An Information-Energetic Model of the Dopamine System: The D-/D+ Balance as a Behavioral Algorithm (mrannderson1@gmail.com)

Existing theories of dopamine (DA) describe its role in separate processes: motor control, motivation ('wanting'), and learning via reward prediction error (RPE). However, the principle that integrates these functions into a unified system remains unclear. This work presents an information-energetic model positing that dopamine serves as a universal 'currency' in an algorithm subserving the organism's fundamental task – maintaining homeostatic and energetic balance. The model introduces two key variables: D-, a signal of deficit or need, and D+, the predicted benefit of an action. We propose that the brain constantly evaluates potential behavioral schemas by calculating their net balance D^ = (D+ - D-) and strives to initiate actions with the highest positive D^. The paper details the algorithm for forming, evaluating, and selecting such schemas, illustrated by thought experiments ranging from an animal's basic food source choice to complex human cognitive planning involving communication. We demonstrate how classic phenomena (RPE, motivation) naturally emerge from this algorithm's operation. The model explains the motivational power of abstract resources (money, status) and predicts novel patterns of DA system dysfunction associated with states of chronic deficit (D-). The proposed approach provides a unified conceptual framework for understanding dopamine's diverse roles and outlines directions for future research into both normative behavior and its pathologies.