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.