Neural basis of decision-making in primates. In the lab and beyond, by Sebastien Bouret

Summary Neural basis of decision-making in primates. In the lab and beyond
The presentation will cover the cognitive and neurobiological functions underlying cost-benefits decision making in primates. After covering data from laboratory experiments, I will present recent studies aimed at understanding how these data can help understand how specific neuro-cognitive operations allow wild primates to use appropriate foraging strategies in their natural environment. 

Short Biography
Sebastien Bouret is co-leader of the team Motivation Brain & Behavior at the ICM, in Paris, where he studies the neural basis of motivation and decision making in primates. His goal is to understand how the brain of different primate species contributes to the evaluation of costs and benefits and to the organization of appropriate behavioral adjustments. He uses neurophysiology, pharmacology and chemogenetics in behaving macaques to identify the cognitive and neural mechanisms of decision-making, with a focus on the medial prefrontal cortex and on catecholaminergic systems. He also uses comparative anatomy and behavioral ecology to understand how different regions of the prefrontal cortex evolved to face specific socio-ecological challenges in the wild. Altogether, these complementary approaches provide an original insight into how primates can arbitrate costs and benefits using specific cognitive operations and their neural substrate.
Team’s web site