#  Research 

 



###  Neurobiology of Decision-Making and Reinforcement Learning 

 

 

       ![rabies2](/sites/g/files/omnuum8331/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2026-02/rabiesWatabeUchida%202_0.jpeg?itok=aFboWnUy) 

 

 



 

 



 

We make countless decisions every day. My lab studies how the brain evaluates outcomes, learns from experience, and chooses actions — in algorithmic, circuit, and biological terms. We focus on midbrain dopamine systems because they provide a link between formal reinforcement-learning (RL) theories and the activity of neurons. Our long-term goal is to explain how the brain implements learning algorithms across levels (molecules → cells → circuits → behavior), how different learning systems are coordinated, and how these mechanisms go awry in disease.

[List of publications in Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=56oq6hYAAAAJ&hl=en)