Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Brzosko Z
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4626806 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Brzosko Zuzanna Z Schultz Wolfram W Paulsen Ole O
eLife 20151030
Most reinforcement learning models assume that the reward signal arrives after the activity that led to the reward, placing constraints on the possible underlying cellular mechanisms. Here we show that dopamine, a positive reinforcement signal, can retroactively convert hippocampal timing-dependent synaptic depression into potentiation. This effect requires functional NMDA receptors and is mediated in part through the activation of the cAMP/PKA cascade. Collectively, our results support the idea ...[more]