Left anterior cingulate activity predicts intra-individual reaction time variability in healthy adults. (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Johnson, Beth P.; Pinar, Ari; Fornito, Alex; Nandam, L. Sanjay; Hester, Robert; Bellgrove, Mark A.
• Is Part Of: Neuropsychologia. Volume 72(2015)
• Page Start: 22
• Page End: 26
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: fMRI -- Intra-individual variability -- Attention -- Anterior cingulate cortex; Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Neuropsychologie -- Périodiques; Neuropsychology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.03.015
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0028-3932

Abstract

Abstract: Within-subject, or intra-individual, variability in reaction time (RT) is increasingly recognised as an important indicator of the efficiency of attentional control, yet there have been few investigations of the neural correlates of trial-to-trial RT variability in healthy adults. We sought to determine the neural correlates of intra-individual RT variability during a go/no-go response inhibition task in 27 healthy, male participants. We found that reduced trial-to-trial RT variability (i.e. greater response stability) was significantly associated with greater activation in the left pregenual anterior cingulate. These results support the role of the left anterior cingulate in the dynamic control of attention and efficient response selection. Greater understanding of intra-individual RT variability and top-down attentional control in healthy adults may help to inform disorders that impact executive/attentional control, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia. Highlights: Trial-to-trial RT variability was associated with activation in the left pregenual ACC. Activation of the left pregenual ACC was associated with improved response stability. Performance variability may serve as a marker for top down control of attention. Future research should assess the relationship between RT variability and ACC subregions.