Dr. Pessoa uses behavioral and functional MRI methods to study cognition and emotion (as manipulated, for instance, via the threat of shock), with an emphasis on the interactions between cognitive and emotional brain systems. He also studies interactions between cognition and motivation (as manipulated, for instance, via cash reward). An additional focus of his research centers on the development of statistical and computational tools for the analysis of fMRI data, particularly methods to link moment-to-moment fluctuations in behavior to single-trial brain responses.