[Optical-Observation and -Manipulation Reveals the Neural Mechanisms of Motivated Behavior]

Motivated behavior consists of a directional component that enables subjects to select a behavior, which leads to an outcome, and an activational component that initiates and sustains actions directed toward goals. How does the brain regulate different components underlying motivated behaviors? This review describes the investigation of specific components of motivated behaviors using optical-observation and -manipulation, which allows for neurocircuit identification.