Professor Wolfram Schultz

University position
Professor
Departments
Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
Institutes
Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute
Home page
http://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/staff/s... (personal home page)
Research Themes
Interests
Our group is interested to relate the mechanics of brain activity to measurable behaviour. We combine neurophysiological, imaging and behavioural techniques to investigate the neural correlates of goal-directed. We are interested in outcome value (in particular reward) signals in specific brain structures such as dopamine neurons, striatum, frontal cortex and amygdala. These rapid, global, evaluative and supervising neural signals may play a role in decision-making and choice behaviour. In investigating these outcome-coding mechanisms we try to establish a common biological basis for animal learning theory, microeconomic utility and game theories, and behavioural ecology. The larger background is to consider the brain in its capacity for processing reward information as an essential organ for assuring the fitness for survival in an evolutionary framework.
Research Focus
KeywordsReward Value Uncertainty Action neural circuit |
Clinical conditionsAddiction Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Huntington's disease Learning disbilities Movement disorders Obsessive compulsive disorder Parkinson's disease Schizophrenia |
Equipment
Behavioural analysis
Electrophysiological recording techniques
Magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Collaborators
CambridgeChristopher Harris | United KingdomRay Dolan Web: http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/Dolan/ InternationalPeter Bossaerts Web: http://www.hss.caltech.edu/~pbs/ Masamichi Sakagami Web: http://www.tamagawa.ac.jp/sisetu/... Masataka Watanabe Web: http://tmin.ac.jp/english... |
Key publications
Tobler PN, O’Doherty JP, Dolan R, Schultz W (2007), “Reward value coding distinct from risk attitude-related uncertainty coding in human reward systems” J Neurophysiol 97:1621-1632 Details
Schultz W (2006), “Behavioral theories and the neurophysiology of reward” Ann Rev Psychol 57:87-115
Fiorillo CD, Tobler PN, Schultz W (2003), “Discrete coding of reward probability and uncertainty by dopamine neurons” Science 299:1898-1902


