Modulation of ERP components by task instructions in a cued go/no-go task

Video game addiction is associated with early stage of inhibitory control problems: An event-related potential study using cued Go/NoGo task

Video game addiction (VGA) is associated with cognitive problems, particularly deficits in inhibitory control. The present study aimed to investigate behavioural responses and event-related potential associated with specific response inhibition using the cued Go/NoGo task to examine the effects of VGA on brain activity related to response inhibition. Twenty-five individuals addicted to video games (action video games) and 25 matched healthy controls participated in the study. The results showed that the VGA group had significantly more commission error in the NoGo trials and faster reaction time in the Go trials compared with the control group. The event-related potential analyses revealed significant reductions in amplitudes of N2 cue and N2 NoGo in the VGA group. While there was no significant difference between the N2 amplitudes of the Go and NoGo trials in the VGA group, the control group had a larger N2 amplitude in the NoGo trials. These results indicate that VGA subjects have difficulties in the early stages of response inhibition, as well as some level of impairment in proactive cognitive control.

Event-related EEG synchronization and desynchronization in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Symptoms in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are associated with impairment in cognitive control, attention, and action inhibition. We investigated OCD group differences relative to healthy subjects in terms of event-related alpha and beta range synchronization (ERS) and desynchronization (ERD) during a visually cued Go/NoGo task. Subjects were 62 OCD patients and 296 healthy controls (HC). The OCD group in comparison with HC, showed a changed value of alpha/beta oscillatory power over the central cortex, in particular, an increase in the alpha/beta ERD over the central-parietal cortex during the interstimulus interval (Cue condition) as well as changes in the postmovement beta synchronization topography and frequency. Over the frontal cortex, the OCD group showed an increase in magnitude of the beta ERS in NoGo condition. Within the parietal-occipital ERS/ERD modulations, the OCD group showed an increase in the alpha/beta ERD over the parietal cortex after the presentation of the visual stimuli as well as a decrease in the beta ERD over the occipital cortex after the presentation of the Cue and Go stimuli. The specific properties in the ERS/ERD patterns observed in the OCD group may reflect high involvement of the frontal and central cortex in action preparation and action inhibition processes and, possibly, in maintaining the motor program, which might be a result of the dysfunction of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits involving prefrontal cortex. The data about enhanced involvement of the parietal cortex in the evaluation of the visual stimuli are in line with the assumption about overfocused attention in OCD.

Proactive and reactive inhibitory control are differently affected by video game addiction: An event-related potential study

INTRODUCTION

Video game addiction (VGA) is associated with physical and mental disorders, one of which is problem in executive function, particularly inhibitory control. The present study aimed to investigate reactive and proactive inhibitory controls by event-related potential (ERP).

METHODS

Thirty video game (action video games)-addicted subjects and 30 matched healthy controls participated in the study, who were tested by the selective stop-signal task.

RESULTS

The main results revealed that the VGA group had significantly more problems in preparatory processes and proactive stop trials, showing that VGA has a negative effect on proactive inhibition.

CONCLUSION

Finding the problem in proactive inhibitory control might be helpful in developing new treatments and rehabilitation methods in these fields.

Prior Prognostic Expectations as a Potential Predictor in Neurofeedback Training

The present study evaluated whether subjects’ expectations and neurofeedback training performance predict neurofeedback efficacy in cognitive training by controlling both factors as statistical variables. Twenty-two psychology students underwent neurofeedback training, employing beta/theta protocol to enhance beta1 power (13–21 Hz) and suppress theta (4–7 Hz) power. Neurofeedback efficacy was evaluated by behavioral components measured on pre-tests and post-tests employing a visual continuous performance task. The results revealed a significant interaction term between change in reaction time from pre-test to post-test and expectancy effect, indicating that participants with high prognostic expectations showed better improvement in reaction time scores. The data did not reveal that actual neurofeedback performance influenced the post-test measurements of the visual continuous performance task. No significant differences were found for reaction time variability, omission, or commission errors. Possible factors contributing to the results are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

Speed or Accuracy Instructions During Skill Learning do not Affect the Acquired Knowledge

A crucial question in skill learning research is how instruction affects the performance or the underlying representations. Little is known about the effects of instructions on one critical aspect of skill learning, namely, picking-up statistical regularities. More specifically, the present study tests how prelearning speed or accuracy instructions affect the acquisition of non-adjacent second-order dependencies. We trained 2 groups of participants on an implicit probabilistic sequence learning task: one group focused on being fast and the other on being accurate. As expected, we detected a strong instruction effect: accuracy instruction resulted in a nearly errorless performance, and speed instruction caused short reaction times (RTs). Despite the differences in the average RTs and accuracy scores, we found a similar level of statistical learning performance in the training phase. After the training phase, we tested the 2 groups under the same instruction (focusing on both speed and accuracy), and they showed comparable performance, suggesting a similar level of underlying statistical representations. Our findings support that skill learning can result in robust representations, and they highlight that this form of knowledge may appear with almost errorless performance. Moreover, multiple sessions with different instructions enabled the separation of competence from performance.

Performing various perceptual actions elicits differentiable P300 responses

Several studies have explored the differentiation of visual action verbs (e.g., see, perceive, and notice). The vast number and variety to choose from, along with a common understanding between the meanings of the words, suggests that they may represent measurable differences in perceptual processing. The present study investigated how manipulating the visual action verb embedded into a common instruction could produce either differentiable electrophysiological or behavioral effects, or possibly both. It was hypothesized that the P300 component elicited during an oddball task would differ depending on the visual action that participants had been instructed to perform. Results support this hypothesis, but suggest that response bias also could contribute to action performance. When participants were asked to 'sense' deviants in an oddball task, the P300 differed in amplitude compared to when they were asked to 'distinguish' the deviants. In addition, participants displayed varying response times for the instructions 'notice' versus 'view', 'distinguish' versus 'sense', and 'notice' versus 'sense'. When considering the behavioral and ERP results together, we can conclude that response biases and perceptual cognitive processing both contribute to how identical stimuli can be processed depending on the visual action performed.

Indexing Executive Functions with Test Scores, Parent Ratings and ERPs: How Do the Measures Relate in Children versus Adolescents with ADHD?

OBJECTIVE

Rating scales and neuropsychological tests including continuous performance tests (CPTs) are widely used to assess executive functions (EFs). Event-related potentials (ERPs) are also used to index certain EFs such as action preparation and inhibition. In this descriptive study, we examined the associations between results on an EF rating scale, a CPT and ERP components in ADHD as a function of age.

METHODS

Fifty-nine patients with ADHD (and more often than not with comorbid disorders) in two age groups (9-12 years and 13-17 years) were assessed using EF ratings, a visual CPT and ERPs (CueP3, P3go and P3no-go).

RESULTS

There were age related changes in the ERPs with the CueP3 amplitude being stronger in children, and the P3no-go amplitude stronger in adolescents. The associations between the EF measures were different in the two age groups. In particular, the P3no-go seemed to reflect different EF-related processes in children versus adolescents.

CONCLUSION

Age group effects were seen on a selection of ERP amplitudes in this sample of patients with ADHD. Ratings, test scores and EF-related ERPs seem to capture different aspects of EF in ADHD, and the associations differed depending on age group. The results show that different measures of EF are not interchangeable and highlight the importance of age when interpreting ERPs.

Disentangling specific inhibitory versus general decision-making processes during sleep deprivation using a Go/NoGo ERP paradigm

This study used a Go/NoGo ERP paradigm in which Go and NoGo stimuli occurred rarely and equally often in an attempt to determine if sleep deprivation has a general effect on decision-making or a more specific effect on inhibition. A Go/NoGo task was administered six times to eleven participants during 36 h of sleep deprivation and once again post recovery sleep. In the Go condition, the participant was asked to respond to the rare stimulus. In the separate NoGo condition, the participant was asked to withhold the response to the rare stimulus. ERPs were recorded to the rare stimuli. The NoGo P3 should be attenuated if sleep loss mainly affects inhibitory processes. Both Go and NoGo P3 should be attenuated if sleep loss affects general detection processes. During sleep loss, accuracy decreased for both tasks. RT also gradually increased for the Go task. Performance during the NoGo task was more complex and was better accounted by a speed-accuracy trade-off. Overall, findings indicate that sleep deprivation did not have specific effects on inhibition. However, the amplitude of the Go P3 occurred as early as 12 h after waking and might reflect an effect of task repetition rather than true sleep deprivation. In contrast, the NoGo P3 amplitude was not significantly reduced until after 24 and 36 h of wakefulness, suggesting a true sleep deprivation effect. Both Go and NoGo P3 post recovery sleep did not return to baseline levels, possibly due to residual sleep inertia.

High-precision voluntary movements are largely independent of preceding vertex potentials elicited by sudden sensory events

KEY POINTS

Salient and sudden sensory events generate a remarkably large response in the human brain, the vertex wave (VW). The VW is coupled with a modulation of a voluntarily-applied isometric force. In the present study, we tested whether the VW is also related to executing high-precision movements. The execution of a voluntary high-precision movement remains relatively independent of the brain activity reflected by the preceding VW. The apparent relationship between the positive VW and movement onset time is explained by goal-related but stimulus-independent neural activities. These results highlight the need to consider such goal-related but stimulus-independent neural activities when attempting to relate event-related potential amplitude with perceptual and behavioural performance.

ABSTRACT

Salient and fast-rising sensory events generate a large biphasic vertex wave (VW) in the human electroencephalogram (EEG). We recently reported that the VW is coupled with a modulation of concomitantly-applied isometric force. In the present study, in five experiments, we tested whether the VW is also related to high-precision visuomotor control. We obtained three results. First, the saliency-induced increase in VW amplitude was paralleled by a modulation in two of the five extracted movement parameters: a reduction in the onset time of the voluntary movement (P < 0.005) and an increase in movement accuracy (P < 0.005). Second, spontaneous trial-by-trial variability in vertex wave amplitude, for a given level of stimulus saliency, was positively correlated with movement onset time (P < 0.001 in four out of five experiments). Third, this latter trial-by-trial correlation was explained by a widespread EEG negativity independent of the occurrence of the positive VW, although overlapping in time with it. These results indicate that (i) the execution of a voluntary high-precision movement remains relatively independent of the neural processing reflected by the preceding VW, with (ii) the exception of movement onset time, for which saliency-based contextual effects are dissociated from trial-by-trial effects. These results also indicate that (iii) attentional effects can produce spurious correlations between event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioural measures. Although sudden salient stimuli trigger characteristic EEG responses coupled with distinct reactive components within an ongoing isometric task, the results of the present study indicate that the execution of a subsequent voluntary movement appears largely protected from such saliency-based modulation, with the exception of movement onset time.

Methylphenidate selectively modulates one sub-component of the no-go P3 in pediatric ADHD medication responders

Methylphenidate (MPH) has been shown to modulate the amplitude of the no-go P3 component of the event-related potential (ERP; Øgrim, Aasen, & Brunner, 2016). Using group independent component analysis, the no-go P3 from a cued go/no-go task has been separated into two sub-components (Brunner et al., 2013). This study investigated whether sub-components of the no-go P3 could be identified in children with ADHD, and how MPH modulates their amplitudes. ERPs were registered twice (on/off MPH) in 57 children with ADHD classified as medication responders in a four-week medication trial. Two no-go P3 sub-components were identified. In the MPH session, the amplitude of one sub-component, the IC P3no-go_early (mean latency 378 ms, with a central distribution), was significantly larger than at baseline, whereas the other sub-component, the IC P3no-go_late (mean latency 428 ms, with a centro-frontal distribution), was not significantly affected. These results add to the literature documenting that the no-go P3 consists of two overlapping phenomena with different functional correlates.

Longitudinal study of a NoGo-P3 event-related potential component following mild traumatic brain injury in adults

BACKGROUND

Event-related potentials have repeatedly revealed electrophysiological markers of cognitive dysfunction associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) and may represent a sensitive tool to guide cognitive rehabilitative interventions. We previously found patients with symptomatic MTBI characterized by smaller P300 (or P3) wave amplitudes in a NoGo-P3 subcomponent in the acute phase of the injury. The goal of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether this early NoGo-P3 subcomponent differs over time in symptomatic MTBI patients and healthy controls.

METHODS

We included adults with a diagnosis of MTBI and individually matched healthy controls tested at 1 week, 3 months, and 1 year after the MTBI. Symptoms were assessed by the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire. NoGo-P3 was collected by using a cued Go/NoGo task and the relevant subcomponent was extracted by independent component analysis.

RESULTS

Among 53 adults with a diagnosis of MTBI and 53 controls, we included 35 with symptomatic MTBI and 35 matched healthy controls (18 females each group; mean age 34.06±13.15 and 34.26±12.98 years). Amplitudes for the early NoGo-P3 subcomponent were lower for symptomatic MTBI patients than controls (P<0.05) at 1 week post-injury. Furthermore, mixed ANOVA revealed a significant time by group interaction (P<0.05), so the effect of time differed for symptomatic MTBI patients and healthy controls. The amplitudes for MTBI patients normalized from 1 week to 3 months post-injury and were comparable to those of controls from 3 months to 1 year post-injury. However, amplitudes for 3 MTBI patients with particularly severe complaints 1 year post-injury did not normalize and were lower than those for the remaining MTBI sample (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Selected event-related potentials can be used as a sensitive and objective tool to illustrate the cognitive consequences of and recovery after MTBI.

Event-Related Potentials in a Cued Go-NoGo Task Associated with Executive Functions in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder; A Case-Control Study

Executive functions are often affected in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The underlying biology is however not well known. In the DSM-5, ASD is characterized by difficulties in two domains: Social Interaction and Repetitive and Restricted Behavior, RRB. Insistence of Sameness is part of RRB and has been reported related to executive functions. We aimed to identify differences between ASD and typically developing (TD) adolescents in Event Related Potentials (ERPs) associated with response preparation, conflict monitoring and response inhibition using a cued Go-NoGo paradigm. We also studied the effect of age and emotional content of paradigm related to these ERPs. We investigated 49 individuals with ASD and 49 TD aged 12-21 years, split into two groups below (young) and above (old) 16 years of age. ASD characteristics were quantified by the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and executive functions were assessed with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), both parent-rated. Behavioral performance and ERPs were recorded during a cued visual Go-NoGo task which included neutral pictures (VCPT) and pictures of emotional faces (ECPT). The amplitudes of ERPs associated with response preparation, conflict monitoring, and response inhibition were analyzed. The ASD group showed markedly higher scores than TD in both SCQ and BRIEF. Behavioral data showed no case-control differences in either the VCPT or ECPT in the whole group. While there were no significant case-control differences in ERPs from the combined VCPT and ECPT in the whole sample, the Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) was significantly enhanced in the old ASD group (p = 0.017). When excluding ASD with comorbid ADHD we found a significantly increased N2 NoGo (p = 0.016) and N2-effect (p = 0.023) for the whole group. We found no case-control differences in the P3-components. Our findings suggest increased response preparation in adolescents with ASD older than 16 years and enhanced conflict monitoring in ASD without comorbid ADHD during a Go-NoGo task. The current findings may be related to Insistence of Sameness in ASD. The pathophysiological underpinnings of executive dysfunction should be further investigated to learn more about how this phenomenon is related to core characteristics of ASD.

Single-dose effects on the P3no-go ERP component predict clinical response to stimulants in pediatric ADHD

OBJECTIVE

Approximately 30% of children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and treated with stimulants are considered non-responders (non-REs). Reliable predictors of response are missing. We examined changes in Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) induced by a single dose of stimulant medication in order to predict later clinical response.

METHODS

ERPs were registered twice during performance of a visual cued go/no-go task in 87 ADHD patients (27 girls) aged 8-18years; the second recording on a single dose of stimulant medication, followed by a systematic medication trial lasting 4weeks. Based on the four-week trial, participants were categorized as responders (REs, N=62) or non-REs (N=25). Changes among REs and non-REs in ERP components (cueP3, CNV, P3go, N2no-go, P3no-go) and behavioral-test variables were then compared.

RESULTS

REs and non-REs differed significantly in medication-induced changes in P3no-go, cue-P3, CNV, omission errors, reaction time, and reaction-time variability. The largest effect size was found for P3no-go amplitude (p<.001; d=1.76). Changes in P3no-go and omission errors correctly classified 90% of the REs and 76% of the non-REs, when controlling for the age of the participants.

CONCLUSION

Clinical response to stimulants can be predicted by assessing single-dose changes in the P3no-go ERP component amplitude.

SIGNIFICANCE

Changes in P3no-go may be a clinically useful marker of response to stimulants.

ERP Correlates of Proactive and Reactive Cognitive Control in Treatment-Naïve Adult ADHD

This study investigated whether treatment naïve adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; n = 33; 19 female) differed from healthy controls (n = 31; 17 female) in behavioral performance, event-related potential (ERP) indices of preparatory attention (CueP3 and late CNV), and reactive response control (Go P3, NoGo N2, and NoGo P3) derived from a visual cued Go/NoGo task. On several critical measures, Cue P3, late CNV, and NoGo N2, there were no significant differences between the groups. This indicated normal preparatory processes and conflict monitoring in ADHD patients. However, the patients had attenuated Go P3 and NoGoP3 amplitudes relative to controls, suggesting reduced allocation of attentional resources to processes involved in response control. The patients also had a higher rate of Go signal omission errors, but no other performance decrements compared with controls. Reduced Go P3 and NoGo P3 amplitudes were associated with poorer task performance, particularly in the ADHD group. Notably, the ERPs were not associated with self-reported mood or anxiety. The results provide electrophysiological evidence for reduced effortful engagement of attentional resources to both Go and NoGo signals when reactive response control is needed. The absence of group differences in ERP components indexing proactive control points to impairments in specific aspects of cognitive processes in an untreated adult ADHD cohort. The associations between ERPs and task performance provided additional support for the altered electrophysiological responses.

The relevance of the irrelevant: Attention and task-set adaptation in prematurely born adults

OBJECTIVE

To investigate attention and task-set adaptation in a preterm born very low birth weight (PT/VLBW) population by means of event-related potential components from an adapted cued go/no-go task.

METHODS

P3 components after target and non-target cues, as well as target, no-go and non-target imperative stimuli were compared in 30 PT/VLBW young adults and 33 term-born controls. Changes in P3 amplitudes as a function of time-on-task were also investigated.

RESULTS

The PT/VLBW group had larger P3 amplitudes to non-target cues and non-targets compared with controls. There were no significant group differences in the P3s to target or no-go stimuli. Moreover, the amplitude of the P3 to non-target cues and non-targets decreased significantly over time in the control group but not in the PT/VLBW group.

CONCLUSIONS

PT/VLBW young adults allocate more attention to behaviorally irrelevant information than term-born controls, and persist in attending to this information over time.

SIGNIFICANCE

This is the first study to investigate ERP components in an adult population born preterm with very low birth weight.

The Test-Retest Reliability of the Visually Evoked Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) in Children and Adults

Establishing the reliability of event-related potentials is critical for future applications to biomarker development and clinical research. Few studies have examined the reliability of the contingent negative variation (CNV), and only in adults. The current study explored test-retest reliability of the visually evoked CNV and its embedded components, the O-wave and the E-wave, in children (7-13 years) and young adults (19-28 years) during a visual Go/No-Go task over 1-2 weeks. Test-retest reliability of the components was moderate for children, and low-to-moderate for adults. These findings were in contrast to previous work with adults showing moderate-to-high reliability of the auditory-evoked CNV.