Algorithm reveals how a small region in our brain plays a key role in motivation

A small region of the brain, known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), plays a key role in how we process rewards. It produces dopamine, a neuromodulator that helps predict future rewards based on contextual cues. A team from the universities of Geneva (UNIGE), Harvard, and McGill has shown that the VTA goes even further: It encodes not only the anticipated reward but also the precise moment it is expected.