Academic Publications and Patents
Publications are organized by topic. I have used bold face to highlight those I believe are most important. They can also be viewed through Google Scholar.
Theory of the Brain
Fiorillo CD (2008) Towards a general theory of neural computation based on prediction by single neurons. PLoS ONE 3: e3298. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0003298
Fiorillo CD (2010) A neurocentric approach to bayesian inference. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 11, 605. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn2787-c1
Fiorillo CD (2012) A new approach to the information in neural systems. In: Integral Biomathics: Tracing the Road to Reality, pp 31-39, Eds: P.L. Simeonov, L.S. Smith, A.C. Ehresmann. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer-Verlag. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-28111-2_4
Fiorillo CD, Kim JK, Hong SZ (2014) The meaning of spikes from the neuron’s point of view: predictive homeostasis generates the appearance of randomness. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience 8:49. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncom.2014.00049/full
Fiorillo CD (2017) The making of the mind: what is intrinsic to matter and what emerges with complexity? Foundational Questions Institute essay contest. https://forums.fqxi.org/d/2870-the-making-of-the-mind-what-is-intrinsic-to-matter-and-what-emerges-with-complexity-by-christopher-d-fiorillo
Fiorillo CD (2017) Rationality, uncertainty, dopamine. Nature Human Behavior 1, 0158. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-017-0158
Tests of Theory
Hong SZ, Kim HR, Fiorillo CD (2014) T-type calcium channels promote predictive homeostasis of input-output relations in thalamocortical neurons of lateral geniculate nucleus. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience 8:98. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncom.2014.00098/full
Kim HR, Hong SZ, Fiorillo CD(2015) T-type calcium channels cause bursts of spikes in motor but not sensory thalamic neurons during mimicry of natural patterns of synaptic input. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 9:428. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2015.00428/full
Kim JK, Fiorillo CD (2017) Theory of optimal balance predicts and explains the amplitude and decay time of synaptic inhibition. Nature Communications 8, 14566. https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14566
Probability Theory and the Measure of Evidence
Fiorillo CD (2010) Response to Lazic. BMC Neuroscience 11:5. (Commentary concerning statistical analysis in response to S.E. Lazic (2010) “The problem of pseudoreplication in neuroscientific studies: is it affecting your analysis? BMC Neurosci 11:5). https://bmcneurosci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2202-11-5
Fiorillo CD (2012) Beyond Bayes: On the need for a unified and Jaynesian definition of probability and information within neuroscience. Information 3: 175-203. https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/3/2/175
Kim SL, Fiorillo CD (2016) Describing realistic states of knowledge with exact probabilities. American Institute of Physics Conference Proceedings 1757, 060008-1–060008-8 https://pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/article/1757/1/060008/840009/Describing-realistic-states-of-knowledge-with
Fiorillo CD, Kim SL (2021) The objective Bayesian probability that an unknown positive real variable is greater than a known is 1/2. Philosophies 6, 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies6010024
Fiorillo CD, Choi MS, Gomez-Ramirez J (2025) Axioms for the measure of evidence. arXiv 2509.07033v1.
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2509.07033
Dopamine and Reward Prediction Error In Vivo
Fiorillo CD, Tobler PN, Schultz W (2003) Discrete coding of reward probability and uncertainty by dopamine neurons. Science 299: 1898-1902. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1077349
Fiorillo CD(2004) The uncertain nature of dopamine. Molecular Psychiatry 9: 122 – 123. https://www.nature.com/articles/4001445#:~:text=The%20finding%20that%20dopamine%20neurons,gambling%20and%20risk%2Dtaking%20behavior.
Fiorillo CD, Tobler PN, Schultz W (2005) Evidence that the delay-period activity of dopamine neurons corresponds to reward uncertainty rather than backpropagating TD errors. Behavioral and Brain Functions 1: 7. https://behavioralandbrainfunctions.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1744-9081-1-7
Tobler PN, Fiorillo CD, Schultz W (2005) Adaptive coding of reward value by dopamine neurons. Science 307: 1642 – 1645. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1105370
Fiorillo CD, Newsome WT, Schultz W (2008) The temporal precision of reward prediction in dopamine neurons. Nature Neuroscience 11: 966-973. https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2159
Schultz W, Preuschoff K, Camerer C, Hsu M, Fiorillo CD, Tobler PN, Bossaerts P (2008) Explicit neural signals reflecting reward uncertainty. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 363: 3801-3811. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2008.0152
Fiorillo CD (2010) The neural basis of temporal prediction and the role of dopamine. In Attention and Time, pp 273-288, Nobre and Coull, eds. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. https://academic.oup.com/book/3312/chapter-abstract/144347863?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Fiorillo CD (2011) Transient activation of midbrain dopamine neurons by reward risk. Neuroscience 197: 162-171. https://www.ibroneuroscience.org/article/S0306-4522(11)01091-8/fulltext
Kim KM, Baratta MV, Yang A, Lee D, Boyden ES, Fiorillo CD (2012) Optogenetic mimicry of the transient activation of dopamine neurons by natural reward is sufficient for operant reinforcement. PLoS ONE 7, e33612. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0033612
Fiorillo CD, Song MR, Yun SR (2013) Multiphasic temporal dynamics in responses of midbrain dopamine neurons to appetitive and aversive stimuli. Journal of Neuroscience 33, 4710-4725. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/33/11/4710/tab-article-info
Fiorillo CD, Yun SR, Song MR (2013) Diversity and homogeneity in responses of midbrain dopamine neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 33, 4693-4709. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/33/11/4693
Fiorillo CD (2013) Two dimensions of value: Dopamine neurons represent reward but not aversiveness. Science 341, 546-549. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1238699
Synaptic Regulation of Dopaminergic and Noradrenergic Neurons In Vitro
Fiorillo CD, Williams JT (1996) Opioid desensitization: interactions among G-protein-coupled receptors in the locus coeruleus. Journal of Neuroscience 16: 1479-1485. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/jneuro/16/4/1479.full.pdf
Fiorillo CD, Williams JT (1998) Glutamate mediates an inhibitory postsynaptic potential in dopamine neurons. Nature 394: 78-82. https://www.nature.com/articles/27919
Fiorillo CD, Williams JT, Bonci A (1998) D1 receptor regulation of synaptic potentials in the ventral tegmental area after chronic drug treatment. Advances in Pharmacology 42: 1002-1005. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054358908609163
Fiorillo CD, Williams JT (2000) Selective inhibition by adenosine of mGluR IPSPs in dopamine neurons after cocaine treatment. Journal of Neurophysiology 83: 1307-1314. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.2000.83.3.1307
Fiorillo CD, Williams JT (2000) Cholinergic inhibition of ventral midbrain dopamine neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 20: 7855-7860. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/20/20/7855.short
Paladini CA*, Fiorillo CD*, Morikawa H, Williams JT (2001) Amphetamine blocks glutamate inhibition of midbrain dopamine neurons. Nature Neuroscience 4: 275-28. (*equal contributions) https://www.nature.com/articles/nn0301_275
Patents on Machine Learning
Fiorillo CD (2016) “[Reinforcement learning method and apparatus with elementary value signals*]” Republic of Korea Patent 10-1603940 (application 10-2014-0025967, issued 2016.03.10) (originally 10-2014-0023249; filed 2013.03.05). (*Note that this was my title prior to translation to Korean, which differs significantly from the official English title that was translated back from Korean)
Fiorillo CD (2013) “Prediction by single neurons” U.S. Patent 8,504,502 (issued 2013.08.06, application 12/762,120, filed 2010.04.16).
Fiorillo CD (2012) “Prediction by single neurons and networks” U.S. Patent 8,112,372 (issued 2012.02.07, application 12/271,282, filed 2008.11.14)
Fiorillo CD (2012) “Prediction by single neurons and networks” Republic of Korea Patent 10-1122158 (issued 2012.02.23, application 2010-7011168, filed 2010.5.20).