Dr R.S. Koolschijn (Renée)

I am a postdoctoral researcher working with Hanneke den Ouden at the Donders Centre for Cognition since 2022. I am investigating the neural mechanisms underlying optimal decision-making in situations that require different strategies: in some situations it is optimal to make quick, impulsive decisions, while at other times a well thought-out and slower approach is more beneficial. How does the brain switch between these different approaches? To address this question, I will apply pharmacological interventions in combination with neuroimaging and computational modelling. I am particularly interested in the neural mechanisms that support flexible behaviour, and how we can manipulate these processes using neuromodulatory techniques

Previously, I completed my UKRI-funded DPhil research in cognitive computational neuroscience at the Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, supervised by Dr. Helen Barron and Prof. Jill O’Reilly. During my DPhil, I investigated the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory, focussing specifically on the role that neurochemicals play in these processes. To this end, I applied functional MRI and MR Spectroscopy, in combination with non-invasive brain stimulation and pharmacological manipulations.

• Perception, Action and Decision-making

• Learning & decision-making