Russell Dougherty

My research focuses on identifying the neural mechanisms of cognitive and motor deficits in Parkinson's disease and developing novel systems for tracking animal behavior using machine-learning. I am interested in applying frameworks and analysis methods from the fields of animal learning theory, behavioral neuroscience, and artificial intelligence to gain a deeper understanding of the processes underlying pathological decision-making and motor behavior.

Research Interests:

• Understanding the neural computations underlying learning and decision-making and how these processes are disrupted in Parkinson's Disease.
• Identifying cognitive and neural mechanisms for planning of sequentially organized behaviors.
• Developing novel technology for automated tracking and segmenting of behavior in freely moving animals using thermal imaging and deep-learning systems.
• Integrating neuroscience methods such as in vivo electrophysiology with machine-learning tools for tracking behavior and computational modeling of decision-making.  

Selected Publications:

• Dougherty, R., Thrailkill, E. A., Mohammed, Z., VonDoepp, S., Hilton-Vanosdall, E., Charette, S., Van Horn, S., Quirk, A., Kraus, A., & Toufexis, D. J. (2024). Acute stress facilitates habitual behavior in female rats. Physiology & Behavior, 275, 114456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114456
• VonDoepp, S., Mohammed, Z., Dougherty, R., Hilton-Vanosdall, E., Charette, S., Kraus, A., Van Horn, S., Quirk, A., & Toufexis, D. (2024). Levonorgestrel maintains goal-directed behavior in habit-trained intact female rats. Hormones and Behavior, 158, 105468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105468 

Updated: 10/29/24