Choosing not to act: Neural bases of the development of intentional inhibition

Abstract

Choosing not to act, or the ability to intentionally inhibit your actions lies at the core of self-control. Even though most research has focused on externally primed inhibition, an important question concerns how intentional inhibition develops. Therefore, in the present study children (aged 10-12) and adults (aged 18-26) performed the marble task, in which they had to choose between acting on and inhibiting a prepotent response, while fMRI data were collected. Intentional inhibition was associated with activation of the fronto-basal ganglia network. Activation in the subthalamic nucleus and dorsal fronto-median cortex, regions which have previously been associated with intentional inhibition, did not differ between intentional inhibition and intentional action. Even though both children and adults intentionally inhibited their actions to a similar extent, children showed more activation in the fronto-basal ganglia network during intentional inhibition, but not in the subthalamic nucleus and dorsal fronto-median cortex. Furthermore, a positive relation between self-reported impulsivity and intentional inhibition was observed. These findings have important implications for our understanding of disorders of impulsivity, such as ADHD, which are associated with poor self-control abilities.

The Striatum and Subthalamic Nucleus as Independent and Collaborative Structures in Motor Control

“…The BG through their connectivity and anatomical architecture are felt to be major contributors to this balance. The anatomical systems are of course not mutually exclusive and hence information is very likely to be shared across the hierarchically connected structures (Aron and Poldrack, 2006 ; Jahfari et al, 2011 ; Toxopeus et al, 2012 ; Schel et al, 2014 ). In order to strike this balance, a system of direct and reciprocally indirect pathways of connections appears to exist in the major nuclei including the striatum, STN and now even the pallidum as reviewed briefly above.…”

Why neuroscience does not disprove free will

“…In a follow-up study, a different design was used where a strong action tendency was induced that participants then had to veto (Kuhn et al, 2009). A similar pattern of brain activation was observed (but see Schel et al, 2014 for problems to replicate these findings). However, the inferior temporal resolution of fMRI does not allow one to conclude that the veto process really took place after participants became conscious of their intention to act.…”

Neurodynamic correlates of response inhibition from emerging to mid adulthood

“…Recruitment of inferior frontal and medial prefrontal cortices increases with age, suggesting that these areas continue to mature through adolescence and young adulthood and support more effective response inhibition control (Rubia, Smith, Taylor, & Brammer, 2007; Rubia et al, 2006; Vara et al, 2014). Frontal cortical networks undergo refinement in adolescence and early adulthood through synaptic pruning and myelination (Fjell et al, 2012; Schel et al, 2014; Sowell et al, 2003). These changes could have a direct effect on the efficiency of related cognitive functions, e.g., response inhibition, by enhancing functional communication between different brain regions (Luna & Sweeney, 2004; Velanova, Wheeler, & Luna, 2008).…”

“…Response inhibition is an essential capacity that allows individuals to actively suppress, interrupt, or delay an action (Aron, 2011). It plays an important role in everyday tasks such as withholding inappropriate responses or delaying their execution while gathering necessary information for completion (Schel, Ridderinkhof, & Crone, 2014). Compared to other higher-order functions, response inhibition is one of the last that develops, and one of the first to deteriorate with age (Hammerer, Li, Muller, & Lindenberger, 2010).…”

“…FMRI studies show recruitment of right lateralized inhibitory network in adults (Aron, 2011), including dorsolateral prefrontal, inferior frontal and anterior cingulate cortices, as well as the pre-supplementary motor area. Neuroanatomical studies show substantial changes in these frontal areas through adolescence and young adulthood, primarily expressed in axonal myelination and gray matter pruning (Fjell et al, 2012; Schel et al, 2014; Sowell et al, 2003), with a reduction in cortical thickness and a simultaneous increase in white matter volume (Brown et al, 2012; Westlye et al, 2010). The gradual neuroanatomical development is accompanied by functional changes promoting efficient and fast recruitment of the inhibitory networks well into young adulthood.…”