title: Brain potentials with old/new distinction of non-words and geometric figures.
abstract: Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in a continuous memory recognition task. Readable non-words and abstract geometric figures were presented in an alternating manner with an inter-stimulus interval of 2.1 s. Probability of item repetition was 0.25, a lag of one item lay between initial presentation and repetition. OLD/NEW distinction was indicated by the subject's motor response. Using linked-mastoid electrodes for reference, material-specific hemispheric asymmetries of ERPs started 150 ms after stimulus onset in temporo-lateral and parietal recordings with ERPs elicited by non-words being lateralized to the left and those by figures to the right. Clear OLD/NEW ERP effects were found with non-words: Starting about 200-250 ms after stimulus presentation, ERPs of formerly presented (OLD) items were more positive-going in recordings over the midline than ERPs of items that were new and to be repeated (NEW). In contrast, no local OLD/NEW ERP-difference was found with figures. In some brain regions, OLD/NEW ERP-differences were larger over the left hemisphere compared to the right. This finding, however, did not differ between non-words and figures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beisteiner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Huter
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Edward
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franzen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Egkher
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lindinger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*