Michael Mendelson
@mjmendelson.bsky.social
PhD student in Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University
Reposted by Michael Mendelson
We know dopamine guides reinforcement learning in externally rewarded behaviors—think a mouse learning to press a lever for food or juice. But what about skills like speech or athletics, where there’s no explicit external reward, just an internal goal to match? 🧵 (1/7)
Excited to share our latest work! It’s been a great experience working on this (including building a whole new lab!) 😊
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Natural behaviour is learned through dopamine-mediated reinforcement - Nature
Studies in zebra finches show that dopamine has a key role as a reinforcement signal in the trial-and-error process of learning that underlies complex natural behaviours.
www.nature.com
March 17, 2025 at 5:48 PM
We know dopamine guides reinforcement learning in externally rewarded behaviors—think a mouse learning to press a lever for food or juice. But what about skills like speech or athletics, where there’s no explicit external reward, just an internal goal to match? 🧵 (1/7)