# Hormonal regulation of value-based decision-making

> **NIH NIH F32** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $49,790

## Abstract

Project Summary
Individuals decide between alternatives based on their perceived value of the reward associated with each
option. In humans, this value-based decision-making behavior varies by sex and across the menstrual cycle.
However, it is not understood how endogenous sex hormones influence the neural dynamics that underlie
decision-making. 17b-estradiol, the principle estrogenic hormone that varies in expression across the menstrual
cycle, is a compelling candidate because it is known to activate dopaminergic signaling in the nucleus
accumbens, a key center for reward processing in the brain. This work will address two questions: 1) What is
the effect of 17b-estradiol on rats’ value-based decision-making? 2) What is the in vivo mechanism by which
17b-estradiol modulates dopaminergic signaling during value-based decision-making behavior? This project will
address these questions with state-of-the-art tools, including fiber photometry imaging, mass spectrometry, and
cutting-edge computational methods. It will characterize the interactions between 17b-estradiol and dopamine
signaling in rats performing a novel value-based decision-making behavior in naturally cycling females, in
ovariectomized females with and without an exogenous dose of 17b-estradiol, and in males. This proposal will
establish how 17b-estradiol affects the behavioral engagement of the dopaminergic system and the dynamics of
downstream circuits in rats performing a rich, quantifiable value-based decision-making behavior.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10140910
- **Project number:** 1F32MH125448-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Carla Golden
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $49,790
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-11-16 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10140910

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10140910, Hormonal regulation of value-based decision-making (1F32MH125448-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10140910. Licensed CC0.

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