October 16, 2020 – Philippe Faure (IBPS, Paris) – Exploratory behavior, individual trait and nicotine addiction: the role of dopamine

Consistent individual differences in behaviours represent an ubiquitous feature in animal populations. These behavioural differences among individuals define personality and have been linked to the susceptibility to addiction. Indeed, the susceptibility to develop drug addiction differs substantially between individuals and some traits that characterize an individual, such as impulsivity, exploration or novelty seeking, have been shown to represent a predictive factor for the addictive properties of drugs. The presentation will explore the relationship between the dopaminergic system, the social context and the interindividual variability in behavioural traits and in particular in exploratory behaviour.