Princeton University · NeuroscienceThe Dopamine Dynamics Lab
Ilana Witten · Princeton, New Jersey
Research Focus
Dr. Ilana Witten's research focuses on understanding why people behave differently in similar situations, a question that intersects both nature and nurture. By studying dopamine neurons in the brain, her lab investigates how individual differences arise from unique reward associations that each person develops in response to their environment. This research could enhance our understanding of neuropsychiatric diseases, which often manifest through these variations in behavior.
dopamineindividual differencesbehaviorreward predictionreinforcement learning
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how dopamine neurons influence behavior through reward prediction.
AIM 02Explore how individual differences in initial conditions affect behavior and decision-making.
AIM 03Develop models to explain variations in reward associations among individuals.
AIM 04Examine the role of positive feedback in amplifying small differences in behavior.
Skills the Lab Values
dopamine neuron recordingbehavioral assaysreinforcement learning modelingdata analysisexperimental design
Output against the department
Publications121bottom 42% of dept.388th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations9.8ktop 41% of dept.276th 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.