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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Feb 1.
Published in final edited form as: CNS Spectr. 2014 Feb;19(1):69–89. doi: 10.1017/S1092852913000801

Table 1.

Subdividing Impulsivity: Abbreviated Summary of Neurocognitive Domains, Tasks, Neural and Neurochemical Correlates.

Neurocognitive domain Definition Task Neural system Neurochemistry Pharmacological probes
Motor impulsivity Impaired ability to stop motor responses following environmental change Go/No-Go (GNG) for stopping responses before they have been initiated;
Stop signal reaction time task (SSRT) for stopping an already triggered motor response.
Right inferior frontal gyrus and subcortical (including subthalamic) connections Norepinephrine Reduced by methylphenidate and atomoxetine.
Disadvantageous Decision-making Difficulty weighing options and taking appropriate risks based on available information Decision-making or gambling tasks (e.g., Cambridge Gambling Task (CANTAB), Iowa Gamble Task) OFC and subcortical connections Cortex: serotonin
Subcortical circuitry: serotonin/dopamine
Reduced by methylphenidate
Choice impulsivity Excessive discounting of delayed reinforcement Delay-discounting task (DDT) VMPFC, OFC.
Valuation: Substantia nigra, ventral striatum and VMPFC,
Cognitive control: Anterior cingulate cortex and VMPFC,
Imagery/prospection: Medial temporal lobe and white matter connections
VMPFC: serotonin

OFC: dopamine
Increased by D1 dopamine receptor antagonist and alpha2 adrenergic receptor agonist.
Reduced by methylphenidate. for experimental rewards (but not for hypothetical rewards)
Reflection impulsivity Reduced tendency to collect salient information from the environment before decision-making Information-sampling tasks; e.g., Cambridge
Information Sampling Task (IST)
Not known Serotonin Increased by 5-HT2R antagonist; Reduced by 5-HT2R agonist

OFC = Orbitofrontal cortex; VMPFC = Ventromedial prefrontal cortex; CANTAB = Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery