Project description
Mapping the brain’s hidden cost of thinking
Why does thinking hard feel hard? Mental effort shapes everything from learning to decision-making. It also plays a key role in conditions such as ADHD and depression. Yet scientists still do not fully understand why. The ERC-funded CONTROLMAP project aims to test a bold new theory: that cognitive effort reflects how much energy the brain spends to move between mental states. Using artificial neural networks, control theory, and brain imaging, researchers will map the brain’s ‘controllosphere’ – the regions that demand the most effort. The results could transform how we understand motivation, mental fatigue, and even inspire more energy-efficient AI systems.
Objective
"The sensation of cognitive effort is integral to everyday human experience, is a core construct in psychological theories of behavior, and contributes to multiple psychiatric disorders like ADHD and depression. However, despite decades of study the neural origin and functional purpose of cognitive effort remain poorly understood. This constitutes one of the most important outstanding questions in cognitive neuroscience and a major challenge to mental health research.
Recently, I proposed a new, mathematically formal theory of cognitive effort that draws together concepts from dynamical systems analysis, linear control theory (LCT), artificial neural networks (ANNs), cognitive psychology and neurophysiology. The theory relates cognitive effort to the fact that brain neuroanatomy and neurophysiology render some neural states more energy-efficient than others. In particular, I introduced the concept of the ""controllosphere,"" an energy-inefficient region of neural state space associated with high cognitive control, and proposed that cognitive effort serves to move the system state out of this high-energy region.
The goal of this project is to test the controllosphere theory. I will use ANNs to simulate human behavioral and neural data collected in tasks that require mental effort, and apply LCT to these models to make formal predictions about which neural representations are more or less effortful. I will then test these predictions using a wide variety of empirical techniques in a series of experiments with human participants. The establishment of a verified formal theory of cognitive effort will fill an important gap in the cognitive neuroscience of cognitive control, strongly impact clinical practice, and provide important insights for the development of novel artificial intelligence systems that balance computational function against energy use.
"
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences mathematics applied mathematics dynamical systems
- social sciences psychology
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-ADG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
9000 Gent
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.