Project description DEENESFRITPL Investigating the link between endogenous brain activity and behavioural inconsistencies It is generally assumed that people will make consistent decisions in similar situations, yet research has shown that decision-making is inherently inconsistent and that erratic deviations are often associated with mental illnesses. Theories on the subject don’t adequately explain the source of these inconsistencies. The EU-funded NeuroFlux project will investigate the hypothesis that internal brain fluctuations play a role in inconsistent and impulsive behavioural patterns. It will use an innovative neuroimaging technique to gauge the extent to which endogenous fluctuations in certain regions of the brain affect decision-making and impulsive behaviour. This project will provide a new understanding of human behaviour and may uncover the processes responsible for impulsive mental disorders. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Our societies are built on the premise that humans are rational agents who make decisions that are in line with their held beliefs. A central principle is that of choice consistency, i.e. that humans will make identical choices when facing the same problem. However, experimental work overwhelmingly demonstrates that humans are consistently inconsistent and that an exaggerated behavioural variability is a key feature of impulsive psychiatric disorders. The causes for these inconsistencies are unknown and economic theories and computational models fail to explain this omnipresent human characteristic. I propose that intrinsic fluctuations of brain activity are causing us to behave seemingly inconsistent, and the overarching aim of NeuroFlux is to examine how endogenous brain activity changes how we act and make decisions.NeuroFlux will use a novel neuroimaging framework that I have recently developed and that allows to quantify whether and how strongly endogenous fluctuations in a specific brain area contribute to behaviour. I will use this cutting-edge technology to answer the following questions: (i) How do endogenous fluctuations in the dopaminergic midbrain influence decision making and learning? (ii) How do endogenous fluctuations in the noradrenergic midbrain influence decision making? (iii) Is impulsivity driven by an exaggerated brain-behaviour coupling? To address these questions, I will combine real-time functional MRI with pharmacological manipulations and transdiagnostic studies across three intertwined work packages.NeuroFlux will reveal how the brain’s idle states drive and alter our behaviours. This project will provide a new computational understanding that no longer treats behavioural inconsistency as irrelevant noise but as a meaningful window into the brain’s inner workings. NeuroFlux thus has the potential to revolutionise how we understand human behaviour per se and may reveal the mechanisms underlying impulsive psychiatric disorders. Fields of science medical and health sciencesclinical medicinepsychiatry Keywords decision making choice inconsistency endogenous fluctuations reinforcement learning Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2020-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2020-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Coordinator EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN Net EU contribution € 1 484 727,00 Address Geschwister-scholl-platz 72074 Tuebingen Germany See on map Region Baden-Württemberg Tübingen Tübingen, Landkreis Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN Germany Net EU contribution € 1 484 727,00 Address Geschwister-scholl-platz 72074 Tuebingen See on map Region Baden-Württemberg Tübingen Tübingen, Landkreis Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON GB Net EU contribution € 15 000,00 Address Gower street WC1E 6BT London See on map Region London Inner London — West Camden and City of London Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,50
