Devaluing memories of reward: a case for dopamine

Authors

Benjamin R. Fry, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Nicolette Russell, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Victoria Fex, Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Bing Mo, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Nathan Pence, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Joseph A. Beatty, Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
Fredric P. Manfredsson, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Brandon A. Toth, Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Christian R. Burgess, Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Samuel Gershman, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Alexander W. Johnson, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. awj@msu.edu.

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Midbrain dopamine cells encode differences in predictive and expected value to support learning through reward prediction error. Recent findings have questioned whether reward prediction error can fully account for dopamine function and suggest a more complex role for dopamine in encoding detailed features of the reward environment. In this series of studies, we describe a novel role for dopamine in devaluing sensory features of reward. Mesencephalic dopamine cells activated during a mediated devaluation phase were later chemogenetically reactivated. This retrieval of the devalued reward memory elicited a reduction in the hedonic evaluation of sucrose reward. Through optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations, we confirm dopamine cells are both sufficient and necessary for mediated devaluation, and retrieval of these memories reflected dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Consistent with our computational modeling data, our findings indicate a critical role for dopamine in encoding predictive representations of the sensory features of reinforcement. Overall, we elucidate a novel role for dopamine function in mediated devaluation and illuminate a more elaborate framework through which dopamine encodes reinforcement signals.

Medical Subject Headings

Reward; Dopamine (metabolism); Animals; Memory (physiology); Dopaminergic Neurons (physiology, metabolism); Nucleus Accumbens (physiology, metabolism)

Publication Date

2-3-2025

Publication Title

Communications biology

E-ISSN

2399-3642

Volume

8

Issue

1

First Page

161

PubMed ID

39900665

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/s42003-024-07440-7

Recommended Citation

Fry, Benjamin R.; Russell, Nicolette; Fex, Victoria; Mo, Bing; Pence, Nathan; Beatty, Joseph A.; Manfredsson, Fredric P.; Toth, Brandon A.; Burgess, Christian R.; Gershman, Samuel; and Johnson, Alexander W., "Devaluing memories of reward: a case for dopamine" (2025). Translational Neuroscience. 2459.
https://scholar.barrowneuro.org/neurobiology/2459