University of California-San Francisco · NeuroscienceBerke Lab
Joshua D Berke · San Francisco, California
Research Focus
Dr. Joshua D. Berke's research lab at UCSF focuses on the brain's reward signaling systems, particularly how dopamine affects motivation and learning. By studying the nucleus accumbens, a key area for processing rewards, the lab aims to unravel the complexities of how dopamine signals influence behavior, decision-making, and learning in both animals and by extension, humans. The work also explores the role of the hippocampus in guiding intelligent choices based on past rewards and future possibilities.
dopaminemotivationreward learningnucleus accumbenshippocampusdecision-makingmodel-based learningneural circuitsreward predictions
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how dopamine signals in the nucleus accumbens differ from those in other striatal regions.
AIM 02Examine how local circuits, including cholinergic interneurons, shape dopamine release and motivation.
AIM 03Determine the rapid effects of dopamine on motivation and behavioral choices.
AIM 04Assess the role of hippocampal activity in guiding decision-making based on past rewards.
Skills the Lab Values
electrophysiologyoptogeneticsreal-time neurotransmitter measurementbehavioral task designdata analysis with Pythonlarge-scale neural recordingsanimal surgery techniquesstatistical modelingexperimental design
Output against the department
Publications112bottom 39% of dept.407th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations12ktop 34% of dept.230th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.