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Error detection in typing is crucial for assessing the adequacy of ongoing actions, leveraging both predictive mechanisms for early detection and sensory feedback for late detection. Neurophysiological studies have supported the anticipation of errors through predictive models. This research extends the understanding of error detection in typing, focusing on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying errors in transparent and intransparent German words. Thirty-six volunteer students typed out aurally presented words, classified as either orthographically transparent or intransparent, on a computer keyboard without the possibility of correction. Because of poor spelling or excessive artifacts, the final sample comprised 27 participants. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were obtained time-locked to key presses, and behavioral data on typing correctness and speed were collected. A higher error rate and longer latency for intransparent words compared to transparent ones were found, suggesting the complexity of spelling impacts typing correctness. Post-error slowing was observed, aligning with increased cognitive control following errors. ERPs revealed a negative component akin to the error-related negativity (ERN) for typing errors, with a pronounced ERN-like negativity preceding erroneous key-presses, particularly for intransparent words. The study provides evidence of the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying typing errors, highlighting the impact of orthographic transparency. The detection of an ERN-like negativity before erroneous key-presses, especially in typing intransparent words, underscores the brain's use of predictive mechanisms for error detection. • Typing errors occur more frequently with intransparent than transparent words. • Post-error slowing indicates a rise in cognitive control. • ERN-like negativity shows predictive error detection in the brain. • Sensory feedback is not crucial for detecting typing errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Suppression of N1 event-related potential during speech was significantly reduced in schizophrenia patients. • Bipolar disorder patients exhibited intermediate sensory attenuation between the schizophrenia and control group. • The extent of N1 suppression inversely correlated with the severity of Anomalous Self-Experiences in schizophrenia, but not in bipolar disorder. The Corollary Discharge (CD) mechanism inhibits self-generated speech sound perception, appearing disrupted in schizophrenia and potentially contributing to Anomalous Self-Experiences (ASEs). However, it remains unclear if this alteration and its correlation with ASEs extend to other psychotic disorders. Electroencephalography was used to study the N1 Event-Related Potential (ERP) as an index of CD-mediated suppression in the auditory cortex across thirty-five participants with schizophrenia, twenty-six with bipolar disorder, and thirty healthy controls. Auditory N1 was elicited by two conditions: real-time listening to self-pronounced vowels while speaking through connected microphone and earphones (listen/talk −or talk condition in previous literature-) and passive listening to the same previously recorded self-uttered vowels (listen/no talk −or listen condition-). N1 ERP amplitude was lower in the listen/talk condition compared to listen/no talk across all groups. However, N1 suppression was significantly reduced in schizophrenia, with bipolar patients showing intermediate attenuation between both groups (i.e., non-significantly different from controls). Furthermore, N1 suppression inversely correlated with ASEs severity only in schizophrenia. Dysfunction of the CD mechanism may be a defining feature of schizophrenia, where it is connected to ASEs. These results corroborate previous findings linking auditory N1 ERP suppression with disrupted CD mechanism in schizophrenia, but not in bipolar disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive aging is typically associated with a higher susceptibility to distraction by concurrent, but task-irrelevant stimuli. Here, we studied the cognitive sub-processes involved in a sample of 484 healthy adults aged 20–70 years from the Dortmund Vital Study (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05155397). Participants judged the duration of tone stimuli of a random sequence of long and short tones, having either a regular (standard) pitch or rare (deviant) pitch. Deviance-related ERPs were explored, reflecting neuro-cognitive correlates of pre-attentive deviance detection (MMN), attention allocation toward (P3a) and processing of (P3b) the deviance, and re-orienting toward the task-relevant stimulus feature (RON). Accuracy was reduced for deviant long tones, possibly due to withdrawing attention from processing the time information, making long stimuli appear shorter. This effect increased with age, and cluster-based permutation tests on the correlation of ERPs and age as well as linear mixed modeling indicated a decrease in MMN, an increase in P3a with long tones, and decreases in P3b and RON. This suggests a greater attentional orienting to the deviant stimulus feature and a reduced re-orienting to the task-relevant feature with increasing age. • We explore ERP correlates of auditory distraction in 484 persons aged 20–70 years. • We employ a duration-discrimination paradigm with regular and deviant tone stimuli. • Accuracy decreases with increasing age, especially for long deviant tones. • Deviance-related P3a increases, MMN, P3b and RON decrease. • With age, orientation to distraction increases and reorientation decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Neonatal P1 latencies to speech sounds are associated with rapid serial naming speed at the age of 28 months. • Larger amplitudes and shorter latencies of P1 reflect stronger neural speech encoding and predict better pre-reading skills. • A reduced contribution of the left hemisphere in neural speech encoding is related to poorer pre-reading skills. We longitudinally investigated whether infant P1 and N2 ERPs recorded in newborns and at 28 months could predict pre-reading skills at 28 months and 4–5 years. We recorded ERPs to a pseudoword in newborns and at 28 months in a sample over-represented by infants with familial dyslexia risk. Using multiple linear regression models, we examined P1 and N2 associations with pre-reading skills at 28 months and 4–5 years. Shorter latencies of the newborn P1 predicted faster serial naming at 28 months. Larger amplitudes and shorter latencies of P1 at 28 months predicted better serial naming abilities and auditory working memory across the pre-reading stage. Right-lateralized P1 and N2 were related to poorer pre-reading skills. Infant ERPs, particularly P1, providing information about neural speech encoding abilities, are associated with pre-reading skill development. Infant and early childhood neural speech encoding abilities may work as early predictive markers of reading development and impairment. This study may help to plan early interventions targeting phonological processing to prevent or ameliorate learning deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Driving situations with solid square taillights were perceived as the most hazardous among all square taillights. • Images comprising solid square taillights were processed faster than other square taillights. • Through-type linear taillights were processed faster than non-through-type linear taillights. • Driving situations with non-through-type linear taillights were perceived as more hazardous during the automatic detection stage. • Driving situations with through-type linear taillights were perceived as more hazardous during the subjective evaluation stage. Rear-end collisions are prevalent during night driving. Taillights are vital in conveying hazards between leading and following vehicles at night. Taillights highlight a vehicle's presence, particularly for vehicles following from behind. Therefore, it is essential to design taillights that maximize the perception of hazards for drivers behind them. This study explored how different taillight shapes affect rear drivers' hazard perceptions during nighttime driving. Two experiments were conducted using ERP measurements to study the effects of taillight shapes (three square types in Experiment 1: solid, array, and contour; two linear types in Experiment 2: through type and non-through type) and the distance to the leading vehicle on participants' hazard perceptions. Participants responded to images of nighttime driving scenarios during the experiments while their ERP and behavioral data were recorded. The stimulus images showed the view from a driver looking at the vehicle ahead on a clear night. The neural process of hazard perception consists of two stages: automatic detection (early) and evaluation (later). In this study, P2 indicated attention bias to the stimulus during the detection stage, and LPP indicated the negative emotion triggered by the stimulus during the evaluation stage. Experiment 1 showed that solid-shaped taillights were perceived as more hazardous and processed faster than other square taillight shapes. Experiment 2 found that non-through-type and through-type linear taillights were perceived as more hazardous during the automatic detection and subjective evaluation stages, respectively. However, the behavioral data showed that through-type taillights were considered more hazardous and were associated with shorter response times. Thus, solid square taillights and through-type linear taillights can be optimal ergonomic solutions. These findings can serve as a reference for taillight designers, manufacturers, and potential car buyers regarding safety considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can originate cognitive impairment (CI), but the cognitive assessment is not routinely performed. • Most of MS patients in this review showed abnormalities in the event-related potentials (ERPs), suggesting effective CI in MS. • ERPs seem to help detect possible cognitive impairment earlier and may facilitate the use of preventive measures. This systematic review aimed to evaluate if event-related potentials (ERPs) can be a relevant tool for cognitive dysfunction diagnosis in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Four databases were consulted (PubMed, Embase, Scielo, and Web of Science). The included studies should include adults with clear MS diagnoses, independently of having cognitive complaints, and all should have been submitted to ERPs (P300, N400 or mismatch negativity (MMN)). The main outcomes evaluated were ERPs' amplitude and/or latency. 425 studies were obtained initially from all databases, with 26 studies fulfilling the eligibility criteria. P300 was the most used ERP (25 studies), showing a reduced amplitude or an increased latency in 84% of those. N400 was evaluated in one study, showing also abnormal results. MMN was addressed in two studies with inconsistent findings. Some studies further suggest that ERPs may show earlier abnormal results compared with neuropsychological tests. Most MS patient groups revealed ERP abnormalities, suggesting that these neurophysiological tests may be a relevant and appropriate diagnostic aid method for cognitive impairment in MS. The use of ERPs in MS patients seems able to demonstrate cognitive impairment and its use should be considered as part of the regular patient evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multiple sclerosis can lead to various functional alterations of sensorimotor brain networks. • The value of resting-state EEG or dynamic EEG during a motor tastk to assess motor impaiment in multiple sclerosis was reviewed. • EEG biomarkers could be used to develop future neuromodulation therapy of disease-related motor disorders in multiple sclerosis. Electroencephalography (EEG) can highlight significant changes in spontaneous electrical activity of the brain produced by altered brain network connectivity linked to inflammatory demyelinating lesions and neuronal loss occurring in multiple sclerosis (MS). In this review, we describe the main EEG findings reported in the literature to characterize motor network alteration in term of local activity or functional connectivity changes in patients with MS (pwMS). A comprehensive literature search was conducted to include articles with quantitative analyses of resting-state EEG recordings (spectrograms or advanced methods for assessing spatial and temporal dynamics, such as coherence, theory of graphs, recurrent quantification, microstates) or dynamic EEG recordings during a motor task, with or without connectivity analyses. In this systematic review, we identified 26 original articles using EEG in the evaluation of MS-related motor disorders. Various resting or dynamic EEG parameters could serve as diagnostic biomarkers of motor control impairment to differentiate pwMS from healthy subjects or be related to a specific clinical condition (fatigue) or neuroradiological aspects (lesion load). We highlight some key EEG patterns in pwMS at rest and during movement, both suggesting an alteration or disruption of brain connectivity, more specifically involving sensorimotor networks. Some of these EEG biomarkers of motor disturbance could be used to design future therapeutic strategies in MS based on neuromodulation approaches, or to predict the effects of motor training and rehabilitation in pwMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The present experiment investigated the relationship between LP and subjective reports. • High-frequency reporting requirements enhance LP amplitudes but reduce VAN amplitudes. • LP reflects post-perceptual processing correlated with subjective reports. Identifying the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) is an important way to understand the fundamental nature of consciousness. By recording event-related potentials (ERPs) using EEG, researchers have found three potential electrophysiological NCCs: early positive correlate of consciousness (enhanced P1), visual awareness negativity (VAN), and late positivity (LP). However, LP may reflect post-perceptual processing associated with subjective reports rather than consciousness per se. The present experiment investigated the relationship between LP and subjective reports. We adopted two subjective reporting tasks that differed in the requirement for subjective reports. In the low-frequency reporting task, participants needed to report whether they saw the target picture in 25% of trials, whereas in the high-frequency reporting task, participants needed to report whether they saw the target picture in each trial. Behavioral results showed that the hit rates were lower and false alarm rates were higher on reporting trials in low-frequency reporting tasks than on reporting trials in high-frequency reporting tasks. Unexpectedly, VAN was larger on reporting trials in the low-frequency reporting task than on reporting trials in the high-frequency reporting task. Importantly, our ERP results showed that LP was larger on reporting trials in the high-frequency reporting task than on reporting trials in the low-frequency reporting task. Thus, our findings indicated that when the frequency of reports was increased, the task relevance of the stimuli increased, which led to larger LP amplitudes. These findings suggest that LP correlates with subjective reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the influence of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists on the mismatch negativity (MMN) components of event-related potentials (ERPs) in healthy subjects and explores whether NMDAR antagonists have different effects on MMN components under different types of antagonists, drug dosages, and deviant stimuli. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception to August 1, 2023 for studies comparing the MMN components between the NMDAR antagonist intervention group and the control group (or baseline). All statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 12.0 software. Sixteen articles were included in the systematic review: 13 articles were included in the meta-analysis of MMN amplitudes, and seven articles were included in the meta-analysis of MMN latencies. The pooled analysis showed that NMDAR antagonists reduced MMN amplitudes [SMD (95% CI) = 0.32 (0.16, 0.47), P < 0.01, I2 = 47.3%, p < 0.01] and prolonged MMN latencies [SMD (95% CI) = 0.31 (0.13, 0.49), P = 0.16, I2 = 28.3%, p < 0.01]. The type of antagonist drug regulates the effect of NMDAR antagonists on MMN amplitudes. Different antagonists, doses of antagonists, and types of deviant stimuli can also have different effects on MMN. These findings indicate a correlation between NMDAR and MMN, which may provide a foundation for the application of ERP-MMN in the early identification of NMDAR encephalitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessments of action semantics consistently reveal markers of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, neurophysiological signatures of the domain remain under-examined in this population, especially under conditions that allow patients to process stimuli without stringent time constraints. Here we assessed event-related potentials and time-frequency modulations in healthy individuals (HPs) and PD patients during a delayed-response semantic judgment task involving related and unrelated action-picture pairs. Both groups had shorter response times for related than for unrelated trials, but they exhibited discrepant electrophysiological patterns. HPs presented significantly greater N400 amplitudes as well as theta enhancement and mu desynchronization for unrelated relative to related trials. Conversely, N400 and theta modulations were abolished in the patients, who further exhibited a contralateralized cluster in the mu range. None of these patterns were associated with the participants' cognitive status. Our results suggest that PD involves multidimensional neurophysiological disruptions during action-concept processing, even under task conditions that elicit canonical behavioral effects. New constraints thus emerge for translational neurocognitive models of the disease. • We examined EEG markers of action concept relatedness in Parkinson's disease (PD). • Patients and controls were faster to process related than unrelated action trials. • Underlying N400 and theta effects were robust in controls and absent in patients. • Accompanying mu rhythms were contralateralized in patients. • Key neural signatures of action relatedness and grounding are altered in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis and interpretation of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked potentials (TEPs) relies on successful cleaning of the artifacts, which typically mask the early (0–30 ms) TEPs. Independent component analysis (ICA) is possibly the single most utilized methodology to clean these signals. ICA-based cleaning is reliable provided that the input data are composed of independent components. Differently, in case the underlying components are to some extent dependent, ICA algorithms may yield erroneous estimates of the components, resulting in incorrectly cleaned data. We aim to ascertain whether TEP signals are suited for ICA. We present a systematic analysis of how the properties of simulated artifacts imposed on measured artifact-free TEPs affect the ICA results. The variability of the artifact waveform over the recorded trials is varied from deterministic to stochastic. We measure the accuracy of ICA-based cleaning for each level of variability. Our findings indicate that, when the trial-to-trial variability of an artifact component is small, which can result in dependencies between underlying components, ICA-based cleaning biases towards eliminating also non-artifactual TEP data. We also show that the variability can be measured using the ICA-derived components, which in turn allows us to estimate the cleaning accuracy. As TEP artifacts tend to have small trial-to-trial variability, one should be aware of the possibility of eliminating brain-derived EEG when applying ICA-based cleaning strategies. In practice, after ICA, the artifact component variability can be measured, and it predicts to some extent the cleaning reliability, even when not knowing the clean ground-truth data. • ICA is a popular method to remove TMS-induced artifacts from EEG. • It is not well understood when ICA yields (in)accurate TEP cleaning outcome. • We tested the success of ICA-based TEP cleaning using various simulated artifacts. • If the artifact repeats similarly after each TMS pulse, ICA becomes unreliable. • Estimated artifact variability can be measured to predict the accuracy of ICA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying working memory impairment in patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID) using event-related potentials (ERP) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) approaches. Participants, including CID patients and healthy controls (HCs), completed clinical scales and underwent electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). EEG analysis compared reaction times, P3 amplitudes, event-related spectral perturbations (ERSP), and inter-trial phase synchronisation (ITPS) between CID patients and HCs. Subsequently, frontal regions (i.e., the Superior Frontal Gyrus [SFG] and Middle Frontal Gyrus [MFG]) corresponding to the EEG were selected as seeds for rsFC analysis. Correlation analyses were conducted to further investigate the relationship between functional connectivity abnormalities in brain regions and clinical symptom severity and P3 amplitude in CID patients. Compared to HCs, CID patients exhibited slower reaction times across all working memory conditions, with the deficits becoming more pronounced as memory load increased. ERP analysis revealed increased P3 amplitude, theta wave power, and reduced inter-trial synchrony in CID patients. rsFC analysis showed decreased connectivity of SFG-posterior cingulated cortex (PCC), SFG-MFG, and MFG-frontal pole (FP), and increased connectivity of MFG- Middle Temporal Gyrus (MTG)in CID patients. Importantly, a significant correlation was found between the rsFC of SFG-MTG and P3 amplitude during 1-back. This study confirms deficits in working memory capacity in patients with CID, specifically in the neural mechanisms of cognitive processing that vary depending on the level of cognitive load. Alterations in connectivity patterns within and between the frontal and temporal regions may be the neural basis of the cognitive impairment. • Patients with CID exhibited working memory deficits and altered cognitive load management. • Alterations in connectivity patterns within and between the frontal and temporal regions may underlie working memory deficits. • The integration of ERP and fMRI explored the potential mechanisms of working memory deficitsfrom a multimodal perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• No response accuracy costs related to increasing cognitive load during walking. • No response speed costs related to increasing cognitive load during walking. • No gait consistency costs related to increasing cognitive load during walking. • Increasing cognitive load during walking came with widespread EEG changes. This study elucidates the neural mechanisms underlying increasing cognitive load while walking by employing 2 versions of a response inhibition task, the '1-back' version and the more cognitively demanding '2-back' version. By using the Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI) modality, electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, three-dimensional (3D) gait kinematics and task-related behavioral responses were collected while young adults (n = 61) performed either the 1-back or 2-back response inhibition task. Interestingly, increasing inhibitory difficulty from 1-back to 2-back during walking was not associated with any detectable costs in response accuracy, response speed, or gait consistency. However, the more difficult cognitive task was associated with distinct EEG component changes during both successful inhibitions (correct rejections) and successful executions (hits) of the motor response. During correct rejections, ERP changes were found over frontal regions, during latencies related to sensory gain control, conflict monitoring and working memory storage and processing. During hits, ERP changes were found over left-parietal regions during latencies related to orienting attention and subsequent selection and execution of the motor plan. The pattern of attenuation in walking-related EEG amplitude changes, during 2-back task performance, is thought to reflect more effortful recalibration of neural processes, a mechanism which might be a key driver of performance maintenance in the face of increased cognitive demands while walking. Overall, the present findings shed light on the extent of the neurocognitive capacity of young adults and may lead to a better understanding of how factors such as aging or neurological disorders could impinge on this capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive impairment frequently accompanies first-episode major depressive disorder (MDD) in patients. Early detection and intervention for cognitive impairment can enhance the quality of life for individuals with depressive disorders. Impaired emotion recognition may serve as an initial manifestation of cognitive impairment in these patients. This study examines the characteristics of event-related potentials N170 and dysfunctional attitudinal questionnaire total scores, as well as each factor and their correlation, revealing characteristic electroencephalogram (EEG) changes associated with cognitive impairment in first-episode MDD patients. A total of 88 patients experiencing first-episode MDD and 29 healthy volunteers from the same period participated in the study. They underwent event-related potential N170 measures to assess mood recognition function, the 17-item Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17) to evaluate the severity of depressive disorder, and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scales(DAS) to appraise cognitive function. The dysfunctional attitude questionnaire's total score and each factor score were higher in the MDD group compared to the healthy control (HC) group. The MDD group exhibited lower amplitudes than the HC group at CZ, PZ, POZ, P7, PO7, P8, and PO8 electrode points. A correlation was identified between the P7 and PO7 electrode points of the event-related potential N170 and cognitive function. This study solely considered neutral face emotional stimuli and did not account for depressive disorder subtypes. Differences were observed between the MDD and HC groups in cognitive function and N170 amplitude in the central brain region (CZ, PZ, POZ), left posterior temporal region (P7), left occipitotemporal region (PO7), right posterior temporal region (P8), and right occipitotemporal region (PO8). Additionally, a correlation was found between N170 latency in the left posterior temporal region of the brain (P7) and the left occipitotemporal region (PO7) with cognitive function. • Disparities in cognitive attitudes and emotion recognition between MDD patients and healthy individuals; • Event-related potential N170 associated with cognitive function in patients with first-episode major depressive disorder; • The P7 and PO7 electrode sites can serve as objective physiological indicators for detecting cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Procrastination is an irrational delay of task completion. Previous studies have demonstrated that individuals who often procrastinate present deficits in attentional control and performance monitoring and that these dysfunctions might be differentially manifested depending on the motivational context. Building upon these results, the present event-related potential (ERP) study aimed to investigate the impact of norm-referenced feedback on executive functions among students with high (HP; N = 75) or low (LP; N = 77) procrastination levels. Participants completed the parametric Go/No-Go task, while receiving either positive or negative false feedback indicating how well they performed in comparison to others. The results indicated that positive (as opposed to negative) feedback led to higher self-reported arousal and increased post-error slowing in HP (vs. LP) participants. Moreover, neurophysiological measures indicated lower neural activation linked to attentional control (P300) and performance monitoring (ERN, CRN and Pe) in HP than LP participants, while the groups did not differ in these indices during the positive feedback condition. Obtained findings indicate that HP might be more sensitive to the motivating effects of success and more vulnerable to the detrimental influence of failure. • High (vs. low) procrastination was linked to higher arousal after positive evaluation. • High procrastination was linked to lower brain activity after negative evaluation. • Norm-referenced feedback might impact procrastination-related cognitive dysfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Human awareness detection dynamically reacts to high-altitude environment. • Early and late components co-mediate the reaction with exposure duration. • Opposite change of two components as a response to the reduced cognitive resources. • Increased late component and fast reaction resist high-altitude exposure. The psychological effects of long-term exposure to high-altitude environments have attracted great attention. These effects are usually attributed to the diminished cognitive resources due to high-altitude exposure. This study employed electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate the effects of exposure duration on awareness detection tasks. Neither reaction time nor accuracy showed the direct effects of the exposure duration, so did the model indexes obtained from drift diffusion model analysis. However, event-related potentials (ERP) analysis revealed that exposure duration was associated with changes in the visual awareness negativity (VAN) and the late positivity (LP) components, which in turn affected reaction time. Specifically, longer exposure durations were associated with lower VAN and higher LP, resulting in shorter reaction times and greater drift rate. In contrast to previous studies, the reverse relationship between VAN and LP may reflect a compensatory response to the reduced cognitive resources caused by high-altitude exposure. Additionally, increased LP and shorter reaction times with exposure duration may reflect a resistance to the high-altitude environment. We also conducted time–frequency analysis and found that theta power did not vary with exposure duration, suggesting that the reduction in cognitive resources remains stable in these individuals over time. Overall, our study provides new insights into the dynamic effects of high-altitude environments on awareness detection in the presence of reduced cognitive resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The visual P1 component is intensified to neutral stimuli in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). • The intensified visual P1 is not predicted by sex or age or participants, nor depression, anxiety, or inattentiveness score. • Additional inquiry is necessary for determining if this finding relates to the sensory hypervigilance observed in OCD. Existing studies have shown changes in attention and emotion processing of disorder-relevant visual stimuli in those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). However, early visual processing in OCD has not been assessed, as previous studies did not examine the entire time course of visual processing but instead assessed potential differences in pre-determined visual evoked potentials (VEPs). This study investigates the entire visual processing stream in OCD compared to healthy age-matched controls (HC) using emotionally-neutral visual stimuli and a data-driven rather than hypothesis-driven approach. 35 HC and 26 participants with OCD underwent EEG recording while completing a modified Eriksen flanker task. Permutation-controlled t-tests were used to identify group differences in the data's full time course of visual evoked potentials. Baseline-corrected amplitudes at time points where the groups were significantly different were analyzed using ANCOVAs with BDI, BAI, and SNAP-inattentiveness scores included as covariates. This analysis identified enhanced P1 amplitudes to two visual stimuli (the initial flanker and the stimulus), corresponding to time windows of 65–93 ms and 157–187 ms post-flanker presentation in the OCD group compared to controls. Group (OCD vs. HC) was the strongest predictor of VEP amplitude during both time windows, with no significant influences of any covariates. This study showed an enhanced P1 component in people with OCD to neutral visual stimuli, potentially reflecting either inefficient or excessive early visual processing in this population. Additional inquiry is necessary to determine whether altered visual processing is associated with the sensory hypervigilance observed in those with OCD. This work identifies early visual processing alterations in OCD using neutral stimuli and a data-driven approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of outcome evaluation effectively navigates subsequent choices in humans. However, it is largely unclear how people evaluate decision outcomes in a sequential scenario, as well as the neural mechanisms underlying this process. To address this research gap, the study employed a sequential decision task in which participants were required to make a series of choices in each trial, with the option to terminate their choices. Based on participants' decisions, two outcome patterns were classified: the "reached" condition and the "unreached" condition, and the event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. Further, in the unreached condition, we investigated how the distance (i.e., the position interval between the actual outcome and potential outcome) modulated outcome evaluation. Behavioral data showed a higher emotion rating when people got a reward rather than a loss (i.e., the reached condition), while the opposite was true in the unreached condition. ERP results showed a larger feedback-related negativity (FRN), a smaller P3, and a larger late positive potential (LPP) when people got a loss compared to a reward. Importantly, a hierarchical processing pattern was found in the unreached condition: people processed separately the potential outcome and the distance at the early stage, manifested in the FRN amplitude; subsequently, the brain focused on the distance—a lower distance elicited an enhanced P3 amplitude. Finally, the potential outcome and distance were processed interactively in the LPP amplitude. Overall, these findings shed light on the neural underpinnings of outcome evaluation in sequential decision-making. • This study investigated the outcome evaluation of early termination and completed decisions in sequential decision-making. • We observed a classic ERP pattern of outcome evaluation in sequential decision-making when people reached the final potential outcome. • In premature sequential decision-making, our ERP findings reveal a hierarchical processing pattern. • Our findings emphasize the impact of the distance factor when people prematurely terminate their decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No studies to date have examined if macular xanthophyll accumulation and retinal integrity are independently associated with cognitive function in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study explored whether macular xanthophyll accumulation and structural morphometry in the retina were associated with behavioral performance and neuroelectric function during a computerized cognitive task among persons with MS and healthy controls (HCs). 42 HCs and 42 individuals with MS aged 18–64 years were enrolled. Macular pigment optical density (MPOD) was measured using heterochromatic flicker photometry. Optic disc retinal nerve fiber layer (odRNFL), macular retinal nerve fiber layer, and total macular volume were assessed via optical coherence tomography. Attentional inhibition was assessed using an Eriksen flanker task while underlying neuroelectric function was recorded using event-related potentials. Persons with MS had a slower reaction time, lower accuracy, and delayed P3 peak latency time during both congruent and incongruent trials compared with HCs. Within the MS group, MPOD explained variance in incongruent P3 peak latency, and odRNFL explained variance in congruent reaction time and congruent P3 peak latency. Persons with MS exhibited poorer attentional inhibition and slower processing speed, yet higher MPOD and odRNFL levels were independently associated with greater attentional inhibition and faster processing speed among persons with MS. Future interventions are necessary to determine if improvements in these metrics may promote cognitive function among persons with MS. • Persons with multiple sclerosis were negatively affected behaviorally and neuroelectrically on a selective attention task. • Greater macular pigment was associated with increased processing speed in persons with MS. • Greater retinal integrity is associated with neural indices of processing speed among persons with MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to organize self-generated thought into coherent, meaningful semantic representations is a central aspect of human cognition and undergoes regular alterations throughout the day. To investigate whether changes in semantic processing might explain the loss of coherence, logic, and voluntary control over thinking typically accompanying the transition to sleep, we recorded N400 evoked potentials from 44 healthy subjects. Auditory word pairs with varying semantic distance were presented while they were allowed to fall asleep. Using semantic distance and wakefulness level as regressors, we found that semantic distance reliably elicited an N400, and lower wakefulness levels were associated with increased frontal negativity within a similar time range. Additionally, and contrary to our initial hypothesis, the results showed an interaction of semantic distance and wakefulness that is best interpreted as an increased N400 effect with decreasing wakefulness. While these results do not rule out a possible role of semantic processes in the generation of diminished logic and thought control during the transition to sleep, we discuss the possibility of additional brain mechanisms that usually constrain the inner stream of consciousness during wakefulness. • Logic and control over thoughts are frequently lost at the onset of sleep. • Auditory N400 evoked potentials were investigated during the transition to sleep. • The N400 effect increased with decreasing wakefulness. • The results contradict N400 findings in diminished thought control in psychosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• RELAX is a fully automated free EEG cleaning pipeline with capability to clean data using 0.25 Hz high-pass filter settings for analysis of event-related potentials. • RELAX provided high artifact reduction performance on data with filter settings appropriate for event-related potential research. • ERP data cleaned with RELAX provided high reliability scores, and high variance explained by ERPs comparisons from a commonly used task. Electroencephalography (EEG) is often used to examine neural activity time-locked to stimuli presentation, referred to as Event-Related Potentials (ERP). However, EEG is influenced by non-neural artifacts, which can confound ERP comparisons. Artifact cleaning reduces artifacts, but often requires time-consuming manual decisions. Most automated methods filter frequencies <1 Hz out of the data, so are not recommended for ERPs (which contain frequencies <1 Hz). Our aim was to test the RELAX (Reduction of Electroencephalographic Artifacts) pre-processing pipeline for use on ERP data. The cleaning performance of multiple versions of RELAX were compared to four commonly used EEG cleaning pipelines across both artifact cleaning metrics and the amount of variance in ERPs explained by different conditions in a Go-Nogo task. Results RELAX with Multi-channel Wiener Filtering (MWF) and wavelet-enhanced independent component analysis applied to artifacts identified with ICLabel (wICA_ICLabel) cleaned data most effectively and produced amongst the most dependable ERP estimates. RELAX with wICA_ICLabel only or MWF_only may detect effects better for some ERPs. RELAX shows high artifact cleaning performance even when data is high-pass filtered at 0.25 Hz (applicable to ERP analyses). RELAX is easy to implement via EEGLAB in MATLAB and freely available on GitHub. Given its performance and objectivity we recommend RELAX to improve artifact cleaning and consistency across ERP research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This RCT aims to reduce anxiety symptom severity via a 4-week attention bias modification (ABM) vs placebo control training. • We examined treatment effects on attention bias (AB) via ERPs and the moderating role of baseline anxiety severity. • ABM reduced symptom severity among those with higher anxiety and modulated ERP indices of AB. Attention bias modification (ABM) aims to decrease anxiety symptom severity through the reduction of threat-related attention bias (AB). Individual differences in treatment response and poor measurement reliability of AB have called its clinical promise into question. The current study examined whether individual differences in anxiety severity at baseline moderated treatment response, and employed both behavioral and neurophysiological metrics of AB. Participants (N = 99) were randomly assigned to four weeks of ABM or placebo control training (PT). Self-reported anxiety symptom severity, and AB metrics and ERPs generated during the dot probe task were collected at baseline (Time 1), one-week post-intervention (Time 5), and at a three-month follow-up (Time 6). ABM, relative to PT, reduced ERPs indexing attention discrimination (N170) and increased ERPs indexing salience tracking (P3). Increases in P3 were associated with ABM-related reductions in anxiety. Anxiety severity was reduced following ABM, but only among those with higher baseline anxiety symptom severity. ABM effectively reduced symptom severity among those with higher levels of anxiety, and modulated neurophysiological indices of AB. Results provide evidence for attention-relevant ERPs as outcomes of ABM treatment responsivity and suggest that ABM may be most beneficial for those with more severe anxiety symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying increased disease burden in anxiety disorders that is unaccounted for by individual categorical diagnoses could lead to improved clinical care. Here, we tested the utility of a joint functional magnetic resonance imaging–electroencephalography neurobiological profile characterized by overvaluation of negative stimuli (amygdala) in combination with blunted elaborated processing of these same stimuli (the late positive potential [LPP], an event-related potential) in predicting increased psychopathology across a 2-year period in people with anxiety disorders. One hundred ten participants (64 female, 45 male, 1 other) including 78 participants with phobias who varied in the extent of their internalizing comorbidity and 32 participants who were free from psychopathology viewed negative and neutral pictures during separate functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level–dependent and electroencephalogram recordings. Dysphoria was assessed at baseline and 2 years later. Participants with both heightened amygdala activation and blunted LPPs to negative pictures showed the greatest increases in dysphoria 2 years later. Cross-sectionally, participants with higher comorbidity load (≥2 additional diagnoses, n = 34) showed increased amygdala activation to negative pictures compared with participants with lower comorbidity load (≤1 additional diagnosis, n = 44) and compared with participants free from psychopathology. In addition, high comorbid participants showed reduced LPPs to negative pictures compared with low comorbid participants. Heightened amygdala in response to negative stimuli in combination with blunted LPPs could indicate overvaluation of threatening stimuli in the absence of elaborated processing that might otherwise help regulate threat responding. This brain profile could underlie the worsening and maintenance of internalizing psychopathology over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using event-related brain potentials (ERPs), we tested the hypothesis of valent word forms (Kissler et al., 2006 , Prog Brain Res) stating that the mere visual shapes of emotional words acquire valence through numerous co-occurrences with affective activation over an experienced reader's life. Thereby, associations between neuronal representations of visual word forms and affect are strengthened. If so, selective attention to a specific level of the valence of single visual words should not only pre-activate neuronal representations of that level of valence, but this activation should also spread to the associated word forms. This should improve their processing and/or affective discrimination. In a valence-detection task, N = 53 participants made speeded responses only to words of the current target level of valence (negative, neutral, or positive), which varied across separate blocks. We focused on posterior visual P1 and N170 components, two well-established ERP markers of low-level and structural word form processing, respectively. P1 increased from negative over neutral to positive words; this effect was stronger in target compared to nontarget words. N170 was larger for emotional compared to neutral target words, whereas nontarget words showed a strong reverse pattern. The P1 effect for target words and the N170 effect for nontarget words both were driven by good task performers in terms of fast hit responses. Results support the idea of valent word forms that can be tuned by selective attention to valence, which implies both, facilitated affective discrimination and processing of target words, and inhibition of the processing of nontarget words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Natural scene inversion enhances pupil dilations and N1 relative amplitudes. • Dilation patterns suggest additional effort during processing of unfamiliar layouts. • Inversion effects on ERPs robustly generalize to natural images beyond faces. The inversion of a picture of a face hampers the accuracy and speed at which observers can perceptually process it. Event-related potentials and pupillary responses, successfully used as biomarkers of face inversion in the past, suggest that the perception of visual features, that are organized in an unfamiliar manner, recruits demanding additional processes. However, it remains unclear whether such inversion effects generalize beyond face stimuli and whether indeed more mental effort is needed to process inverted images. Here we aimed to study the effects of natural scene inversion on visual evoked potentials and pupil dilations. We simultaneously measured responses of 47 human participants to presentations of images showing upright or inverted natural scenes. For inverted scenes, we observed relatively stronger occipito-temporo-parietal N1 peak amplitudes and larger pupil dilations (on top of an initial orienting response) than for upright scenes. This study revealed neural and physiological markers of natural scene inversion that are in line with inversion effects of other stimulus types and demonstrates the robustness and generalizability of the phenomenon that unfamiliar configurations of visual content require increased processing effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work has demonstrated that physical activity and weight status are associated with attentional inhibition (indexed with the P3 component of event-related potentials). However, there is limited knowledge on the neural underpinnings of motor response planning and activation. This study investigated the effect of weight status on relationships between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), a neuroelectric index of motor response planning and activation. Adults (N = 165 [98 females]) wore ActiGraph wGT3X+ accelerometers to measure physical activity. Behavioral outcomes were recorded during the modified Eriksen Flanker task to assess attentional inhibition. EEG recordings were taken to elucidate response- (LRP-R) and stimulus-locked (LRP-S) LRPs, and P3. Participants were separated into groups based on the BMI cutoff of 30 kg/m2 (i.e., non-obese [ n = 88], obese [ n = 77]). Independent t -tests and ANCOVA were conducted to determine differences between groups. Regression analyses within each group were conducted to determine relationships between MVPA and LRP and P3 amplitude and latencies. There was no difference in MVPA between weight groups after adjustment for age and sex, although the non-obese group had significantly higher incongruent accuracy (p = 0.007). Only in the obese group, MVPA was positively associated with LRP-R incongruent (β = 0.014, p = 0.029) and LRP-S congruent (β = 0.013, p = 0.008) amplitude, and inversely associated with LRP-S incongruent (β = −0.488, p = 0.017) and P3 congruent (β = 0.013, p = 0.008) fractional area latency. MVPA was associated with pre-motor planning and activation only among persons with obesity. Future work should study the impact of physical activity on neuroelectric indices of motor responses in people with obesity. • Physical activity and obesity are linked to event related potentials. • Little known about physical activity and obesity on lateralized readiness potential. • MVPA was associated with motor planning and activation in individuals with obesity. • Physical activity may protect individuals from the cognitive consequence of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous studies have shown that task performance is affected by others' presence and (the consequences of) others' actions, it is unclear how task performance varies in different social situations and the role that sex plays in it. In the present study, we investigated sex differences in the evaluation processing of another person's outcomes in both cooperative and competitive contexts. We recorded the event-related potentials (ERPs) of 72 normal adults who played a gambling task with a partner or against an opponent. The behavioral results indicate that males take longer to make decisions in competitive contexts, while females take longer to make decisions in cooperative contexts. According to the ERP findings, feedback-related negativity (FRN) was influenced by sex, with larger FRN following another person's loss among males in both cooperative and competitive contexts. The P300 was influenced by sex and context, such that males had greater P300 when another person made a gain under the cooperative context, while females had greater P300 when another person lost under the cooperative context. Our findings suggest that the processing of another person's outcome can be modulated by the sex during the early stage and by both the context and sex during the late stage. • Males take longer to make decisions in competition. • Females take longer to make decisions in cooperation. • Males had greater FRN by another person's loss. • Males had greater P300 by another person's gain in cooperation. • Females had greater P300 by another person's loss in cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, several studies have found a recognition advantage for facial expressions, particularly angry expressions, when they appear on high-status faces rather than low-status faces. In the present study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the influence of social status on the neural responses to others' facial expressions in a context of performance monitoring. Specifically, we used an interactive rank-inducing task (i.e., time estimation task) to manipulate social partners' status (high versus low) and then told participants that they would receive social feedback (i.e., happy, neutral, or angry) from social partners with high or low status after completing the task. ERP results revealed the preferential processing of high-status targets at both early (P1/N170/FRN) and late (P3) temporal stages of facial expression processing. Notably, larger FRN amplitudes elicited by feedback from high-status partners were observed in happy, neutral, and angry expression contexts, whereas larger P3 amplitudes elicited by feedback from high-status partners were only evident in both neutral and angry expression contexts but not in happy expression context. Together, the present study extended previous studies by showing that the perception of facial expressions could be modulated by target status at multiple stages. • This study aimed to examine how social status affected expression feedback process. • Social status modulates the P1 responses to happy-expression feedback. • The FRN and P3 response to expression was enhanced by high-status partners. • Expression feedback process could be modulated by social status at multiple stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural oscillations at specific frequency bands are associated with cognitive functions and can identify abnormalities in cortical dynamics. In this study, we analyzed EEG signals recorded from auditory and frontal cortex of awake mice across young, middle and old ages, and found multiple robust and novel age-related changes in cortical oscillations. Notably, resting, evoked, and induced gamma power diminished with age, with some changes observed even in the middle age groups. Inter-trial phase coherence of responses to time-varying stimuli is reduced in old mice. Movement-related modulation of gamma power is reduced in old mice. An acute injection of nicotine (0.5 mg/kg), but not saline, in old mice partially or fully reversed the age-related changes in EEG responses. Nicotine had no effect on auditory brainstem responses , suggesting the effects occur more centrally. The age-related changes are consistent with reduced activation of specific inhibitory interneuron subtypes. Importantly, our data suggest that the auditory circuits that generate 'young' responses to sounds are present in old mice, and can be activated by nicotine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is often linked to a decline in associative memory. Prior research has shown that older adults have difficulty retrieving specific associative memory but can retrieve gist associative memory when deliberately differentiating test pairs with different levels of specificity during associative recognition. In this study, we utilized the context reinstatement paradigm to examine whether older adults could retrieve specific memory in situations where associations do not necessarily need to be voluntarily retrieved. Thirty-five older adults were directed to intentionally link objects with unique background scenes during encoding. Subsequently, test objects were presented against either the reinstated or similar background scenes during a recognition memory task, where participants were required to identify whether the objects were old or new regardless of their background contexts. Event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded to uncover the electrophysiological correlates of specific associative episodic memory. Behavioral results revealed higher memory sensitivity for object recognition when the background scenes were reinstated than when those were similar in older adults. ERP results indicated that older adults exhibited a more prominent fronto-centrally distributed positivity during object recognition in the reinstated than in similar contexts. Our results suggest that older adults may preserve their ability to retrieve specific memory for associations through an involuntary, spontaneous recollection process, which holds important theoretical implications for age-related associative memory deficits. • Specific associative episodic memory in older adults was examined. • Older adults exhibited better memory in the reinstated than in similar contexts. • Older adults displayed a fronto-central positivity in the reinstated contexts. • Older adults preserve their ability to retrieve specific memory for associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies and theoretical models suggest that the decreasing effect of smoking-related cues on inhibitory control in individuals who smoke is one of the underlying mechanisms of smoking behavior. However, many studies have overlooked the effects of other types of smoking-related cues, such as social cues. Moreover, previous studies have lacked investigation into whether this decreasing effect is influenced by internal factors. The present study aims to integrate behavioral and electrophysiological indicators to investigate the effect of smoking social cues on inhibitory control in individuals who smoke, as well as the moderating role of social motivations. In Experiment 1, a visual Go/NoGo paradigm with four types of backgrounds (neutral, neutral social, smoking object, and smoking social backgrounds) was used to record the error rates and reaction times of 32 participants who smoke. In Experiment 2, the Go/NoGo paradigm with two types of backgrounds (smoking object and smoking social backgrounds) was used to record the error rates, reaction times, and amplitudes of the N2 and P3 event-related potentials among 30 participants who smoke with varying degrees of primed smoking social motivation. (1) Individuals who smoke had higher commission error rates and larger P3 amplitude under smoking social background than under smoking object background; (2) individuals who smoke with primed high smoking social motivation, rather than low motivation had higher commission error rates and larger P3 amplitude under smoking social background than under smoking object background. Smoking social cues have a greater capacity to decrease inhibitory control in people who smoke than smoking object cues, and this decreasing effect is bolstered by smoking social motivation. • Relative to smoking object cues, smoking social cues could further decrease inhibitory control in individuals who smoke. • Smoking social motivation modulates how smoking social cues affect inhibitory control in individuals who smoke. • Social factors have a great ability to decrease inhibitory control in individuals who smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both behavioral and neurophysiological evidence shows that lexical-semantic organization emerges by two years in monolingual children. Research in bilingual children is more scarce, and there is only a limited amount of neurophysiological evidence of the effect of language dominance on lexical-semantic activation. In the present event-related potential (ERP) study, we investigated whether bilingual French-Spanish and French-English learning 24- to 30-month-olds activate semantic relations between words similarly in their both languages, and whether the priming effects are similar in children learning two different language pairs. Participants were presented with related and unrelated dominant and non-dominant language word pairs in a within-language lexical-semantic priming paradigm. The amplitudes of N400 were modulated by trial type, language dominance and language group. A language-independent priming effect - more pronounced N400 amplitudes for unrelated than for related target words - was found in the group of toddlers learning French and Spanish. In the group of toddlers learning French and English, a priming effect was observed only in their non-dominant language. Our results propose that the language pair may contribute to lexical-semantic facilitation in priming tasks during early childhood. • N400 was modulated by trial type, language dominance and language group. • A symmetrical priming effect was found in French-Spanish learning toddlers. • An unsymmetrial priming effect was observed in French-English learning toddlers. • Our results show that language pair contributes to lexical-semantic facilitation in bilinguals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is widely known that humans are typically highly accurate at recognizing familiar faces, it is less clear how efficiently recognition is achieved. In a series of three experiments, we used event-related brain potentials (ERP) in a repetition priming paradigm to examine the efficiency of familiar face recognition. Specifically, we varied the presentation time of the prime stimulus between 500 ms and 33 ms (Experiments 1 and 2), and additionally used backward masks (Experiment 3) to prevent the potential occurrence of visual aftereffects. Crucially, to test for the recognition of facial identity rather than a specific picture, we used different images of the same facial identities in repetition conditions. We observed clear ERP repetition priming effects between 300 and 500 ms after target onset at all prime durations, which suggests that the prime stimulus was sufficiently well processed to allow for facilitated recognition of the target in all conditions. This finding held true even in severely restricted viewing conditions including very brief prime durations and backward masks. We conclude that the facial recognition system is both highly effective and efficient, thus allowing for our impressive ability to recognise the faces that we know. • We used ERP repetition priming for testing familiar face recognition efficiency. • Changing (unmasked) prime durations between 33 and 500 ms did not affect priming. • Backward masking did reduce but not eliminate priming. • These findings suggest facilitated recognition of the target face in all conditions. • Familiar face recognition is both highly effective and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated Cantonese and Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) phonological activation patterns in Hong Kong deaf readers using the ERP technique. Two experiments employing the error disruption paradigm were conducted while recording participants' EEGs. Experiment 1 focused on orthographic and speech-based phonological processing, while Experiment 2 examined sign-phonological processing. ERP analyses focused on the P200 (180–220 ms) and N400 (300–500 ms) components. The results of Experiment 1 showed that hearing readers exhibited both orthographic and phonological effects in the P200 and N400 windows, consistent with previous studies on Chinese reading. In deaf readers, significant speech-based phonological effects were observed in the P200 window, and orthographic effects spanned both the P200 and N400 windows. Comparative analysis between the two groups revealed distinct spatial distributions for orthographic and speech-based phonological ERP effects, which may indicate the engagement of different neural networks during early processing stages. Experiment 2 found evidence of sign-phonological activation in both the P200 and N400 windows among deaf readers, which may reflect the involvement of sign-phonological representations in early lexical access and later semantic integration. Furthermore, exploratory analysis revealed that higher reading fluency in deaf readers correlated with stronger orthographic effects in the P200 window and diminished effects in the N400 window, indicating that efficient orthographic processing during early lexical access is a distinguishing feature of proficient deaf readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The study demonstrates that physical exhaustion significantly impairs cognitive inhibition, as evidenced by decreased accuracy in the Nogo condition of the Go/Nogo task. This highlights the vulnerability of executive control functions to physical fatigue. • Despite the impairment in cognitive inhibition, the study found no significant differences in accuracy or reaction time in the Go condition before and after exhaustion. This suggests that basic response execution is more resilient to the effects of physical fatigue. • Neurophysiological data reveal a significant decrease in Nogo-N2 and Nogo-P3 amplitudes following physical exhaustion. This indicates that physical fatigue selectively affects neural processes associated with inhibitory control, providing insights into the neural mechanisms underlying fatigue-related cognitive decline. • The findings underscore the importance of recognizing the impact of physical exhaustion on cognitive performance, particularly in high-stakes environments. This study calls for further research into interventions to mitigate fatigue effects and enhance operational safety and effectiveness. We aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the inhibitory function performance of maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel in states of physical exhaustion. SAR missions pose serious challenges to the cognitive function of SAR personnel, especially in extreme environments and physical exhaustion. It is important to understand SAR personnel's cognitive performance and neural activity under exhaustion to improve the efficiency of task execution and ensure work safety. Twenty-six maritime SAR personnel were recruited to simulate boat operations until they reached a self-imposed state of exhaustion. The exhaustion state was monitored by maximum heart rate and subjective fatigue scale. Two event-related potentials, N200 and P300, were measured during a Go-Nogo task before and after a session of acute exhaustive tasks. After exhaustion, a marked reduction in accuracy, a notable increase in N200 amplitude, and a substantial decline in P300 amplitude under the Nogo condition were observed compared to the baseline phase. Pre- and post-exhaustion comparisons using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography revealed reduced activations in the right middle temporal gyrus's N200 component after exhaustion in SAR personnel during the Nogo condition. The results suggest that acute physical exhaustion significantly impacts the inhibition ability of SAR personnel, prolonging the conflict monitoring phase and weakening the response inhibition phase. These findings provide valuable insights into how physical exhaustion affects cognitive functions critical to the safety and effectiveness of SAR operations, and can inform strategies to improve training and equipment to enhance performance under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental disorders during childhood and adolescence. Yet, little is known about its maintenance in youth. Cognitive models of SAD indicate that attentional biases play a key role in the dysfunctional processing of social information, such as emotional faces. However, previous research investigating neural correlates of childhood SAD has produced inconsistent findings. The current study aims to investigate neural face processing in children and adolescents with SAD, while taking into consideration methodological limitations of previous studies. We measured event-related potentials (P100, N170, EPN, LPP) in response to happy, neutral, and angry adult faces, and non-social household objects, in a sample of youth (aged 10–15 years) with SAD (n = 57), clinical controls with specific phobias (SP; n = 41), and healthy controls (HC; n = 61). Participants completed an emotion/object identification task while continuous EEG was recorded. Analyses revealed lower N170 amplitudes in the SAD group compared to HCs, irrespective of emotion. In addition, younger children (aged 10–12 years) with SAD showed lower EPN amplitudes and higher early LPP amplitudes (only trend level) in response to neutral and happy faces compared to younger HCs. These effects were specific to faces and were not evident in the neural processing of non-social household objects. Overall, the findings indicate that different neural response patterns are already present in youth with SAD. Group differences, particularly in younger children, suggest age-related differences in neural face processing in childhood SAD and underpin the necessity of developmental approaches. • Emotional face processing in a large sample of youth with social anxiety disorder. • Social anxiety disorder is associated with lower N170 amplitudes. • Younger youth with social anxiety disorder also had lower EPN amplitudes. • Clinical and healthy controls showed similar face processing patterns. • Results underpin the need to examine age effects in pediatric face processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problematic pornography use (PPU) is characterized by compulsive and uncontrolled pornography consumption due to a disordered reward processing system. Past studies have shown that reward involves multiple stages, but the connection between these specific stages and PPU remains unclear. In this research, an electrophysiological incentive delay task (IDT) was employed, using both erotic and monetary incentives as rewards, to decompose the distinct phases of both anticipatory and consummatory aspects of reward processing. ERP components linked to reward anticipation (cue-P3 and contingent negative variation, CNV), as well as reward feedback (reward positivity; RewP and feedback-P3; fb-P3), were investigated in a group of 31 individuals with PPU and 33 control participants. In contrast to the control group, who reacted faster to monetary cues, individuals with PPU responded more quickly to erotic cues. RT differences between erotic and monetary cues correlated with CNV amplitudes during anticipation, although no significant CNV differences across groups. In the consummatory phase, controls had higher RewP for large-monetary than large-erotic rewards, not seen in the PPU group. Conversely, the PPU group had increased fb-P3 for large-erotic over large-monetary rewards, a trend absents in controls. Our findings indicate an imbalanced sensitivity in PPU to erotic versus non-erotic rewards, evident in both the anticipatory and consummatory aspects of reward processing. This imbalance could lead to a preference for erotic rewards, possibly fostering addictive sexual behaviors. • Anticipatory and consummatory reward mechanisms involve several distinct phases. • ERP can differentiate between these specific phases of reward processing. • Abnormalities in reward processing in PPU are specific to certain stages. • PPU impacts both the anticipatory and consummatory aspects of reward processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postnatal depression and anxiety disorders pose a major burden on maternal mental health. While psychosocial risk factors for perinatal depression and anxiety are well-researched, there is a dearth of research examining neural biomarkers of risk for postnatal increases in depression and anxiety. Previous studies suggest two different event-related potentials, the P300 and the late positive potential (LPP), may predict the course of depressive and anxious symptoms in non-perinatal populations. In a sample of 221 perinatal women, the present study utilized an emotional interrupt task administered in pregnancy to examine whether antenatal P300 and LPP amplitudes may predict change in depressive and anxious symptoms from pregnancy to the early postpartum period. Zero-order correlations and linear regressions revealed that a reduced antenatal P300 to target stimuli and an enhanced LPP to positive infant images were uniquely associated with postnatal depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively, and that these ERPs were independent predictors beyond antenatal self-report measures of psychological symptoms. Furthermore, individuals with increased depressive symptoms in pregnancy exhibited a stronger negative association between antenatal P300 amplitude and postnatal depressive symptoms. The present findings underscore the possibility that the measurement of ERPs during pregnancy could serve as a screening tool for risk for perinatal depression and anxiety, and thereby assist with identifying at-risk individuals who might benefit from prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficits in inhibitory control are common with advancing age and may underlie declines in other complex cognitive functions. The inhibitory P300 event-related potential (ERP) generally decreases in amplitude with age, reflecting deficits in inhibitory performance evaluation and adaptation, with possible generators including precentral and inferior frontal gyri and midcingulate and parietal cortex. Exposure to early-life stress (ELS) is also associated with deficits in inhibitory control, smaller P300 amplitudes, and dysfunction in regions associated with P300 generation. Although biopsychosocial effects of ELS are evident in older adulthood, the influence of ELS on neural processes in later life is unknown. In the current study, 13 young adults and 21 healthy older adults completed a high-accuracy go/no-go task and the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ), an indicator of ELS. Regression analyses revealed significant central-parietal models, with smaller P300 amplitudes predicted by both older age and greater exposure to ELS. Age group*ELS interactions moderated P300 prediction at central and centro-parietal electrodes, such that older age predicted smaller P300 amplitudes only in those with lower to moderate ELS. Amplitudes did not significantly differ by age in those with higher ELS. Post-hoc within-age group correlations showed that greater ELS was associated with smaller P300 amplitudes in young adults. However, greater ELS was modestly associated with larger central amplitudes in older adults, potentially suggestive of anterior age-related compensatory recruitment to maintain high task performance. These findings suggest long-lasting neural implications of ELS that interact with normative neuro-cognitive aging processes, such that ELS may be an important risk factor for age-related cognitive decline. • Smaller P300 amplitudes were predicted by both older age and greater exposure to ELS in central-parietal regions. • Age*ELS moderations clarified that older age predicted smaller P300 amplitudes only in those with lower to moderate ELS. • Greater ELS was associated with smaller P300 amplitudes in young adults but larger central amplitudes in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a key transdiagnostic feature of internalizing psychopathology. An increasing body of research suggests that IU is associated with increased psychophysiological reactivity in anticipation of unpredictable threat. However, most studies examining the psychophysiological correlates of IU have been conducted in adults. There is a critical need to understand the relationship between IU and psychophysiological reactivity in anticipation of unpredictable threat during adolescence, a key developmental period associated with increased exploration of situations with uncertain outcomes. Thus, the present study examined the association between (1) youth IU and (2) parental IU (as an indicator of risk) in relation to youth defensive motivation (startle reflex) and attention (startle probe N100 and P300) in anticipation of unpredictable threat. The sample included 193 13 to 22-year-old (M = 17.33, SD = 1.97) females and a biological parent. Participants and their parent completed a self-report measure of prospective and inhibitory IU. Youth startle potentiation, probe N100 enhancement, and probe P300 suppression (indicating increased attention to threat) were measured in anticipation of predictable and unpredictable threat. Youth prospective IU and inhibitory IU were not related to youth psychophysiological reactivity to predictable or unpredictable threat. Greater parental prospective IU was associated with greater youth startle potentiation and probe N100 enhancement in anticipation of unpredictable threat. The present study suggests that parental IU, but not concurrent IU, is associated with heightened defensive motivation and attentional engagement in anticipation of unpredictable threat in youth. • Examined the association between youth and parental intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and sensitivity to unpredictable threat • Greater parental IU was associated with greater youth startle potentiation to unpredictable threat • Greater parental IU was associated with greater probe N100 enhancement to unpredictable threat • Youth IU was not related to youth sensitivity to unpredictable threat [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) represents a transdiagnostic risk factor for internalizing psychopathology. However, little is known regarding its psychophysiological correlates. IU is thought to render individuals hypersensitive to threatening events, even if the occurrence probability is low. To test this, we recruited 90 students who completed two NPU-threat tests separating temporal unpredictability from probabilistic unpredictability (i.e., probability of occurrence): First, a NPU version in which the timing of threat (i.e., shock) was either predictable or unpredictable but the shock probability was 100 % in each trial. Second, a probabilistic NPU version in which the timing of the shock was also either predictable or unpredictable, but the shock probability was 33 % in each trial. Startle reflex, event-related potentials N1 and P3 locked to auditory startle probes, and anxiety ratings were analyzed. As expected, temporally unpredictable threat modulated startle, N1, and anxiety ratings. IU predicted increased startle to lower shock probability, regardless of the temporal predictability. No evidence emerged for IU affecting N1 or P3. However, IU predicted anxiety ratings to threat conditions regardless of temporal or probabilistic predictability. Individual differences in IU shape startle responses to eventual threat: IU increases automatic defensive responding to unpredictable and potentially threatening situations if the threat probability is low. Individuals with higher IU may tend to "err on the side of caution" with a mismatch between physiological preparation and threat probability, such that the effects of IU are particularly observable in low threat probability conditions. • Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is theorized to lead to hypersensitivity to unlikely threat. • We manipulated temporal predictability and probabilistic predictability of threat using two versions of the NPU-threat test. • Outcome measures were startle reflex, startle probe locked event-related potentials (N1 and P3), and anxiety ratings. • Unpredictable threat modulated startle, N1, and anxiety ratings. • IU predicted increased startle responses to probabilistic unpredictability but not to temporal unpredictability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess hippocampal function during stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) investigations through the study of the medial temporal lobe event-related potential (ERP) MTL-P300. We recorded the MTL-P300 during a visual oddball task, using hippocampal electrodes implanted for SEEG in 71 patients, in a preoperative epilepsy investigation. The presence of an MTL-P300 and its amplitude were correlated with hippocampal involvement during seizures and memory function. Analysis using ROC curves revealed that an MTL-P300 amplitude below -46 µV, has a specificity of 93.3% in detecting the epileptogenic zone, and absence of the MTL-P300 in the left hippocampus of patients with typical language organization was associated with marked alteration of verbal memory scores. There was a significant correlation between performance in non-verbal memory tests and the amplitude of the MTL-P300 in the right hippocampus of patients with left hemispheric seizures (immediate visual recall: r = 0.67, p = 0.005; delayed visual recall: r = 0.56, p = 0.025). Using a linear regression, we confirmed that the absence of the MTL-P300 in the left hippocampus, the involvement of the left hippocampus during seizures, and the duration of epilepsy were predictors of verbal memory deficits. Analysis of the MTL-P300 during SEEG recording provides relevant information for the analysis of hippocampal functionality and can help to localize the epileptogenic zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ERP correlates of attentional and inhibitory control processes slowed with ageing. • TMS over the left parietal cortex showed altered cortical excitability with ageing. • Cortical excitability modulations in older adults represent a dysfunctional change. Understanding age-related changes in cortical excitability and their relation to cognitive functions will help to improve interventions based on non-invasive brain stimulation that aim to support cognitive function in older adults. Here, we investigate the relationship between cortical excitability, executive function, and underlying neural activity in samples of healthy young and older adults. These participants performed a Simon task during electroencephalogram (EEG) recording. During the task, participants had to respond to the colour of a lateralized stimulus while ignoring its spatial location. We studied event-related brain potential correlates of attentional and inhibitory control [i.e., the posterior contralateral negativity (N2pc) and central contralateral negativity (N2cc), respectively] related to the Simon task performance. We also used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) EEG coregistration. In detail, we applied single-pulse TMS during EEG recording in order to analyse global mean field power (GMFP) and TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs) as correlates of cortical excitability. We found lower GMFP amplitude within 101–200 ms in older compared to young adults. Moreover, older adults showed smaller N45 amplitude and slower P180 latency. These findings suggest cortical excitability alterations related to ageing. Older adults also exhibited longer reaction times and N2pc and N2cc latencies, indicating that it took them longer to allocate attention to the target stimulus and inhibit the tendency to respond to the attended location. Finally, in older adults, cortical excitability alterations correlated with longer reaction times and N2pc latencies. These results suggest that age-related alterations in cortical excitability represent a dysfunctional change associated with physiological ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion regulation is critical for managing stress, but many regulatory strategies consume high levels of cognitive resources to implement, which are depleted under stress. This raises a conundrum: the tools we have to feel better may be ineffective when they are most needed. Recent event-related potential (ERP) research indicates that distanced self-talk (i.e., reflecting on one's experiences using non-first-person singular pronouns and one's name) reduces negative emotional reactivity without overtaxing cognitive resources. Here, we report the first direct replication of this work and extend it by examining how distanced self-talk compares to detached reappraisal, one of the most frequently studied regulatory techniques. Sixty-seven participants were randomly assigned to an emotion regulation picture task and instructed to reflect on the feelings they experienced in response to viewing negative emotional images using distanced self-talk or detached reappraisal while ERPs were measured. Directly replicating past findings, distanced self-talk led to a reduction in an affective arousal ERP, the late positive potential (LPP), without increasing stimulus preceding negativity (SPN), an ERP that reflects anticipatory and preparatory processing. These results further bolster support for distanced self-talk as a relatively effortless emotion regulation strategy. On the other hand, detached reappraisal was neither associated with the modulation of the LPP nor the SPN. Due to the failed replication of the reappraisal effect, a direct comparison between emotion regulation strategies was not conducted. Methodological limitations that may have contributed to the reappraisal failure and future directions for comparisons between emotion regulation strategies are discussed. • Research suggests that distanced self-talk is a relatively effortless emotion regulation strategy. • This study aimed to replicate previous work and compare distanced self-talk to reappraisal. • Distanced self-talk led to a reduction in the late positive potential. • Distanced self-talk did not lead to an increase in the stimulus preceding negativity. • Reappraisal failed to modulate the late positive potential and the stimulus preceding negativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While previous studies have extensively explored the neural mechanisms of perceptual decision-making, most of them used paradigms with limited real-life consequences and largely neglected participants' individual differences. In this study, to resemble a perceptual decision-making scenario with real-life consequences, construction workers were recruited for an occupational hazard recognition task by categorizing construction site images as hazardous or safe with their EEG recorded. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis revealed distinct influences of perceptual decision-making by two dispositional factors of risk propensity and injury exposure experience. Risk propensity was positively correlated with the stimulus-locked difference waveforms (hazardous minus safe) at approximately 200 ms post-stimuli-onset over right-lateralized parietal–occipital areas. The difference waveforms showed reversed polarity between groups with high and low-risk propensity. Injury exposure experience was negatively correlated with the response-locked difference waveforms approximately 450 ms before motor response over right-lateralized parietal-occipital regions. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report how individuals' injury exposure experience influenced the neural signatures of one's perceptual decision-making. These results extended previous findings for perceptual decision-making by setting up a scenario with high ecological validity and suggested possibly substantial different mechanisms for individual workers by the intrinsic factor of risk propensity and the extrinsic factor of injury exposure experience. • Construction workers conducted a hazard recognition task to resemble a scenario with real-life consequences. • How risk propensity and injury exposure experience modulated the perceptual decision-making dynamic were investigated. • The stimulus-locked component was influenced by risk propensity during the perceptual process. • The response-locked component was influenced by injury exposure experience during the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present review focuses on the development of attention as indexed in the electrical activity of the brain under a systematic framework of attention-related paradigms and experimental tasks in typically developing children (TDC). The framework is organized according to the filter and selective-set paradigms of attention research and experimental tasks that these models commonly use. The first part of the review discusses age-variant changes in the event-related potentials (ERPs) of TDC. Age affects the parameters of the various attention-related components (latencies and amplitudes) independently and differentially. The changes are mainly in the form of decreasing latencies, showing that aging increases the speed and efficiency of attentional processing. High task difficulty and cognitive load produce a shift in TDC from early selection, which involves a perceptual analysis, to late selection, which involves target detection. The second part of the review discusses attentional processing in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Relative to TDC, ERP differences in ADHD are mainly represented in component amplitudes, which normally vary according to task difficulty and cognitive load. The literature permits a review of the differences between children with ADHD and age-matched TDC in not only ERPs but also in resting electroencephalogram (EEG) and event-related oscillations (EROs). Some of the differences between children with ADHD and TDC are quantitative and in the form of maturational lag, while others are qualitative and in the form of maturational deviance. The early gamma-band response (GBR) appears to be a significant biomarker of ADHD. The match-and-utilization model, which delineates the pervasive role that early GBR plays in the bottom-up and top-down processes of attention, applies to ADHD. The integrative approach of the present review reveals the gaps in the relevant literature and suggests directions for future studies by way of which a comprehensive understanding of ADHD may be possible. • The comparative review systematically organizes the findings under a framework of paradigms and tasks used in studies on attention. • In children without ADHD, latencies of the event-related potential (ERPs) components become shorter with age. • Difference between TDC and ADHD groups occur mainly in the amplitudes of ERP components. • ADHD is characterized not only by maturational delay but also by maturational deviance. • The theta response and the early gamma response appear to be significant biomarkers of ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary difficulty and challenge encountered by individuals with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is inhibitory control deficit. Given that different types of inhibitory control have different effects on IGD patients, it is critical to investigate the neurological cognitive processes underlying various inhibitory control problems. The IGD-20 questionnaire was used to identify Internet game disorder and healthy control group, and finally Internet game disorder in (n =25) and healthy control group (n =28) in Flanker task, Internet game disorder (n =29) and health control group (n =24) in GO/NOGO task. The Flanker task was employed to investigate distractor interference inhibition control in those with IGD, while the Go/NoGo task was used to measure their prepotent response inhibitory control. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to evaluate the brain mechanisms difference of both IGD and healthy participants during these different inhibitory control tasks. Findings indicate that compared to healthy control subjects, individuals with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) have deficits in inhibitory control tasks during both distraction inhibition and prepotent response inhibition tasks, and distraction inhibition occurs earlier than prepotent response inhibition. In distraction inhibition tasks, the IGD group's N2 amplitude is significantly lower than the healthy control groups. In prepotent response inhibition, the N2 amplitude provoked in the IGD group is not only significantly lower than in the healthy control group, but the P3 amplitude is also significantly larger in the IGD group. The main brain activity areas of interference inhibitory control are the frontal lobe and prefrontal lobe, while the main brain activity areas of prepotent response inhibitory control are the frontal lobe and occipital lobe. The present study concentrates on the differential neurophysiological characteristics observed in individuals with Internet gaming problems, notably the ability to avoid distractions and prepotent reactions. The current research provides foundations for the assessment and development of tailored therapy and treatment methods to address the wide variety of cognitive problems reported in individuals with Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• USN is a spatial attention impairment caused by a brain injury. • The severity of the condition is proportional to the duration of the recovery time. • Recent EEG investigations indicate that the lack of structural or functional communication in USN may be a major cause of their abnormal clinical behavior. • We examined EEG variations at various phases of the USN rehabilitation period and shown that EEG is a practicable test for diagnosing and monitoring USN recovery. • Finally, we investigated the cause of heterogeneity, recommending that more research be undertaken in the future. The investigation of brainwave changes during the recovery process of unilateral spatial neglect (USN) has garnered considerable attention in recent years. This paper presents an updated overview of the evolving brainwave patterns during USN rehabilitation, aiming to predict clinical outcomes and guide the selection of effective recovery strategies. A systematic review was conducted, encompassing English literature published up to June 2024. Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and clinical trials were utilized. The included studies assessed brainwaves using electroencephalography (EEG) in at least one group with USN. However, the diverse nature of these studies posed challenges for a quantitative synthesis. The final quantitative synthesis comprised 36 studies, incorporating a total of 4517 data points. The analysis revealed abnormalities in alpha, beta, and gamma brainwave activity, along with alterations in the functional monitoring of the alpha band during USN rehabilitation. Additionally, reductions were observed in specific brainwave components such as P1, N1, P2, P300, early directing attention negativity (EDAN), late directing attention positivity (LDAP), and contingent negative variation (CNV). However, findings regarding measures of synchrony, connectivity, and evoked responses across different frequency bands exhibited variability. Various indicators of brainwave activity displayed changes at different stages of post-stroke neglect rehabilitation, highlighting the significance of neural network dysfunction in this process. Nonetheless, due to the diversity of the studies, further investigation is necessary to achieve a more comprehensive understanding in future research endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Natural sounds lead to increased green product purchase. • Natural sounds increase the purchase decision-making efficiency for green products. • The decreased ERP suggests that natural sounds increase early attentional congruency. • The ERP related early attentional congruency accounts for the effect of natural sounds on purchase rate and purchase decision-making efficiency for green products. Sound is one of the important environmental factors that influence individuals' decision-making. However, it is still unclear whether and how natural sounds nudge green product purchases. This study proposes an extension of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, suggesting that natural sounds increase early attentional congruency associated with green products, thereby promoting individuals' green product purchases. To test our theory, we conducted an experiment employing a hierarchical drift-diffusion model (HDDM) and utilized an event-related potentials (ERP) method. Results showed that natural sounds not only increased the purchase rate for green products but also enhanced drift rate in favor of purchasing green products. Additionally, consumers also exhibited a reduced frontal early P2 wave (150–230 ms) in response to green products under natural sounds, indicating that natural sounds increased the early attentional congruency associated with green products. More importantly, neural correlates of early attentional congruency meditated the nudge effect of natural sounds on purchase rate and drift rate for green products. This study contributes to the neural understanding of how natural sounds influence green product purchases and provides actionable implications for market managers to design the green products sales environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]