Inhibition is Learned, Multifaceted, and an Important Behavioral Trait

What is it about?

Inhibition is the suppression of an action that would otherwise occur, making it a key aspect of adaptive behavior. The most common way we learn to inhibit our actions is when an expected outcome fails to materialize, and environmental cues are available to signal this unfulfilled prediction. Inhibition can manifest as merely restraining an action or actively engaging in an opposing action or state. Individual differences in inhibitory capacity are meaningful, as both deficits and excesses can contribute to psychiatric disorders. Advancing our understanding of inhibition requires integrating theory and data from multiple lines of inquiry, which remain largely fragmented.

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Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash

Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Ecologically, learning when not to act is just as important as learning when to act. This is why deficits and excesses in inhibitory capacity are linked to maladaptive behaviors and psychiatric disorders. For example, failing to inhibit fear in the presence of a cue that reliably signals safety can be broadly regarded as a signature of anxiety. Similarly, excessive suppression of behavior in response to cues signaling the omission of a desired outcome may contribute to the low mood characteristic of depression. Altogether, this suggests that learned inhibition could serve as a key concept in translational research, bridging laboratory findings with real-world challenges.

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