How the brain learns to associate cues with rewards
Official title: Nucleus accumbens dynamics underlying cue-reward learning
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11043227 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how a part of the brain learns to connect certain signals, like sights or sounds, with rewards like food, and it aims to help us understand how this process might lead to problems like addiction.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Fellowship grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | February 14, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $74,284 |
| NIH project number | 5F32DA060044-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11043227 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals struggling with substance use disorders who may benefit from new therapeutic approaches.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have issues related to substance use or cue-reward learning may not receive any benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how the brain, specifically the nucleus accumbens, learns to associate environmental cues with rewards, such as food. It focuses on understanding the neuronal activity patterns in this brain region during cue-driven reward-seeking behaviors. By using advanced techniques like 2-photon microscopy, the study aims to uncover how different neurons in the nucleus accumbens respond to reward-predictive cues and how this affects behavior. The findings could provide insights into maladaptive learning processes that contribute to substance use disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved treatments for substance use disorders by enhancing our understanding of cue-reward learning.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promising results in understanding cue-reward associations, but this specific approach focusing on the nucleus accumbens is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Burke, Dennis Alexander — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Burke, Dennis Alexander
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How cancer cells use exosomes to evade the immune system
This study is looking at how cancer cells use tiny bubbles called exosomes to hide proteins that can keep your immune system from fighting the tumor, and by figuring this out, the researchers hope to help doctors understand why some people respond well to cancer treatments while others don’t, ultimately aiming to creat
-
Reducing harm from smoking using electronic cigarettes
This study is looking at whether using electronic cigarettes can be a safer option for people who smoke traditional cigarettes, by comparing the health effects and exposure to harmful substances between the two.
-
Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
-
Cutaneous opioid signals in skin inflammation
A mentor-identified clinician-researcher at UCSF is studying how natural skin opioids regulate itch and pain in inflammatory skin conditions like eczema and hidradenitis, with plans to map where these opioids come from and how they affect skin nerves.
-
Pooling international data to understand long-term bisphosphonate use and atypical femur fractures
This project combines large patient datasets from multiple countries to understand how long-term bisphosphonate use relates to rare hip and thigh bone fractures, helping doctors and patients make safer treatment choices.
-
Airway cell and immune cell talks in lung transplant failure
This grant tests how airway cells and immune cells interact to drive chronic rejection after lung transplant, with the goal of slowing or preventing scar-like damage.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.