Tag

Reward

All articles tagged with #reward

Orexin Neurons Tie Reward Expectation to Motivated Action in Rats
science1 day ago

Orexin Neurons Tie Reward Expectation to Motivated Action in Rats

A Nagoya University–led study publishing in PNAS shows orexin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus regulate moment‑to‑moment food‑reward motivation in rats: activating these neurons makes animals work harder for food, while inhibiting them reduces motivation, suggesting orexin links reward prediction to sustained action and may inform understanding of human motivation and related disorders, though translation to humans remains to be clarified.

Orexin Neurons Gate Sustained Motivation, Study Finds
science21 days ago

Orexin Neurons Gate Sustained Motivation, Study Finds

Nagoya University researchers show orexin neurons are a necessary gate for sustained, goal-directed effort: their activity scales with the required effort, suppression lowers motivation, and boosting activity beyond natural levels does not increase motivation. Using a novel orexin-Cre rat model, chemogenetics raised breakpoints on progressive-ratio tasks while fiber photometry showed anticipation-linked orexin activity that intensifies with effort; optogenetic inhibition reduced motivation, but excitation beyond baseline did not boost it. The findings illuminate how reward prediction drives action and suggest targets for motivational deficits in mental illness, with future work on the surrounding circuitry.

Orexin Neurons Drive Sustained Motivation, Rat Study Finds
science23 days ago

Orexin Neurons Drive Sustained Motivation, Rat Study Finds

Nagoya University researchers found that orexin-producing neurons help sustain motivated behavior in rats. Activating these neurons increased effort for a food reward, while degeneration reduced motivation. Real-time activity rose during reward anticipation and scaled with the required effort; suppressing orexin activity lowered motivation, whereas boosting it beyond natural levels did not further enhance motivation. The study suggests orexin neurons are necessary for sustained motivation and may link reward expectation to effort, with implications for motivational deficits in mental illness.

Giraffe Gracie Found After Two-Week Texas Vanishing
us-news2 months ago

Giraffe Gracie Found After Two-Week Texas Vanishing

Gracie, a 3- to 4-year-old giraffe missing from Cedar Hollow Ranch near San Antonio for about two weeks, was found Friday morning about four miles south of the ranch after an aerial search with help from an aviation company. Ranch owner Vick Jones plans to safely capture and return her, with a $5,000 reward offered for information. She had wandered through an unfenced area past an 8-foot gate and was last seen west of Leakey, roughly 100 miles northwest of San Antonio.

Texas ranch hunts missing giraffe Gracie after 1.5 weeks, $5K reward
us-news2 months ago

Texas ranch hunts missing giraffe Gracie after 1.5 weeks, $5K reward

Gracie, a 3–4-year-old giraffe at Cedar Hollow Ranch in Real County, Texas, has been missing for about a week and a half. She was last seen on a game camera west of Leakey (roughly 100 miles northwest of San Antonio). The ranch owner is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to her capture and safe return. A tip led investigators to an area about four miles from the ranch, but Gracie has not yet been found, and searches are expected to continue until she’s home.

FBI Seeks Suspect After Kansas City Roadway Shooting Rampage
crime2 months ago

FBI Seeks Suspect After Kansas City Roadway Shooting Rampage

The FBI has issued a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Oscar Sanchez-Muñoz, a 22-year-old from Independence, Missouri, accused of randomly shooting at least five people on Kansas City roadways on June 16, including a fatality. He fled a standoff after a house fire at a listed Independence address; the investigation links him to earlier June 11 shootings in Wyandotte County and other incidents. Victims include an Uber driver who was shot but survived, with others hospitalized in varying condition. Authorities say the suspect remains at large as they continue searches and interviews.

Fresh reward rekindles search for Carla Anderson, missing since 1987
crime2 months ago

Fresh reward rekindles search for Carla Anderson, missing since 1987

Carla Anderson disappeared from her locked Wadena, Minnesota apartment in 1987, leaving a rented movie in the VCR with no sign of a break-in. Authorities have renewed the case with a $25,000 reward and are using updated technology, including DNA analysis, to pursue both old and new leads as Carla’s family and the small community await answers after almost four decades.

Guthrie's Heartfelt Plea as Nancy Guthrie Remains Missing
crime-and-justice2 months ago

Guthrie's Heartfelt Plea as Nancy Guthrie Remains Missing

Savannah Guthrie shared a heartbreaking update about her mother Nancy Guthrie, who has been missing since February in Tucson; authorities believe she was abducted and a multi-agency search continues, with a reward of up to $1 million and ongoing appeals for information, including a Mother's Day post and the release of security-camera footage showing a masked man near Guthrie’s home.

world3 months ago

FBI Seeks Public Help to Locate Ex-Agent Monica Witt, Charged With Espionage for Iran

The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension of Monica Witt, a former U.S. counterintelligence agent indicted in 2019 on espionage charges related to her 2013 defection to Iran and alleged transmission of national defense information to Iran; Witt remains at large, and investigators say she endangered U.S. personnel and sensitive programs.

FBI seeks tips in Iran espionage case involving ex-Air Force officer, $200K reward offered
national-security3 months ago

FBI seeks tips in Iran espionage case involving ex-Air Force officer, $200K reward offered

The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of Monica Witt, a former Air Force counterintelligence officer who defected to Iran in 2013. Prosecutors allege Witt conspired with Iranians to provide documents and information related to the national defense of the United States between 2012 and 2015, risking an undercover officer’s safety. The indictment also charged four Iranians with conspiracy and related offenses; Witt’s current location and legal representation remain unclear.

Madonna offers reward for missing Coachella vintage outfit
entertainment4 months ago

Madonna offers reward for missing Coachella vintage outfit

Madonna revealed that her vintage Coachella outfit — a purple corset bodysuit with stockings, lavender gloves and a Gucci jacket from her 2006 appearance — went missing after weekend-2, and she’s offering a reward for its return. She performed with Sabrina Carpenter, belting out hits like Vogue and Like A Prayer and teasing a new song from her upcoming album Confessions II.