Abstract
The reinforcement learning (RL) theory accounts for the two types of dopamine activity patterns: phasic and ramping. However, we still lack an understanding of when and why dopamine activity transitions between the two modes. This study examines a theoretical possibility that dopamine neurons ramp up, though it is a physiologically demanding job, to distribute cognitive resources in both space and time, while they transition to an energy-efficient phasic firing mode to concentrate cognitive resources on learning reward-predicting cues. These results lend better insight into how animals find tradeoffs between task performance maximization and resource consumption minimization.
Copyright
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