Functional significance of the emotion-related late positive potential
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1
Leiden University, Netherlands
The late positive potential (LPP) is a well-studied ERP component that is modulated by the emotional intensity of a stimulus. Although its antecedent conditions are well-mapped, its functional significance remains rather elusive. According to the perceptual enhancement hypothesis, the LPP reflects a spatially nonspecific, temporary increase in neural excitability in visual cortex, which serves to facilitate the processing of the affective stimulus that elicited the LPP. According to an alternative account, the global inhibition hypothesis, the LPP reflects the global suppression of visual cortical activity to bias the winner-takes-it-all competition in favor of the affective stimulus. To contrast these hypotheses, we conducted an ERP experiment in which we studied the relation between LPP amplitude and visual cortical excitability, as reflected by the P1/N1 ERP components evoked by a non-emotional stimulus. The P1 and N1 were reduced in amplitude during the LPP modulation elicited by unpleasant pictures. Correlation analyses indicated that this reduction was larger in participants with more pronounced LPP modulations. These results support a global inhibition hypothesis of the LPP.
Keywords:
Cognition,
EEG
Conference:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Poster Sessions: Neurophysiology of Cognition and Attention
Citation:
Brown
SB,
Van Steenbergen
H,
Band
GP,
De Rover
M and
Nieuwenhuis
S
(2011). Functional significance of the emotion-related late positive potential.
Conference Abstract:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00433
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Received:
24 Nov 2011;
Published Online:
28 Nov 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Stephen B Brown, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands, stephen.brown@rdc.ab.ca