Right Inferior Frontal Cortex and preSMA in Response Inhibition: An Investigation Based on PTC Model

Response inhibition is an essential component of cognitive function. A large body of literature has used neuroimaging data to uncover the neural architecture that regulates inhibitory control in general and movement cancelation. The presupplementary motor area (preSMA) and the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) are the key nodes in the inhibitory control network. However, how these two regions contribute to response inhibition remains controversial. Based on the Pause-then-Cancel Model (PTC), this study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the functional specificity of two regions in the stopping process. The Go/No-Go task (GNGT) and the Stop Signal Task (SST) were administered to the same group of participants. We used the GNGT to dissociate the pause process and both the GNGT and the SST to investigate the inhibition mechanism. Imaging data revealed that response inhibition produced by both tasks activated the preSMA and rIFC. Furthermore, an across-participants analysis showed that increased activation in the rIFC was associated with a delay in the go response in the GNGT. In contrast, increased activation in the preSMA was associated with good inhibition efficiency via the striatum in both GNGT and SST. These behavioral and imaging findings support the PTC model of the role of rIFC and preSMA, that the former is involved in a pause process to delay motor responses, whereas the preSMA is involved in the stopping of motor responses.