Uncovering the interaction of key regions within the prefrontal response inhibition network
Final Report Abstract
Understanding how humans process signals that require the stopping of an already initiated action is fundamental to understanding everyday behavior. For example, stopping before a crosswalk when the traffic light suddenly changes to red is just one of many examples of effective reactive response inhibition. However, parts of the cognitive as well as neurophysiological processes underlying reactive response inhibition are not yet fully understood. So far, it is unclear what characteristics make stop-signals more likely to be processed efficiently. This research shows that tactile stop-signals are more effective at signalling action stopping as compared to visual stop-signals in an otherwise visual task environment. However, visual stop-signals receive a processing boost if presented at a taskirrelevant location - even in the face of concurrent visual distractors. This may help manufacturers develop more efficient warning systems to keep people safe. A second knowledge gap is evident with regards to the prefrontal inhibition network in the brain. Although most neuroimaging studies implicitly assume a causal relation between increased task-related activation and behavior, they cannot draw strong conclusions on the functional relevance of task-related activity for a given cognitive process. A way to bridge this gap is by experimentally manipulating the neural state of the area. Results of this project indicate that short-term flexible reorganization within the brain is possible to compensate for external perturbation via noninvasive brain stimulation. Understanding the neural underpinnings of the response inhibition process in a controlled laboratory environment is a first step towards understanding how the brain processes the need to stop an action in other populations (e.g., patients with inhibition deficits and heightened impulsivity) or more realistic situations.
Publications
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A touching advantage: investigating the influence of stop-signal modality on reactive response inhibition in the Stop-Signal Task. Talk at the 54th Herbsttreffen experimentelle Kognitionspsychologie (HexKoP), Oct. 7.-9th., 2022, Greifswald, Germany.
Friehs, M.A., Schmalbrock, P., Dechant, M., Merz, S., Hartwigsen, G., Mandryk, R., L. & Frings, C.
