Temporally Dissociable Mechanisms of Self-Control: Early Attentional Filtering Versus Late Value Modulation

Abstract

Optimal decision-making often requires exercising self-control. A growing fMRI literature has implicated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in successful self-control, but due to the limitations inherent in BOLD measures of brain activity, the neurocomputational role of this region has not been resolved. Here we exploit the high temporal resolution and whole-brain coverage of event-related potentials (ERPs) to test the hypothesis that dlPFC affects dietary self-control through two different mechanisms: attentional filtering and value modulation. Whereas attentional filtering of sensory input should occur early in the decision process, value modulation should occur later on, after the computation of stimulus values begins. Hungry human subjects were asked to make food choices while we measured neural activity using ERP in a natural condition, in which they responded freely and did not exhibit a tendency to regulate their diet, and in a self-control condition, in which they were given a financial incentive to lose weight. We then measured various neural markers associated with the attentional filtering and value modulation mechanisms across the decision period to test for changes in neural activity during the exercise of self-control. Consistent with the hypothesis, we found evidence for top-down attentional filtering early on in the decision period (150 -200 ms poststimulus onset) as well as evidence for value modulation later in the process (450 -650 ms poststimulus onset). We also found evidence that dlPFC plays a role in the deployment of both mechanisms.

Acute Stress Impairs Self-Control in Goal-Directed Choice by Altering Multiple Functional Connections within the Brain’s Decision Circuits

“…In addition to the altered coupling between vmPFC and Amyg/vStr, we identified a second signaling pathway between vmPFC and dlPFC that showed a reduction in negative connectivity for participants with high PSL. Prior work (Hare et al, 2009;Harris et al, 2013) suggests that this dlPFC-vmPFC connection may help to modulate value comparisons and to integrate taste and health attributes in the vmPFC. A weaker modulatory connection with dlPFC might result in less effective downregulation of the impact of the taste signaling, resulting in a relative weighting for taste attributes in vmPFC that is too high given the health goal.…”

Does my brain want what my eyes like? – How food liking and choice influence spatio-temporal brain dynamics of food viewing

“…Middle-to-posterior insular regions are further related to the exertion of self-control over food intake (Harris et al, 2013) and the integration of interoceptive sensations (Craig, 2002). Due to its high connectivity with the dlPFC and the vmPFC (Carmichael and Price, 1996;Craig, 2002), the insula is thought to be a key player enabling the interactions between regions for stimulus valuation and choice (Harris et al, 2013).…”

“…Middle-to-posterior insular regions are further related to the exertion of self-control over food intake (Harris et al, 2013) and the integration of interoceptive sensations (Craig, 2002). Due to its high connectivity with the dlPFC and the vmPFC (Carmichael and Price, 1996;Craig, 2002), the insula is thought to be a key player enabling the interactions between regions for stimulus valuation and choice (Harris et al, 2013). Prior electrical neuroimaging studies have further shown that insular activity is elevated within 150ms when participants view meal portion sizes judged as inappropriate for prospective intake (Toepel et al, 2015) further indicating its role in the integration of homeostatic and hedonic information.…”

The determinants of food choice

“…Instead, the perceived stress level (but in turn not the cortisol reaction) was associated with the connectivity strength between left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the vmPFC: the more stressed participants had felt, the weaker was the connectivity between these two regions when self-control was needed to overcome taste temptations in order to choose the healthier food. A series of studies have demonstrated that connectivity between dlPFC and vmPFC relates to the degree to which individuals use self-control in dietary choice (89)(90)(91)(92). This connection in the prefrontal cortex may server to maintain a goal context that promotes focusing on long-term outcomes such as future health, whereas sensory and motivational signalling from subcortical areas may promote information about more immediate choice outcomes.…”