Algorithmic basis of reward-based decisions in dynamic environment In probabilistic reward foraging task (Fig.1A) animals’ choices tend to reflect the previous rewards, in a way that biases animals’ future choices to options from which they recently received the rewards. In addition to the reward history effects, curiously animals choices also depend on the previous choices, phenomenon that is not easily explained by the current computational models (Fig.1B). We are formulating normative accounts of why choice history effects should persist in animals. The insight into this phenomenon may give

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Anjali Patel, a second-year medical student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, has been selected for the 2025 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship by the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. The nationally competitive award supports medical students conducting original research in areas that advance clinical medicine and patient care. Patel’s project explores a novel approach to enhancing the effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cells in treating solid tumors. Her research aims to prevent immune suppression in the tumor environment by blocking

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Anjali Patel, a second-year medical student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, has been selected for the 2025 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship by the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. The nationally competitive award supports medical students conducting original research in areas that advance clinical medicine and patient care. Patel’s project explores a novel approach to enhancing the effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cells in treating solid tumors. Her research aims to prevent immune suppression in the tumor environment by blocking

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Anjali Patel, a second-year medical student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, has been selected for the 2025 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship by the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. The nationally competitive award supports medical students conducting original research in areas that advance clinical medicine and patient care. Patel’s project explores a novel approach to enhancing the effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cells in treating solid tumors. Her research aims to prevent immune suppression in the tumor environment by blocking

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Anjali Patel, a second-year medical student at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, has been selected for the 2025 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship by the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. The nationally competitive award supports medical students conducting original research in areas that advance clinical medicine and patient care. Patel’s project explores a novel approach to enhancing the effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cells in treating solid tumors. Her research aims to prevent immune suppression in the tumor environment by blocking

The Department of Pharmacology at SIU School of Medicine held its 2025 Awards, celebrating the dedication and scientific achievements of its students and researchers. The annual event highlighted their contributions, which are crucial to maintaining SIU's status as an R1 Top-tier Research University . Despite current challenges in the national research landscape, Shelley Tischkau, PhD , chair and professor of pharmacology, reaffirmed SIU’s commitment to rigorous, meaningful science. “Researchers are often expected to work faster, publish more and justify every decision,” she said. “But we

The Department of Pharmacology at SIU School of Medicine held its 2025 Awards, celebrating the dedication and scientific achievements of its students and researchers. The annual event highlighted their contributions, which are crucial to maintaining SIU's status as an R1 Top-tier Research University . Despite current challenges in the national research landscape, Shelley Tischkau, PhD , chair and professor of pharmacology, reaffirmed SIU’s commitment to rigorous, meaningful science. “Researchers are often expected to work faster, publish more and justify every decision,” she said. “But we

The Department of Pharmacology at SIU School of Medicine held its 2025 Awards, celebrating the dedication and scientific achievements of its students and researchers. The annual event highlighted their contributions, which are crucial to maintaining SIU's status as an R1 Top-tier Research University . Despite current challenges in the national research landscape, Shelley Tischkau, PhD , chair and professor of pharmacology, reaffirmed SIU’s commitment to rigorous, meaningful science. “Researchers are often expected to work faster, publish more and justify every decision,” she said. “But we

A new microscope at SIU School of Medicine can quickly make the invisible visible. The THUNDER Imager TM , a highly advanced technology now in use at SIU’s Core Research Facilities, lets scientists capture vivid 3D images of cells, tissues and organs in seconds. The new capability opens the door to faster medical discoveries and groundbreaking visuals. Scientists say the THUNDER Imager TM could accelerate progress in areas like cancer, hearing loss and Alzheimer’s disease by helping scientists understand the body at the molecular level. SIU’s facility is now one of the few in downstate