Motivational processes are complex and multifaceted, with both directional and activational
aspects. Behavioral activation and exertion of effort are functions that enable organisms to …

Nucleus accumbens dopamine is known to play a role in motivational processes, and
dysfunctions of mesolimbic dopamine may contribute to motivational symptoms of …

Many personality theories link specific traits to the sensitivities of the neural systems that
control approach and avoidance. But there is no consensus on the nature of these systems …

It has been known for some time that nucleus accumbens dopamine (DA) is involved in
aspects of motivation, but theoretical approaches to understanding the functions of DA have …

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been the focus of intense research interest in recent
years. Although separate theories relate ACC function variously to conflict monitoring …

Subjects routinely control the vigor with which they emit motoric responses. However, the
bulk of formal treatments of decision-making ignores this dimension of choice. A recent …

The striatal dopamine system has long been studied in the context of reward learning,
motivation, and movement. Given the prominent role dopamine plays in a variety of adaptive …

Dependence to drugs of abuse is closely associated with impulsivity, or the propensity to
choose a lower, but immediate, reward over a delayed, but more valuable outcome. Here …

The functions of the D1-and D2-dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia have remained
somewhat enigmatic, with a number of competing theories relating to the interactions of the …

Dopamine has long been implicated in a wide variety of high-level cognitive processes,
ranging from working memory to rule learning and attention switching. Notable progress has …