Motivation and Decision Making
One area of interest for our group is how motivational and cognitive processes shape decision making. We use neuroimaging (fMRI) and noninvasive transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) to examine how the brain computes the value of potential actions and balances reward with effort. We are also interested in how these processes may be altered in conditions such as depression, where motivation and decision-making impairments are central symptoms. Our work aims to fit models of value computation and behaviour with the underlying neural circuits, from cortical regions such as the anterior cingulate cortex to subcortical structures including the ventral striatum and amygdala.
Ecological Decision Making
A key goal of our research is to understand decision making in more naturalistic, ecologically valid contexts. Traditional laboratory tasks often fail to capture the complexity of real-world behaviour, limiting their relevance to clinical and everyday settings. We develop and use tasks that incorporate realistic trade-offs—such as uncertainty, effort, and social context—and combine them with computational modelling to better explain individual differences and psychiatric symptoms. By applying TUS to modulate specific neural circuits, we test causal hypotheses about how brain networks contribute to adaptive and maladaptive decision strategies.
Affective Decision Making; How Emotions Influence Decision Making
We investigate how emotional states and affective information shape learning and choice. Many everyday decisions are made under the influence of mood, yet the neural mechanisms linking affect to decision strategies remain poorly understood. Using computational models, behavioural tasks, and TUS we aim to probe how circuits involving areas like the amygdala and cortical regions, encode emotionally relevant information and integrate it into value computations. By identifying how affect biases learning, valuation, and choice, we aim to clarify mechanisms that contribute to mood and anxiety disorders and to establish causal links between specific subcortical pathways and affect-driven changes in behaviour.
Subcortical contributions to cognition
Our research explores how subcortical structures, in particular the cerebellum, contribute to human social and cognitive function. Using precision neuroimaging and noninvasive transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS), we identify cerebellar regions involved in understanding others’ beliefs, intentions, and emotions, and test their causal role in social behaviour. By combining functional MRI, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), and computational modelling, we map the functional and neurochemical organisation of the cerebellum at the individual level, revealing how distinct subregions interact with cortical social networks. We also study how cerebellar dysfunction disrupts these processes in patients with cerebellar degeneration and test whether personalised stimulation can restore function. Ultimately, this work aims to establish the cerebellum as a key node in the social brain and to develop targeted neuromodulation approaches for cerebellar and psychiatric disorders.