JN Ad Instruments
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


J Neurophysiol 87: 2577-2592, 2002;
0022-3077/02 $5.00
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (123)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rushworth, M.F.S.
Right arrow Articles by Sipila, P. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rushworth, M.F.S.
Right arrow Articles by Sipila, P. K.

The Journal of Neurophysiology Vol. 87 No. 5 May 2002, pp. 2577-2592
Copyright ©2002 by the American Physiological Society

Role of the Human Medial Frontal Cortex in Task Switching: A Combined fMRI and TMS Study

M.F.S. Rushworth,1,2 K. A. Hadland,1,&cjs3716; T. Paus,3 and P. K. Sipila3

 1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3UD;  2Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom; and  3Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada

Rushworth, M.F.S., K. A. Hadland, T. Paus, and P. K. Sipila. Role of the Human Medial Frontal Cortex in Task Switching: A Combined fMRI and TMS Study. J. Neurophysiol. 87: 2577-2592, 2002. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity when subjects were performing identical tasks in the context of either a task-set switch or a continuation of earlier performance. The context, i.e., switching or staying with the current task, influenced medial frontal cortical activation; the medial frontal cortex is transiently activated at the time that subjects switch from one way of performing a task to another. Two types of task-set-switching paradigms were investigated. In the response-switching (RS) paradigm, subjects switched between different rules for response selection and had to choose between competing responses. In the visual-switching (VS) paradigm, subjects switched between different rules for stimulus selection and had to choose between competing visual stimuli. The type of conflict, sensory (VS) or motor (RS), involved in switching was critical in determining medial frontal activation. Switching in the RS paradigm was associated with clear blood-oxygenation-level-dependent signal increases ("activations") in three medial frontal areas: the rostral cingulate zone, the caudal cingulate zone, and the presupplementary motor area (pre-SMA). Switching in the VS task was associated with definite activation in just one medial frontal area, a region on the border between the pre-SMA and the SMA. Subsequent to the fMRI session, we used MRI-guided frameless stereotaxic procedures and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to test the importance of the medial frontal activations for task switching. Applying rTMS over the pre-SMA disrupted subsequent RS performance but only when it was applied in the context of a switch. This result shows, first, that the pre-SMA is essential for task switching and second that its essential role is transient and limited to just the time of behavioral switching. The results are consistent with a role for the pre-SMA in selecting between response sets at a superordinate level rather than in selecting individual responses. The effect of the rTMS was not simply due to the tactile and auditory artifacts associated with each pulse; rTMS over several control regions did not selectively disrupt switching. Applying rTMS over the SMA/pre-SMA area activated in the VS paradigm did not disrupt switching. This result, first, confirms the limited importance of the medial frontal cortex for sensory attentional switching. Second, the VS rTMS results suggest that just because an area is activated in two paradigms does not mean that it plays the same essential role in both cases.


&cjs3716; Deceased 22 May 2001.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Mem CognitHome page
E. Saeki and S. Saito
Verbal representation in task order control: An examination with transition and task cues in random task switching
Mem Cognit, October 1, 2009; 37(7): 1040 - 1050.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurophysiol.Home page
K. Tachibana, K. Suzuki, E. Mori, N. Miura, R. Kawashima, K. Horie, S. Sato, J. Tanji, and H. Mushiake
Neural Activity in the Human Brain Signals Logical Rule Identification
J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2009; 102(3): 1526 - 1537.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
J.-R. Duann, J. S. Ide, X. Luo, and C.-s. R. Li
Functional Connectivity Delineates Distinct Roles of the Inferior Frontal Cortex and Presupplementary Motor Area in Stop Signal Inhibition
J. Neurosci., August 12, 2009; 29(32): 10171 - 10179.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cogn Affect Behav NeurosciHome page
R. West, K. Bailey, and M. M. Langley
An investigation of the neural correlates of attention and effector switching using ERPs
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci, June 1, 2009; 9(2): 190 - 201.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
R. B. Mars, M. C. Klein, F.-X. Neubert, E. Olivier, E. R. Buch, E. D. Boorman, and M. F. S. Rushworth
Short-Latency Influence of Medial Frontal Cortex on Primary Motor Cortex during Action Selection under Conflict
J. Neurosci., May 27, 2009; 29(21): 6926 - 6931.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
R. C. Helmich, E. Aarts, F. P. de Lange, B. R. Bloem, and I. Toni
Increased Dependence of Action Selection on Recent Motor History in Parkinson's Disease
J. Neurosci., May 13, 2009; 29(19): 6105 - 6113.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
NeurologyHome page
B.F.L. van Nuenen, M. M. Weiss, B. R. Bloem, K. Reetz, T. van Eimeren, K. Lohmann, J. Hagenah, P. P. Pramstaller, F. Binkofski, C. Klein, et al.
Heterozygous carriers of a Parkin or PINK1 mutation share a common functional endophenotype
Neurology, March 24, 2009; 72(12): 1041 - 1047.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
M. Brass, D. Wenke, S. Spengler, and F. Waszak
Neural Correlates of Overcoming Interference from Instructed and Implemented Stimulus-Response Associations
J. Neurosci., February 11, 2009; 29(6): 1766 - 1772.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Schizophr BullHome page
G. R. Wylie, E.A Clark, P.D. Butler, and D.C. Javitt
Schizophrenia Patients Show Task Switching Deficits Consistent With N-Methyl-D-Aspartate System Dysfunction But Not Global Executive Deficits: Implications for Pathophysiology of Executive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
Schizophr Bull, October 3, 2008; (2008) sbn119v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cereb CortexHome page
J. Rowe, L. Hughes, D. Eckstein, and A.M. Owen
Rule-Selection and Action-Selection have a Shared Neuroanatomical Basis in the Human Prefrontal and Parietal Cortex
Cereb Cortex, October 1, 2008; 18(10): 2275 - 2285.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurophysiol.Home page
P. C. J. Taylor, M. F. S. Rushworth, and A. C. Nobre
Choosing Where to Attend and the Medial Frontal Cortex: An fMRI Study
J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2008; 100(3): 1397 - 1406.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
M. Isoda and O. Hikosaka
Role for Subthalamic Nucleus Neurons in Switching from Automatic to Controlled Eye Movement
J. Neurosci., July 9, 2008; 28(28): 7209 - 7218.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurophysiol.Home page
C. D. Chambers, M. A. Bellgrove, I. C. Gould, T. English, H. Garavan, E. McNaught, M. Kamke, and J. B. Mattingley
Dissociable Mechanisms of Cognitive Control in Prefrontal and Premotor Cortex
J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2007; 98(6): 3638 - 3647.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cereb CortexHome page
R. B. Mars, C. Piekema, M. G. H. Coles, W. Hulstijn, and I. Toni
On the Programming and Reprogramming of Actions
Cereb Cortex, December 1, 2007; 17(12): 2972 - 2979.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
P. C. J. Taylor, A. C. Nobre, and M. F. S. Rushworth
Subsecond Changes in Top Down Control Exerted by Human Medial Frontal Cortex during Conflict and Action Selection: A Combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Electroencephalography Study
J. Neurosci., October 17, 2007; 27(42): 11343 - 11353.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
BrainHome page
S. Rivaud-Pechoux, M. Vidailhet, J. P. Brandel, and B. Gaymard
Mixing pro- and antisaccades in patients with parkinsonian syndromes
Brain, January 1, 2007; 130(1): 256 - 264.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
ptjournalHome page
P. S Pohl, J. M McDowd, D. Filion, L. G Richards, W. Stiers, and P. Kluding
Task Switching After Stroke
Physical Therapy, January 1, 2007; 87(1): 66 - 73.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
E. A. Crone, S. E. Donohue, R. Honomichl, C. Wendelken, and S. A. Bunge
Brain Regions Mediating Flexible Rule Use during Development
J. Neurosci., October 25, 2006; 26(43): 11239 - 11247.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
A. Genovesio, P. J. Brasted, and S. P. Wise
Representation of future and previous spatial goals by separate neural populations in prefrontal cortex.
J. Neurosci., July 5, 2006; 26(27): 7305 - 7316.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
D. Badre and A. D. Wagner
Computational and neurobiological mechanisms underlying cognitive flexibility
PNAS, May 2, 2006; 103(18): 7186 - 7191.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cereb CortexHome page
E. A. Crone, C. Wendelken, S. E. Donohue, and S. A. Bunge
Neural Evidence for Dissociable Components of Task-switching
Cereb Cortex, April 1, 2006; 16(4): 475 - 486.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
A. R. Aron and R. A. Poldrack
Cortical and Subcortical Contributions to Stop Signal Response Inhibition: Role of the Subthalamic Nucleus
J. Neurosci., March 1, 2006; 26(9): 2424 - 2433.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
K. Shima and J. Tanji
Binary-Coded Monitoring of a Behavioral Sequence by Cells in the Pre-Supplementary Motor Area
J. Neurosci., March 1, 2006; 26(9): 2579 - 2582.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cereb CortexHome page
G.R. Wylie, D.C. Javitt, and J.J. Foxe
Jumping the Gun: Is Effective Preparation Contingent upon Anticipatory Activation in Task-relevant Neural Circuitry?
Cereb Cortex, March 1, 2006; 16(3): 394 - 404.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
N. Yeung, L. E. Nystrom, J. A. Aronson, and J. D. Cohen
Between-Task Competition and Cognitive Control in Task Switching
J. Neurosci., February 1, 2006; 26(5): 1429 - 1438.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
S. A. Bunge, J. D. Wallis, A. Parker, M. Brass, E. A. Crone, E. Hoshi, and K. Sakai
Neural Circuitry Underlying Rule Use in Humans and Nonhuman Primates
J. Neurosci., November 9, 2005; 25(45): 10347 - 10350.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Phil Trans R Soc BHome page
T.E.J Behrens and H Johansen-Berg
Relating connectional architecture to grey matter function using diffusion imaging
Phil Trans R Soc B, May 29, 2005; 360(1457): 903 - 911.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Phil Trans R Soc BHome page
T. Paus
Inferring causality in brain images: a perturbation approach
Phil Trans R Soc B, May 29, 2005; 360(1457): 1109 - 1114.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
C. A. Boettiger and M. D'Esposito
Frontal Networks for Learning and Executing Arbitrary Stimulus-Response Associations
J. Neurosci., March 9, 2005; 25(10): 2723 - 2732.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurosci.Home page
S. Tanaka, M. Honda, and N. Sadato
Modality-Specific Cognitive Function of Medial and Lateral Human Brodmann Area 6
J. Neurosci., January 12, 2005; 25(2): 496 - 501.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurophysiol.Home page
E. Hoshi and J. Tanji
Differential Roles of Neuronal Activity in the Supplementary and Presupplementary Motor Areas: From Information Retrieval to Motor Planning and Execution
J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2004; 92(6): 3482 - 3499.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
H. Johansen-Berg, T. E. J. Behrens, M. D. Robson, I. Drobnjak, M. F. S. Rushworth, J. M. Brady, S. M. Smith, D. J. Higham, and P. M. Matthews
Changes in connectivity profiles define functionally distinct regions in human medial frontal cortex
PNAS, September 7, 2004; 101(36): 13335 - 13340.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
BrainHome page
A. R. Aron, S. Monsell, B. J. Sahakian, and T. W. Robbins
A componential analysis of task-switching deficits associated with lesions of left and right frontal cortex
Brain, July 1, 2004; 127(7): 1561 - 1573.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurophysiol.Home page
S. W. Kennerley, K. Sakai, and M.F.S. Rushworth
Organization of Action Sequences and the Role of the Pre-SMA
J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2004; 91(2): 978 - 993.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Neurophysiol.Home page
S. A. Bunge, I. Kahn, J. D. Wallis, E. K. Miller, and A. D. Wagner
Neural Circuits Subserving the Retrieval and Maintenance of Abstract Rules
J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2003; 90(5): 3419 - 3428.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cereb CortexHome page
N. Picard and P. L. Strick
Activation of the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) during Performance of Visually Guided Movements
Cereb Cortex, September 1, 2003; 13(9): 977 - 986.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
J.-C. Dreher and K. F. Berman
Fractionating the neural substrate of cognitive control processes
PNAS, October 29, 2002; 99(22): 14595 - 14600.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online