Dopaminergic activity coincides with stimulus detection by the frontal lobe

For midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons to respond to sensory events, the presence of a stimulus must first be detected. Where is the signal that activates DA neurons coming from? Here we show that DA responses to a vibrotactile stimulus lag significantly behind those of the primary somatosensory cortex, but they arise with a latency that closely matches the onset of premotor neurons known to encode perceptual decisions. In agreement with previous findings, these data suggest that sensory evoked DA activity does not signal a stimulus physical presence but arises from the output of a perceptual decision.

Graphical abstractDownload high-res image (102KB)Download full-size imageHighlights► We compared the response latency of cortical and dopaminergic neurons. ► Dopaminergic neurons activate when frontal lobe neurons detect sensory stimuli. ► Dopaminergic activity is closely associated with the outcome of perceptual decisions. ► Reward modulates the activity of midbrain dopaminergic, but not of cortical neurons.