It is unclear whether behavioral inhibition leads to heightened brain activation in response to reward or punishment incentives. In this study, we utilized near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to evaluate right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity during a reward/punishment Go/No-go task. As hypothesized, the activation of the right VLPFC was modulated according to different incentive outcomes during the Go/No-go task. Under the reward-only condition, oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the right VLPFC significantly increased as compared with those under the punishment-only condition. In addition, the percentage of commission errors under the punishment-only condition was negatively correlated with neuroticism. These results provide new evidence that the role of the right VLPFC is modulated according to the reward/penalty outcomes, and the relation between motor inhibition and personality traits.

Key words: impulsivity; motor inhibition; reward/punishment go/No-go task; NIRS; VLPFC