Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward

A comprehensive systems overview of sensory and reward processing in the brain, this book explores what reward processing can teach us about the senses and what sensory processing can teach us about reward. In examining this neurobiological interface, the book reveals how the intrinsic properties of sensory systems effectively define and constrain the ambitions of reward-related processing in human and non-human brains. With contributions from leading investigators in the fields of sensation and reward, the text injects the "sensory" back into the study of reward processing, and the "rewarding" back into the study of sensory processing.

Synthesizing coverage of sensation and reward into a comprehensive systems overview, Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward presents a cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approach to the interplay of sensory and reward processing in the brain. While over the past 70 years these areas have drifted apart, this book makes a case for reuniting sensation and reward by highlighting the important links and interface between the two.

Emphasizing the role of reward in reinforcing behaviors, the book begins with an exploration of the history, ecology, and evolution of sensation and reward. Progressing through the five senses, contributors explore how the brain extracts information from sensory cues. The chapter authors examine how different animal species predict rewards, thereby integrating sensation and reward in learning, focusing on effects in anatomy, physiology, and behavior.

Drawing on empirical research, contributors build on the themes of the book to present insights into the human sensory rewards of perfume, art, and music, setting the scene for further cross-disciplinary collaborations that bridge the neurobiological interface between sensation and reward.