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Cited by 1,018Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Dopamine responses comply with basic assumptions of formal learning theory

Waelti, Pascale, Dickinson, Anthony, Schultz, Wolfram·2001·Nature
DOI 10.1038/35083500
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Abstract

According to contemporary learning theories, the discrepancy, or error, between the actual and predicted reward determines whether learning occurs when a stimulus is paired with a reward. The role of prediction errors is directly demonstrated by the observation that learning is blocked when the stimulus is paired with a fully predicted reward. By using this blocking procedure, we show that the responses of dopamine neurons to conditioned stimuli was governed differentially by the occurrence of reward prediction errors rather than stimulus-reward associations alone, as was the learning of behavioural reactions. Both behavioural and neuronal learning occurred predominantly when dopamine neurons registered a reward prediction error at the time of the reward. Our data indicate that the use of analytical tests derived from formal behavioural learning theory provides a powerful approach for studying the role of single neurons in learning.

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Crossref · 10.1038/35083500

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54 of 54 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • The firing of DA cells that accompanies drug use encodes reward expectancy, reward learning, and consolidation of contextual memories.

    “The firing of DA cells that accompanies drug use encodes a number of reward properties, including reward expectancy [117], reward learning [118], and the consolidation of contextual memories [119].”

    From Reward circuitry dysfunction in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic syndromes: animal models and clinical findings (2012) · cites this paper as [119]

  • Increasing the probability that the animal will receive a reward in a given experiment increases the incidence of dopamine activations to unrewarded stimuli.

    “Similarly, increasing the probability that the animal will receive a reward in a given experiment constitutes a more rewarded context and increases the incidence of dopamine activations to unrewarded stimuli5,6,34.”

    From Dopamine reward prediction-error signalling: A two-component response (2016) · cites this paper as [5]

  • The physical resemblance of a stimulus to other stimuli known to be associated with a reward can enhance the initial dopamine activation through generalization.

    “The physical resemblance of a stimulus to other stimuli known to be associated with a reward can enhance the initial dopamine activation through generalization5,6,17,19,60.”

    From Dopamine reward prediction-error signalling: A two-component response (2016) · cites this paper as [5]

  • These slow changes fail to occur with more-controlled arm, mouth and eye movements in a considerable range of studies.

    “these changes fail to occur with more-controlled arm, mouth and eye movements in a considerable range of studies2,5,9,13,151,152,154”

    From Dopamine reward prediction-error signalling: A two-component response (2016) · cites this paper as [5]

  • Reward prediction error is encoded by midbrain dopamine cells.

    “A by-now classic series of results suggests that the reward prediction error is encoded by midbrain dopamine cells (Glimcher, 2011; Schultz, 2006; Waelti et al., 2001).”

    From Attention, learning, and the value of information (2012) · cites this paper as Waelti et al., 2001

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Authors
Waelti, P., Dickinson, A., & Schultz, W.
Affiliations
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • University of Fribourg (CH)
Corresponding author
Schultz, Wolfram
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2001-07
Volume
412
Issue
6842
Pages
43-48
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/35083500
OpenAlex
W2136748963
Cited by
1,018
References
54
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 45 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 56 · 2012: 43
FWCI
13.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • reroDoc Digital Library (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • James S. McDonnell Foundation
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
dopaminergic neurons, reward prediction error, learning theory, stimulus-reward associations, blocking, conditioned stimulus, single-unit recording, behavioural learning, reward prediction
MeSH terms
Animals, Conditioning, Classical, Dopamine, Learning, Macaca fascicularis, Male, Models, Neurological, Neurons, Photic Stimulation, Psychological Theory, Reward

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