Prefrontal Cortical Mechanisms Underlying Individual Differences in Cognitive Flexibility and Stability
Open accessAbstract
The pFC is critical for cognitive flexibility (i.e., our ability to flexibly adjust behavior to changing environmental demands), but also for cognitive stability (i.e., our ability to follow behavioral plans in the face of distraction). Behavioral research suggests that individuals differ in their cognitive flexibility and stability, and neurocomputational theories of working memory relate this variability to the concept of attractor stability in recurrently connected neural networks. We introduce a novel task paradigm to simultaneously assess flexible switching between task rules (cognitive flexibility) and task performance in the presence of irrelevant distractors (cognitive stability) and to furthermore assess the individual "spontaneous switching rate" in response to ambiguous stimuli to quantify the individual dispositional cognitive flexibility in a theoretically motivated way (i.e., as a proxy for attractor stability). Using fMRI in healthy human participants, a common network consisting of parietal and frontal areas was found for task switching and distractor inhibition. More flexible persons showed reduced activation and reduced functional coupling in frontal areas, including the inferior frontal junction, during task switching. Most importantly, the individual spontaneous switching rate antagonistically affected the functional coupling between inferior frontal junction and the superior frontal gyrus during task switching and distractor inhibition, respectively, indicating that individual differences in cognitive flexibility and stability are indeed related to a common prefrontal neural mechanism. We suggest that the concept of attractor stability of prefrontal working memory networks is a meaningful model for individual differences in cognitive stability versus flexibility.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The inferior frontal junction is involved in updating task rule representations.
“Cortical regions within these networks most strongly implicated in cognitive flexibility are the inferior frontal junction (IFJ), involved in the updating of task rule representations (18,26)”
From Brain Mechanisms Supporting Flexible Cognition and Behavior in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder (2021) · cites this paper as [26]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1006/cogp.1999.0734 · Cited by 15,798 · see citing works
Control of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention in the brain
Corbetta, M., & Shulman, G. L. (2002) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn755 · Cited by 12,881 · see citing works
An Integrative Theory of Prefrontal Cortex Function
Miller, E. K., & Cohen, J. D. (2001) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.24.1.167 · Cited by 12,803 · see citing works
A default mode of brain function
Raichle, M. E., MacLeod, A. M., Snyder, A. Z., Powers, W. J., Gusnard, D. A., & Shulman, G. L. (2001) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.98.2.676 · Cited by 12,190 · see citing works
The human brain is intrinsically organized into dynamic, anticorrelated functional networks
Fox, M. D., Snyder, A. Z., Vincent, J. L., Corbetta, M., Van Essen, D. C., & Raichle, M. E. (2005) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0504136102 · Cited by 8,553 · see citing works
Functional connectivity in the resting brain: a network analysis of the default mode hypothesis
Greicius, M. D., Krasnow, B., Reiss, A. L., & Menon, V. (2003) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0135058100 · Cited by 6,358 · see citing works
Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: With Applications to Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering
Strogatz, S. H., Friedman, M. J., Mallinckrodt, A. J., & McKay, S. R. (1994) · Computers in Physics · doi:10.1063/1.4823332 · Cited by 4,654 · see citing works
Strogatz, S. H. (1998) · doi:10.1142/3481 · Cited by 4,542 · see citing works
Forman, S. D., Cohen, J. D., Fitzgerald, M., Eddy, W. F., Mintun, M. A., & Noll, D. C. (1995) · Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · doi:10.1002/mrm.1910330508 · Cited by 3,202 · see citing works
Inhibition and the right inferior frontal cortex
Aron, A. R., Robbins, T. W., & Poldrack, R. A. (2004) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2004.02.010 · Cited by 3,197 · see citing works
Psychophysiological and Modulatory Interactions in Neuroimaging
Friston, K. J., Buechel, C., Fink, G. R., Morris, J., Rolls, E., & Dolan, R. J. (1997) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.1997.0291 · Cited by 3,097 · see citing works
Monsell, S. (2003) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(03)00028-7 · Cited by 2,984 · see citing works
Faisal, A. A., Selen, L. P. J., & Wolpert, D. M. (2008) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2258 · Cited by 2,883 · see citing works
Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: With Applications to Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Engineering
Strogatz, S. H., & Fox, R. F. (1995) · Physics Today · doi:10.1063/1.2807947 · Cited by 2,584 · see citing works
Common regions of the human frontal lobe recruited by diverse cognitive demands
Duncan, J., & Owen, A. M. (2000) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/s0166-2236(00)01633-7 · Cited by 2,498 · see citing works
Murphy, K., Birn, R. M., Handwerker, D. A., Jones, T. B., & Bandettini, P. A. (2009) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.09.036 · Cited by 2,387 · see citing works
Event-Related fMRI: Characterizing Differential Responses
Friston, K. J., Fletcher, P. C., Josephs, O., Holmes, A., Rugg, M. D., & Turner, R. (1998) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.1997.0306 · Cited by 2,017 · see citing works
Persistent activity in the prefrontal cortex during working memory
Curtis, C. E., & D'Esposito, M. (2003) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(03)00197-9 · Cited by 2,001 · see citing works
Confidence intervals in within-subject designs: A simpler solution to Loftus and Masson's method
Cousineau, D. (2005) · Tutorials in Quantitative Methods for Psychology · doi:10.20982/tqmp.01.1.p042 · Cited by 1,969 · see citing works
Neuroimaging studies of working memory:
Wager, T. D., & Smith, E. E. (2003) · Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/cabn.3.4.255 · Cited by 1,889 · see citing works
Valid conjunction inference with the minimum statistic
Nichols, T. E., Brett, M., Andersson, J., Wager, T. D., & Poline, J. (2005) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.12.005 · Cited by 1,885 · see citing works
Decoding subject-driven cognitive states with whole-brain connectivity patterns
Shirer, W. R., Ryali, S., Rykhlevskaia, E., Menon, V., & Greicius, M. D. (2012) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhr099 · Cited by 1,843 · see citing works
The neural basis of the central executive system of working memory
D’Esposito, M., Detre, J. A., Alsop, D. C., Shin, R. K., Atlas, S. W., & Grossman, M. (1995) · Nature · doi:10.1038/378279a0 · Cited by 1,468 · see citing works
Competition between functional brain networks mediates behavioral variability
Kelly, A. M. C., Uddin, L. Q., Biswal, B. B., Castellanos, F. X., & Milham, M. P. (2008) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.08.008 · Cited by 1,287 · see citing works
Compte, A. (2000) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/10.9.910 · Cited by 1,143 · see citing works
Behavioral interpretations of intrinsic connectivity networks
Laird, A. R., Fox, P. M., Eickhoff, S. B., Turner, J. A., Ray, K. L., McKay, D. R., Glahn, D. C., Beckmann, C. F., Smith, S. M., & Fox, P. T. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00077 · Cited by 1,023 · see citing works
Synaptic basis of cortical persistent activity: the importance of NMDA receptors to working memory
Wang, X.-J. (1999) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.19-21-09587.1999 · Cited by 859 · see citing works
Functions of the left superior frontal gyrus in humans: a lesion study
Boisguéheneuc, F. D., Lévy, R., Emmanuelle Volle, C., Seassau, M., Duffau, H., Kinkingnéhun, S., Samson, Y., Zhang, S., & Dubois, B. (2006) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awl244 · Cited by 856 · see citing works
Executive Function: The Search for an Integrated Account
Banich, M. T. (2009) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01615.x · Cited by 840 · see citing works
Konishi, S., Nakajima, K., Uchida, I., Kikyo, H., Kameyama, M., & Miyashita, Y. (1999) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/122.5.981 · Cited by 823 · see citing works
Cools, R., Clark, L., Owen, A. M., & Robbins, T. W. (2002) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.22-11-04563.2002 · Cited by 784 · see citing works
Dreisbach, G., & Goschke, T. (2004) · Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition · doi:10.1037/0278-7393.30.2.343 · Cited by 775 · see citing works
Bilder, R. M., Volavka, J., Lachman, H. M., & Grace, A. A. (2004) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300542 · Cited by 769 · see citing works
The gateway hypothesis of rostral prefrontal cortex (area 10) function
Burgess, P. W., Dumontheil, I., & Gilbert, S. J. (2007) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2007.05.004 · Cited by 753 · see citing works
Prefrontal cortex activation in task switching: an event-related fMRI study
Dove, A., Pollmann, S., Schubert, T., Wiggins, C. J., & Yves von Cramon, D. (2000) · Cognitive Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0926-6410(99)00029-4 · Cited by 714 · see citing works
Neurocomputational models of working memory
Durstewitz, D., Seamans, J. K., & B, T. J. S. A. (2000) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/81460 · Cited by 710 · see citing works
Hui, K. K. S., Liu, J., Makris, N., Gollub, R. L., Chen, A. J.-W., Moore, C. I., Kennedy, D. N., Rosen, B. R., & Kwong, K. K. (2000) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0193(2000)9:1 · Cited by 697 · see citing works
Neuroimaging studies of shifting attention: a meta-analysis
Wager, T. D., Jonides, J., & Reading, S. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.03.052 · Cited by 654 · see citing works
Swick, D., Ashley, V., & Turken, U. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.02.070 · Cited by 638 · see citing works
Jersild, A. T. (2019) · Cited by 634 · see citing works
Brunel, N., & Wang, X.-J. (2001) · Journal of Computational Neuroscience · doi:10.1023/a:1011204814320 · Cited by 620 · see citing works
Brain imaging of the central executive component of working memory
Collette, F., & Van der Linden, M. (2002) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/s0149-7634(01)00063-x · Cited by 617 · see citing works
Component Processes in Task Switching
Meiran, N., Chorev, Z., & Sapir, A. (2000) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1006/cogp.2000.0736 · Cited by 616 · see citing works
Derrfuss, J., Brass, M., Neumann, J., & von Cramon, D. Y. (2005) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.20127 · Cited by 606 · see citing works
Genes, dopamine and cortical signal-to-noise ratio in schizophrenia
Winterer, G., & Weinberger, D. R. (2004) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2004.08.002 · Cited by 598 · see citing works
Durstewitz, D., & Seamans, J. K. (2008) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.05.015 · Cited by 586 · see citing works
Brunel, N., & Wang, X. (2014) · Journal of Computational Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s10827-014-0506-8 · Cited by 538 · see citing works
Kellendonk, C., Simpson, E. H., Polan, H. J., Malleret, G., Vronskaya, S., Winiger, V., Moore, H., & Kandel, E. R. (2006) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2006.01.023 · Cited by 520 · see citing works
The role of the inferior frontal junction area in cognitive control.
BRASS, M., DERRFUSS, J., FORSTMANN, B., & CRAMON, D. (2005) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.05.001 · Cited by 437 · see citing works
Robbins, T. W. (2007) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2007.2097 · Cited by 413 · see citing works
Active maintenance in prefrontal area 46 creates distractor-resistant memory
Sakai, K., Rowe, J. B., & Passingham, R. E. (2002) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn846 · Cited by 390 · see citing works
Computational models of schizophrenia and dopamine modulation in the prefrontal cortex
Rolls, E. T., Loh, M., Deco, G., & Winterer, G. (2008) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2462 · Cited by 380 · see citing works
Aron, A. R., Monsell, S., Sahakian, B. J., & Robbins, T. W. (2004) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awh169 · Cited by 372 · see citing works
Hampson, M., Driesen, N. R., Roth, J. K., Gore, J. C., & Constable, R. T. (2010) · Magnetic Resonance Imaging · doi:10.1016/j.mri.2010.03.021 · Cited by 363 · see citing works
Derrfuss, J., Brass, M., & Yves von Cramon, D. (2004) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.06.007 · Cited by 312 · see citing works
Goschke, T., & Bolte, A. (2014) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.07.015 · Cited by 298 · see citing works
Goschke, T. (2014) · International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1002/mpr.1410 · Cited by 293 · see citing works
The Noisy BrainStochastic Dynamics as a Principle of Brain Function
Rolls, E. T., & Deco, G. (2010) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199587865.001.0001 · Cited by 289 · see citing works
Dodds, C. M., Morein-Zamir, S., & Robbins, T. W. (2011) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhq187 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
The computational role of dopamine D1 receptors in working memory
Durstewitz, D., & Seamans, J. K. (2002) · Neural Networks · doi:10.1016/s0893-6080(02)00049-7 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Forstmann, B. U., Jahfari, S., Scholte, H. S., Wolfensteller, U., van den Wildenberg, W. P. M., & Ridderinkhof, K. R. (2008) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1465-08.2008 · Cited by 254 · see citing works
A Neurocomputational Theory of the Dopaminergic Modulation of Working Memory Functions
Durstewitz, D., Kelc, M., & Güntürkün, O. (1999) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.19-07-02807.1999 · Cited by 226 · see citing works
Hedden, T., & Yoon, C. (2006) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/0894-4105.20.5.511 · Cited by 212 · see citing works
Champod, A. S., & Petrides, M. (2007) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0607101104 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Dreisbach, G., Müller, J., Goschke, T., Strobel, A., Schulze, K., Lesch, K.-P., & Brocke, B. (2005) · Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.1037/0735-7044.119.2.483 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Cognitive Control Involved in Overcoming Prepotent Response Tendencies and Switching Between Tasks
Barber, A. D., & Carter, C. S. (2004) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhh189 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
The Roles of Timing and Task Order during Task Switching
Dreher, J., Koechlin, É., Ali, O., & Grafman, J. H. (2002) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1169 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
A Dynamical Systems Hypothesis of Schizophrenia
Loh, M., Rolls, E. T., & Deco, G. (2007) · PLoS Computational Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030228 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Frontostriatal Involvement in Task Switching Depends on Genetic Differences in D2 Receptor Density
Stelzel, C., Basten, U., Montag, C., Reuter, M., & Fiebach, C. J. (2010) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1062-10.2010 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Self-citationLaakso, A., Pohjalainen, T., Bergman, J., Kajander, J., Haaparanta‐Solin, M., Solin, O. H., Syvälahti, E. K. G., & Hietala, J. A. (2005) · Pharmacogenetics and Genomics · doi:10.1097/01213011-200506000-00003 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Regional brain activity during tasks devoted to the central executive of working memory
Collette, F., Salmon, É., der Linden, M. V., Chicherio, C., Belleville, S., Degueldre, C., Delfiore, G., & Franck, G. (1999) · Cognitive Brain Research · doi:10.1016/s0926-6410(98)00045-7 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Hedden, T., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.01.089 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Canceling planned action: an fMRI study of countermanding saccades
Curtis, C. E., Cole, M. W., Rao, V. Y., & D'Esposito, M. (2005) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhi011 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Human cognitive flexibility depends on dopamine D2 receptor signaling
van Holstein, M., Aarts, E., van der Schaaf, M. E., Geurts, D. E. M., Verkes, R. J., Franke, B., van Schouwenburg, M. R., & Cools, R. (2011) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-011-2340-2 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Dopamine Increases the Gain of the Input-Output Response of Rat Prefrontal Pyramidal Neurons
Thurley, K., Senn, W., & Lüscher, H. (2008) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.01098.2007 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Task-Induced Deactivation from Rest Extends beyond the Default Mode Brain Network
Harrison, B. J., Pujol, J., Contreras-Rodríguez, O., Soriano-Mas, C., López-Solà, M., Deus, J., Ortiz, H., Blanco-Hinojo, L., Alonso, P., Hernández-Ribas, R., et al. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022964 · Cited by 92 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There is, however, also evidence that the SFG is part of a task-negative network (or “default mode network”) that is typically deactivated during task performance (Shirer, Ryali, Rykhlevskaia, Menon, & Greicius, 2012; Harrison et al., 2011; Laird et al., 2011; Raichle et al., 2001).”
BackgroundThe role of prefrontal cortex in resolving distractor interference
Jha, A. P., Fabian, S., & Aguirre, G. K. (2004) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/cabn.4.4.517 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Toward a taxonomy of attention shifting: Individual differences in fMRI during multiple shift types
WAGER, T. D., JONIDES, J., SMITH, E. E., & NICHOLS, T. E. (2005) · Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/cabn.5.2.127 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Müller, J., Dreisbach, G., Brocke, B., Lesch, K., Strobel, A., & Goschke, T. (2006) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2006.11.002 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Derrfuß, J., Braß, M., von Cramon, D. Y., Lohmann, G., & Amunts, K. (2007) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.20501 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Functional correlates of distractor suppression during spatial working memory encoding
Toepper, M., Gebhardt, H., Beblo, T., Thomas, C., Drießen, M., Bischoff, M., Blecker, C. R., Vaitl, D., & Sammer, G. (2009) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.11.019 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Effects of dopamine‐related gene–gene interactions on working memory component processes
Stelzel, C., Basten, U., Montag, C., Reuter, M., & Fiebach, C. J. (2009) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06647.x · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Self-citationRosa, E. C., Dickinson, D., Apud, J. A., Weinberger, D. R., & Elvevåg, B. (2010) · Behavioral and Brain Functions · doi:10.1186/1744-9081-6-53 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Instability of Prefrontal Signal Processing in Schizophrenia
Winterer, G., Musso, F., Beckmann, C. F., Mattay, V. S., Egan, M. F., Jones, D. W., Callicott, J. H., Coppola, R., & Weinberger, D. R. (2006) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.11.1960 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Gordon, E. M., Stollstorff, M., Devaney, J. M., Bean, S. E., & Vaidya, C. J. (2011) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhr305 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Functional Connectivity Separates Switching Operations in the Posterior Lateral Frontal Cortex
Stelzel, C., Basten, U., & Fiebach, C. J. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00062 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Self-citationRichter, S. H., Vogel, A. S., Ueltzhöffer, K. J., Muzzillo, C., Vogt, M. A., Lankisch, K., Armbruster‐Genc, D., Riva, M. A., Fiebach, C. J., Gass, P., et al. (2014) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00154 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Self-citationDo tasks matter in task switching? Dissociating domain-general from context-specific brain activity
Muhle-Karbe, P. S., Baene, W. D., & Braß, M. (2014) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.05.058 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience
Dajani, D. R., & Uddin, L. Q. (2015) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2015.07.003 · Cited by 1,046 · see citing works
Behavioral interpretations of intrinsic connectivity networks
Laird, A. R., Fox, P. M., Eickhoff, S. B., Turner, J. A., Ray, K. L., McKay, D. R., Glahn, D. C., Beckmann, C. F., Smith, S. M., & Fox, P. T. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00077 · Cited by 1,023 · see citing works
The role of the medial prefrontal cortex in cognition, ageing and dementia
Jobson, D. D., Hase, Y., Clarkson, A. N., & Kalaria, R. N. (2021) · Brain Communications · doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcab125 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
“73 Two of the most extensively studied components within this area subserved by distinct PFC subregions include attentional set-shifting and reversal learning.”
Goschke, T. (2014) · International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1002/mpr.1410 · Cited by 293 · see citing works
“…implicates dopaminergic systems in regulating the balance between robust maintenance and flexible updating of working memory representations (e.g. Armbruster et al., 2012; Müller et al., 2007; for reviews see Cools, 2008; Durstewitz and Seamans, 2008; O’Reilly, 2006; van Schouwenburg et al.,…”
BackgroundGoschke, T., & Bolte, A. (2014) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.07.015 · Cited by 298 · see citing works
Cognitive inflexibility in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Gruner, P., & Pittenger, C. (2017) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.07.030 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
“Cognitive flexibility has been broadly defined as the ability to flexibly adjust behavior to the demands of a changing environment (e.g. Armbruster et al., 2012; Dajani and Uddin, 2015), more narrowly as relating only to tests of attentional set shifting and task shifting (as further defined below;…”
BackgroundBrain Signal Variability Differentially Affects Cognitive Flexibility and Cognitive Stability
Armbruster-Genç, D. J. N., Ueltzhöffer, K., & Fiebach, C. J. (2016) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2517-14.2016 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
“, 2005) and for distractor inhibition (Armbruster et al., 2012; Ueltzhöffer et al., 2015), (2) whose activity and connectivity was shown to be modulated by individual behavioral flexibility in ways similar to those observed for neural variability in the present study (Armbruster et al.”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialSelf-citationUddin, L. Q. (2021) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.05.010 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
“Cortical regions within these networks most strongly implicated in cognitive flexibility are the inferior frontal junction (IFJ), involved in the updating of task rule representations (18,26), the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) involved in resolving proactive interference, response set selection, and context…”
BackgroundA novel ecological account of prefrontal cortex functional development.
Werchan, D. M., & Amso, D. (2017) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/rev0000078 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
“Switching between cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability requires organisms to monitor changes in the environment to form and maintain attentional biases towards relevant information, which is supported by dopamine-modulated updating and active maintenance in PFC (Armbruster et al., 2012; Fallon et al., 2013; R…”
Stochastic Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Stability and Flexibility
Ueltzhöffer, K., Armbruster-Genç, D. J. N., & Fiebach, C. J. (2015) · PLOS Computational Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004331 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
“[12]), we reasoned that examining the localization of Stochastic Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Stability and Flexibility”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationUğur, E., Kaya, Ç., & Tanhan, A. (2021) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-020-01074-8 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
“Cognitive inflexibility can be defined as the disability to flexibly adjust a behavior to the demands of the changing environment (Armbruster et al. 2012).”
BackgroundGoldfarb, E. V., Froböse, M. I., Cools, R., & Phelps, E. A. (2016) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01029 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
“However, as described earlier, the forms of flexibility involved in these earlier studies have been shown to critically involve the pFC (Hamilton & Brigman, 2015; Nikiforuk & Popik, 2014; Shiner et al., 2014; Armbruster et al., 2012; Kehagia et al., 2010; Liston et al., 2006, 2009; Birrell & Brown, 2000; Rogers et al.…”
Koppe, G., Toutounji, H., Kirsch, P., Lis, S., & Durstewitz, D. (2019) · PLoS Computational Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007263 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Neural bases of enhanced attentional control: Lessons from action video game players
Föcker, J., Cole, D., Beer, A., & Bavelier, D. (2018) · Brain and Behavior · doi:10.1002/brb3.1019 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Wu, T., Chen, C., Spagna, A., Wu, X., Mackie, M., Russell‐Giller, S., Xu, P., Luo, Y., Liu, X., Hof, P. R., et al. (2019) · The Journal of Comparative Neurology · doi:10.1002/cne.24804 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Chmitorz, A., Neumann, R. J., Kollmann, B., Ahrens, K. F., Öhlschläger, S., Goldbach, N., Weichert, D., Schick, A., Lutz, B., Plichta, M. M., et al. (2020) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-020-01159-2 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Self-citationZhang, T., Mou, D., Wang, C., Tan, F., Jiang, Y., Lijun, Z., & Li, H. (2015) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2015.04.010 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Fröber, K., & Dreisbach, G. (2015) · Journal of Experimental Psychology Learning Memory and Cognition · doi:10.1037/xlm0000166 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Nash, A., Aumann, T. D., Pigoni, M., Lichtenthaler, S. F., Takeshima, H., Munro, K. M., & Gunnersen, J. M. (2019) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhz230 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Neural correlates of reappraisal considering working memory capacity and cognitive flexibility
Zähringer, J., Falquez, R., Schubert, A., Nees, F., & Barnow, S. (2018) · Brain Imaging and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s11682-017-9788-6 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
“1 3 Interestingly, studies on both WMC and cognitive flexibility have shown that higher capacity is generally associated with less prefrontal cortex activity during cognitive performance (Armbruster et al. 2012; Rypma et al. 2002; Rypma and D’Esposito 1999, 2000), suggesting that higher capacity enables more efficient…”
BackgroundLapish, C. C., Balaguer-Ballester, E., Seamans, J. K., Phillips, A. G., & Durstewitz, D. (2015) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2421-14.2015 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“This in turn may facilitate cognitive functions, such as flexibility and task switching, as supported by recent in vivo measures of DA during cognitive tasks (St Onge et al., 2011) and behavioral observations (Floresco and Magyanar, 2006; Armbruster et al., 2012; Stelzel et al., 2013).”
BackgroundBeyond “Use It or Lose It”: The Impact of Engagement on Cognitive Aging
Stine‐Morrow, E. A. L., & Manavbasi, I. E. (2022) · Annual Review of Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121020-030017 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Individual differences in resilience to stress are associated with affective flexibility
Rademacher, L., Kraft, D., Eckart, C., & Fiebach, C. J. (2022) · Psychological Research · doi:10.1007/s00426-022-01779-4 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
“2020), robust switch cost effects occurred in both experimental paradigms, replicating earlier work (Armbruster et al. 2012; Eckart et al., 2021a; Ueltzhöffer et al. 2015).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationFröber, K., Raith, L., & Dreisbach, G. (2017) · Psychological Research · doi:10.1007/s00426-017-0922-2 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Meta-analytic evidence for a core problem solving network across multiple representational domains
Bartley, J. E., Boeving, E. R., Riedel, M. C., Bottenhorn, K. L., Salo, T., Eickhoff, S. B., Brewe, E. T., Sutherland, M. T., & Laird, A. R. (2018) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.06.009 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“, 2005), planning (Owen, 1997), flexibility (Armbruster et al., 2012; Leber et al., 2008), language comprehension (Ferstl et al.”
A dynamic attentional control framework for understanding sleep deprivation effects on cognition
Whitney, P. J., Hinson, J. M., & Nusbaum, A. T. (2019) · Progress in brain research · doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.03.015 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Neural Dynamics of Improved Bimodal Attention and Working Memory in Musically Trained Children
Kausel, L., Zamorano, F. J., Billeke, P. B., Sutherland, M. E., Larraín-Valenzuela, J., Stecher, X., Gottfried Schlaug, A., & Aboitiz, F. (2020) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2020.554731 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
“Switching attention from one task to another also requires cognitive flexibility, an ability that helps to adjust one’s behavior according to a changing environment (Monsell, 2003; Armbruster et al., 2012), and which is a core component of executive functions (Diamond, 2013).”
BackgroundActivity of frontal pole cortex reflecting hedonic tone of food and drink: fNIRS study in humans
Minematsu, Y., Ueji, K., & Yamamoto, T. (2018) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-34690-3 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Fröber, K., Pfister, R., & Dreisbach, G. (2018) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/1747021818819449 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Berry, A. S., Shah, V. D., & Jagust, W. J. (2018) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01286 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Classification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by brain volume, connectivity, and network dynamics
Thome, J., Steinbach, R., Großkreutz, J., Durstewitz, D., & Koppe, G. (2021) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.25679 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“Aberrant dynamics may in turn cause many neurological or psychiatric deficits or dysfunctions (e.g., Armbruster et al., 2012; Floresco, Block, & Maric, 2008; Forster & Lavie, 2016; Koppe et al., 2020; Rolls, Loh, & Deco, 2008).”
BackgroundCognitive flexibility mediates the association between early life stress and habitual behavior
Zhou, X., Meng, Y., Schmitt, H., Montag, C., Kendrick, K. M., & Becker, B. (2020) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2020.110231 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
A cross-species assessment of behavioral flexibility in compulsive disorders
Benzina, N., N’Diaye, K., Pélissolo, A., Mallet, L., & Burguière, E. (2021) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-020-01611-y · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Neural Correlates of Sex/Gender Differences in Humor Processing for Different Joke Types
Chan, Y. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00536 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“This region has also been implicated in cognitive flexibility and stability (Armbruster et al., 2012), monitoring action outcomes, selecting alternative tasks in response to a goal, and in deciding to switch tasks (Koechlin, 2011).”
BackgroundEffects of tolcapone and bromocriptine on cognitive stability and flexibility
Cameron, I. G. M., Wallace, D. L., Al-Zughoul, A. B., Kayser, A. S., & D’Esposito, M. (2018) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-018-4845-4 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Cognitive flexibility: neurobehavioral correlates of changing one’s mind
Zühlsdorff, K., Dalley, J. W., Robbins, T. W., & Morein‐Zamir, S. (2022) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhac431 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“Reports from multiple task-switching studies further confirm the involvement of occipital regions such as the lateral occipital cortex (Armbruster et al. 2012; Dajani et al. 2020).”
BackgroundInvertebrates as models of learning and memory: investigating neural and molecular mechanisms
Rivi, V., Benatti, C., Rigillo, G., & Blom, J. M. C. (2023) · Journal of Experimental Biology · doi:10.1242/jeb.244844 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Technology or ecology? New tools to assess cognitive judgement bias in mice
Krakenberg, V., Woigk, I., Rodríguez, L. G., Kästner, N., Kaiser, S., Sachser, N., & Richter, S. H. (2019) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.021 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Functional Connectivity Separates Switching Operations in the Posterior Lateral Frontal Cortex
Stelzel, C., Basten, U., & Fiebach, C. J. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00062 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Self-citationThe potential role of illness expectations in the progression of medical diseases
Pagnini, F. (2019) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-019-0346-4 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“Cognitive rigidity, which is the reverse of cognitive flexibility, is generally considered a stable characteristic over time [41].”
BackgroundKraft, D., Rademacher, L., Eckart, C., & Fiebach, C. J. (2020) · Journal of Cognition · doi:10.5334/joc.120 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Self-citationZhu, C., Kwok, N. T.-K., Chan, T. C.-W., Chan, G. H.-K., & So, S. H. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.609569 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Dajani, D. R., Odriozola, P., Winters, M., Voorhies, W., Marcano, S., Baez, A., Gates, K. M., Dick, A. S., & Uddin, L. Q. (2020) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01536 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“activation during cognitive flexibility tasks (Armbruster et al., 2012).”
Multi-level decoding of task sets in neurophysiological data during cognitive flexibility
Petruo, V. A., Takács, Á., Mückschel, M., Hommel, B., & Beste, C. (2021) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103502 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“Moreover, other evidence shows that inferior and posterior parietal cortical regions are involved in task switching (Armbruster et al., 2012; Cooper et al., 2016; Kubanek and Snyder, 2015; Liu et al., 2015; Petruo et al., 2019; Philipp et al., 2013; Vallesi et al., 2015; Yin et al., 2015; Zhang et…”
BackgroundXiong, C., Liu, M., Zhao, L., Chen, M.-W., Tang, L., Yan, Y., Chen, H., & Qiu, Y. L. (2018) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.12.005 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Quiñones‐Camacho, L. E., Fishburn, F. A., Camacho, M. C., Wakschlag, L. S., & Perlman, S. B. (2019) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100651 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Reinforcement learning of adaptive control strategies
Held, L. K., Vermeylen, L., Dignath, D., Notebaert, W., Krebs, R. M., & Braem, S. (2024) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-024-00055-y · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Functional neurochemical imaging of the human striatal cholinergic system during reversal learning
Bell, T., Lindner, M., Mullins, P. G., & Christakou, A. (2017) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/ejn.13803 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“‘the left-most deck is now the most rewarded’) which is thought to be maintained in frontal areas of the cortex (Armbruster et al., 2012).”
Istomina, A., & Arsalidou, M. (2024) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101419 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“…studies of core cognitive processes such as working memory (Rottschy et al., 2012; Yaple et al., 2021 for meta-analyses), inhibitory control (Hung et al., 2018; Li et al., 2022 for meta-analyses), and cognitive flexibility (Armbruster et al., 2012; Chen et al., 2014; Wen-diggensen and Beste, 2023).”
Spangler, D. P., & McGinley, J. J. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02093 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“High-performance stability relies on dynamic top-down control functions that inhibit the effects of environmental perturbations on cognition (Stuss et al., 2003; Armbruster et al., 2012; Iordan et al., 2013).”
BackgroundInfluentialEffects of Dopaminergic Drugs on Cognitive Control Processes Vary by Genotype
Furman, D. J., White, R. L., Naskolnakorn, J. R., Ye, J., Kayser, A. S., & D’Esposito, M. (2020) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01518 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“vious results using this task (Armbruster et al., 2012), the analysis of RT yielded a simple effect of trial type, F(2, 93.”
InfluentialJohnson, N. F., Gold, B. T., Brown, C. A., Anggelis, E., Bailey, A. L., Clasey, J. L., & Powell, D. K. (2017) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2017.00255 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“The FP and SFG contribute to a range of high-level cognitive functions including relational integration (Bunge et al., 2009), subgoal monitoring and integration during working memory (Braver and Bongiolatti, 2002), task switching (Armbruster et al., 2012) and inhibitory control (Li et al., 2006).”
BackgroundEffects of cognitive flexibility on dynamics of emotion regulation and negative affect in daily life
Wang, X., Shao, S., Cheng, H., Blain, S. D., Tan, Y., & Jia, L. (2024) · Anxiety Stress & Coping · doi:10.1080/10615806.2024.2423154 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“One key component of cognitive control is cognitive flexibility, or the ability to flexibly adjust one’s thoughts and behaviors depending on changing goals or environments (Armbruster et al., 2012).”
Fuentes‐Claramonte, P., Ávila, C., Rodríguez‐Pujadas, A., Ventura‐Campos, N., Bustamante, J. C., Costumero, V., Rosell‐Negre, P., & Barrós‐Loscertales, A. (2015) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0123073 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“A previous study also showed a similar pattern of reduced fronto-striatal activity in individuals with higher cognitive flexibility [54], which is consistent with the hypothesis of better task switching ability associated with the BAS.”
ResultStriatal activation as a neural link between cognitive and perceptual flexibility
Sekutowicz, M., Schmack, K., Steimke, R., Paschke, L. M., Sterzer, P., Walter, H., & Stelzel, C. (2016) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.07.046 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“AC C EP TE D M AN U SC R IP T Similar to the perceptual domain, there is also considerable individual variability in tasks that require cognitive flexibility (e.g., Stelzel, 2010; Herd et al., 2014; Armbruster et al., 2012; Braver et al., 2012).”
Resting-state BOLD signal variability is associated with individual differences in metacontrol
Zhang, C., Beste, C., Prochazkova, L., Wang, K., Speer, S. P. H., Smidts, A., Boksem, M. A. S., & Hommel, B. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-21703-5 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Beyond cognitive deficits: how social class shapes social cognition
Fendinger, N. J., Dietze, P., & Knowles, E. D. (2023) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2023.03.004 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Examining cognitive flexibility and stability through the lens of dynamical systems
Musslick, S., & Bizyaeva, A. (2024) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101375 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Richter, S. H., Vogel, A. S., Ueltzhöffer, K. J., Muzzillo, C., Vogt, M. A., Lankisch, K., Armbruster‐Genc, D., Riva, M. A., Fiebach, C. J., Gass, P., et al. (2014) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00154 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“…resistance = Ndistractor (correct) − Ndistractor (incorrect) Ndistractor (correct + incorrect choices) ÷ success rateongoing According to the human test version (Armbruster et al., 2012), the probability of spontaneously switching under ambiguous conditions without external cues was also assessed.”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialSelf-citationMental flexibility: An MEG investigation in typically developing children
Mogadam, A., Keller, A. E., Taylor, M. J., Lerch, J. P., Anagnostou, E. A., & Pang, E. W. (2017) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2017.10.001 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“Prior research has established the neural correlates of mental flexibility in healthy adults (Armbruster et al., 2012; Dajani & Uddin, 2015; Ezekiel, Bosma, &Morton, 2013; Kim, Cilles, Johnson, & Gold, 2012; Oh, Vidal, Taylor, & Pang, 2014; Rubia et al., 2006; Wendelken, Munakata, Baym, Souza, &…”
Mecha, P., Rodriguez‐Morales, M., & Sánchez-López, Á. (2024) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.3439 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Frontostriatal contribution to the interplay of flexibility and stability in serial prediction
Trempler, I., Schiffer, A.-M., El-Sourani, N., Ahlheim, C., Fink, G. R., & Schubotz, R. I. (2017) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01040 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Flexibility as a matter of context, effort, and ability: evidence from the task-switching paradigm
Dreisbach, G., & Mendl, J. (2024) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101348 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Do tasks matter in task switching? Dissociating domain-general from context-specific brain activity
Muhle-Karbe, P. S., Baene, W. D., & Braß, M. (2014) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.05.058 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“At the same time, it is quite noteworthy that Armbruster et al. (2012) found a very similar area in the left superior frontal cortex to exhibit differential coupling with the left IFJ under a condition of cognitive flexibility, comparedwith a condition of cognitive stability.”
Jang, C., Knight, E. Q., Pae, C., Park, B., Yoon, S.-A., & Park, H. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep41414 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“The results of the current study can be summarized as follows: (1) greater inter-individual functional connectivity variability exists within high level cognitive regions compared to sensory brain regions, (2) deviations from structural connectivity contributes to inter-individual variability, (3) inter-modular connec…”
BackgroundCognitive control deficits in pediatric frontal lobe epilepsy
van den Berg, L., de Weerd, A., Reuvekamp, M., & van der Meere, J. (2019) · Epilepsy & Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106645 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“It is closely related to cognitive fl exibility [21], broadly de fi ned as the ability to fl exibly adjust behavior to the demands of a changing environment [22].”
BackgroundRohr, C. S., Kamal, S., & Bray, S. (2019) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100747 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Rohr, C. S., Bray, S., & Dewey, D. (2021) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579421001449 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“one can switch from one task or mindset to another (4, 19, 20).”
BackgroundTesta, G., Mora‐Maltas, B., Camacho‐Barcia, L., Granero, R., Lucas, I., Agüera, Z., Jiménez‐Múrcia, S., Baños, R., Bertaina‐Anglade, V., Botella, C., et al. (2021) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu13124426 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“, attentional set-shifting and task-shifting) [21,22].”
Regional Striatal Cholinergic Involvement in Human Behavioral Flexibility
Bell, T., Lindner, M., Langdon, A., Mullins, P. G., & Christakou, A. (2019) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2110-18.2019 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Wackerhagen, C., Veer, I. M., van Leeuwen, J. M. C., Reppmann, Z. C., Riepenhausen, A., Bögemann, S. A., Mor, N., Puhlmann, L. M. C., Uściƚko, A., Zerban, M., et al. (2022) · JMIR Research Protocols · doi:10.2196/39817 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“Furthermore, a computer-based paradigm, the Stab/Flex task [53,54], was administered to assess cognitive flexibility (refer to section 1 and Figure S1 in Multimedia Appendix 2).”
BackgroundMethodYi, Z.-X., Wei, L., Xu, L., Pang, W., & Liu, Y. (2025) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-025-02755-4 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“As one of the three core EF components [32, 33], cognitive flexibility defined as the ability to adapt behavior appropriately to changing environmental demands [34, 35], it shows significant positive associations with various physical activity modalities ( P 0.05) [36].”
InfluentialDell’Osso, L., Nardi, B., Bonelli, C., Amatori, G., Pereyra, M. A., Massimetti, E., Cremone, I. M., Pini, S., & Carpita, B. (2024) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci14010064 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“In general, cognitive fl exibility is capacity to adapt behavior to the requirements of a changing environment detail, to focus set shifting and task shifting tests [81,82].”
BackgroundMogadam, A., Keller, A. E., Arnold, P. D., Schachar, R. J., Lerch, J. P., Anagnostou, E. A., & Pang, E. W. (2019) · Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders · doi:10.1186/s11689-019-9280-2 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Abdollahipour, R., Land, W. M., Valtr, L., Banátová, K., & Janura, M. (2022) · International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1612197x.2022.2098356 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“…& Cohen, 2021; Papadopetraki et al., 2019; Siqi-Liu & Egner, 2020), cognitive fl exibility is responsible for responding to environmental changes and updating goals by switching attention from one task-set to another (Armbruster-Genç et al., 2012; Banich et al., 2009; Siqi-Liu & Egner, 2020).”
BackgroundExamining Event-Related Potential (ERP) Correlates of Decision Bias in Recognition Memory Judgments
Hill, H., & Windmann, S. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0106411 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
To stay or not to stay: The stability of choice perseveration in value-based decision making
Senftleben, U., Schoemann, M., Rudolf, M., & Scherbaum, S. (2020) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/1747021820964330 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“…attentional set shifting, where the stimulus category stays the same (e.g., always digits instead of letters and digits), but participants have to switch between tasks (e.g., classifying a number as even or odd, and classifying a number as smaller or larger than 5) (e.g., Armbruster et al., 2012).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialControl dilemma: Evidence of the stability–flexibility trade-off
Qiao, L., Zhang, L., & Chen, A. (2023) · International Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.07.002 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Chen, H.-Y., Parent, J. H., Ciampa, C. J., Dahl, M. J., Hämmerer, D., Maaß, A., Winer, J. R., Yakupov, R., Inglis, B. A., Betts, M. J., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2023.1236335 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“Notably, associations with executive function captured LC contributions to both cognitive flexibility, which supports shifting between task sets, and cognitive stability, which supports set maintenance, distractor suppression, and inhibition (Armbruster et al., 2012).”
BackgroundCardiac defense reactivity and cognitive flexibility in high‐ and low‐resilience women
Otero, J., Muñoz, M. A., Fernández‐Santaella, M. C., Verdejo‐García, A., & Sánchez-Barrera, M. B. (2020) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.13656 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Steinberg, S. N., Malins, J. G., Liu, J., & King, T. Z. (2022) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108280 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Internal consistency and test–retest reliability of an affective task-switching paradigm.
Eckart, C., Kraft, D., & Fiebach, C. J. (2021) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000972 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationTaylor, M. J., Urbain, C. M., & Pang, E. E. W. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-00087-5 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Standke, I., Trempler, I., Dannlowski, U., Schubotz, R. I., & Lencer, R. (2021) · NeuroImage: Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102855 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“Flexibility and stability of prediction thus share some processes, while they differ in others (Hedden and Gabrieli, 2015; Armbruster et al. 2012).”
ResultBarnes, G. L., Ozsivadjian, A., Baird, G., Absoud, M., & Hollocks, M. J. (2025) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-024-06246-0 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Psychiatric Illnesses as Disorders of Network Dynamics
Durstewitz, D., Huys, Q. J. M., & Koppe, G. (2020) · Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging · doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.01.001 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
“868 Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging S observed deficits in both working memory and cognitive flexibility (27,35,36).”
Brunet, V., Lafond, T., Kleiber, A., Lansade, L., Calandreau, L., & Colson, V. (2023) · Frontiers in Veterinary Science · doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1184296 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Behavioral flexibility is the ability of an individual to adjust its behavior according to changes in the external or internal environment (7).”
BackgroundTaylor, C. M., Furman, D. J., Berry, A. S., White, R. L., Jagust, W. J., D’Esposito, M., & Jacobs, E. G. (2023) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhad134 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Xu, H., Zhang, X., & Bai, G. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm11092484 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
van Holk, M., & Mejías, J. F. (2024) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101351 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“…to an individual’s capacity to effectively adjust their thoughts and actions in response to shifting or unfamiliar environmental requirements [1,2], allowing our brains to perform context-dependent computations, quickly adapt our behavior, and make correct decisions in uncertain environments.”
BackgroundChuikova, Z. V., Filatov, A. A., Faber, A. Y., & Arsalidou, M. (2024) · Brain Imaging and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s11682-024-00921-7 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“…from task switching were not distributed by types of switching due to mixed types of switching (Cubillo et al., 2019; DiGirolamo et al., 2001; Armbruster et al., 2012; Yeung et al., 2006; Jamadar et al., 2010; Kim et al., 2012b; Sohn et al., 2000).**Six articles included data for two types…”
Soga, K., Kamijo, K., & Masaki, H. (2016) · The Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine · doi:10.7600/jpfsm.5.57 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Threat-dependent scaling of prelimbic dynamics to enhance fear representation
Casanova, J. P., Pouget, C., Treiber, N., Agarwal, I., Brimble, M. A., & Vetere, G. (2024) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.029 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Spontaneous discovery of novel task solutions in children
Schuck, N. W., Li, A. X., Wenke, D., Ay-Bryson, D. S., Löwe, A. T., Gaschler, R., & Shing, Y. L. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0266253 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“In line with this idea it has been found that depth of the attractor state, as indexed by functional coupling between prefrontal areas, is related to how readily individuals switch from one task state to another in the light of ambiguous task cues [45].”
BackgroundZhang, K., Fan, Z., Wang, Y., Faraone, S. V., Yang, L., & Chang, S. (2017) · The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/15622975.2017.1386324 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“Cognitive flexibility, as one of main components of executive function, is the ability to regulate behaviour to the demands of a changing environment (Armbruster et al. 2012).”
BackgroundWaegeman, A., Declerck, C. H., & Boone, C. (2014) · Psychology · doi:10.4236/psych.2014.519218 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Does cognitive control have a general stability/flexibility tradeoff problem?
Mayr, U., & Grätz, D. (2024) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101389 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Hagan, K. E., Lloyd, E. C., & Gorrell, S. (2025) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.70029 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“However, it may also move between (cognitive flexibility) (Armbruster, Ueltzh € offer, Basten, & Fiebach, 2012).”
Ciobanu, A., Shibata, K., Ali, L., Rioja, K., Andersen, . K., Bavelier, D., & Bediou, B. (2023) · Cognitive Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3758/s13415-022-01055-3 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“This pattern of reduced activation is also observed in individuals with high cognitive flexibility (Armbruster et al., 2012) and with repeated practice or performance improvements (Beauchamp et al.”
BackgroundKubo, H., Setoyama, D., Watabe, M., Ohgidani, M., Hayakawa, K., Kuwano, N., Sato‐Kasai, M., Katsuki, R., Kanba, S., Kang, D., et al. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75115-4 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Armbruster, D. J. N., Ueltzhöffer, K., Basten, U., & Fiebach, C. J.
- Affiliations
- 1Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
- Goethe University Frankfurt (DE)
- Venue
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Publisher
- MIT Press
- Published
- 2012-12-01
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2385-2399
- ISSN
- 0898-929X (ISSN-L)
- 1530-8898
- OpenAlex
- W2139146306
- Cited by
- 202
- References
- 86
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 2.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (FI 848/3-1, DFG FI 848/3-1)
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01GQ1003A)
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- cognitive flexibility, cognitive stability, individual differences, prefrontal cortex, task switching, distractor inhibition, attractor stability, working memory, inferior frontal junction, superior frontal gyrus, functional coupling, recurrent neural networks, neurocomputational model
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Analysis of Variance, Cognition, Cues, Female, Fixation, Ocular, Humans, Individuality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Nerve Net, Neural Pathways, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Prefrontal Cortex, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
