Research groups
Websites
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Motivation & Social Neuroscience Lab
Lab website
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BBSRC David Phillips Fellow
Fellowship details
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Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging
Research Centre
Matthew Apps
BSc, MSc, PhD
BBSRC DP Fellow & University Research Lecturer
The neural and computational basis of motivation, decision-making & social cognition
My research is focussed on understanding the mechanisms in the human brain that underpin learning and decision-making. Most of my research is focussed on investigating how statistical information about costs (such as risk, uncertainty or effort) and benefits (such as financial rewards) are processed in the brain, particularly when we are interacting with other people.
I use a combination of cognitive neuroscience methods, such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), in conjunction with computational modelling approaches. These techniques allow me to explore basic science questions in healthy adults. I also explore individual differences in clinical and sub-clinical populations to understand more about how decision-making processes can differ in disorders of motivation and social cognition. Currently I am involved in two main projects:
- Effort, apathy and reward – Examining the relationship between individual differences in apathy and how rewards are processed, when incurring physical or cognitive costs.
- Social decision-making – Examining the processing of rewards in the cingulate cortex during social interactions, and examining the functional and connectional properties of this area in the autistic spectrum.
Key publications
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The Anterior Cingulate Gyrus and Social Cognition: Tracking the Motivation of Others.
Journal article
Apps MAJ. et al, (2016), Neuron, 90, 692 - 707
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Predictive codes of familiarity and context during the perceptual learning of facial identities.
Journal article
Apps MAJ. and Tsakiris M., (2013), Nat Commun, 4
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Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying subjective valuation of effort costs.
Journal article
Chong TT-J. et al, (2017), PLoS Biol, 15
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Prosocial apathy for helping others when effort is required.
Journal article
Lockwood PL. et al, (2017), Nat Hum Behav, 1
Recent publications
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Prosocial behavior is associated with transdiagnostic markers of affective sensitivity in multiple domains.
Journal article
Contreras-Huerta LS. et al, (2020), Emotion
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Anterior cingulate cortex: A brain system necessary for learning to reward others?
Journal article
Lockwood PL. et al, (2020), PLoS Biol, 18
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Dopamine modulates dynamic decision-making during foraging.
Journal article
Le Heron C. et al, (2020), J Neurosci
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Foraging Optimally in Social Neuroscience: Computations and Methodological considerations.
Journal article
Gaba AS. and Apps MAJ., (2020), Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
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Foraging Optimally in Social Neuroscience: Computations and Methodological considerations
Journal article
Gabay A. and Apps MAJ., (2019)
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Neural mechanisms for learning self and other ownership.
Journal article
Lockwood PL. et al, (2018), Nat Commun, 9
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The anatomy of apathy: A neurocognitive framework for amotivated behaviour.
Journal article
Le Heron C. et al, (2018), Neuropsychologia, 118, 54 - 67
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Computational modelling reveals distinct patterns of cognitive and physical motivation in elite athletes.
Journal article
Chong TT-J. et al, (2018), Sci Rep, 8