The UA Integrative Systems Neuroscience Seminar Series presents Josiah Leong, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences. Leong's talk is entitled "Linking Brain Structure to Function to Value-Based Choice," and will be given virtually at noon, Thursday, Nov. 12.

What humans choose and how their brains make choices are central questions in psychology and neuroscience. Neuroimaging research is advancing models of functional brain activity that not only correlate with, but also predict, value-based choices in humans. Physiological research in animals suggests that monosynaptic axons structurally connect the brain circuits predictive of choice. However, similar structural connections have only recently been characterized in humans, and researchers are now starting to explore links from structural brain connections to functional brain activity to behavioral choice. Leong will present recent findings that link multimodal neuroimaging measurements to individual differences in value-based choice. Together this work demonstrates the promise of combining measures of brain structure, brain function and behavior to better explain how people choose.

Leong leads the Fullstack Affective Neuroscience Lab in the Department of Psychological Science (https://fullstackneuro.io). He moved to Fayetteville from Bloomington, Indiana, where he conducted human neuroimaging research. He is excited to advance research and education with the faculty and students at the U of A.

The event is free and open to the public. Faculty, postdocs, grad students and undergrads are welcome! To join, go to Zoom log-in.