Objective
Understanding how humans and other animals are able to learn from experience and use this information to select future behavioural strategies to obtain the reinforcers necessary for survival, is a fundamental research question in biology. Considerable progress has been made in recent years on the neural computational underpinnings of this process following the observation that the phasic activity of dopamine neurons in the midbrain resembles a prediction error from a formal computational theory known as reinforcement learning (RL). While much is known about the functions of dopamine in RL, much less is known about the computational functions of other modulatory neurotransmitter systems in the midbrain such as the cholinergic, norcpinephrine, and serotonergic systems. The goal of this research proposal to the ERC, is to begin a systematic study of the computational functions of these other neurotransmitter systems (beyond dopamine) in RL. To do this we will combine functional magnetic resonance imaging in human subjects while they perform simple decision making tasks and undergo pharmacological manipulations to modulate systemic levels of these different neurotransmitter systems. We will combine computational model-based analyses with fMRI and behavioural data in order to explore the effects that these pharmacological modulations exert on different parameters and modules within RL. Specifically, we will test the contributions that the cholinergic system makes in setting the learning rate during RL and in mediating computations of expected uncertainty in the distribution of rewards available, we will test for the role of norepinephrine in balancing the rate of exploration and exploitation during decision making, as well as in encoding the level of unexpected uncertainty, and we will explore the possible role of serotonin in setting the rate of temporal discounting for reward, or in encoding prediction errors during aversive as opposed to reward-learning.
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.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning reinforcement learning
- engineering and technology medical engineering diagnostic imaging magnetic resonance imaging
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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.
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.
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.
ERC-2009-StG
See other projects for this call
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.
Host institution
D02 CX56 Dublin
Ireland
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.