Neural mechanisms of reward bias in flexible decision-making

• Applicant: Dr. Tobias Teichert
• Subject Area: Cognitive, Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology
• Term: from 2010 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 164006015

Decision-making is a central component of higher cognition allowing organisms to respond in a flexible manner to changing circumstances. In addition to gathering and evaluating evidence with respect to certain rules, decision-making requires anticipating outcomes. In the neuroscience community, decision making is mostly understood as the accumulation of bits of (sensory) information in favor of one of several alternatives until reaching a threshold. Until now, reward anticipation has successfully defied attempts to be integrated into this framework. This is an important focus for research, as incorporation of reward anticipation is crucial to developing a cohesive theory of decision making with relevance to real world situations. I propose a broad approach to tackle this problem from multiple angles. The central approach will be the acquisition of single cell activity while macaque monkeys perform a simple speed-categorization task which is biased by an asymmetric reward schedule. Using the acquired data I will develop and test detailed models of the biased decision process, which will help us to understand when and how reward anticipation is integrated into the decision process. Finally, I will investigate other means of biasing behavior to put reward anticipation into perspective as one of the many ways in which to bias behavior.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professor Vincent P. Ferrera, Ph.D.