• Home
  • People
    Current Members
    Lab Alumni
  • Research
    Overview
    Highlights
    Methods & Tools
  • Publications
  • News
  • Resources
  • Join Us
  • Home
  • People
    Current Members
    Lab Alumni
  • Research
    Overview
    Highlights
    Methods & Tools
  • Publications
  • News
  • Resources
  • Join Us
Home > Journal Club & Teaching

Journal Club & Teaching

VTA dopamine neuron activity encodes social interaction and promotes reinforcement learning through social prediction error

Abstract

Social interactions are motivated behaviors that, in many species, facilitate learning. However, how the brain encodes the reinforcing properties of social interactions remains unclear. In this study, using in vivo recording in freely moving mice, we show that dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) increase their activity during interactions with an unfamiliar conspecific and display heterogeneous responses. Using a social instrumental task, we then show that VTA DA neuron activity encodes social prediction error and drives social reinforcement learning. Thus, our findings suggest that VTA DA neurons are a neural substrate for a social learning signal that drives motivated behavior.


Solié, C., Girard, B., Righetti, B., Tapparel, M., & Bellone, C. (2022). VTA dopamine neuron activity encodes social interaction and promotes reinforcement learning through social prediction error. Nat neurosci, 25(1), 86-97. [LINK]


Speaker: Fengjun Ma

Time: 9:30 am, 2022/3/18

Location:CIBR Phase I South, Floor 2

  • People
  • Research
  • Publications
  • News
  • Resources
  • Join Us
  • 北京脑科学与类脑研究所 - 周景峰实验室
  • Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing
  • Bldg 3, 9 Yike Rd, ZGC Life Sci Park, Changping, Beijing 102206

2024 © Zhou Lab - Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing - 京ICP备18029179号 ❀