The neural correlates of motivation and behaviour change in human aging

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Motivation is the ability to initiate and sustain thoughts, emotions and behaviours to respond to our surroundings and accomplish our goals. Despite the impact of motivation on individual, social and societal outcomes in healthy aging, its brain basis is poorly understood. A deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying motivated learning and behaviour change is critical to help older adults engage in actions that serve their goals, from healthful lifestyle choices, to carbon footprint behaviours, to civic engagement. The long-term vision of my research program is to define the neurobehavioural mechanisms that underlie the interaction among motivation, learning and behaviour change in healthy human aging while training the next generation of experts. To accomplish this goal, I apply converging methods that combine cutting-edge behavioural and multi-modal brain imaging techniques including functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This new knowledge has the potential to inform public policy and impact the development of novel, personalized, neurobiologically-informed strategies and technologies to support successful cognitive aging.