Highlights•Motivation may have a preferential impact on proactive cognitive control
mechanisms.•Dopamine signals may enhance control by modulating prefrontal task …

Research on cognitive control and executive function has long recognized the relevance of
motivational factors. Recently, however, the topic has come increasingly to center stage, with …

Cognitive control mechanisms support the deliberate regulation of thought and behavior
based on current goals. Recent work suggests that motivational incentives improve cognitive …

Cognitive control is subjectively costly, suggesting that engagement is modulated in
relationship to incentive state. Dopamine appears to play key roles. In particular, dopamine …

Aversive motivation plays a prominent role in driving individuals to exert cognitive control.
However, the complexity of behavioral responses attributed to aversive incentives creates …

It is becoming increasingly appreciated that affective influences can contribute strongly to
goal-oriented cognition and behavior. However, much work is still needed to properly …

Goal-directed action in changing environments requires a dynamic balance between
complementary control modes, which serve antagonistic adaptive functions (eg, to shield …

Cognitive control helps us attain our goals by resisting distraction and temptations.
Dopaminergic drugs are well known to enhance cognitive control. However, there is great …

Growing evidence suggests that positive affect and reward have differential effects on
cognitive control. So far, however, these effects have never been studied together. Here, the …

Emotion and motivation have crucial roles in determining human behavior. Yet, how they
interact with cognitive control functions is less understood. Here, the basic elements of a …