小柯机器人

瑞士日内瓦大学Camilla Bellone研究组发现腹侧被盖区 (VTA) 的多巴胺 (DA)神经元活动可编码社交互动，并通过社交预测错误促进强化学习。2021年12月2日出版的《自然—神经科学》发表了这项成果。

他们在自由活动的小鼠中使用体内记录，显示VTA DA 神经元在与不熟悉的同种动物互动期间增加了它们的活动，并显示出异质反应。 使用社会工具任务，他们展示了 VTA DA 神经元活动编码社会预测错误并驱动社会强化学习。因此，他们的研究结果表明，VTA DA 神经元是驱动动机行为的社会学习信号的神经基质。

据悉，社交互动是有动机的行为，在许多物种中，这些行为有助于学习。然而，大脑如何编码社交互动的强化特性仍不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: VTA dopamine neuron activity encodes social interaction and promotes reinforcement learning through social prediction error

Author: Soli, Clment, Girard, Benoit, Righetti, Beatrice, Tapparel, Malika, Bellone, Camilla

Issue&Volume: 2021-12-02

Abstract: Social interactions are motivated behaviors that, in many species, facilitate learning. However, how the brain encodes the reinforcing properties of social interactions remains unclear. In this study, using in vivo recording in freely moving mice, we show that dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) increase their activity during interactions with an unfamiliar conspecific and display heterogeneous responses. Using a social instrumental task, we then show that VTA DA neuron activity encodes social prediction error and drives social reinforcement learning. Thus, our findings suggest that VTA DA neurons are a neural substrate for a social learning signal that drives motivated behavior. In this study, the authors show that VTA DA neurons display heterogeneous responses during interactions with an unfamiliar conspecific. The activity of DA neurons encodes social prediction error and drives social reinforcement learning.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00972-9

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-021-00972-9

Nature Neuroscience：《自然—神经科学》，创刊于1998年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：28.771
官方网址：https://www.nature.com/neuro/
投稿链接：https://mts-nn.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex