Read Montague

In 1978 Montague graduated high school from The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1978–1979, Montague studied electrical engineering at Georgia Tech. He then continued his undergraduate education at Auburn University, graduating in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. In 1988, he earned a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. He continued his training with a fellowship in theoretical neurobiology at The Neurosciences Institute at Rockefeller University. After completion of that fellowship, he completed another fellowship in the Computational Neurobiology Lab at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Montague is the director of the [https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/research/research-centers/center-for-human-neuroscience.html Center for Human Neuroscience Research], the Human Neuroimaging Lab, the Human Magnetometry Lab, and the Computational Psychiatry Unit at the [http://research.vtc.vt.edu Fralin Biomedical Research Institute] in Roanoke, Virginia, where he also holds the title of the inaugural Virginia Tech Carilion Vernon Mountcastle Research Professor. Montague is also a professor in the department of physics at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, a professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and holds an appointment as Honorary Professor at The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London.

From 2011-2018, Montague was a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at The Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London. Before moving to the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Montague was the Brown Foundation Professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, founding director of the Human Neuroimaging Lab, and founding director in 2006 of the Computational Psychiatry Unit. He was also a professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine.

Montague’s work has long focused on computational neuroscience – the connection between physical mechanisms present in real neural tissue and the computational functions that these mechanisms embody. His early theoretical work focused on the hypothesis that dopaminergic systems encode a particular kind of computational process, a reward prediction error signal, similar to those used in areas of artificial intelligence like optimal control. This work, carried out in collaboration with Peter Dayan and Terry Sejnowski, focused on prediction as a guiding concept in terms of synaptic learning rules that would underlie learning,{{Cite journal|last1=Montague|first1=PR|last2=Dayan|first2=P|last3=Nowlan|first3=SJ|last4=Pouget|first4=A|last5=Sejnowski|first5=TJ|date=1993|title=Using Aperiodic Reinforcement for Directed Self-Organization During Development|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/MontagueDayan1993.pdf|journal=Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems|volume=5|pages=969–976}}{{Cite book|last1=Montague|first1=PR|last2=Dayan|first2=P|last3=Sejnowski|first3=TJ|date=1994a|title=Foraging in an Uncertain Environment Using Predictive Hebbian Learning|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/MontagueDayanSejnowski1994.pdf|volume=6|pages=598–605}}{{Cite journal|last1=Montague|first1=PR|last2=Sejnowski|first2=TJ.|date=1994b|title=The predictive brain: Temporal coincidence and temporal order in synaptic learning mechanisms|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/Predictive_Brain_Montague_Senjnowski_1994.pdf|journal=Learning and Memory|volume=1|issue=1|pages=1–33|doi=10.1101/lm.1.1.1 |pmid=10467583|s2cid=44560099 }}{{Cite journal|last1=Montague|first1=PR|last2=Gancayco|first2=CD|last3=Winn|first3=MJ|last4=Marchase|first4=RB|last5=Friedlander|first5=MJ.|date=1994-02-18|title=Role of NO production in NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmitter release in cerebral cortex|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/Montague_et_al_1994_Role_of_NO_production_....pdf|journal=Science|volume=263|issue=5149|pages=973–977|issn=0036-8075|pmid=7508638|doi=10.1126/science.7508638}}{{Cite journal|last1=Montague|first1=PR|last2=Dayan|first2=P|last3=Sejnowski|first3=TJ.|date=1996-03-01|title=A framework for mesencephalic dopamine systems based on predictive Hebbian learning|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/Montgaue1996FrameworkforMesencephalic.pdf|journal=The Journal of Neuroscience|volume=16|issue=5|pages=1936–1947|issn=0270-6474|pmid=8774460|doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.16-05-01936.1996|pmc=6578666|doi-access=free}} valuation,{{Cite journal|last1=Montague|first1=PR|last2=Dayan|first2=P|last3=Person|first3=C|last4=Sejnowski|first4=TJ.|date=1995-10-26|title=Bee foraging in uncertain environments using predictive hebbian learning|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/Montague_et_al_1995_Nature_bee_paper.pdf|journal=Nature|volume=377|issue=6551|pages=725–728|doi=10.1038/377725a0|issn=0028-0836|pmid=7477260|bibcode=1995Natur.377..725M|s2cid=4324169}} and choice.{{Cite journal|last1=Schultz|first1=W|last2=Dayan|first2=P|last3=Montague|first3=PR.|date=1997-03-14|title=A neural substrate of prediction and reward|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/SchultzDayanMontague1997Science.pdf|journal=Science|volume=275|issue=5306|pages=1593–1599|issn=0036-8075|pmid=9054347|doi=10.1126/science.275.5306.1593|citeseerx=10.1.1.133.6176|s2cid=220093382}} This work proposed a modification to the then dominant idea of Hebbian or correlational learning. In particular, it was shown that dopamine neurons and homologous octopaminergic neurons in bees display a reward prediction error signal exactly consonant with the temporal difference error signal familiar from models of conditioning proposed by Sutton and Barto during the 1980s.

In pursuit of testing these prediction error ideas in humans, Montague founded the Human Neuroimaging Lab at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and pursued functional neuroimaging experiments analogous to those used in other model species. This work tested the reward prediction error model in human subjects using simple conditioning experiments directly analogous to those used in rodents and non-human primates.{{Cite journal|last1=Berns|first1=GS|last2=McClure|first2=SM|last3=Pagnoni|first3=G|last4=Montague|first4=PR.|date=2001-04-15|title=Predictability modulates human brain response to reward|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/BernsEtAl2001JNeuroscience.pdf|journal=The Journal of Neuroscience|volume=21|issue=8|pages=2793–2798|issn=1529-2401|pmid=11306631|doi=10.1523/JNEUROSCI.21-08-02793.2001|pmc=6762527|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|last1=Montague|first1=PR|last2=Berns|first2=GS.|date=2002-10-10|title=Neural economics and the biological substrates of valuation|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/MontagueBerns2002Neuron.pdf|journal=Neuron|volume=36|issue=2|pages=265–284|issn=0896-6273|pmid=12383781|doi=10.1016/s0896-6273(02)00974-1|s2cid=1814617}}{{Cite journal|last1=McClure|first1=SM|last2=Daw|first2=ND|last3=Montague|first3=PR.|date=2003-08-01|title=A computational substrate for incentive salience|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/McClureDawMontague2003.pdf|journal=Trends in Neurosciences|volume=26|issue=8|pages=423–428|issn=0166-2236|pmid=12900173|doi=10.1016/s0166-2236(03)00177-2|s2cid=11701048}}{{Cite journal|last1=McClure|first1=SM|last2=Berns|first2=GS|last3=Montague|first3=PR.|date=2003-04-24|title=Temporal prediction errors in a passive learning task activate human striatum|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/McClureBernsMontague2003.pdf|journal=Neuron|volume=38|issue=2|pages=339–346|issn=0896-6273|pmid=12718866|doi=10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00154-5|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/Principles_of_pleasure_prediction_Braver_and_Brown_2003_CBeiJuE.pdf|title=Principles of Pleasure Prediction: Specifying the Neural Dynamics of Human Reward Learning|last1=Braver|first1= TS |last2=Brown|first2=JW.|doi=10.1016/S0896-6273(03)00230-7 |language=en|access-date=2003-04-24|volume=38|issue=2|journal=Neuron|year=2003 |pages=150–152|pmid=12718849|doi-access=free}} His group then tested the reward prediction error idea during an abstract task of social exchange between two interacting humans{{Cite journal|last1=King-Casas|first1=BB|last2=Tomlin|first2=D|last3=Anen|first3=C|last4=Camerer|first4=CF|last5=Quartz|first5=SR|last6=Montague|first6=PR.|date=2005-04-01|title=Getting to Know You: Reputation and Trust in a Two-Person Economic Exchange|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/78.full.pdf|journal=Science|language=en|volume=308|issue=5718|pages=78–83|doi=10.1126/science.1108062|issn=0036-8075|pmid=15802598|bibcode=2005Sci...308...78K|s2cid=8068031}} and showed striatal BOLD signals that changed their timing consistent with a prediction error signal, but in the context of a social exchange. They also tested the idea of cultural brand identity and its impact on reward prediction error signals.{{Cite journal|last1=McClure|first1=SM|last2=Li|first2=J|last3=Tomlin|first3=D|last4=Cypert|first4=KS|last5=Montague|first5=LM|last6=Montague|first6=PR.|date=2004-10-14|title=Neural correlates of behavioral preference for culturally familiar drinks|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/McClureLi2004.pdf|journal=Neuron|volume=44|issue=2|pages=379–387|doi=10.1016/j.neuron.2004.09.019|issn=0896-6273|pmid=15473974|doi-access=free}} With Brooks King-Casas and colleagues, Montague later applied the same social exchange approach in participants with Autism {{Cite journal |last1=Koshelev |first1=M |last2=Lohrenz |first2=T |last3=Vannucci |first3=M |author3-link=Marina Vannucci |last4=Montague |first4=PR. |date=2010-10-21 |title=Biosensor approach to psychopathology classification |url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/pcbi.1000966.pdf |journal=PLOS Computational Biology |volume=6 |issue=10 |pages=e1000966 |bibcode=2010PLSCB...6E0966K |doi=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000966 |issn=1553-7358 |pmc=2958801 |pmid=20975934 |doi-access=free}} Borderline Personality Disorder.{{Cite journal|last1=King-Casas|first1=B|last2=Sharp|first2=C|last3=Lomax-Bream|first3=L|last4=Lohrenz|first4=T|last5=Fonagy|first5=P|last6=Montague|first6=PR.|date=2008-08-08|title=The Rupture and Repair of Cooperation in Borderline Personality Disorder|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/806.full.pdf|journal=Science|language=en|volume=321|issue=5890|pages=806–810|doi=10.1126/science.1156902|issn=0036-8075|pmc=4105006|pmid=18687957|bibcode=2008Sci...321..806K}} These and other papers{{Cite journal|last1=Chiu|first1=PH|last2=Lohrenz|first2=TM|last3=Montague|first3=PR.|date=2008-04-01|title=Smokers' brains compute, but ignore, a fictive error signal in a sequential investment task|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/ChiuEtAl_NN08.pdf|journal=Nature Neuroscience|volume=11|issue=4|pages=514–520|doi=10.1038/nn2067|issn=1097-6256|pmid=18311134|s2cid=205431662}}{{Cite journal|last1=Chiu|first1=PH|last2=Kayali|first2=MA|last3=Kishida|first3=KT|last4=Tomlin|first4=D|last5=Klinger|first5=LG|last6=Klinger|first6=MR|last7=Montague|first7=PR.|date=2008-02-07|title=Self responses along cingulate cortex reveal quantitative neural phenotype for high-functioning autism|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/2008_Chiu_et_al_Self_Responses_along_Cingulate_Cortex.pdf|journal=Neuron|volume=57|issue=3|pages=463–473|doi=10.1016/j.neuron.2007.12.020|issn=0896-6273|pmc=4512741|pmid=18255038}}{{Cite journal|last1=Xiang|first1=T|last2=Ray|first2=D|last3=Lohrenz|first3=T|last4=Dayan|first4=P|last5=Montague|first5=PR.|date=2012-01-01|title=Computational phenotyping of two-person interactions reveals differential neural response to depth-of-thought|url=http://static.vtc.vt.edu/media/documents/pcbi.1002841.pdf|journal=PLOS Computational Biology|volume=8|issue=12|pages=e1002841|doi=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002841|issn=1553-7358|pmc=3531325|pmid=23300423|bibcode=2012PLSCB...8E2841X|doi-access=free}} helped establish the field of computational psychiatry.{{Cite journal |last1=Montague |first1=P. Read |last2=Dolan |first2=Raymond J. |last3=Friston |first3=Karl J. |last4=Dayan |first4=Peter |date=2012 |title=Computational psychiatry |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/ComputationalPsychitary.pdf |journal=Trends in Cognitive Sciences |language=en |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=72–80 |doi=10.1016/j.tics.2011.11.018 |pmc=3556822 |pmid=22177032|hdl=21.11116/0000-0001-A0F0-A }}{{Cite book |last=Montague |first=PR |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/Chapter11.pdf |title=Computational psychiatry: mathematical modeling of mental illness |date=2017 |publisher=Elsevier/AP, Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier |isbn=978-0-12-809825-7 |editor-last=Anticevic |editor-first=Alan |pages=273–292 |chapter=Computational Phenotypes Revealed by Interactive Economic Games |oclc=974698920 |editor-last2=Murray |editor-first2=John D.}}

Montague and colleagues have further investigated the computational nature of dopamine as well as serotonin signals by making the first measurements of sub-second dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline fluctuations in the striatum of conscious human subjects.{{Cite journal |last1=Kishida |first1=Kenneth T. |last2=Sandberg |first2=Stefan G. |last3=Lohrenz |first3=Terry |last4=Comair |first4=Youssef G. |last5=Sáez |first5=Ignacio |last6=Phillips |first6=Paul E. M. |last7=Montague |first7=P. Read |date=2011-08-04 |editor-last=Zars |editor-first=Troy |title=Sub-Second Dopamine Detection in Human Striatum |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/journal.pone.0023291.PDF |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=6 |issue=8 |pages=e23291 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0023291 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3150430 |pmid=21829726|bibcode=2011PLoSO...623291K }}{{Cite journal |last1=Kishida |first1=Kenneth T. |last2=Saez |first2=Ignacio |last3=Lohrenz |first3=Terry |last4=Witcher |first4=Mark R. |last5=Laxton |first5=Adrian W. |last6=Tatter |first6=Stephen B. |last7=White |first7=Jason P. |last8=Ellis |first8=Thomas L. |last9=Phillips |first9=Paul E. M. |last10=Montague |first10=P. Read |date=2016-01-05 |title=Subsecond dopamine fluctuations in human striatum encode superposed error signals about actual and counterfactual reward |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/PNAS-2016-Kishida-200-5.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=113 |issue=1 |pages=200–205 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1513619112 |doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=4711839 |pmid=26598677|bibcode=2016PNAS..113..200K }}{{Cite journal |last1=Moran |first1=Rosalyn J |last2=Kishida |first2=Kenneth T |last3=Lohrenz |first3=Terry |last4=Saez |first4=Ignacio |last5=Laxton |first5=Adrian W |last6=Witcher |first6=Mark R |last7=Tatter |first7=Stephen B |last8=Ellis |first8=Thomas L |last9=Phillips |first9=Paul EM |last10=Dayan |first10=Peter |last11=Montague |first11=P Read |date=2018 |title=The Protective Action Encoding of Serotonin Transients in the Human Brain |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/ProtectiveActionEncoding.pdf |journal=Neuropsychopharmacology |language=en |volume=43 |issue=6 |pages=1425–1435 |doi=10.1038/npp.2017.304 |issn=0893-133X |pmc=5916372 |pmid=29297512}}{{Cite journal |last1=Bang |first1=Dan |last2=Kishida |first2=Kenneth T. |last3=Lohrenz |first3=Terry |last4=White |first4=Jason P. |last5=Laxton |first5=Adrian W. |last6=Tatter |first6=Stephen B. |last7=Fleming |first7=Stephen M. |last8=Montague |first8=P. Read |date=2020 |title=Sub-second Dopamine and Serotonin Signaling in Human Striatum during Perceptual Decision-Making |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/PIIS0896627320307157.pdf |journal=Neuron |language=en |volume=108 |issue=5 |pages=999–1010.e6 |doi=10.1016/j.neuron.2020.09.015 |pmc=7736619 |pmid=33049201}}{{Cite journal |last1=Bang |first1=Dan |last2=Luo |first2=Yi |last3=Barbosa |first3=Leonardo S. |last4=Batten |first4=Seth R. |last5=Hadj-Amar |first5=Beniamino |last6=Twomey |first6=Thomas |last7=Melville |first7=Natalie |last8=White |first8=Jason P. |last9=Torres |first9=Alexis |last10=Celaya |first10=Xavier |last11=Ramaiah |first11=Priya |last12=McClure |first12=Samuel M. |last13=Brewer |first13=Gene A. |last14=Bina |first14=Robert W. |last15=Lohrenz |first15=Terry |date=2023 |title=Noradrenaline tracks emotional modulation of attention in human amygdala |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/5.%20Noradrenaline%20tracks%20emotional.pdf |journal=Current Biology |volume=33 |issue=22 |pages=5003–5010.e6 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.074 |issn=0960-9822 |pmc=10957395 |pmid=37875110}}{{Cite journal |last1=Batten |first1=Seth R. |last2=Bang |first2=Dan |last3=Kopell |first3=Brian H. |last4=Davis |first4=Arianna N. |last5=Heflin |first5=Matthew |last6=Fu |first6=Qixiu |last7=Perl |first7=Ofer |last8=Ziafat |first8=Kimia |last9=Hashemi |first9=Alice |last10=Saez |first10=Ignacio |last11=Barbosa |first11=Leonardo S. |last12=Twomey |first12=Thomas |last13=Lohrenz |first13=Terry |last14=White |first14=Jason P. |last15=Dayan |first15=Peter |date=2024 |title=Dopamine and serotonin in human substantia nigra track social context and value signals during economic exchange |url=https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/content/dam/fbri_vtc_vt_edu/publications/montague-publications/Dopamine%20and%20serotonin%20in%20human%20substantia%20nigra%20track%20social%20context%20and%20value%20signals%20during%20economic%20exchange.pdf |journal=Nature Human Behaviour |language=en |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=718–728 |doi=10.1038/s41562-024-01831-w |pmid=38409356 |pmc=11045309 |issn=2397-3374}}

Montague has written a nonfiction work aimed at lay audiences entitled Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions. The book discusses with (mostly) non-technical language the neuroscience and psychology of decision making.

Montague also gave a TED Global Talk{{Citation|last=Montague|first=Read|title=What we're learning from 5,000 brains|date=24 September 2012 |url=https://www.ted.com/talks/read_montague_what_we_re_learning_from_5_000_brains|language=en|access-date=2021-02-10}} in 2012 where he explained how functional MRI has opened a window on the neural basis of human social interaction and how such approaches may open a window on the neural basis of social disorders. He specifically spoke about how real-time imaging allows researchers to examine the complicated neural underpinnings of human interaction.

• Michael E. DeBakey Excellence in Research Award: 1997, 2005
• Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey: 2005-2006
• Kavli Fellow, 2010 National Academy of Sciences, U.S. - China Frontiers of Science
• Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowship, 2011-2018
• Walter Gilbert Award, Auburn University, 2011
• Network Member, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience
• William R. and Irene D. Miller Lectureship Recipient, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2011-2012
• Dorcas Cummings Memorial Lecture, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2018.

• Your Brain Is (Almost) Perfect: How We Make Decisions. New York: Plume, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-452-28884-3}}, previously published as Why Choose This Book?: How We Make Decisions. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc. {{ISBN|0-525-94982-8}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://research.vtc.vt.edu/employees/read-montague/ Read Montague's faculty profile] at the [http://research.vtc.vt.edu Fralin Biomedical Research Institute]
• [http://brainsciencpodcast.wordpress.com/2007/06/28/brain-science-podcast-15-interview-with-read-montague/ Interview on the Brain Science Podcast, 2007]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Montague, Read}}

Category:American neuroscientists

Category:Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellows

Category:American science writers

Category:1960 births

Category:Living people

Category:Lovett School alumni

Category:Auburn University alumni

Category:University of Alabama at Birmingham alumni

Category:Baylor College of Medicine faculty

Category:Virginia Tech faculty