Exploring how a brain signal shapes reward, aversion and mental health

Ana João Rodrigues

Universidade do Minho, Portugal

The brain uses many signals to process positive and negative experiences. One of these signals involves zinc, a natural element abundant in the brain that helps nerve cells communicate. Changes in zinc occur in some psychiatric disorders. However, zinc’s role in emotional experiences remains unclear. This project will investigate how zinc-related signals shape brain responses to rewarding and unpleasant situations.

Preliminary findings show that zinc signals change in opposite directions during positive and negative experiences in a brain area involved in motivation and reward. A team combining expertise in neuroscience, behavioural research and advanced brain imaging will study where these signals originate and how they influence brain activity and response to emotional situations.

Clarifying zinc’s role in the brain would help uncover the biological processes involved in reward, aversion and emotional regulation. In the longer term, this knowledge may contribute to new approaches for psychiatric conditions such as depression and addiction, in which reward-related brain circuits are often altered.

The ZINC code in reward and aversion: from neuronal circuits to maladaptive behavior

€499,950.89