|
|
ENQUIRE PROJECT DETAILS BY GENERAL PUBLIC |
| Project Details |
| Funding Scheme : | General Research Fund | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Number : | 14619919 | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(English) : | Disentangle the role of the right inferior frontal cortex in inhibitory control and working memory with a modified Go-NoGo task | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Title(Chinese) : | 分析右下額葉皮層在抑制控制和工作記憶中的作用 | ||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(English) : | Dr Wong, Wai Ho Savio | ||||||||||||||||
| Principal Investigator(Chinese) : | |||||||||||||||||
| Department : | Department of Educational Psychology | ||||||||||||||||
| Institution : | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||
| E-mail Address : | savio@cuhk.edu.hk | ||||||||||||||||
| Tel : | 39433412 | ||||||||||||||||
| Co - Investigator(s) : |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Panel : | Humanities, Social Sciences | ||||||||||||||||
| Subject Area : | Psychology and Linguistics | ||||||||||||||||
| Exercise Year : | 2019 / 20 | ||||||||||||||||
| Fund Approved : | 664,988 | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Status : | Completed | ||||||||||||||||
| Completion Date : | 30-6-2023 | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Objectives : |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Abstract as per original application (English/Chinese): |
在這個項目中，我們的目的是使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）檢查右下額葉皮層（RIFC）在抑制控制中的作用。抑制控制在人類行為中有著廣泛而重要的作用。心理學，精神病學和認知神經科學研究一直嘗試了解抑制控制的神經機制。在眾多的認知實驗任務中，Go-NoGo任務一直廣泛應用於在臨床和認知神經科學研究。然而，有關RIFC在Go-NoGo任務中的具體作用，我們還沒有得出一致的結論。在本研究中，我們將修改Go-NoGo任務，增加兩個級別的NoGo條件：直覺 - NoGo和隨意- NoGo條件。我們的行為研究表明，這種改進的Go-NoGo任務有效地分離抑制控制和工作記憶的貢獻。因此，我們建議招募54名本科生參加fMRI研究，並檢查與抑制控制和工作記憶相關的獨特神經基質。我們假設RIFC的腹側後部（pIFG）在抑制控制中起關鍵作用，而RIFC的背側部分，即右下額葉連接（IFJ），參與維持工作記憶中的任務指令。該研究的結果將有助於我們深入了解RIFC在抑制控制中的獨特貢獻，並展示修改後的Go-NoGo任務對未來臨床和認知神經科學研究的能力。 |
||||||||||||||||
| Realisation of objectives: | Initially, our plan was to conduct the fMRI experiment at the MRI center of the National Taiwan University. Unfortunately, the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 disrupted our data collection due to global travel restrictions. Despite these challenges, the research team in Hong Kong persevered and focused on preparatory work, including an extensive literature review and the development of a computer program for the Go-NoGo experiment. To make progress, we adapted our approach and conducted behavioral testing in the laboratory at Hong Kong during a period between the third and fourth wave of COVID-19, when the campus facilities were accessible. Over 100 healthy individuals participated, and we successfully collected behavioral data. Additionally, we expanded our protocol to investigate other aspects of executive functions, such as interference control and cognitive flexibility. We also aimed to evaluate the impact of emotion on task performance in both neurotypical individuals and individuals with autism, utilizing behavioral and psychophysiological measures. Our behavioral data supported our hypothesis, revealing distinct behavioral responses in the intuitive-NoGo and arbitrary-NoGo conditions within the revised Go-NoGo paradigm. Moreover, our psychophysiological data demonstrated a correlation between autonomic regulation and executive functions, particularly in the domain of emotion regulation. Building upon these findings and the laboratory data, we made adjustments to the trial timing and enhanced the sensitivity of the No-Go paradigm to better detect inhibitory control and executive functions during fMRI scanning. Following the removal of the travel ban in 2023, we were able to resume the fMRI experiment. The fMRI data provided further support for the involvement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in executive functions, specifically interference control, which is closely linked to one's ability to regulate emotions. In summary, despite the initial disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our team persevered and adapted our research plan. We successfully conducted behavioral testing, collected data, and made necessary adjustments to improve the sensitivity of our paradigm. The resumed fMRI experiment further validated our findings regarding the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in executive functions and its connection to emotion regulation. | ||||||||||||||||
| Summary of objectives addressed: |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Research Outcome | |||||||||||||||||
| Major findings and research outcome: | In our project, we successfully revised the traditional Go/NoGo task and investigated the specific subdivisions of the prefrontal cortex involved in inhibition control. Our findings revealed that the arbitrary-NoGo trial, compared to the intuitive-NoGo trial, placed higher demands on working memory, leading to stronger activity within the right inferior frontal cortex (RIFC) subdivision associated with working memory. Using connectivity analysis, we further demonstrated that even in healthy individuals, individual differences in emotion dysregulation, as measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form (DERS-sf), correlated with the strength of connectivity between the RIFC and other subcortical structures involved in emotional processing, such as the bilateral amygdala. Specifically, we found that emotion clarity was associated with functional connectivity at the precuneus and mid-cingulate cortex, while impulse control was associated with connectivity at the caudate. These findings highlighted the close link between executive functions (EF) and emotion regulation (ER). We also examined the connection between ER and EF in adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Regression analyses, controlling for age and gender, indicated moderating effects of group, suggesting that lower resting heart-rate variability (HRV), an index of autonomic regulation and a peripheral biomarker of emotion dysregulation and psychopathology, was more strongly associated with greater emotion dysregulation in ASD compared to typically developing (TD) adolescents. This observation supports the notion that disruptions in autonomic functioning may contribute to emotion dysregulation in ASD. Additionally, we compared the physiological correlates between two self-conscious emotion traits: shame-proneness and guilt-proneness. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed a positive association between guilt-proneness and HRV, while no such association was found with shame-proneness. These findings suggested that shame-proneness and guilt-proneness have different relationships with HRV, which can be understood in terms of the adaptive or maladaptive nature of these emotional traits. Overall, our research has provided valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying inhibition control, the interconnectedness of EF and ER, the impact of autonomic regulation on emotion dysregulation in ASD, and the distinct physiological associations of shame- and guilt-proneness. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between cognitive and emotional processes and have implications for the development of targeted interventions for individuals with executive function and emotion regulation difficulties. | ||||||||||||||||
| Potential for further development of the research and the proposed course of action: |
Our future plan involves utilizing the developed tasks to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying executive functions (EFs) and their interaction with affective control in students with special educational needs (SEN). In addition to inhibition control, cognitive flexibility plays a pivotal role in emotion regulation (ER). Successful ER mechanisms enable individuals to downregulate negative affect and redirect their attention towards the positive aspects of challenges. Poor inhibition control and cognitive flexibility have been linked to emotion dysregulation and increased vulnerability to psychiatric conditions. Our next steps involve incorporating affective content into the inhibition task and developing new cognitive flexibility tasks that incorporate emotional stimuli. These tasks will allow us to explore the neural mechanisms associated with EFs and ER, as well as their interaction, in both neurotypical individuals and individuals with SEN who often exhibit difficulties with behavioral control and emotional dysregulation. Also, we aim to gain deeper insights into the intricate relationship between EFs, ER, and affective control. By understanding these underlying mechanisms, we can contribute to the development of targeted interventions and support strategies for individuals with SEN, ultimately improving their behavioral control and emotional well-being. | ||||||||||||||||
| Layman's Summary of Completion Report: | Inhibitory control and working memory are core components of executive functions (EFs). Impairments in EFs are associated with several psychological conditions, including addiction, ADHD, conduct disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. Conversely, strong EFs have been linked to success in education, employment, and personal relationships. Numerous studies have investigated the neural mechanisms of EF components and explored whether EFs can be improved through various types of training in both healthy and clinical populations. However, conflicting findings have emerged from these studies. Our research provides crucial insights into the role of inhibitory control and working memory in cognitive control and emotion regulation. We have advanced our understanding of the distinct involvement of the prefrontal cortex in different domains of executive function and emotion processing. Specifically, our findings shed light on how EFs can be impacted by localized lesions within the prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the potential and capacity of the modified Go-NoGo task as a precise neuropsychological instrument for evaluating inhibitory control in future empirical and clinical research. This task holds promise for enhancing our comprehension of inhibitory control and its implications in various contexts. | ||||||||||||||||
| Research Output | |||||||||||||||||
| Peer-reviewed journal publication(s) arising directly from this research project : (* denotes the corresponding author) |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Recognized international conference(s) in which paper(s) related to this research project was/were delivered : |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Other impact (e.g. award of patents or prizes, collaboration with other research institutions, technology transfer, etc.): |
|||||||||||||||||
| SCREEN ID: SCRRM00542 |