Ana C. Sias

This study shows that dopamine projections from the ventral tegmental area to the basolateral amygdala support reward prediction and influence decision-making and learning in rats.

The paper tracks and manipulates striatal neuron activity during goal-directed learning and habit formation, finding D1+ neurons maintain stable action representations while A2A+ neurons show transient or slow reorganization.

This study identifies that dopamine projections from the ventral tegmental area to the basolateral amygdala are necessary and sufficient for encoding identity-specific reward memories in rats.

This study identifies a dual amygdala-striatal pathway architecture by which chronic stress disrupts agency and promotes habit formation in mice.

This paper identifies a bidirectional corticoamygdala circuit that encodes and retrieves detailed reward memories in rats, showing its role in adaptive decision making.