We study the neural basis and cognitive processes that allow individuals to learn the predictive relationships between environmental stimuli, and discover the causal links between their actions and the likelihood of obtaining rewards and avoiding punishment. These abilities underly decision-making processes (i.e., action selection) and, more generally, the flexible and optimal adaptation of the individual to his environment.
The study of these mechanisms also allows us to understand how adaptive behaviors can evolve into maladaptive behaviors (such as addiction or anxiety disorders).
In our studies we use a variety of neuroscientific approaches, including behavioral, electrophysiological, psychophysiological, and noninvasive brain stimulation techniques, both in populations of healthy subjects, young and old, and in populations of patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders.
