scholarly journals Investigating the sex-dependent effects of prefrontal cortex stimulation on response execution and inhibition

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Fehring ◽  
Ranshikha Samandra ◽  
Zakia Z. Haque ◽  
Shapour Jaberzadeh ◽  
Marcello Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Action Execution ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Acoustic Stimuli ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Response Execution

AbstractContext-dependent execution or inhibition of a response is an important aspect of executive control, which is impaired in neuropsychological and addiction disorders. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been considered a remedial approach to address deficits in response control; however, considerable variability has been observed in tDCS effects. These variabilities might be related to contextual differences such as background visual-auditory stimuli or subjects' sex. In this study, we examined the interaction of two contextual factors, participants' sex and background acoustic stimuli, in modulating the effects of tDCS on response inhibition and execution. In a sham-controlled and cross-over (repeated-measure) design, 73 participants (37 females) performed a Stop-Signal Task in different background acoustic conditions before and after tDCS (anodal or sham) was applied over the DLPFC. Participants had to execute a speeded response in Go trials but inhibit their response in Stop trials. Participants' sex was fully counterbalanced across all experimental conditions (acoustic and tDCS). We found significant practice-related learning that appeared as changes in indices of response inhibition (stop-signal reaction time and percentage of successful inhibition) and action execution (response time and percentage correct). The tDCS and acoustic stimuli interactively influenced practice-related changes in response inhibition and these effects were uniformly seen in both males and females. However, the effects of tDCS on response execution (percentage of correct responses) were sex-dependent in that practice-related changes diminished in females but heightened in males. Our findings indicate that participants' sex influenced the effects of tDCS on the execution, but not inhibition, of responses.

scholarly journals Cortical silent period reflects individual differences in action stopping performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Paci ◽  
Giulio Di Cosmo ◽  
Mauro Gianni Perrucci ◽  
Francesca Ferri ◽  
Marcello Costantini
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Silent Period ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Cortical Silent Period ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time

AbstractInhibitory control is the ability to suppress inappropriate movements and unwanted actions, allowing to regulate impulses and responses. This ability can be measured via the Stop Signal Task, which provides a temporal index of response inhibition, namely the stop signal reaction time (SSRT). At the neural level, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) allows to investigate motor inhibition within the primary motor cortex (M1), such as the cortical silent period (CSP) which is an index of GABAB-mediated intracortical inhibition within M1. Although there is strong evidence that intracortical inhibition varies during action stopping, it is still not clear whether differences in the neurophysiological markers of intracortical inhibition contribute to behavioral differences in actual inhibitory capacities. Hence, here we explored the relationship between intracortical inhibition within M1 and behavioral response inhibition. GABABergic-mediated inhibition in M1 was determined by the duration of CSP, while behavioral inhibition was assessed by the SSRT. We found a significant positive correlation between CSP’s duration and SSRT, namely that individuals with greater levels of GABABergic-mediated inhibition seem to perform overall worse in inhibiting behavioral responses. These results support the assumption that individual differences in intracortical inhibition are mirrored by individual differences in action stopping abilities.

Proactive and Reactive Motor Inhibition in Top Athletes Versus Nonathletes

2018 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Brevers ◽  
Etienne Dubuisson ◽  
Fabien Dejonghe ◽  
Julien Dutrieux ◽  
Mathieu Petieau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Proactive Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Reactive Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Motor Response Inhibition ◽  
Inhibition Performance

We examined proactive (early restraint in preparation for stopping) and reactive (late correction to stop ongoing action) motor response inhibition in two groups of participants: professional athletes ( n = 28) and nonathletes ( n = 25). We recruited the elite athletes from Belgian national taekwondo and fencing teams. We estimated proactive and reactive inhibition with a modified version of the stop-signal task (SST) in which participants inhibited categorizing left/right arrows. The probability of the stop signal was manipulated across blocks of trials by providing probability cues from the background computer screen color (green = 0%, yellow =17%, orange = 25%, red = 33%). Participants performed two sessions of the SST, where proactive inhibition was operationalized with increased go-signal reaction time as a function of increased stop-signal probability and reactive inhibition was indicated by stop-signal reaction time latency. Athletes exhibited higher reactive inhibition performance than nonathletes. In addition, athletes exhibited higher proactive inhibition than nonathletes in Session 1 (but not Session 2) of the SST. As top-level athletes exhibited heightened reactive inhibition and were faster to reach and maintain consistent proactive motor response inhibition, these results confirm an evaluative process that can discriminate elite athleticism through a fine-grained analysis of inhibitory control.

scholarly journals Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Response Inhibition: Meta-analysis of the Stop-Signal Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendall Mar ◽  
Parker Townes ◽  
Petros Pechlivanoglou ◽  
Paul Arnold ◽  
Russell James Schachar
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time

This systematic review and meta-analysis updates evidence pertaining to deficient response inhibition in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as measured by the stop-signal task (SST). We conducted a meta-analysis of the literature to compare response inhibition in patients with OCD and healthy controls, meta-regressions to determine relative influences of age and sex on response inhibition impairment, and a risk of bias assessment for included studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), which estimates the latency of the stopping process deficit, was significantly longer in OCD samples than in controls, reflecting inferior inhibitory control (Raw mean difference = 23.43ms; p = <0.001; 95% CI = [17.42, 29.45]). We did not observe differences in mean reaction time (MRT) in OCD compared to controls (Raw mean difference = 2.51ms; p = 0.755; 95% CI = [-13.27, 18.30]). Age impacted effect size of SSRT, indicating a greater deficit in older patients than younger ones. We did not observe a significant effect of sex on SSRT or MRT scores.

scholarly journals An ERP study on proactive and reactive response inhibition in individuals with schizotypy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu-xia Jia ◽  
Xiao-jing Qin ◽  
Ji-fang Cui ◽  
Qi Zheng ◽  
Tian-xiao Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Proactive Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Signal Probability ◽  
Reactive Inhibition ◽  
Eeg Data ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Stop Condition

AbstractSchizotypy, a subclinical group at risk for schizophrenia, has been found to show impairments in response inhibition. However, it remains unclear whether this impairment is accompanied by outright stopping (reactive inhibition) or preparation for stopping (proactive inhibition). We recruited 20 schizotypy and 24 non-schizotypy individuals to perform a modified stop-signal task with electroencephalographic (EEG) data recorded. This task consists of three conditions based on the probability of stop signal: 0% (no stop trials, only go trials), 17% (17% stop trials), and 33% (33% stop trials), the conditions were indicated by the colour of go stimuli. For proactive inhibition (go trials), individuals with schizotypy exhibited significantly lesser increase in go response time (RT) as the stop signal probability increasing compared to non-schizotypy individuals. Individuals with schizotypy also exhibited significantly increased N1 amplitude on all levels of stop signal probability and increased P3 amplitude in the 17% stop condition compared with non-schizotypy individuals. For reactive inhibition (stop trials), individuals with schizotypy exhibited significantly longer stop signal reaction time (SSRT) in both 17% and 33% stop conditions and smaller N2 amplitude on stop trials in the 17% stop condition than non-schizotypy individuals. These findings suggest that individuals with schizotypy were impaired in both proactive and reactive response inhibition at behavioural and neural levels.

scholarly journals Stop Signal Reaction Time Deficits in a Lifetime Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Sample

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 785-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole C.R. McLaughlin ◽  
Jason Kirschner ◽  
Hallee Foster ◽  
Chloe O’Connell ◽  
Steven A. Rasmussen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time

AbstractObjectives: Several studies have found impaired response inhibition, measured by a stop-signal task (SST), in individuals who are currently symptomatic for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The aim of this study was to assess stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) performance in individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of OCD, in comparison to a healthy control group. This is the first study that has examined OCD in participants along a continuum of OCD severity, including approximately half of whom had sub-syndromal symptoms at the time of assessment. Methods: OCD participants were recruited primarily from within the OCD clinic at a psychiatric hospital, as well as from the community. Healthy controls were recruited from the community. We used the stop signal task to examine the difference between 21 OCD participants (mean age, 42.95 years) and 40 healthy controls (mean age, 35.13 years). We also investigated the relationship between SST and measures of OCD, depression, and anxiety severity. Results: OCD participants were significantly slower than healthy controls with regard to mean SSRT. Contrary to our prediction, there was no correlation between SSRT and current levels of OCD, anxiety, and depression severity. Conclusions: Results support prior studies showing impaired response inhibition in OCD, and extend the findings to a sample of patients with lifetime OCD who were not all currently above threshold for diagnosis. These findings indicate that response inhibition deficits may be a biomarker of OCD, regardless of current severity levels. (JINS, 2016, 22, 785–789)

scholarly journals Lateralized deficit of response inhibition in early-onset schizophrenia

2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARK A. BELLGROVE ◽  
CHRISTOPHER D. CHAMBERS ◽  
ALASDAIR VANCE ◽  
NICOLE HALL ◽  
MARY KARAMITSIOS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Early Onset ◽  
Poor Response ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Early Onset Schizophrenia ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
The Right

Background. The ability to inhibit inappropriate or unwanted actions is a key element of executive control. The existence of executive function deficits in schizophrenia is consistent with frontal lobe theories of the disorder. Relatively few studies have examined response inhibition in schizophrenia, and none in adolescent patients with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS).Methods. Twenty-one adolescents with the onset of clinically impairing psychosis before 19 years of age and 16 matched controls performed a stop-signal task to assess response inhibition. The patients with EOS were categorized as paranoid (n=10) and undifferentiated subtypes (n=11). The undifferentiated group had higher levels of negative symptomatology. Stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) and go-signal reaction time (Go-RT) were analysed with respect to hand of response.Results. The undifferentiated early-onset patients had significantly longer SSRTs, indicative of poor response inhibition, for the left hand compared to the paranoid early-onset patients and control participants. No differences existed for inhibitory control with the right hand. The three groups did not differ in Go-RT.Conclusions. Our results indicate a specific lateralized impairment of response inhibition in patients with undifferentiated, but not paranoid, EOS. These findings are consistent with reports of immature frontostriatal networks in EOS and implicate areas such as the pre-motor cortex and supplementary motor area (SMA) that are thought to play a role in both voluntary initiation and inhibition of movement.

scholarly journals Relationship between Speed of Response Inhibition and Ability to Suppress a Step in Midlife and Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 643
Author(s):  
Derek England ◽  
Kathy L. Ruddy ◽  
Christopher J. Dakin ◽  
Sarah E. Schwartz ◽  
Blake Butler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Balance Test ◽  
Speed Of Response ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Leg Muscle ◽  
Reactive Balance

In young adults, performance on a test of response inhibition was recently found to be correlated with performance on a reactive balance test where automated stepping responses must occasionally be inhibited. The present study aimed to determine whether this relationship holds true in older adults, wherein response inhibition is typically deficient and the control of postural equilibrium presents a greater challenge. Ten participants (50+ years of age) completed a seated cognitive test (stop signal task) followed by a reactive balance test. Reactive balance was assessed using a modified lean-and-release system where participants were required to step to regain balance following perturbation, or suppress a step if an obstacle was present. The stop signal task is a standardized cognitive test that provides a measure of the speed of response inhibition called the Stop Signal Reaction Time (SSRT). Muscle responses in the legs were compared between conditions where a step was allowed or blocked to quantify response inhibition of the step. The SSRT was significantly related to leg muscle suppression during balance recovery in the stance leg. Thus, participants that were better at inhibiting their responses in the stop signal task were also better at inhibiting an unwanted leg response in favor of grasping a supportive handle. The relationship between a seated cognitive test using finger responses and leg muscle suppression when a step was blocked indicates a context-independent, generalized capacity for response inhibition. This suggests that a simple cognitive test such as the stop signal task could be used clinically to predict an individual’s capacity for adapting balance reactions and fall risk. The present results provide support for future studies, with larger samples, to verify this relationship between stop signal reaction time and leg response during balance recovery.

scholarly journals Partial response electromyography as a marker of the individual stopping latency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liisa Raud ◽  
Christina Thunberg ◽  
Rene Huster
Keyword(s):  
Partial Response ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Reliable Measure ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Overt Behavior ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
The Individual

Response inhibition is among the core constructs of cognitive control. It is notoriously difficult to quantify from overt behavior, since the outcome of successful inhibition is the lack of a behavioral response. Therefore, model-based approaches have been developed to estimate the inhibition latency, such as the stop signal reaction time (SSRT) using the stop signal task. However, the model assumptions underlying the SSRT can be difficult to meet in practice. Recently, partial response electromyography (prEMG) has been introduced as a physiological measure to capture individual stopping latencies. PrEMG refers to muscle activity initiated by the go signal that plummets after the stop signal, before its accumulation to a full response. We provide a comprehensive overview of prEMG in a stop signal task, together with practical tips for data collection and analysis. Our analysis indicates that prEMG is a unique and reliable measure of stopping and we encourage its widespread use to investigate response inhibition.

scholarly journals Response inhibition on the stop signal task improves during cardiac contraction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Rae ◽  
Vanessa Botan ◽  
Cassandra Gould van Praag ◽  
Aleksandra Herman ◽  
Jasmina Nyyssonen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Cardiac Contraction ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Signal Delay ◽  
Adaptive Action ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Parasympathetic Control ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
Cardiovascular Arousal

Motor actions can be facilitated or hindered by psychophysiological states of readiness, to guide rapid adaptive action. Cardiovascular arousal is communicated by cardiac signals conveying the timing and strength of individual heartbeats. Here, we tested how these interoceptive signals facilitate control of motor impulsivity. Participants performed a stop signal task, in which stop cues were delivered at different time points within the cardiac cycle: at systole when the heart contracts, or at diastole between heartbeats. Response inhibition, indexed by a shorter stop signal reaction time (SSRT) and longer stop signal delay (SSD), was better at systole. Furthermore, parasympathetic control of cardiovascular tone, and subjective sensitivity to interoceptive states, predicted response inhibition efficiency. This suggests that response inhibition capacity is influenced by interoceptive physiological cues, such that people are more likely to express impulsive actions during putative states of lower cardiovascular arousal, when frequency and strength of cardiac afferent signalling is reduced.

scholarly journals Is motor inhibition involved in the processing of sentential negation? An assessment via the Stop-Signal Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Montalti ◽  
Marta Calbi ◽  
Valentina Cuccio ◽  
Maria Alessandra Umiltà ◽  
Vittorio Gallese
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Motor Inhibition ◽  
Good Tool ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Sentential Negation ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Methodological Considerations

AbstractIn the last decades, the embodied approach to cognition and language gained momentum in the scientific debate, leading to evidence in different aspects of language processing. However, while the bodily grounding of concrete concepts seems to be relatively not controversial, abstract aspects, like the negation logical operator, are still today one of the main challenges for this research paradigm. In this framework, the present study has a twofold aim: (1) to assess whether mechanisms for motor inhibition underpin the processing of sentential negation, thus, providing evidence for a bodily grounding of this logic operator, (2) to determine whether the Stop-Signal Task, which has been used to investigate motor inhibition, could represent a good tool to explore this issue. Twenty-three participants were recruited in this experiment. Ten hand-action-related sentences, both in affirmative and negative polarity, were presented on a screen. Participants were instructed to respond as quickly and accurately as possible to the direction of the Go Stimulus (an arrow) and to withhold their response when they heard a sound following the arrow. This paradigm allows estimating the Stop Signal Reaction Time (SSRT), a covert reaction time underlying the inhibitory process. Our results show that the SSRT measured after reading negative sentences are longer than after reading affirmative ones, highlighting the recruitment of inhibitory mechanisms while processing negative sentences. Furthermore, our methodological considerations suggest that the Stop-Signal Task is a good paradigm to assess motor inhibition’s role in the processing of sentence negation.

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