Cited by 1,236Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorFree Will and Agency

From Reactive to Proactive and Selective Control: Developing a Richer Model for Stopping Inappropriate Responses

Open access
Aron, Adam R.·2011·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

A better understanding of the neural systems underlying impulse control is important for psychiatry. Although most impulses are motivational or emotional rather than motoric per se, it is research into the neural architecture of motor response control that has made the greatest strides. This article reviews recent developments in the cognitive neuroscience of stopping responses. Most research of this kind has focused on reactive control-that is, how subjects stop a response outright when instructed by a signal. It is argued that reactive paradigms are limited as models of control relevant to psychiatry. Instead, a set of paradigms is advocated that begins to model proactive inhibitory control-that is, how a subject prepares to stop an upcoming response tendency. Proactive inhibitory control is generated according to the goals of the subject rather than by an external signal, and it can be selectively targeted at a particular response tendency. This may have wider validity than reactive control as an experimental model for stopping inappropriate responses.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.07.024

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  • Response inhibition activates a network of mainly right lateralized frontal brain areas.

    “In brief, response inhibition activates a network of mainly right lateralized frontal brain areas.”
  • The CSTC circuits seem to be important for response inhibition.

    “As reviewed above, the CSTC circuits seem to be important for response inhibition (Aron, 2011) and are also involved in the pathophysiology underlying the dysfunctions related to the symptomatology of the obsessive–compulsive and related disorders.”
  • The use of data generated from stop signal tasks to assess action cancellation drew more on proactive than reactive control for inhibiting inappropriate responses.

    “Third, the use of the data generated from stop signal tasks to assess action cancellation drew more on proactive than reactive control for inhibiting inappropriate responses (Aron 2011; Vink et al. 2014; Van Belle et al. 2014; Vink et al. 2015).”
  • The neural activity pattern in the striatum plus the frontal areas comprises a cortical circuit related to the control of response inhibition, specifically response execution.

    “Thus, the neural activity pattern in the striatum plus the frontal areas comprises a cortical circuit related to the control of response inhibition, specifically response execution (Aron 2011).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. [49]Sharp DJ Bonnelle V De Boissezon X Beckmann CF James SG Patel MC Distinct frontal systems for response inhibition, attentional capture, and error processing Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2010 PMC2851908 20220100
  2. [84]Aron AR The neural basis of inhibitory mechanisms in executive function Unpublished PhD dissertation 2003 Cambridge University
  3. [109]Chikazoe J Jimura K Hirose S Yamashita K Miyashita Y Konishi S Preparation to inhibit a response complements response inhibition during performance of a stop-signal task J Neurosci 2009 29 15870 15877 20016103 PMC6666181
  4. [120]Smith Y Bevan MD Shink E Bolam JP Microcircuitry of the direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia Neuroscience 1998 86 353 387 9881853

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Authors
Aron, A. R.
Affiliations
University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Aron, Adam R.
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-06
Volume
69
Issue
12
Pages
e55-e68
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2093533434
Cited by
1,236
References
143
Citations by year
2026: 44 · 2025: 77 · 2024: 77 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 82 · 2021: 87 · 2020: 118 · 2019: 77 · 2018: 92 · 2017: 91 · 2016: 109 · 2015: 74 · 2014: 93 · 2013: 67 · 2012: 46
FWCI
3.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA026452)
  • National Science Foundation (0921168)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Free Will and Agency
Keywords
impulse control, reactive control, inhibitory control, response inhibition, goal-directed control, inappropriate behavior
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cognition, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Models, Neurological, Neural Pathways, Proactive Inhibition, Executive Function

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