It is becoming clearer how neurobiological mechanisms generate 'liking'and
'wanting'components of food reward. Mesocorticolimbic mechanisms that enhance …

Pleasure is mediated by well-developed mesocorticolimbic circuitry and serves adaptive
functions. In affective disorders, anhedonia (lack of pleasure) or dysphoria (negative affect) …

Affective neuroscience aims to understand how affect (pleasure or displeasure) is created by
brains. Progress is aided by recognizing that affect has both objective and subjective …

Feeding satisfies metabolic need but is also controlled by external stimuli, like palatability or
predator threat. Nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) projections to the lateral hypothalamus …

The study of the neural bases of eating behavior, hunger, and reward has consistently
implicated the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and its interactions with mesocorticolimbic circuitry …

To benefit from opportunities and cope with challenges in the environment, animals must
adapt their behavior to acquire rewards and to avoid punishments. Maladaptive changes in …

Reinforcement learning (RL) is the behavioral process of learning the values of actions and
objects. Most models of RL assume that the dopaminergic prediction error signal drives …

The mesocorticolimbic system, consisting, at its core, of the ventral tegmental area, the
nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex, has historically been investigated …

In order to thrive, animals must be able to recognize aversive and appetitive stimuli within
the environment and subsequently initiate appropriate behavioral responses. This …

Over the past 20 years there has been a growing interest in the neural underpinnings of
cost/benefit decision-making. Recent studies with animal models have made considerable …