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 …

It has been known for some time that nucleus accumbens dopamine (DA) is involved in
aspects of motivation, but theoretical approaches to understanding the functions of DA have …

Dopamine cell firing can encode errors in reward prediction, providing a learning signal to
guide future behavior. Yet dopamine is also a key modulator of motivation, invigorating …

Background The dopamine D 2 receptor (D 2 R) has received much attention in obesity
studies. Data indicate that D 2 R is reduced in obesity and that the TaqA1 D 2 R variant may …

There is a well-established literature linking obesity to altered dopamine signaling and brain
response to food-related stimuli. Neuroimaging studies frequently report enhanced …

While weight gain is clearly promoted by excessive energy intake and reduced expenditure,
the underlying neural mechanisms of energy balance remain unclear. The nucleus …

Rationale Effort-related motivational symptoms, such as anergia, psychomotor retardation,
and fatigue, are an important aspect of depression and other disorders. Motivational …

Rationale Mesolimbic dopamine (DA) regulates behavioral activation and effort-related
decision-making in motivated behaviors. Mesolimbic DA D 2 receptors are co-localized with …

Psychiatric disorders are often marked by effort-related motivational symptoms such as
anergia, fatigue, psychomotor retardation, and alterations in effort-based decision making …

Dopaminergic (DA) neurons are involved in the integration of neuronal and hormonal
signals to regulate food consumption and energy balance. Forkhead transcriptional factor …