Hippocampal Input to the Nucleus Accumbens Shell Enhances Food Palatability

Background Insight into the neural basis of hedonic processing has come from studies of food palatability in rodents. Pharmacological manipulations of the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) have repeatedly been demonstrated to increase hedonic taste reactivity, yet the contribution of specific NAcSh circuit components is unknown. Methods Bidirectional optogenetic manipulations were targeted to the principal NAcSh projection neurons and afferent...