Why do some mental activities feel harder than others? The answer to this question is surprisingly controversial. Current theories propose that cognitive effort affords a computational benefit, such as instigating a switch from an activity with low reward value to a different activity with higher reward value. By contrast, in this article, I relate cognitive effort to the fact that brain neuroanatomy and neurophysiology render some neural states more energy-efficient than others. I introduce the concept of the "controllosphere," an energy-inefficient region of neural state space associated with high control, which surrounds the better known "intrinsic manifold," an energy-efficient subspace associated with low control. Integration of control-theoretic principles with classic neurocomputational models of cognitive control suggests that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) implements a controller that can drive the system state into the controllosphere, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) implements an observer that monitors changes of state of the controlled system, and cognitive effort reflects a mismatch between DLPFC and ACC energies for control and observation. On this account, cognitive effort scales with the energetic demands of the DLPFC control signal, especially when the consequences of the control are unobservable by ACC. Further, I propose that neural transitions through the controllosphere lead to a buildup of neural waste. Cognitive effort therefore prevents against neural damage by discouraging extended periods of high control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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控制圈：认知努力的神经起源。


为什么有些心理活动感觉比其他活动更困难？这个问题的答案令人惊讶地充满争议。当前的理论认为，认知努力提供了计算上的好处，例如促使从奖励价值较低的活动切换到奖励价值较高的不同活动。相比之下，在本文中，我将认知努力与以下事实联系起来：大脑神经解剖学和神经生理学使某些神经状态比其他状态更节能。我介绍了“控制域”的概念，这是一个与高控制相关的神经状态空间的能量低效区域，它围绕着众所周知的“内在流形”，一个与低控制相关的能量高效子空间。控制理论原理与认知控制的经典神经计算模型的整合表明，背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）实现了一个可以将系统状态驱动到控制层的控制器，前扣带皮层（ACC）实现了一个监视系统状态变化的观察者。受控系统，认知努力反映了 DLPFC 和 ACC 控制和观察能量之间的不匹配。因此，认知努力随着 DLPFC 控制信号的能量需求而变化，特别是当 ACC 无法观察到控制结果时。此外，我认为通过控制层的神经转换会导致神经废物的积累。因此，认知努力通过阻止长时间的高度控制来防止神经损伤。 （PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2024 APA，保留所有权利）。