Critical Dynamics in Spontaneous Resting-State Oscillations Are Associated With the Attention-Related P300 ERP in a Go/Nogo Task.

Nadine D Herzog,Ricardo Tarrasch,Tim P Steinfath

doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.632922

Abstract

Sustained attention is the ability to continually concentrate on task-relevant information, even in the presence of distraction. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying this ability is critical for comprehending attentional processes as well as neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by attentional deficits, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we aimed to investigate how trait-like critical oscillations during rest relate to the P300 evoked potential—a biomarker commonly used to assess attentional deficits. We measured long−range temporal correlations (LRTC) in resting-state EEG oscillations as index for criticality of the signal. In addition, the attentional performance of the subjects was assessed as reaction time variability (RTV) in a continuous performance task following an oddball paradigm. P300 amplitude and latencies were obtained from EEG recordings during this task. We found that, after controlling for individual variability in task performance, LRTC were positively associated with P300 amplitudes but not latencies. In line with previous findings, good performance in the sustained attention task was related to higher P300 amplitudes and earlier peak latencies. Unexpectedly, we observed a positive relationship between LRTC in ongoing oscillations during rest and RTV, indicating that greater criticality in brain oscillations during rest relates to worse task performance. In summary, our results show that resting-state neuronal activity, which operates near a critical state, relates to the generation of higher P300 amplitudes. Brain dynamics close to criticality potentially foster a computationally advantageous state which promotes the ability to generate higher event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes.

Highlights

Sustained attention is a cognitive ability with fundamental importance for general cognitive functioning
long−range temporal correlations (LRTC) in the alpha frequency resulted in one cluster of 34 channels distributed above right fronto-temporal and left parieto-occipital areas (Figure 2, left), which was significant after permutation testing (p < 0.01)
Our results indicate that network dynamics operating close to critical state foster the generation of task-relevant activity as is reflected in the generation of larger task evoked P300 amplitudes

Summary

Introduction

Sustained attention is a cognitive ability with fundamental importance for general cognitive functioning. It can be described as the ability to allocate attentional resources to focus on a task while preserving a constant performance level (Lukov et al, 2015). Understanding the mechanisms underlying this ability is critical for comprehending neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by attentional deficits. One eligible measure to estimate sustained attention abilities is the intra-individual reaction time variability (RTV). Various studies have shown that individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display significantly larger RTV (LethSteensen et al, 2000; Castellanos et al, 2005; Nigg et al, 2005; Klein et al, 2006) emphasizing the reliably of this measure

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