Personal profile

Research interests

Our long-term goal is to reverse engineer the computational and neurobiological processes underlying cognition and decision-making and apply these insights to biological psychiatry. We start with quantifiable behavioral tasks, for both humans and rodents, that enable us to isolate and study distinct cognitive processes, such as decision confidence. We probe the neural basis of these processes in rodents using state-of-the-art electrophysiological, imaging, and optogenetic techniques to establish the underlying neural mechanisms. Given the complexity of behavior and the dynamics of neural networks producing it, we also develop new algorithms for analyzing data and models to help us interpret them. By understanding how brains accomplish cognitive tasks, often beyond the capacity of current machine learning algorithms, we also expect to uncover new computational principles. In terms of topics our approach is multifaceted, currently we study the neural basis of decision confidence, impulsivity, social value and foraging; the division of labor among cell-types in prefrontal cortex; communication across cortical regions; neuromodulatory systems and most recently brain-body interactions. By identifying the neural processes underlying specific behavioral capacities in rodent models of cognition, we also seek insights into what goes awry in the brain during mental illness to build a bridge from animal studies to psychiatry. Ultimately, we hope these insights will lead to develop novel therapeutic strategies for psychiatric disorders such as addiction, major depression, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder.

Available to Mentor:

  • PhD/MSTP Students

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • Integrated two-photon and photoacoustic microscopy for neurovascular imaging

    Han, J., Lee, Y., Feng, Z., Yang, K., Mejia, A. M., Lee, J.-M., Kepecs, A., Zhang, H. F., Sun, C. & Hu, S., 2025, Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2025. Oraevsky, A. A. & Wang, L. V. (eds.). SPIE, 133190P. (Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE; vol. 13319).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

  • Laser-Engineered Fiber for Reconfigurable Control of Neural Activity

    Yang, S., Yang, K., Chevy, Q., Kepecs, A. & Hu, S., 2025, Optogenetics and Optical Manipulation 2025. Roe, A. W. & Shoham, S. (eds.). SPIE, 1330403. (Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE; vol. 13304).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

  • What dopamine teaches depends on what the brain believes

    Bano, E., Ryu, S. & Kepecs, A., Jun 2025, In: Nature neuroscience. 28, 6, p. 1121-1123 3 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debate

  • Imaging of dendrites and sparse interneuronal networks with 3D random access microscopy

    Rózsa, B., Szadai, Z., Judák, L., Chiovini, B., Juhász, G., Ócsai, K., Pálfi, D., Mezriczky, Z., Szalay, G., Katona, G., Mihály, A., Szepesi, Á., Mucsi, Z., Roska, B., Pi, H. J., Chevy, Q., Albeanu, F. & Kepecs, A., 2023, Optics and the Brain, BRAIN 2023. Optical Society of America, BW3B.6. (Optics and the Brain, BRAIN 2023).

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

  • Imaging of dendrites and sparse interneuronal networks with 3D random access microscopy

    Rózsa, B., Szadai, Z., Judák, L., Chiovini, B., Juhász, G., Ócsai, K., Pálfi, D., Mezriczky, Z., Szalay, G., Katona, G., Mihály, A., Szepesi, Á., Mucsi, Z., Roska, B., Pi, H. J., Chevy, Q., Albeanu, F. & Kepecs, A., 2023.

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review