Parallel systems of error processing in the brain.
Major neurophysiological principles of performance monitoring are not precisely known. It is a current debate in cognitive neuroscience if an error-detection neural system is involved in behavioral control and adaptation. Such a system should generate error-specific signals, but their existence is questioned by observations that correct and incorrect reactions may elicit similar neuroelectric potentials. A new approach based on a time-frequency decomposition of event-related brain potentials was applied to extract covert sub-components from the classical error-related negativity (Ne) and correct-response-related negativity (Nc) in humans. A unique error-specific sub-component from the delta (1.5-3.5 Hz) frequency band was revealed only for Ne, which was associated with error detection at the level of overall performance monitoring. A sub-component from the theta frequency band (4-8 Hz) was associated with motor response execution, but this sub-component also differentiated error from correct reactions indicating error detection at the level of movement monitoring. It is demonstrated that error-specific signals do exist in the brain. More importantly, error detection may occur in multiple functional systems operating in parallel at different levels of behavioral control.
Yordanova
Juliana
J
Institute of Occupational Physiology, D-44139 Dortmund, Germany. jyord@bio.bas.bg
Falkenstein
Michael
M
Hohnsbein
Joachim
J
Kolev
Vasil
V
D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*