Research projects

      The neural mechanisms linking reward processing and decision making remain poorly understood. Our aims are to provide an integrative account of motivational and decisional processes, combining computational modelling, human intra-cranial recordings and functional MRI, neuropathological disorders affecting motivation and decision making, endocrinology and genetics. Our research program develops a trans-disciplinary approach integrating concepts from neuroeconomics, perceptual models of choice and models of value-based decision making. The different paradigms we use address three general functions of interest: reward processing, individual decision making and social decision making. The goal is to go beyond the current state of the art by: (1) characterizing the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the computations affecting valuation and decision processes; (2) establishing a neurobiological foundation for understanding disorders affecting motivational and decision making processes. Ultimately, we wish to bridge the gap between fundamental computational principles and the brain system level.