Decoding decision-making in the brain
Animals must make crucial behavioural choices on a minute by minute basis to survive in a changing environment. A long-standing enigma is, how are alternative options evaluated in the brain and specific actions prioritised? Our lab addresses this fascinating question using the fruit fly model, Drosophila, where the neurons are easy to observe and manipulate. Studying decisions in a tractable brain allows us to uncover fundamental principles of behavioural prioritisation: how motivation, context, and internal state shape choice, which are likely to be shared across species.
Animals must make crucial behavioural choices on a minute by minute basis to survive in a changing environment. A long-standing enigma is, how are alternative options evaluated in the brain and specific actions prioritised? Our lab addresses this fascinating question using the fruit fly model, Drosophila, where the neurons are easy to observe and manipulate. Studying decisions in a tractable brain allows us to uncover fundamental principles of behavioural prioritisation: how motivation, context, and internal state shape choice, which are likely to be shared across species.
Watch a short movie of our recent work on how flies become 'love blind'
published in Nature
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