Dopamine, the Brain's Reward Molecule, also Helps Learning to Avoid Unpleasant Experience …

Dopamine, the Brain’s Reward Molecule, also Helps Learning to Avoid Unpleasant Experience …

Philadelphia, PA (Scicasts) — The brain chemical dopamine regulates how mice learn to avoid a disagreeable encounter, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “We know that dopamine reinforces ‘rewarding’ behaviours, but to our surprise, we have now shown that situations that animals learn to avoid are also regulated by dopamine,” said senior author Dr. John Dani, chair of the department of Neuroscience. The team’s findings are published this month in Cell Reports. Special neurons in the brain send out a burst of dopamine in both negative and positive situations. However, the exact way in which dopamine neurons are wired and connected to the brain centre called the hippocampus remains controversial among neuroscientists. Knowing exactly how the neurotransmitter dopamine shapes memory and…


Link to Full Article: Dopamine, the Brain’s Reward Molecule, also Helps Learning to Avoid Unpleasant Experience …