Negative Amplitude Research Articles

No association between error-related ERPs and trait anxiety in a nonclinical sample: Convergence across analytical methods including mass-univariate statistics.

Enhanced error monitoring, as indexed by increased amplitude of the error-related negativity (ERN) event-related potential (ERP) component, has been suggested to reflect a vulnerability neuro-marker of anxiety disorders. Another error-related ERP component is the error positivity (Pe), which reflects late-stage error processing. The associations between heightened ERN and Pe amplitudes and anxiety levels in the nonclinical population have been inconsistent. In this preregistered study, we examined the association between anxiety, ERN, and Pe, using different analytical methods (mass-univariate analyses, MUAs and conventional analyses), self-reported anxiety scales (STAI and STICSA), and trial numbers (all correct trials and equal numbers of correct and error trials). In a sample of 82 healthy adults, both conventional and MUAs demonstrated a robust enhancement of the ERN and Pe to errors relative to the correct-response ERPs. However, the mass-univariate approach additionally unveiled a wider array of electrodes and a longer effect duration for this error enhancement. Across the analytic methods, the results showed a lack of consistent correlation between trait anxiety and error-related ERPs. Findings were not modulated by trial numbers, analyses, or anxiety scales. The present results suggest a lack of enhancement of error monitoring by anxious traits in individuals with subclinical anxiety and those with clinical anxiety but without a clinical diagnosis. Importantly, the absence of such correlation questions the validity of the ERN as a neural marker for anxiety disorders. Future studies that investigate neuro-markers of anxiety may explore alternative task designs and employ robust statistics to provide a more comprehensive understanding of anxiety vulnerability.

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation with concurrent cognitive performance targeting posterior parietal cortex vs prefrontal cortex on working memory in schizophrenia: a randomized clinical trial

Working memory deficits are linked to irregularities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in schizophrenia, effective intervention strategies are lacking. We evaluated the differential efficacy and underlying neuromechanisms of targeting transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) at the DLPFC and the PPC with concurrent cognitive performance for working memory in schizophrenia. In a randomized and double-blind clinical trial, sixty clinically stable schizophrenic patients with below-average working memory were randomly assigned to active DLPFC, active PPC, and sham tDCS groups. Two sessions of tDCS during N-back task were delivered daily for five days. The primary outcome was changes in spatial span test scores from baseline to week 1. The secondary outcomes included changes in scores of color delay-estimation task, other cognitive tasks, and mismatch negativity (biomarker of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor functioning). Compared with the active DLPFC group, the active PPC group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in spatial span test scores (p = 0.008, d = 0.94) and an augmentation in color delay-estimation task capacity at week 1; the latter sustained to week 2. Compared with the sham tDCS group, the active PPC group did not show a significant improvement in spatial span test scores at week 1 and 2; however, significant enhancement was observed in their color delay-estimation task capacity at week 2. Additionally, mismatch negativity amplitude was enhanced, and changes in theta band measures were positively correlated with working memory improvement in the active PPC group, while no such correlations were observed in the active DLPFC group or the sham tDCS group. Our results suggest that tDCS targeting the PPC relative to the DLPFC during concurrent cognitive performance may improve working memory in schizophrenia, meriting further investigation. The improvement in working memory appears to be linked to enhanced N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor functioning.

Potential Neurophysiological Markers of Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Diagnostic Study.

Studies suggest that the components of brain-evoked potentials (EPs) may serve as biomarkers of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by participation in combat operations; however, to date, research remains fragmented, with no studies that have attempted to combine different paradigms. In addition, the mismatch negativity component has not been studied in a Russian sample of veterans with PTSD. To identify objective neurophysiological markers of combat-related PTSD using the method of auditory-evoked potentials in active and passive listening paradigms. The study included a recording of auditory EPs in an oddball paradigm in three settings: 1) directed attention to auditory stimuli, 2) passive listening while viewing a neutral video sequence, and 3) viewing a video sequence associated with a traumatic event. Combatants diagnosed with PTSD (18 people) were compared with mentally healthy civilian volunteers (22 people). An increase in the latency period of the early components of auditory EP (N100 and P200), an increase in the amplitude of the P200 component to a deviant stimulus, and a decrease to a standard one in the active listening paradigm were established in the PTSD group. There were no significant differences in the parameters of the P300 component. The characteristics of mismatch negativity in the passive paradigm were revealed: an increase in the phenomenon amplitude, both when shown a video sequence associated with a traumatic event and when shown a neutral video sequence. A binary logistic regression model constructed using the selected parameters showed that the identified characteristics can potentially be considered as diagnostic markers of PTSD in combatants, as the classification accuracy stood at 87% (sensitivity - 81%, specificity - 91%). Potential neurophysiological markers of PTSD are the following: the amplitude and latency of early components of auditory EPs in the paradigm of directed attention to stimuli and the amplitude of mismatch negativity during passive attention.

Event-related potentials of social comparisons in depression and social anxiety.

Social comparison is central in human life and can be especially challenging in depression and social anxiety. We assessed event-related potentials and emotions using a social comparison task in which participants received feedback on both their own and a co-player's performance, in participants with depression and/or social anxiety (n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 72). Participants reported more negative emotions for downward (being better than the co-player [participant correct, co-player wrong]) and upward (being worse than the co-player [participant wrong, co-player correct]) comparisons versus even outcomes, with these effects being stronger in depression and social anxiety. At the Medial Frontal Negativity, both controls and depressed participants showed a more negative amplitude for upward comparison versus both the participant and co-player performing wrong. Socially anxious subjects showed the opposite effect, possibly due to greater expectations about being worse than others. The P300 decreased for downward and upward comparisons compared to even outcomes, which may relate to the higher levels of conflict of social inequality. Depressed and socially anxious subjects showed a blunted P300 increase over time in response to the task outcomes, suggesting deficits in allocating resources for the attention of incoming social information. The LPP showed increased amplitude for downward and upward comparison versus the even outcomes and no group effect. Emotional findings suggest that social comparisons are more difficult for depressed and socially anxious individuals. Event-related potentials findings may shed light on the neural substrates of these difficulties.

Evidence for an Imbricated Lower Crust and Its Role in Accommodating Crustal Shortening in Sikkim Himalaya

AbstractGeometrical heterogeneity of the subducting Indian continental crust along the Himalaya‐Tibet collision zone remains enigmatic. Mass budget estimates describing shortening across the orogen are partly derived from observations made from seismic imaging of the deep earth. Here, using data from 38 broadband seismic stations covering Sikkim Himalaya, we produce high resolution seismic images in order to fill crucial gaps in our understanding of the evolution of Himalayan collision zone. We used 12,288 high quality receiver functions computed using waveforms of earthquakes having magnitude >5.5 in the distance range of 30°–100°. Our results reveal a highly imbricated and heterogeneous crust beneath Sikkim Himalaya. The Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) responsible for large scale earthquakes in the Himalayan collision zone is not so distinct in the migrated images, but intermittent. A dominant cluster of earthquakes at shallower depths is associated with the MHT, marked by negative amplitude arrivals. The Moho is found to be gently dipping, reaching depths of ∼60 km beneath the Higher Himalaya compared to ∼40 km in the Himalayan foredeep. Interestingly, the Moho in this part of Himalaya has offsets and overlapping segments, indicating crustal imbrication in response to active shortening. Clusters of lower crustal earthquakes coincide with the junction of offsets in the Moho.

Event-related Potential Measures of Visual Word Processing in Monolingual and Bilingual Children and Adults: A Focus on Word Frequency Effects.

How does language background influence the neural correlates of visual word recognition in children? To address this question, we used an ERP lexical decision task to examine first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) visual word processing in monolingual and bilingual school-aged children and young adults (n = 123). In particular, we focused on the effects of word frequency (an index of lexical accessibility) on RTs and the N400 ERP component. Behaviorally, we found larger L1 versus L2 word frequency effects among bilingual children, driven by faster and more accurate responses to higher-frequency words (no other language or age group differences were observed). Neurophysiologically, we found larger L1 word frequency effects in bilinguals versus monolinguals (across both age groups), reflected in more negative ERP amplitudes to lower-frequency words. However, the bilingual groups processed L1 and L2 words similarly, despite lower levels of subjective and objective L2 proficiency. Taken together, our findings suggest that divided L1 experience (but not L2 experience) influences the neural correlates of visual word recognition across childhood and adulthood.

How Socially Avoidant Emerging Adults Process Social Feedback during Human-to-Human Interaction after Social Rejection: An Event-Related Potential Study.

Social avoidance refers to active non-participation in social activities, which is detrimental to healthy interpersonal interaction for emerging adults. Social rejection is a kind of negative social evaluation from others making people feel social pain. However, how socially avoidant emerging adults process social feedback information after experiencing social rejection has received less attention. The current study aimed to explore the differences in social interaction feedback processing after social rejection between a socially avoidant group (n = 16) and a comparison group (n = 16) in a human-to-human interaction context. Computer game tasks with two types of interaction (cooperation and competition) were used to record the event-related potentials when receiving social interaction feedback in two conditions (social rejection and control condition). The results showed that (1) the socially avoidant group had lower reward positivity amplitudes than the comparison group when receiving social feedback; (2) the socially avoidant group presented larger P300 amplitudes in the social rejection condition than in the control condition, but the comparison group did not; and (3) social rejection evoked more negative N1 amplitudes in the socially avoidant and comparison groups. The findings suggest that socially avoidant emerging adults may have flaws in reward sensitivity during interpersonal interaction, and they might also exert more attentional and emotional resources to social feedback after social rejection.

Higher recurrence rate after ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation in patients with prolonged P-wave negativity in lead V1

Abstract Background Several ECG P-wave parameters, such as duration, amplitude and morphology reflect the electromechanical condition of the atria. P-wave features mainly served to identify patients prone to atrial fibrillation (AF) or to predict recurrence of paroxysmal AF after ablation. Purpose We sought to investigate which specific features derived from the P-wave might help identify patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (peAF) unresponsive to wide circumferential pulmonary veins isolation (WPVI). Methods 41 patients (63±10 y) with peAF (sustained duration 11±7 months) underwent a de-novo WPVI. A second WPVI was performed in patients with recurrent AF in order to provide complete PV disconnection. We defined "success" as patients who remained in sinus rhythm (SR) after one or two procedures, and "failure" otherwise. The average duration and amplitude of the P-waves on ECG lead II, and the duration and amplitude of positive and negative deflections on ECG lead V1 were extracted during SR after cardioversion at the end of the index WPVI. P-wave terminal force in V1 (PTFV1) was computed as the product of negative amplitude and duration in lead V1. Results Over a mean follow-up of 32±9 months, 24 patients remained free from AF (success group), while 11 patients had AF recurrence after 2 WPVIs (failure group). Six patients were lost to follow-up or declined the second WPVI. 45% (5/11) were ON antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) during follow-up in the failure group, while 0.04% (1/24) were ON AAD in the success group (p<0.05). Other clinical characteristics (e.g. age, body mass index, left atrial volume or duration in sustained AF) were similar. The figure displays P-wave metrics of patients ON and OFF AAD during follow-up. No significant differences were found in P-wave duration (lead II; Panel A1), in PTFV1 (Panel A2), and in duration of V1 positive deflection (Panel A3). Interestingly, the failure group displayed longer duration of the negative deflection in V1 (76±17ms) than that of the success group (68±18ms, p<0.05; Panel A4). Panel B shows that the differences remained after exclusion of patients ON AAD during follow-up. No differences were found in P-wave amplitude in lead II or in amplitude of positive and negative deflections in lead V1 (data not shown). Conclusion Our results show that prolonged negativity in lead V1, which is indicative of left atrial electromechanical remodeling, is associated with failure to restore long-term sinus rhythm after WPVI of peAF.

The impact of music training on temporal order processing in Mandarin Chinese sentence reading: Evidence from event-related potentials (ERPs).

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of music training on the processing of temporal order in Mandarin sentence reading using event-related potentials (ERPs). Two-clause sentences with temporal connectives ("before" or "after") were presented to both musicians and non-musicians. Additionally, a verbal N-back task was utilized to evaluate the participants' working memory capacities. The findings revealed that musicians, but not nonmusicians, demonstrated a more negative amplitude in the second clauses of "before" sentences compared with "after" sentences. In the N-back task, musicians exhibited faster reaction times than nonmusicians in the two-back condition. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between the ERP amplitude differences (before vs. after) and reaction time differences in the N-back task (0-back vs. 2-back) among musicians. These findings suggested that music training enhances the depth of temporal order processing, potentially mediated by improvements in working memory capacity.

Modeling of a linear ion trap with driving rectangular waveforms.

We consider the operation of a digital linear ion trap with resonant radial ejection. A sequence of rectangular voltage pulses with a dipole resonance signal is applied to the trap electrodes. The periodic waveform is piecewise constant, has zero mean, and is determined by an asymmetry parameter : one value is taken on interval and another on , where is the RF period. Ion mass scanning is performed by varying the asymmetry parameter and amplitude of the negative pulse part with time. The ion oscillation frequencies and acceptance of the linear trap are calculated. The dependence of the ion mass to charge ratio on the parameter is . The maximum value is about kDa for typical parameters of the linear trap: frequency 0.5 MHz, rod radius 4 mm, and negative pulse amplitude 1 kV. The dipolar excitation frequency is 0.125 MHz at which the LIT acceptance is maximal.

Mismatch Negativity in Schizophrenia, Unaffected First-degree Relatives, and Healthy Controls

BackgroundMismatch negativity (MMN) amplitude is attenuated in schizophrenia patients (SZ). However, variability in illness course among SZ samples and types of deviant stimuli used in MMN paradigms have contributed to inconsistent findings across studies. Though MMN is suggested to be impaired in schizotypy, the potential link between the two is yet to be systematically examined in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (FDR). MethodsThe SZ sample had twenty-two drug-naïve or drug-free patients (dSZ) and thirty chronic/medicated patients (cSZ). dSZ and cSZ patients were compared with thirty-six unaffected FDR and thirty-two healthy controls (HC) using a two-tone passive auditory oddball MMN paradigm in an event-related potential experiment with two conditions (presented as separate blocks)–duration-deviant (duration-MMN) and frequency-deviant (frequency-MMN). Schizotypy scores and MMN indices were examined for correlation in FDR. ResultsDuration-MMN amplitude was significantly attenuated in both dSZ and cSZ compared to other groups. dSZ and cSZ did not differ on MMN indices. Psychopathology scores and features of illness (illness duration, medication dosage, etc.) did not correlate with MMN indices. In FDR, Schizotypal trait measures did not correlate with MMN indices. ConclusionsDuration-MMN emerged as a more robust indicator of prediction error signalling deficit in SZ. Frequency-MMN amplitude did not significantly differ among the groups, and MMN indices did not correlate with state and trait measures of schizophrenia-related psychopathology. These findings reiterates that auditory sensory processing captured by MMN is likely reflective of dynamic cognitive functions at the point of testing, and is unlikely to be an expression of enduring symptomatology.

Enhanced Cognitive Inhibition in Table Tennis Athletes: Insights from Color-Word and Spatial Stroop Tasks.

The ability to inhibit conflicting information is pivotal in the dynamic and high-speed context of fast-ball sports. However, the behavioral and electrophysiological characteristics underlying the cognitive inhibition processes associated with table tennis expertise remain unexplored. This study aims to bridge these research gaps by utilizing the color-word Stroop task and the spatial Stroop task alongside event-related potential (ERP) measurements to investigate domain-general and domain-specific cognitive inhibition among table tennis athletes. The study involved a total of 40 participants, including 20 table tennis athletes (11 males and 9 females; mean age 20.75 years) and 20 nonathletes (9 males and 11 females; mean age 19.80 years). The group differences in the Stroop effect on behavioral outcomes and ERP amplitudes were compared within each task, respectively. In the color-word Stroop tasks, athletes exhibited smaller incongruent-related negative potential amplitudes (Ninc; 300-400 ms; p = 0.036) and a diminished Stroop effect on late sustained potential amplitudes (LSP; 500-650 ms; p = 0.028) than nonathletes, although no significant differences were observed in behavioral outcomes (p > 0.05). Conversely, in the spatial Stroop tasks, athletes not only responded more swiftly but also exhibited reduced Stroop effects on both LSP amplitudes (350-500 ms; p = 0.004) and reaction times (p = 0.002) relative to nonathletes. These findings suggest that table tennis athletes excel in cognitive inhibition in the context of both domain-general and domain-specific tasks, particularly exhibiting enhanced performance in tasks that are closely aligned with the demands of their sport. Our results support the neural efficiency hypothesis and improve our understanding of the interactions between cognitive functions and table tennis expertise.

D-region ionospheric disturbances due to the December 2019 solar eclipse observed using multi-station VLF radio network

We present the low-latitude D-region (60–90 km) ionospheric disturbances due to the December 2019 annular solar eclipse observed using the multi-station Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio network in West Bengal, India. VLF signals from communication transmitters were received from ten places using low-cost VLF radio receivers. The receivers were capable of recording the amplitudes of VLF signals mainly from the transmitters VTX, India at 18.2 kHz and NWC, Australia at 19.8 kHz. During the solar eclipse, the VTX signal experienced considerable positive, negative, and mixed-type amplitude variations depending on the propagation lengths between the transmitter and receivers, whereas the NWC signal displayed a relatively small amplitude response. We have also found that the highest VLF signal disturbances in each propagation path occurred after the time when the solar obscuration was maximum over the entire path. We used the observations of the VTX signal to formulate the relationship between solar obscuration and D-region electron density reduction during the solar eclipse. On the basis of this, we presented the electron density distribution of the D-region ionosphere during the solar eclipse across the Indian subcontinent. This study shows a useful method for integrating VLF observations and simulations to estimate the D-region electron density distribution over a vast area during a solar eclipse.

Seismic sequence stratigraphy of Late Albian-Early Turonian successions in SW Iran: Implication for reservoir characterizations and potential for improved reservoir quality prediction

The Late Albian-Early Turonian succession on the Arabian Platform stands out as one of the world's richest hydrocarbon provinces. This study delves into the Seismic Sequence Stratigraphy (SSS) of these successions to unravel reservoir characterization and characterized potential hydrocarbon plays. Utilizing data from five exploration wells, including well logs, selected core data, biostratigraphical information, and chemostratigraphy analysis, alongside a comprehensive 3D seismic volume, enabled the identification of four 3rd-order sequences and multiple 4th-order sequences within the studied successions. Sequence-1 (DS-I), dating back to the Late Albian age, features mudstone and bioclast wackestone in an open marine environment. DS-I is a key sequence, notably witnessing the disappearance of siliciclastic input from west to east in the study area. DS-II (Early Cenomanian) and DS-III (Mid-Cenomanian) were deposited on carbonate platforms with grain-supported facies in shoal and lagoonal depositional environments.A distinct regional unconformity at the Turonian base, evident on seismic sections, aligns with depleted δ18O values on the Cenomanian-Turonian Boundary. The maximum flooding surfaces of DS-I and DS-II are characterized by continuous reflectors with negative amplitude. Furthermore, the lateral grading of reservoir facies and their intercalation with non-reservoir facies within 4th-order sequences suggest that reservoir facies heterogeneity is strongly influenced by depositional processes at this scale. Potential reservoirs, particularly in the Highstand System Tract (HST) of each 3rd sequence, are highlighted, with DC-III's HST standing out, hosting patch reef facies resulting from local tectonic activities and carbonate build-up movements.

Two sides of the same coin? How are neural mechanisms of cognitive control, attentional difficulties and creativity related?

Creativity has been associated with increased distractibility, but at the same time - and seemingly paradoxically- also with increased focused attention. Therefore, this study focused on the attentional processes involved in creativity and attentional difficulties. Healthy primary school children (N = 62) between 9 and 13 years old performed a selective attention paradigm while electrophysiological measures were recorded that measured the neural mechanisms of cognitive control (P300), conflict monitoring (N200), and subconscious attentional shifts (Mismatch Negativity). Attentional difficulties were measured with a parental questionnaire and creativity was measured with a divergent mathematical creativity task and a creative drawing task. We found that more creativity was related to decreased neural mechanisms of cognitive control and conflict monitoring (i.e. less negative N200 and smaller P300 amplitudes), however without affecting task performance. In addition, attentional difficulties were related to less negative N200 amplitudes on the attended and non-attended standard trials of the selective attention paradigm, as well as reduced task performance. Tentatively, the current findings suggest that original responses are associated with decreased cognitive control, possibly by promoting remote associations. Furthermore, our data shows that attentional difficulties are associated with a lack of selective attention and impaired information processing. Hence, although less cognitive control is often referred to in a negative way, it might facilitate certain aspects of creative thinking without affecting task performance.

Modeling the 2022 Tonga Eruption Tsunami Recorded on Ocean Bottom Pressure and Tide Gauges Around the Pacific

AbstractTsunamis generated by the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption on January 15, 2022 were recorded on ocean bottom pressure and tide gauges around the Pacific Ocean, earlier than the expected arrival times calculated by tsunami propagation speed. Atmospheric waves from the eruption were also recorded globally with propagation speeds of ~ 310 m/s (Lamb wave) and 200–250 m/s (Pekeris wave). Previous studies have suggested that these propagating atmospheric waves caused at least the initial part of the observed tsunami. We simulated the tsunamis generated by the propagation of the Lamb and Pekeris waves by adding concentric atmospheric pressure changes. The concentric sources are parameterized by their propagation speeds, initial atmospheric wave amplitudes that decay with the distance, and a rise time. For the Lamb wave, inversions of the observed tsunami waveforms at 14 U.S. and nine New Zealand DART stations indicate the start of the positive rise at 4:16 UTC, the peak amplitude of 383 hPa, and the propagation speed of 310 m/s, assuming a rise time of 10 min. The later phases of the observed tsunami waveforms can be better reproduced by adding another propagating concentric wave (Pekeris wave) with a negative amplitude (− 50 hPa) and propagation speeds of 200–250 m/s. The DART records around the Pacific indicate that the Pekeris wave speed is faster toward the northwest and slightly slower toward the northeast. The synthetic waveforms roughly reproduced the far-field tsunami waveforms recorded at tide gauge stations, including the later phases, suggesting that the large amplitude in the later phase may be due to the coupling of the Pekeris wave and the tsunami, as well as resonance around tide gauge stations.

Evaluation of convergence, accommodation and fusional vergence in pre-presbyopes with asthenopia

Background: Pre-presbyopes may suffer from ocular symptoms such as asthenopia of near work.Aim: This study aimed to evaluate near points of convergence, amplitudes of accommodation, and fusional vergence among pre-presbyopes with asthenopia symptoms.Setting: The study was conducted at El-Walidain Eye Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan in 2022.Methods: The study was a hospital-based prospective, including 107 pre-presbyopes aged 35–40 years who complained of asthenopia symptoms. Clinical examinations included an assessment of amplitude of accommodation, near point of convergence and fusional vergence.Results: The findings showed receded in near points of convergence and a decrease in the accommodation was highly significantly associated with increased age among emerging presbyopes with asthenopia symptoms (p = 0.0001). Conversely, positive and negative fusional vergence amplitudes were not significantly correlated with age with p = 0.109 and p = 0.355, respectively. Positive and negative fusional amplitudes were not significantly different between males and females (p ˃ 0.05). Esophoria was more common in pre-presbyopia 62 (57.4%) and exophoria 45 (43.6) with p = 0.503.Conclusion: The pre-presbyopes presented with low accommodation amplitude and receded near point of convergence, but without significant changes in positive and negative fusional vergence amplitudes.Contribution: This study added by demonstrating how early presbyopia altered accommodation amplitude and near point of convergence significantly while having no significant impact on amplitudes of positive and negative fusional vergence.

A Comparative Evaluation of Error Processing Performance and its Relationship with Cognitive Function in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease, Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Normal Controls Using the Event-Related Potentials.

Some pathological changes occur in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential of event-related potential (ERP) components in error processing performance as a neuromarker of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and transition to AD and their relation with cognitive functions. We conducted an evaluation of 16 patients diagnosed with AD, 16 patients with MCI, and 15 normal controls using three subtests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB). The ERP components of error processing were extracted and compared among the three groups using a modified version of the Eriksen flanker task. Additionally, we assessed the correlation between the cognitive results and the ERP components. Significant differences were observed among the three groups in terms of providing correct responses following errors and the amplitude of error-related negativity (ERN). These differences were also significant between all paired groups. Regarding other ERP components of error processing and the peak latency of ERN, no significant differences were observed among the three groups. The findings revealed that the spatial working memory and new learning were correlated with the amplitude of ERN. In the context of error processing performance, both the accuracy of responses following an error and the amplitude of ERN can be considered as indicators of MCI and its progression to AD. The present findings do not support the use of other error processing components as differential markers in the three groups.

Effect of music integrated phonological awareness program on preschool cochlear implant users

ObjectivesChildren with cochlear implants exhibit lower phonological awareness and sound discrimination skills compared to their normal-hearing peers. However, music training has been shown to have a positive effect on speech discrimination and awareness skills. MethodsOur study included 23 cochlear implant users and 23 normal hearing participants aged 5–6 years with language skills. The aim was to observe the effect of a music-integrated phonological awareness program on cochlear implant users and to compare the phonological awareness skills of children with cochlear implants before and after online training with their normal hearing peers. ResultsResults showed that the trained study group scored higher on the Scale of Early Childhood Phonological Awareness (PASECP) after training than the control group (p < 0.05). In addition, SMRT scores increased between before and after training in the study group, and Mismatch Negativity (MMN) amplitudes increased and latencies decreased as a result of training (p < 0.05). ConclusionsThe study suggests that phonological awareness training integrated with music can effectively improve the phonological awareness skills of children with cochlear implants and has the potential to enable them to achieve phonological awareness levels similar to or even better than their normal hearing peers.

Effect of Abstract Phonemic Complexity on Mismatch Negativity (MMN) Amplitude.

Mismatch negativity (MMN) reflects a pre-perceptual neurophysiological response that is generated subconsciously due to the interruption of a memory trace of ongoing sensory events in the environment. It has been widely used by researchers to understand complex perceptual mechanisms. Furthermore, it has been recommended as an objective tool to investigate disorders related to auditory cognition in hearing aid and cochlear implant users. Many researchers suggest that utilizing a larger acoustic difference between standard and deviant stimuli within the oddball paradigm will lead to a more robust MMN response. The purpose of the present study is to examine if increasing the abstract phonemic contrast between standard and deviant stimuli in the oddball paradigm leads to a more robust MMN response. Fourteen young female adults participated in the present study. To ensure that the MMN response was elicited by phonemic and not acoustic differences in the stimuli, a one-to-many ratio was created for the abstract phonemic features while controlling the acoustic features when designing the oddball paradigm as described by Phillips et al. (2000). MMN amplitude was measured at the Cz and Fz electrodes in 2 conditions, with 2 trials in each condition. In condition 1, the standards and deviants differed by one distinctive feature: voicing in trial 1 (/tӕ/ was standard and /dӕ/ was deviant), and place of articulation in trial 2 (/bӕ/ was standard and /dӕ/ was deviant). In condition 2, the standards and deviants differed across two distinctive features: voicing and place of articulation. In trial 1, /pӕ/ was standard and /dӕ/ was deviant; in trial 2, /dӕ/ was standard and /pӕ/ was deviant. MMN amplitudes elicited by two distinctive features were significantly larger than MMN amplitudes elicited by one distinctive feature (p<0.001). Trials 1 and 2 in each condition showed no statistical difference, and they were repeatable and highly correlated. Recordings from the Cz and Fz electrodes showed no statistical difference and were highly correlated and similar in morphology. It is known in the literature that increasing acoustic complexity elicits a more robust MMN. The present study showed that this assumption can be extended to abstract phonemic complexity. Increasing the phonemic complexity by utilizing more distinctive features in the oddball paradigm increased the amplitude and robustness of the MMN.