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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
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Online Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Protocol for Measuring Cortical Physiology Associated with Response Inhibition
Published on: February 8, 2018
Sequence effects in the Go/NoGo task: inhibition and facilitation.
Susan Jennifer Thomas1, Craig Joseph Gonsalvez, Stuart John Johnstone
1Brain & Behaviour Research Institute, School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. sthomas@uow.edu.au
Summary
This study reveals that both attention facilitation and inhibition influence performance in the Go/NoGo task. Sequence effects are crucial, as overlooking them can confound facilitation and inhibition findings.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Attention involves asymmetric facilitatory and inhibitory processes impacting response times, accuracy, and neural activity.
- Stimulus context, particularly repetitions, often leads to facilitation, yet facilitation in the Go/NoGo task remains understudied compared to inhibition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct roles and interplay of facilitation and inhibition within an adapted Go/NoGo task.
- To examine how stimulus sequencing affects behavioral and neuroelectric measures of attention.
Main Methods:
- Twenty healthy adults completed a modified Go/NoGo task with manipulated facilitation and inhibition levels.
- Event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral data were analyzed based on preceding stimulus sequences.
- Established Go/NoGo effects on N2 and P3 components were replicated, alongside sequence-specific findings.
Main Results:
- Sequence effects significantly modulated behavioral and ERP measures, indicating distinct roles for facilitation and inhibition.
- Facilitation correlated with reduced P1 and N1 latencies for Go stimulus repetitions.
- Increased inhibitory load led to prolonged N1, P2, and N2 latencies, suggesting their involvement in inhibition.
Conclusions:
- Both facilitatory and inhibitory processes are integral to Go/NoGo task performance.
- Sequence effects are critical and can confound facilitation and inhibition if not accounted for.
- Specific ERP components (P1, N1, N2, P3) show distinct temporal dynamics related to facilitation and inhibition, with P3 latency linked to response execution.
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