Neural bases of inhibitory control: Combining transcranial magnetic stimulation and magnetic resonance imaging in alcohol-use disorder patients

• Published in: NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 224; p. 117435
• Main Authors: Quoilin, Caroline, Dricot, Laurence, Genon, Sarah, de Timary, Philippe, Duque, Julie
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2021; Elsevier Limited; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Alcohol; Alcohol use; Alcohol use disorder; Alcoholism - diagnostic imaging; Alcoholism - physiopathology; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Brain - physiopathology; Brain Cortical Thickness; Brain injury; Cognitive ability; Cortex (cingulate); Cortex (frontal); Cortical thickness; Evoked Potentials, Motor; Excitability; Female; Frontal gyrus; Gyrus Cinguli - diagnostic imaging; Gyrus Cinguli - physiopathology; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; Impulsivity; Inhibition, Psychological; Inhibitory control; Magnetic fields; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Morphometry; Motor Cortex - diagnostic imaging; Motor Cortex - physiopathology; Motor system; Neural Inhibition - physiology; Neuroimaging; Neurosciences & behavior; Neurosciences & comportement; Prefrontal Cortex - diagnostic imaging; Prefrontal Cortex - physiopathology; Questionnaires; Sciences sociales & comportementales, psychologie; Social & behavioral sciences, psychology; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Neuroimaging; Inhibitory control; Alcohol use disorder; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Cortical thickness; Motor system
• ISSN: 1053-8119; 1095-9572; 1095-9572
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117435

•Neural source of motor preparatory suppression remains largely unknown.•Extent of preparatory suppression was related to structural brain measures.•Thinner medial prefrontal cortex was related to weaker preparatory suppression.•Motor excitability appears as a valuable read-out of upstream cognitive processes. Inhibitory control underlies the ability to inhibit inappropriate responses and involves processes that suppress motor excitability. Such motor modulatory effect has been largely described during action preparation but very little is known about the neural circuit responsible for its implementation. Here, we addressed this point by studying the degree to which the extent of preparatory suppression relates to brain morphometry. We investigated this relationship in patients suffering from severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) because this population displays an inconsistent level of preparatory suppression and major structural brain damage, making it a suitable sample to measure such link. To do so, 45 detoxified patients underwent a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and performed a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) experiment, in which the degree of preparatory suppression was quantified. Besides, behavioral inhibition and trait impulsivity were evaluated in all participants. Overall, whole-brain analyses revealed that a weaker preparatory suppression was associated with a decrease in cortical thickness of a medial prefrontal cluster, encompassing parts of the anterior cingulate cortex and superior-frontal gyrus. In addition, a negative association was observed between the thickness of the supplementary area (SMA)/pre-SMA and behavioral inhibition abilities. Finally, we did not find any significant correlation between preparatory suppression, behavioral inhibition and trait impulsivity, indicating that they represent different facets of inhibitory control. Altogether, the current study provides important insight on the neural regions underlying preparatory suppression and allows highlighting that the excitability of the motor system represents a valuable read-out of upstream cognitive processes.