Localizing performance of go/no-go tasks to prefrontal cortical subregions

Response inhibition is an essential executive function implemented by the prefrontal cortex. Performance of go/no-go tasks, which are frequently used to investigate response inhibition, recruits a variety of cognitive components besides response inhibition. This article reviews recent findings on the functional localization associated with go/no-go tasks.

Recent neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have shown that the presupplementary motor area and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex are crucial for response inhibition and that various subregions of the prefrontal cortex make different contributions leading to successful response inhibition. In particular, functional dissociation has been identified in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, which consists of at least three subregions: the posterior part of the inferior frontal gyrus, inferior frontal junction and inferior frontal gyrus/insula.

Neuropsychological studies provide strong evidence that separate subregions of the prefrontal cortex make critical contributions to specific cognitive components involved in response inhibition, whereas neuroimaging studies cannot provide direct evidence regarding the causality, but provide insights into functional localization with high spatial resolution. These methods contribute significantly to our understanding of how executive functions are implemented and should continue to do so into the future.