Extended Cognitive Load Induces Fast Neural Responses Leading to Commission Errors

Taddeini, Fabio; Avvenuti, Giulia; Vergani, Alberto Arturo; Carpaneto, Jacopo; Setti, Francesca; Bergamo, Damiana; Fiorini, Linda; Pietrini, Pietro; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Bernardi, Giulio; Mazzoni, Alberto · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0354-24.2024

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Summary

This study investigates the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying cognitive fatigue, specifically how extended performance of cognitively demanding tasks impairs impulse control. While cognitive fatigue is known to deteriorate behavioral performance, the specific cortical alterations driving this instability remain poorly understood. The authors hypothesized that fatigue does not merely cause a uniform decline in performance but induces distinct response modalities with unique electrophysiological signatures. To test this, they compared the effects of high cognitive demand (HCD) tasks versus low cognitive demand (LCD) tasks on subsequent response inhibition performance and electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The experimental design involved 25 healthy adults who completed two counterbalanced sessions. In each session, participants performed a baseline Go/NoGo task, followed by a 45-minute block of either HCD tasks (requiring emotion suppression, false responding, and incongruent Stroop trials) or LCD tasks (modified versions requiring minimal self-control), and a final post-task Go/NoGo assessment. High-density EEG was recorded throughout to analyze event-related potentials (ERPs) and spectral power. Behavioral metrics included commission errors (failed inhibitions), hits (correct responses), and reaction times (RTs). The results demonstrated that HCD tasks significantly increased commission errors and decreased overall reaction times, whereas LCD tasks led to a decrease in hits, suggesting reduced engagement rather than impulsivity. Crucially, the reduction in RTs after HCD was driven by an increase in "Fast Trials" (RT < 200 ms). These fast responses were strongly correlated with commission errors. EEG analysis revealed that Fast Trials were characterized by lower prestimulus beta-band activity (13–30 Hz) and a distinct lack of frontal preresponse ERP markers typically associated with controlled processing. In contrast, Standard Trials exhibited clear frontal preresponse activity. Additionally, HCD tasks reduced the N200 component during correct withholds, while LCD tasks reduced the P300 component. The study concludes that extended cognitive load induces a shift in response strategy, leading to the emergence of fast, automatic responses that bypass standard preresponse cortical processing. This shift manifests as increased commission errors, distinct from the disengagement observed after low-demand tasks. These findings suggest that cognitive fatigue alters the activation modalities of key task-related areas, creating two distinct response types with different processing speeds and neural underpinnings. This provides a mechanistic explanation for behavioral instability under fatigue, highlighting the role of impaired frontal preresponse processing in impulsive errors.

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• neuro workload indices

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• Empirical Findings: physiological data