Selective Inhibitory Control Research Articles

An adaptive behavioral control motif mediated by cortical axo-axonic inhibition

Genetically defined subgroups of inhibitory interneurons are thought to play distinct roles in learning, but heterogeneity within these subgroups has limited our understanding of the scope and nature of their specific contributions. Here we reveal that the chandelier cell (ChC), an interneuron type that specializes in inhibiting the axon-initial segment (AIS) of pyramidal neurons, establishes cortical microcircuits for organizing neural coding through selective axo-axonic synaptic plasticity. We found that organized motor control is mediated by enhanced population coding of direction-tuned premotor neurons, with tuning refined through suppression of irrelevant neuronal activity. ChCs contribute to learning-dependent refinements by providing selective inhibitory control over individual pyramidal neurons rather than global suppression. Quantitative analysis of structural plasticity across axo-axonic synapses revealed that ChCs redistributed inhibitory weights to individual pyramidal neurons during learning. These results demonstrate an adaptive logic of the inhibitory circuit motif responsible for organizing distributed neural representations. Thus, ChCs permit efficient cortical computation in a targeted cell-specific manner.

A single bout of passive exercise mitigates a mental fatigue-induced inhibitory control deficit.

Sustained cognitive effort associated with the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) increases objective and subjective measures of mental fatigue and elicits a post-PVT inhibitory control deficit. In contrast, passive exercise wherein an individual's limbs are moved via an external force (i.e., mechanically driven cycle ergometer flywheel) provides a postexercise inhibitory control benefit linked to an exercise-based increase in cerebral blood flow. Here, we examined whether passive exercise performed concurrently with the PVT 'blunts' an inhibitory control deficit. On separate days, participants (N = 27) completed a 20min PVT protocol (control condition) and same duration PVT protocol paired with passive cycle ergometry (passive exercise condition). Prior to (i.e., baseline), immediately after and 30min after each condition inhibitory control was assessed via the antisaccade task. Antisaccades require a goal-directed eye movement (i.e., saccade) mirror-symmetrical to a target and provide an ideal tool for evaluating task-based changes in inhibitory control. PVT results showed that vigilance (as assessed via reaction time: RT) during control and passive exercise conditions decreased from the first to last 5min of the protocol and increased subjective ratings of mental fatigue. As well, in the control condition, immediate (but not 30-min) post-intervention antisaccade RTs were longer than their baseline counterparts-a result evincing a transient mental fatigue-based inhibitory control deficit. For the passive exercise condition, immediate and 30-min post-intervention antisaccade RTs were shorter than their baseline counterparts and this result was linked to decreased subjective ratings of mental fatigue. Thus, passive exercise ameliorated the selective inhibitory control deficit associated with PVT-induced mental fatigue and thus provides a potential framework to reduce executive dysfunction in vigilance-demanding occupations.

Ageing and selective inhibition of irrelevant information in an attention-demanding rapid serial visual presentation task.

Attention involves both an ability to selectively focus on relevant information and simultaneously ignore irrelevant information (i.e. inhibitory control). Many factors impact inhibitory control such as individual differences, relative timing of stimuli presentation, distractor characteristics, and participant age. Previous research with young adults responding to an attention-demanding rapid serial visual presentations of pictures superimposed with task-irrelevant words evaluated the extent to which unattended information may be subject to inhibitory control. Surprise recognition tests following the rapid serial visual presentation task showed that recognition for unattended words presented with non-targets (i.e. non-aligned or ‘NA’ words) during the rapid serial visual presentation task were recognised at chance levels. However, when the unattended words were infrequently paired with the attended picture targets (i.e. target-aligned or ‘TA’ words), recognition rates were significantly below chance and significantly lower compared to NA words, suggesting selective inhibitory control for the previously unattended TA words. The current study adapted this paradigm to compare healthy younger and older adults’ ability to engage in inhibitory control. In line with previous research, younger adults demonstrated selective inhibition with recognition rates for TA words significantly lower than NA words and chance, while NA words were recognised at chance levels. However, older adults showed no difference in recognition rates between word types (TA versus NA). Rather all items were recognised at rates significantly below chance suggesting inhibited recognition for all unattended words, regardless of when they were presented during the primary task. Finally, older adults recognised significantly fewer NA words compared to young adults. These findings suggest that older adults may experience a decline in their ability to selectively inhibit the processing of irrelevant information, while maintaining the capacity to exercise global inhibition over unattended lexical information.

Selective Inhibitory Control in Middle Childhood.

The main aim of this study was to investigate the development of selective inhibitory control in middle childhood, a critical period for the maturation of inhibition-related processes. To this end, 64 children aged 6–7 and 56 children aged 10–11 performed a stimulus-selective stop-signal task, which allowed us to estimate not only the efficiency of response inhibition (the stop-signal reaction time or SSRT), but also the strategy adopted by participants to achieve task demands. We found that the adoption of a non-selective (global) strategy characterized by stopping indiscriminately to all stimuli decreased in older children, so that most of them were able to interrupt their ongoing responses selectively at the end of middle childhood. Moreover, compared to younger children, older children were more efficient in their ability to cancel an initiated response (indexed by a shorter SSRT), regardless of which strategy they used. Additionally, we found improvements in other forms of impulsivity, such as the control of premature responding (waiting impulsivity), and attentional-related processes, such as intra-individual variability and distractibility. The present results suggest that middle childhood represents a milestone in the development of crucial aspects of inhibitory control, including selective stopping.

Pre-trial and pre-response EEG microstates in schizophrenia: An endophenotypic marker

Cognitive deficits in Schizophrenia interfere with everyday functioning and social functioning. Strong familial associations in schizophrenia might serve to establish cognitive impairments as endophenotypic markers. Therefore, visuo-spatial working memory simulating day-to-day activities at high memory load was assessed in patients with schizophrenia, their first-degree relatives and healthy controls to explore pre-trial and pre-response EEG microstates and their intracranial generators. Twenty-eight patients with schizophrenia, first-degree relatives and matched healthy controls participated in the study. Brain activity during visuo-spatial working memory task was recorded using 128-channel electroencephalography. Pre-trial and pre-response microstate maps of correct and error trials were clustered across groups according to their topography. Microstate map parameters and underlying cortical sources were compared among groups. Pre-trial (correct) microstate Map 1 was significantly different between controls and patients which could qualify it as a state marker with its intracranial generator localized to right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG). Pre-response (correct) microstate map was significantly different between controls and first-degree relatives which could be considered an endophenotypic marker for schizophrenia. No significant differences were observed for error trials between groups. rIFG which is involved in the execution of multi-component behaviour and selective inhibitory control could distinguish patients with schizophrenia from their first-degree relatives and healthy controls. Further, microstate based biomarkers have the potential to facilitate diagnosis of schizophrenia at a preclinical stage resulting in efficient diagnosis and better prognosis.

Are age-related changes in cortical motor representations linked with facilitation/inhibition in the primary motor cortex?

Are age-related changes in cortical motor representations linked with facilitation/inhibition in the primary motor cortex?

Selective inhibitory control of pyramidal neuron ensembles and cortical subnetworks by chandelier cells.

The neocortex comprises multiple information processing streams mediated by subsets of glutamatergic pyramidal cells (PCs) that receive diverse inputs and project to distinct targets. How GABAergic interneurons regulate the segregation and communication among intermingled PC subsets that contribute to separate brain networks remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that a subset of GABAergic chandelier cells (ChCs) in the prelimbic cortex (PL), which innervate PCs at spike initiation site, selectively control PCs projecting to the basolateral amygdala (BLAPC) compared to those projecting to contralateral cortex (CCPC). These ChCs in turn receive preferential input from local and contralateral CCPCs as opposed to BLAPCs and BLA neurons (the PL-BLA network). Accordingly, optogenetic activation of ChCs rapidly suppresses BLAPCs and BLA activity in freely behaving mice. Thus, the exquisite connectivity of ChCs not only mediates directional inhibition between local PC ensembles but may also shape communication hierarchies between global networks.

Age-related changes in post-movement beta synchronization during a selective inhibition task.

Post-movement beta synchronization (PMBS) modulations have been related to sensory reafferences after movement initiation and inhibitory processes after movement interruption. Although these processes have been separately studied in young and old adults, little is known about the age-related changes in PMBS during selective inhibitory control (i.e. stop a part of an action). The present study examines the age-related modulations of PMBS associated with sensory reafferences and inhibitory processes in selective inhibitory control. Young (n=17) and old (n=13) participants performed a switching task first engaging bimanual finger tapping then requiring to stop the left while maintaining the right unimanual tapping (i.e. selective inhibition) at an imperative stimulus. Age groups were compared on behavioral (mean, variability and percentage of errors of inter-tap interval during and after the switching) and electrophysiological (time-frequency and source estimations in the 14-30Hz beta frequency range) data time-locked on the imperative stimulus. Behaviorally, old adults showed larger variability and percentage of errors during the switching but performed as well as young adults after the switching. Electrophysiologically, PMBS significantly increased after the switching in the old compared to the young group within bilateral frontal and parietal areas. Our results show that the effort to maintain selective inhibition involves increased brain activation in old compared to young adults. The larger PMBS within frontal and parietal regions in old adults may reflect an age-related brain compensation enabling to efficiently maintain post-switching inhibition.

Early attentional processes distinguish selective from global motor inhibitory control: An electrical neuroimaging study

The rapid stopping of specific parts of movements is frequently required in daily life. Yet, whether selective inhibitory control of movements is mediated by a specific neural pathway or by the combination between a global stopping of all ongoing motor activity followed by the re-initiation of task-relevant movements remains unclear. To address this question, we applied time-wise statistical analyses of the topography, global field power and electrical sources of the event-related potentials to the global vs selective inhibition stimuli presented during a Go/NoGo task. Participants (n=18) had to respond as fast as possible with their two hands to Go stimuli and to withhold the response from the two hands (global inhibition condition, GNG) or from only one hand (selective inhibition condition, SNG) when specific NoGo stimuli were presented. Behaviorally, we replicated previous evidence for slower response times in the SNG than in the Go condition. Electrophysiologically, there were two distinct phases of event-related potentials modulations between the GNG and the SNG conditions. At 110–150ms post-stimulus onset, there was a difference in the strength of the electric field without concomitant topographic modulation, indicating the differential engagement of statistically indistinguishable configurations of neural generators for selective and global inhibitory control. At 150–200ms, there was topographic modulation, indicating the engagement of distinct brain networks. Source estimations localized these effects within bilateral temporo-parieto-occipital and within parieto-central networks, respectively. Our results suggest that while both types of motor inhibitory control depend on global stopping mechanisms, selective and global inhibition still differ quantitatively at early attention-related processing phases.

The capture and suppression of irrelevant response tendencies: a TMS-DTI approach

Event Abstract Back to Event The capture and suppression of irrelevant response tendencies: a TMS-DTI approach Dilene Van Campen1*, W.P.M. Van Den Wildenberg1 and K.R. Ridderinkhof1 1 University of Amsterdam, Netherlands Selective inhibitory control when selecting between two actions is an important aspect of goal-directed behavior. In the Simon task, participants respond to a relevant feature (circle color) while ignoring an irrelevant feature (circle location). The goal of the experiments is to link behavioral indices of top-down suppression of involuntary response impulses and response capture with physiological and anatomical markers.In three experiments we collected single pulse, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (spTMS and rTMS) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data. Behavioral data was assessed in all experiments, using RT distribution analyses and conditional accuracy functions (CAF). In the first experiment spTMS is applied over motor cortex at different timing moments to link behavioral indices of inhibition with physiological markers and to track its time course. In the second experiment DTI data was collected to link behavioral indices of inhibition with anatomical markers. In the third experiment 1hz offline rTMS was applied over the pre supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) to interfere with the function of the two cortical areas.The spTMS results showed an early increase in M1 activation indicative of response capture, followed by cortical inhibition on correct interference trials. DTI analyses suggested involvement of pre-SMA and rIFG. Preliminary data from the rTMS experiment point to more fast errors after pre-SMA stimulation, indicating impaired response selection. Secondly, rIFG stimulation seems to enhance interference effects, suggesting impaired selective suppression of irrelevant information. Keywords: decision-making, DTI Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Decision Making, Reward Processing & Response Selection Citation: Van Campen D, Van Den Wildenberg W and Ridderinkhof K (2011). The capture and suppression of irrelevant response tendencies: a TMS-DTI approach. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00364 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 23 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Dilene Van Campen, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, a.d.vancampen@uva.nl Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Dilene Van Campen W.P.M. Van Den Wildenberg K.R. Ridderinkhof Google Dilene Van Campen W.P.M. Van Den Wildenberg K.R. Ridderinkhof Google Scholar Dilene Van Campen W.P.M. Van Den Wildenberg K.R. Ridderinkhof PubMed Dilene Van Campen W.P.M. Van Den Wildenberg K.R. Ridderinkhof Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

The development of selective inhibitory control: The influence of verbal labeling

The role of language in the development of selective inhibitory control was examined in four groups: Children aged 7–9 years, children aged 11–13 years, adults aged 20–27 years, and adults aged 62–76 years. We used a modified stop-signal task in which participants inhibited or executed responses based on a visual signal. Response execution and inhibition were assessed by measurement of reaction times (RTs) and error rates to a go signal and RTs to a stop signal. Four task variations were compared in which subjects named (1) the stimulus, (2) the intended action (go/stop), (3) something irrelevant, or (4) nothing. Results showed different developmental trends for response execution and inhibition across the lifespan. Moreover, response execution was faster and more accurate when subjects named the stimulus instead of the intended action. The increase in response accuracy when naming the stimulus was greatest for children. In contrast to expectations, naming the intended action did not influence response inhibition. Overall, these findings suggest that verbal labeling supports the initiation but not the inhibition of actions.

Function and structure of the right inferior frontal cortex predict individual differences in response inhibition: a model-based approach.

The ability to suppress one's impulses and actions constitutes a fundamental mechanism of cognitive control, thought to be subserved by the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC). The neural bases of more selective inhibitory control when selecting between two actions have thus far remained articulated with less precision. Selective inhibition can be explored in detail by extracting parameters from response time (RT) distributions as derived from performance in the Simon task. Individual differences in RT distribution parameters not only can be used to probe the efficiency and temporal dynamics of selective response inhibition, but also allow a more detailed analysis of functional neuroimaging data. Such model-based analyses, which capitalize on individual differences, have demonstrated that selective response inhibition is subserved by the rIFC. The aim of the present study was to specify the relationship between model parameters of response inhibition and their functional and structural underpinnings in the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were obtained from healthy participants while performing a Simon task in which irrelevant information can activate incorrect responses that should be selectively inhibited in favor of selecting the correct response. In addition, structural data on the density of coherency of white matter tracts were obtained using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The analyses aimed at quantifying the extent to which RT distribution measures of response inhibition are associated with individual differences in both rIFC function and structure. The results revealed a strong correlation between the model parameters and both fMRI and DTI characteristics of the rIFC. In general, our results reveal that individual differences in inhibition are accompanied by differences in both brain function and structure.

The Development of Selective Inhibitory Control Across the Life Span

A modification of the stop-signal task was used to investigate the development of selective inhibitory control. A group of 317 participants, age 6 to 82 years, performed a visual choice reaction time (go) task and attempted to selectively inhibit their response to the go task when hearing one of two randomly presented tones (1000 Hz, 250 Hz), each presented on 20% of trials. Measures of response execution and inhibition were assessed by using reaction times to the go signal (GoRT) and stop signal (SSRT), respectively. Results indicated that SSRT gets faster with increasing age throughout childhood, with pronounced slowing in older adulthood. In addition, strong evidence was obtained for age-related speeding in GoRT throughout childhood, with marked slowing throughout adulthood. Subsequent hierarchical regression analyses illustrated that the age-related changes in selective inhibitory control could not be explained simply by overall slowing or speeding of responses. Findings are discussed in regard to the decay and maturation of selective inhibitory control across the life span.