Scott A Huettel, Associate Professor

Associate Professor
Ph.D., Duke University, 1999
mailing address: B243-E LSRC Box 90999, Duke University Durham, NC 27708
office: B243E LSRC
email:
phone: (919) 681-9527

research interests | publications | courses | lab web site | curriculum vita

Research Summary:
 Research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the brain mechanisms underlying executive control, with particular emphasis on systems responsible for economic and social decision making. We use functional magnetic resonance imaging to probe changes in brain activation associated with decision making, integrating fMRI activation measures with behavioral and psychometric data. Because economic and social decisions are common in many game settings, many of our experiments use paradigms adapted from gambling, such as poker or slot machines. An underlying neural theme throughout our work is to understand the functions supported by prefrontal cortex: in what ways do different prefrontal regions contribute to an individual decision? Ongoing studies evaluate whether there are distinct forms of uncertainty whose resolution is mediated by different brain systems; how certainty, risk, and ambiguity differentially influence decision processes; and how changes in the probability of events influence brain systems for decision making. Collectively, these studies fall under the emerging field of "neuroeconomics".

Representative Publications:   (More Publications)

  1. S.A. Huettel, Allen W. Song, Gregory McCarthy (January, 2009). Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2nd Edition.. Sinauer Associates. [detail.php]
  2. Venkatraman, V., Payne, J.W., Bettman, J.R., Luce, M.F., & Huettel, S.A. l (2009). Separate neural mechanisms underlie choices and strategic preferences in risky decision making. Neuron.
  3. ML Platt, SA Huettel (2008). Risky business: the neuroeconomics of decision making under uncertainty.. Nature neuroscience, United States, 11(4), 398-403.  [abs]
  4. BJ Weber, SA Huettel (2008). The neural substrates of probabilistic and intertemporal decision making.. Brain research.  [abs]
  5. JP Goyer, MG Woldorff, SA Huettel (2008). Rapid Electrophysiological Brain Responses are Influenced by Both Valence and Magnitude of Monetary Rewards.. Journal of cognitive neuroscience.  [abs]
  6. DJ Madden, J Spaniol, MC Costello, B Bucur, LE White, R Cabeza, SW Davis, NA Dennis, JM Provenzale, SA Huettel (2008). Cerebral White Matter Integrity Mediates Adult Age Differences in Cognitive Performance.. Journal of cognitive neuroscience.  [abs]
  7. D Tankersley, CJ Stowe, SA Huettel (2007). Altruism is associated with an increased neural response to agency.. Nature neuroscience, United States, 10(2), 150-1.  [abs]
  8. SA Huettel (2006). Behavioral, but not reward, risk modulates activation of prefrontal, parietal, and insular cortices.. Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience, United States, 6(2), 141-51.  [abs]
  9. SA Huettel, CJ Stowe, EM Gordon, BT Warner, ML Platt (2006). Neural signatures of economic preferences for risk and ambiguity.. Neuron, United States, 49(5), 765-75.  [abs]
  10. SA Huettel, AW Song, G McCarthy (2005). Decisions under uncertainty: probabilistic context influences activation of prefrontal and parietal cortices.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, United States, 25(13), 3304-11.  [abs]

Lab Personnel: 
McKell Carter, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Fellow)
O'Dhaniel Mullette-Gillman, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Richard Yaxley, Ph.D (Postdoctoral Fellow, w/Michael DeBellis)
Steven Stanton, Ph.D (Postdoctoral Fellow, w/Kevin LaBar)
Chris Coutlee (Graduate Student, Psychology & Neuroscience)
John Clithero (Graduate Student, Economics)
David V. Smith (Graduate Student, Psychology & Neuroscience)
Vinod Venkatraman (Graduate Student, Psychology & Neuroscience)
Brandi Newell (Research Assistant)
Allison Scott (Research Assistant)
Adrienne Taren (Research Assistant)

Courses (Fall 2009):

  • Neurobio 95fcs.01, Neuroeconomics
    Perkins 2-070, TuTh 10:05 AM-11:20 AM