Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
203,234 studies31 sourcesUpdated 59 min ago
PreprintCC BYbioRxiv

Dynamics of dopamine transients in human olfactory epithelium during reward learning

  • L. P. Sands1
  • S. R. Batten
  • A. E. Hartle
  • T. Lohrenz
  • J. White
  • L. S. Barbosa
  • W. M. Howe
  • D. Bang
  • P. Dayan
  • Q. Yang
  • A. Dede
  • A. Sheriff
5 more authors
  • G. Lane
  • B. K. Tan
  • P. Lenkowski
  • C. Zelano
  • R. Montague
  1. 1Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Dopamine signaling is crucial for motivation, movement, and learning, but has remained beyond the reach of measurement in healthy humans. Here, we measured sub-second dopamine in the olfactory epithelium of healthy humans during two reward learning tasks with distinct reward types: liquid reward during a conditioning task and monetary reward during an economic exchange game. In both tasks, as trials progress, peak dopamine transients shift from rewarding outcomes back to reward-predictive cues. In the economic game, this pattern retrains quickly when reward magnitude or reward timing is changed without warning. These findings match the time transfer characteristics and amplitude dependence of temporal difference prediction error signals. The results also establish a new, minimally invasive route for recording fast dopamine signaling in healthy humans: the nose.

Related

  1. NOSE-OE: A molecular signaling map of the olfactory epithelium
    Shailendra Gupta, Federica Genovese, Krishna P. Singh +8
    iSciencePeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textNeuroscienceCell PressCrossrefEurope PMC
  2. Mechanical constraints on cell plasticity: insights from the olfactory epithelium
    Raphaël Aguillon, Pascale Dufourcq, Julie Batut
    Frontiers in Cell and Developmental BiologyPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textNeuroscienceHAL
  3. Dopamine release-associated striatal blood oxygenation and whole-brain dynamics during associative learning
    Amir Lawen, Isabella K. Succi, Daniela Lichtman +3
    Science AdvancesPeer-reviewedCC BY-NCNeuroscienceCrossref
  4. Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Neuron Dynamics during Postpartum Scarcity-Adversity Depend on Caregiving Quality and Pup Proximity
    Christine H. Nguyen, Shreya Jayamohan, Millie Rincón-Cortés
    The Journal of NeurosciencePeer-reviewedPublisher termsFull textNeurosciencePMC
  5. Dissociable norepinephrine and dopamine representations during strategic decision-making and reward learning
    J. Aloor, T. P. Sit, J. Geuter +2
    bioRxivPreprintAll rights reservedFull textNeurosciencebioRxiv

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{sands2026dynamics,
  title = {{Dynamics of dopamine transients in human olfactory epithelium during reward learning}},
  author = {L. P. Sands and S. R. Batten and A. E. Hartle and T. Lohrenz and J. White and L. S. Barbosa and W. M. Howe and D. Bang and P. Dayan and Q. Yang and A. Dede and A. Sheriff and G. Lane and B. K. Tan and P. Lenkowski and C. Zelano and R. Montague},
  howpublished = {bioRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.64898/2026.10.07.757414},
  url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757414v1},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Dynamics of dopamine transients in human olfactory epithelium during reward learning
AU  - L. P. Sands
AU  - S. R. Batten
AU  - A. E. Hartle
AU  - T. Lohrenz
AU  - J. White
AU  - L. S. Barbosa
AU  - W. M. Howe
AU  - D. Bang
AU  - P. Dayan
AU  - Q. Yang
AU  - A. Dede
AU  - A. Sheriff
AU  - G. Lane
AU  - B. K. Tan
AU  - P. Lenkowski
AU  - C. Zelano
AU  - R. Montague
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/07
PB  - bioRxiv
DO  - 10.64898/2026.10.07.757414
UR  - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757414v1
AB  - Dopamine signaling is crucial for motivation, movement, and learning, but has remained beyond the reach of measurement in healthy humans. Here, we measured sub-second dopamine in the olfactory epithelium of healthy humans during two reward learning tasks with distinct reward types: liquid reward during a conditioning task and monetary reward during an economic exchange game. In both tasks, as trials progress, peak dopamine transients shift from rewarding outcomes back to reward-predictive cues. In the economic game, this pattern retrains quickly when reward magnitude or reward timing is changed without warning. These findings match the time transfer characteristics and amplitude dependence of temporal difference prediction error signals. The results also establish a new, minimally invasive route for recording fast dopamine signaling in healthy humans: the nose.
SN  - 2692-8205
ER  -