Brain endocannabinoid (eCB) signalling influences the motivation for natural rewards (such
as palatable food, sexual activity and social interaction) and modulates the rewarding effects …

The outcome of a decision is often uncertain, and outcomes can vary over repeated
decisions. Whether decision outcomes should substantially affect behaviour and learning …

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons play a central role in mediating
motivated behaviors, but the circuitry through which they signal positive and negative …

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

Projections from the lateral hypothalamus (LH) to the ventral tegmental area (VTA),
containing both GABAergic and glutamatergic components, encode conditioned responses …

Chronic pain is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by sensory, cognitive,
and affective symptoms. Over the past 2 decades, researchers have made significant …

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 …

Successful goal-directed behavior requires not only correct action selection, planning, and
execution but also the ability to flexibly adapt behavior when performance problems occur or …

Anhedonia, or markedly diminished interest or pleasure, is a hallmark symptom of major
depression, schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Over the past three …

Motivation has been defined as the process that allows organisms to regulate their internal
and external environment, and control the probability, proximity and availability of stimuli. As …