Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward

Synthesizing coverage of sensation and reward into a comprehensive systems overview, Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward presents a cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approach to the interplay of sensory and reward processing in the brain. While over the past 70 years these areas have drifted apart, this book makes a case for reuniting sensation and reward by highlighting the important links and interface between the two.Emphasizing the role of reward in reinforcing behaviors, the book begins with an exploration of the history, ecology, and evolution of sensation and reward. Progressing through the five senses, contributors explore how the brain extracts information from sensory cues. The chapter authors examine how different animal species predict rewards, thereby integrating sensation and reward in learning, focusing on effects in anatomy, physiology, and behavior. Drawing on empirical research, contributors build on the themes of the book to present insights into the human sensory rewards of perfume, art, and music, setting the scene for further cross-disciplinary collaborations that bridge the neurobiological interface between sensation and reward.Table of ContentFirst Principles: Introduction: From Traditional Fixed Cortical Sensationism to Contemporary Plasticity of Primary Sensory Cortical Representations. A Brief History of Sensation and Reward: Reward: What Is It? How Can It Be Inferred from Behavior? What Can Different Brains Do with Reward? A Systems Organization of the Senses: Smell. Taste. Touch. Sight. Sound. Sensory Agnosias. From Sensation to Reward: Neuroanatomy of Reward: A View from the Ventral Striatum. Multiple Reward Layers in Food Reinforcement. Sensation, Incentive Learning, and the Motivational Control of Goal-directed Action. Reward Predictions and Computations. Orbitofrontal Cortex and Outcome Expectancies: Optimizing Behavior and Sensory Perception. The Neurology of Value.Civilized Sensory Rewards (Distinctly Human Rewards): Perfume.Visual Art. Music. Index.Biographical NoteJay A. Gottfried