What allows us to link particular visual stimuli with particular actions? We frequently and rapidly form these types of associations. Simple associations can mean learning that red means stop, while green means go. More complex associations can include a baseball player learning to swing at a pitch thrown in the strike zone. In general, both humans and animals share a remarkable ability to rapidly adjust or modify associations between visual cues and specific motor responses in order to maximize reward. However, surprisingly little is known regarding how such associations are formed in the brain. Recent learning models suggest that the neostriatum, which is part of a larger group of nuclei called the basal ganglia, is optimally positioned to play a role in this process. The goal of this project here is to systematically examine the role of the neostriatum in learning new visual-motor associations. The project will involve a multidisciplinary approach including novel behavioral learning tasks, direct microstimulation, and direct assessments of dopamine release, in order to elucidate the role of the striatum in associative learning. The general hypothesis is that the dorsal neostriatum is a site where specific visual-motor associations are formed and enhanced, that this process occurs by the reinforcement of particular circuits, and that this reinforcement is mediated by the neurotransmitter dopamine. The results of this research will be critical for elucidating the brain mechanisms underlying associative learning and for understanding the role of the basal ganglia in general. This work also entails training undergraduate and graduate students along with post-doctoral fellows. These trainees will have a unique training in physiology, microstimulation and in-vivo electrochemical assessments of neurotransmitter release.
