The goal-directed control of behaviour critically depends on emotional regulation and constitutes the basis of mental well-being and social interactions. Within a socioemotional setting, it is necessary to prioritize effectively the relevant emotional information over interfering irrelevant emotional information to orchestrate cognitive resources and achieve appropriate behavior. Currently, it is elusive whether and how different socioemotional stimulus dimensions modulate cognitive control and conflict resolution. Theoretical considerations suggest that interference effects are less detrimental when conflicting emotional information is presented within a "positive socioemotional setting" compared with a "negative socioemotional setting." Using event-related potentials (ERPs) and source localization methods, we examined the basic system neurophysiological mechanisms and functional neuroanatomical structures associated with interactive effects of different interfering facial, socioemotional stimulus dimensions on conflict resolution. We account for interactive effects of different interfering socioemotional stimulus dimensions on conflict resolution, i.e., we show how the socioemotional valence modulates cognitive control (conflict processing). The data show that conflicts are stronger and more difficult to resolve in a negative emotional task-relevant setting than in a positive emotional task-relevant setting, where incongruent information barely induced conflicts. The degree of emotional conflict critically depends on the contextual emotional valence (positive or negative) in which this conflict occurs. The neurophysiological data show that these modulations were only reflected by late-stage conflict resolution processes associated with the middle (MFG) and superior frontal gyrus (SFG). Attentional selection processes and early-stage conflict monitoring do not seem to be modulated by interactive effects of different interfering socioemotional stimulus dimensions on conflict resolution.

• Keywords
• Conflict processing, EEG, Emotions, Faces, Source localization,
• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Emotions physiology   MeSH
• Evoked Potentials physiology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Brain Mapping * MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Attention physiology   MeSH
• Negotiating psychology   MeSH
• Facial Expression MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Response inhibition mechanisms are mediated via cortical and subcortical networks. At the cortical level, the superior frontal gyrus, including the supplementary motor area (SMA) and inferior frontal areas, is important. There is an ongoing debate about the functional roles of these structures during response inhibition as it is unclear whether these structures process different codes or contents of information during response inhibition. In the current study, we examined this question with a focus on theta frequency oscillations during response inhibition processes. We used a standard Go/Nogo task in a sample of human participants and combined different EEG signal decomposition methods with EEG beamforming approaches. The results suggest that stimulus coding during inhibitory control is attained by oscillations in the upper theta frequency band (∼7 Hz). In contrast, response selection codes during inhibitory control appear to be attained by the lower theta frequency band (∼4 Hz). Importantly, these different codes seem to be processed in distinct functional neuroanatomical structures. Although the SMA may process stimulus codes and response selection codes, the inferior frontal cortex may selectively process response selection codes during inhibitory control. Taken together, the results suggest that different entities within the functional neuroanatomical network associated with response inhibition mechanisms process different kinds of codes during inhibitory control. These codes seem to be reflected by different oscillations within the theta frequency band. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5681-5690, 2017. © 2017 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

• Keywords
• EEG, beamforming, inferior frontal cortex, inhibitory control, neural oscillations, signal decomposition, supplementary motor area,
• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Evoked Potentials MeSH
• Inhibition, Psychological * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Motor Skills physiology   MeSH
• Neuropsychological Tests MeSH
• Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted MeSH
• Prefrontal Cortex physiology   MeSH
• Reaction Time MeSH
• Theta Rhythm * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Motor inhibitory control is a central executive function, but only recently the importance of perceptual mechanisms for these processes has been focused. It is elusive whether basic mechanisms governing sensory perception affect motor inhibitory control. We examine whether sensory lateral inhibition (LI) processes modulate motor inhibitory control using a system neurophysiological approach combining EEG signal decomposition with source localization methods in a somatosensory GO/NOGO task. The results show that inter-individual variations in the strength of LI effects predominantly affect processes when information needs to be integrated between cerebral hemispheres. If information needs to be integrated between hemispheres, strong sensory suppression will lead to more impulsive errors. Importantly, the neurophysiological data suggest that not purely perceptual or motor processes are affected. Rather, LI affects the response selection level and modulates processes of stimulus categorization. This is associated with activity modulations in the posterior parietal cortex. The results suggest that when sensory suppression is high and when information needs to be integrated across hemispheres, these processes are less efficient, which likely leads to worse motor inhibitory control. The results show how basis principles modulating perceptual processes affect subsequent motor inhibitory control processes.

• MeSH
• Analysis of Variance MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Electroencephalography MeSH
• Evoked Potentials MeSH
• Executive Function * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Cerebral Cortex physiology   MeSH
• Motor Activity * MeSH
• Psychomotor Performance * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Due to the high intra-individual variability in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), there may be considerable bias in knowledge about altered neurophysiological processes underlying executive dysfunctions in patients with different ADHD subtypes. When aiming to establish dimensional cognitive-neurophysiological constructs representing symptoms of ADHD as suggested by the initiative for Research Domain Criteria, it is crucial to consider such processes independent of variability. We examined patients with the predominantly inattentive subtype (attention deficit disorder, ADD) and the combined subtype of ADHD (ADHD-C) in a flanker task measuring conflict control. Groups were matched for task performance. Besides using classic event-related potential (ERP) techniques and source localization, neurophysiological data was also analyzed using residue iteration decomposition (RIDE) to statistically account for intra-individual variability and S-LORETA to estimate the sources of the activations. The analysis of classic ERPs related to conflict monitoring revealed no differences between patients with ADD and ADHD-C. When individual variability was accounted for, clear differences became apparent in the RIDE C-cluster (analog to the P3 ERP-component). While patients with ADD distinguished between compatible and incompatible flanker trials early on, patients with ADHD-C seemed to employ more cognitive resources overall. These differences are reflected in inferior parietal areas. The study demonstrates differences in neuronal mechanisms related to response selection processes between ADD and ADHD-C which, according to source localization, arise from the inferior parietal cortex. Importantly, these differences could only be detected when accounting for intra-individual variability. The results imply that it is very likely that differences in neurophysiological processes between ADHD subtypes are underestimated and have not been recognized because intra-individual variability in neurophysiological data has not sufficiently been taken into account.

• Keywords
• ADD, ADHD-C, conflict processing, event-related potentials, residue iteration decomposition,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH