The Common Neural Basis of Exerting Self-Control in Multiple Domains

Abstract

People regularly exert control over impulsive thoughts and behaviors in order to make appropriate decisions and take appropriate actions even when they are more difficult or less pleasant than alternative choices. A common theme in mental illnesses characterized by impulsivity, such as ADHD and substance abuse, is an impaired self-control mechanism. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying an intact control mechanism can not only shed light on how healthy people exert self-control over their thoughts and behaviors, but help us to understand what is impaired in patient populations as well. The right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) is a region in the brain that is commonly activated when people are exerting many different forms of self-control. It is noted that other prefrontal regions also consistently activated when one exerts self-control, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex, may be recruited for other task demands and not self-control specifically. Although the right VLPFC has been linked to other functions as well, this review will focus on the hypothesized general role that it plays during acts of self-control. There are infinite manners in which one can exert self-control. We limit our discussion to six forms of conscious, explicit control that are commonly addressed in the literature: motor response inhibition, suppressing risky behavior, delaying gratification, regulating emotion, memory inhibition, and thought suppression. First, we review the literature exploring the involvement of the right VLPFC in each type of self-control separately. Next, we explore the small amount of literature comparing different forms of self-control to each other and discuss the possibility that these forms of self-control are related constructs. We also discuss the anatomical positioning of the right VLPFC and point out that it is well suited to serving a key role in exerting self-control. Finally, we conclude that although more direct research must be conducted before firm conclusions can be made, there is evidence that the right VLPFC is utilized when exerting self-control regardless of the specific domain of control.

The propagation of self-control: Self-control in one domain simultaneously improves self-control in other domains.

“…Our measure of impulse control is the number of times participants chose the delayed reward (ranging from 0 = always the immediate reward, to 8 = always the delayed reward). In general, people who prefer smaller amounts of a reward immediately are thought to be impulsive or to lack self-control, because they cannot control or inhibit their desire for an immediate payoff even though it would be beneficial in the long term to do so (J. R. Cohen & Lieberman, 2010). …”

“…Combining insights from neuropsychology and behavioral research in psychology, our research derives new predictions in a domain that is highly relevant for human functioning. Recent neuropsychological insights in the origins of response inhibition suggest that there is one neurological region -the inhibitory network -responsible for the inhibition of a wide variety of responses (J. R. Cohen & Lieberman, 2010). Notably, it has been suggested that recruiting this inhibitory network for the inhibition of one response could unintentionally facilitate response inhibition in unrelated domains -a phenomenon termed inhibitory spillover.…”

Impulsivity as a vulnerability factor for poor addiction treatment outcomes: A review of neurocognitive findings among individuals with substance use disorders

“…This system tends to promote rewarding and habitual behaviors and responds to immediately available (associative) cues, without consideration of long-term consequences. The top-down system by contrast, also referred to as the executive or reflective system (Bechara, 2005;Bickel & Yi, 2008), consists of the prefrontal cortices (particularly the lateral prefrontal cortex), which have been implicated in a wide range of executive and self-control functions (Cohen & Lieberman, 2010;Rubia, Smith, Brammer, & Taylor, 2003). These functions include the ability to plan, attention, working memory, and cognitive control and enable the individual to resist short-term temptations in favor of longer-term goals or benefits (Braver & Bongiolatti, 2002).…”

Do they Aggress Earlier? Investigating the Effects of Ego Depletion on Police Officers’ Use of Force Behavior

“…However, the current study is the first one that provides evidence that ego depletion decreases the time until physical forms of aggression occur after provoking behavior. Since there is evidence that self-control performance varies across contexts (Cohen and Lieberman 2010;Cortes et al 2014), the current results are substantial for both the aggression literature and the police use of force domain.…”