Rodent ultrasonic vocalizations, reward and striatal function

这项建议的主要目的是增加我们对与奖励事件相关的大脑活动及其对行为的影响的理解。我们知道，大脑的不同部分专用于不同的功能，大脑中参与奖赏处理的主要区域已经被识别出来。某些神经递质(信号分子)已被证明是这一奖励过程中的重要参与者。其中最广为人知的是多巴胺。在流行文化中，这种神经递质通常被等同于快乐。然而，有证据表明，多巴胺的释放与奖赏享受没有多大关系；例如，它通常在收到奖赏之前就被释放。因此，多巴胺的释放可能与快乐的关系不大，而更多地与对奖励的预期或获得奖励的动机有关。

The main aim of this proposal is to increase our understanding of brain activity related to rewarding events and their effects on behaviour. We know that different parts of the brain are specialized for different functions, and the main areas of the brain that are involved in the processing of reward have been identified. Certain neurotransmitters (signalling molecules) have been shown to be important players in this reward process. The best known of these is dopamine. In popular culture, this neurotransmitter is often equated with pleasure. However, evidence suggests that dopamine release has little to do with reward enjoyment; for example, it is often released before a reward is received. Hence, dopamine release may have less to do with pleasure, and more to do with reward anticipation or with motivation to obtain a reward.