Dopamine neurons have been intensely studied for their roles in reinforcement learning. A dominant theory of how these neurons contribute to learning is through the encoding of a reward prediction error (RPE) signal. Recent advances in dopamine research have added nuance to RPE theory by incorporating the ideas of sensory prediction error, distributional encoding, and belief states. Further nuance is likely to be added shortly by convergent lines of research on dopamine neuron diversity. Finally, a major challenge is to reconcile RPE theory with other current theories of dopamine function to account for dopamine’s role in movement, motivation, and goal-directed planning.

多巴胺神经元在强化学习中的作用已被深入研究。这些神经元如何促进学习的主导理论是通过奖励预测误差（RPE）信号的编码。多巴胺研究的最新进展通过结合感觉预测误差、分布编码和信念状态的思想，为 RPE 理论增添了细微差别。多巴胺神经元多样性研究的趋同可能很快会增加更多的细微差别。最后，一个主要的挑战是将 RPE 理论与当前的其他多巴胺功能理论相协调，以解释多巴胺在运动、动机和目标导向计划中的作用。