Dissecting the neural processes supporting perceptual learning
The brain and its inherent functions can be modified by various forms of learning. Learning-induced changes are seen even in basic perceptual functions. In particular, repeated training in a perceptual task can lead to a significant improvement in the trained task—a phenomenon known as perceptual learning. There has been a long-standing debate about the mechanisms of perceptual learning. In this talk, I will present results from our series of electrophysiological studies. These studies have consistently shown that perceptual learning is mediated by concerted changes in both perceptual and cognitive processes, resulting in improved sensory representation, enhanced top-down influences, and refined readout process.
Motives and modulators of human decision making
Did we eat spaghetti for lunch because we saw our colleague eat spaghetti? What drives a risk decision? How can our breakfast impact our decisions throughout the day? Research from different disciplines such as economics, psychology and neuroscience have attempted to investigate the motives and modulators of human decision making. Human decisions can be flexibly modulated by the different experiences we have in our daily lives, at the same time, bodily processes, such as metabolism can also impact economic behavior. These modulations can occur through our social networks, through the impact of our own behavior on the social environment, but also simply by the food we have eaten. Here, I will present a series of recent studies from my lab in which we shed light on the psychological, neural and metabolic motives and modulators of human decision making.
Values Encoded in Orbitofrontal Cortex Are Causally Linked to Economic Choices
Classic economists proposed that economic choices rely on the computation and comparison of subjective values. This hypothesis continues to inform economic theory and experimental research, but behavioral measures are ultimately not sufficient to prove the proposal. Consistent with the hypothesis, when agents make choices, neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) encode the subjective value of offered and chosen goods. Moreover, neuronal activity in this area suggests the formation of a decision. However, it is unclear whether these neural processes are causally related to choices. More generally, the evidence linking choices to value signals in the brain remains correlational. In my talk, I will present recent results showing that neuronal activity in OFC are causal to economic choices.