Feeling safe in the plane: Neural mechanisms underlying superior action control in airplane pilot trainees—A combined EEG/MRS study

Abstract

In day-to-day life, we need to apply strategies to cascade different actions for efficient unfolding of behaviour. While deficits in action cascading are examined extensively, almost nothing is known about the neuronal mechanisms mediating superior performance above the normal level. To examine this question, we investigate action control in airplane pilot trainees. We use a stop-change paradigm that is able to estimate the efficiency of action cascading on the basis of mathematical constraints. Behavioural and EEG data is analyzed along these constraints and integrated with neurochemical data obtained using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) from the striatal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) -ergic system. We show that high performance in action cascading, as exemplified in airplane pilot trainees, can be driven by intensified attentional processes, circumventing response selection processes. The results indicate that the efficiency of action cascading and hence the speed of responding as well as attentional gating functions are modulated by striatal GABA and Glutamate + Glutamine concentrations. In superior performance in action cascading similar increases in the concentrations of GABA and Glutamate + Glutamine lead to stronger neurophysiological and behavioural effects as compared to subjects with normal performance in action cascading.

RETRACTED: Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) enhances response selection during action cascading processes

“…So far, very little is known about the neuromodulation of action cascading, although there is evidence showing that dopaminergic and the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic system are important (Stock et al, 2014a(Stock et al, , 2014bBeste and Saft, 2013). Concerning the GABA-ergic system, recent findings using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) showed that superior performance in action cascading was associated with increased concentrations of striatal GABA (Yildiz et al, 2014a). Given the correlational nature of MRS studies, it is, however, hard to infer the exact role of GABA in mediating action cascading.…”

“…We assessed action cascading by means of a wellestablished stop-change paradigm (Verbruggen et al, 2008), in which we varied the interval between "stopping" and "changing" (stop-change delay; SCD) and hence varied the time available for preparation before executing the change response (Mückschel et al, 2014). Given the idea that GABA and NE impact action selection (Yildiz et al, 2014a;Yildiz et al, 2014b), we expected the active tVNS to ameliorate the action cascading processes (i.e. decrease reaction times on the change stimuli) when (i) an interruption, i.e.…”

A causal role of the right inferior frontal cortex in implementing strategies for multi-component behaviour

“…In the present study, we examined to what extent the neural dynamics in the rIFG, as modulated via iTBS or cTBS, are related to the inferred strategy and efficiency of multi-component behaviour. Moreover, by recorded event-related potentials (ERPs), we were able to identify associated alterations in cognitive processes on the attentional and response selection levels, both of which may contribute to shifts in multi-component processing strategies 1,14,15 . cTBS applied to the rIFG results in a less efficient action cascading strategy, whereas iTBS results in a more efficient strategy, compared with a shamTBS control condition.…”

Relation between vitamins of the b complex, GABA and glutamate, and their role in neurocognitive disorders -Brief review

“…Consistent with this hypothesis, Yildiz et al (2014) have shown by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) that superior performance of cascade action was associated with increased striatal GABA concentrations [98]. Another point, the active transcutaneous stimulation of the vagus nerve (tVNS) which increases the concentration of GABA and norepinephrine (NE), improved functions of response selection during the cascade action, compared with the stimulus simulation [99]. These results suggest a critical role of GABA in the neuromodulation of cascade action processes.…”

“…These results suggest a critical role of GABA in the neuromodulation of cascade action processes. They also suggest that the increase [98,99] not too high [100] of GABA levels are associated with better performance of these cascade actions. In another study, Steenbergen et al (2015b) aimed to provide converged and direct evidence about the possible key role of the GABAergic system in modulating the efficacy of cascade action [101].…”