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reward

·May 15, 2019·3 min read

Inflammation induces anhedonia in women but not men

Inflammation appears to reduce reward response in females. Reduced activity in the brain's reward system is a key component of anhedonia, the loss of enjoyment in activities, a core feature of depression. The findings may explain why depression is more prevalent in women than in men.

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·May 14, 2019·5 min read

Treats might mask animal intelligence

Positive reinforcement by reward is important for learning based behaviors, but masks the expression of underlying knowledge and true animal intelligence.

Hearts are shown as pieces on a tic-tac-toe board

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·May 6, 2019·5 min read

Unexpectedly, big wins improve two kinds of memory

Unexpected rewards boost memories of specific events. The findings may have implications for treating memory problems associated with depression.

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·April 29, 2019·3 min read

What makes memories stronger? Rat Study

Hippocampal replay selectively enhances memory of highly rewarded locations in a familiar context.

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·April 16, 2019·5 min read

When it comes to learning, what’s better: The carrot or the stick?

People are more confident in decisions, and execute choices more quickly, if they are chasing a reward. However, we become more flexible in our decisions when trying to avoid a negative outcome.

An image of green poison ivy leaves with "summer" under the image is positioned above an image of red and orange poison ivy leaves with "fall and spring" under it. Both of these images are to the left of a graphic of a brain with the striatum and hippocampus drawn in and labeled. Areas are labeled with the words avoid, red, leaflets, shiny, and summer on the graphic.

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·March 6, 2019·7 min read

More Than Just Memories: A New Role for the Hippocampus During Learning

A new role for the hippocampus involving pattern separation and conjunctive representation in reinforcement learning is discussed.

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·February 12, 2019·3 min read

The Unexpected Creates Reward When Listening to Music

A new study reports unexpected changes in music activates the nucleus accumbens, providing reward and helping us to learn about the music as we listen.

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·January 24, 2019·5 min read

Dopamine Modulates Reward Experiences Elicited by Music

Researchers report a causal link between dopamine, musical pleasure and motivation. Phamacologically manipulating dopamine levels, researchers found increasing dopamine increased the hedonic experience and motivational response to listening to a piece of music.

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·January 22, 2019·4 min read

Inability to Integrate Reward Information Contributes to Undervalued Rewards in Schizophrenia

A new computational model reveals the impaired ability to integrate size and probability of reward in those with schizophrenia may be the result of a lack of consideration of the magnitude of the reward.

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·January 17, 2019·7 min read

Surprising Role of the Cerebellum in Reward and Social Behaviors

Researchers reveal the role the cerebellum plays in helping to control the brain's reward system. The researchers identified a direct connection from the cerebellum to the ventral tegmental area. The study may shed new light on neural networks associated with social dysfunction.

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·January 14, 2019·3 min read

How Error and Reward Signals are Organized Within the Cerebral Cortex

Researchers reveal how both error and reward signals are organized within the cerebral cortex.

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·January 9, 2019·5 min read

Controlling Children’s Behavior with Screen Time Leads to More Screen Time

Study reports children who reward children with screen time often spend more time interacting with their tablets or smartphones than parents who don't.