- Thrilled to share our new paper, out now in @natneuro.nature.com, uncovering how estradiol, the most potent estrogen, modulates reinforcement learning and reward prediction errors across biological levels. www.nature.com/articles/s41... #blueprint 1/7
- Take a journey with us from serum estradiol to its relationship to striatal protein expression to how that modulates dopamine dynamics, which in turn enhances learning about reward rates – all tied together with a descriptive computational model! #blueprint 2/7
- First, we found that with more estradiol, trial initiation times are more sensitive to changing reward rates. We then found that this enhanced learning about reward rate could be explained by stronger reward prediction errors in the nucleus accumbens core. #blueprint 3/7Nov 11, 2025 14:41
- Next, mass spectrometry revealed that dopamine transporters in the nucleus accumbens core are reduced around the time estradiol peaks, allowing for greater phasic dopamine encoding of reward prediction errors. #blueprint 4/7
- Lastly, knocking down expression of estrogen receptors in the ventral tegmental area, where dopamine transporter expression could be regulated by estradiol, suppressed learning. #blueprint 5/7
- Altogether, this suggests that estradiol, by way of its receptors in the ventral tegmental area, modulates learning! #blueprint 6/7
- Many thanks to our coauthors, the undergraduate students and technicians who contributed to this work, and support from the NIH and @simonsfoundation.org. #blueprint 7/7
