Individual differences in anticipatory mu rhythm modulation are associated with executive function and processing speed
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Individual differences in anticipatory mu rhythm modulation are associated with executive function and processing speed Staci Meredith Weiss 1 & Rebecca N. Laconi 1 & Peter J. Marshall 1
# The Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2020
Abstract There is increasing interest in the role of brain oscillations in the regulation and control of behavior. The current study examined the relations between specific cognitive abilities and changes in brain oscillatory activity during anticipation of, and in response to, tactile stimulation of the hand. The oscillation of interest was the sensorimotor mu rhythm (8-14 Hz) at central electrode sites. The electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded during a task in which a visuospatial cue directed adults (N = 40) that a tactile stimulus would be delivered to their left or right hand. Lateralized changes in mu power following tactile stimulation were associated with reaction time to the tactile stimulus. The extent of a contralateral anticipatory reduction in mu power during the 500 ms before the tactile stimulus was associated with performance on a separate processing speed task. Changes in ipsilateral mu power during anticipation of the tactile stimulus were associated with performance on a flanker task and were marginally correlated with performance on a card sort task. Regression analyses further indicated the specificity of these relations to anticipatory changes in mu power. In summary, mu rhythm modulation during anticipation of tactile stimulation to a specific bodily location was related to a broad measure of processing speed and to variability in the broader ability to regulate behavior in a goal-directed manner. Implications are discussed in terms of the foundational role of anticipatory attention in cognitive processes and the utility of selective attention to the body as an index of attentional control more broadly. Keywords Attention . Regulation . Executive function . Tactile . Alpha . Mu rhythm
Introduction Neuroimaging studies have shed light on how anticipation of an expected stimulus is associated with specific patterns of cortical activity, including activation of primary sensory cortices (Corbetta et al., 2000; Nobre & van Ede, 2018). Such anticipatory responses reflect the deployment of attention in a proactive, selective manner in expectation of an upcoming sensation. In turn, it has been suggested that the ability to direct attention to sensations in a specific and selective manner may foster control of attention and action more broadly (Jha, Krompinger, & Baime, 2007). Individual differences in cortical activity during anticipation may explain critical variability in behavioral responses (Buzsaki, 2006; Lopes da Silva, 2013).
* Staci Meredith Weiss [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, Temple University, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
In experimental settings, when the presentation of a visual, auditory, or tactile target is preceded by a stimulus-relevant cue, participants demonstrate more accurate responses and faster reaction tim
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