Time-frequency analysis of contextual novelty to auditory distracters and task-relevant cues in a task-switching paradigm

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Time-frequency analysis of contextual novelty to auditory distracters and task-relevant cues in a task-switching paradigm Laura Prada1*, Carles Escera2, Maria J. Corral2, Christoph S. Herrmann3 and Francisco Barcelo1 1 Clinical Neuropsychology Research Group, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain 2 Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Spain 3 Department of Experimental Psychology, Carl-von-Ossietzky Universität, Germany The novelty P3 (nP3) component of the brain event-related potential (ERP) is often taken to indicate that a novel distracter has captured attention. Moreover, recent studies suggest that repetitive contextual cues announcing a switch to a new task also activate the same neural network implicated in processing task-irrelevant novel distracters. These studies reveal similar morphology, latency and frontal-central distribution of nP3 responses elicited by familiar task-switch cues and novel distracters. Here we studied the oscillatory basis of nP3 using time-frequency analysis, since ERPs fail to fully capture single-trial brain dynamics. The electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded while subjects sorted cards following two rules of action (colour or shape). Each card was preceded by a familiar tone cueing the subject either to switch or to repeat the previous rule. Novel sound distracters were interspersed in one of two blocks of trials. We studied power changes (Event-related spectral perturbation, ERSP) and phase resetting (Inter-trial coherence, ITC) of brain rhythms involved in the nP3 component induced by tonal task cues and novel distracters. Enhanced nP3 amplitudes were observed both to task-switch cues and novel distracters with regard to task-repeat cues at central and parietal electrodes. These enhanced nP3 potentials were associated with corresponding increases in delta spectral power and possibly also with delta phase alignment increase. Novel sounds, but not switch cues, were systematically synchronized to stimulus onset across trials also for theta and alpha bands. We conclude that the processing of contextual novelty, both task-relevant and task-irrelevant, elicit similar delta power at the nP3 latency in task conditions involving cognitive control. Funding: Supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant PSI2010-17419/PSIC). Keywords: Cognition, ERP, P3, task-switching Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neurophysiology of Cognition and Attention Citation: Prada L, Escera C, Corral MJ, Herrmann CS and Barcelo F (2011). Time-frequency analysis of contextual novelty to auditory distracters and task-relevant cues in a task-switching paradigm. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00464 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 25 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Laura Prada, Clinical Neuropsychology Research Group, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Mallorca, Spain, laura.prada@uib.es Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Laura Prada Carles Escera Maria J Corral Christoph S Herrmann Francisco Barcelo Google Laura Prada Carles Escera Maria J Corral Christoph S Herrmann Francisco Barcelo Google Scholar Laura Prada Carles Escera Maria J Corral Christoph S Herrmann Francisco Barcelo PubMed Laura Prada Carles Escera Maria J Corral Christoph S Herrmann Francisco Barcelo Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.