Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham
THE COGNITIVE, COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE OF MOTIVATED BEHAVIOUR
Why do things feel effortful?
Why do we get fatigued?
Why can motivation become impaired through ageing and in brain disorders?
Our group examines the role of fronto-striatal systems in the brain, their computations and the contributions of different brain chemicals underlying healthy and disrupted motivation.
Why is social cognition demanding?
When do we decide to be altruistic and help others out?
How do we predict how motivated others are?
Our research dissects the contributions of different prefrontal regions, their computations and pharmacological basis of the processes that underlie 'social motivation'.
May 2021
Aging Increases Prosocial Motivation for Effort
New paper published in Psychological Science. Read it here! Also check out the press coverage in The Times, i news, the Irish Times, or any number of othe routlets that picked it up
November 2020
New PhD opportunities
We have two new PhD positions available. Click on the links below for more information.
2)Modelling Basal-Ganglia contributions to motivational impairments in Parkinson’s Disease
Matt wins BACN prize!
Matt has been awarded the 2021 British Association for Cognitive Neuroscience prize for early and mid-career scientists
October 2020
The lab is growing!
We have four new members of the lab, including MSc, BSc and PhDs students. The lab offers our warmest welcome to Katia, Alice, Danielle, and Lucy.
July 2020
MSN Lab has moved!
The lab is now based at the Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, UK. We are excited to continue our research at this fantastic facility.
MSN lab awarded £20k Wellcome ISSF grant to probe the psychiatric and neural basis of social foraging
October 2019
MSN Lab is moving!
From summer 2020 the lab will be based at the Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, UK.
Tanja was interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR) for her opinion on new research on over training in athletes, as it draws on her expertise in motivational fatigue. Read about and listen to it here
July 2019
Dr.Uri Hertz and Dr. Matt Apps awarded British Council UK-Israel synergy programme grant, to organise a 2-day meeting on the topic of Social motivation to foster connections between UK and Israeli based scientists
MSN lab awarded a Christ Church Research Centre grant, for Dr. Apps and Dr. Gabay to develop a predictive model of social behaviours using a transdiagnostic approach.
MSN lab awarded a John Fell Fund grant to use behavioural ecology models to better understand human motivation.
November 2018
Matt wins S4SN 2018 Early Career Award
Lab PI, Dr Matthew Apps, receives prestigious award that recognises the formation of new approaches or paradigms within a field of neuroscience
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