title: Phasic dopamine signals: from subjective reward value to formal economic utility.
abstract: Although rewards are physical stimuli and objects, their value for survival and reproduction is subjective. The phasic, neurophysiological and voltammetric dopamine reward prediction error response signals subjective reward value. The signal incorporates crucial reward aspects such as amount, probability, type, risk, delay and effort. Differences of dopamine release dynamics with temporal delay and effort in rodents may derive from methodological issues and require further study. Recent designs using concepts and behavioral tools from experimental economics allow to formally characterize the subjective value signal as economic utility and thus to establish a neuronal value function. With these properties, the dopamine response constitutes a utility prediction error signal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3290, United States.
authors.forename: Regina M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Carelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3290, United States.
authors.forename: R Mark
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Wightman