Neurobiology of motivated behavior

Our actions are driven by the pursuit of rewards and avoiding aversive outcomes. We are particularly interested in studying how stress and drugs of abuse influence motivation, learning, and decision-making processes. The lab employs a number experimental techniques, including fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, electrophysiology, chemogenetics, optogenetics, and fiber photometry. Our goal is to identify and reverse neural adaptations underlying aberrant processes in models of psychiatric disorders.

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