Motivational processes underlie behaviors that enrich the human experience, and
impairments in motivation are commonly observed in psychiatric illness. While motivated …

Addiction is commonly identified with habitual nonmedical self-administration of drugs. It is
usually defined by characteristics of intoxication or by characteristics of withdrawal …

Motivational processes are complex and multifaceted, with both directional and activational
aspects. Behavioral activation and exertion of effort are functions that enable organisms to …

The resurgence of interest in anhedonia within major depression has been fuelled by
clinical trials demonstrating its utility in predicting antidepressant response as well as recent …

Apathy is a debilitating syndrome associated with many neurological disorders, including
several common neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's …

Nucleus accumbens dopamine is known to play a role in motivational processes, and
dysfunctions of mesolimbic dopamine may contribute to motivational symptoms of …

Researchers have wondered how the brain creates emotions since the early days of
psychological science. With a surge of studies in affective neuroscience in recent decades …

Background Two objectives of the NIMH Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative are to
identify (a) mechanisms that are common to multiple psychiatric disorders, and (b) …

The amygdala integrates and processes incoming information pertinent to reward and to
emotions such as fear and anxiety that promote survival by warning of potential danger …

Midbrain dopamine neurons are well known for their strong responses to rewards and their
critical role in positive motivation. It has become increasingly clear, however, that dopamine …