Adaptive Learning

and Behavior

My research interests are concerned with elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive learning and behavior.

The role of Nucleus Accumbens cell types in learning

  • Studying the role of nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine D1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-MSNs) in appetitive Pavlovian Conditioning.

  • Single cell-level calcium imaging of neural ensembles implicated in reward and aversive signaling.

  • See for more details:

Macpherson et al., 2018, Frontiers in Neuroscience

Nishioka et al., 2022, BioRvix

Neural mechanisms of behavioral flexibility

  • A major focus of my research is understanding the neural circuit mechanisms by which learned behavioral strategies can be flexibly adapted to adjust to changing environments.

  • Our previous research has demonstrated nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D2-MSNs) to play a critical role in controlling reversal learning.

  • See for more details:

Macpherson et al., 2022, Frontiers in Neuroscience

Macpherson et al, 2016, Learning & Memory

The role of the ventral pallidum in learning

  • Identifying the specific cell types in the ventral pallidum and their role in Pavlovian learning

  • Investigating dopamine signaling within the ventral pallidum

  • See for more details:

Macpherson et al., 2019, Neurochemistry International


The role of the subthalamic nucleus in motor and limbic control

  • Elucidating the role of subthalamic nucleus neurons in controlling locomotor activity and reward and aversive learning.

  • Optogenetic and neural imaging techniques are employed.