title: [Effects of switching between neutral and emotional stimuli: an ERP study on "switch cost"].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate if switch cost involved in shifting between neutral and emotional stimuli is reflected by ERPs correlates.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 14 healthy right-handed college students (7 females, 7 males). Garavan's (1998) task paradigm which was important in studying inner attention shifting was used. The subjects were asked to watch a stimulus sequence comprising Schematic line drawings of faces with neutral and emotional expressions, and make counts of them (neutral faces or emotional faces). EEG signals were recorded at 64 sites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1) Switching between stimuli elicited slow responses, increased N2 amplitudes and reduced P300 amplitudes. 2) A negative component (Nd370) was found when ERP wave during non-switching trials was subtracted from that during switching trials, and it was found obviously at extensive parietal area. 3) Nd370 amplitude during switching from emotional stimuli to neutral ones was smaller than that during switching from neutral stimuli to emotional ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nd370 can be taken as an index of switch cost effect.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Lun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yue-jia
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Kui-he
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation