by Emma Michel, Axel Garnier-Allain, Mariia Kaliuzhna, Djamila Bennabi, Mathieu Servant, Matthieu Béreau Apathy and impulsivity are multidimensional constructs that shape goal-directed behavior. Although the motivational dopaminergic spectrum hypothesis frames them as opposing ends of a single continuum, questionnaire-based studies consistently show that they positively co-occur in both healthy and clinical populations.
An emerging theoretical resolution of this paradox is that apathy and impulsivity relate to distinct components of goal-directed behavior, with co-occurrence potentially arising from domain-general factors and/or partially overlapping neurophysiological networks. Here, we examined this proposal in the domain of action control using the stop-signal task, which provides separable indices of action inhibition (stop-signal response time, SSRT) and action initiation (go response time, goRT) within the independent race model.
Based on prior findings and theoretical considerations, we expected SSRT to covary with urgency-related impulsivity and goRT with action-initiation apathy. A large sample of healthy young adults (N = 144) completed a stop-signal task implemented in accordance with consensus recommendations, alongside validated multidimensional measures of impulsivity (UPPS-P impulsive behavior scale) and apathy (Lille Apathy Rating Scale).
PLOS ONE (Medicine) published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 23 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Revisiting the relationship between impulsivity, apathy, and action control: Bayesian inference from a stop-signal task study.
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