Risk reshapes amygdala representation of choice Modifying behavior in response to changing environmental conditions is a crucial adaptive function. This capacity is exemplified when animals curtail pursuit of a valued outcome that risks being punis...

for anyone interested in the amygdala and risky decision-making, check out our new preprint: biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

amygdala neurons track reward-seeking actions, and punishment risk dramatically alters this function. lots of other (BLA-accumbens!) data included.

Dear reviewer, We all hate those pesky reminder emails to submit overdue reviews that are automatically sent by the journal’s system software. BUT if you’re several weeks late, maybe respond or decline reviewing so authors & EiCs aren’t stuck in limbo? #bekind #AcademicChatter

I grew up with phasic dopamine = reward prediction errors, phasic dips- negative prediction errors etc.

Looks like that's not always the case- PFC DA signals seem to be doing something way different than in the striatum. So proud to be associated with this work.

They lucky to have you buddy...

Can the incentive-sensitization theory of addiction incorporate addiction to opioid drugs? - Psychopharmacology The Incentive Sensitization Theory (IST) of addiction posits that repeated intermittent exposure to potentially addictive drugs can sensitize brain mesolimbic dopamine systems. Those systems normally ...

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

An excellent overview of contemporary issues with dopamine - WTF? (What's the function).

Time to burn all the theories down, or maybe a set of adversarial collaborations?

The problem with Canada’s plan to buy scientific prestige The government’s plans to poach 100 US researchers might make good economic sense. But what about the existing community?

Absolutely essential reading for anyone considering those "unicorn" hiring positions in Canada. Observations from researchers who are already there: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪

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These data came out at a perfect time for a grant I'm retooling!

This is a fantastic study! Thanks so much Kate, congratulations to you and your team!

Disinhibition of ventral tegmental area during initial punishment learning causes enduring punishment insensitivity - Neuropsychopharmacology Neuropsychopharmacology - Disinhibition of ventral tegmental area during initial punishment learning causes enduring punishment insensitivity

New paper from lab on how VTA dopamine neurons + GABA inhibition contribute to punishment learning.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Most awesome! You rock!

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Happy #CIHR notice of decision day to those who celebrate.
Congratulations to 10-15% of you 🥳, and so very sorry to the other 85+% ☹️.

13.5% is the last success rate at CIRH. The government is slowly tanking the Canadian research system.

Omg amazing! Congratulations!

I'm so sorry l! Keep strong and hope they bounce back quick

Congratulations to both you and @britt-chamberlain.bsky.social ! Can't wait to see the findings in print!

Complementary yet Dissociable Influences of Medial and Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex over Cue-Guided Decisions Involving Reward Magnitude and Uncertainty Converging evidence suggests that orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) subregions subserve distinct roles in decision-making across a variety of tasks. Cost/benefit decisions can require an organism to choose b...

www.jneurosci.org/content/45/4...

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Thanks as always for your attention {cross posted on...the other place}

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Collectively, these results bolster a growing literature that mOFC and lOFC play distinct yet complimentary roles in the evaluation of outcomes and cues that inform the costs and benefits associated with future action. As is typical of studies of OFC function…

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What’s notable is that comparing this to previous studies where risk/reward decisions are guided by internal representations of action/outcome reward history (instead of external cues), these OFC regions play markedly different roles in guiding choice.

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Oh, BTW, when we inactivated the anterior agranular insular cortex adjacent to the lOFC, we found no changes in behavior

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Whereas disrupting lOFC activity leads to a default in pursuing the larger rewards, even if this strategy is not always the most profitable strategy.

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So both OFC regions are integral for guiding risk/reward decisions informed by cues that signal how likely certain actions may (or not) be rewarded, but do so in different way.
The mOFC helps focus on the cues, in part by shaking off the impact of recent losses…

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In contrast, lateral OFC inactivation had the opposite increased risky choice irrespective of the odds the cues signaled

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This reduction in risky choice was associated with exaggerated focus smaller rewards and recent losses, even though on this task, they should have ignored this past information and focused on the cues in front of them