额叶皮层内知觉干扰与工作记忆干扰引起的抑制

抑制（inhibition）是指大脑在信息加工时，压抑或制止与当前的任务不符的干扰性的信息输入、反应输出或者内部加工的认知过程，它是额叶的最基本的功能之一，也是人类高级智能活动的最基本的认知成分之一。新近的认知神经科学的研究表明：对于不同种类的干扰信息，参与抑制过程的额叶功能区域可能并不相同。但是，对于由不同的干扰源所引起的抑制过程在额叶内的功能组织方式目前尚不清楚。本研究采用fMRI 技术以及事件相关 (event-related) 的分析方法，研究了因知觉干扰所引起的抑制过程与因工作记忆干扰所引起的抑制过程在额叶内的层级化功能组织方式。结果表明：后部的前额叶参与由知觉干扰所引起的抑制过程，而前部的前额叶则参与由工作记忆干扰所引起的抑制过程

THE HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE OF FRONTAL LOBE IN MEDIATING THE PERCEPTUAL LEVEL INHIBITION AND WORKING MEMORY LEVEL INHIBITION

As one of the most important components in human's high level cognitive process and one of the most basic functions of the frontal lobe, inhibition refers to the cognitive ability to suppress the irrelevant or interfering sensory input, motor output, or internal process. Recent cognitive neuroscience studies showed that different frontal regions are sensitive to different interferences and inhibitions. Yet, it is still unclear how the different kinds of inhibitory functions are hierarchically organized in the frontal regions. In this event-related fMRI study, we disassociated the frontal regions that were sensitive to the inhibition caused by perceptual interference and those were sensitive to the inhibition caused by working memory interference. Results proved that the hierarchical structure of the frontal lobe in mediating different kinds of inhibitory functions: posterior regions were responsive to the perceptual competition and inhibition, whereas anterior regions responded to the working memory ones.