University of Lübeck, Germany.
University of Oslo, Norway.
J Cogn Neurosci. 2021 Aug 1;33(9):1862-1879. doi: 10.1162/jocn_a_01691.
Previous research provided evidence for the critical importance of the PFC and BG for reactive motor inhibition, that is, when actions are cancelled in response to external signals. Less is known about the role of the PFC and BG in proactive motor inhibition, referring to preparation for an upcoming stop signal. In this study, patients with unilateral lesions to the BG or lateral PFC performed in a cued go/no-go task, whereas their EEG was recorded. The paradigm called for cue-based preparation for upcoming, lateralized no-go signals. Based on previous findings, we focused on EEG indices of cognitive control (prefrontal beta), motor preparation (sensorimotor mu/beta, contingent negative variation [CNV]), and preparatory attention (occipital alpha, CNV). On a behavioral level, no differences between patients and controls were found, suggesting an intact ability to proactively prepare for motor inhibition. Patients showed an altered preparatory CNV effect, but no other differences in electrophysiological activity related to proactive and reactive motor inhibition. Our results suggest a context-dependent role of BG and PFC structures in motor inhibition, being critical in reactive, unpredictable contexts, but less so in situations where one can prepare for stopping on a short timescale.
先前的研究表明，PFC 和 BG 对于反应性运动抑制至关重要，即当根据外部信号取消动作时。对于前瞻性运动抑制（指为即将到来的停止信号做准备）中 PFC 和 BG 的作用，我们知之甚少。在这项研究中，单侧 BG 或外侧 PFC 损伤的患者在提示 Go/No-Go 任务中表现出色，同时记录了他们的脑电图。该范式要求基于提示对即将到来的、偏侧化的 No-Go 信号进行准备。基于先前的发现，我们专注于脑电图认知控制指数（额叶β）、运动准备（感觉运动μ/β、伴随负变[CNV]）和预备注意（枕部α、CNV）。在行为层面上，患者和对照组之间没有差异，这表明他们有能力主动为运动抑制做准备。患者表现出预备性 CNV 效应的改变，但在与前瞻性和反应性运动抑制相关的电生理活动中没有其他差异。我们的研究结果表明，BG 和 PFC 结构在运动抑制中具有情境依赖性的作用，在反应性、不可预测的情境中至关重要，但在可以在短时间内准备停止的情况下则不那么重要。
