Neural mechanisms underlying flexible decision-making

A baseball player who takes a risk by swinging at a bad pitch in an early inning would likely not swing at the same pitch when the game is on the line. How does the brain perform such context-dependent associations between sensory stimuli and motor actions?

A realistic digital artwork using the animation style of The Simpsons of a mouse in a new york mets uniform who is getting ready to hit a ball

In work conducted in collaboration with the Shadlen Lab at the Zuckerman Institute, we are using a combination of whole-brain and cellular imaging approaches to understand how sensory, motor, and cognitive systems work together to facilitate flexible, goal-directed behaviors. This research will inform our understanding of both the basic mechanisms underlying healthy higher-order cognition as well as diseases that affect decision-making such as schizophrenia and anxiety.

Group Members: David Gruskin 

Columbia Affiliations
Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute
Department of Neuroscience