Alpha and theta band activity share information relevant to proactive and reactive control during conflict‐modulated response inhibition

Abstract

Response inhibition is an important instance of cognitive control and can be complicated by perceptual conflict. The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying these processes are still not understood. Especially the relationship between neural processes directly preceding cognitive control (proactive control) and processes underlying cognitive control (reactive control) has not been examined although there should be close links. In the current study, we investigate these aspects in a sample of N = 50 healthy adults. Time‐frequency and beamforming approaches were applied to analyze the interrelation of brain states before (pre‐trial) and during (within‐trial) cognitive control. The behavioral data replicate a perceptual conflict‐dependent modulation of response inhibition. During the pre‐trial period, insular, inferior frontal, superior temporal, and precentral alpha activity was positively correlated with theta activity in the same regions and the superior frontal gyrus. Additionally, participants with a stronger pre‐trial alpha activity in the primary motor cortex showed a stronger (within‐trial) conflict effect in the theta band in the primary motor cortex. This theta conflict effect was further related to a stronger theta conflict effect in the midcingulate cortex until the end of the trial. The temporal cascade of these processes suggests that successful proactive preparation (anticipatory information gating) entails a stronger reactive processing of the conflicting stimulus information likely resulting in a realization of the need to adapt the current action plan. The results indicate that theta and alpha band activity share and transfer aspects of information when it comes to the interrelationship between proactive and reactive control during conflict‐modulated motor inhibition.

The Effect of Rhythmic Audio-Visual Stimulation on Inhibitory Control: An ERP Study

“…Second, theta-and alpha-band stimuli may impair response inhibition. Although studies have suggested that theta and alpha band share and transmit information to regulate conflict during response inhibition [91], not only is response inhibition involved during a task, other processes, such as error monitoring and sustained attention, are also associated with consistently reduced theta activity in the medial-frontal cortex [92,93]. Studies with anxious individuals have shown that highly anxious individuals exhibit impaired response inhibition and greater alpha activity during response control task performance [94].…”

Alpha and theta oscillations on a visual strategic processing task in age-related hearing loss

“…Contrary to our hypothesis, we observed greater theta synchronization between 100 and 200 ms post-stimulus onset in the prefrontal electrode cluster in the ARHL group compared to NH controls. Theta synchronization in frontal regions has been linked to proactive and reactive control ( Cooper et al, 2015 ; Messel et al, 2021 ; Pscherer et al, 2023 ). Proactive control allows one to adapt thoughts and behavior in anticipation of task goals, including any interference, whereas reactive control is a correction mechanism that involves detection and resolution of interference after its onset ( Braver, 2012 ; Stuphorn and Emeric, 2012 ; Botvinick and Braver, 2015 ).…”

Inhibitory control of gait initiation in humans: an electroencephalography study

“…Moreover, in the frequency domain, modulations of theta power (Harper et al, 2014; Messel et al, 2021), alpha power (Albares et al, 2014) and beta power (DeLaRosa et al, 2020; Picazio et al, 2014) over frontal and central regions have been reported during Go/NoGo and Stop Signal tasks. While these activities were initially considered mainly in association with reactive inhibition, they are also modulated in protocols emphasizing proactive inhibition (Albares et al, 2014; Messel et al, 2021; Pscherer et al, 2023; Soh et al, 2021). These activities were associated with activations of the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), the inferior frontal cortex, and the basal ganglia (for review, see Aron, 2011; Swann et al, 2009; Swann et al, 2012).…”