Dr. Neir Eshel

“Rewiring the brain’s effort and motivation circuits to turn exhaustion into energy—offering fresh treatment paths for depression.”

Everyday tasks can feel exhausting for people with depression, even when they previously enjoyed challenging activities. Dr. Eshel’s research examines how the brain assigns value to effort and why this system can fail in depression. His lab discovered that dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens increases with effort expenditure—regardless of reward—producing a “sunk cost” signal that helps sustain motivation. This project will map the brain circuits generating and responding to this effort signal, focusing on how dopamine, acetylcholine, and two major types of striatal neurons work together to drive persistence. Using mouse models of depression in which chronic stress reduces motivation, his team will investigate how these circuits are altered and test strategies to restore healthy effort signaling. The findings could guide the development of medications or brain stimulation approaches that transform effort from depleting to energizing, offering new hope for individuals struggling with depression.

Neir Eshel’s BioNeir Eshel, MD, PhD, is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he conducts research on the neural circuits underlying reward processing, decision-making, motivation, and social behavior. His lab uses optogenetics, electrophysiology, neuroimaging, and behavioral approaches to investigate how brain systems assign value to effort and how these processes break down in conditions like depression. His work is funded by the NIH, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and Simons Foundation, and has appeared in top journals including Nature, Science, and Neuron. A recipient of honors such as the Marshall Scholarship, NIMH Outstanding Resident Award, and the Science & SciLifeLab Grand Prize for Young Scientists, Dr. Eshel is also a committed advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, having chaired Stanford’s LGBTQ+ Benefits Advocacy Committee and served as associate editor of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health. He earned his AB from Princeton University, MSc from University College London, and MD-PhD from Harvard University, followed by psychiatry residency at Stanford.