Computational neuromodulation

Computational neuromodulation

Neuromodulators such as dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and norepinephrine are signals in the brain that appear to act over broad spatial and temporal scales to regulate fast ongoing neural activity and influence changes in the strengths of connections between neurons. They are known to play critical roles in a wealth of normal function, and are the source of problems and therapies in a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Computational treatments of the neuromodulators have suggested that they report specific information associated with optimal prediction, inference and control. For instance, the phasic activity of dopamine neurons is consistent with a model in which they report errors in ongoing predictions of future rewards.