Top-down corticostriatal gating of adaptive restraint during motivational conflict

Abstract

Adaptive behavior under threat requires withholding reward pursuit when past experiences predict danger. Here, we identified a corticostriatal circuit that enables behavioral restraint during motivational conflict. Using a semi-naturalistic foraging task in male rats, we found that inactivation of the prelimbic cortex (PL) abolished restraint without impairing memory, and single-unit recordings revealed transient PL firing increases at decision points in conflict trials. c-Fos mapping showed selective engagement of the PL and nucleus accumbens core (NAcC) but not the shell. Inactivation further revealed that the anterior nucleus accumbens (aNAcC), but not posterior NAcC, is necessary for restraint, as posterior disruption broadly reduced reward-seeking regardless of threat. Silencing PL[->]aNAcC projections reproduced anterior NAcC effects without affecting memory or motivation, and this pathway was required under learned, but not innate, threats. These findings define a top-down corticostriatal mechanism in which prefrontal control of striatal activity specifically integrates learned threat and reward signals, enabling flexible decision-making and adaptive restraint in the face of danger.