title: Spatiotemporal brain mapping during preparation, perception, and action.
abstract: Deciding whether to act or not to act is a fundamental cognitive function. To avoid incorrect responses, both reactive and proactive modes of control have been postulated. Little is known, however, regarding the brain implementation of proactive mechanisms, which are deployed prior to an actual need to inhibit a response. Via a combination of electrophysiological and neuroimaging measures (recorded in 21 and 16 participants, respectively), we describe the brain localization and timing of neural activity that underlies the anticipatory proactive mechanism. From these results, we conclude that proactive control originates in the inferior Frontal gyrus, is established well before stimulus perception, and is released concomitantly with stimulus appearance. Stimulus perception triggers early activity in the anterior insula and intraparietal cortex contralateral to the responding hand; these areas likely mediate the transition from perception to action. The neural activities leading to the decision to act or not to act are described in the framework of a three-stage model that includes perception, action, and anticipatory functions taking place well before stimulus onset.
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome 00135, Italy; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome 00179, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.dirusso@uniroma4.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Russo
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome 00179, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucci
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome 00179, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sulpizio
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome 00135, Italy.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berchicci
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome 00135, Italy; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome 00179, Italy.
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome 00135, Italy; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome 00179, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pitzalis
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome 00179, Italy; Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome 00185, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaspare
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EEG; Go/no-go; Perceptual decision; Prefrontal cortex; Proactive control; fMRI