Researchers revealed the importance of the brain’s dopaminergic system for inhibiting already-planned actions. They trained monkeys to redirect their gaze towards targets newly presented on a screen, apart from when presented with signals to avoid such redirection. Simultaneous analysis showed that the activity of dopaminergic neurons correlated with successful refusal to redirect gaze to a new target. These findings could aid the development of treatments for diseases with impaired inhibition like Parkinson’s.
