Role of Dopamine in LTP and Learning, Brandeis University, Spring 2010

这是一项在布兰迪斯大学举办研讨会的提议，主题是学习神经调节剂多巴胺的作用——多巴胺是大脑奖励系统的关键角色。会议的形式是邀请约25名研究人员参加一个“讨论会议”，他们中的大多数人正在研究神经调节剂多巴胺如何影响大脑中的突触可塑性，从而在学习中发挥作用。这方面的很多工作都是新的，没有发表过。直到最近，研究人员才开始意识到多巴胺在学习中的作用可能是至关重要的，所以现在是把这些研究人员聚集在一起讨论多巴胺的影响及其释放条件的最佳时机。这个活跃的研究人员的小聚会应该导致更多的合作，从而确保这个新领域将尽可能迅速和有效地发展。

This is a proposal to host a workshop at Brandeis University on the role for learning of the neuromodulator dopamine--a key player in the brain's reward system. The format is to be a "discussion meeting" for an invited group of about 25 researchers, most of whom are working to understand how the neuromodulator dopamine affects synaptic plasticity in the brain, and thus plays a role in learning. Much of this work is new and unpublished. Only recently have investigators begun to realize that the role of dopamine in learning may be fundamental, so this is the best moment to bring those researchers together to discuss the effects of dopamine and the conditions under which it is released. This small gathering of active researchers should lead to more collaboration, and thus ensure that this new field will advance as rapidly and efficiently as possible.