Fig. 6: Schematic of proposed relationships of hippocampal convergence with midbrain VTA neuromodulation.
From: Hippocampal convergence during anticipatory midbrain activation promotes subsequent memory formation
During the anticipation of high curiosity answers, we propose that neuromodulation by the VTA promotes the consistent engagement of neural states/processes in the hippocampus that supports the formation of new memories. This can manifest as greater convergence in distributed patterns of activity. In the absence of neuromodulatory inputs from the VTA (during low curiosity), patterns of activity in the hippocampus can show greater variability. The increased convergence in hippocampal state during VTA neuromodulation may be supported by the stabilization of specific attractors and the suppression of noise-driven transitions between different possible attractor states. As hippocampal convergence and VTA activation were measured over simultaneous intervals, it is possible that hippocampal convergence supports univariate VTA activation; see text for detailed discussion.
