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NOVELTY AND REWARD

Novelty seeking for novelty’s sake

Nature Neuroscience volume 25, pages 7–8 (2022)Cite this article

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Our brains are wired to steer us toward novel experiences. Ogasawara et al. define nodes in a network that underlies novelty-seeking behavior distinct from novelty-orienting responses. In this network, anterior ventral medial temporal cortex (AVMTC) mediates novelty-related sensory processing, and zona incerta uses input from AVMTC to guide gaze shifts for novelty seeking.

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Fig. 1: Functional neural network for novelty-seeking in the primate brain.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are supported by The Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Health and Human Services under report ZIAMH 002619. The opinions expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the US National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neuropsychology, NIMH, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Wenliang Wang, Mark A. G. Eldridge & Barry J. Richmond

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  1. Wenliang Wang
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  2. Mark A. G. Eldridge
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  3. Barry J. Richmond
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Correspondence to Barry J. Richmond.

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Wang, W., Eldridge, M.A.G. & Richmond, B.J. Novelty seeking for novelty’s sake. Nat Neurosci 25, 7–8 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-021-00965-8

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