Response Inhibition in Autistic Adults: A Functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy Study in Virtual Reality

Anna Vorreuther; Nektaria Tagalidou; Katharina Lingelbach; Armin Hubert; Laura Bareiß; Tanja Nittel; Marc Ristau; Mathias Vukelić

doi:10.1002/brb3.71249

journal article Open Access Feb 01, 2026

Response Inhibition in Autistic Adults: A Functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy Study in Virtual Reality

Anna Vorreuther Nektaria Tagalidou Katharina Lingelbach Armin Hubert Laura Bareiß Tanja Nittel Marc Ristau Mathias Vukelić

Brain and Behavior Vol. 16 No. 2 · Wiley

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Abstract

ABSTRACT

Introduction:
Response inhibition, a core component of executive functioning, has been studied extensively in autism, though results depend substantially on task choice and design. This study investigated whether autistic and non‐autistic adults differ in behavioral and neurophysiological responses during a visuospatial go/no‐go task (GNGT) implemented in virtual reality (VR).

Methods:
Participants (22 autistic, 10 non‐autistic) completed a blocked go/no‐go task in a VR environment, where stimuli appeared in varied spatial locations. Prefrontal hemodynamic responses were recorded using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), along with reaction times (RTs) and error rates.

Results:
Both groups demonstrated slower RTs and fewer errors in no‐go blocks compared to go blocks, with no significant group differences in behavioral performance. fNIRS analyses revealed significant right‐lateralized increases in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) during no‐go blocks in non‐autistic adults only. Autistic adults showed no significant task‐related modulation of prefrontal cortex activity.

Discussion:
While behavioral performance was comparable across groups, only non‐autistic participants showed task‐related modulation of dlPFC activity. These findings highlight differential neural engagement during inhibition and illustrate the potential of fNIRS paradigms for examining the executive functioning of autistic individuals in VR.

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Details

Published: Feb 01, 2026
Vol/Issue: 16(2)
License: View

Authors

A

Anna Vorreuther

Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management IAT University of Stuttgart Stuttgart Germany

N

Nektaria Tagalidou

Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management IAT University of Stuttgart Stuttgart Germany

K

Katharina Lingelbach

Applied Neurocognitive Systems, Fraunhofer Institute For Industrial Engineering IAO Stuttgart Germany; Applied Neurocognitive Psychology Carl Von Ossietzky University Oldenburg Germany

A

Armin Hubert

auticon Deutschland GmbH Berlin Germany

L

Laura Bareiß

Institute of Educational Science, Department of Teaching and Learning with Intelligent Systems University of Stuttgart Stuttgart Germany

T

Tanja Nittel

auticon Deutschland GmbH Berlin Germany

M

Marc Ristau

auticon Deutschland GmbH Berlin Germany

M

Mathias Vukelić

Applied Neurocognitive Systems, Fraunhofer Institute For Industrial Engineering IAO Stuttgart Germany

Cite This Article

Anna Vorreuther, Nektaria Tagalidou, Katharina Lingelbach, et al. (2026). Response Inhibition in Autistic Adults: A Functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy Study in Virtual Reality. Brain and Behavior, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.71249

Response Inhibition in Autistic Adults: A Functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy Study in Virtual Reality

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