Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nick G. Hollon, Elora W. Williams, Christopher D. Howard, Hao Li, Tavish Traut, Xin Jin
Summary: Dopamine encodes cue-reward prediction errors during Pavlovian conditioning, but its role in controlling sequential behavior remains largely unknown. Previous studies primarily use discrete reward-predictive stimuli, and it is still unclear whether dopamine represents action-outcome prediction errors.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Xi-Biao He, Fang Guo, Kexuan Li, Jiaqing Yan, Sang-Hun Lee
Summary: This study reveals the crucial role of MeCP2 in the specification of midbrain dopamine phenotype in mice, and demonstrates that the timing of MeCP2 expression affects the determination of dopamine phenotype in neural precursor cells (NPCs). Through analysis of DNA methylation dynamics, the study uncovers that Th gene expression is regulated by TET1-mediated demethylation. These findings highlight the significance of MeCP2 expression timing as a novel determining factor for guiding NPCs into the dopamine lineage.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Carole Morel, Sarah E. Montgomery, Long Li, Romain Durand-de Cuttoli, Emily M. Teichman, Barbara Juarez, Nikos Tzavaras, Stacy M. Ku, Meghan E. Flanigan, Min Cai, Jessica J. Walsh, Scott J. Russo, Eric J. Nestler, Erin S. Calipari, Allyson K. Friedman, Ming-Hu Han
Summary: This study demonstrates that ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons projecting to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) selectively control anxiety-like behaviors, but not depression-like behaviors. These findings provide important insights into the neural correlates of anxiety and depression.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julong Wei, Tova Y. Lambert, Aditi Valada, Nikhil Patel, Kellie Walker, Jayna Lenders, Carl J. Schmidt, Marina Iskhakova, Adnan Alazizi, Henriette Mair-Meijers, Deborah C. Mash, Francesca Luca, Roger Pique-Regi, Michael J. Bannon, Schahram Akbarian
Summary: This study found that chronic exposure to opioids results in broad transcriptional changes in glial cells, including upregulation of genes associated with immune response and downregulation of synaptic signaling and plasticity genes. It also identified certain genes that are linked to risk of substance use in the population.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Niklas Hammer, Pascal Vogel, Sanghun Lee, Jochen Roeper
Summary: Dissecting the diversity of midbrain dopamine neurons using optotagging is a promising approach to identify their functional properties and contribution to motivated behavior. Retrograde molecular targeting allows further refinement of this method. In this study, we focused on adult mouse dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and demonstrated the selectivity and utility of a retrograde labeling approach using a floxed AAV9-based channelrhodopsin. We also explored the properties of optogenetically evoked action potentials and their interaction with intrinsic pacemaking in these neurons.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Kurt M. Fraser, Heather J. Pribut, Patricia H. Janak, Ronald Keiflin
Summary: Reward seeking requires coordination of motor programs. Midbrain dopamine neurons are critical for reinforcement and learning. Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons imbue actions and cues with motivational value, allowing flexible pursuit, whereas substantia nigra (SNc) dopamine neurons support precise, action-specific learning. This heterogeneous dopamine system supports unique forms of instrumental learning and reward-seeking strategies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Moritz J. Moller, Sanjay J. Manohar, Rafal J. Bogacz
Summary: To predict rewards accurately, it is important to consider the variability of observations. Researchers have proposed a new model that tracks the mean and standard deviation of rewards using simple learning rules. The model leverages prediction errors scaled by uncertainty as a central feedback signal. Experimental results show that this new model outperforms conventional reinforcement learning models in a value tracking task.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jingda Qiao, Shengxi Yang, Hongyan Geng, Wing -Ho Yung, Ya Ke
Summary: In this study, a form of input-timing-dependent plasticity at the incoming synapses from projection neurons in the Drosophila model was discovered. This plasticity, facilitated by the neural activity of PPL1 and dependent on D2-like receptors expressed by g Ken-yon cells, controls the efficacy of aversive olfactory memory formation.
Article
Neurosciences
Blake L. Elliott, Kimberlee D'Ardenne, Vishnu P. Murty, Gene A. Brewer, Samuel M. McClure
Summary: Motivation is a powerful driver of learning and memory, and the interactions among the dopaminergic midbrain substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens (NAc) are critical for motivated memory encoding. This study found that individual differences in the structure of this circuit are associated with motivated memory encoding.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
James E. M. Bennett, Andrew Philippides, Thomas Nowotny
Summary: Effective decision making in a changing environment requires accurate predictions about decision outcomes, which in Drosophila is partially orchestrated by the mushroom body where dopamine neurons signal reinforcing stimuli. The authors propose a model where dopaminergic learning signals encode reinforcement prediction errors by utilizing feedback reinforcement predictions from mushroom body output neurons.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Changliang Liu, Xintong Cai, Andreas Ritzau-Jost, Paul F. Kramer, Yulong Li, Zayd M. Khaliq, Stefan Hallermann, Pascal S. Kaeser
Summary: Information flow in neurons involves integration of inputs in dendrites, generation of action potentials near the soma, and release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals in the axon. A study found that acetylcholine-releasing neurons in the striatum can induce action potential firing in distal dopamine axons. This mechanism segregates the control of dopamine signaling between axons and somata.
Article
Neurosciences
Philip R. Corlett, Jessica A. Mollick, Hedy Kober
Summary: This study used a multi-level kernel-based density meta-analysis to explore prediction error signals in the midbrain and insula during reward, punishment, action, cognition, and perception tasks. The findings demonstrated the existence of domain-specific error signals and provided valuable insight into cognitive functions and dysfunctions in humans and other animals.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Guilian Tian, May Hui, Desiree Macchia, Pieter Derdeyn, Alexandra Rogers, Elizabeth Hubbard, Chengfeng Liu, Jose J. Vasquez, Lara Taniguchi, Katrina Bartas, Sean Carroll, Kevin T. Beier
Summary: This study reveals the selective role of ventral tegmental area dopamine projection to the amygdala in cocaine-induced anxiety. The activity of inhibitory GABAergic cells and downstream dopamine cells in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and amygdala is elevated even after a single cocaine exposure. Silencing this projection prevents the development of anxiety during protracted withdrawal after cocaine administration. Furthermore, the activation of dopamine cells in the amygdala is necessary and sufficient for reinstatement of cocaine place preference.
Article
Neurosciences
Joana Carvalheiro, Vasco A. Conceicao, Ana Mesquita, Ana Seara-Cardoso
Summary: Acute stress affects individuals' behavior in seeking monetary gains and impairs neural signaling of prediction errors, particularly positive errors, during reinforcement learning.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Xinqi Zhou, Ting Xu, Yixu Zeng, Ran Zhang, Ziyu Qi, Weihua Zhao, Keith M. Kendrick, Benjamin Becker
Summary: Social deficits and dysregulations in dopaminergic midbrain-striato-frontal circuits are common symptoms across psychiatric disorders. The present study investigated the effects of the AT1R antagonist losartan on social reward and punishment processing in humans. The findings suggest that losartan modulates approach-avoidance motivation and emotional salience during social punishment versus social reward by influencing the core nodes of the midbrain-striato-frontal circuits.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Babita Panigrahi, Kathleen A. Martin, Yi Li, Austin R. Graves, Alison Vollmer, Lars Olson, Brett D. Mensh, Alla Y. Karpova, Joshua T. Dudman
Review
Neurosciences
Joshua T. Dudman, John W. Krakauer
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eric A. Yttri, Joshua T. Dudman
Article
Neurosciences
D. Gowanlock R. Tervo, Bum-Yeol Hwang, Sarada Viswanathan, Thomas Gaj, Maria Lavzin, Kimberly D. Ritola, Sarah Lindo, Susan Michael, Elena Kuleshova, David Ojala, Cheng-Chiu Huang, Charles R. Gerfen, Jackie Schiller, Joshua T. Dudman, Adam W. Hantman, Loren L. Looger, David V. Schaffer, Alla Y. Karpova
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brenda C. Shields, Elizabeth Kahuno, Charles Kim, Pierre F. Apostolides, Jennifer Brown, Sarah Lindo, Brett D. Mensh, Joshua T. Dudman, Luke D. Lavis, Michael R. Tadross
Article
Biology
Angela K. Nietz, Jada H. Vadent, Luke T. Coddington, Linda Overstreet-Wadiche, Jacques I. Wadiche
Article
Clinical Neurology
Eric Allen Yttri, Joshua Tate Dudman
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2018)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Brooks G. Robinson, James R. Bunzow, Jonathan B. Grimm, Luke D. Lavis, Joshua T. Dudman, Jennifer Brown, Kim A. Neve, John T. Williams
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2017)
Article
Biology
Guanghan Meng, Yajie Liang, Sarah Sarsfield, Wan-chen Jiang, Rongwen Lu, Joshua Tate Dudman, Yeka Aponte, Na Ji
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Luke T. Coddington
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Cell Biology
Wei-Xing Pang, Luke T. Coddington, Joshua T. Dudman
Summary: Sensory cues preceding rewards can acquire predictive and incentive properties, while mesolimbic dopamine neuron responses to these cues correlate with expected value and reward-seeking behavior. Direct stimulation of dopamine neurons at the time of reward can induce and maintain reward-seeking behavior, but replacing cues with stimulation is insufficient as an informative cue. Stimulation of cortical inputs upstream can reinforce behaviors and act as cues for future rewards.
Article
Neurosciences
Wan-Chen Jiang, Shengjin Xu, Joshua T. Dudman
Summary: This study investigates the differential contributions of hippocampal activity to experience-dependent learning of trajectories across spatial and relational contexts. The results indicate that the synchronous reactivation of hippocampal activity plays different roles in the evaluation and initiation of trajectories in navigational and non-navigational contexts.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)