Mario Bogdanov, PhD

I am interested in how the experience of acute and chronic stress affects cognitive control processes that allow us to flexibly adjust our behavior to pursue our goals in dynamic environments. More specifically, my work aims to elucidate the neurobiological and computational mechanisms by which stress modulates both the ability and the motivation to exert control across several cognitive domains, including learning, memory, and decision making. To address these questions, I use a broad spectrum of methodological approaches, such as behavioral experiments, non-invasive brain stimulation, electrophysiological recordings, pharmacologcial manipulations, and computational modeling of behavioral data. I hope that my research will lead to a better understanding of the complex effects stress exerts on cognition and its potential role in the development of severe syndromes of amotivation (e.g., apathy and anhedonia) that are common in many psychiatric and neurological conditions, such as major depression and Parkinson’s disease.