It is becoming clearer how neurobiological mechanisms generate 'liking'and
'wanting'components of food reward. Mesocorticolimbic mechanisms that enhance …

The striatum is essential for learning which actions lead to reward and for implementing
those actions. Decades of experimental and theoretical work have led to several influential …

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays an important role in regulating multiple behaviors, and
its dysfunction has been linked to many neural disorders. However, the molecular, cellular …

The brain is constituted of multiple networks of functionally correlated brain areas, out of
which the default-mode network (DMN) is the largest. Most existing research into the DMN …

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis has been implicated in cognitive processes, such as
pattern separation, and in the behavioural effects of stress and antidepressants. Young adult …

An organism's survival can depend on its ability to recall and navigate to spatial locations
associated with rewards, such as food or a home. Accumulating research has revealed that …

The hippocampus is traditionally thought to transmit contextual information to limbic
structures where it acquires valence. Using freely moving calcium imaging and …

Pleasure is mediated by well-developed mesocorticolimbic circuitry and serves adaptive
functions. In affective disorders, anhedonia (lack of pleasure) or dysphoria (negative affect) …

The amygdala has long been associated with emotion and motivation, playing an essential
part in processing both fearful and rewarding environmental stimuli. How can a single …

The ability to associate temporally segregated information and assign positive or negative
valence to environmental cues is paramount for survival. Studies have shown that different …