Scans reveal the region of the brain that 'shuts down' under pressure

By VICTORIA WOOLLASTON FOR MAILONLINE 10:35 20 Jan 2016, updated 11:05 20 Jan 2016 * RESEARCH HAS SHOWN PEOPLE TEND TO EXERT MORE FORCE WHEN BEING WATCHED * BRAINS OF PARTICIPANTS WERE

SCANNED AS THEY CARRIED OUT CERTAIN TASKS   * SCANS SHOWED THE INFERIOR PARIETAL CORTEX (IPC) BECAME DEACTIVATED WHEN PEOPLE FELT THEY WERE BEING OBSERVED * THIS IS THE REGION OF THE BRAIN

THAT CONTROLS FINE SENSORIMOTOR FUNCTIONS As musicians, figure skaters and anyone who takes a driving test will know, the anxiety of being watched can have a disastrous effect on your

performance. Now neuroscientists have identified the brain network system that causes us to stumble and stall just when we least want to. By monitoring the brains of participants while they

completed certain tasks, scans showed the inferior parietal cortex (IPC), which controls motor skills, shut down when people felt they were being observed.  Previous research has shown that

people tend to exert more force when they know they are being watched.  For example, pianists unconsciously press keys harder when they play in front of an audience compared to when playing

alone. RELATED ARTICLES In the new study, published in Scientific Reports, participants' brain activity was monitored while carrying out a task that required them to exert a precise

amount of force when gripping an object. Dr Michiko Yoshie and her colleagues Professor Hugo Critchley, Dr Neil Harrison, and Dr Yoko Nagai were able to pinpoint the brain area that causes

the performance mishaps during an experiment using functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging (fMRI).  SCANNING THE BRAIN FOR ANXIETY  Participants' brain activity was monitored while

carrying out a task that required them to exert an amount of force when gripping an object. During the experiment, they viewed video footage of two people whom they believed were evaluating

their performance.  They then repeated the task while viewing footage of two people who appeared to be evaluating the performance of someone else. Participants reported that they felt more

anxious when they believed they were being observed.  Under this condition, they gripped the object harder without realising it. Scan results showed that an area of the brain that helps us

to control our fine sensorimotor functions - the inferior parietal cortex (IPC) - became deactivated when people felt they were being observed.  In fact, this part of the brain works with

another region - the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) - to form what neuroscientists refer to as the action-observation network (AON).   The pSTS conveys this information to the

IPC, which generates appropriate motor actions. If we feel our observer wants us to do well, we will perform well. But if we pick up negative cues, our IPC is deactivated and our performance

falls apart. During the experiment, the participants viewed video footage of two people whom they believed were evaluating their performance.  They then repeated the task while viewing

video footage of two people who appeared to be evaluating the performance of someone else. Participants reported that they felt more anxious when they believed they were being observed. 

Under this condition, they gripped the object harder without realising it. Scan results showed that an area of the brain that helps us to control our fine sensorimotor functions - the

inferior parietal cortex (IPC) - became deactivated when people felt they were being observed. In fact, this part of the brain works with another region - the posterior superior temporal

sulcus (pSTS) - to form what neuroscientists refer to as the action-observation network (AON).  The AON is involved in 'mentalisation' processes by which we infer what another

person is thinking, based on facial expressions and direction of gaze. The pSTS conveys this information to the IPC, which then generates appropriate motor actions. If we feel our observer

wants us to do well, we will perform well. But if we pick up negative cues, our IPC is deactivated and our performance falls apart. Dr Yoshie said: 'We realised that AON might also be

related to performance anxiety because when being scrutinised, we tend to care about how the audience is feeling about us and our performance.' For those with extreme performance

anxiety, she said there has been a substantial advancement in brain stimulation techniques such as the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation

(tDCS), which could activate desired behaviour. And there are also now various types of neurofeedback training, which can help people to learn how to control their own brain activity. She

added: 'It's important to believe that the audience is supporting you and wishing for your successful performance. To strengthen such belief, you should sometimes have

opportunities to perform in front of your supporters.  'For example, before an actual public performance, a musician could perform in front of his/her family and close friends and

receive a lot of applause.  'Such experience would help you to induce a desirable activation pattern in your brain and boost self-confidence.'