Sudomotor nerve conduction velocity and central processing time of the skin conductance response.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the sudomotor nerve conduction velocity (CV), the central processing time (CPT) and habituation of the skin conductance response (SCR). METHODS: SCRs in response to a single deep inspiratory breath, an electrical stimulus and a sound click were obtained from the fingers and toes of 30 healthy adults. Sudomotor nerve conduction velocities were determined after measuring extremity length and latency differences. CPT was estimated by subtracting the efferent time and the known afferent times and neuroeffector times from the onset latency. RESULTS: The inspiratory SCR habituated slower than the auditory or electrical SCRs. CVs of the 3 modalities did not differ statistically and their mean was 1.07 m s(-1) (95% CI: 1.01-1.13). The inspiratory SCR arrived at the fingers 1.26+/-0.09 s after the onset of chest wall movement. Electrical and auditory SCR onset latencies at the fingers were 1.60+/-0.03 and 1.75+/-0.04 s, respectively. Their CPTs were 140 and 160 ms, estimated from the electrical and auditory SCR onset latencies to the fingers. The CPT for inspiratory SCR was estimated to occur during the inspiratory CPT after the inspiratory decision and before chest movement. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the SCR following an electrical or auditory stimulus, initiation of deep inspiratory SCR occurs before the inspiratory act, precluding any possible input from respiratory afferent receptors and implicating a central generator. SIGNIFICANCE: This study provides new insights into the origin of the SCR following inspiration.     

No decrement in visual P300 amplitude during extended performance of the oddball task

Research indicates that in visual sustained attention paradigms, the amplitude of the P300 component of the event-related potential invoked by target (critical) stimuli shows a decrement in amplitude. This amplitude decrement parallels decrements in vigilance performance that result from the difficult discrimination that is typically required between the infrequent targets and the frequent nontargets (neutral stimuli). In contrast, target stimulus P300 does not appear to show a decrement across large numbers of trials during performance of the "oddball" paradigm, in which targets and nontargets are highly discriminable. The present study measured target and nontarget P300 amplitude during performance of a visual oddball paradigm extended over an interval of some 3 1/2 hours, a period well in excess of the 3/4 hour intervals employed in previous research. The results indicated no decrement in P300 amplitude as a function of time for either targets or nontargets. The only significant relationship between P300 and behavioral data was an inverse correlation across oddball runs between average nontarget P300 amplitude and total number of targets missed.     

Auditory event-related potentials and electrodermal activity in medicated and unmedicated schizophrenics.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) and electrodermal activity were studied in 14 medicated schizophrenics, 17 unmedicated schizophrenics, and 23 age- and education-matched controls. Subjects were run in three auditory stimulus paradigms differing from the usual ERP paradigms in having interstimulus intervals greater than 12 sec to permit measurement of the longer latency skin conductance response (SCR). In every paradigm medicated but not unmedicated schizophrenics had smaller N120 amplitudes and fewer SCRs than controls. In addition, medicated schizophrenics showed reduced P200 amplitude and latency, longer P320 latency, and reduced skin conductance levels in certain paradigms. These effects cannot easily be attributed to different mental states of medicated and unmedicated patients, since their Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale scores were almost the same. It is more probable that antipsychotic and antiparkinsonian drugs reduced electrodermal activity through anticholinergic mechanisms and that the antipsychotic drugs attenuated N120 through other biological mechanisms.     

Tools for translational neuroscience: PTSD is associated with heightened fear responses using acoustic startle but not skin conductance measures

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients show heightened fear responses to trauma reminders and an inability to inhibit fear in the presence of safety reminders. Brain imaging studies suggest that this is in part due to amygdala over‐reactivity as well as deficient top‐down cortical inhibition of the amygdala. Consistent with these findings, previous studies, using fear‐potentiated startle (FPS), have shown exaggerated startle and deficits in fear inhibition in PTSD participants. However, many PTSD studies using the skin conductance response (SCR) report no group differences in fear acquisition. Method: The study included 41 participants with PTSD and 70 without PTSD. The fear conditioning session included a reinforced conditioned stimulus (CS+, danger cue) paired with an aversive airblast, and a nonreinforced conditioned stimulus (CS?, safety cue). Acoustic startle responses and SCR were acquired during the presentation of each CS. Results: The results showed that fear conditioned responses were captured in both the FPS and SCR measures. Furthermore, PTSD participants had higher FPS to the danger cue and safety cue compared to trauma controls. However, SCR did not differ between groups. Finally, we found that FPS to the danger cue predicted re‐experiencing symptoms, whereas FPS to the safety cue predicted hyper‐arousal symptoms. However, SCR did not contribute to PTSD symptom variance. Conclusions: Replicating earlier studies, we showed increased FPS in PTSD participants. However, although SCR was a good measure of differential conditioning, it did not differentiate between PTSD groups. These data suggest that FPS may be a useful tool for translational research. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A comparative investigation of ERP components and the SCR in a habituation and dishabituation paradigm

The present experiment investigated the trial-by-trial habituation in the event-related potential (ERP) and the skin conductance response (SCR) to repeated stimuli and dishabituation to rare stimuli. In a balanced design, two groups of subjects passively observed either large black discs as repeated stimuli and small as rare, or vice versa. No consistent effects of stimulus size were obtained between the groups. Late positivity was composed of a double peak at Cz, containing contributions from P3a and P300; the latter only was observed at Pz. The SCR and P3a and P300 at Cz demonstrated habituation, but not the N100 or P200, nor the P300 at Pz. Rare stimuli elicited an enhancement, albeit nonsignificant, in SCR amplitude only. No dishabituation of any of the responses by these stimuli was observed. The SCR correlated significantly with late positivity at Cz and Pz. Discussion focuses on SCR and late positivity as OR components.     

The activity of late inspiratory cells during the behavioral inhibition of inspiration

Cats can be trained to stop inspiration behaviorally--a response mediated by inactivation of brainstem inspiratory neurons. Neurons that discharge late in the inspiratory phase of the respiratory cycle may terminate that phase; therefore, such cells may be activated behaviorally to inhibit inspiration. To test this hypothesis, we studied the activity of late-onset inspiratory neurons located in the dorsal and ventral medullary respiratory groups in cats trained to stop inspiration behaviorally. Twenty-eight of 112 respiratory neurons were classified as late-onset inspiratory neurons. They had an average eta 2 value of 0.58 (+/- 0.13, S.D.) and an average maximal discharge rate of 42 Hz (+/- 18, S.D.). For most cells, the period of activity varied under different conditions: some extended their activity into early inspiration; others, into early expiration. Eighteen of these late-onset inspiratory neurons were completely silent when the animals stopped inspiration behaviorally, and 10 discharged only a few action potentials. The latter response was weak and inconsistent, and we conclude that late inspiratory cells do not inhibit other brainstem inspiratory cells when animals stop inspiration behaviorally.     

The effect of motivational instructions on P300 amplitude.

The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect on P300 amplitude of instructions aimed at increasing the subject's degree of task involvement. To this end, two different studies were carried out. In Study 1, 20 university students were tested with an auditory event-related potential (ERP) oddball paradigm (target: 1,100 Hz; standard: 1,000 Hz) in two consecutive runs, each with a different set of instructions; after the first run, subjects were verbally motivated to increase their level of performance in the second run. In Study 2 (performed 1 year later), ERPs were similarly obtained from the same subjects during two oddball runs, but this time both tests were preceded by neutral instructions. The amplitude and latency of N1 and P2 elicited by non-targets and of N2 and P3 in target waveforms were evaluated. The findings showed that following motivating instructions, P3 amplitude increased while P3 latency showed a non-significant decrease. The amplitude of P2 to non-target stimuli--which could be interpreted as P250--was also affected by the instructions provided. The overall results suggest that the presentation of motivating instructions is followed by a higher amount of attentional resources allocated to all stimuli, and a more efficient evaluation and discrimination of relevant targets. The implication of these findings for the clinical use of P300 has been discussed.     

Separation of the components of the late positive complex in an ERP dishabituation paradigm.

OBJECTIVE: A substantial body of evidence shows that several separate components underlie the late positive complex (LPC) of the ERP. Each of these has been proposed as a possible neural index of the orienting reflex (OR), but none has clearly met the criteria required for identification as an OR. The skin conductance response (SCR) is the most extensively examined index of the OR, and was used here as an OR 'yard-stick'. The primary aim of this study was to determine if any of the components of the LPC show stimulus-response relationships analogous to those of the SCR. METHODS: ERPs and SCRs were simultaneously recorded from 72 subjects during an ERP dishabituation paradigm, in which a habituation stimulus (S1) was presented for a series of trials, during which a different stimulus (S2) was interpolated. This sequence was presented in a series of trains, allowing across-train LPC and SCR exploration as a function of trial. The sensitivity of these components to stimulus intensity and significance, other stimulus dimensions important in defining the OR, was also examined. We utilised a PCA with varimax rotation to separate the ERP components underlying the LPC. RESULTS: Four factors extracted appeared to correspond to the classic Slow Wave, the P3b, the Novelty P3 and the P3a. While the LPC exhibited a stimulus-response relationship analogous to the SCR, each of the separate components was differentially sensitive to aspects of the stimulus manipulations examined here. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that the LPC is an adequate EEG index of the OR. However, the underlying components of the LPC examined here--which we consider to be the classic slow wave, P3b, Novelty P3 and P3a--cannot be used interchangeably as OR indices. SIGNIFICANCE: This study clarifies links between the autonomic OR and its CNS correlates.     

Response priming in a go/nogo task: do we have to explain the go/nogo N2 effect in terms of response activation instead of inhibition?

OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we examined the effects of response priming on the event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked by target stimuli in a go/nogo task. METHODS: In each trial, subjects were presented a cue and a target stimulus. The cue informed subjects about the following target in that trial, and therefore, also about the kind of response (right-hand response, left-hand response, no overt response) potentially to be given in that trial. RESULTS: The traditional N2 and P3 go/nogo effects were replicated: the ERPs to nogo targets were negative compared to the ERPs evoked by go targets in the N2 latency range at frontal electrode sites, and the nogo P3s were more anteriorly distributed than the go P3s. Comparing the ERPs evoked by nogo targets, we found the P3, but not the N2, to be modulated by response priming. CONCLUSIONS: These results seem to indicate that the P3, but not the N2, is associated with response inhibition, or with an evaluation/decision process with regard to the expected and/or given response. It could be speculated that the traditional go/nogo N2 effect has to be explained in terms of response activation instead of response inhibition.     

The effects of moclobemide on autonomic and cognitive functions in healthy volunteers

BACKGROUND: Moclobemide, a reversible and selective inhibitor of the MAO-A isoenzyme, is marketed as an antidepressant that lacks autonomic and cognitive side effects. However, only few and inconclusive quantitative data on the effects of moclobemide on autonomic and cognitive functions have been reported in the literature. Therefore, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial was performed. METHODS: Twelve healthy male volunteers (age 22-29 years) received orally 150 mg moclobemide b.i.d. and placebo for 14 days each. Heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance response (SCR) following sudden deep breath were employed as parameters for autonomic function. Quantitative EEG (qEEG) and psychometric tests served as parameters for cognitive function. Measurements were performed before the start of drug administration and repeatedly on the last treatment day. RESULTS: Parameters of HRV and SCR were not changed by multiple dosing with moclobemide (P > 0.05). Neither cognitive functions such as flicker fusion frequency, memory, choice reaction time, and psychomotor performance nor qEEG was significantly influenced, but subjective tiredness was decreased at all time points of measurement after multiple dosing with moclobemide (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, moclobemide does not appear to influence autonomic functions or cognitive functions when given subchronically to healthy humans. In contrast, changes in subjective mood hint at a subtle activating effect.     

Exploring the nature of switch cost: inferences from P300 and the lateralized readiness potentials

We describe a protocol to examine various hypothetical models of task switching. This protocol analyzes two event-related potentials--lateralized readiness potential (LRP) and P300--to infer the roles of advance reconfiguration and carry-over effect on task switching. Participants performed two tasks in a random order. On each trial a task from the previous trial would be repeated, or the other task would be carried out. In one scenario, each stimulus was preceded either by an informative cue specifying which of the two tasks to perform (task-cueing conditions) or by a non-informative cue (no task-cueing conditions). The results showed that the mean reaction time and the stimulus-locked LRP intervals were longer for switch than for repeated trials. This suggested that task switching affected stage processes such as stimulus identification and response selection that occur before the onset of LRP. A further analysis of P300 confined the phenomenon of task switching to the processes that occur after the stimulus identification stage. Moreover, the results of additivity between task cueing and task switching suggested that the two factors affected a distinct stage of processing. A further implication would be that there was no switch-specific control process supporting the view of carry-over effect of switch cost.     

The role of response requirements in task switching: dissolving the residue

Task-switching paradigms, which are regularly used to assay 'executive control' processes in humans, almost invariably reveal a decrement in subjects' performance on the first trial following a switch of task. That is, subjects are slower to respond and more error prone on the switch trial, a difference in performance that has been termed the 'switch-cost'. This switch cost has then been taken to reflect the time taken by neural control processes. Previous studies have shown that while performance improves as more time is provided to prepare for the switch, switch costs persist, even over very long intervals. In the present study, however, we find that changing the response regimen (choice reaction time vs go-no-go) has profound effects on the switch cost. A task switching paradigm was used in which subjects randomly switched between two tasks, based on a cue that was presented at varying intervals prior to the presentation of the imperative stimulus. While switch costs were found in all conditions in the choice reaction time blocks, they were completely abolished in the go-no-go blocks when sufficient preparation time was provided (500 or 800 ms). This is important because the only difference between the choice reaction time and go-no-go conditions was the response requirement: these conditions did not differ in the stimuli used, in the tasks performed or in the preparation time provided. These data call into question models of executive control that interpret switch costs as reflecting the time taken by neural processes to switch the system from a readiness to perform one task to a readiness to perform another.     

Situational reactivity of autonomic functions in schizophrenic patients

In a study designed to evaluate the state of arousal and the autonomic reactivity to experimental conditions in schizophrenic patients, 12 acute, unmedicated schizophrenic patients with paranoid hallucinatory symptomatology and 63 healthy normal control subjects were administered four standardized tasks: cold pressor test, noise, mental arithmetic, and active relaxation. Biochemical (norepinephrine and cortisol) and physiological (electromyogram, electroencephalogram, skin conductance response, skin conductance level, finger pulse amplitude, finger temperature, heart rate, respiratory volume, pulse wave velocity, and electrogastrogram) parameters were measured simultaneously. Schizophrenic patients showed elevated levels of cortisol and norepinephrine, as well as heightened responsivity on measures of electromyographic activity, skin conductance level, and heart rate, throughout the trial, and reduced responsivity to conditions of stress. It is concluded that schizophrenic patients show higher nonspecific activation and reduced ability to react to external stimulation, perhaps induced by lack of inhibition of the reticular formation by the limbic system.     

Human alpha rhythms during visual delayed choice reaction time tasks: a magnetoencephalography study

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) includes fast and comfortable recording procedures very suitable for the neurophysiological study of cognitive functions in aged people. In this exploratory MEG study in normal young adults, we tested whether very simple short-term memory (STM) demands induce visible changes in amplitude and latency of surface alpha rhythms. Two delayed response tasks were used. In the STM condition, a simple cue stimulus (one bit) was memorized along a brief delay period (3.5-5.5 s). In the control (no short-term memory; NSTM) condition, the cue stimulus remained available along the delay period. To make extremely simple the tasks, the explicit demand was visuospatial but the retention could be also based on phonological and somatomotor coding. Compared to the control condition, the amplitude of the alpha 1 (6-8 Hz) ERD decreased in the left hemisphere, whereas the amplitude of the alpha 2 (8-10 Hz) and alpha 3 (10-12 Hz) event-related desynchronization (ERD) increased in right and left parietal areas, respectively. Furthermore, the latency of the alpha ERD peak was slightly but significantly (P < 0.05) later in STM compared to control condition. In conclusion, whole-head MEG technology and very simple STM demands revealed significant changes of human neuromagnetic alpha rhythms in normal young adults.     

Respiratory evoked potentials and occlusion elicited sympathetic skin response.

INTRODUCTION: Neurophysiological study of respiratory structures usually relies upon diaphragm electromyography and phrenic nerve conduction study, which do not assess the afferent sensory pathways. OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of respiratory evoked potentials (REPs) and sympathetic skin responses (SSRs) elicited by inspiratory occlusion. METHODS: REPs and SSRs were studied in 12 healthy adults. REPs were elicited by inspiratory occlusions triggered by the physician within 1 s after the onset of a respiratory effort. They were recorded from C3, C4 and Cz needle electrodes (referenced to Fz). Each individual trial consisted of two superimposed 30-sweep averaged responses to inspiratory occlusions. SSRs were recorded from surface electrodes placed on the subject's hand and elicited by similar inspiratory occlusions. RESULTS: Reproducible REPs and SSRs were obtained in all subjects. Mean latencies of initial P1 and N1 cortical responses were 41 and 72 ms, respectively. SSRs were similar to those usually elicited by peripheral nerve electrical stimulation. CONCLUSION: Brief occlusion of inspiration induces cortical and sympathetic activation, both are easily recordable. Since REPs are considered to be the neurophysiological substrate of certain types of respiratory sensations and are altered in different chronic respiratory diseases, they, in addition to SSR, represent attractive new techniques that may provide better understanding of respiratory dysfunction.     

ERP correlates of response inhibition to elemental and configural stimuli in a negative patterning task.

OBJECTIVE: The present experiment examined the ERP correlates of response inhibition to elemental and configural Nogo stimuli in a Go/Nogo task. DESIGN AND METHODS: Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while 8 subjects completed a visual Go/Nogo task. Nogo stimuli required the inhibition of a response to stimuli that differed from Go stimuli (A+, B+) either on the basis of each of two physical features (elemental Nogo stimuli; CD-) or on the basis of the conjunction of features represented in the Go stimuli (configural Nogo stimuli; AB-). Behavioural data and ERP component measures (amplitude and latency) were analysed using analysis of variance. RESULTS: An enhanced N2 component and an enhanced fronto-centrally distributed P3 component were elicited following elemental Nogo stimuli relative to Go stimuli, consistent with a number of studies examining ERPs during Go/Nogo tasks. In contrast, an enhanced late frontal negative/parietal positive slow wave was elicited following configural Nogo stimuli relative to Go stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: These results cast doubt on the interpretation of the N2 enhancement as reflecting response inhibition processes per se. The pattern of results was interpreted as providing support for the unique cue model of learning rather than the configural model of learning and was discussed in the context of a recent model of executive functioning.     

Response priming in the Go/NoGo task: the N2 reflects neither inhibition nor conflict.

OBJECTIVES: In the Go/NoGo task, the N2 and P3 components are often thought to index response inhibition, or conflict between competing responses. If so, they should be affected by response preparation when the prediction of an informative cue is incorrect. METHODS: Twenty-six adult participants completed a cued-Go/NoGo task. Targets required a left or right button press, or no response, while cues predicted the probable identity of the target. Analyses examined (a) effects of cues on response preparation, and "inhibitory" components to NoGo targets, (b) typical Go/NoGo differences, and (c) the impact of cue (in)validity. RESULTS: A reaction time benefit was associated with valid cueing, and a cost with invalid cueing. Late CNV results indicated that participants used cue information to prepare responses, and the P3, but not the N2, showed an increase with prior preparation. Typical frontal N2 and P3 NoGo>Go effects were observed, and the P3 but not the N2 showed an Invalid>Valid effect. CONCLUSIONS: The P3, rather than the N2, reflects the inhibition of a planned response and/or the conflict between competing responses. SIGNIFICANCE: The findings suggest the need for a major review of current interpretations of the N2 and P3 in inhibitory tasks.     

The NoGo P300 'anteriorization' effect and response inhibition.

OBJECTIVE: The P300 event-related potential shows anterior P300 increases on NoGo tasks (target stimulus=withhold response) relative to Go tasks (target stimulus=commit response). This 'NoGo anteriorization' has been hypothesized to reflect response inhibition. However, silent-count tasks show similar P300 anteriorization. The P300 anteriorization on silent-count tasks relative to Go tasks cannot reflect inhibition-related processes, and questions the degree to which anteriorization observed on NoGo trials can be ascribed to response inhibition. Comparison of anteriorization between the silent-count and NoGo tasks is thus essential. P300 topography on NoGo and silent-count tasks has not been previously compared. METHODS: P300 on Go, NoGo, and silent-count auditory oddball tasks were compared. If the NoGo P300 anteriorization reflects response inhibitory processes, the NoGo P300 should be larger anteriorly than the Go P300 (overt responses) and the silent-count P300s (covert responses). If anteriorization primarily reflects negative voltage Go task motor activity that reduces the normal frontal P300 amplitude, then the Go task P300 should be smaller than both the NoGo and silent-count P300s, which should not differ from one another. RESULTS: The Go task elicited a bilaterally reduced frontal P300 and asymmetrical frontal P300 relative to both the NoGo and silent-count tasks. The NoGo task P300 and silent-count task P300 showed similar amplitude and topography. P300 and slow wave on the NoGo task were not asymmetrical. CONCLUSIONS: The increased frontal P300 in NoGo tasks cannot be attributed solely to a positive-going inhibitory process, but likely reflects negative voltage response execution processes on Go trials. However, the alternative explanation that memory-related processes increase the silent-count P300 anteriorly to the same degree as NoGo inhibitory processes cannot be ruled out.     

Improvement in response times for simple and complex tasks after electroconvulsive therapy

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has gone through fundamental changes since its introduction in 1938 and has developed from a frightening and distrusted procedure into an effective and safe treatment for people with severe psychiatric disorders. This study suggests that ECT has an effect on the response times of simple and complex tasks. METHODS: We had two groups. The first group consisted of eight patients suffering from severe therapy-resistant depression. They were treated with ECT. The second group consisted of eight sex- and age-matched persons who were treated conventionally with antidepressive medication. The authors measured auditory and visual response times of both simple and complex tasks in run A and run B on two different days. In the ECT group, the first measurement took place 1 day before a session of ECT, the second 3 h following a session of ECT. In the depressive control group, the two measurements were performed on two different days but at most within 4 days. RESULTS: The response times of the depressive subjects treated with ECT are prolonged in both run A and run B compared to those of the depressive control group. The response times in run B are reduced compared to run A on the whole. However the reduction is stronger in the ECT group than the one taking place in the depressive control group between the two runs. CONCLUSIONS: The considerable decrease of the response times from run A to run B in the ECT group compared to the depressive control group gives further evidence that ECT has a positive effect on important information processing parameters.     

Switching between simple response-sets: inferences from the lateralized readiness potential

Behavioral studies have documented that task switching incurs a longer reaction time than task repetition, and that advance cueing information about the forthcoming task reduces mean reaction time. The present study used P300 peak latency and two lateralized readiness potential (LRP) intervals--stimulus-locked and response-locked--to infer the loci of task switch and task-cueing effects and how they may interact in the basic task processing chain. Participants performed two tasks in a random order, so that on each trial they either repeated the task from the previous trial or switched to another task. In one condition, each stimulus was preceded by a cue informing participants which of the two tasks to perform; and in the other condition, each stimulus was preceded by a non-informative cue. Results indicated that both mean reaction times and the stimulus-locked LRP intervals were longer for switch than repeated trials, whereas P300 peak latencies and response-locked LRP intervals were identical for both trials. Similarly, both reaction times and the stimulus-locked LRP intervals were longer for no task-cueing than for task-cueing conditions, and P300 peak latencies and the response-locked LRP intervals were identical for both conditions. Finally, task switch and task-cueing effects appeared to be approximately additive, indicating the two factors influence distinct stage processes. We suggest that task switching resulted in prolongation of the response selection process by carry-over priming effects from the previous task, whereas task-cueing shortened the duration of the earlier process before response selection on both switch and repeated trials.