A psychophysiological analysis of inhibitory motor control in the stop-signal paradigm

We examined two potential inhibitory mechanisms for stopping a motor response. Participants performed a standard visual two-choice task in which visual stop signals and no-go signals were presented on a small proportion of the trials. Psychophysiological measures were taken during task performance to examine the time course of response activation and inhibition. The results were consistent with a horse race model previously proposed to account for data obtained using a stop-signal paradigm. The pattern of psychophysiological responses was similar on stop-signal and no-go trials suggesting that the same mechanism may initiate inhibitory control in both situations. We found a distinct frontal brain wave suggesting that inhibitory motor control is instigated from the frontal cortex. The results are best explained in terms of a single, centrally located inhibition mechanism. Results are discussed in terms of current neurophysiological knowledge.