A new study shows that dopamine signals and behavior are shaped by prospective contingency—the information a cue provides about the change in likelihood of receiving a future reward, not simply reward frequency. The concept of contingency is crucial in understanding learning, behavior, and decision-making processes.

From Naoshige Uchida, Sam Gershman, Venkatesh Murthy and colleagues, co-first authors Lechen Qian and Mark Burrell. Featured in MCB News.