The DOI matches its Crossref record; 24 of the 24 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Dopamine neurons create Pavlovian conditioned stimuli with circuit-defined motivational properties
Open accessAbstract
Environmental cues, through Pavlovian learning, become conditioned stimuli that guide animals toward the acquisition of rewards (for example, food) that are necessary for survival. We tested the fundamental role of midbrain dopamine neurons in conferring predictive and motivational properties to cues, independent of external rewards. We found that brief phasic optogenetic excitation of dopamine neurons, when presented in temporal association with discrete sensory cues, was sufficient to instantiate those cues as conditioned stimuli that subsequently both evoked dopamine neuron activity on their own and elicited cue-locked conditioned behavior. Notably, we identified highly parcellated functions for dopamine neuron subpopulations projecting to different regions of striatum, revealing dissociable dopamine systems for the generation of incentive value and conditioned movement invigoration. Our results indicate that dopamine neurons orchestrate Pavlovian conditioning via functionally heterogeneous, circuit-specific motivational signals to create, gate, and shape cue-controlled behaviors. By pairing cues with brief activation of dopamine neurons in absence of reward, the authors reveal elemental behaviors conditioned by dopamine, showing VTA underlies generation of incentive value and SNc supports conditioned movement invigoration.
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Dopamine-Evoked Synaptic Regulation in the Nucleus Accumbens Requires Astrocyte Activity
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The Molecular Basis of Drug Addiction: Linking Epigenetic to Synaptic and Circuit Mechanisms
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What, If, and When to Move: Basal Ganglia Circuits and Self-Paced Action Initiation
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Metadata
- Authors
- Saunders, B. T., Richard, J. M., Margolis, E. B., & Janak, P. H.
- Venue
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2018-07-23
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1072-1083
- ISSN
- 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
- 1546-1726
- OpenAlex
- W2883392746
- Cited by
- 374
- References
- 24
- FWCI
- 15.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
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