A correlation study of contingent negative variation, reaction time, and EEG power spectrum in control and psychopathological populations

Abstract

Contingent negative variation (CNV), reaction time (RT), and EEG power spectrum were measured in a group of 27 neurotics and 26 controls subjects, male and female, aged 18 to 38. CNV was recorded with a 1 sec interstimulus interval and averaged over 48 trials. Two spectral analyses of the EEG were performed, the first during the 1 sec period preceding S1 (spontaneous EEG), the second during the S1–S2 interval (activated EEG). For each group of subjects, we calculated the correlations between four measures of CNV amplitude, RT duration, and the relative powers of the delta, theta, alpha and beta activities during spontaneous and activated EEG. In neurotic subjects there was an absence of correlation between the pre- and post-imperative segments of the CNV, and between early CNV amplitude and per cent alpha power. Both groups shared in common strong correlations relating CNV amplitude and RT length, on the one hand, and the different components of the EEG spectrum, on the other hand, Principal component analysis applied to the pooled data revealed different factors for CNV and EEG parameters, suggesting independence of the neurophysiological mechanisms implied in the two phenomena.