Rate My Professor Luca Aquili

Luca Aquili served as Lecturer in the School of Psychology within the College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education at Murdoch University from February 2022 to January 2025. He earned his PhD in Experimental Psychology and Behavioural Neuroscience from the University of St Andrews in 2010, with a thesis titled 'Refinement of biologically inspired models of reinforcement learning,' and a BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Northumbria University. Prior to joining Murdoch University, Aquili held lecturing positions at Charles Darwin University and Sheffield Hallam University, as well as postdoctoral research roles at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University and other institutions.

Aquili's research specializations encompass cognitive flexibility, dopaminergic mechanisms, reinforcement learning, and behavioral neuroscience. His investigations explore how dopamine influences learning, fear acquisition, executive function, and antidepressant responses, utilizing techniques such as optogenetics, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and pharmacological manipulations like tyrosine supplementation. Key publications include 'Dietary tyrosine consumption modulates the effects of tDCS over the prefrontal cortex on cognitive flexibility' (Brain Stimulation, 2024); 'Prelimbic cortical stimulation induces antidepressant-like responses through dopaminergic-dependent and -independent mechanisms' (International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2023); 'Learning bias predicts fear acquisition under stress but not cognitive flexibility' (Physiology & Behavior, 2023); 'Routine behaviour, a putative dopamine marker, predicts cognitive flexibility' (Brain Stimulation, 2023); and 'Eyeblink rate, a putative dopamine marker, predicts cognitive flexibility in a touchscreen task' (Brain Stimulation, 2022). With over 900 citations documented on Google Scholar, his work has notably impacted understandings of neuromodulation in cognition and psychopathology.