Research

GREGORY BERNS M.D. / Ph.D.

"My research is aimed at understanding the neurobiological basis for individual preferences and how neurobiology places constraints on the decisions that people and animals make. To achieve this goal, we use functional MRI to measure the activity in key parts of the brain involved in decision making. For example, we have used this activity to predict the commercial success of popular songs – the first prospective demonstration in neuromarketing. These results have found application in understanding common stock investing errors, and more recently, in the stock market’s reaction to earnings announcements. We have also studied decision-making over “sacred values” in the brain and its implications for terrorism.

We also use fMRI to study canine cognitive function in awake, unrestrained dogs. The goals of these projects are to non-invasively map the perceptual and decision systems of the dog's brain and to predict likelihood of success in service dogs."

The Dog Project

As the renowned study that served as the basis of New York Times Bestseller How Dogs Love Us, the "Dog Project" has pioneered the way we understand the mind of man's best friend. Explore the very first study to introduce fully awake, unrestrained dogs into the world of fMRI.

LEARN MORE

Animal Welfare

Peek into the ongoing exploration into the way we treat the wildlife that surrounds us. In an adventure through history and the present, Dr.Berns seeks to improve our relationship with animals all over the world - and to understand what is really happening as they disappear.

LEARN MORE

Decision-Making

To gain a greater understanding of the choices we make, Dr.Berns studied the human decision-making process on a cognitive level. The result was a unique, thorough study that gave fundamental insight into the way we develop the decisions that make up our lives.

LEARN MORE

Music

Why is that we love music the way we do, and what makes some music so special? The answers are in the brain. Learn about music from a cognitive perspective in this study that analyzed how we respond the rhythm and rhyme - and predicted some of the most popular songs of the 2000s.

LEARN MORE