Yoni's research focuses on the neurobiological underpinnings of motivated behavior, with an emphasis on addictive behavior and motivated eating. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) and the ventral pallidum (VP) are two interconnected brain regions that are deeply involved in the translation of motivation into action. The once-regarded simple connectivity between these two regions has been recently shown to be more complicated than previously thought, attributing a much more central role for the ventral pallidum in addiction. Using mainly electrophysiological tools combined with behavior, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and immunohistochemistry I try to understand the connectivity patterns between the NAc and the VP and how repetitive use of powerful reinforcers such as drugs or highly-palatable food induces synaptic plasticity in these connections that may turn normal motivated behavior into addiction.