8. reward and pleasure

Reward Components

Liking

Wanting

Learning

Intensity: yk this

Valence: subjective value of outcome

Brain Areas contributing to Reward Processing

Orbitofrontal cortex

• involved in adaptive decision-making

• Valence is represented differently in different OFC regions

  • Mid-anterior - sensory pleasures

  • Medial - learning and memory of rewards

  • Lateral OFC - monitor disincentives and negative reinforcers

  • Anterior - complex or abstract reinforcers

Nucleus accumbens (NAcs)

• uses opioids (used for pain relief or reward)

• Ventral Pallidum

• Ventral tegmental area

Amygdala

• stimulate appetitive and aversive tasks

Transmitter systems & roles

Adaptive decision making

In OFC

• Encodes valence, seeks high, avoids low

• maintains expected rewards, informs consequences

• learns reward expectations

• predicts future rewards

• contributes to computation on decisions

Pathway from Cortex to Cortex

• Cortex (PFC, limbic areas) → excites Nucleus Accumbens (NAc)

• NAc → inhibits Ventral Pallidum (VP)

• VP → inhibits Thalamus (MD, VA nuclei)

• Thalamus → excites Cortex (PFC, motor areas)