title: A role for phasic dopamine neuron firing in habit learning.
abstract: In this issue of Neuron, Wang et al. (2011) show that mice with dopamine neuron-specific NMDAR1 deletion have attenuated phasic dopamine neuron firing and a deficit in habit learning. These findings indicate that brain regions sensitive to phasic dopamine signals may underlie habit learning.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Research Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, 1919-1, Tancha, Onna-Son, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-0412, Japan.
authors.forename: Mayank
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Jeffery R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wickens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D006184:Habits; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate