Task prioritization modulates alpha, theta and beta EEG dynamics reflecting proactive cognitive control

Liegel, Nathalie; Schneider, Daniel; Wascher, Edmund; Arnau, Stefan · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19158-9

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Summary

This study investigates how task prioritization modulates neural dynamics associated with proactive cognitive control. While previous research often utilized unspecific effort allocation paradigms, such as monetary incentives, this work focuses on specific effort allocation where participants must prioritize one task over another within a complex, multi-tasking scenario. The authors aimed to determine whether task prioritization affects cognitive control at a superordinate level (between tasks) or a within-task level (specific processes within a task), and whether it primarily influences proactive (preparatory) or reactive (corrective) control mechanisms. Twenty-eight participants performed a nested experimental design combining a working memory task with a cued number classification task. During the retention interval of the working memory task, participants classified a digit as either larger/smaller than five or odd/even. A retrospective cue indicated which of the two working memory items to recall. Crucially, a relevance cue at the start of each trial indicated which of the two concurrent tasks (working memory or number classification) was more important. Feedback scores weighted performance in the prioritized task three times higher than the non-prioritized task, incentivizing specific effort allocation without changing the total potential reward per trial. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded to analyze oscillatory dynamics, multivariate pattern decoding, and hemispheric alpha asymmetries. Behavioral results confirmed that participants adjusted their performance based on task importance: they responded faster in the number classification task and with greater accuracy (smaller degree deviations) in the working memory task when those respective tasks were prioritized. EEG mass-univariate analysis revealed that task prioritization significantly modulated theta (2–7 Hz) and beta (7–20 Hz) oscillations, predominantly during the preparatory interval following the relevance cue. Specifically, oscillatory activity was stronger when the number classification task was prioritized. However, multivariate pattern analysis showed that while the specific number classification rules were decodable from the EEG signal, decoding accuracy did not differ between prioritized and non-prioritized conditions. Similarly, hemispheric alpha power asymmetries reflecting attentional shifts within working memory did not depend on task importance. The findings suggest that task prioritization primarily affects proactive cognitive control on a superordinate level rather than modulating within-task attentional processes. The modulation of theta and beta oscillations during the preparatory phase indicates that the brain allocates cognitive resources in anticipation of the prioritized task, aligning with the Expected Value of Control theory. The lack of effect on within-task decoding and alpha asymmetries implies that while prioritization enhances general preparatory control mechanisms, it does not necessarily sharpen the neural representation of specific task rules or spatial attention shifts within the tasks themselves. This distinction clarifies the neural mechanisms underlying voluntary effort allocation in complex environments.

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• task switching