Behavioral Neuroscience: Reward and Pleasure

A series of vocabulary flashcards focused on key concepts related to behavioral neuroscience and the psychology of rewards and pleasure.

Anhedonia

A lack of interest or pleasure in activities that were previously enjoyable.

Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC)

A brain area involved in adaptive decision-making and encoding valence.

Endogenous Opioids

Naturally occurring opioids in the brain that are involved in pain relief and reward.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter that plays a key role in reward prediction and motivation.

Valence

The intrinsic attractiveness or averseness of an event, object, or situation.

Intensity

The strength or loudness of a stimulus, such as sound or taste.

Hedonic Hotspot

Brain regions, particularly in the nucleus accumbens, that generate pleasure.

Nucleus Accumbens (NAc)

A brain region critical for processing rewarding stimuli and motivation.

Reward Prediction Error

The difference between expected and received rewards, which signals learning.

Mediation of Learning

The process by which certain brain areas influence the acquisition of reward-based behaviors.