Grant: Project Grant

'To approach, or not to approach?' Many situations in life induce a state of motivational conflict in us as to whether we should approach a seemingly attractive proposition or stimulus (e.g.,highly calorific chocolate cake), or whether we should avoid the very same stimulus as it may have negative consequences (e.g, weight gain). Very little is known about how the mammalian brain regulates this fundamental process of decision making that can potentially go awry in psychological disorders such as addiction, in which the 'approach' tendency takes predominant control, and others such as anxiety, which involve heightened 'avoidance' tendencies. Using both rodent and human subjects, the proposed project will investigate the role of the hippocampus, a brain region more known for its importance in mnemonic processes, and its connection with other areas in the brain that are known to be important in motivational and decision making processes, in approach-avoidance conflict resolution. Furthermore, we will investigate the relationship between individual differences in approach/avoidance bias and underlying neural circuits, and mental disorders such as alcohol use and anxiety. Furthering our understanding of the neural circuit mechanisms of approach avoidance conflict resolution, and individual differences in approach-avoidance biases have the potential to create new therapeutic avenues for psychological disorders which may be individually tailored.