Frequency is expensive in sports but essential for life – and neuroscientists have identified brain circuits

At the Winter Olympics, skiers, snowboarders, speed skaters and many other athletes have to master one crucial moment: when to start. This split second is crucial during competition because when everyone is strong and skilled, a A moment of hesitation Gold can be separated from silver. A competitor who hesitates often will do so To be left behind -But moving too early will disqualify them.

Although the circumstances are less severe, this paradox of indecision applies to everyday life. Waiting for the right moment to cross the street, or stopping before deciding to answer a call from a number you don’t know, are everyday examples of hesitation. More importantly, some psychological conditions e.g Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by impulsivityor lack of hesitation, while excessive hesitation is an obstructive outcome Many anxiety disorders.

As a neuroscientistI’ve been working to discover how the brain decides when to act and when to wait. Recent research from My team and me Helps explain Why does this pause happen for a split second?provides insight not only into outstanding athletic performance, but also into how people make everyday decisions when the potential outcome is unclear.

We have found that the key to indecision is the response to uncertainty. This could be where the hockey puck lands, when a race starts, or when you place your order at a new restaurant.

Frequency and the brain

To understand how the brain controls frequency, my colleagues and I designed a simple method Decision-making task in mice.

The task required the mouse brain to interpret signals that were predictably good, predictably bad, or — most importantly — uncertain, meaning somewhere in between the two. Different auditory tones indicated whether or not a drop of sweetened water would arrive soon, or had a 50/50 chance of arriving.

The way the mice behaved would not affect the outcome. However, the mice waited longer before licking to see if they received a reward in the uncertain scenario. As with humans, unexpected situations led to a delayed response. This hesitation was not the result of oscillation between options in hesitation, but rather an active and controlled brain process of pausing before acting due to environmental uncertainty.

When we examined the neural activity associated with the onset of licking, we found A specific group of neurons has been identified Which only became active when the results were unclear. These neurons effectively control whether the brain should commit to an action or pause to gather more information. The degree of activity of these neurons can predict whether mice will hesitate before making a decision.

To confirm that these neurons played a role in frequency control, we used… A technique called optogenetics To turn these brain cells on or off briefly. When we activated the neurons, the mice hesitated more. When we silenced them, their hesitation faded and their responses became several hundred milliseconds faster, in keeping with their reactions in predictable situations.

Everyday life, illness and downhill racing

Our findings suggest that hesitation, rather than a weakness to be overcome, appears to be a fundamental brain trait that helps people and animals navigate an uncertain world and avoid costly mistakes.

Our study also provides insight into the balance between action and inaction in health and disease. AC neurons are located in Basal gangliaIt is the same part of the brain that is affected by Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and addiction. While researchers have yet to determine the extent of overlap or interaction between cells involved in frequency and cells affected by psychiatric disorders, their overlap in circuits suggests potential targets for treatment.

Our next step is to understand how the cells that control frequency interact with medications that treat ADHD and OCD, conditions in which patients can Respond impulsively During volatile or uncertain situations.

We also aim to identify the brain regions that provide these cells with information about uncertainty – the critical environmental signal of hesitation. While researchers found that several parts of an area in the brain called The prefrontal cortex encodes uncertaintyIt’s unclear how the brain actually makes use of this information, where the rubber meets the road.

Hesitation is not a defect, but rather an important trait for navigating an unpredictable world. Whether you’re a snowboarder waiting for the perfect moment to start your jump or you’re just going about your day, the circuitry behind frequency plays an important role in knowing the right timing to make the right move.