Research
Our work focuses on the brain processes mediating learning and decision making in humans. We are also interested in olfaction, a sensory modality important for motivation, behavior and learning. And we study whether and how these functions are disrupted in substance use disorder and other psychiatric conditions.
We combine behavioral tasks, olfactory psychophysics, correlational brain imaging (i.e., functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI), causal neuromodulation methods (e.g., transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS; transcranial ultrasound stimulation, TUS), and computational techniques (e.g., reinforcement learning, encoding models, machine learning).
Our work bridges between animal models and research in humans. This is important to better understand the basic brain processes underlying adaptive behavior and their disruption in disorders, and to facilitate the development of new treatments.
Orbitofrontal cortex and behavior
We study how prefrontal and subcortical brain networks including the medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala form and represent predictions about future rewards, and how these representations influence behavior. In particular, we focus on how these areas form models of the world and use them for flexible learning, inference, and prediction. Finally, we study how these processes are disrupted in disorders characterized by compulsive behaviors, such as substance use disorder.
Selected publications
Kahnt T. Computationally informed interventions for targeting compulsive behaviors. Biological Psychiatry. 2023 Apr 15; 93(8):729-738.
Tegelbeckers J, Porter DB, Voss JL, Schoenbaum G, Kahnt T. Lateral orbitofrontal cortex integrates predictive information across multiple cues to guide behavior. Current Biology. 2023 Oct 23; 33(20):4496-4504.e5.
Wang F, Schoenbaum G, Kahnt T. Interactions between human orbitofrontal cortex and hippocampus support model-based inference. PLoS Biology. 2020 Jan 21; 18(1):e3000578.
Olfactory neuroscience
Odors are powerful drivers of approach and avoidance behaviors. We study how odors are processed and represented in the brain, how odors influence learning and behavior, and how olfactory processing is modulated by internal and external states. We also study impairments in olfactory function in neuropsychiatric disorders and dementia.
Selected publications
Sagar V, Shanahan LK, Zelano CM, Gottfried JA, Kahnt T. High-precision mapping reveals the structure of odor coding in the human brain. Nature Neuroscience. 2023 Sep; 29(9):1595-1602.
Echevarria-Cooper SL, Zhou G, Zelano C, Pestilli F, Parrish TB, Kahnt T. Mapping the Microstructure and Striae of the Human Olfactory Tract with Diffusion MRI. Journal of Neuroscience. 2022 Jan 5; 42 (1):58-68.
Shanahan LK, Bhutani S, Kahnt T. Olfactory perceptual decision-making is biased by motivational state. PLoS Biology. 2021 Aug 26; 19(8):e3001374.
Dopamine and learning
We study how the dopaminergic system supports learning associations between predictive events and outcomes. Because dopamine is implicated in a variety of psychiatric disorders, this research is essential to better understand these disorders and to identify novel targets for treatment.
Selected publications
Kahnt T, Schoenbaum G. The curious case of dopaminergic prediction errors and learning associative information beyond value. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2025 Mar; 26(3):169-178.
Howard JD, Edmonds D, Schoenbaum G, Kahnt T. Distributed midbrain responses signal the content of positive identity prediction errors. Current Biology. 2024 Sep 23; 34(18):4240-4247.e4.
Liu Q, Zhao Y, Attanti S, Voss JL, Schoenbaum G, Kahnt T. Midbrain signaling of identity prediction errors depends on orbitofrontal cortex networks. Nature Communications. 2024 Feb 24; 15:1704.
Contact
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Biomedical Research Center
251 Bayview Blvd
Suite 200, RM 06A711
Baltimore, MD 21224