Project description
Unveiling the neuronal basis of cognitive rewards
Our survival hinges on the constant flow of information that is crucial to predicting and controlling our actions. The acquisition of information is a cognitive reward itself. Our brains make us seek conditions with large amounts of information and multiple options to choose actions. But we know little about the brain's mechanisms that result in such cognitive rewards. The EU-funded VINCI project will investigate how the neural signal related to cognitive reward spreads from midbrain dopaminergic neurons to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the striatum, which are linked to motivational and learning processes. Simultaneous high-density electrophysiological recordings and fibre-photometry in experimental tests on monkeys will be applied to unveil the most crucial aspects of cognitive rewards.
Objective
Predictions and control about impending action and rewards or punishments require accumulating information about our environment and ultimately choosing the action that will maximize reward. Therefore, contexts containing a large amount of information about the environment and with several available options to gather reward or avoid punishment are generally preferred by agents. Because information intake and choice seeking are so important for survival and well-being, they can be considered as cognitive rewards, i.e. a higher order form of reward not directly related to immediate satisfaction like food or water. This proposal seeks to understand the neural mechanisms involved in the encoding of these cognitive rewards.
How cognitive rewards like information and choice availability are encoded and manipulated in the brain remains a major unanswered question. Evidence suggests that cognitive rewards may be encoded by the dopaminergic system in a way similar to basic rewards like food or water. In contexts where the amount of basic reward will be equal, I will train monkeys to perform a task where they will get either more choice or more available information related to the type of upcoming basic reward. I hypothesize that monkeys will prefer conditions where more choice or more information are available compared to condition where these variables are lacking. Using simultaneous high-density electrophysiological recordings, we predict that midbrain dopaminergic neurons will reflect these preferences. By using fiber photometry targeting specifically dopaminergic neurons, we will also investigate how the neural signal related to cognitive reward are transmitted from midbrain dopaminergic neurons to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the striatum, two structures receiving massive dopaminergic inputs and previously linked with different aspects of motivational and learning processes.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-RI - RI – Reintegration panel
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75013 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.