Nace Mikus | Computational phenotyping of dopaminergic manipulations

The dopaminergic circuits lie at the core of learning and motivational processes through which we are able to form predictions about the future and take action accordingly. Studies in animals have shown that midbrain dopaminergic neurons projecting to the striatum signal events in the environment that deviate from what we expect. A prevalent model of the dopaminergic function suggests that these so-called prediction errors –propagated by the D1 dopamine receptors to cortical areas – modulate synaptic plasticity and thereby facilitate learning and initiation of action. While D2 dopamine receptors in the striatum as well as prefrontal striatal projection regulate and modulate this signal propagation. How this neurobiological model of dopaminergic activity relates to behaviour has been difficult to address. In my talk I will present several pharmacogenetic studies that map manipulations of the dopaminergic system on to various computational phenotypes. First of all, we are interested in the role of dopamine in updating beliefs in a social as well as a non-social context. And second, we explored dopamine’s involvement in model-based decision making. Specifically, how does blocking D2 transmission affect our ability to keep the regularities and knowledge about the world online as we make decisions and learn about the states of the world that are not directly observed?