Serotonin is implicated in mood and affective disorders. However, growing evidence suggests that a core endogenous role is to promote flexible adaptation to changes in the causal structure of the environment, through behavioral inhibition and enhanced plasticity. We used long-term photometric recordings in mice to study a population of dorsal raphe serotonin neurons, whose activity we could link to normal reversal learning using pharmacogenetics. We found that these neurons are activated by both positive and negative prediction errors, and thus report signals similar to those proposed to promote learning in conditions of uncertainty. Furthermore, by comparing the cue responses of serotonin and dopamine neurons, we found differences in learning rates that could explain the importance of serotonin in inhibiting perseverative responding. Our findings show how the activity patterns of serotonin neurons support a role in cognitive flexibility, and suggest a revised model of dopamine–serotonin opponency with potential clinical implications.
Explanation of the data organization and characteristics
Matlab file containing summary information about each individual mouse used in the study, namely: in which experiment the mice were used (hM4D with reversals, photometry with reversal, photometry with surprise outcomes), to which group they belong (experimental or control, based on genotype, type of virus injected and drug received), list of the days considered for analysis, types of data collected (e.g. photometry, licking),information about how the individual day data files relate to the reversal day, some experimental conditions used in the photometry study.
Data_info.m
hf3_D10_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 10
hf3_D11_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 11
hf3_D12_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 12
hf3_DR1_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 1
hf3_DR2_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 2
hf3_DR3_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 3
hf3_DR4_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 4
hf3_DR5_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 5
hf3_DR6_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 6
hf3_DR7_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 7
hf3_DR8_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 8
hf3_DR9_alldata
hM4Di experiment - mouse 9
hf3_MAX_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse MAX
hf3_NEW_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse NEW
hf3_OHM_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse OHM
hf3_PAS_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse PAS
hf3_GAL_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse GAL
hf3_IDK_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse IDK
hf3_KKK_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse KKK
hf3_LAG_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse LAG
hf3_ARC_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse ARC (YFP control)
hf3_BOH_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse BOH (YFP control)
hf3_QQQ_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse QQQ (YFP control)
hf3_RIE_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse RIE (YFP control)
hf3_NAS_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse NAS (TH-Cre mouse)
hf3_ORE_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse ORE (TH-Cre mouse)
hf3_POI_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse POI (TH-Cre mouse)
hf6_GAL_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse GAL (surprise outcome task)
hf6_IDK_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse IDK (surprise outcome task)
hf6_KKK_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse KKK (surprise outcome task)
hf6_LAG_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse LAG (surprise outcome task)
hf6_NAS_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse NAS (surprise outcome task)
hf6_ORE_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse ORE (surprise outcome task)
hf6_POI_alldata
Fiber photometry experiment - mouse POI (surprise outcome task)