Topic: reinforcement learning model

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,

Although distinct cortical regions specialize in different functions, they also benefit from receiving global reinforcement feedback to tune local processing. When and how those reinforcement signals shape cortical computations remains however largely unknown. Here, we present experimental evidence showing that acetylcholine inputs throughout the cortex form the backbone for a global signal, that presents the main characteristic of an unsigned reinforcement prediction error computation : modulation of the reinforcement response by expectation and coding of predictive cues. We show that this gl

In an uncertain world, we balance two goals: exploiting rewarding options when they are available, and exploring potentially better alternatives. One neuromodulatory system that has been implicated in mediating the transition between exploration and exploitation is the catecholamine system, in particular, norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA). Although both molecules have been implicated in decision making, their contributions have not been directly compared. When each neuromodulatory system is examined in isolation, they have been assigned similar roles in the latent cognitive processes that