scholarly journals The Stop Signal Task for Measuring Behavioral Inhibition in Mice With Increased Sensitivity and High-Throughput Operation

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alican Caglayan ◽  
Katharina Stumpenhorst ◽  
York Winter
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Disorder ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Home Cage ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Training Time ◽  
High Baseline ◽  
Gating Mechanism

Ceasing an ongoing motor response requires action cancelation. This is impaired in many pathologies such as attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia. Action cancelation is measured by the stop signal task that estimates how quickly a motor response can be stopped when it is already being executed. Apart from human studies, the stop signal task has been used to investigate neurobiological mechanisms of action cancelation overwhelmingly in rats and only rarely in mice, despite the need for a genetic model approach. Contributing factors to the limited number of mice studies may be the long and laborious training that is necessary and the requirement for a very loud (100 dB) stop signal. We overcame these limitations by employing a fully automated home-cage-based setup. We connected a home-cage to the operant box via a gating mechanism, that allowed individual ID chipped mice to start sessions voluntarily. Furthermore, we added a negative reinforcement consisting of a mild air puff with escape option to the protocol. This specifically improved baseline inhibition to 94% (from 84% with the conventional approach). To measure baseline inhibition the stop is signaled immediately with trial onset thus measuring action restraint rather than action cancelation ability. A high baseline allowed us to measure action cancelation ability with higher sensitivity. Furthermore, our setup allowed us to reduce the intensity of the acoustic stop signal from 100 to 70 dB. We constructed inhibition curves from stop trials with daily adjusted delays to estimate stop signal reaction times (SSRTs). SSRTs (median 88 ms) were lower than reported previously, which we attribute to the observed high baseline inhibition. Our automated training protocol reduced training time by 17% while also promoting minimal experimenter involvement. This sensitive and labor efficient stop signal task procedure should therefore facilitate the investigation of action cancelation pathologies in genetic mouse models.

scholarly journals Subcortical processes of motor response inhibition during a stop signal task

NeuroImage ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1352-1363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiang-Shan Ray Li ◽  
Peisi Yan ◽  
Rajita Sinha ◽  
Tien-Wen Lee
Keyword(s):  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Motor Response Inhibition

scholarly journals Maturational trajectories of white matter microstructure underlying the right presupplementary motor area reflect individual improvements in motor response cancellation in children and adolescents

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrine Skak Madsen ◽  
Louise Baruël Johansen ◽  
Wesley K. Thompson ◽  
Hartwig R. Siebner ◽  
Terry L. Jernigan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
List Type ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
The Right

AbstractThe ability to effectively suppress motor response tendencies is essential for focused and goal-directed behavior. Here, we tested the hypothesis that developmental improvement in the ability to cancel a motor response is reflected by maturational changes in the white matter underlying the right presupplementary motor area (preSMA) and posterior inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), two cortical key areas of the fronto-basal ganglia “stopping” network. Eighty-eight typically-developing children and adolescents, aged 7-19 years, were longitudinally assessed with the stop-signal task (SST) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the brain over a period of six years. Participants were examined from two to nine times with an average of 6.6 times, resulting in 576 SST-DTI datasets. We applied tract-based spatial statistics to extract mean fractional anisotropy (FA) from regions-of-interest in the white matter underlying the right IFG (IFGFA) and right preSMA (preSMAFA) at each time point. Motor response cancelation performance, estimated with the stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), improved with age. Initially well performing children plateaued around the age of 11 years, while initially poor performers caught up at the age of 13-14 years. White matter microstructure continued to mature across the investigated age range. Males generally displayed linear maturational trajectories, while females displayed more curvilinear trajectories that leveled off around 12-14 years of age. Maturational increases in right preSMAFA but not right IFGFA were associated with developmental improvements in SSRT. This association differed depending on the mean right preSMAFA across the individual maturational trajectory. Children with lower mean right preSMAFA exhibited poorer SSRT performance at younger ages but steeper developmental trajectories of SSRT improvement. Children with higher mean right preSMAFA exhibited flatter trajectories of SSRT improvement along with faster SSRT already at the first assessments. The results suggest that no further improvement in motor response cancellation is achieved once a certain level of maturity in the white matter underlying the right preSMA is reached. Similar dynamics may apply to other behavioral read-outs and brain structures and, thus, need to be considered in longitudinal MRI studies designed to map brain structural correlates of behavioral changes during development.HighlightsMotor response cancellation, i.e. SSRT, improvement plateaued at 13-14 years of ageFractional anisotropy (FA) captured maturation of white matter (WM) microstructureFA in the WM underlying right preSMA (preSMAFA) reflected SSRT improvement with ageIndividual SSRT improvement depended on mean right preSMAFA across all DTI sessionsChildren with lower mean right preSMAFA had the steepest improvements in SSRT

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.

Motor Response Inhibition and Execution in the Stop-Signal Task: Development and Relation to ADHD Behaviors

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carin M. Tillman ◽  
Lisa B. Thorell ◽  
Karin C. Brocki ◽  
Gunilla Bohlin
Keyword(s):  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Motor Response Inhibition

scholarly journals Inhibition of thoughts and actions in obsessive-compulsive disorder: extending the endophenotype?

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Morein-Zamir ◽  
N. A. Fineberg ◽  
T. W. Robbins ◽  
B. J. Sahakian
Keyword(s):  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Thought Suppression ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Response Suppression ◽  
Motor Inhibition ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Stimulus Meaning

BackgroundObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been associated with impairments in stop-signal inhibition, a measure of motor response suppression. The study used a novel paradigm to examine both thought suppression and response inhibition in OCD, where the modulatory effects of stimuli relevant to OCD could also be assessed. Additionally, the study compared inhibitory impairments in OCD patients with and without co-morbid depression, as depression is the major co-morbidity of OCD.MethodVolitional response suppression and unintentional thought suppression to emotive and neutral stimuli were examined using a novel thought stop-signal task. The thought stop-signal task was administered to non-depressed OCD patients, depressed OCD patients and healthy controls (n=20 per group).ResultsMotor inhibition impairments were evident in OCD patients, while motor response performance did not differ between patients and controls. Switching to a new response but not motor inhibition was affected by stimulus relevance in OCD patients. Additionally, unintentional thought suppression as measured by repetition priming was intact. OCD patients with and without depression did not differ on any task performance measures, though there were significant differences in all self-reported measures.ConclusionsResults support motor inhibition deficits in OCD that remain stable regardless of stimulus meaning or co-morbid depression. Only switching to a new response was influenced by stimulus meaning. When response inhibition was successful in OCD patients, so was the unintentional suppression of the accompanying thought.

scholarly journals Startle reveals decreased response preparatory activation during a stop-signal task

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 986-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil M. Drummond ◽  
Erin K. Cressman ◽  
Anthony N. Carlsen
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Acoustic Stimulus ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Short Latency ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Activation Level ◽  
Startling Acoustic Stimulus ◽  
Simple Rt

In a stop-signal task participants are instructed to initiate a movement in response to a go signal, but to inhibit this movement if an infrequent stop signal is presented after the go. Reaction time (RT) in a stop-signal task is typically longer compared with that in a simple RT task, which may be attributed to a reduced readiness to initiate the response caused by the possibility of having to inhibit the response. The purpose of this experiment was to probe the preparatory activation level of the motor response during a stop-signal task using a startling acoustic stimulus (SAS), which has been shown to involuntarily trigger sufficiently prepared responses at a short latency. Participants completed two separate tasks: a simple RT task, followed by a stop-signal RT task. During both tasks, an SAS (120 dB) was pseudorandomly presented concurrently with the go signal. As expected, RT during the simple RT task was significantly shorter than during the stop-signal task. A significant reduction in RT was noted when an SAS was presented during the simple RT task; however, during the stop-signal task, an SAS resulted in either a significant speeding or a moderate delay in RT. Additionally, the subset of SAS trial responses with the shortest RT latencies produced during the stop-signal task were also delayed compared with the short-latency SAS trial responses observed during the simple RT task. Despite evidence that a response was prepared in advance of the go signal during a stop-signal task, it appears that the amount of preparatory activation was reduced compared with that achieved during a simple RT task.

scholarly journals Evoked Potentials Differentiate Developmental Coordination Disorder From Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a Stop-Signal Task: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Meachon ◽  
Marcel Meyer ◽  
Kate Wilmut ◽  
Martina Zemp ◽  
Georg W. Alpers
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Developmental Coordination Disorder ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Executive Performance ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Motor Response Inhibition ◽  
Coordination Disorder

Developmental Coordination Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder are unique neurodevelopmental disorders with overlaps in executive functions and motor control. The conditions co-occur in up to 50% of cases, raising questions of the pathological mechanisms of DCD versus ADHD. Few studies have examined these overlaps in adults with DCD and/or ADHD. Therefore, to provide insights about executive functions and motor control between adults with DCD, ADHD, both conditions (DCD + ADHD), or typically developed controls, this study used a stop-signal task and parallel EEG measurement. We assessed executive performance via go accuracy and go reaction time, as well as motor response inhibition via stop-signal reaction time. This was complemented with analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs). Based on existing investigations of adults with DCD or ADHD, we expected (1) groups would not differ in behavioral performance on stop and go trials, but (2) differences in ERPs, particularly in components N200 (index of cognitive control) and P300 (index of attention and inhibition) would be evident. The sample included N = 50 adults with DCD (n = 12), ADHD (n = 9), DCD + ADHD (n = 7), and control participants (n = 22). We replicated that there were no between-group differences for behavioral-level executive performance and motor response inhibition. However, on a physiological level, ERP components N200 and P300 differed between groups, particularly during successful response inhibition. These ERPs reflect potential endophenotypic differences not evident in overt behavior of participants with ADHD and/or DCD. This suggests a disorder specific employment of inhibition or general executive functions in groups of adults with DCD, DCD + ADHD, ADHD, or control participants.

scholarly journals Inhibitory Control on a Stop Signal Task in Tourette Syndrome before and after Deep Brain Stimulation of the Internal Segment of the Globus Pallidus

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 461
Author(s):  
Francesca Morreale ◽  
Zinovia Kefalopoulou ◽  
Ludvic Zrinzo ◽  
Patricia Limousin ◽  
Eileen Joyce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Tourette Syndrome ◽  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Reactive Inhibition ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Deep Brain

As part of the first randomized double-blind trial of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus (GPi) in Tourette syndrome, we examined the effect of stimulation on response initiation and inhibition. A total of 14 patients with severe Tourette syndrome were recruited and tested on the stop signal task prior to and after GPi-DBS surgery and compared to eight age-matched healthy controls. Tics were significantly improved following GPi-DBS. The main measure of reactive inhibition, the stop signal reaction time did not change from before to after surgery and did not differ from that of healthy controls either before or after GPi-DBS surgery. This suggests that patients with Tourette syndrome have normal reactive inhibition which is not significantly altered by GPi-DBS.

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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