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dc.contributor.authorKim, Kyung Man
dc.contributor.authorBaratta, Michael V.
dc.contributor.authorYang, Aimei
dc.contributor.authorLee, Doheon
dc.contributor.authorFiorillo, Christopher D.
dc.contributor.authorBoyden, Edward
dc.date.accessioned2012-08-29T16:03:04Z
dc.date.available2012-08-29T16:03:04Z
dc.date.issued2012-04
dc.date.submitted2011-10
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72422
dc.description.abstractActivation of dopamine receptors in forebrain regions, for minutes or longer, is known to be sufficient for positive reinforcement of stimuli and actions. However, the firing rate of dopamine neurons is increased for only about 200 milliseconds following natural reward events that are better than expected, a response which has been described as a “reward prediction error” (RPE). Although RPE drives reinforcement learning (RL) in computational models, it has not been possible to directly test whether the transient dopamine signal actually drives RL. Here we have performed optical stimulation of genetically targeted ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons expressing Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in mice. We mimicked the transient activation of dopamine neurons that occurs in response to natural reward by applying a light pulse of 200 ms in VTA. When a single light pulse followed each self-initiated nose poke, it was sufficient in itself to cause operant reinforcement. Furthermore, when optical stimulation was delivered in separate sessions according to a predetermined pattern, it increased locomotion and contralateral rotations, behaviors that are known to result from activation of dopamine neurons. All three of the optically induced operant and locomotor behaviors were tightly correlated with the number of VTA dopamine neurons that expressed ChR2, providing additional evidence that the behavioral responses were caused by activation of dopamine neurons. These results provide strong evidence that the transient activation of dopamine neurons provides a functional reward signal that drives learning, in support of RL theories of dopamine function.en_US
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.relation.isversionofhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033612en_US
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attributionen_US
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/en_US
dc.sourcePLoSen_US
dc.titleOptogenetic Mimicry of the Transient Activation of Dopamine Neurons by Natural Reward Is Sufficient for Operant Reinforcementen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.citationKim, Kyung Man et al. “Optogenetic Mimicry of the Transient Activation of Dopamine Neurons by Natural Reward Is Sufficient for Operant Reinforcement.” Ed. Xiaoxi Zhuang. PLoS ONE 7.4 (2012): e33612.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineeringen_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratoryen_US
dc.contributor.departmentMcGovern Institute for Brain Research at MITen_US
dc.contributor.departmentProgram in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)en_US
dc.contributor.approverYang, Aimei
dc.contributor.mitauthorBaratta, Michael V.
dc.contributor.mitauthorYang, Aimei
dc.contributor.mitauthorBoyden, Edward Stuart
dc.relation.journalPLoS ONEen_US
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen_US
dc.type.urihttp://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticleen_US
eprint.statushttp://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerRevieweden_US
dspace.orderedauthorsKim, Kyung Man; Baratta, Michael V.; Yang, Aimei; Lee, Doheon; Boyden, Edward S.; Fiorillo, Christopher D.en
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0419-3351
mit.licensePUBLISHER_CCen_US
mit.metadata.statusComplete


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