PSYC 388 - The Neuroscience of Reward

“Reward” is a concept with which most people are familiar: a hard-earned vacation at the end of a grueling work schedule, an A grade on a particularly challenging academic assignment, a good meal and a glass of wine after a long day’s work. However, this everyday usage of the term belies its complexity. In this course, we will explore “reward” from behavioral and neurobiological perspectives, often focusing on associative learning paradigms that allow for careful dissection of appetitive and consummatory behaviors. We will consider the underlying neural circuitry that enables individuals to learn about rewards and cues that signal these motivationally significant events. Our analysis will emphasize the similarities and distinctions between natural reward and drug reward. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 201 or STAT 155 and either PSYC 240 or PSYC 248. Offered every year. (4 Credits)