D. Hernaus, PhD

Dr Dennis Hernaus is an Associate Professor at the Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHENS) Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University. A central aim of his research is to develop mechanistic explanations of the distributed neural and neurochemical systems that give rise to motivation and goal-directed behaviour, and how their disruption results in impaired motivation in conditions like depression and schizophrenia.

To address these questions, Hernaus relies on an integration of behavioural experiments, psychopharmacology, computational models and neuroimaging methods. His research spans fundamental neuroscience and clinical populations, with the broader goal of developing theories that bridge basic psychological processes and psychiatric illness.

In addition to his research, Dr Hernaus plays leading roles in several international collaborative initiatives, such as the ECNP Experimental Medicine Network and ENIGMA-CHR Working Group, and he currently co-directs Maastricht University's Centre for Integrative Neuroscience.