→ Emerging line: Neural mechanisms of Behavior

Lines of investigation

Understanding the decision-making process is essential to describing how humans and other animals interact with their environment and tackle daily challenges. This knowledge has significant implications various fields, including psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and artificial intelligence.

Our research aims to unravel the neural mechanisms that underlie decision making, with the goal of gaining an in-depth understanding of the brain networks regulating this critical process . We focus on how different brain regions interact to shape our choices, while exploring the structure and function of these neural circuits. To achieve this, we employ a multidisciplinary approach that combines experimental and theoretical techniques, including electrophysiological recordings, behavioral testing in animal and human models, and computational modeling. Additionally, we examine how the interaction between brain and body, particularly motor aspects, influences decision-making.

This comprehensive approach not only advances our fundamental understanding of decision-making mechanisms but also provides valuable insights for future applications in research and clinical practice.

Representative Publications

Influence of temporal information gaps on decision making: describing the dynamics of working memory. Sospedra A, Canals S, Marcos E. bioRxiv. 2024 in press https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.17.603868
Alcohol-induced damage to the fimbria/fornix reduces hippocampal-prefrontal cortex connection during early abstinence. Pérez-Cervera L, De Santis S, Marcos E, Ghorbanzad-Ghaziany Z, Trouvé-Carpena A, Kotb Selim M, Pérez-Ramírez U, Pfarr S, Bach P, Halli P, Kiefer F, Moratal D, Kirsch P, Sommer W.H & Canals S. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2023 11, art. nº 101 ( junio 2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-023-01597-8
Nootropic effects of LSD: Behavioral, molecular and computational evidence. Ornelas, I.M., Cini, F.A., Wießner, I., Marcos, E., Araújo, D.B., Goto-Silva, L., Nascimento, J., Silva, S.R.B., Costa, M.N., Falchi, M., Olivieri, R., Palhano-Fontes, F., Sequerra, E., Martins-de-Souza, D., Feilding, A., Rennó-Costa, C., Tófoli, L.F., Rehen, S.K., Ribeiro, S. Exp Neurol. 2022 356: art. 114148 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114148
The importance of urgency in decision making based on dynamic information Ferrucci L, Genovesio A, Marcos E PLoS Comput Biol 2021 17(10):e1009455 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009455
Low-dimensional dynamics for working memory and time encoding Cueva CJ, Saez A, Marcos E, Genovesio A, Jazayeri M, Romo R, Salzman CD, Shadlen MN, Fusi S Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2020 117(37):23021 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915984117
Autocorrelation structure in the macaque dorsolateral, but not orbital or polar, prefrontal cortex predicts response-coding strength in a visually cued strategy task. Fascianelli V, Tsujimoto S, Marcos E, Genovesio A. Cerebral Cortex. 2019 29(1): 230-241 https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhx321
A network activity reconfiguration underlies the transition from goal to action. Marcos E*, Tsujimoto S, Mattia M, Genovesio A. Cell Reports. 2019 27(10): 2909-2920 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.021
Coding of Self and Other’s Future Choices in Dorsal Premotor Cortex during Social Interaction. Cirillo R, Ferrucci L, Marcos E, Ferraina S, Genovesio A. Cell Reports. 2018 25(7): 1679-1686 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2018.07.030
Outcome modulation across tasks in the primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Marcos E, Nougaret S, Tsujimoto S, Genovesio A. Neuroscience. 2018 371: 96-105 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.11.019
Interference between space and time estimations: From behavior to neurons. Marcos E, Genovesio A. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2017 11:631 https://doi.org/0.3389/fnins.2017.00631

Tenure-Track Scientist

Encarni Marcos Sanmartín Investigador Ramón y Cajal

Predoctoral Researcher

Miguel Omar Belhouk Herrero

Technical personnel

Julia Chena González

Influence of temporal information gaps on decision making: describing the dynamics of working memory. Sospedra A, Canals S, Marcos E. bioRxiv. 2024 in press https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.17.603868
Alcohol-induced damage to the fimbria/fornix reduces hippocampal-prefrontal cortex connection during early abstinence. Pérez-Cervera L, De Santis S, Marcos E, Ghorbanzad-Ghaziany Z, Trouvé-Carpena A, Kotb Selim M, Pérez-Ramírez U, Pfarr S, Bach P, Halli P, Kiefer F, Moratal D, Kirsch P, Sommer W.H & Canals S. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2023 11, art. nº 101 ( junio 2023) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-023-01597-8
Nootropic effects of LSD: Behavioral, molecular and computational evidence. Ornelas, I.M., Cini, F.A., Wießner, I., Marcos, E., Araújo, D.B., Goto-Silva, L., Nascimento, J., Silva, S.R.B., Costa, M.N., Falchi, M., Olivieri, R., Palhano-Fontes, F., Sequerra, E., Martins-de-Souza, D., Feilding, A., Rennó-Costa, C., Tófoli, L.F., Rehen, S.K., Ribeiro, S. Exp Neurol. 2022 356: art. 114148 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114148
The importance of urgency in decision making based on dynamic information Ferrucci L, Genovesio A, Marcos E PLoS Comput Biol 2021 17(10):e1009455 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009455
Low-dimensional dynamics for working memory and time encoding Cueva CJ, Saez A, Marcos E, Genovesio A, Jazayeri M, Romo R, Salzman CD, Shadlen MN, Fusi S Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2020 117(37):23021 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915984117
Autocorrelation structure in the macaque dorsolateral, but not orbital or polar, prefrontal cortex predicts response-coding strength in a visually cued strategy task. Fascianelli V, Tsujimoto S, Marcos E, Genovesio A. Cerebral Cortex. 2019 29(1): 230-241 https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhx321
A network activity reconfiguration underlies the transition from goal to action. Marcos E*, Tsujimoto S, Mattia M, Genovesio A. Cell Reports. 2019 27(10): 2909-2920 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.021
Coding of Self and Other’s Future Choices in Dorsal Premotor Cortex during Social Interaction. Cirillo R, Ferrucci L, Marcos E, Ferraina S, Genovesio A. Cell Reports. 2018 25(7): 1679-1686 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2018.07.030
Outcome modulation across tasks in the primate dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Marcos E, Nougaret S, Tsujimoto S, Genovesio A. Neuroscience. 2018 371: 96-105 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.11.019
Interference between space and time estimations: From behavior to neurons. Marcos E, Genovesio A. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2017 11:631 https://doi.org/0.3389/fnins.2017.00631
Event- and time-dependent decline of outcome information in the primate prefrontal cortex. Marcos E, Tsujimoto S, Genovesio A. Scientific Reports. 2016 6 :25622 https://doi.org/10.1038/srep25622
Evidence against perfect integration of sensory information during perceptual decision making. Carland MA, Marcos E, Thura D, Cisek P. Journal of Neurophysiology. 2016 115(2): 915-930 https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00264.2015
Motor cost influences perceptual decisions. Marcos E, Cos I, Girard B, Verschure PFMJ. PloS ONE. 2015 10(12): e0144841 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144841
An embodied biologically constrained model of foraging: from classical and operant conditioning to adaptive real-world behavior in DAC-X. Maffei G, Santos-Pata D, Marcos E, Sánchez-Fibla M, Verschure PFMJ. Neural Networks. 2015 72: 88-108 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neunet.2015.10.004
Neural variability in premotor cortex is modulated by trial history and predicts behavioral performance. Marcos E, Pani P, Brunamonti E, Deco G, Ferraina S, Verschure P. Neuron. 2013 78(2): 249-255 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.02.006