Associative learning: the instructive function of biogenic amines.
Biogenic amines like dopamine or octopamine modify neural function at multiple levels, sensitizing or depressing behaviour. Recent studies in insects have now shown that, besides a role in motivational modulation, biogenic amines substitute the reinforcer function in associative learning, thus instructing the nervous system about the relevance of external events.
Giurfa
Martin
M
Research Centre on Animal Cognition, CNRS - University Paul-Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France. giurfa@cict.fr <giurfa@cict.fr>
D000818:Animals; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000502:physiology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology
D001679:Biogenic Amines