The science behind decision-making

Joseph Paton

Fundação D. Anna Sommer Champalimaud e Dr. Carlos Montez Champalimaud, Lisboa, Portugal

How the brain processes information over different timescales to guide behaviour is still poorly understood. This ability is crucial for adapting to changes in the environment and is often impaired in various neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as impulsivity and addiction. This project aims to understand how specific brain circuits, particularly those involving dopamine, integrate short-term and long-term information to make decisions.

Using advanced techniques like Neuropixel probes and fiber photometry to study brain activity, the researchers will measure dopamine dynamics and neural activity in different brain regions. Then, they will manipulate specific circuits and observe the effects on behaviour aiming to map how these brain circuits support adaptive behaviour and how their dysfunction leads to impulsivity.

Preliminary data from the team shows differences in dopamine signals during decision-making tasks, suggesting an imbalance could exist and be responsible for determined behaviours. Now, they expect to bring new insights regarding how dopamine and brain circuits interact to influence behaviour, providing a unique dataset of simultaneous recordings of neural activity and dopamine signals during decision-making. This data will help identify how different brain regions process information over varying timescales and could inform new treatments for disorders involving impaired decision-making and self-control.

Overall, the research aims to advance our understanding of brain function and its relevance to neurological and psychiatric disorders and provide valuable insights into adaptive and maladaptive behaviour.

Dopamine, impulsivity, and multi-scale, hierarchical control of behavior

€497,860.00