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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
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Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
Published on: March 17, 2019
Neural correlates of stopping and self-reported impulsivity
Marieke M Lansbergen1, Koen B E Böcker, Evelijne M Bekker
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. M.Lansbergen@fss.uu.nl
Summary
High impulsivity in healthy adults requires more effortful inhibitory control for successful stopping. Slow stoppers show weaker inhibition and abnormal error processing, distinct from ADHD.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Impulsivity is a trait linked to poor inhibitory control.
- Understanding neural mechanisms of stopping is crucial for cognitive function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between self-reported impulsivity, inhibitory control, and neural activity during stopping tasks in healthy adults.
- To compare neural correlates of stopping performance between individuals with high and low trait impulsivity, and between slow and fast stoppers.
Main Methods:
- Healthy participants completed an auditory stop-signal task.
- Trait impulsivity was assessed using self-report measures.
- Neural correlates of stopping, specifically N1 and stop P3 event-related potentials, were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Successful stops showed larger N1 and stop P3 effects compared to failed stops.
- High impulsivity was associated with larger stop P3 but similar N1 effects and equivalent stopping performance compared to low impulsivity.
- Slow stoppers exhibited reduced stop P3 but similar N1 effects compared to fast stoppers.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with high impulsivity may employ more effortful inhibitory control to achieve similar stopping performance.
- Slow stopping is linked to potentially weaker inhibition and abnormal error processing.
- Neural differences observed in high impulsives and slow stoppers are distinct from those seen in ADHD.
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