Cited by 1,015Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

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Meta-analysis of Go/No-go tasks demonstrating that fMRI activation associated with response inhibition is task-dependent

Open access

Abstract

FMRI studies of response inhibition consistently reveal frontal lobe activation. Localization within the frontal cortex, however, varies across studies and appears dependent on the nature of the task. Activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis is a powerful quantitative method of establishing concurrence of activation across functional neuroimaging studies. For this study, ALE was used to investigate concurrent neural correlates of successfully inhibited No-go stimuli across studies of healthy adults performing a Go/No-go task, a paradigm frequently used to measure response inhibition. Due to the potential overlap of neural circuits for response selection and response inhibition, the analysis included only event-related studies contrasting No-go activation with baseline, which allowed for inclusion of all regions that may be critical to visually guided motor response inhibition, including those involved in response selection. These Go/No-go studies were then divided into two groups: "simple" Go/No-go tasks in which the No-go stimulus was always the same, and "complex" Go/No-go tasks, in which the No-go stimulus changed depending on context, requiring frequent updating of stimulus-response associations in working memory. The simple and complex tasks demonstrated distinct patterns of concurrence, with right dorsolateral prefrontal and inferior parietal circuits recruited under conditions of increased working memory demand. Common to both simple and complex Go/No-go tasks was concurrence in the pre-SMA and the left fusiform gyrus. As the pre-SMA has also been shown to be involved in response selection, the results support the notion that the pre-SMA is critical for selection of appropriate behavior, whether selecting to execute an appropriate response or selecting to inhibit an inappropriate response.

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Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This ALE meta-analysis of event-related Go/No-go fMRI studies in healthy adults found that response-inhibition activation is task-dependent: simple and complex tasks show distinct concurrence patterns, with right frontoparietal circuits recruited only under increased working-memory demand. The pre-SMA and left fusiform gyrus were common to both task types, supporting a role for the pre-SMA in response selection/inhibition irrespective of task demands.

Key findings

  • Across all 11 datasets, successful No-go inhibition showed a mainly right-lateralized network including pre-SMA (BA6/32), right middle/inferior frontal gyrus (BA9/44), bilateral inferior parietal lobule (BA40), bilateral occipital regions (BA19/37), bilateral putamen, and bilateral insula.
  • Simple Go/No-go tasks (5 datasets) showed concurrence only in right pre-SMA (BA6/32), bilateral occipital regions (BA19/37), and precuneus (BA7).
  • Complex Go/No-go tasks (6 datasets) showed concurrence in pre-SMA (BA6/32), right middle/inferior frontal gyrus (BA9/44), bilateral inferior parietal lobule (BA40), bilateral putamen, bilateral insula, right middle temporal gyrus (BA22), left fusiform gyrus (BA19/37), and left middle frontal gyrus (BA46).
  • Overlap between simple and complex analyses was limited to pre-SMA (176 mm³) and left fusiform gyrus (16 mm³); no analysis showed concurrence in right inferior frontal gyrus BA47.

Methods

  • PubMed searches for “Go/No-go AND fMRI” and “response inhibition AND fMRI” identified studies of healthy adults performing Go/No-go fMRI, analyzing correctly rejected No-go trials against baseline, and reporting stereotactic coordinates; 10 studies remained, yielding 11 datasets (5 simple, 6 complex).
  • Three separate activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analyses were run: all datasets, simple tasks, and complex tasks. MNI coordinates were converted to Talairach; foci were modeled as 3D Gaussian functions with 15 mm FWHM, 5,000 permutations were used, and maps were thresholded at p = 10⁻³.
  • Simple tasks were defined as those with a constant No-go stimulus-response association; complex tasks required updating stimulus-response associations based on working memory.

Limitations

  • The paper states that ALE considers only peak voxel locations, ignores cluster magnitude and extent, does not weight studies by statistical power or sample size, and combines studies using different statistical methods and thresholds.
  • The paper notes that fixed-effects studies may not generalize to the population but excluding them could reduce power.
  • Evident from the text: the meta-analysis includes only 5 simple and 6 complex datasets, and no direct statistical comparison between simple and complex concurrence maps is reported.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.07.015

Cites

49 of 66 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Claims the paper makes

47 Not checked yet · 17 Own interpretation · 11 Own result · 5 No basis given · 2 Partly supported · accuracy not yet measured

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Show all 37 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 30
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 24
45 of 45
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The classification of Go/No-go tasks into simple and complex captures the relevant difference in working memory demand that determines the neural correlates of response inhibition.

    “These Go/No-go studies were then divided into two groups: “simple” Go/No-go tasks in which the No-go stimulus was always the same, and “complex” Go/No-go tasks, in which the No-go stimulus changed depending on context, requiring frequent updating of stimulus-response associations in working memory.”
    “These studies were then divided into “simple” tasks in which the No-go stimulus-response association always remained the same, and “complex” tasks in which the No-go stimulus-response association was manipulated based on information in working memory.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The event-related No-go versus baseline contrast used in the included studies reveals all regions critical to response inhibition, including those involved in response selection.

    “In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis of Go/No-go tasks, focusing on those studies using an event-related contrast of “No-go versus baseline,” in order to reveal all regions common to successfully inhibited No-go stimuli that may be critical to response inhibition.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Nearly all Go/No-go studies present stimuli at a Go:No-go ratio of at least 3:1.

    “nearly all Go/No-go studies present stimuli at a Go:No-go ratio of at least 3:1.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Error rates differ between Go and No-go trials; there are generally very few omission errors during Go trials but a large number of commission errors during No-go trials.

    “there are generally very few omission errors during Go trials but a large number of commission errors during No-go trials.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    In ALE analyses, the only information taken into account is the location of the voxel of peak activation for each reported cluster, and this voxel is treated as the center of a three-dimensional Gaussian function.

    “In ALE analyses, the only information taken into account is the location of the voxel of peak activation for each reported cluster, and this voxel is treated as the center of a three-dimensional Gaussian function.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    ALE analyses do not consider the magnitude or extent of activation for each cluster.

    “ALE analyses do not consider the magnitude or extent of activation for each cluster”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    ALE does not weight studies based on their statistical power.

    “Another key issue with ALE is that studies are not weighted based on their statistical power.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A study with 48 subjects has more statistical power than a study with 11 subjects.

    “A study with 48 subjects has more statistical power than a study with 11 subjects”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Studies use different statistical methods and thresholds.

    “studies use different statistical methods and thresholds”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Fixed effects studies' results cannot be generalized to the population as a whole.

    “fixed effects studies, as their results cannot be generalized to the population as a whole”
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Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Suskauer, S. J., Simmonds, D. J., Fotedar, S. G., Blankner, J. G., Pekar, J. J., Denckla, M. B., et al. (in press). FMRI evidence for abnormalities in response selection in ADHD: Difference in activation associated with response inhibition but not habitual motor response. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

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Metadata

Authors
Simmonds, D. J., Pekar, J. J., & Mostofsky, S. H.
Affiliations
Kennedy Krieger Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Mostofsky, Stewart H.
Venue
Neuropsychologia
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-01
Volume
46
Issue
1
Pages
224-232
ISSN
0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2070900017
Cited by
1,015
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 34 · 2025: 57 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 60 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 63 · 2018: 72 · 2017: 65 · 2016: 73 · 2015: 63 · 2014: 77 · 2013: 70 · 2012: 51
FWCI
2.10
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH085328, R01MH078160)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (K02NS044850, K02 NS44850, R01NS047781)
  • National Center for Research Resources (P41RR15241, P41RR015241)
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 › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Keywords
response inhibition, go/no-go task, pre-supplementary motor area, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, fusiform gyrus, working memory, response selection, frontal lobe activation, activation likelihood estimation
MeSH terms
Brain Mapping, Decision Making, Female, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Inhibition, Psychological, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Oxygen, Reaction Time, Meta-Analysis as Topic

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