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The short-latency dopamine signal: a role in discovering novel actions?

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 7, pages 967–975 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

An influential concept in contemporary computational neuroscience is the reward prediction error hypothesis of phasic dopaminergic function. It maintains that midbrain dopaminergic neurons signal the occurrence of unpredicted reward, which is used in appetitive learning to reinforce existing actions that most often lead to reward. However, the availability of limited afferent sensory processing and the precise timing of dopaminergic signals suggest that they might instead have a central role in identifying which aspects of context and behavioural output are crucial in causing unpredicted events.

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Figure 1: A latency constraint associated with visual input to dopaminergic neurons.
Figure 2: Evidence supporting the SC as the primary source of short-latency visual input to DA neurons in the SNc.
Figure 3: Potentially converging inputs to the dorsal striatum.
Figure 4: The relative timing of proposed inputs to the dorsal striatum could be crucial for determining the source of agency.
Figure 5: Response of dopaminergic neurons to noxious stimuli.
Figure 6: A possible explanation for why the phasic dopaminergic reinforcement signal precedes any motor activity elicited by an unpredicted salient sensory event.

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Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by the Wellcome Trust (P.R.) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (K.G. and P.R.). For their helpful discussions and/or comments on early drafts of the manuscript the authors would like to acknowledge J. Berke, J. Reynolds, A. Seth, E. Salinas, T. Stanford, J. McHaffie, T. Prescott, P. Overton and T. Dickinson.

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  1. the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Research Unit, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TP, UK

    Peter Redgrave & Kevin Gurney

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  1. Peter Redgrave
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  2. Kevin Gurney
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Correspondence to Peter Redgrave.

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Redgrave, P., Gurney, K. The short-latency dopamine signal: a role in discovering novel actions?. Nat Rev Neurosci 7, 967–975 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2022

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