Event-related potentials during individual, cooperative, and competitive task performance differ in subjects with analytic vs. holistic thinking

Objective. Stress-reducing therapies help maintain cognitive performance during stress. Aromatherapy is popular for stress reduction, but its effectiveness and mechanism are unclear. This study examined stress-reducing effects of aromatherapy on cognitive function using the go/no-go (GNG) task performance and event related potentials (ERP) components sensitive to stress. The study also assessed the importance of expectancy in aromatherapy actions.Methods. 81 adults were randomized to 3 aroma groups (active experimental, detectable, and undetectable placebo) and 2 prime subgroups (prime suggesting stress-reducing aroma effects or no-prime). GNG performance, ERPs, subjective expected aroma effects, and stress ratings were assessed at baseline and poststress.Results. No specific aroma effects on stress or cognition were observed. However, regardless of experienced aroma, people receiving a prime displayed faster poststress median reaction times than those receiving no prime. A significant interaction for N200 amplitude indicated divergent ERP patterns between baseline and poststress for go and no-go stimuli depending on the prime subgroup. Furthermore, trends for beneficial prime effects were shown on poststress no-go N200/P300 latencies and N200 amplitude.Conclusion. While there were no aroma-specific effects on stress or cognition, these results highlight the role of expectancy for poststress response inhibition and attention.

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Sustaining attention for a prolonged period of time increases temporal variability in cortical responses

10.1101/501544 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Leon C. Reteig ◽

Ruud L. van den Brink ◽

Sam Prinssen ◽

Michael X Cohen ◽

Heleen A. Slagter

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Sustained Attention ◽

Temporal Variability ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Initial Level ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Time On Task ◽

Vigilance Decrement ◽

Attention Task ◽

Related Potentials

AbstractOur ability to stay focused is limited: prolonged performance of a task typically results in mental fatigue and decrements in performance over time. This so-called vigilance decrement has been attributed to depletion of attentional resources, though other factors such as reductions in motivation likely also play a role. In this study, we examined three EEG markers of attentional control, to elucidate which stage of attentional processing is most affected by time-on-task and motivation. To elicit the vigilance decrement, participants performed a sustained attention task for 80 minutes without breaks. After 60 minutes, participants were motivated by an unexpected monetary incentive to increase performance in the final 20 minutes. We found that task performance and self-reported motivation declined rapidly, reaching a stable levels well before the motivation manipulation was introduced. Thereafter, motivation increased back up to the initial level, and remained there for the final 20 minutes. While task performance also increased, it did not return to the initial level, and fell to the lowest level overall during the final 10 minutes. This pattern of performance changes was mirrored by the trial-to-trial consistency of the phase of theta (3–7 Hz) oscillations, an index of the variability in timing of the neural response to the stimulus. As task performance decreased, temporal variability increased, suggesting that attentional stability is crucial for sustained attention performance. The effects of attention on our two other EEG measures—early P1/N1 event-related potentials and pre-stimulus alpha (9–14 Hz) power—did not change with time-on-task or motivation. In sum, these findings show that the vigilance decrement is accompanied by a decline in only some facets of attentional control, which cannot be fully brought back online by increases in motivation. The vigilance decrement might thus not occur due to a single cause, but is likely multifactorial in origin.

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The Cultural Neuroscience of Holistic Thinking

10.1093/oso/9780199348541.003.0006 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bobby K. Cheon ◽

Rongxiang Tang ◽

Joan Y. Chiao ◽

Yi-Yuan Tang

Keyword(s):

Social Interactions ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Cultural Influences ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Neural Systems ◽

Holistic Thinking ◽

Psychological Theories ◽

Cultural Systems ◽

The World ◽

Related Potentials

Cultural diversity in patterns for understanding and conceptualizing one’s relationships with others may have led to diverse cultural systems for interpreting, thinking, and reasoning about the world. Eastern holistic systems of thought rely on connectedness and relations as a primary way of understanding the world, whereas Western analytic systems of thought rely on discreteness or substansiveness as an epistemological way of thinking. From attention and cognition to social cognitive processes, neural systems have likewise adapted differently across cultural contexts to facilitate divergent systems of social interactions and relations. This chapter reviews recent evidence for cultural influences on neural systems of analytic/holistic thinking, and discusses the relevance of this neuroscientific evidence, such as that from functional magnetic resonance imaging and analysis of event-related potentials, for cultural-psychological theories of holism and dialecticism.

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The Joys of Spring

Experimental Psychology (formerly Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie) ◽

10.1027/1618-3169/a000166 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 60 (2) ◽

pp. 71-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Leigh M. Riby

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Target Stimulus ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Attention And Memory ◽

Program Music ◽

Four Seasons ◽

Related Potentials ◽

Autumn And Winter ◽

The Impact ◽

Cognitive Event

This study used Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, an extraordinary example of program music, to explore the consequence of music exposure on cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs). Seventeen participants performed a three-stimulus visual odd-ball task while ERPs were recorded. Participants were required to differentiate between a rare target stimulus (to elicit a memory updating component; P3b), a rare novel stimulus (to elicit a novelty attention component; P3a), and a frequent nontarget stimulus. During task performance participants listened to the four concertos: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter in comparison to a silent control condition. Additionally, the three movements of each concerto have a fast, slow, fast structure that enabled examination of the impact of tempo. The data revealed that “Spring,” particularly the well-recognized, vibrant, emotive, and uplifting first movement, had the ability to enhance mental alertness and brain measures of attention and memory.

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Mobile Brain/Body Imaging of cognitive-motor impairment in multiple sclerosis: deriving EEG-based neuro-markers during a dual-task walking study

10.1101/743328 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Pierfilippo De Sanctis ◽

Brenda R. Malcolm ◽

Peter C. Mabie ◽

Ana A. Francisco ◽

Wenzhu B. Mowrey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Task Performance ◽

Dual Task ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Motor Impairment ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Motor Dysfunction ◽

Task Load ◽

Dual Task Performance ◽

Related Potentials

ABSTRACTIndividuals with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) often present with deficits in the cognitive as well as the motor domain. The ability to perform tasks that rely on both domains may therefore be particularly impaired. Yet, behavioral studies designed to measure costs associated with performing two tasks at the same time such as dual-task walking have yielded mixed results. Patients may mobilize additional brain resources to sustain good levels of performance. To test this hypothesis, we acquired event-related potentials (ERP) in thirteen individuals with MS and fifteen healthy control (HC) participants performing a Go/NoGo response inhibition task while sitting (i.e., single task) or walking on a treadmill (i.e., dual-task). In previous work, we showed that the nogo-N2 elicited by the cognitive task was reduced when healthy adults are also asked to walk, and that nogo-N2 reduction was accompanied by sustained dual-task performance. We predicted that some MS patients, similar to their healthy peers, may mobilize N2-indexed brain resources and thereby reduce costs. Somewhat to our surprise, the HC group performed the Go/NoGo task more accurately while walking, thus showing a dual-task benefit, whereas, in line with expectation, the MS group showed a trend towards dual-task costs. The expected nogo-N2 reduction during dual-task walking was found in the HC group, but was not present at the group level in the MS group, suggesting that this group did not modulate the nogo-N2 process in response to higher task load. Regression analysis for the pooled sample revealed a robust link between nogo-N2 reduction and better dual-task performance. We conclude that impaired nogo-N2 adaptation reflects a neurophysiological marker of cognitive-motor dysfunction in MS.

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Event-related potentials and secondary task performance during simulated driving

Accident Analysis & Prevention ◽

10.1016/j.aap.2007.02.014 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

A.E. Wester ◽

K.B.E. Böcker ◽

E.R. Volkerts ◽

J.C. Verster ◽

J.L. Kenemans

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Secondary Task ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Simulated Driving ◽

Related Potentials

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Physical Exhaustion Induced Variations in Event-Related Potentials and Cognitive Task Performance in Young Adults

Annals of Neurosciences ◽

10.1159/000487845 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 299-304 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Afreen Begum H. Itagi ◽

Navin A. Patil ◽

Rahul K. Kotian ◽

Suneel Kumar Reddy ◽

Shardul Abhyankar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Task Performance ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Cognitive Task Performance ◽

Related Potentials

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P.1.f.010 Event-related potentials and secondary task performance during simulated driving performance

European Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1016/s0924-977x(06)70272-3 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. S279

Author(s):

A.E. Wester ◽

K.B.E. Böcker ◽

E.R. Volkerts ◽

J.C. Verster ◽

J.L. Kenemans

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Secondary Task ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Driving Performance ◽

Simulated Driving ◽

Related Potentials

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Effects of a Green Oat Herb Extract on Cognitive Performance and Neurophysiological Activity: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.748188 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Saul Martinez-Horta ◽

Eran Ivanir ◽

Tania Perrinjaquet-Moccetti ◽

Matthias Heinrich Keuter ◽

Jaime Kulisevsky

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Performance Monitoring ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Acute Administration ◽

Double Blind ◽

Related Potentials ◽

And Performance

Green oat extracts have been used for centuries in traditional medicine in view of their supposed beneficial effects on cognition and mood. Recently, a specific green oat formulation (Neuravena®) showed to have significant bioactive compounds potentially associated with the enhancement of processing speed, working memory and attention. The main aim of the current study was to compare the potential effect of acute administration of 800 mg of Neuravena® with placebo on a set of neurophysiological correlates of processing speed, attention, performance-monitoring and inhibitory control. Twenty healthy participants were randomized to receive either Neuravena® or placebo. Electroencephalographic (EEG) signal acquisition was obtained while participants carried out the modified Eriksen flanker and oddball tasks. Both groups were compared on measures of behavioral task performance, and a set of event-related potentials (ERPs) components related to performance monitoring (the error-related negativity; ERN and the N2), target detection, and attention (P3a/P3b). Following active-intervention N2, ERN, and P3a/P3b were significantly reduced and performance was faster, with no loss of accuracy. Conversely, no neurophysiological differences were found in the placebo group before and after treatment and performance worsened significantly in terms of reaction time and accuracy. Acute administration of 800 mg of Neuravena® appears to enhance the optimization of neural resources and positively influences cognitive performance in tasks associated with executive functions, processing speed and attention. Moreover, Neuravena® prevents the deleterious effects of tiredness during task performance.

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A Common CDH13 Variant is Associated with Low Agreeableness and Neural Responses to Working Memory Tasks in ADHD

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12091356 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 1356

Author(s):

Georg C. Ziegler ◽

Ann-Christine Ehlis ◽

Heike Weber ◽

Maria Rosaria Vitale ◽

Johanna E. M. Zöller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Task Performance ◽

Adult Adhd ◽

Wide Spectrum ◽

Event Related Potentials ◽

Big Five Personality ◽

Electrode Position ◽

Adhd Group ◽

Related Potentials

The cell–cell signaling gene CDH13 is associated with a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and major depression. CDH13 regulates axonal outgrowth and synapse formation, substantiating its relevance for neurodevelopmental processes. Several studies support the influence of CDH13 on personality traits, behavior, and executive functions. However, evidence for functional effects of common gene variation in the CDH13 gene in humans is sparse. Therefore, we tested for association of a functional intronic CDH13 SNP rs2199430 with ADHD in a sample of 998 adult patients and 884 healthy controls. The Big Five personality traits were assessed by the NEO-PI-R questionnaire. Assuming that altered neural correlates of working memory and cognitive response inhibition show genotype-dependent alterations, task performance and electroencephalographic event-related potentials were measured by n-back and continuous performance (Go/NoGo) tasks. The Rs2199430 genotype was not associated with adult ADHD on the categorical diagnosis level. However, rs2199430 was significantly associated with agreeableness, with minor G allele homozygotes scoring lower than A allele carriers. Whereas task performance was not affected by genotype, a significant heterosis effect limited to the ADHD group was identified for the n-back task. Heterozygotes (AG) exhibited significantly higher N200 amplitudes during both the 1-back and 2-back condition in the central electrode position Cz. Consequently, the common genetic variation of CDH13 is associated with personality traits and impacts neural processing during working memory tasks. Thus, CDH13 might contribute to symptomatic core dysfunctions of social and cognitive impairment in ADHD.

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