Cognitive flexibility and N2/P3 event-related brain potentials

Kopp, Bruno; Steinke, Alexander; Visalli, Antonino · 2020 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66781-5

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Summary

This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive flexibility, specifically testing the domain hypothesis (DH) which posits that separable neural networks govern stimulus-related and response-related cognitive interference. The authors utilized a cued card-matching task to isolate these components by manipulating the eligibility of stimulus features and previous responses. The primary objective was to determine if distinct event-related potentials (ERPs) correspond to these separate sources of switch costs, thereby providing neural evidence for the DH. The experimental design involved 36 participants performing a task where they matched cards based on either color or shape. The study employed a factorial design manipulating task sequence (repeat vs. switch), competitor-task eligibility (CTE), and previous response eligibility (PRE). This allowed the researchers to dissociate switch costs arising from task-irrelevant stimulus features (stimulus-set bindings) from those arising from previously executed responses (response-set bindings). EEG data were recorded and analyzed using the Residue Iteration Decomposition (RIDE) method to correct for latency variability, alongside mass univariate statistical approaches to avoid circular analysis. Behavioral results confirmed that both stimulus-task and response-task bindings contribute to switch costs. ERP analysis revealed distinct neural correlates for these costs. Cue-locked ERPs showed larger anterior negativity and posterior positivity for switch cues compared to repeat cues. Crucially, target-locked ERPs demonstrated that stimulus-related switch costs were associated with fronto-centrally distributed P3 waveforms. In contrast, N2 waveforms with fronto-central distributions emerged when both stimulus-task and response-task bindings jointly contributed to switch costs. These findings align with previous work suggesting that stimulus interference modulates P3 components, while response interference modulates N2 components. The significance of this study lies in its support for the domain hypothesis of cognitive flexibility. By demonstrating separable ERP correlates for stimulus- and response-related switch costs, the authors provide evidence for distinct neural networks handling these different types of cognitive interference. The use of the eligibility framework allowed for a precise dissection of switch cost components, confirming that residual switch costs are not monolithic but arise from specific, dissociable sources. This contributes to a more nuanced understanding of executive control and the neural basis of task switching.

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• task switching