What
determines
where
to
move
the
eyes?
We
recently
showed
that
pupil
size,
a
well-established
marker
of
effort,
also
reflects
effort
associated
with
making
saccade
(‘saccade
costs’).
Here,
we
demonstrate
costs
critically
drive
selection:
when
choosing
between
any
two
directions,
least
costly
direction
was
consistently
preferred.
Strikingly,
this
principle
even
held
during
search
in
natural
scenes
additional
experiments.
When
increasing
cognitive
demand
experimentally
through
an
auditory
counting
task,
participants
made
fewer
saccades
and
especially
cut
directions.
This
suggests
eye-movement
system
other
operations
consume
similar
resources
are
flexibly
allocated
among
each
as
changes.
Together,
argue
behavior
is
tuned
adaptively
minimize
saccade-inherent
effort.
Journal of Neuroscience,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown, P. e1176232024 - e1176232024
Published: March 21, 2024
Deciding
on
a
course
of
action
requires
both
an
accurate
estimation
option
values
and
the
right
amount
effort
invested
in
deliberation
to
reach
sufficient
confidence
final
choice.
In
previous
study,
we
have
provided
evidence,
across
series
judgment
choice
tasks,
for
dissociation
between
ventromedial
prefrontal
cortex
(vmPFC),
which
would
represent
values,
dorsomedial
(dmPFC),
duration
deliberation.
Here,
first
replicate
this
extend
it
case
instrumental
learning
task,
24
human
volunteers
(13
women)
choose
options
associated
with
probabilistic
gains
losses.
According
fMRI
data
recorded
during
decision-making,
vmPFC
activity
reflects
sum
generated
by
reinforcement
model
dmPFC
time.
To
further
generalize
role
mobilizing
effort,
then
analyze
same
participants
while
they
prepare
perform
motor
cognitive
tasks
(squeezing
handgrip
or
making
numerical
comparisons)
maximize
minimize
cases,
is
output
regulation
model,
not
response
Taken
together,
these
results
strengthen
general
theory
behavioral
control
that
implicates
energization
relevant
processes.
PLoS Computational Biology,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
20(4), P. e1012060 - e1012060
Published: April 29, 2024
Some
aspects
of
cognition
are
more
taxing
than
others.
Accordingly,
many
people
will
avoid
cognitively
demanding
tasks
in
favor
simpler
alternatives.
Which
components
these
costly,
and
how
much,
remains
unknown.
Here,
we
use
a
novel
task
design
which
subjects
request
wages
for
completing
cognitive
computational
modeling
procedure
that
decomposes
their
into
the
costs
driving
them.
Using
working
memory
as
test
case,
our
approach
revealed
gating
new
information
protecting
against
interference
costly.
Critically,
other
factors,
like
load,
appeared
less
Other
key
factors
may
drive
effort
costs,
such
error
avoidance,
had
minimal
influence
on
wage
requests.
Our
is
sensitive
to
individual
differences,
could
be
used
psychiatric
populations
understand
true
underlying
nature
apparent
deficits.
International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
19(10), P. 1158 - 1166
Published: Aug. 9, 2024
The
literature
describing
the
effects
of
mental
fatigue
(MF)
has
grown
tremendously.
This
is
accompanied
by
identification
a
host
performance-determining
parameters
affected
MF.
MF
results
from
prolonged
cognitive
effort
and
predominantly
affects
physical,
technical,
tactical,
perceptual-cognitive
dimensions
sport,
while
physiological
(eg,
heart
rate,
lactate)
physical
aspects
maximal
supramaximal
efforts
are
unaffected.
aim
this
paper
was
to
provide
an
overview
described
in
as
influenced
By
identifying
different
parameters,
we
not
only
see
how
they
affect
performance
athletes
but
also
raise
concerns
about
potentially
increased
injury
risk
due
Preliminary
evidence
suggests
that
subsequent
disturbances
balance,
motor
skills,
decision-making
processes
could
increase
vulnerability
injury.
An
abundance
lab-based
studies
looked
into
on
performance;
however,
many
questions
remain
mechanisms
origin
neurophysiological
causes
MF,
small
steps
have
been
taken
translate
knowledge
practice.
Thus,
there
need
for
more
research
underlying
role
brain,
well
applied
with
high
ecological
validity
takes
account
potential
The Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
64(1), P. 313 - 338
Published: Aug. 16, 2023
Apathy
is
a
disabling
syndrome
associated
with
poor
functional
outcomes
that
common
across
broad
range
of
neurological
and
psychiatric
conditions.
Currently,
there
are
no
established
therapies
specifically
for
the
condition,
safe
effective
treatments
urgently
needed.
Advances
in
understanding
motivation
goal-directed
behavior
humans
animals
have
shed
light
on
cognitive
neurobiological
mechanisms
contributing
to
apathy,
providing
an
important
foundation
development
new
treatments.
Here,
we
review
components,
neural
circuitry,
pharmacology
apathy
motivation,
highlighting
converging
evidence
shared
transdiagnostic
mechanisms.
Though
pharmacological
yet
been
licensed,
summarize
trials
existing
novel
compounds
date,
identifying
several
promising
candidates
clinical
use
avenues
future
drug
development.
Expert Review of Clinical Immunology,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
20(5), P. 485 - 499
Published: Jan. 15, 2024
Introduction
Fatigue
and
malaise
are
commonly
associated
with
a
wide
range
of
medical
conditions,
including
rheumatoid
arthritis
(RA).
Evidence
suggests
that
fatigue
can
be
overwhelming
for
patients,
yet
these
symptoms
remain
inadequately-managed,
largely
due
to
an
incomplete
elucidation
the
underlying
causes.
Journal of Experimental Psychology General,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
153(5), P. 1257 - 1267
Published: March 7, 2024
The
now-classic
goal-gradient
hypothesis
posits
that
organisms
increase
effort
expenditure
as
a
function
of
their
proximity
to
goal.
Despite
nearly
century
having
passed
since
its
original
formulation,
goal-gradient-like
behavior
in
human
cognitive
performance
remains
poorly
understood:
Are
we
more
willing
engage
costly
processing
when
are
near,
versus
far,
from
goal
state?
Moreover,
the
computational
mechanisms
underpinning
these
potential
effects-for
example,
whether
affects
fidelity
stimulus
encoding,
response
caution,
or
other
identifiable
governing
speed
and
accuracy-are
unclear.
Here,
two
experiments,
examine
effect
proximity,
operationalized
progress
toward
completion
rewarded
task
block,
upon
an
attentionally
demanding
oddball
task.
Supporting
hypothesis,
found
participants
responded
quickly,
but
not
less
accurately,
rewards
were
proximal
than
they
distal.
Critically,
this
was
only
observed
given
information
about
proximity.
Using
hierarchical
drift
diffusion
modeling,
apparent
effects
best
explained
by
collapsing
bound
model,
which
reduced
caution
increased
processing.
Taken
together,
results
suggest
gradients
could
help
explain
oft-observed
fluctuations
engagement
cognitively
effortful
processing,
extending
scope
domain
tasks.
(PsycInfo
Database
Record
(c)
2024
APA,
all
rights
reserved).
Nature Communications,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
15(1)
Published: June 5, 2024
Abstract
Staying
engaged
is
necessary
to
maintain
goal-directed
behaviors.
Despite
this,
engagement
exhibits
continuous,
intrinsic
fluctuations.
Even
in
experimental
settings,
animals,
unlike
most
humans,
repeatedly
and
spontaneously
move
between
periods
of
complete
task
disengagement.
We,
therefore,
looked
at
behavior
male
macaques
(
macaca
mulatta)
four
tasks
while
recording
fMRI
signals.
We
identified
consistent
autocorrelation
This
made
it
possible
build
models
capturing
task-independent
engagement.
general
patterns
neural
activity
linked
impending
sudden
disengagement
mid-cingulate
gyrus.
By
contrast,
centered
perigenual
anterior
cingulate
cortex
(pgACC)
was
associated
with
maintenance
performance
across
tasks.
Importantly,
we
carefully
controlled
for
task-specific
factors
such
as
the
reward
history
other
motivational
effects,
response
vigor,
our
analyses.
Moreover,
showed
pgACC
had
a
causal
link
engagement:
transcranial
ultrasound
stimulation
changed
patterns.
Language Cognition and Neuroscience,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown, P. 1 - 19
Published: Jan. 6, 2025
This
event-related
potentials
study
focussed
on
whether
extensive
practice
of
inhibitory
control
in
a
conflict
task
affects
semantic
processing/decisions
subsequent
language
task.
Participants
took
part
two
40-min
sessions
the
Simon
with
either
low
or
high
demands,
each
followed
by
relatedness
judgement
strongly
related,
weakly
and
unrelated
word
pairs.
The
N400
was
unaffected
demands
preceding
However,
late
frontal
positivity
for
related
pairs
enhanced
relative
to
other
conditions
only
after
task,
indicating
difference
inhibition
expected
words
between
sessions.
suggests
that
mechanisms
underlying
facilitation
operate
at
decision
stage
these
can
be
modulated
non-linguistic
