My main research interests center on understanding the brain mechanisms of decisions. Specifically, this involves exploring the impact of environmental factors that contribute to reward-related choice and the incorporation of costs in decision making. To that end, my lab studies the impact of drug exposure, development, diet, exercise, stress, and inflammation on these processes using a combination of behavioral, molecular, pharmacological, and computational methods. More recently we have investigated the role of uncertainty, risk, and reinforcement history on choice behavior. A better understanding of the basic mechanisms in reinforcement learning and choice behavior contributes to our knowledge of addictions, in particular.
