Self-generated, voluntary actions, are preceded by a slow negativity in the scalp electroencephalography (EEG) signal recorded from frontal regions (termed ‘readiness potential’; RP). This signal, and its lateralized subcomponent (LRP), is mainly regarded as preparatory motor activity associated with the forthcoming motor act. However, it is not clear whether this neural signature is associated...

This study evaluated whether music-induced aesthetic "chill" responses, which typically correspond to peak emotional experiences, can be objectively monitored by degree of pupillary dilation. Participants listened to self-chosen songs versus control songs chosen by other participants. The experiment included an active condition where participants made key presses to indicate when experiencing c...

During a chronic extracellular recording session, animals with a history of cocaine selfadministration were allowed to initiate drug seeking under drug free conditions. Later, in the same recording session, animals engaged in intravenous cocaine self-administration. During the drug-free period, 31% of 70 accumbal neurons showed a significant increase in average firing rate in association with e...

When performing sequences of actions, we constantly keep track of our current position in the sequence relative to the overall goal. The present study searched for neural representations of sequence progression in corticostriatal circuits. Neurons within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its target region in the dorsal striatum (DS) were recorded from simultaneously as rats performed diff...

The generation of random sequences is considered to tax different executive functions. To explore the involvement of these functions further, brain potentials were recorded in 16 healthy young adults while either engaging in random number generation (RNG) by pressing the number keys on a computer keyboard in a random sequence or in ordered number generation (ONG) necessitating key presses in th...

Three groups of eight rats each were trained in conditioned emotional response (CER) using white noise of 70 dB, 50 dB, or both intensities as conditioned stimuli (CSi) given in unpredictable order. Between-subjects comparisons showed more rapid acquisition to the 70- than to the 50-dB CS. Rats presented with both intensities acquired the CER at a similar rate as those conditioned to the 70 dB ...