Neural oscillatory responses to performance monitoring differ between high- and low-impulsive individuals, but are unaffected by TMS

• Main Authors: Barth, B. (Author), Deppermann, S. (Author), Ehlis, A.-C (Author), Fallgatter, A.J (Author), Rohe, T. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: John Wiley and Sons Inc 2021
• Subjects: adult; Adult; article; attention; Attention; brain cortex; Cerebral Cortex; clinical article; controlled study; double blind procedure; Double-Blind Method; drug efficacy; electroencephalogram; electroencephalography; Electroencephalography; executive function; Executive Function; female; Female; frequency analysis; human; human experiment; Humans; Impulsive Behavior; impulsiveness; impulsivity; intertrial phase coherence; male; Male; performance monitoring; physiology; psychomotor performance; Psychomotor Performance; randomized controlled trial; reaction time; Reaction Time; single-trial phase behavior coupling; theta rhythm; Theta Rhythm; time-frequency analysis; transcranial magnetic stimulation; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; young adult; Young Adult
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Higher impulsivity may arise from neurophysiological deficits of cognitive control in the prefrontal cortex. Cognitive control can be assessed by time-frequency decompositions of electrophysiological data. We aimed to clarify neuroelectric mechanisms of performance monitoring in connection with impulsiveness during a modified Eriksen flanker task in high- (n = 24) and low-impulsive subjects (n = 21) and whether these are modulated by double-blind, sham-controlled intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS). We found a larger error-specific peri-response beta power decrease over fronto-central sites in high-impulsive compared to low-impulsive participants, presumably indexing less effective motor execution processes. Lower parieto-occipital theta intertrial phase coherence (ITPC) preceding correct responses predicted higher reaction time (RT) and higher RT variability, potentially reflecting efficacy of cognitive control or general attention. Single-trial preresponse theta phase clustering was coupled to RT in correct trials (weighted ITPC), reflecting oscillatory dynamics that predict trial-specific behavior. iTBS did not modulate behavior or EEG time-frequency power. Performance monitoring was associated with time-frequency patterns reflecting cognitive control (parieto-occipital theta ITPC, theta weighted ITPC) as well as differential action planning/execution processes linked to trait impulsivity (frontal low beta power). Beyond that, results suggest no stimulation effect related to response-locked time-frequency dynamics with the current stimulation protocol. Neural oscillatory responses to performance monitoring differ between high- and low-impulsive individuals, but are unaffected by iTBS. © 2021 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.