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Context-dependent modulation of cognitive control involves different temporal profiles of fronto-parietal activity
Bart Aben1, Cristian Buc Calderon2, Laurens Van der Cruyssen3
1Brain and Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Neuroimage
|February 9, 2019
Summary
This study reveals how the brain uses reactive and proactive cognitive control on different timescales. Reactive control shows transient activity, while proactive control exhibits sustained activity in fronto-parietal areas.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Cognitive control is crucial for adapting to changing task demands.
- Two modes of cognitive control, reactive and proactive, operate on different timescales.
- Empirical evidence for the temporal dissociation of neural mechanisms underlying these control modes is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of neural mechanisms supporting reactive and proactive cognitive control.
- To differentiate the neural signatures of transient (reactive) and sustained (proactive) cognitive control using fMRI.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- A cognitive control task was administered in contexts designed to elicit reactive (mainly congruent trials) and proactive (mainly incongruent trials) control.
- Behavioral data and brain activity (on-trial and intertrial interval) were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Reactive control in the mainly congruent context showed increased transient, on-trial activity in fronto-parietal areas, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and intraparietal sulcus (IPS).
- Proactive control in the mainly incongruent context demonstrated increased sustained activity in similar fronto-parietal areas during the intertrial interval.
- These findings suggest overlapping neural substrates for both control modes operating on distinct temporal scales.
Conclusions:
- Reactive and proactive cognitive control engage overlapping fronto-parietal brain regions.
- The temporal dynamics of neural activity (transient vs. sustained) differentiate these two control modes.
- Understanding these distinct temporal operations is key to comprehending cognitive flexibility.
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