Scope

Motivation and Reward publishes significant findings that advance scientific knowledge of the neural regulation of motivation and reinforcement processes, propose diverse theoretical perspectives, and stimulate scientific dialogue.

We welcome a broad range of in vitro and in vivo approaches to study these behaviors, such as neuropharmacology and neurochemistry, electrophysiology, molecular biology, optogenetics and chemogenetics, clinical neurosciences and neuroimaging. Our major goal is to provide a better understanding of the neural regulation of natural motivational conditions such as homeostatic (e.g., palatable food), reproductive (e.g., sexual activity, parental investment) and social (e.g., social play) stimuli, as well as conditioned reinforcers and drugs of abuse. The motivational circuitry of the brain articulates with neural systems that regulate emotion, cognition, and motor control, and manuscripts that stimulate integrative views of these interactions are encouraged.

Motivational systems are critical for survival, but they also can go awry in some pathological conditions, contributing to symptoms such as depressed mood, amotivation, anergia, or antisocial behaviour. As such, studies investigating the dysregulated neural circuitry present in people with psychiatric disorders (e.g., affective disorders, neurological disorders, substance use disorders, pathological gambling, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders) and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, Tourette’s syndrome, conduct disorder), as well as animal models of these disorders, will also be welcome.

We encourage contributions spanning both established and emerging areas and welcome work in all animal species, including humans.

Key research areas covered by this section include but are not limited to:

• Anergia, amotivation and apathy 

• Anticipatory, instrumental, and consummatory behaviour 

• Associative learning and conditioning 

• Aversive and appetitive motivation 

• Behavioral economics and neuroeconomics 

• Behavioral inhibition 

• Craving 

• Dopaminergic regulation of motivation 

• Drug Addiction 

• Effort-based choice and behavioural activation 

• Food motivation, food reinforcement, and eating disorders 

• Gambling and other pathological dependences 

• Goal-directed behaviour, reward seeking 

• Impulse control disorders & Impulsivity 

• Incentive salience, incentive sensitization 

• Motivational aspects of limbic system function 

• Motivational decision-making 

• Neuroinflammation and motivation 

• Pavlovian/instrumental interactions related to motivation 

• Reinforcement learning 

• Sexual motivation 

Authors submitting manuscripts other than Original Research should highlight in their cover letter how their publication record on the same topic has prepared them for contributing to the field. We also request that prospective organizers of Research Topics (info at www.frontiersin.org/about/RTGuidelines) provide the Editorial Office (neuroscience.researchtopics@frontiersin.org) with their CV and clarify in the proposal how their research expertise qualifies them to organize a Research Topic on that particular subject.

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Submission

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