Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

The cerebellum, while traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in memory, particularly in procedural memory, which involves learning motor tasks that become automatic through repetition. For example, studies have shown that when the cerebellum is damaged, individuals or animals lose the ability to learn conditioned motor responses, such as the conditioned eye-blink response in classical conditioning experiments with rabbits. This study demonstrates the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

NMDA receptor ablation in medial prefrontal cortex disrupts value updating and reward history integration.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Pupil size predicts exploration through critical slowing in prefrontal dynamics.

Communications biology·2025

Same author

Prefrontal cortex temporally multiplexes slow and fast dynamics in value learning and memory.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Temporal dynamics of dual-task interference in the brain in a simulated driving environment.

NeuroImage·2025

Same author

Individual differences in sequential decision-making.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Spatial Processing Enhancement in the Prefrontal Cortex for Rapid Detection of Valuable Objects.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2025

Same journal

Dynamic coordination and segregation mechanisms in higher cortex for parallel task processing.

Neuron·2026

Same journal

Higher-order thalamic bursts are drivers of attention control.

Neuron·2026

Same journal

Composing trajectories for rapid inference of navigational goals.

Neuron·2026

Same journal

Peri-head distance coding in the mouse brainstem.

Neuron·2026

Same journal

A two-timepoint framework for sensitive and specific single-cell activity screening.

Neuron·2026

Same journal

From first impressions to bonds: The neural dynamics of social relationships.

Neuron·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2025

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

When rewards backfire: Collapsing under pressure in motor cortex.

Mojtaba Abbaszadeh¹, Becket Ebitz¹

¹Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.

|October 24, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Choking under pressure, or underperforming in high-value situations, is a common mystery. New research shows that target-selective signals in the motor cortex of non-human primates collapse when faced with high-value opportunities.

More Related Videos

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 9, 2025

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Economics

Background:

Performance decrements in high-stakes situations, termed "choking under pressure," are widely observed.
The neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural basis of choking under pressure in non-human primates.
To identify specific neural signals in the motor cortex that are affected by high-value opportunities.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiological recordings were performed in the motor cortex of non-human primates.
Neural activity was monitored during tasks involving varying levels of reward value.
Target-selective neural signals were analyzed in relation to task performance and reward magnitude.

Main Results:

Target-selective signals in the motor cortex showed a significant collapse when primates were presented with high-value opportunities.
This neural signal degradation correlated with performance decrements.
The findings suggest a direct link between motor cortex signal integrity and performance under pressure.

Conclusions:

The study identifies a specific neural mechanism in the motor cortex contributing to choking under pressure.
Degradation of target-selective signals may underlie performance failures in high-value situations.
These findings offer new insights into the neurobiology of decision-making and performance regulation.