The Quest for Hemispheric Asymmetries Supporting and Predicting Executive Functioning

Abstract

This narrative review addresses the neural bases of two executive functions: criterion setting, that is, the capacity to flexibly set up and select task rules and associations between stimuli, responses, and nonresponses, and monitoring, that is, the process of continuously evaluating whether task rules are being applied optimally. There is a documented tendency for criterion setting and monitoring to differentially recruit left and right lateral prefrontal regions and connected networks, respectively, above and beyond the specific task context. This model, known as the ROtman–Baycrest Battery to Investigate Attention model, initially sprung from extensive neuropsychological work leaded by Don Stuss. In subsequent years, multimodal lines of empirical investigation on both healthy individuals and individuals with brain damage, coming from functional neuroimaging, EEG, neurostimulation, individual difference approaches, and, again, neuropsychology, so to “complete the circle,” corroborated the functional mapping across the two hemispheres as predicted by the model. More recent electrophysiological evidence has further shown that hemispheric differences in intrinsic prefrontal dynamics are able to predict cognitive performance in tasks tapping these domain-general functions. These empirical contributions will be presented together with contrasting evidence, limits, and possible future directions to better fine-tune this model and extend its scope to new fields.

Efficacy of a Training on Executive Functions in Potentiating Rehabilitation Effects in Stroke Patients

“…The rationale of the program is partially founded on studies conducted in our laboratory and previously in the Don Stuss' lab, which elaborated a brain-centered model of EFs based on two distinct domain-general EFs, namely, criterion setting and monitoring [9,[21][22][23]. In line with this model, the program included four types of training tasks, targeting Working Memory (WM), Interference Control and Inhibition (ICI), Task-Switching (TS), and Monitoring (M).…”

EEG‐neurofeedback and executive function enhancement in healthy adults: A systematic review

“…More in detail, taking Enriquez‐Geppert, Huster, Figge and colleagues ( 2014 ) and Wang and Hsieh ( 2013 ) as instances, they used similar protocols but obtained contrasting effects on executive function performance, as the former showed enhancements on proactive control tasks, whereas the latter improved reactive control tasks. Thus, it seems that employing different executive function tasks influenced the results, suggesting that the behavioral pretraining versus posttraining assessment should include a variety of executive function measures, ideally by also solving task impurity issues (e.g., Burgess, 1997 ; Miyake et al., 2000 ; Vallesi, 2020 ), in order to tap this multifaceted construct with more fine‐grained precision.…”

“…Executive functions are referred to as higher‐order cognitive processes that enable, for instance, to flexibly set‐up, regulate, and monitor goal‐directed behaviors and thoughts by controlling lower‐level cognitive operations, especially in novel or complex circumstances (MacPherson et al., 2019 ; Miller & Cohen, 2001 ; Vallesi, 2020 ). Despite significant implications of executive functions for everyday life and their central role in human cognition and action regulation (Mischel et al., 2011 ; Miyake & Friedman, 2012 ), a limited extent of studies has targeted them using EEG‐NFT (Enriquez‐Geppert, Huster, & Herrmann, 2013 ).…”

The interplay of resting and inhibitory control‐related theta‐band activity depends on age

“…This suggests that there are additional, currently unknown factors important to consider when it comes to response inhibition. Such factors could be that inhibition might not be an independent construct, but “a mixture of energization, task‐setting, and monitoring”, as discussed by Friedman and Miyake ( 2017 ) and Vallesi ( 2020 ). For Go trials, an opposite pattern of moderating effects of age was obtained.…”