How Does The Brain Control Human Behavior?

Ane of the defining characteristics of the human being is that it is an animal equipped with the ability to reason about its emotional impulses, imposing "reason" every bit the basis on which its actions are based in the world that unfolds in front end of it.

This is why nosotros delight in considering ourselves a "rational animal."

With this, a differential line would be drawn with the rest of the creatures that populate the world, often understood (although it is not always in this way) every bit slaves of instinct and the need to survive, feeling as something independent and different from the tissue that it forms the inherent nature of all living beings.

What is actually true, despite this widespread belief, is that we do non always human activity in a rational or thoughtful mode; but on many occasions nosotros allow ourselves to be carried abroad by the catamenia of our nearly primitive instincts.

In that location are even people who, in fact, react this way in almost all situations.

In this post we are going to answer the question ''What part of the brain controls impulses?'' We will identify the specific area in charge of self-control and we will explain to yous what are the brain mechanisms under this function.

What role of the brain controls impulses?

The part of the brain in charge of decision-making impulses are the frontal regions.

Self-control is an effort directed towards the achievement of a goal. Thus, non knowing how to command oneself can represent a failure, every bit when the dictates of a diet are not respected or the umpteenth embarrassment cannot exist avoided for having lost calm in public.

Fretfulness are not like shooting fish in a barrel to control, for some information technology is a Herculean effort, nevertheless, self-control is an power that nosotros all possess.

A team of researchers from the European Molecular Biological science Laboratory (EMBL) has recently published a study where the neuronal connections used for the regulation of instincts are identified for the outset fourth dimension. The research, published in the periodical Nature Neuroscience, shows that the culprit is the brainstem, the function of the encephalon connected to the spinal cavalcade.

The finding explains the neurological origin of the behaviors caused past our impulses, whether sexual or due to an excess of anger or fear.

These are specific neurons located in the frontal function of the cerebral cortex, which with their extensions come up to inhibit the instincts that are born in the most primitive construction of the brain, the brainstem.

The connections betwixt these two areas had not yet been identified and apparently serve equally a brake or accelerator in the manifestation of instincts.

The prefrontal cortex is located in the front part of the brain (more or less in the forehead) and controls higher cognitive functions, such as linguistic communication, thinking or reasoning, that is, what distinguishes us the most from other animals.

The brainstem is a region of the nervous system that connects the brain to the spinal string (found at the base of the brain) and is involved in various processes, including the shaping of instincts.

The experiment

In the lab, the scientists artificially recreated the fright and defense instincts in mice, blocking the connections between the ii brain areas with a drug.

The mice subjected to the report were allowed to collaborate for a time with other stronger specimens by which they were systematically defeated, a kind of bullying for guinea pigs.

In the victims, who showed clear signs of fright, the cortex-trunk connexion was found to be much weaker than normal. And then the researchers intervened in opposite: they blocked the connexion to a specific drug and got the aforementioned results on a behavioral level.

We cannot inhibit emotions

The results of this written report provide anatomical evidence not only of the command mechanism of behavioral instincts simply also of the lack of control over emotions.

In fact, the researchers observed that the nervus endings examined do not reach the hypothalamus, the control center of emotions, therefore, inhibitory neurons can suppress certain actions, such every bit non making us run away when we face up an of import interview, but not at all fashion they can keep us from feeling fear.

Co-ordinate to Dr. Cornelius Gross, caput of the research, "we need to be able to dynamically command our instinctual behaviors, depending on the situation.

The prefrontal cortex keeps behavior under control merely does non affect the underlying instinctual feeling. We tin can put on a poker confront, just fear or anger will be present.

An of import discovery for the treatment of mental disorders

This discovery opens new horizons for pharmacological research in the treatment of many mental illnesses and disorders such equally depression and schizophrenia, in which the regulation of instincts is particularly key.

Furthermore, research may open new avenues for the treatment of the self-control deficit nowadays in dissimilar disorders, from drug addiction to obesity.

Children are non set for self-control

"Nosotros are trying to empathize exactly how inhibition manifests itself, particularly considering that many mental illnesses, such as mood disorders, typically occur in machismo – explains Dr. Gross – indeed, a fascinating aspect of information technology concerns the maturation of the prefrontal cortex, which occurs in boyhood; children, therefore, practise not finer inhibit their instincts and do non have this type of control ".

We should go along this in listen when nosotros need from children behaviors that they are probably not capable of enduring.

The encephalon has a "traffic light" that controls impulses

Dominating others is child's play, but mastering the mysterious forces of 1's own heart is the work of the titans. The German Dominican priest Urban Plotzke warned. Why practise some people manage to control and suppress their impulses amend than others? What makes some titans capable of it? The reply, as near always, must be sought in the brain and non in the heart.

Apparently the "titans" piece of work improve the "encephalon semaphore", according to an article that has simply been published in "Current Biology." This traffic low-cal is located in the prefrontal cortex, the one that allows us to have "2 fingers in front end" and "count to ten" and so every bit not to react explosively.

The discovery of this peculiar traffic low-cal has been carried out in rodents. But it is probable that a vital behavior throughout evolution, such equally controlling impulses or non, is also conserved in our species. Although we can qualify information technology in a much more refined way than rodents.

Whether the brain responds to an external stimulus or not depends largely on the residual between the zones of excitement and the inhibition of the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

And it is the synaptic connections in the forepart function of the cerebral cortex that allow the brain to brand a conscious decision about whether to react to a stimulus with movement or not, the authors explicate. That is something that was already known.

All the same, the functions of each region of the prefrontal cortex and how they work together in this decision-making process were unknown until now.

An international team led by Stefanie Hardung, from Professor Ilka Diester'due south research group, has identified the role played by five subzones of the prefrontal cortex in decision-making about movement.

This study, the researchers say, may exist of particular importance for studying impulse control disorders.

"We could compare these regions of the prefrontal cortex with a traffic light," says Stefanie Hardung. " Specific subareas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are responsible for inhibition, while others are responsible for the preparation of move and arousal.

In their experiment, the researchers used a framework in which transgenic rats were trained to proactively and reactively cease themselves: "Reactive end refers to a situation in which the fauna stops in response to an external signal.

The proactive stop, by dissimilarity, occurs in accordance with the internal objectives of the subject. In their specific configuration, the rats were trained to printing a lever and stand if a specific betoken appeared. Another signal indicated that the rat should keep pressing the lever.

Using optogenetics, a technique that enables neurons to be turned on and off past means of laser low-cal, the scientists inverse the trend of sure subareas of the prefrontal cortex to test the influence of these corresponding regions on the conclusion-making procedure.

In addition, optogenetics immune the results to exist compared with the behavior of the aforementioned animals when all areas were intact.

Deactivation of specific regions of the prefrontal cortex significantly altered the functioning of the animals: Inhibition of regions in the infralymbic (IL) or orbitofrontal (OFC) cortex prevents rats from reacting to external signals.

Deactivation of the preliminarbic cortex (PL), on the other paw, caused a premature reaction in nigh of the rats. Furthermore, the researchers employed electrophysiological measurement methods and observed that neural action in the prelimbic cortex decreased significantly before premature reactions when all regions were intact.

These results support the hypothesis that the infralymbic and preliminarbic cortices play an opposite role to that of the orbitofrontal cortex.

While the infralimbic and preliminarbic cortices favor proactive behavior in reaction to external signals, the orbitofrontal cortex controls reactive behavior.

The study of these areas could serve equally the basis for new approaches in the investigation of impulse control disorders, such every bit attending deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD).

"Approaches that optogenetics uses are less harmful to animals than surgical or pharmacological interventions," Hartung clarifies.

"They permit us to deactivate different areas of the encephalon chop-chop and reversibly without affecting circuit connectivity. Therefore, our animal model could serve as a suitable framework for the investigation of impulse command disorders ".

"We could compare these regions of the prefrontal cortex with a traffic lite," says Stefanie Hardung. " Specific subareas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are responsible for inhibition, while others are responsible for the preparation of motion and arousal.

FAQS: What role of the brain controls impulses?

What part of the brain controls impulsive behavior?

The electrical signals between the cells in the frontal lobe of the encephalon became stronger as the animals learned to control their impulses. This shows that impulsivity is represented in a specific region of the brain past a change in communication between neurons.

Which brain structure is responsible for impulse control and reward processing?

The amygdala plays a fundamental function in emotional encoding of ecology stimuli and in reward processing, through interactions with the ventral striatum for stimulus-reward associations.

What is the cause of impulsive behavior?

Impulsivity ofttimes accompanies other disorders such as ADHD, OCD, low, or feet. The causes have yet to be specified, just are believed to be a combination of genetic and external factors, such as neglect or abuse in childhood.

What part of the brain controls impulsive behavior acrimony and rage?

It is the most important structure within the limbic organization. It is the i that keeps and manages our nearly irrational emotions. Information technology is this part of the brain where the 'defense' is generated confronting the worst feelings that human being beings have: fear, anger, sadness, etc.

What role of the brain controls moods and emotional beliefs?

The limbic organization is the expanse of the brain that directs our emotions and our most primitive sensations: those related to survival (such as fear and anger) and with human sensations effectually our sexual beliefs.

In this post we answered the question ''What part of the brain controls impulses?'' We identifyied the specific area in charge of self-control and nosotros will explain to you lot what are the encephalon mechanisms under this part.

If yous take any questions or comments please let u.s.a. know!

References

Bakhshani, Due north.1000. (2014). Impulsivity: A Predisposition Toward Risky Behaviors. International journal of high risk behaviors and habit, 3, e20428. doi: 10.5812/ijhrba.20428.

Neto, R. y True, M. (2011). The development and treatment of impulsivity. Psico, 42, 134.

Hayton, Southward. J., Lovett-Barron, One thousand., Dumont, E. C., & Olmstead, M. C. (2010). Target-Specific Encoding of Response Inhibition: Increased Contribution of AMPA to NMDA Receptors at Excitatory Synapses in the Prefrontal Cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(34), 11493–11500. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1550-10.2010

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