How dopamine enables learning from aversion

Abstract

Dopamine is heavily studied for its role in reward learning, but it is becoming increasingly appreciated that dopamine can also enable learning from aversion. Dopamine neurons modulate their firing and neurotransmitter release patterns in response to aversive outcomes. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in the timing and directionality of the modulation. Open questions remain as to the factors that determine this heterogeneity and how varying patterns of responses to aversion in different dopamine-receptive brain regions contribute to value learning, decision-making, and avoidance. Here, we review recent progress in this area and highlight important future directions.