SSA:Encoding of decision making by dopamine neurons

Understanding how we make decisions in the face of uncertainty and how we weigh risk and reward
remains a central challenge for neuroscience. It is clear that signalling by dopamine plays a pivotal role
in these calculations. However, the dopamine neurons responsible for these signals are diverse in
terms of the anatomical connections they make, their molecular make-up, and their encoding of
behaviour; it is not clear how these different populations generate the signals used for decision
making. The focus of this PhD is to define how different populations of dopamine neurons encode
aspects of decision-making and action. To achieve this, we will use an innovative approach, combining
cutting-edge neurophysiological techniques and advanced computational models:
To record from individual dopamine neurons in behaving mice we will take advantage of a new
technique we recently developed (Dodson et al. 2015, 2016). This approach not only allows one to
identify the precise location and neurochemical identity of each recorded neuron, but also to
interrogate which key proteins they express and which brain regions they innervate (and thus
subdivide neurons into their different populations). We will then use computational models to probe
how the signals we record are related to different parts of the decision-making process.
During the PhD, the student will have the opportunity to learn, and develop their skills in: in vivo
recording, animal behaviour, neuroanatomy and immunohistochemistry, microscopy, data analysis
and programming, and computational modelling.