Principles of olfactory reward processing in the human brain

项目摘要 中枢神经系统的一个关键功能是使行为偏向于那些能够维持的事件和结果 生存的相关性。众所周知，气味对动物行为有很强的影响，因为它们引导 寻找食物，母性纽带和择偶即使人类不认为嗅觉是一种 在主导感觉中，人类同样会被气味的有益特性所左右。最新发展 在功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）数据的基于模式的分析和非侵入性大脑 刺激技术，我们现在能够探索嗅觉奖励的神经机制， 人类在上一个融资周期中，我们获得了关于气味奖励如何在 眶额皮质（OFC），以及多巴胺能中脑如何支持这些表征。的 当前更新申请的目的是利用这些新方法来解决新的问题。 从这些关于人类气味引导行为的神经机制的初步发现中产生的问题。 具体来说，我们将使用OFC靶向经颅磁刺激（TMS）和新的行为任务， 将食物气味作为奖励，以揭示不同OFC网络对决策的具体贡献。 此外，拟议的研究将结合联合收割机基于网络的TMS和基于模式的功能磁共振成像，以阐明 神经机制驱动学习未来气味奖励的身份。补充研究将 检查一个人的动机状态如何调节对食物气味的感知和神经反应，例如， 它们可以帮助检测环境中的生物相关奖励。这些实验 在这个项目中提出的将从根本上扩展我们对嗅觉奖励处理的理解， 人类大脑在功能和机械水平，与神经科学研究的影响，学习， 记忆和一般的行为。此外，这项工作的结果可以更好地理解 在各种神经精神疾病中描述的行为缺陷，包括精神分裂症，进食， 疾病和成瘾，并可能最终为开发新的诊断和治疗方法提供见解。 治疗方法。

PROJECT SUMMARY A crucial function of the central nervous system is to bias behavior toward events and outcomes that hold relevance for survival. It is well recognized that odors have a strong effect on animal behavior, as they guide food search, maternal bonding, and mate selection. Even though humans do not consider olfaction to be a dominant sense, humans are similarly swayed by the rewarding properties of odors. With recent developments in the pattern-based analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, we are now in a position to explore the neural mechanisms of olfactory reward in humans. During the previous funding cycle, we gained key insights into how odor rewards are represented in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and how the dopaminergic midbrain may support these representations. The objective of the current renewal application is to capitalize on these novel methods in order to address new questions arising from these initial findings about the neural mechanisms of odor-guided behavior in humans. Specifically, we will use OFC-targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and novel behavioral tasks that involve food odors as rewards to reveal the specific contribution of different OFC networks to decision making. Moreover, the proposed studies will combine network-based TMS with pattern-based fMRI to elucidate the neural mechanisms that drive learning about the identity of future odor rewards. Complementary studies will examine how one’s motivational state modulates perceptional and neural responses to food odors, such that they can aid the detection of biologically relevant rewards in the environment. Together the experiments proposed in this project will fundamentally extend our understanding of olfactory reward processing in the human brain at the functional and mechanistic level, with implications for neuroscientific research on learning, memory, and behavior in general. Moreover, the findings from this work can lead to a better understanding of the behavioral deficits described in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including Schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addiction, and may ultimately provide insights into the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.