The Specificity and Neural Basis of Impaired Inhibitory Control

Impaired inhibition is a deficit of several psychopathological disorders, particularly attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In the first study, a meta-analysis was conducted to determine whether impaired inhibition as measured by the Stop Signal Task is specific to ADHD, or whether it could be found in other psychopathological disorders. The meta-analysis found an inhibitory deficit in ADHD, but also in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia (SCZ), suggesting that deficient inhibition is not specific to ADHD. A common neural mechanism may underlie deficient inhibition in ADHD, OCD, and SCZ. Study 2 aimed to determine the neural basis of inhibition using a lesion-deficit approach in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Only TBI children with white matter lesions in the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) region showed impaired inhibition compared with orthopedic injury controls. This suggests that deficient inhibition may stem from frontal lobe white matter damage, particularly in the SFG.MAS