The human prefrontal and parietal association cortices are involved in NO-GO performances: an event-related fMRI study

One of the important roles of the prefrontal cortex is inhibition of movement. We applied an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique to observe changes in fMRI signals of the entire brain during a GO/NO-GO task to identify the functional fields activated in relation to the NO-GO decision. Eleven normal subjects participated in the study, which consisted of a random series of 30 GO and 30 NO-GO trials. The subjects were instructed to press a mouse button immediately after the GO signal was presented. However, they were instructed not to move when the NO-GO signal was presented. We detected significant changes in MR signals in relation to the preparation phases, GO responses, and NO-GO responses. The activation fields related to the NO-GO responses were located in the bilateral middle frontal cortices, left dorsal premotor area, left posterior intraparietal cortices, and right occipitotemporal area. The fields of activation in relation to the GO responses were found in the left primary sensorimotor, right cerebellar anterior lobule, bilateral thalamus, and the area from the anterior cingulate to the supplementary motor area (SMA). Brain activations related to the preparation phases were identified in the left dorsal premotor, left lateral occipital, right ventral premotor, right fusiform, and the area from the anterior cingulate to the SMA. The results indicate that brain networks consisting of the bilateral prefrontal, intraparietal, and occipitotemporal cortices may play an important role in executing a NO-GO response.