Dopamine is a prototypical neuromodulator that controls circuit function through G protein-
coupled receptor signalling. Neuromodulators are volume transmitters, with release followed …

Dopamine receptors are widely distributed within the brain where they play critical
modulator roles on motor functions, motivation and drive, as well as cognition. The …

Significant evidence supports the view that dopamine shapes learning by encoding reward
prediction errors. However, it is unknown whether striatal targets receive tailored dopamine …

In the brain, most synapses are formed on minute protrusions known as dendritic spines.
Unlike their artificial intelligence counterparts, spines are not merely tuneable memory …

Reinforcement learning models postulate that neurons that release dopamine encode
information about action and action outcome, and provide a teaching signal to striatal spiny …

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is critical in mediating reward seeking and is also involved in
negative emotion processing, but the cellular and circuitry mechanisms underlying such …

Synaptic transmission involves cell-to-cell communication at the synaptic junction between
two neurons, and chemical and electrical forms of this process have been extensively …

Differential diagnosis is sometimes difficult in practical psychiatric settings, in terms of using
the current diagnostic system based on presenting symptoms and signs. The creation of a …

The neuromodulator dopamine (DA) is essential for regulating learning, motivation, and
movement. Despite its importance, however, the mechanisms by which DA influences the …

The direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia are classically thought to promote and
suppress action, respectively. However, the observed co-activation of striatal direct and …