Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
Published on: September 11, 2017
Two prefrontal-subcortical circuits estimate controllability and reflect its impact on learning
Yanhe Liu1, Lisa Spiering1, Shuyi Luo1
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
None:
When humans and other animals assess that they have little control over outcomes, their motivation and capacity for learning change. However, how we first learn what the control level is and how it then influences learning remain unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in human participants, we provide both recording and transient disruption evidence for an anatomically grounded model of control learning, in which dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) tracks confidence in each individual decision in order to then estimate controllability and changes in controllability via interactions with the dorsal raphe nucleus. Disrupting activity in this circuit, via dmPFC manipulation, impaired control learning. In addition, another mechanism was identified through which control estimates influenced learning. Participants' estimates of controllability were associated with widespread changes in outcome signals, including in dopamine-associated midbrain nuclei and in credit-assignment-linked signals in a distinct prefrontal cortex subregion.
Related Concept Videos
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
Hierarchy of Motor Control
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Cognitive 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...
Neural Circuits
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
