Our group connects basic research in neuroscience to clinically applied research. In order to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying mental disorders such as addiction or depression, we investigate the function of neural systems that are essential for emotion, motivation, executive function or decision making.

To examine the function of neural systems, for instance the reward system, subjects perform tasks (e.g. a delay discounting task) whilst lying in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner that records their brain activity.
Besides functional MRI, we also use structural MRI to investigate the link between brain structure and function. Positron emission tomography (PET) is applied to assess the function of neurotransmitter systems such as the dopamine or serotonin system. Combined with functional MRI, this allows us to investigate, for example, the relationship between processing of emotional stimuli and the function of the serotonin system. By combining imaging techniques with genetic, pharmacologic and endocrinologic methods, we can explore molecular, neurochemical, neuropharmacological and neuroendocrinological mechanisms.