A Framework for Mesencephalic Dopamine Systems
based on Predictive Hebbian Learning
P Read Montague Peter Dayan TJ Sejnowski
Journal of Neuroscience, 16, 1936-1947.
Abstract
We develop a theoretical framework that shows how mesencephalic
dopamine systems could distribute to their targets a signal that represents
information about future expectations. In particular, we show how activity
in the cerebral cortex can make predictions about future receipt of reward
and how fluctuations in the activity levels of neurons in diffuse dopamine
systems above and below baseline levels would represent errors in these
predictions that are delivered to cortical and subcortical targets. We
present a model for how such errors could be constructed in a real brain
that is consistent with physiological results for a subset of dopaminergic
neurons located in the ventral tegmental area and surrounding dopaminergic
neurons. The theory also makes testable predictions about human choice
behavior on a simple decision-making task. Furthermore, we show that,
through a simple influence on synaptic plasticity, fluctuations in dopamine
release can act to change the predictions in an appropriate manner.
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