AddressDr Rafal Bogacz, Reader |
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Scientific Experience
- 2001-2004 - Postdoctoral research at Princeton University (work with Prof. Jonathan D. Cohen and Prof. Phil Holmes)
- 1998-2001 - PhD studies at University of Bristol (work with Prof. Malcolm W. Brown and Prof. Christophe Giraud-Carrier)
Research interests
My research focuses on computational models of decision making in the mammalian brain. I am investigating in the following questions:
- What computations are performed by the cortico-basal ganglia circuit during decision making?
- How is the information processing in the basal ganglia affected by Parkinson's disease?
- What are the mechanisms of reinforcement learning in the human brain?
- How the brain predicts and evaluates consequences of choosing alternative options?
In Bristol there is an interdisciplinary community interested in decision making research.
Softward tools and previous research projects
PhD programme in Neural Dynamics
I am a co-director of a 4-year PhD programme in Neural Dynamics funded by the Wellcome Trust. The programme aims to train a new generation of neuroscientists able to use both experimental and mathematical methods to investigate the dynamics of neural systems. Click here for details.
Selected recent publications
- Jiaxiang Zhang, Rafal Bogacz (2010) Optimal decision making on the basis of evidence represented in spike trains. Neural Computation, 22: 1113–1148.
- Alejo Nevado Holgado, John Terry, Rafal Bogacz (2010) Conditions for the generation of beta oscillations in the subthalamic nucleus - globus pallidus network. The Journal of Neuroscience, 30: 12340-12352.
- Rafal Bogacz, Tobias Larsen (2011) Integration of reinforcement learning and optimal decision making theories of the basal ganglia. Neural Computation, 23: 817–851.
- Elizabeth J Coulthard, Rafal Bogacz, Shazia Javed, Lucy K Mooney, Gillian Murphy, Sophie Keeley, Alan L Whone (2012) Distinct roles of dopamine and subthalamic nucleus in learning and probabilistic decision making. Brain, 135, 3721-3734.
Full list of publications