Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2024 Dec;24(6):1023-1030. doi: 10.3758/s13415-024-01215-7. Epub 2024 Sep 5.
While executive functions (EFs) have traditionally been linked to the cerebral cortex, our understanding of EFs has evolved with increasing evidence pointing to the involvement of cortico-subcortical networks. Despite the importance of investigating EFs within this broader context, the functional contributions of subcortical regions to these processes remain largely unexplored. This study addresses this gap by specifically examining the involvement of subcortical regions in executive inhibition, as measured by the classic Eriksen flanker task. In this study, we used a stereoscope to differentiate between subcortical (monocular) and cortical (mostly binocular) visual pathways in EF processes. Our findings indicate that monocular visual pathways play a crucial role in representing executive conflict, which necessitates cortical involvement. The persistence of a monoptic advantage in conflict representation highlights the substantial contribution of subcortical regions to these executive processes. This exploration of subcortical involvement in executive inhibition provides valuable insights into the intricate relationships between cortical and subcortical regions in EFs.
虽然执行功能 (EFs) 传统上与大脑皮层有关，但随着越来越多的证据表明皮质-皮质下网络的参与，我们对 EFs 的理解也在不断发展。尽管在更广泛的背景下研究 EFs 非常重要，但皮质下区域对这些过程的功能贡献在很大程度上仍未得到探索。本研究通过专门研究皮质下区域在经典的 Eriksen 侧翼任务测量的执行抑制中的参与来解决这一差距。在这项研究中，我们使用立体镜来区分 EF 过程中的皮质下（单眼）和皮质（主要是双眼）视觉通路。我们的研究结果表明，单眼视觉通路在表示执行冲突方面起着至关重要的作用，这需要皮质的参与。在冲突表示中持续存在单眼优势突出了皮质下区域对这些执行过程的重要贡献。对执行抑制中皮质下参与的探索为理解 EFs 中皮质和皮质下区域之间的复杂关系提供了有价值的见解。
