The curious case of dopaminergic error signals and learning beyond value….
Mar
9
2026
Mar
9
2026
Description
Dr. Geoffrey Schoebaum is a a Distinguished Investigator in the Cellular and Neurocomputational Systems Branch of the NIDA.
Transient changes in the firing of midbrain dopamine neurons have been closely tied to the unidimensional value-based prediction error contained in temporal difference reinforcement learning) models. However, while there is now an abundance of work showing how well dopamine responses conform to the predictions of this hypothesis, there are far fewer studies that challenge its implicit assumption that dopamine is not involved in learning about value-neutral features of rewards and other events. Here we review studies in rats and humans that put this assumption to the test, and which suggest that dopamine transients provide a much richer signal that incorporates information that goes beyond integrated value.
Hosted by Dr. Thom Elston
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