Abstract
Environmental cues, through Pavlovian learning, become conditioned stimuli that guide animals towards the acquisition of “rewards” (i.e., food) that are necessary for survival. Here, we test the fundamental role of midbrain dopamine neurons in conferring predictive or motivational properties to cues, independent of external rewards. We demonstrate that phasic optogenetic excitation of dopamine neurons throughout the midbrain, when presented in temporal association with discrete sensory cues, is sufficient to instantiate those cues as conditioned stimuli that subsequently both evoke dopamine neuron activity on their own, and elicit cue-locked conditioned behaviors. Critically, we identify highly parcellated behavioral functions for dopamine neuron subpopulations projecting to discrete regions of striatum, revealing dissociable mesostriatal systems for the generation of incentive value and movement invigoration. These results show that dopamine neurons orchestrate Pavlovian conditioning via functionally heterogeneous, circuit-specific motivational signals to shape cue-controlled behavior.
