Blog

Decision-making offers a valuable window into the intricate ways internal states and internal models shape our behaviour. In a recent SWC Seminar, Professor Sami El-Boustani presented findings that elucidate the cognitive mechanisms underlying sensorimotor learning under varying motivational states.

Traditionally, the dorsal striatum has been thought to play a critical role in learning and selecting adaptive actions. However, recent research suggests that the dorsal striatum's contribution to action selection may be derived from its involvement in motivation. In this Q&A, SWC Seminar speaker Dr David Robbe shares his key findings and highlights how the dorsal striatum’s motivational function is relevant to understanding brain disorders such as Parkinson’s.

Most animals on Earth, even those without a brain, sleep. Yet the functions of slumber remain controversial and its molecular mechanisms have been elusive. In this Q&A, Professor Hiroki Ueda, based at the University of Tokyo and RIKEN, describes his work which found that calcium signalling, known to control diverse functions in the body, also regulates sleep.