Accumulating evidence suggests that many classes of DNA repeats exhibit attributes that
distinguish them from other genetic variants, including the fact that they are more liable to …

The primate prefrontal cortex (PFC) subserves our highest order cognitive operations, and
yet is tremendously dependent on a precise neurochemical environment for proper …

Background: Cigarette smoking is the main cause of preventable death in developed
countries. While the direct positive behavioral reinforcing effect of nicotine has historically …

Cognitive control is subjectively costly, suggesting that engagement is modulated in
relationship to incentive state. Dopamine appears to play key roles. In particular, dopamine …

Goal-directed action in changing environments requires a dynamic balance between
complementary control modes, which serve antagonistic adaptive functions (eg, to shield …

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of disorders characterized by impairment in
social communication and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors. ASD etiology is very …

Striatal dopamine (DA) is thought to code for learned associations between cues and
reinforcers and to mediate approach behavior toward a reward. Less is known about the …

It is becoming increasingly appreciated that affective and/or motivational influences
contribute strongly to goal-oriented cognition and behavior. An unresolved question is …

The brain faces various computational tradeoffs, such as the stability-flexibility dilemma. The
major ascending neuromodulatory systems are well suited to dynamically regulate these …

The pFC is critical for cognitive flexibility (ie, our ability to flexibly adjust behavior to changing
environmental demands), but also for cognitive stability (ie, our ability to follow behavioral …