Contact information
Research groups
Colleges
Fabian Grabenhorst
DPhil
Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology
- Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellow
- Fellow and Tutor in Experimental Psychology at Jesus College
Neural mechanisms of reward, economic decisions, and social behaviour
My work focuses on the brain's reward system, and how this system contributes to economic decision-making and social behaviour. Why do we like foods high in sugar and fat, and sometimes struggle to control their intake? How do our decisions and thoughts about our social partners emerge from neural activity patterns in particular brain structures?
To address these questions, my group uses single-neuron recordings and neuroimaging to investigate the activity of neural reward structures in controlled behavioural experiments. By studying their functions in reward, decisions, and social behaviour, we aim to better understand how these brain systems can dysfunction in human diseases.
Our recent work identified nutrients and sensory food qualities, including a food’s viscosity and sliding friction, as key reward properties that shape economic food preferences. We now study how neurons in the amygdala—a major structure of the brain’s reward system—assign values to these reward components and process them into decisions.
In a separate approach, we found that neurons in the amygdala learn to predict the choices of social partners by spontaneously simulating a partner’s decision processes.
Key publications
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Dynamic coding and sequential integration of multiple reward attributes by primate amygdala neurons.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. and Báez-Mendoza R., (2025), Nat Commun, 16
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Social Risk Coding by Amygdala Activity and Connectivity with the Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex.
Journal article
Kim J-C. et al, (2025), J Neurosci, 45
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A view-based decision mechanism for rewards in the primate amygdala.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. et al, (2023), Neuron, 111, 3871 - 3884.e14
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A Neural Mechanism in the Human Orbitofrontal Cortex for Preferring High-Fat Foods Based on Oral Texture.
Journal article
Khorisantono PA. et al, (2023), J Neurosci, 43, 8000 - 8017
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Nutrient-Sensitive Reinforcement Learning in Monkeys.
Journal article
Huang F-Y. and Grabenhorst F., (2023), J Neurosci, 43, 1714 - 1730
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Preferences for nutrients and sensory food qualities identify biological sources of economic values in monkeys.
Journal article
Huang F-Y. et al, (2021), Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 118
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Primate Amygdala Neurons Simulate Decision Processes of Social Partners.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. et al, (2019), Cell, 177, 986 - 998.e15
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Neural Mechanisms for Accepting and Rejecting Artificial Social Partners in the Uncanny Valley.
Journal article
Rosenthal-von der Pütten AM. et al, (2019), J Neurosci, 39, 6555 - 6570
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Primate prefrontal neurons signal economic risk derived from the statistics of recent reward experience.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. et al, (2019), Elife, 8
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Primate amygdala neurons evaluate the progress of self-defined economic choice sequences.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. et al, (2016), Elife, 5
Recent publications
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Dynamic coding and sequential integration of multiple reward attributes by primate amygdala neurons.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. and Báez-Mendoza R., (2025), Nat Commun, 16
-
Social Risk Coding by Amygdala Activity and Connectivity with the Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex.
Journal article
Kim J-C. et al, (2025), J Neurosci, 45
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The amygdala and the pursuit of future rewards.
Journal article
Johnson ST. and Grabenhorst F., (2024), Front Neurosci, 18
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A view-based decision mechanism for rewards in the primate amygdala.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. et al, (2023), Neuron, 111, 3871 - 3884.e14
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A Neural Mechanism in the Human Orbitofrontal Cortex for Preferring High-Fat Foods Based on Oral Texture.
Journal article
Khorisantono PA. et al, (2023), J Neurosci, 43, 8000 - 8017
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Correction to: Mechanisms of adjustments to different types of uncertainty in the reward environment across mice and monkeys.
Journal article
Woo JH. et al, (2023), Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci, 23
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Mechanisms of adjustments to different types of uncertainty in the reward environment across mice and monkeys.
Journal article
Woo JH. et al, (2023), Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci, 23, 600 - 619
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Nutrient-Sensitive Reinforcement Learning in Monkeys.
Journal article
Huang F-Y. and Grabenhorst F., (2023), J Neurosci, 43, 1714 - 1730
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NUTRIENTS AND FOOD TEXTURES: INFLUENCES ON PREFERENCES, LEARNING, AND NEURAL REWARD PROCESSING IN PRIMATES SYMPOSIUM: ACQUISITION AND MODIFICATION OF FLAVOR PREFERENCES.
Conference paper
Grabenhorst F., (2023), CHEMICAL SENSES, 48
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Functions of primate amygdala neurons in economic decisions and social decision simulation.
Journal article
Grabenhorst F. and Schultz W., (2021), Behav Brain Res, 409