scholarly journals Errors in action timing and inhibition facilitate learning by tuning distinct mechanisms in the underlying decision process

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Dunovan ◽  
Timothy Verstynen
Keyword(s):  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Action Execution ◽  
Selection Processes ◽  
Feedback Error ◽  
Cortical Modulation ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
Action Timing

Goal-directed behavior requires integrating action selection processes with learning systems that adapt control using environmental feedback. These functions intersect in the basal ganglia (BG), which has at least two targets of plasticity: a dopaminergic modulation of striatal pathways and cortical modulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Dual learning mechanisms suggests that feedback signals have a multifaceted impact on BG-dependent decisions. Using a hybrid of accumulation-to-bound decision models and reinforcement learning, we modeled the performance of humans in a stop-signal task where participants (N=75) learned the prior distribution of the timing of a stop signal through trial-and-error feedback. Changes in the drift-rate of the action execution process were driven by errors in action timing, whereas adaptation in the boundary height served to increase caution following failed stops. These findings highlight two interactive learning mechanisms for adapting the control of goal-directed actions based on dissociable dimensions of feedback error.

scholarly journals Errors in action timing and inhibition facilitate learning by tuning distinct mechanisms in the underlying decision process

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Dunovan ◽  
Timothy D. Verstynen
Keyword(s):  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Error Feedback ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Action Execution ◽  
Selection Processes ◽  
Cortical Modulation ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior ◽  
Action Timing

Goal-directed behavior requires integrating action selection processes with learning systems that adapt control using environmental feedback. These functions intersect in the basal ganglia (BG), which has at least two targets of plasticity: a dopaminergic modulation of striatal pathways and cortical modulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Dual learning mechanisms suggests that feedback signals have a multifaceted impact on BG-dependent decisions. Using a hybrid of accumulation-to-bound decision models and reinforcement learning, we modeled the performance of humans in a stop-signal task where participants (N=75) learned the prior distribution of the timing of a stop signal through trial-and-error feedback. Changes in the drift-rate of the action execution process were driven by errors in action timing, whereas adaptation in the boundary height served to increase caution following failed stops. These findings highlight two interactive learning mechanisms for adapting the control of goal-directed actions based on dissociable dimensions of f eedback error.

scholarly journals Errors in action timing and inhibition facilitate learning by tuning distinct mechanisms in the underlying decision process

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Dunovan ◽  
Timothy Verstynen
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Action Execution ◽  
And Control ◽  
Action Timing

AbstractGoal-directed behavior requires integrating action selection processes with learning systems that adapt control using environmental feedback. These functions intersect in the basal ganglia (BG), which has at least two targets of plasticity: a dopaminergic modulation of striatal pathways and cortical modulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Dual learning mechanisms suggests that feedback signals have a multifaceted impact on BG-dependent decisions. Using a hybrid of accumulation-to-bound decision models and reinforcement learning, we modeled the performance of humans in a stop-signal task where participants (N=75) learned the prior distribution of the timing of a stop signal through trial-and-error feedback. Changes in the drift-rate of the action execution process were driven by errors in action timing, whereas adaptation in the boundary height served to increase caution following failed stops. These findings highlight two interactive learning mechanisms for adapting the control of goal-directed actions based on dissociable dimensions of feedback error.Author SummaryMany complex behavioral goals rely on one’s ability to regulate the timing of action execution while also maintaining enough control to cancel actions in response to “Stop” cues in the environment. Here we examined how these two fundamental components of behavior become tuned to the control demands of the environment by combining principles of reinforcement learning with accumulator models of decision making. The synthesis of these two theoretical frameworks is motivated by previous work showing that reinforcement learning and control rely on overlapping circuitry in the basal ganglia. Leveraging knowledge about the interaction of learning and control signals in this network, we formulated a computational model in which performance feedback is used to modulate key mechanisms of the decision process to facilitate goal acquisition. Model-based analysis of behavioral data collected on an adaptive stop-signal task revealed two critical learning mechanisms: one that adjusts the accumulation rate of the “Go” signal to errors in action timing and another that exercises caution by raising the height of the execution boundary after a failed Stop trial. We show how these independent learning mechanisms interact over the course of learning, shedding light on the behavioral effects plasticity in different pathways of the basal ganglia.

scholarly journals Investigating the sex-dependent effects of prefrontal cortex stimulation on response execution and inhibition

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Fehring ◽  
Ranshikha Samandra ◽  
Zakia Z. Haque ◽  
Shapour Jaberzadeh ◽  
Marcello Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Action Execution ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Acoustic Stimuli ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Response Execution

AbstractContext-dependent execution or inhibition of a response is an important aspect of executive control, which is impaired in neuropsychological and addiction disorders. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been considered a remedial approach to address deficits in response control; however, considerable variability has been observed in tDCS effects. These variabilities might be related to contextual differences such as background visual-auditory stimuli or subjects' sex. In this study, we examined the interaction of two contextual factors, participants' sex and background acoustic stimuli, in modulating the effects of tDCS on response inhibition and execution. In a sham-controlled and cross-over (repeated-measure) design, 73 participants (37 females) performed a Stop-Signal Task in different background acoustic conditions before and after tDCS (anodal or sham) was applied over the DLPFC. Participants had to execute a speeded response in Go trials but inhibit their response in Stop trials. Participants' sex was fully counterbalanced across all experimental conditions (acoustic and tDCS). We found significant practice-related learning that appeared as changes in indices of response inhibition (stop-signal reaction time and percentage of successful inhibition) and action execution (response time and percentage correct). The tDCS and acoustic stimuli interactively influenced practice-related changes in response inhibition and these effects were uniformly seen in both males and females. However, the effects of tDCS on response execution (percentage of correct responses) were sex-dependent in that practice-related changes diminished in females but heightened in males. Our findings indicate that participants' sex influenced the effects of tDCS on the execution, but not inhibition, of responses.

scholarly journals Inhibitory Control on a Stop Signal Task in Tourette Syndrome before and after Deep Brain Stimulation of the Internal Segment of the Globus Pallidus

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 461
Author(s):  
Francesca Morreale ◽  
Zinovia Kefalopoulou ◽  
Ludvic Zrinzo ◽  
Patricia Limousin ◽  
Eileen Joyce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Tourette Syndrome ◽  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Reactive Inhibition ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Deep Brain

As part of the first randomized double-blind trial of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus (GPi) in Tourette syndrome, we examined the effect of stimulation on response initiation and inhibition. A total of 14 patients with severe Tourette syndrome were recruited and tested on the stop signal task prior to and after GPi-DBS surgery and compared to eight age-matched healthy controls. Tics were significantly improved following GPi-DBS. The main measure of reactive inhibition, the stop signal reaction time did not change from before to after surgery and did not differ from that of healthy controls either before or after GPi-DBS surgery. This suggests that patients with Tourette syndrome have normal reactive inhibition which is not significantly altered by GPi-DBS.

scholarly journals Is motor inhibition involved in the processing of sentential negation? An assessment via the Stop-Signal Task

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Montalti ◽  
Marta Calbi ◽  
Valentina Cuccio ◽  
Maria Alessandra Umiltà ◽  
Vittorio Gallese
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Motor Inhibition ◽  
Good Tool ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Sentential Negation ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽  
Methodological Considerations

AbstractIn the last decades, the embodied approach to cognition and language gained momentum in the scientific debate, leading to evidence in different aspects of language processing. However, while the bodily grounding of concrete concepts seems to be relatively not controversial, abstract aspects, like the negation logical operator, are still today one of the main challenges for this research paradigm. In this framework, the present study has a twofold aim: (1) to assess whether mechanisms for motor inhibition underpin the processing of sentential negation, thus, providing evidence for a bodily grounding of this logic operator, (2) to determine whether the Stop-Signal Task, which has been used to investigate motor inhibition, could represent a good tool to explore this issue. Twenty-three participants were recruited in this experiment. Ten hand-action-related sentences, both in affirmative and negative polarity, were presented on a screen. Participants were instructed to respond as quickly and accurately as possible to the direction of the Go Stimulus (an arrow) and to withhold their response when they heard a sound following the arrow. This paradigm allows estimating the Stop Signal Reaction Time (SSRT), a covert reaction time underlying the inhibitory process. Our results show that the SSRT measured after reading negative sentences are longer than after reading affirmative ones, highlighting the recruitment of inhibitory mechanisms while processing negative sentences. Furthermore, our methodological considerations suggest that the Stop-Signal Task is a good paradigm to assess motor inhibition’s role in the processing of sentence negation.

scholarly journals Effect of obesity on inhibitory control in preadolescents during stop-signal task. An event-related potentials study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graciela C. Alatorre-Cruz ◽  
Heather Downs ◽  
Darcy Hagood ◽  
Seth T. Sorensen ◽  
D. Keith Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Related Potentials

scholarly journals Cortical silent period reflects individual differences in action stopping performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Paci ◽  
Giulio Di Cosmo ◽  
Mauro Gianni Perrucci ◽  
Francesca Ferri ◽  
Marcello Costantini
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Silent Period ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Cortical Silent Period ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time

AbstractInhibitory control is the ability to suppress inappropriate movements and unwanted actions, allowing to regulate impulses and responses. This ability can be measured via the Stop Signal Task, which provides a temporal index of response inhibition, namely the stop signal reaction time (SSRT). At the neural level, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) allows to investigate motor inhibition within the primary motor cortex (M1), such as the cortical silent period (CSP) which is an index of GABAB-mediated intracortical inhibition within M1. Although there is strong evidence that intracortical inhibition varies during action stopping, it is still not clear whether differences in the neurophysiological markers of intracortical inhibition contribute to behavioral differences in actual inhibitory capacities. Hence, here we explored the relationship between intracortical inhibition within M1 and behavioral response inhibition. GABABergic-mediated inhibition in M1 was determined by the duration of CSP, while behavioral inhibition was assessed by the SSRT. We found a significant positive correlation between CSP’s duration and SSRT, namely that individuals with greater levels of GABABergic-mediated inhibition seem to perform overall worse in inhibiting behavioral responses. These results support the assumption that individual differences in intracortical inhibition are mirrored by individual differences in action stopping abilities.

scholarly journals Comparing three portable, tablet-based visuomotor tasks to laboratory versions: An assessment of test validity

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 205970021879914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D Bedore ◽  
Jasmine Livermore ◽  
Hugo Lehmann ◽  
Liana E Brown
Keyword(s):  
Test Validity ◽  
Neurological Status ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Double Step ◽  
Movement Timing ◽  
Visuomotor Processing ◽  
Visuomotor Tasks ◽  
Portable Tablet

The assessment of visuomotor function can provide important information about neurological status. Many tasks exist for testing visuomotor function in the laboratory, but the availability of portable, easy-to-use versions that allow reliable, accurate, and precise measurement of movement timing and accuracy has been limited. We developed a tablet application that uses three laboratory visuomotor tests: the double-step task, interception task, and stop-signal task. We asked the participants to perform both the lab and tablet versions of each task and compared their response patterns across equipment types to assess the validity of the tablet versions. On the double-step task, the participants adjusted to the displaced target adequately in both the lab and tablet versions. On the interception task, the participants intercepted nonaccelerating targets and performed worse on accelerating targets in both versions of the task. On the stop-signal task, the participants successfully inhibited their reaching movements on short stop-signal delays (50–150 ms) more frequently than on long stop-signal delays (200 ms) in both versions of the task. Our findings suggest that the tablet version of each task assesses visuomotor processing in the same way as their respective laboratory version, thus providing the research community with a new tool to assess visuomotor function.

scholarly journals Cognitive Modeling Suggests That Attentional Failures Drive Longer Stop-Signal Reaction Time Estimates in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 856-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Weigard ◽  
Andrew Heathcote ◽  
Dóra Matzke ◽  
Cynthia Huang-Pollock
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Cognitive Modeling ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Unbiased Estimation ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Stop Signal Reaction Time

Mean stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) is frequently employed as a measure of response inhibition in cognitive neuroscience research on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, this measurement model is limited by two factors that may bias SSRT estimation in this population: (a) excessive skew in “go” RT distributions and (b) trigger failures, or instances in which individuals fail to trigger an inhibition process in response to the stop signal. We used a Bayesian parametric approach that allows unbiased estimation of the shape of entire SSRT distributions and the probability of trigger failures to clarify mechanisms of stop-signal task deficits in ADHD. Children with ADHD displayed greater positive skew than their peers in both go RT and SSRT distributions. However, they also displayed more frequent trigger failures, which appeared to drive ADHD-related stopping difficulties. Results suggest that performance on the stop-signal task among children with ADHD reflects impairments in early attentional processes, rather than inefficiency in the stop process.

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