Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Impulsivity is a characteristic of human behavior that can be both beneficial and detrimental in our everyday lives. An impulsive decision can allow us to seize a valuable opportunity or make a disastrous choice which we live to regret. High levels of impulsivity are not only considered socially unacceptable, but they are a key symptom in a range of psychiatric illnesses including bipolar disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), pathological gambling, personality disorders and substance abuse. Understanding the neurobiological basis of impulsivity could therefore provide valuable insight into these afflictions and potentially lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. In this grant, we propose to explore the role of different regions of the brain on aspects of impulsive decision-making and gambling using tests which measure these cognitive processes in rats. We also want to determine whether changing levels of brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin within these different brain regions can affect impulsive choice.