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Abstract:
Neuromodulators such as dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline (or norepinephrine), acetylcholine, and histamine exert extensive influences on the nervous system. They are critically involved in normal neural function, and abnormalities or manipulations of their release, reception and reuptake play critical roles in the etiology and treatment of many psychiatric and motor control disorders, and in the mechanisms of action of drugs of abuse.
There is an enormous wealth of cellular and behavioral data on neuromodulation, and, in particular, thanks to advances in molecular neurobiology, much is known about the bewildering variety of receptors for them. However, what is critically lacking is computational thinking about the functions of neuromodulation, and computational models that tie together knowledge and insights at the many different levels of analysis. This special issue brings together general theory about the regulatory mechanisms of adaptive systems, computational models of specific neuromodulators, and the latest experimental findings on neuromodulatory systems.
