Dynamic Representation of Inhibitory Control in a Go/No-Go Task: Evidence from Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Inhibitory control represents a fundamental cognitive function essential to human behavior. However, the precise neural mechanisms underlying this process remain incompletely elucidated. This study investigated the dynamic representation of inhibitory control by using a Go/No-Go task and the multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA). Decoding analysis revealed that neural representations of inhibitory control emerged around 100 ms post-stimulus, earlier than traditionally observed ERP components. Temporal generalization analysis identified distinct phases of static and dynamic neural representations, suggesting a complex, multi-stage process of inhibitory control. Weight projection analysis highlighted the involvement of occipital, prefrontal, and parietal regions, indicating the recruitment of diverse neural networks throughout the task. Additionally, brain and behavior correlation results found that decoding accuracy between 340-500 ms post-stimulus was significantly correlated with response times, linking neural representations to behavioral outcomes. These findings provide new insights into the temporal dynamics and neural mechanisms of inhibitory control, extending beyond conventional ERP analyses. The study demonstrates the utility of MVPA in uncovering subtle neural patterns associated with cognitive control processes and offers a more comprehensive understanding of the neural basis of inhibitory control.