Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41345329›Full record

ArticleCognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience2026

Theta oscillations vary with local response rate and are moderated by the dopamine-depleting agent, tetrabenazine, during effort-based behavior.

Alev Ecevitoglu, Abhijith Mankili, Naixin Ren, Renee A Rotolo, Gayle A Edelstein, Nicholas Cyr, Merce Correa, Ian H Stevenson, James J Chrobak, John D Salamone

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Article in Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Alev Ecevitoglu *Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
Abhijith Mankili *Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
Naixin RenDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
Renee A RotoloDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
Gayle A EdelsteinDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
Nicholas CyrDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
Merce CorreaDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
Ian H StevensonDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
James J ChrobakDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA.
John D SalamoneDepartment of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1020, USA. john.salamone@uconn.edu.

Funding

NIMH NIH HHS 5R01MH121350
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The nucleus accumbens plays a pivotal role in goal-directed behaviors, receiving inputs from prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. We investigated local field potential activity in all three areas in awake-behaving male Sprague-Dawley rats performing a high-effort lever pressing task for food reinforcement (fixed-ratio, FR40 schedule). Using a within-subject design, we administered a VMAT-2 inhibitor tetrabenazine (TBZ), a dopamine-depleting agent that suppresses the exertion of effort in instrumental behaviors and induces a low-effort bias on choice tasks. Tetrabenazine substantially reduced lever pressing compared with vehicle in rats responding on the FR40 schedule, and we observed that TBZ significantly decreased theta peak frequency and power (6-12 Hz). Theta frequency and power both decreased with higher local rates of responding, especially in dorsal hippocampus, and this relationship is moderated by TBZ, marking its modulatory effects on neural dynamics during exertion of effort. There is substantial variability between animals in both the TBZ-induced suppression of lever pressing and the relationship between theta power and local press rate. We determined that the behavioral effects of TBZ were correlated with these neurophysiological changes across animals. Taken together, these findings demonstrate how TBZ may affect both theta dynamics and effortful behavior and suggest that the amplitude and frequency of theta band may vary with exertion of effort in motivated behavior.

Indexed as

Adrenergic Uptake InhibitorsNucleus AccumbensTetrabenazineTheta RhythmAnimalsConditioning, OperantHippocampusMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyReinforcement ScheduleAdrenergic Uptake InhibitorsTetrabenazineDopamineHippocampusLocal field potentialMotivationNucleus accumbensPrefrontal cortex

Identifiers

PMID41345329

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.