Behavior Is Mediated by a Shift in Response-Outcome Encoding by Infralimbic Cortex. eNeuro, 4(6), ENEURO.0337–17.2017. http://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0337-17.2017https://hdl.handle.net/1805/16373The ability to flexibly switch between goal-directed actions and habits is critical for adaptive behavior. The infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IfL-C) has been consistently identified as a crucial structure for the regulation of response strategies. To investigate the role of the IfL-C, the present study employed two validated reinforcement schedules that either promote habits or goal-directed actions in mice. The results reveal that information about action-outcome relationships is differentially encoded in the IfL-C during actions and habits as evidenced by encoding of behavioral outcomes during goal-directed actions that is lost during habits. Optogenetic inhibition of the IfL-C selectively at press during habitual behavior (when firing rates are reduced during unreinforced goal-directed actions) resulted in restoration of sensitivity to change of action-outcome contingency. These results reveal a novel functional mechanism by which IfL-C promotes habitual behavior, and provide insight into strategies for the treatment and prevention of pathological, inflexible behavior common in neuropsychiatric illness.en-USAttribution 3.0 United StatesGoal-directed behaviorHabitInfralimbicPrefrontal cortexArticle