Decision and adaptation (DECAD)

The main scope of our research is to understand the cognitive and neural bases of adaptive decision-making. Successful adaptation to complex and dynamic environments requires flexible use of our current knowledge about the world, including our ability to predict and control events under changing circumstances. These processes can be readily modelled and studied in rodents using approaches founded in experimental psychology and behavioural neuroscience. By employing both descriptive and functional neuroanatomical techniques (viral vectors, chemogenetics), we aim to understand the interplay between cortical and subcortical brain regions in such adaptive cognition. Ultimately, our research will elucidate the foundations of decision-making in the mammalian brain, both in normal and pathological conditions.