2023 Phil Sharp Lecture Nao Uchida

Talk Title:
Toward a Normative Understanding of Dopamine's Function in the Brain

Abstract:
Dopamine regulates multiple brain functions including learning, motivation, and movement. Furthermore, the striatum, a major target of dopamine neurons, is parceled into multiple subregions that are associated with different types of behavior, such as Pavlovian, goal-directed, and habitual behaviors. An important question in the field is how dopamine regulates these diverse functions. It has been thought that midbrain dopamine neurons broadcast a reward prediction error signal to facilitate associative learning. However, recent studies have found more diverse dopamine signals than originally thought. How can we reconcile these results? In this talk, I will discuss our recent studies characterizing diverse dopamine signals, and how these findings can be understood in theoretical frameworks.

This talk is available by zoom webinar: https://mit.zoom.us/j/93798564929

Lecture Followed by a reception in the 3rd floor atrium.