Wheeler Center Members
| Michael Brainard " Drugs of abuse are able to hijack neural systems that normally contribute to reward based learning. By understanding how these systems operate during normal learning, we will gain insight into how to intervene in cases of drug addiction, where learning has gone awry."
My laboratory studies basic mechanisms of learning. We are currently beginning studies to investigate how the dopaminergic system contributes to reinforcement based learning. We intend to characterize in behaving animals the neural signals elicited by naturally occurring reinforcers, and to directly test the contributions of these signals to learning by manipulating them pharmacologically and through microstimulation. Our goal is to understand how dopamine and related neuromodulators contribute to rewiring of the nervous system during normal learning. We believe that such an understanding will facilitate the development of effective approaches to treat a variety of forms of learning dysfunction, including drug addiction. |
