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Updated: Feb 28, 2026
Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
Published on: June 20, 2012
Distinct neural processes support post-success and post-error slowing in the stop signal task
Yihe Zhang1, Jaime S Ide2, Sheng Zhang2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
Behavioral adaptation in the stop signal task (SST) involves distinct brain mechanisms. Post-error slowing (PES) activates the right inferior frontal gyrus, pars opercularis (IFGpo) and anterior insula (AI), while post-success slowing (PSS) involves different cortical regions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Executive control and behavioral adaptation are crucial for navigating environmental demands.
- The stop signal task (SST) reveals slower reaction times (RT) after stop trials, a phenomenon known as post-stop slowing.
- Previous fMRI studies linked post-error slowing (PES) to right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation (inferior frontal gyrus, pars opercularis [IFGpo] and anterior insula [AI]), but not post-success slowing (PSS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct neural mechanisms underlying post-success slowing (PSS) and post-error slowing (PES) in the SST.
- To identify brain regions involved in PSS and to compare their activation patterns with those observed during PES.
- To explore the causal relationships between brain regions contributing to successful and erroneous stop responses and subsequent behavioral adjustments.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in a large sample (n=100) performing an extended SST (40 min).
- Granger causality mapping was employed to identify input regions to the right IFGpo/AI and left inferior frontal cortex (IFC).
- Single-trial amplitude (STA) analysis was conducted on stop trials and post-stop trials to correlate regional activity.
Main Results:
- The study replicated IFGpo/AI activation during PES.
- Post-success slowing (PSS) was associated with decreased activation in specific cortical regions, including the left inferior frontal cortex (IFC).
- Correlations between regional responses during stop trials and subsequent PSS/PES suggest distinct neural pathways for processing successful versus erroneous stop signals.
Conclusions:
- Distinct neural mechanisms support post-success slowing (PSS) and post-error slowing (PES).
- The right IFGpo/AI and associated regions are involved in processing errors and subsequent behavioral adjustments.
- The left IFC and supplementary motor area (SMA) appear to play a role in successful stopping and subsequent behavioral adjustments.
