Individual peak alpha frequency does not index individual differences in inhibitory cognitive control

Busch, Nuno; Geyer, Thomas; Zinchenko, Artyom · 2024 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14586

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Summary

This study investigates whether individual peak alpha frequency (IAF), a resting-state EEG marker previously linked to various cognitive functions, predicts individual differences in inhibitory cognitive control. While IAF has been associated with memory, attention, and processing speed, its relationship with conflict processing remained unexplored. The authors aimed to test the hypothesis that IAF indexes the ability to spontaneously exert cognitive control, while also examining the roles of resting-state alpha and theta power and the aperiodic 1/f offset of broadband activity. The researchers analyzed data from 127 healthy participants using two established conflict tasks: the Stroop task, which assesses response inhibition, and the Navon task, which measures perceptual control. Cognitive control was quantified using congruency effects on reaction time, accuracy, and inverse efficiency scores. Resting-state EEG was recorded with eyes closed and open. The analysis employed Bayesian statistics to evaluate the evidence for or against associations between IAF, band power, 1/f offset, and behavioral performance. The study controlled for potential confounds by including alpha and theta power and 1/f offset in the models, ensuring that any observed effects were not driven by these overlapping spectral features. The results provided substantial evidence against the assumption that IAF predicts individual abilities in inhibitory cognitive control. No significant relationships were found between IAF and performance in either the Stroop or Navon tasks. Similarly, the analysis yielded substantial evidence against links between cognitive control and resting-state power in the alpha and theta bands, as well as between cognitive control and the aperiodic 1/f offset. These findings were consistent across both tasks and multiple behavioral metrics, challenging previous frameworks that suggest resting-state oscillatory characteristics mirror an individual's capacity for attentional control. The significance of this work lies in its challenge to the notion that IAF serves as a broad marker for executive functions, specifically inhibitory control. By demonstrating a lack of association using robust Bayesian methods and controlling for confounding spectral features, the authors argue that the ability to spontaneously engage attentional control networks is not reflected in these specific resting-state EEG traits. This refines the understanding of IAF's functional role, suggesting its predictive value may be limited to other cognitive domains such as memory or processing speed, rather than conflict resolution.

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• executive function