Key Publications

Scholey, E.V., Apps, M.A.J. & Humphries, M.D. (2026). Stochastic choice drives variability in patch foraging decisions in humans and rats. Link

Müller, T., Klein-Flügge, M. C., Manohar, S. G., Husain, M., & Apps, M. A. (2021). Neural and computational mechanisms of momentary fatigue and persistence in effort-based choice. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1-14. Link

Le Heron, C., Kolling, N., Plant, O., Kienast, A., Janska, R., Fallon, S., Husain, M., & Apps, M.A.J. (2020) Dopamine drives dynamic decisions during human reward foraging. Journal of Neuroscience. Link

Lockwood, P.L., Hamonet, M., Zhang, S., Salmony, F., Ratnavel, A., Husain, M., & Apps, M.A.J. (2017). Prosocial apathy when helping others is too much effort. Nature Human Behaviour. Link

Chong, T-J. T., Apps, M.A.J., Sillence, A., Giehl, K., Grima, L., & Husain, M. (2017). Neurocomputational mechanisms of subjective motivation of effort costs. PLoS Biology. *equal contributors. Data. PDF.

Apps, M.A.J., Rushworth, M.F.S., Chang, S.W.C. (2016). The anterior cingulate gyrus and social cognition: tracking the motivation of others. Neuron. Link

2026

Scholey, E., Lugtmeijer, S., Apps, M.A.J. (2026). The Neuroeconomics of Work: Computational and Neural Mechanisms of the Dynamics of Effort-Based Decisions. Link

Scholey, E.V., Apps, M.A.J. & Humphries, M.D. (2026). Stochastic choice drives variability in patch foraging decisions in humans and rats. Link

Zhao, S., Ye, R., …, Li, M., Karataş, K. F., …, Apps, M. A. J., Manohar, S., & Husain, M. (2026). On the relationships between apathy, depression and anhedonia. Link

Pisauro, M.A., Pollicino, D., Fisher, L., Apps, M.A.J. Neural and computational mechanisms of effort under the pressure of a deadline. (2026). Link

Vogel, T.A., Priestley, L., Cutler, J., Hogg, T., Khalighinejad, N., Garrett, N., Apps, M.A.J., Rushworth, M.F. S. (2026). Humans are more prosocial in poor foraging environments. Link

Müller, T., Milton, J., Husain, M., Apps, M.A.J. (2026). Computational signatures of exertion and rest underlie moment-to-moment dynamics of subjective perceptions of effort and fatigue. Link

2025

Contreras-Huerta, L.S., Yu, H., Prosser A.M.B., Lockwood, L., Crockett., M, Apps, M.A.J. (2025). Hypocritical blame is associated with reduced prosocial motivation. Link

Cutler, J., Contreras-Huerta, L.S., Todorova, B., ... Apps, M.A.J., & Lockwood, P. (2025). Psychological interventions increase motivation to exert effort to mitigate climate change. Link

Morelli, M., Dudzikowska, K., Deelchand, D.K., Quinn, A.J., Mullins, P.G., Apps, M.A.J., & Wilson, M. (2025). Functional Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Prolonged Motor Activation using Conventional and Spectral GLM Analyses. Imaging Neuroscience, 3, imag_a_00452. Link.

Talbot, J., Cutler, J., Tamm, M., Little, S. J., Harmer, C. J., Husain, M., Lockwood, P.L., & Apps, M. A. (2025). Dopamine boosts motivation for prosocial effort in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neuroscience. Link.

2024

Contreras-Huerta, L.S., Yu, H., Prosser A.M.B., Lockwood, L., Crockett., M, Apps, M.A.J. (2024). Hypocritical blame is associated with reduced prosocial motivation. PsyArXiv

Cutler, J., Contreras-Huerta, L.S., Todorova, B., ... Apps, M.A.J., & Lockwood, P. (2024). Psychological interventions increase motivation to exert effort to mitigate climate change. PsyArXiv

Su, Z., Garvert, M. M., Zhang, L., Manohar, S. G., Vogel, T. A., Thomas, L., Apps, M. A. J. & Lockwood, P. L. (2024). Older adults are relatively more susceptible to impulsive social influence than young adults. Communications Psychology, 2(1), 87. Link

Contreras-Huerta, L. S., Pisauro, A., Kuechenhoff, S., Gekiere, A., Le Heron, C., Lockwood, P., & Apps, M. A. (2024). A reward self-bias leads to more optimal foraging for ourselves than others. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 26845. Link.

Morris, L.A., Horne, K.L., Manohar, S., Paermentier, L., Buchanan, C., MacAskill, M., Myall, D., Apps, M., Roxburgh, R., Anderson, T. & Husain, M. (2024). Decision cost hypersensitivity underlies Huntington’s disease apathy. Brain. Link

Hoy, C.W., de Hemptinne, C., Wang, S.S., Harmer, C.J., Apps, M.A.J., Husain, M., Starr, P.A., & Little, S. (2024). Beta and theta oscillations track effort and previous reward in human basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex during decision making. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(31). Link

Lockwood, P.L., Cutler, J., Drew, D., Abdurahman, A., Jeyaretna, D.S., Apps, M.A.J., Husain, M., & Manohar, S.G. (2024). Human ventromedial prefrontal cortex is necessary for prosocial motivation. Nature Human Behaviour. Link

Gabay, A. S., Pisauro, A., O'Nell, K., & Apps, M. A. (2024). Social environment-based opportunity costs dictate when people leave social interactions. Communications Psychology, 2(42). Link

Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak Coleman, J. B., Todorova, B., Berkebile-Weinberg, M. M., Grayson, S. J., Patel, Y., Goldwert, D., Pei, Y., Chakroff, A., … Apps, M.A.J., … & Van Bavel, J. J. (2024). Addressing climate change with behavioural science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries. Science Advances, 10(6). Link

Forbes, P., Aydogan, G., Braunstein, J., Todorova, B., Wagner, I., Lockwood, P., Apps, M. A., Ruff, C., & Lamm, C. (2024). Acute stress reduces effortful prosocial behaviour. eLife, 12, RP87271. Link

Gaule, A., Martin, P., Lockwood, P.L., Cutler, J., Apps, M., Roberts, R., Phillips, H., Brown, K., McCrory, E.J., & Viding, E. (2024). Reduced prosocial motivation and effort in adolescents with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Link

2023

Azevedo, F., Pavlović, T., ..., Apps, M.A., ... & Sampaio, W.M. (2023). Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries. Scientific Data. Link

Ricciardi, L., Apps, M.A., & Little, S. (2023). Uncovering the neurophysiology of mood, motivation and behavioral symptoms in Parkinson’s disease through intracranial recordings. npj Parkinson's Disease. Link

Matthews, J., Pisauro, M. A., Jurgelis, M., Mueller, T., Vassena, E., Chong, T., & Apps, M. A. J. (2023). Computational mechanisms underlying the dynamics of physical and cognitive fatigue. Cognition, 105603. Link

Contreras-Huerta, L. S., Coll, M. P., Bird, G., Yu, H., Prosser, A., Lockwood, P. L., ... & Apps, M. A. (2023). Neural representations of vicarious rewards are linked to interoception and prosocial behaviour. NeuroImage, 119881. Link

2022

Cutler, J., Apps, M. A., & Lockwood, P. (2022). Reward processing and reinforcement learning: from adolescence to aging. Encyclopedia of the Human Brain (Second Edition), 305-323. Link

Pisauro, M. A., Fouragnan, E. F., Arabadzhiyska, D. H., Apps, M. A. J.*, & Philiastides, M. G.* (2022). Neural implementation of computational mechanisms underlying the continuous trade-off between cooperation and competition. Nature Communications, 13(1), 1-18. * equal contributors. Link

Müller, T., Husain, M., & Apps, M. A. (2022). Preferences for seeking effort or reward information bias the willingness to work. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 19486. Link

Van Bavel, J. J., Cichocka, A., Capraro, V., Sjåstad, H., Nezlek, J. B., Pavlović, T., ... Apps, M. A, ... & Jørgensen, F. J. (2022). National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic. Nature communications, 13(1), 1-14. Link

Pavlović, T., Azevedo, F., De, K., Riaño-Moreno, J. C., Maglić, M., Gkinopoulos, T., ... Apps, M. A, ... & Keudel, O. (2022). Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning. PNAS Nexus. Link

Yu, H., Contreras-Huerta, L. S., Prosser, A. M., Apps, M. A., Hofmann, W., Sinnott-Armstrong, W., & Crockett, M. J. (2022). Neural and cognitive signatures of guilt predict hypocritical blame. Psychological Science, 09567976221122765. Link

Lockwood, P. L., Wittmann, M. K., Nili, H., Matsumoto-Ryan, M., Abdurahman, A., Cutler, J., ... & Apps, M. A. (2022). Distinct neural representations for prosocial and self-benefiting effort. Current Biology. Link

Scholey, E., & Apps, M. A. (2022). Fatigue: Tough days at work change your prefrontal metabolites. Current Biology, 32(16), R876-R879. Link

2021

Lockwood, P.L., Abdurahman, A., Tamm, M., Gabay, A., Husain, M., & Apps, M.A.J., (2021). Ageing increases prosocial motivation for effort. Psychological Science. Link

Nitschke, J. P., Forbes, P. A., Ali, N., Cutler, J., Apps, M. A., Lockwood, P. L., & Lamm, C. (2021). Resilience during uncertainty? Greater social connectedness during COVID‐19 lockdown is associated with reduced distress and fatigue. British Journal of Health Psychology, 26(2), 553-569. Web

2020

Contreras-Huerta, L. S., Pisauro, A., & Apps, M. A. (2020). Effort shapes social cognition and behaviour: A neuro-cognitive framework. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. Link

Lockwood, P.L., Apps, M.A.J.* & Chang, S.W.C.* (2020). Is there a social brain? Implementations and Algorithms. Trends in Cognitive Sciences * equal contributors. Link

Lockwood P.L., O’Nell K.C., Apps M.A.J (2020) Anterior cingulate cortex: A brain system necessary for learning to reward others? PLoS Biol 18(6): e3000735. Link

Gabay, A. S., & Apps, M. A. (2021). Foraging optimally in social neuroscience: computations and methodological considerations. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 16(8), 782-794. Link

Le Heron, C., Kolling, N., Plant, O., Kienast, A., Janska, R., Fallon, S., Husain, M., & Apps, M.A.J., (2020) Dopamine drives dynamic decisions during human reward foraging. Journal of Neuroscience. Link

Contreras-Huerta, L., Bird, G., Lockwood, P., Apps, M.,* & Crockett, M.* (2020) Prosocial behaviour is associated with transdiagnostic markers of affective sensitivity in multiple domains. Emotion. * equal contributors https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2020-54566-001.html

2019

Müller, T., & Apps, M. A. (2019). Motivational fatigue: A neurocognitive framework for the impact of effortful exertion on subsequent motivation. Neuropsychologia, 123, 141-151. PDF

2018

Lockwood PL, Wittmann MK, Apps MAJ, Klein-Flügge MC, Crockett MJ, Humphreys GW, Rushworth MFS (2018): Neural mechanisms for learning self and other ownership. Nature Communications. PDF

Apps, M.A. (2018) Stimulating Cingulate: Distinct behaviours arise from discrete zones. Brain. PDF

Chong, T., Apps, M.A., Giehl, K., Hall, S., Clifton, C., Husain, M. (2018) Computational modelling reveals distinct patterns of cognitive and physical motivation in elite athletes. Scientific Reports . PDF

Weiss, A.R., Gillies, M.J., Philiastides, M.G., Apps, M.A., Whittington, M.A., FitzGerald, J.J., Boccard, S.G., Aziz, T.Z., & Green, A.L. (2018) Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortices Differentially Lateralize Prediction Errors and Outcome Valence in a Decision-Making Task. Front. Hum. Neurosci. Link

Lakens et al (2018). Justify Your Alpha: A Response to “Redefine Statistical Significance”. Nature Human Behaviour. PDF

Apps, M. A., McKay, R., Azevedo, R. T., Whitehouse, H., & Tsakiris, M. (2018). Not on my team: Medial prefrontal cortex responses to ingroup fusion and unfair monetary divisions. Brain and behavior. PDF

2017

Draper, A., Koch, R., Van der Meer., Apps, M.A.J., Pickkers, P., Husain, M., & Van der Schaaf. (2017). Effort but not reward sensitivity is altered by acute sickness induced by experimental endotoxemia in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology. Link

Lockwood, P.L., Hamonet, M., Zhang, S., Salmony, F., Ratnavel, A., Husain, M., & Apps, M.A.J.,* (2017). Prosocial apathy when helping others is too much effort. Nature Human Behaviour. PDF

Chong, T-J. T.,* Apps, M.A.J.,* Sillence, A., Giehl, K., Grima, L., & Husain, M. (2017). Neurocomputational mechanisms of subjective motivation of effort costs. PLoS Biology. *equal contributors. DATA. PDF.

Le Heron, C., Apps, M.A.J., & Husain, M. (2017). The anatomy of apathy: a neurocognitive framework for amotivated behaviour. Neuropsychologia. PDF

Balsters, J.H., Apps, M.A.J., Bolis, D., Lehner, R., Gallagher, l., & Wenderoth, N. (2017). Disrupted prediction errors index social deficits in autism spectrum disorder. Brain. PDF

Apps, M.A.J., & Sallet, J. (2017). Social learning in the medial prefrontal cortex. Trends in Cognitive Science. PDF

2016

Apps, M.A.J., Rushworth, M.F.S., Chang, S.W.C. (2016). The anterior cingulate gyrus and social cognition: tracking the motivation of others. Neuron. PDF

Ainley, V. Apps, M.A.J., Fotopolou, A., & Tsakiris, M. (2016). Bodily Precision: A Predictive Coding Account of Individual Differences in Interoceptive Accuracy. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. PDF

Farmer, H., Apps, M.A.J., & Tsakiris, M. (2016). Reputation in an Economic Game Modulates Premotor Cortex Activity during Action Observation. European Journal of Neuroscience. PDF

Lockwood, P.L., Apps, M.A.J., Valton, V., Viding, E., & Roiser, J.P (2016). Neurocomputational mechanisms of prosocial learning and links to empathy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. PDF

Balsters, J.H., Mantini, D., Apps, M.A., Eickhoff, S., Wenderoth, N. (2016). Connectivity-based parcellation increases network detection sensitivity in resting state fMRI: An investigation into the cingulate cortex in autism. Neuroimage: Clinical. PDF

2015

Apps M.A.J. Grima, L., Manohar, S. & Husain, M. (2015). The role of cognitive effort in subjective reward devaluation and risky decision-making. Scientific Reports. PDF

Apps, M.A.J., Tajadura-Jimenez, A., Sereno, M., Blanke, O., & Tsakiris, M. (2015). Plasticity in unimodal and multimodal brain areas reflects multisensory changes in self-face identification. Cerebral Cortex. Link

Apps, M.A.J., Lesage, E., & Ramnani, N. (2015). Vicarious reinforcement learning signals when instructing others. Journal of Neuroscience. PDF

Ang, Y-S., Manohar, S., & Apps M.A.J. (2015). Commentary: Noradrenaline and Dopamine Neurons in the Reward/Effort Trade-off: A Direct Electrophysiological Comparison in Behaving Monkeys. Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience. PDF

Lockwood, P.L., Apps M.A.J., Roiser, J.P., & Viding, E. (2015). Encoding of Vicarious Reward Prediction in Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Relationship with Trait Empathy. Journal of Neuroscience. PDF

Manohar, S., Chong, T., Apps M.A.J. ... & Husain, M. (2015). Reward Pays the Cost of Noise Reduction in Motor and Cognitive Control. Current Biology. PDF

2014 and earlier

Apps, M.A.J., & Tsakiris, M. (2014). The free-energy self: A predictive coding account of self-recognition. Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews. PDF

Apps, M.A.J., & Ramnani, N. (2014). The anterior cingulate gyrus signals the net-value of others rewards. Journal of Neuroscience. PDF

Apps, M. A., Tajadura-Jiménez, A., Sereno, M., Blanke, O., & Tsakiris, M. (2015). Plasticity in unimodal and multimodal brain areas reflects multisensory changes in self-face identification. Cerebral Cortex. PDF

Apps, M. A. J., Lockwood, P. L., & Balsters, J. (2013). The role of the midcingulate cortex in monitoring others decisions. Frontiers in Neuroscience. PDF

Apps, M. A. J., & Tsakiris, M.(2013). Predictive codes of familiarity and context during the perceptual learning of facial identities. Nature Communications. PDF

Apps, M. A. J., Green, R., & Ramnani, N. (2013). Reinforcement learning signals in the anterior cingulate cortex code for others’ false beliefs. Neuroimage. PDF

Apps, M. A. J., Tajadura-Jimenez, A., Turley, G,. & Tsakiris, M. (2012). The different faces of ones self: an fMRI study into the recognition of current and past self-facial appearances. Neuroimage. PDF

Apps, M. A. J., Balsters, J. H., & Ramnani, N. (2012). The Anterior Cingulate Cortex: Monitoring the outcomes of others decisions. Social Neuroscience. PDF

Lesage, E., Apps, M. A. J., Hayter, A. L., Beckmann, C. F., Barnes, D., Langdon, D. W., & Ramnani, N. (2010). Cerebellar Information Processing In Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Behavioural Neurology. PDF

Publications: CV