The Multi-Source Interference Task: validation study with fMRI in individual subjects

Abstract

Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) plays critical roles in cognitive processing, but groupaveraging techniques have generally been required to obtain significant dACC activation in functional neuroimaging studies. Development of a task that reliably and robustly activates dACC within individuals is needed to improve imaging studies of neuropsychiatric disorders and localization of dACC in normal volunteers. By combining sources of cognitive interference (Stroop, Eriksen and Simon) with factors known to increase dACC activity, the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) maximally taxes dACC, making it possible to reliably activate dACC within individuals using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this study, eight normal adult volunteers performed the MSIT during fMRI. We compared fMRI responses and performance data between interference and control trials. Significant dACC activation (Po1.7 Â 10 À4) was observed in all eight individuals and in the group-averaged fMRI data. In addition to dACC activation, group data also showed activation of presumably networked regions including dorsolateral prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices. The MSIT's reaction time interference effect (overall mean 312761 ms) was up to 10 times greater than that of its component predecessors and temporally stable over hundreds of trials. The robustness, reliability and stability of the neuroimaging and performance data should make the MSIT a useful task with which to study normal human cognition and psychiatric pathophysiology.

A combined spectroscopic and functional MRI investigation of the dorsal anterior cingulate region in opiate addiction

“…11,18 This approach is less suitable for characterizing discrete aspects of functional activation patterns associated with successful or failed response inhibition, commission of errors or dynamic performance adjustments. However, disentangling these subtle behavioural sub-processes was not the aim of the study nor the empirical justification of this task.…”

“…11,18 Briefly, the MSIT is a response-conflict paradigm specifically designed to facilitate examination of the functional integrity of the behavioural regulation neural network, particularly the dACC, at the single-subject level. 11,18 The MSIT achieves this by placing high demands on multiple dimensions of inhibitory control/performance monitoring circuits and utilizing a block-design to maximize statistical power to detect single-subject level activations. The task combines sources of interference from a number of well-known paradigms (i.e., Stroop, Flanker and Simon tasks) and generates a state of high response conflict by engaging competing response tendencies that code correct and incorrect outcomes.…”

“…Simon, Stroop, Flanker), the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) has been specifically designed to facilitate examination of the functional integrity of the behavioural regulation neural network, particularly the dACC, at the singlesubject level. 11,18 Importantly, it has also been shown that chronically ill psychiatric patients retain relatively intact performance on this task. 19 As such, the MSIT is likely to minimize confounds introduced by group differences in behavioural performance, as well as enabling robust individual level analyses of dACCrelated brain activity.…”

Callosal Compromise Differentially Affects Conflict Processing and Attentional Allocation in Alcoholism, HIV, and Their Comorbidity

“…The Stroop Color Word Test (Stroop 1935) is a widely used paradigm to study selective attentional processes that require conflict resolution and response inhibition between competing stimulus attributes (Bush et al 2003;Carter et al 1999;Fan et al 2003;MacDonald et al 2000;Salo et al 2001). The Stroop phenomenon describes slower responses when subjects are asked to name the ink color of a word printed in a color incongruent with the word's meaning (e.g., the word "red" written in blue ink) relative to when the word's meaning and ink color are the same (e.g., the word "red" written in red ink).…”

“…Chronic alcoholism adversely disrupts executive control mechanisms relying on prefrontal and parietal attentional brain systems (Nixon et al 1988;Sullivan et al 2000;Tapert et al 2001). Lack of executive function control over attentional systems has also been reported in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Chao et al 2004;Hinkin et al 1999;McArthur 2004;Sahakian et al 1995).The Stroop Color Word Test (Stroop 1935) is a widely used paradigm to study selective attentional processes that require conflict resolution and response inhibition between competing stimulus attributes (Bush et al 2003;Carter et al 1999;Fan et al 2003;MacDonald et al 2000;Salo et al 2001). The Stroop phenomenon describes slower responses when subjects are asked to name the ink color of a word printed in a color incongruent with the word's meaning (e.g., the word "red" written in blue ink) relative to when the word's meaning and ink color are the same (e.g., the word "red" written in red ink).…”