IBIO Talk

02.04.2025 - You are cordially invited to an IBIO Research Seminar

Titel: Neural basis of self-control

Who: Prof. Veit Stuphorn, Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Neuroscience

When: Monday, the 7th of April at 16:00

Where: Institute of Biology (IBIO, Haus 91) in Room 001

Veit will be in Magdeburg the whole day, so please get in touch with Kristine Krug or Nicole Zenker (Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!) if you would like to meet him. Please distribute this email further in your networks.

Neural basis of self-control

Self-control is the ability to inhibit self-defeating behavior in the face of temptation. The neural basis of self-control remains elusive, due to the difficulty of disentangling the processes of self-control and choice based on cost-benefit evaluations. We designed a novel task in monkeys that can distinguish different self-control levels from economic choice. We found that neurons in the Supplementary Eye Field, a higher -order oculomotor control region, encode self-control, some even before choice options were presented. This neuronal activity predicted whether and when monkeys give in to temptation. Our findings suggest that Supplementary Eye Field is part of a neuronal circuit underlying the capacity for self-control, which is crucial for selecting and maintaining the pursuit of costly goals that are beneficial in the long run.

Prof. Veit Stuphorn, Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Neuroscience