The striatum is essential for learning which actions lead to reward and for implementing
those actions. Decades of experimental and theoretical work have led to several influential …

The mesocorticolimbic pathway is canonically known as the" reward pathway." Embedded
within the center of this circuit is the striatum, a massive and complex network hub that …

Striatal dopamine and acetylcholine are essential for the selection and reinforcement of
motor actions and decision-making. In vitro studies have revealed an intrastriatal circuit in …

The long-range GABAergic input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the nucleus
accumbens (NAc) is relatively understudied, and therefore its role in reward processing has …

Social behaviors are crucial to all mammals. Although the prelimbic cortex (PL, part of
medial prefrontal cortex) has been implicated in social behavior, it is not clear which …

The importance of neuronal ensembles, termed engram cells, in storing and retrieving
memory is increasingly being appreciated, but less is known about how these engram cells …

Cocaine craving, seeking, and relapse are mediated, in part, by cocaine-induced adaptive
changes in the brain reward circuits. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) integrates and …

Dopamine-dependent long-term plasticity is believed to be a cellular mechanism underlying
reinforcement learning. In response to reward and reward-predicting cues, phasic dopamine …

Repeated cocaine use induces coordinated changes in gene expression that drive plasticity
in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), an important component of the brain's reward circuitry, and …

Although medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play important roles in social
behaviors, how early social experiences affect the mPFC and its subcortical circuit remains …