Topic: motivational state

Adaptive behavior is guided by dynamic evaluations of the reward environment, which can be influenced by factors like reward frequency and internal motivational state. We implemented a behavioral task in water deprived headfixed mice that included fluctuating probabilities of reward following auditory stimuli. Mice adjusted their anticipatory licking, a proxy for reward expectation, according to both the recent reward rate and their diminishing motivation for reward. We developed a reinforcement learning model that revealed the synergistic impacts of recent reward history, overall reward rate,

Adequate regulation of innate behaviours is crucial for survival. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) forms the core of the neural circuitry driving these motivated behaviours. VTA dopamine (VTA-DA) neurons encode reward and reward-predicting cues heterogeneously. Moreover, individual neurons respond to different behavioural and kinematic variables. However, it remains unclear whether individual dopamine neurons respond to competing rewards like feeding and voluntary exercise heterogeneously. Additionally, it is unknown how motivational state changes, such as hunger or enhanced exercise drive, in