Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
09:43
The 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task: A Task of Attention and Impulse Control for Rodents
Published on: August 10, 2014
Neural activity changes associated with impulsive responding in the sustained attention to response task.
Hiroyuki Sakai1, Yuji Uchiyama, Duk Shin
1Frontier Research Center, Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories, Inc., Nagakute, Japan. sakai@mosk.tytlabs.co.jp
Plos One
|July 5, 2013
Summary
Impulsive behavior, like that seen in traffic crashes, is linked to brain activity changes. Reduced activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and intraparietal sulcus, and increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, are associated with impulsive responding.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Factors
Background:
- Sustained attention is crucial for goal achievement but difficult to maintain.
- Impulsive behaviors, triggered externally, can lead to severe consequences like accidents.
- Understanding the neural basis of impulsivity is key to preventing errors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying impulsive responding.
- To identify brain regions associated with compromised preparation during sustained attention tasks.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to scan 22 participants.
- A sustained attention to response task (SART) with Go and NoGo trials was employed.
- Parametric modulation analysis correlated fMRI activity with Go reaction times as a marker of impulsivity.
Main Results:
- Positive modulation of activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS) with increased Go reaction times.
- Weak negative modulation of activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) with increased Go reaction times.
- Reduced right DLPFC/IPS activity and elevated MPFC/PCC activity correlated with impulsive responding.
Conclusions:
- Spontaneous shifts in brain activity patterns, particularly in the DLPFC, IPS, MPFC, and PCC, underlie impulsive responding in monotonous settings.
- These neural changes may explain human errors in real-world work environments.
- The findings highlight the neural correlates of impulsivity and its potential impact on performance.
