Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 6, 2026
06:42
Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
Published on: September 28, 2018
12.1K
Cognitive Neuroscience: No Gain, Much Pain
1Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Current Biology : CB
|October 9, 2019
Summary
Both demanding intellectual work and intense physical training deplete the brain's executive control system. This leads to reduced lateral prefrontal cortex activity and a greater desire for immediate rewards.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Executive functions are crucial for goal-directed behavior and decision-making.
- Previous research has explored the effects of fatigue on cognitive processes.
- The impact of combined intellectual and physical exertion on executive control remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the common neural and behavioral consequences of hard intellectual work and intense physical training.
- To examine the effects of these exertions on the brain's executive control system.
- To determine how such effort influences economic decision-making, specifically reward preferences.
Main Methods:
- Utilized neuroimaging techniques to measure brain activity, focusing on the lateral prefrontal cortex.
- Employed behavioral tasks to assess executive control and economic decision-making.
- Compared participants after periods of demanding cognitive tasks versus strenuous physical activity.
Main Results:
- Both intellectual and physical exertion led to a significant exhaustion of the executive control system.
- Reduced neural excitability was observed in the lateral prefrontal cortex following both types of effort.
- Participants exhibited a stronger preference for immediate rewards after experiencing either cognitive or physical fatigue.
Conclusions:
- Hard intellectual work and intense physical training share a common pathway of depleting the brain's executive control resources.
- Fatigue in the executive control system alters economic decision-making, promoting short-term gratification.
- Findings highlight the systemic nature of cognitive and physical fatigue and its impact on self-control.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Cognitivism
2.6K
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
2.6K
01:21Cognitive Learning
950
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
950
01:14Brain Imaging
616
Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
616
01:44Nociception
32.9K
Nociception—the ability to feel pain—is essential for an organism’s survival and overall well-being. Noxious stimuli such as piercing pain from a sharp object, heat from an open flame, or contact with corrosive chemicals are first detected by sensory receptors, called nociceptors, located on nerve endings. Nociceptors express ion channels that convert noxious stimuli into electrical signals. When these signals reach the brain via sensory neurons, they are perceived as pain.
32.9K
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
2.1K
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
2.1K
02:34Empathy
10.0K
Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor.
10.0K