Disappointment alters brain chemistry and behavior

In their investigations, the researchers trained mice in a virtual maze, teaching them the correct route to receive a reward. They then switched the route, leading to an unexpected loss of reward for the mice, and observed the effects of this disappointing change using two-photon microscopy.

In their investigations, the researchers trained mice in a virtual maze, teaching them the correct route to receive a reward. They then switched the route, leading to an unexpected loss of reward for the mice, and observed the effects of this disappointing change using two-photon microscopy. 

Date:
17 December 2025
Credit:
Kaori Serakaki/OIST

Copyright OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 沖縄科学技術大学院大学). Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Download full-resolution image
Share on:
x icon facebook icon linkedin icon mail icon

Related Images

Dopamine Pathways

Dopamine Pathways

In the brain, dopamine helps regulate reward and body movement. As part of the reward pathway, dopamine is produced by neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and released in the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex, leading to the feeling of pleasure. Dopamine’s role in motor functions is linked to a separate pathway: first dopamine is produced in the substantia nigra and then it’s released in the striatum. While dopamine plays the same function in each case, malfunctions in the different pathways can cause vastly different diseases such as Parkinson’s and potentially schizophrenia.