Complementary influences of noradrenaline and dopamine in orchestrating a motivated social behavior

Shea, Stephen D (March 2026) Complementary influences of noradrenaline and dopamine in orchestrating a motivated social behavior. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 98. p. 103191. ISSN 0959-4388

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Abstract

Noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) modulate motivated behavior, yet their contributions to social interactions are difficult to disentangle due to overlapping responses and the unstructured nature of free behavior. We address this challenge by using a natural and spontaneous maternal behavior called 'pup retrieval'. Here, we synthesize recent work demonstrating that NA and DA play complementary but temporally dissociable roles during pup retrieval. The NA released from the locus coeruleus (LC) invigorates ongoing retrieval behavior, mobilizing downstream circuits to drive goal-directed action in response to pup distress. In contrast, dopamine released from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) improves future retrieval behavior by reducing latency across trials. These findings suggest a model in which NA governs the execution of the current caregiving episode, while DA updates motivational value to optimize future maternal responses. This framework may generalize to other forms of social and affiliative behavior requiring coordination between imminent action and long-term learning.

Item Type:	Paper
Subjects:	bioinformatics bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification organism description > animal behavior bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types > dopamine bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification > protein types organism description > animal behavior > social
CSHL Authors:	Shea, Stephen D.
Communities:	CSHL labs > Shea lab
SWORD Depositor:	CSHL Elements
Depositing User:	CSHL Elements
Date:	27 March 2026
Date Deposited:	04 Jun 2026 16:36
Last Modified:	04 Jun 2026 16:36
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/42217

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