1. Molecular Mechanisms of Behavior Formation Ed Ziff Skirball Molecular Neuroscience Program Departmen of Biochemistry

2. How does the Brain Respond to Information from the Senses to Generate Behavior? Sight Hearing Touch Taste Smell Pain Balance SENSESSENSES BEHAVIOURBEHAVIOUR Speaking Walking Planning Heart rate Playing piano Nervous System (memory) Nervous System (memory)

3. Synapses connect neurons to form circuits Receptor Synapse Direction of signal Synapses: Sites of Neuron Communication Vesicle

4. Synapses connect neurons to form circuits Synapse Direction of signal Neurotransmitter is released Receptor Vesicle

5. Synapses connect neurons to form circuits Synapse Direction of signal Receptors are activated Receptor Vesicle

6. Synapses connect neurons to form circuits Synapse Direction of signal Neuron fires Receptor Vesicle Neuron “Fires”

7. Synapses connect neurons to form circuits Synapse Direction of signal Receptor Vesicle Fire! Adding Receptors Strengthens Synapses

8. How do rewards create behavior? Train rat to drink sucrose Train rat in cage to drink sucrose Rat seeks sucrose when placed back in cage

9. Nucleus accumbens gathers information Su Collaboration with Dr. Ken Carr, Psychiatry Department Drinking sucrose Sensory Cortex VTA PFC N Acc Seeing cage Rat brain

10. Nucleus accumbens controls prefrontal cortex and behavior Su Collaboration with Dr. Ken Carr, Psychiatry Department Sensory Cortex VTA PFC N Acc Rat seeks sucrose when placed again in cage Rat brain Seeing cage

11. Rewards Strengthen Specific Synapses Su Sucrose Synapses in nucleus accumbens strengthen Weak Strong Sensory Cortex VTA PFC N Acc Rat brain Collaboration with Dr. Ken Carr, Psychiatry Department Rat sees cage Rat seeks sucrose when placed again in cage

12. Addictive Behavior Formation Natural rewards, such as sucrose, strengthen synapses in the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain’s reward system. These changes contribute to sucrose-seeking behavior Similar changes take place during cocaine addiction. These findings are relevant to the mechanisms of compulsive eating behavior and the epidemic of obesity. Supported by the NYU Langone Medical Center Center of Excellence on Addiction and the NIH