Can’t or Won’t? Immunometabolic Constraints on Dopaminergic Drive

Converging evidence suggests that the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system is directly affected by increases in inflammatory cytokines associated with chronic, low-grade inflammation. The reasons for this immune–DA communication are unclear, but one novel hypothesis is that inflammatory cytokines signal immunometabolic shifts that impact the valuation of future actions as a function of available energy resources. Future work on effort-based...