Using EEG source analysis to understand changes to neural processing of inhibitory control in healthy ageing
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1
Griffith University, Australia
Aims
Electroencephalography (EEG) is the leading imaging technique to measure temporary fluctuations in neural activity. Used to assess changes in healthy ageing, older adults have often been shown to have a reduced amplitude compared to young adults. Rather than being deficient in neural resources, it may be that there is an age-related change in strategy with an emphasis at differing stages of processing. The current study has used EEG source analysis to measure age-related changes in neural processing of cognitive inhibition.
Method
Behavioural (RT and error rate) and EEG data of 23 young, 23 middle and 23 older adults was compared on a Negative Priming (NP) cognitive inhibition task. EEG was compared between the age groups using both event-related potentials (ERPs) and distributed source analysis (CLARA).
Results
There were no age-related differences on the behavioural measures. ERPs showed that middle and older adults had greater amplitude than young adults during the early N1 (140-180ms, p<.001) and late FP600 (400-600ms, p=.003). Young adults had a greater amplitude than middle and older adults during the P3 (250-350ms, p<.001). Source analysis estimated that middle and older adults generated greater neural activity in the ACC during the N1 compared to young adults, but reduced ACC activity during the P3. During the FP600 middle and older adults generated more activity in the ACC and MFG than young adults, while young adults had greater activity in posterior regions.
Conclusions
The data from this study suggest that while there was no age-related difference in behavioural performance on the cognitive inhibition task, there were significant differences in the underlying neural activity. It may be that middle and older adults invest more neural resources into the early processing of the target information and less activity to the mid stage of response selection, reflecting an alternative strategy in order to achieve the same level of performance.
Keywords:
cognitive control,
EEG source analysis,
neural processing,
Cognitive Inhibition,
ageing (aging)
Conference:
Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Inc, Coffs Harbour, Australia, 26 Nov - 28 Nov, 2014.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Psychophysiology
Citation:
Spokes
T,
Cutmore
T and
Shum
D
(2014). Using EEG source analysis to understand changes to neural processing of inhibitory control in healthy ageing.
Conference Abstract:
Australasian Society for Psychophysiology, Inc.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2014.216.00010
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Received:
22 Oct 2014;
Published Online:
02 Dec 2014.
*
Correspondence:
Ms. Tara Spokes, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, t.spokes@griffith.edu.au