Neuromodulation and Neurophysiology on the Timescale of Learning and Decision-Making

Abstract

Nervous systems evolved to effectively navigate the dynamics of the environment to achieve their goals. One framework used to study this fundamental problem arose in the study of learning and decision-making. In this framework, the demands of effective behavior require slow dynamics—on the scale of seconds to minutes—of networks of neurons. Here, we review the phenomena and mechanisms involved. Using vignettes from a few species and areas of the nervous system, we view neuromodulators as key substrates for temporal scaling of neuronal dynamics.