The dorsal medial frontal cortex is sensitive to time on task, not response conflict or error likelihood.

ABSTRACT: The dorsal medial frontal cortex (dMFC) is highly active during choice behavior. Though many models have been proposed to explain dMFC function, the conflict monitoring model is the most influential. It posits that dMFC is primarily involved in detecting interference between competing responses thus signaling the need for control. It accurately predicts increased neural activity and response time (RT) for incompatible (high-interference) vs. compatible (low-interference) decisions. However, it has been shown that neural activity can increase with time on task, even when no decisions are made. Thus, the greater dMFC activity on incompatible trials may stem from longer RTs rather than response conflict. This study shows that (1) the conflict monitoring model fails to predict the relationship

SUBMITTER: Grinband J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3114292 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature