Neural correlates of thought suppression.

C. L. Wyland, W. M. Kelley, C Neil MacRae, H. L. Gordon, T. F. Heatherton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

103 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The present report used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural correlates of thought suppression. Subjects were imaged while alternately (i) attempting to suppress a particular thought, (ii) attempting to suppress all thoughts, or (iii) thinking freely about any thought. Suppression of a particular thought, when compared to the free-thought control condition, revealed greater activation in the anterior cingulate. When the task of suppressing all conscious thoughts was compared to free-thought, a more distributed network of brain regions, including the anterior cingulate and the insula, was activated. These findings are consistent with previous research on cognitive control and may provide potential insights into psychological disorders involving recurring, intrusive thoughts. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1863-1867
Number of pages4
JournalNeuropsychologia
Volume41
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003

Keywords

  • cognitive control
  • anterior cingulate
  • insula
  • ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX
  • EVENT-RELATED FMRI
  • PREFRONTAL CORTEX
  • FUNCTIONAL MRI
  • COGNITIVE CONTROL
  • GO/NO-GO
  • RESPONSE-INHIBITION
  • INTERFERENCE TASK
  • DISORDER
  • STROOP

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