Response processing during visual search in normal aging: The need for more time to prevent cross talk between spatial attention and manual response selection

Amenedo, Elena; Laura Lorenzo‐López; Pazo-Álvarez, Paula · 2012 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.06.004

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Summary

This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying age-related behavioral slowing in visual search tasks, specifically determining whether delays stem from deficits in attentional allocation, motor response selection, or both. While previous research established that older adults are slower in visual search, it remained unclear if this reflected impaired spatial attention or inefficient motor preparation. The authors utilized event-related potentials (ERPs) to dissociate these processes, examining attention-related components (N2pc and N2cc) and response-related motor components (Motor Potential [MP] and Reafferent Potential [RAP]) in healthy young and older adults. The experiment involved 13 young and 17 older participants performing a visual search task where they detected an orientation-defined target among distractors. Participants pressed specific buttons to indicate target presence or absence, requiring them to inhibit responses biased by the target’s spatial location. EEG data were recorded and analyzed to measure the latency and amplitude of the N2pc (indexing spatial attention shifts), N2cc (indexing the prevention of cross-talk between attention and response selection), MP (indexing motor preparation), and RAP (indexing sensory-motor integration). Behavioral metrics included reaction times (RTs) and hit rates. Behavioral results confirmed that older adults exhibited significantly slower RTs and lower accuracy than young adults. Electrophysiologically, older participants showed longer latencies for both N2pc and N2cc, indicating delayed allocation of spatial attention and delayed inhibition of spatially biased responses. The N2pc amplitude was also reduced in older adults. Regarding motor processing, older adults displayed earlier MP onsets, longer MP rise times, and higher MP amplitudes, suggesting that they require earlier, more prolonged, and higher cortical activation to prepare correct motor responses. Additionally, older adults exhibited significantly lower RAP amplitudes, pointing to deficient sensory-motor integration during movement execution. Partial correlations revealed that slower RTs were associated with longer N2cc latencies and higher MP amplitudes, while higher accuracy correlated with earlier MP latencies and shorter rise times. The findings indicate that age-related slowing in visual search is not solely due to attentional deficits but also involves significant changes in motor processing. Older adults need more time to allocate attention and prevent response biases, and they rely on heightened and prolonged motor cortical activation to execute responses correctly. The reduced RAP amplitude further suggests impaired sensory-motor integration in aging. These results highlight that successful performance in older adults requires compensatory mechanisms in both attentional and motor systems, providing a comprehensive neural explanation for behavioral slowing in complex cognitive-motor tasks.

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• visual search