(1) Higher, higher, higher…

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh recently studied the neural activity of rhesus monkeys under situations of increasing reward opportunities. Interestingly, they discovered that neural activity in the motor cortex grew monotonically with reward magnitude until this activity interfered catastrophically with preparedness for movement, that moment of “peak performance”. Understanding the underlying mechanisms is next.

“Incentives tend to drive improvements in performance. But when incentives get too high, we can “choke under pressure” and underperform right when it matters most. What neural processes might lead to choking under pressure? We studied rhesus monkeys performing a challenging reaching task in which they underperformed when an unusually large “jackpot” reward was at stake, and we sought a neural mechanism that might result in that underperformance. We found that increases in reward drive neural activity during movement preparation into, and then past, a zone of optimal performance. We conclude that neural signals of reward and motor preparation interact in the motor cortex (MC) in a manner that can explain why we choke under pressure.”*

* Smoulder, A. L. et al., “A neural basis for choking under pressure,” Neuron (September 12 2024), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2024.08.012 (2024); https://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(24)00608-1...