title: Do substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons differentiate between reward and punishment?
abstract: The activity of dopaminergic neurons are thought to be increased by stimuli that predict reward and decreased by stimuli that predict aversive outcomes. Recent work by Matsumoto and Hikosaka challenges this model by asserting that stimuli associated with either rewarding or aversive outcomes increase the activity of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences, Psychology, and Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912-1978, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: D James
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Surmeier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D011678:Punishment; D051381:Rats; D012201:Reward; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine