Contributions of nucleus accumbens dopamine to cognitive flexibility

There is a compelling evidence that midbrain dopamine ( DA ) neurons and their projections to the ventral striatum provide a mechanism for motivating reward‐seeking behavior, and for utilizing information about unexpected reward prediction errors ( RPE s) to guide behavior based on current, rather than historical, outcomes. When this mechanism is compromised in addictions, it may produce patterns of maladaptive behavior that remain obdurate in...