Surprise disrupts cognition via a fronto-basal ganglia suppressive mechanism

Jan R. Wessel; Ned Jenkinson; John-Stuart Brittain; Sarah H. E. M. Voets; Tipu Z. Aziz; Adam R. Aron

doi:10.1038/ncomms11195

Nature Communications (Apr 2016)

Surprise disrupts cognition via a fronto-basal ganglia suppressive mechanism

Jan R. Wessel,
Ned Jenkinson,
John-Stuart Brittain,
Sarah H. E. M. Voets,
Tipu Z. Aziz,
Adam R. Aron

Affiliations

Jan R. Wessel: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Iowa
Ned Jenkinson: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford
John-Stuart Brittain: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford
Sarah H. E. M. Voets: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford
Tipu Z. Aziz: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosurgery, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford
Adam R. Aron: Psychology Department, University of California

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11195
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

Read online

Surprising events affect ongoing behaviour and cognitive processing, yet the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Wessel and colleagues show that surprise recruits a motor suppression mechanism which may be implemented via the sub-thalamic nucleus and interrupts working memory performance.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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