PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Barker, Jacqueline M. AU - Glen, W. Bailey AU - Linsenbardt, David N. AU - Lapish, Christopher C. AU - Chandler, L. Judson TI - Habitual Behavior Is Mediated by a Shift in Response-Outcome Encoding by Infralimbic Cortex AID - 10.1523/ENEURO.0337-17.2017 DP - 2017 Nov 01 TA - eneuro PG - ENEURO.0337-17.2017 VI - 4 IP - 6 4099 - http://www.eneuro.org/content/4/6/ENEURO.0337-17.2017.short 4100 - http://www.eneuro.org/content/4/6/ENEURO.0337-17.2017.full SO - eNeuro2017 Nov 01; 4 AB - The 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.