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The dopamine hypothesis of reward: Past and current status

Academic Article
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Overview

authors

  • Spanagel, R.
  • Weiss, Friedbert

publication date

  • November 1999

journal

  • Trends in Neurosciences  Journal

abstract

  • Mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons are thought to serve as a final common neural pathway for mediating reinforcement processes. However, several recent findings have challenged the view that mesolimbic dopamine has a crucial role in the maintenance of reinforcement processes, or the subjective rewarding actions of natural rewards and drugs of abuse. Instead, there is growing evidence that dopamine is involved in the formation of associations between salient contextual stimuli and internal rewarding or aversive events. This evidence suggests that dopaminergic-neuron activation aids the organism in learning to recognize stimuli associated with such events. Thus, mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons have an important function in the acquisition of behavior reinforced by natural reward and drug stimuli. Furthermore, long-lasting neuroadaptive changes in mesolimbic dopamine-mediated transmission that develop during chronic drug use might contribute to compulsive drug-seeking behavior and relapse.

subject areas

  • Dopamine
  • Humans
  • Limbic System
  • Mesencephalon
  • Models, Neurological
  • Reward
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Identity

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0166-2236

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/s0166-2236(99)01447-2

PubMed ID

  • 10529820
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Additional Document Info

start page

  • 521

end page

  • 527

volume

  • 22

issue

  • 11

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