Go/No-Go
Overview
The go/no-go task measures inhibitory control — the ability to execute a response on "go" trials and withhold responding on "no-go" trials. A go stimulus (e.g., tone A) signals that a lever press will be reinforced, while a no-go stimulus (e.g., tone B) signals that responding will result in a timeout penalty. The primary measure is the false alarm rate: the proportion of no-go trials on which the subject fails to inhibit responding.
Go/no-go performance depends on prefrontal cortex, particularly the inferior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate in humans, with homologous regions in rodent prelimbic and infralimbic cortex. The task is widely used to assess impulsivity, attentional control, and executive function in models of ADHD, addiction, traumatic brain injury, and aging.
ConductMaze automates go/no-go with configurable stimulus modalities, adjustable go/no-go ratios, and real-time signal detection analysis. The software calculates d-prime (sensitivity), criterion (response bias), hit rate, false alarm rate, and response latencies for both trial types.
Trial Flow
Trial Start
House light ON, ITI complete
Stimulus Presentation
Go or no-go stimulus presented
Response Window
Subject responds or withholds within limited hold
Response Classification
Hit, miss, correct rejection, or false alarm?
Outcome Delivery
Hit = reinforcer; false alarm = timeout; miss/CR = ITI
ITI
Inter-trial interval before next trial
Session End
All trials completed or time limit reached
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go Stimulus | enum | Tone 2kHz | Stimulus signaling that responding is reinforced |
| No-Go Stimulus | enum | Tone 8kHz | Stimulus signaling that responding is punished |
| Go Probability | float | 0.5 | Proportion of go trials (higher = more prepotent go response) |
| Stimulus Duration | seconds | 5 | Duration of stimulus presentation |
| Limited Hold | seconds | 5 | Response window following stimulus |
| Timeout Duration | seconds | 5 | Penalty timeout after false alarm (house light off) |
| Number of Trials | integer | 100 | Total trials per session |
| ITI Duration | seconds | 10 | Inter-trial interval |
Metrics
| Metric | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hit Rate | % | Proportion of go trials with a correct response |
| False Alarm Rate | % | Proportion of no-go trials with an incorrect response (failure to inhibit) |
| d-prime | index | Signal detection sensitivity: z(hit rate) - z(false alarm rate) |
| Criterion (c) | index | Response bias: -0.5 x [z(hit rate) + z(false alarm rate)] |
| Go Latency | seconds | Mean response latency on correct go trials |
| False Alarm Latency | seconds | Mean response latency on false alarm trials |
| Miss Rate | % | Proportion of go trials with no response (omissions) |
Sample Data
| Block | Go_Trials | Hits | NoGo_Trials | False_Alarms | Hit_Rate_pct | FA_Rate_pct | d_prime |
|---|
Representative data for illustration purposes. Actual values will vary by species, strain, and experimental conditions.
Applications
- 1Impulsivity research — false alarm rate as a measure of motor impulsivity in ADHD models
- 2Traumatic brain injury — inhibitory control deficits following frontal cortex damage
- 3Addiction — impaired no-go performance as a risk factor for compulsive drug seeking
- 4Pharmacological screening — assessing drugs for effects on inhibitory control vs. attention
- 5Aging and neurodegeneration — tracking decline in response inhibition across lifespan
Related Protocols
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