Research Hit: Your Brain on Planning
Your brain simulates potential future scenarios to plan ahead
So how does our brain plan and do we really simulate future scenarios?
Yes, that is the key question and one which Kristopher Jensen et al. of New York University seem to have answered.
The question was how do we plan and what brain regions are used for this? This is very complex to research because planning requires balancing current information with an imagined future and probably based on past experiences.
These researchers used multiple models and learning networks to match brain activity to human behaviour and experimental data of rats in the lab to verify the model.
Basically the model sees an interplay between the hippocampus, a region associated with memory, and the prefrontal cortex, our executive centre at the front of the brain.
And how do they interact?
This is the key question it seems like we are using our memories which we recall with the help of the hippocampus and then simulate potential future scenarios in the prefrontal cortex. The front of the brain is acting, in line with previous knowledge as the executive centre, but nice to know that it also runs various mental simulations.
And this was proven?
Yes, rats and humans did the same maze test - i.e. navigating and making decisions based on past experiences. No the humans weren’t running through a maze like the rats, they were on a computer. The rats brain activity could be measured precisely while doing this and the data could show if it matched the models prediction, and how long rats and humans took to make decisions at different points.
Jensen et al.’s model proved to be accurate. Showing that the more potential scenarios there are the more thinking needs to take place and the longer the decision making process.
How will this help us to make decisions and plan better?
It shows a number of things:
Planning and decisions are based a lot on experience
But active simulation / imagination ability might help
The prefrontal is critical for those processes as is memory
But the prefrontal is susceptible to disruption and fatigue
So plan and make decisions with a fresh brain if you can!
So can creative people make better decisions if imagination is important?
That depends on what type of decision - but the ability to imagine possible futures is certainly good for anything. Whether it is taking a detour while driving, buying a present, planing a holiday, or making a bunch of business decisions.
And don’t forget overthinking might also be a problem - I have that sometimes!
Reference
Kristopher T. Jensen, Guillaume Hennequin, Marcelo G. Mattar.
A recurrent network model of planning explains hippocampal replay and human behavior.
Nature Neuroscience, 2024
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01675-7