Ventral tegmental area GABA neurons integrate positive and negative valence

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is classically linked to learning and reinforcement via the actions of dopamine neurons. Intermingled VTA GABA neurons are positioned to regulate dopamine, but we lack detailed insight into how this population contributes to behavior. Recording calcium activity in VTA dopamine and GABA neurons, we show that, while dopamine neurons were only responsive to appetitive events, GABA neurons actively encoded both appetitive and aversive stimuli. Critically, GABA neuron activity selectively integrated events when both valences were present. In a motivational conflict task, where rats weighed decisions to avoid shock or seek reward, GABA neuron activity scaled with escalating cost and predicted reward seeking. Optogenetic inhibition of GABA neurons disrupted reward seeking specifically under conditions of motivational conflict. Together, our data show that VTA GABA neurons reflect a broader learning signal, compared to dopamine neurons, that is important for directing economic decision making in complex, multivalent environments.