Control: conscious and otherwise

Suhler, Christopher L.; Churchland, Patricia Smith

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2009.04.010

Cited by 104 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Activation in this "unconscious inhibition network" appeared to be functional, in that this activation correlated with the amount of slowdown of manual responses elicited by strongly masked no-go signals, as if participants attempted to suppress their response but just failed to inhibit it fully. These results demonstrate that inhibitory control functions of the PFC can be triggered unconsciously and thereby extend traditional views that tightly link cognitive control to consciousness (Umilta, 1988;Jacoby, 1991;Merikle et al, 1995;Eimer and Schlaghecken, 2003;Hommel, 2007;Suhler and Churchland, 2009). Further, these results expand the proposed depth of processing of unconscious stimuli in the human brain (Rees et al, 2002;Crick and Koch, 2003;Kouider and Dehaene, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Although some of these might be beneficial, many others probably are not. The (unconscious) suppression of most of these action tendencies probably helps us to avoid many embarrassing or socially inappropriate situations and might be crucial for adaptive goal-directed behavior (Suhler and Churchland, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The recruitment and implementation of such control processes depend strongly on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (Fuster, 2000;Miller, 2000;Ridderinkhof et al, 2004), which is, of all brain regions, also the one most often associated with conscious experience (Rees et al, 2002;Crick and Koch, 2003;Kouider and Dehaene, 2007). Therefore, it seems likely that consciousness and cognitive control are intimately related and this belief is so strong that many authors naturally refer to the concept of "conscious cognitive control" as if "unconscious cognitive control" is inconceivable (for review, see Hommel, 2007; see also Suhler and Churchland, 2009). However, recently we (van Gaal et al, 2008(van Gaal et al, , 2009 and others (Lau and Passingham, 2007) put this long-held assumption to a direct test and provided evidence for the existence of unconsciously triggered cognitive control.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unconscious Activation of the Prefrontal No-Go Network

Gaal¹,

Ridderinkhof²,

Scholte³

et al. 2010

J. Neurosci.

249

199

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Cognitive control processes involving prefrontal cortex allow humans to overrule and inhibit habitual responses to optimize performance in new and challenging situations, and traditional views hold that cognitive control is tightly linked with consciousness. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate to what extent unconscious "no-go" stimuli are capable of reaching cortical areas involved in inhibitory control, particularly the inferior frontal cortex (IFC) and the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). Participants performed a go/no-go task that included conscious (weakly masked) no-go trials, unconscious (strongly masked) no-go trials, as well as go trials. Replicating typical neuroimaging findings, response inhibition on conscious no-go stimuli was associated with a (mostly right-lateralized) frontoparietal "inhibition network." Here, we demonstrate, however, that an unconscious no-go stimulus also can activate prefrontal control networks, most prominently the IFC and the pre-SMA. Moreover, if it does so, it brings about a substantial slowdown in the speed of responding, as if participants attempted to inhibit their response but just failed to withhold it completely. Interestingly, overall activation in this "unconscious inhibition network" correlated positively with the amount of slowdown triggered by unconscious no-go stimuli. In addition, neural differences between conscious and unconscious control are revealed. These results expand our understanding of the limits and depths of unconscious information processing in the human brain and demonstrate that prefrontal cognitive control functions are not exclusively influenced by conscious information.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Unconscious Activation of the Prefrontal No-Go Network

Gaal¹,

Ridderinkhof²,

Scholte³

et al. 2010

J. Neurosci.

249

199

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The prefrontal control network is typically found in tasks requiring executive control, goal maintenance, resolution of working memory interference and response inhibition. [19][20][21][22][23][24] These control mechanisms are typically recruited when external influences are integrated into internalized concepts and goals to achieve coherent behavior. Our results suggest that top-down control mechanisms are important for deliberate regulation of the desire for food using cognitive strategies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural correlates of the volitional regulation of the desire for food

et al. 2011

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Objective: In this study, we investigate the brain mechanisms of the conscious regulation of the desire for food using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Further, we examine associations between hemodynamic responses and participants' cognitive restraint of eating (CRE), as well as their susceptibility to uncontrolled eating. Subjects: Seventeen non-vegetarian, right-handed, female Caucasian participants (age: 20-30 years, mean 25.3 years±3.1 s.d.; BMI: 20.2-31.2 kg m À2 , mean 25.1 ± 3.5 s.d.). Measurements: During scanning, our participants viewed pictures of food items they had pre-rated according to tastiness and healthiness. Participants were either allowed to admit to the desire for the food (ADMIT) or they were instructed to downregulate their desire using a cognitive reappraisal strategy, that is, thinking of negative long-term health-related and social consequences (REGULATE).Results: Comparing the hemodynamic responses of the REGULATE with the ADMIT condition, we observed robust activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the pre-supplementary motor area, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the dorsal striatum (DS), the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the anterior insula and the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). Activation in the DLPFC and the DS strongly correlated with the degree of dietary restraint under both conditions. Conclusion: Cortical activation in the DLPFC, the pre-supplementary motor area and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) are known to underpin top-down control, inhibition of learned associations and pre-potent responses. The observed hemodynamic responses in the lateral OFC, the DS, the anterior insula and the TPJ support the notion of reward valuation and integration, interoceptive awareness, and self-reflection as key processes during active regulation of desire for food. In conclusion, an active reappraisal of unhealthy food recruits the brain's valuation system in combination with prefrontal cognitive control areas associated with response inhibition. The correlations between brain responses and CRE suggest that individuals with increased cognitive restraint show an automatic predisposition to regulate the hedonic aspects of food stimuli. This cognitive control might be necessary to counterbalance a lack of homeostatic mechanisms.

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“…This associative learning process may then lead to increased motivational salience of future cues (in which both positive and negative cues become more motivationally relevant) (Gross, Jarvik, & Rosenblatt, 1993;Laviolette & van der Kooy, 2004;Olausson, Jentsch, & Taylor, 2004;Robinson & Berridge, 2003;Robinson & Berridge, 1993;Robinson & Berridge, 2008;Waters et al, 2003), resulting in what, building on the work of Baker, Curtin and others (Baker et al, 2004;Curtin et al, 2006), for convenience we term the "addictive loop." Through repeated smoking, this addictive loop may become automated or habitual, leading to cue-induced behavior that is largely outside of consciousness, let alone conscious control (Bargh & Chartrand, 1999;Curtin et al, 2006;Miller & Gold, 1994;Suhler & Churchland, 2009;Tiffany & Conklin, 2000).…”

Section: Text Boxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Craving to quit: Psychological models and neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness training as treatment for addictions.

Brewer

Elwafi

Davis

2014

Translational Issues in Psychological Science

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Humans suffer heavily from substance use disorders and other addictions. Despite much effort that has been put into understanding the mechanisms of the addictive process, treatment strategies have remained sub-optimal over the past several decades. Mindfulness training, which is based on ancient Buddhist models of human suffering, has recently shown preliminary efficacy in treating addictions. Interestingly, these early models show remarkable similarity to current models of the addictive process, especially in their overlap with operant conditioning (positive and negative reinforcement). Further, they may provide explanatory power for the mechanisms of mindfulness training, including its effects on core addictive elements, such as craving, and the underlying neurobiological processes that may be active therein. In this review, using smoking as an example, we will highlight similarities between ancient and modern views of the addictive process, review studies of mindfulness training for addictions and their effects on craving and other components of this process, and discuss recent neuroimaging findings that may inform our understanding of the neural mechanisms of mindfulness training.

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Control: conscious and otherwise

Cited by 104 publications

References 43 publications

Unconscious Activation of the Prefrontal No-Go Network

Unconscious Activation of the Prefrontal No-Go Network

Neural correlates of the volitional regulation of the desire for food

Craving to quit: Psychological models and neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness training as treatment for addictions.

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