Adjustments of Response Threshold during Task Switching: A Model-Based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2390-11.2011
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Summary
This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying trial-by-trial adjustments of response threshold during task switching. While previous research established that the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and striatum facilitate rapid responses under speed instructions, and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) promotes caution, it remained unclear if these networks also regulate threshold adjustments driven by cue informativeness in task-switching paradigms. The authors hypothesized that distinct cortico-basal ganglia networks would support dynamic shifts in response caution based on whether cues indicated task repetition or switching. The researchers employed a model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study with twenty participants performing a cued task-switching paradigm involving three binary decision tasks. Cues were categorized as "repeat" (indicating the same task), "switch-to" (specifying the new task), or "switch-away" (indicating a switch without specifying the task). Behavioral data were analyzed using the EZ2 diffusion model to estimate response thresholds, which represent the amount of evidence required before making a decision. fMRI data were acquired using a 1.5 T scanner, and region-of-interest (ROI) analyses focused on the pre-SMA, striatum (specifically the caudate–putamen junction), and STN, with masks defined based on prior literature and high-resolution structural scans. Behavioral results confirmed that participants adopted more conservative response thresholds for switch cues compared to repeat cues. Neuroimaging analysis revealed that repeat cues elicited higher activation in the pre-SMA and striatum than switch cues. Crucially, individual variability in response threshold was negatively correlated with pre-SMA activation across all cue types, and with striatal activation specifically for repeat cues. This indicates that higher activation in these regions is associated with lower, more liberal thresholds. Conversely, activation in the right STN was positively correlated with response thresholds for switch cues, linking greater STN activity to increased response caution. The left STN showed different patterns, suggesting potential hemispheric functional dissociations regarding conflict processing. The findings demonstrate that cortico-basal ganglia networks involved in speed-accuracy tradeoffs also govern executive control processes in task switching. Specifically, the pre-SMA and striatum form a "go" pathway that biases the system toward liberal thresholds when tasks are predictable, whereas the right STN acts as a "no-go" pathway, increasing thresholds to ensure caution when task conflict is anticipated. These results extend neural models of decision-making by showing that response threshold adjustments are dynamically regulated by distinct neural circuits depending on the informational context of upcoming actions.
Key finding
The pre-supplementary motor area and striatum are more active during low-conflict repeat cues to facilitate liberal response thresholds, whereas the right subthalamic nucleus is more active during high-conflict switch cues to enforce conservative response thresholds.
Methodology
lab_experiment
Sample size: 20
Provenance
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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