One-year developmental stability and covariance among oddball, novelty, go/no-go, and flanker event-related potentials in adolescence: A monozygotic twin study

Registered replication report of the construct validity of the error-related negativity (ERN): A multi-site study of task-specific ERN correlations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Intact cognitive control is critical for goal-directed behavior and is widely studied using the error-related negativity (ERN). A common assumption in such studies is that ERNs recorded during different experimental paradigms reflect the same construct or functionally equivalent processes and that ERN is functionally distinct from other error-monitoring event-related brain potentials (ERPs; error positivity [Pe]), other neurophysiological indices of cognitive control (N2), and even other theoretically unrelated indices (visual N1). The present registered report represents a replication-plus-extension study of the psychometric validity of cognitive control ERPs and evaluated the convergent and divergent validity of ERN, Pe, N2, and visual N1 recorded during flanker, Stroop, and Go/no-go tasks. Data from 182 participants were collected from two study sites, and ERP psychometric reliability and validity were evaluated. Findings supported replication of convergent and divergent validity of ERN, Pe, and ΔPe (error minus correct)-these ERPs correlated more with themselves across tasks than with other ERPs measured during the same task. Convergent validity of ΔERN across tasks was not replicated, despite high internal consistency. ERN strongly correlated with N2 at levels similar or higher than those in support of convergent validity for other ERPs, and the present study failed to provide evidence of divergent validity for ERN and Pe from N2 or N1. ERN and ΔERN were unrelated to internalizing or externalizing symptoms. Findings underscore the importance of considering the psychometric validity of ERPs, as it provides a foundation for interpreting and comparing ERPs across tasks and studies.

Intergenerational transmission of cognitive control capacity among children at risk for depression

A maternal history of major depressive disorder (MDD) is a well-known risk factor for depression in offspring. However, the mechanism through which familial risk is transmitted remains unclear. Cognitive control alterations are common in MDD, and thus, the current study investigated whether altered control capacity is transmitted intergenerationally, and whether it then contributes to the developmental pathways through which depression is passed from mothers to children. We recruited children (N = 65) ages 4-10-years-old, of which 47.7 % (n = 31) reported a maternal history of MDD, and their biological mother (N = 65). Children performed a child-friendly Go/NoGo task while electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded, and mothers performed a Flanker task. Children exhibited heightened sensitivity to error versus correct responses, which was characterized by an error-related negativity (ERN), error positivity (Pe) as well as prominent delta and frontal midline theta (FMT) oscillations. Interestingly, worse maternal performance on the Flanker task associated with an increased Go/NoGo error rate and a smaller ERN and Pe in children. However, there was no association between maternal or child control indices with child depression symptoms. Our results suggest a familial influence of cognitive control capacity in mother-child dyads, but it remains unclear whether this confers risk for depressive symptoms in children. Further research is necessary to determine whether alterations in cognitive control over time may influence symptom development in at-risk children.

Neurobehavioral maturation of motor response inhibition in adolescence - A narrative review

Immature motor response inhibition in adolescence is considered contributory to adolescent risk-taking and externalizing behaviors. We review studies reporting age-related variations in motor response inhibition and MRI measurements from typically-developing adolescents. Reviewed studies measured response inhibition using one of three tasks-the Stop Signal Task, Go/No-Go, and Antisaccade Task. Task reliability appears to be particularly strong for the SST. Across tasks and study designs, results indicate that inhibitory control improves markedly through early adolescence. The trajectory of change in later adolescence and into young adulthood (i.e., linear or plateauing) varies depending on the task design. Neuroimaging studies identify adult-like response inhibition networks that are involved in behavioral development. The pros and cons of each task are discussed, including recommendations to guide future studies. Ongoing studies in large longitudinal datasets offer opportunities for further exploration of the shape of change in response inhibition, related neural regions, and associations with other affective and cognitive processes to identify potential impacts of motor response inhibition immaturities or individual differences on adolescent risk-taking behaviors.

Maternal Error-Related Negativity Relationship With Offspring Error-Related Negativity and Negative Parenting Styles: A Novel Model of Internalizing Psychopathology Risk

BACKGROUND

Enhanced error-related negativity (ERN), an event-related potential component reflecting neural sensitivity to errors and threat, has been theorized to represent an endophenotype of internalizing psychopathologies (IPs). We tested whether intergenerational transmission of ERN patterns may confer risk for internalizing symptoms. We examined associations among maternal and offspring ERN and offspring internalizing symptoms. Given the role of parenting in IP risk, we also explored how maternal negative parenting styles related to maternal ERN and offspring internalizing symptoms.

METHODS

Participants included 117 biological mother-child dyads (ages 9-16 years, 70.9% female). Of these, 72 mothers had a history of major depression (32 with lifetime anxiety), and 45 had no history of psychiatric illness. Dyads completed psychiatric interviews, parenting questionnaires, and a flanker task to elicit the ERN while an electroencephalogram was recorded.

RESULTS

Path analyses revealed that maternal ERN was significantly associated with enhanced offspring ERN and greater negative parenting styles. Enhanced offspring ERN and maternal negative parenting styles were significantly related to greater internalizing symptoms in offspring. Maternal ERN had a significant indirect effect on offspring internalizing symptoms through offspring ERN and maternal negative parenting styles, above the effects of self-reported maternal internalizing symptoms. Maternal IP history did not moderate pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

Study findings suggest that enhanced maternal ERN is indirectly associated with greater offspring internalizing symptoms through its relationship to offspring ERN and negative parenting styles. Future longitudinal work is needed to evaluate the temporal timing and directionality of these tested pathways and their clinical implications for the prevention of IPs.

Reprint of: Using a co-twin control design to evaluate alternative trait measures as indices of liability for substance use disorders

To establish a trait-dispositional variable as an indicator of liability for the development of substance use disorders (SUDs), the trait must share heritable variance with SUDs and its association should not be primarily attributable to a direct impact of SUDs on characteristics that define the trait. The current work applied a co-twin control (CTC) modeling approach to data from two monozygotic twin samples to investigate the degree to which different measures of trait-impulsiveness represent indicants of vulnerability to SUDs (liability indicators), or outcomes or concomitants of SUDs (exposure indicators). The Five Factor Model (FFM) trait of conscientiousness was assessed via self-report, and a counterpart neurobehavioral trait of disinhibition was assessed both through self-report and using self-report and brain response measures combined. FFM trait data were available for one twin sample (N = 298); data for variants of P3 brain response were available along with a scale measure of disinhibition in the other (N = 258). CTC analyses revealed only an exposure effect of SUD symptomatology on FFM conscientiousness, indicating that this self-report assessed trait does not index liability for SUDs. By contrast, the disinhibition scale measure showed pronounced liability and weaker exposure-based associations with SUDs - and when quantified using scale scores together with P3 brain response, the exposure-based association was eliminated, such that this disinhibition measure related to SUD symptoms exclusively as a function of liability influences. These findings highlight a distinct advantage of quantifying traits in neurobehavioral terms - namely, the capacity to effectively index dispositional liability for psychopathological outcomes.

Neurophysiological markers of ADHD symptoms in typically-developing children

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are characterized by symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Neurophysiological correlates of ADHD include changes in the P3 component of event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Motivated by recent advances towards a more dimensional understanding of ADHD, we investigate whether ADHD-related ERP markers relate to continuous variations in attention and executive functioning also in typically-developing children. ERPs were measured while 31 school children (9-11 years) completed an adapted version of the Continuous Performance Task that additionally to inhibitory processes also isolates effects of physical stimulus salience. Children with higher levels of parent-reported ADHD symptoms did not differ in task performance, but exhibited smaller P3 amplitudes related to stimulus salience. Furthermore, ADHD symptoms were associated with the variability of neural responses over time: Children with higher levels of ADHD symptoms demonstrated lower variability in inhibition- and salience-related P3 amplitudes. No effects were observed for ERP latencies and the salience-related N2. By demonstrating that ADHD-associated neurophysiological mechanisms of inhibition and salience processing covary with attention and executive functioning in a children community sample, our study provides neurophysiological support for dimensional models of ADHD. Also, temporal variability in event-related potentials is highlighted as additional indicator of ADHD requiring further investigation.

Using a co-twin control design to evaluate alternative trait measures as indices of liability for substance use disorders

To establish a trait-dispositional variable as an indicator of liability for the development of substance use disorders (SUDs), the trait must share heritable variance with SUDs and its association should not be primarily attributable to a direct impact of SUDs on characteristics that define the trait. The current work applied a co-twin control (CTC) modeling approach to data from two monozygotic twin samples to investigate the degree to which different measures of trait-impulsiveness represent indicants of vulnerability to SUDs (liability indicators), or outcomes or concomitants of SUDs (exposure indicators). The Five Factor Model (FFM) trait of conscientiousness was assessed via self-report, and a counterpart neurobehavioral trait of disinhibition was assessed both through self-report and using self-report and brain response measures combined. FFM trait data were available for one twin sample (N = 298); data for variants of P3 brain response were available along with a scale measure of disinhibition in the other (N = 258). CTC analyses revealed only an exposure effect of SUD symptomatology on FFM conscientiousness, indicating that this self-report assessed trait does not index liability for SUDs. By contrast, the disinhibition scale measure showed pronounced liability and weaker exposure-based associations with SUDs - and when quantified using scale scores together with P3 brain response, the exposure-based association was eliminated, such that this disinhibition measure related to SUD symptoms exclusively as a function of liability influences. These findings highlight a distinct advantage of quantifying traits in neurobehavioral terms - namely, the capacity to effectively index dispositional liability for psychopathological outcomes.

Incorporating neurophysiological measures into clinical assessments: Fundamental challenges and a strategy for addressing them

Recent scientific initiatives have called for increased use of neurobiological variables in clinical and other applied assessments. However, the task of incorporating neural measures into psychological assessments entails significant methodological challenges that have not been effectively addressed to date. As a result, neurophysiological measures remain underutilized in clinical and applied assessments, and formal procedures for integrating such measures with report-based measures are lacking. In this article, we discuss major methodological issues that have impeded progress in this direction, and propose a systematic research strategy for integrating neurophysiological measures into psychological assessment protocols. The strategy we propose is an iterative psychoneurometric approach that provides a means to establish multimethod (MM) measurement models for core biobehavioral traits that influence functioning across diverse areas of life. We provide a detailed illustration of a MM model for one such trait, inhibitory control (inhibition-disinhibition), and highlight work being done to develop counterpart models for other biobehavioral traits (i.e., threat sensitivity, reward sensitivity, affiliative capacity). We discuss how these measurement models can be refined and extended through use of already existing data sets, and outline steps that can be taken to establish norms for MM assessments and optimize the feasibility of their use in everyday practice. We believe this model-oriented strategy can provide a viable pathway toward effective use of neurophysiological measures in routine clinical assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Punishment has a persistent effect on error-related brain activity in highly anxious individuals twenty-four hours after conditioning

The ability to detect and respond to errors, and to subsequently recruit cognitive control to remediate those errors, is critical to successful adaptation in a changing environment. However, there is also evidence that, for anxious individuals, this error signal is enhanced, highlighting affective and motivational influences on error monitoring. These individual differences arise as a function of both genetic influences and learning experiences. In this study, we examined punishment-based modulation of the error-related negativity (ERN) in high and low anxious individuals across two days. Twenty-two low- and 25 high-anxious participants performed a Flanker task in a standard and punishment condition in three phases (Day one: acquisition and extinction 1, Day two: extinction 2). During the acquisition phase, errors in one condition were punished by a loud noise. This was followed by an immediate extinction phase (extinction 1), during which errors were no longer punished, and an identical extinction phase 24 h later (extinction 2). Only high anxious individuals showed increased ERN amplitudes in the punishment compared to the standard condition. This effect was not modulated by phase and was observed across acquisition and both extinction phases, such that anxious individuals appeared not to learn that the threat value of formerly-punished errors had changed in the course of the experiment. These data suggest that environmental factors (i.e., punishment) can have a persistent effect on the magnitude of the ERN, particularly for anxious individuals. This may point to a pathogenic mechanism linking learning experiences with the development of overactive error-monitoring in anxiety.

Reduced premovement positivity during the stimulus-response interval precedes errors: Using single-trial and regression ERPs to understand performance deficits in ADHD

Brain mechanisms linked to incorrect response selections made under time pressure during cognitive task performance are poorly understood, particularly in adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using subject-specific multimodal imaging (electroencephalogram, magnetic resonance imaging, behavior) during flanker task performance by a sample of 94 human adolescents (mean age = 15.5 years, 50% female) with varying degrees of ADHD symptomatology, we examined the degree to which amplitude features of source-resolved event-related potentials (ERPs) from brain-independent component processes within a critical (but often ignored) period in the action selection process, the stimulus-response interval, were associated with motor response errors (across trials) and error rates (across individuals). Response errors were typically preceded by two smaller peaks in both trial-level and trial-averaged ERP projections from posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC): a frontocentral P3 peaking about 390 ms after stimulus onset, and a premovement positivity (PMP) peaking about 110 ms before the motor response. Separating overlapping stimulus-locked and response-locked ERP contributions using a "regression ERP" approach showed that trial errors and participant error rates were primarily associated with smaller PMP, and not with frontocentral P3. Moreover, smaller PMP mediated the association between larger numbers of errors and ADHD symptoms, suggesting the possible value of using PMP as an intervention target to remediate performance deficits in ADHD.

Craving and substance use: Examining psychophysiological and behavioral moderators

Theories of substance use have emphasized the role of craving and inhibitory control in continued use, yet few studies have examined the interplay between momentary craving and inhibitory control in predicting illicit drug use in everyday life. The primary goal of this study was to examine whether individual differences in inhibitory control, indexed by laboratory-assessed electrophysiology and behavior, moderate the relation between momentary craving and alcohol and drug use assessed outside the lab using a smartphone. A secondary goal was to examine the extent of coherence in the results across different ERP components (e.g., no-go P3, ERN) purported to assess inhibitory control. Participants were current illicit drug users, who completed a flanker task that also contained go/no-go trials, and participated in two weeks of ambulatory assessments of their drug and alcohol craving and use. The results showed that craving a few hours before was related to subsequent drug and alcohol use; however, traditional measures of inhibitory control (e.g., go/no-go P3) did not moderate these effects as expected for illicit drug use. For alcohol use, individuals with less post-error slowing had a stronger relation between craving and alcohol use than those higher in post-error slowing. These results highlight that different cognitive processes are assessed by electrophysiological and behavioral measures of inhibitory control and may play different roles in drug and alcohol use and craving.

Using facial muscular movements to understand young children's emotion regulation and concurrent neural activation

Individual differences in young children's frustration responses set the stage for myriad developmental outcomes and represent an area of intense empirical interest. Emotion regulation is hypothesized to comprise the interplay of complex behaviors, such as facial expressions, and activation of concurrent underlying neural systems. At present, however, the literature has mostly examined children's observed emotion regulation behaviors and assumed underlying brain activation through separate investigations, resulting in theoretical gaps in our understanding of how children regulate emotion in vivo. Our goal was to elucidate links between young children's emotion regulation-related neural activation, facial muscular movements, and parent-rated temperamental emotion regulation. Sixty-five children (age 3-7) completed a frustration-inducing computer task while lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) activation and concurrent facial expressions were recorded. Negative facial expressions with eye constriction were inversely associated with both parent-rated temperamental emotion regulation and concurrent LPFC activation. Moreover, we found evidence that positive expressions with eye constriction during frustration may be associated with stronger LPFC activation. Results suggest a correspondence between facial expressions and LPFC activation that may explicate how children regulate emotion in real time.

Comparing Self-Regulation-Associated Event Related Potentials in Preschool Children with and without High Levels of Disruptive Behavior

Deficient self-regulation plays a key role in the etiology of early onset disruptive behavior disorders and signals risk for chronic psychopathology. However, to date, there has been no research comparing preschool children with and without high levels of disruptive behavior using Event Related Potentials (ERPs) associated with specific self-regulation sub-processes. We examined 15 preschool children with high levels of disruptive behavior (35 % female) and 20 peers with low disruptive behavior (50 % female) who completed a Go/No-go task that provided emotionally valenced feedback. We tested whether 4 ERP components: the Error Related Negativity, the Error Positivity, the Feedback Related Negativity, and the No-go N2, differed in preschool children with and without high levels of disruptive behavior. Preschoolers with high levels of disruptive behavior showed less differentiation between the Error Positivity and corresponding waveforms following correct responses at posterior sites. Preschoolers with high and low disruptive behavior also showed differences in Go/No-go N2 waveform amplitudes across electrodes. These findings suggest that preschool children with high levels of disruptive behavior may show abnormal brain activity during certain self-regulation sub-processes, informing potential advances in conceptualizing and treating early disruptive behavior.

Theta- and delta-band EEG network dynamics during a novelty oddball task

While the P3 component during target detection and novelty processing has been widely studied, less is known about its underlying network dynamics. A recent cognitive model suggests that frontal-parietal and frontal-temporal interregional connectivity are related to attention/action selection and target-related memory updating during the P3, respectively, but empirical work testing this model is lacking. Other work suggests the importance of theta- and delta-band connectivity between the medial frontal cortex and distributed cortical regions during attention, stimulus detection, and response selection processes, and similar dynamics may underlie P3-related network connectivity. The present study evaluated the functional connectivity elicited during a visual task, which combined oddball target and novelty stimuli, in a sample of 231 same-sex twins. It was hypothesized that both target and novel conditions would involve theta frontoparietal connectivity and medial frontal theta power, but that target stimuli would elicit the strongest frontotemporal connectivity. EEG time-frequency analysis revealed greater theta-band frontoparietal connectivity and medial frontal power during both target and novel conditions compared to standards, which may index conflict/uncertainty resolution processes. Theta-band frontotemporal connectivity was maximal during the target condition, potentially reflecting context updating or stimulus-response activation. Delta-band frontocentral-parietal connectivity was also strongest following targets, which may be sensitive to response-related demands. These results suggest the existence of functional networks related to P3 that are differentially engaged by target oddballs and novel distractors. Compared to simple P3 amplitude, network measures may provide a more nuanced view of the neural dynamics during target detection/novelty processing in normative and pathological populations.