@article {68710,
	title = {A neural basis of choking under pressure},
	journal = {Neuron},
	year = {2024},
	month = {2024 Sep 07},
	abstract = {<p>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.</p>
},
	doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2024.08.012},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2024.08.012},
	author = {Adam L. Smoulder and Patrick J. Marino and Emily R. Oby and Sam E. Snyder and Hiroo Miyata and Nick P. Pavlovsky and William E. Bishop and Byron M. Yu and Steven M. Chase and Aaron P. Batista}
}
