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Updated: May 20, 2026
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Online Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Protocol for Measuring Cortical Physiology Associated with Response Inhibition
Published on: February 8, 2018
Brain networks subserving fixed versus performance-adjusted delay stop trials in a stop signal task.
Mira Fauth-Bühler1, Mischa de Rover, Katya Rubia
1Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany. mira.fauth-buehler@zi-mannheim.de
Behavioural Brain Research
|July 24, 2012
Summary
The stop signal task assesses inhibitory control. Brain activity during successful inhibition was similar across fixed and performance-adjusted versions, but fixed trials showed more variable neural responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- The stop signal task is crucial for evaluating inhibitory motor control.
- Two variants exist: fixed delay and performance-adjusted, differing in difficulty control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare brain activation during successful response inhibition between fixed delay and performance-adjusted stop signal tasks.
- To investigate commonalities, mean differences, and variability in neural responses.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study with 18 healthy individuals.
- Within-subject, within-task design analyzing both fixed and performance-adjusted trials separately.
- Conjunction analyses to identify common inhibitory networks.
Main Results:
- A common network for successful response inhibition was identified in both task versions.
- No significant differences in brain activation were found between the fixed and performance-adjusted versions during successful inhibition.
- Neural responses in the fixed delay version exhibited greater between-subject variability compared to the performance-adjusted version.
Conclusions:
- Performance-adjusted stop signal tasks are suitable for studies requiring controlled performance, like clinical or developmental research.
- Fixed delay stop signal tasks are better suited for investigating the neural basis of individual differences in inhibitory control.
