Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Reward without dopamine.

Claire Matson Cannon1, Richard D Palmiter

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7370, USA. caesia@u.washington.edu

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|December 4, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Esr1-dependent signaling and transcriptional maturation in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus shape the development of mating behavior during adolescence.

eLife·2026
Same author

Genetic Identification of Dopamine Neurons Required for Circadian Food Anticipatory Activity in Mice.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Gustatory thalamic neurons mediate aversive behaviors.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Edinger-Westphal Urocortin-1 neurons regulate consumption and affect.

Cell reports·2025
Same author

Preoptic EP3R neurons constitute a two-way switch for fever and torpor.

Nature·2025
Same author

Esr1-Dependent Signaling and Transcriptional Maturation in the Medial Preoptic Area of the Hypothalamus Shapes the Development of Mating Behavior during Adolescence.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Dopamine (DA) is not essential for reward. Mice lacking DA still show a preference for sweet tastes, indicating DA is not required for reward processes.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Science
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Dopamine (DA) is widely implicated in reward processing.
  • Natural rewards like food and sexual interaction activate dopaminergic systems.
  • Sweet tastes are a well-characterized natural reward.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that dopamine (DA) is necessary for reward.
  • To investigate the role of DA in the reward processes associated with sweet tastes.

Main Methods:

  • Experiments were conducted using mice genetically engineered to lack dopamine production (DD mice).
  • Sucrose preference was assessed using a computerized lickometer to measure responses to rewarding stimuli.
  • Behavioral analyses included licking rate, bout size, total licks, and initiation frequency.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • DD mice demonstrated a clear preference for sucrose over water and also preferred saccharin.
  • Licking rate, bout size, and bout length were significantly higher in DD mice consuming sweets compared to controls.
  • Despite preference, DD mice initiated licking less frequently and had fewer total licks, suggesting a goal-directed behavior deficit.
  • Juvenile DD mice showed robust sucrose preference even before experiencing food in the presence of DA.

Conclusions:

  • Dopamine (DA) is not required for mice to find the sweet tastes of sucrose or saccharin rewarding.
  • The study refutes the necessity of DA for reward processes manifested by sucrose preference.
  • DD mice exhibit deficits in goal-directed behavior not specific to reward.