Event-related potential repetition effects at encoding predict memory performance at test.
The present study used multiple repetitions of meaningless pictorial stimuli to examine the electrophysiological correlates of the creation of a new stimulus representation. Study participants judged whether preexperimentally unfamiliar figures (meaningless line drawings) that were repeated up to four times contained a crossover in their contour. Stimulus repetition thereby led to a reduction of the visual N1 component in event-related potentials as well as to a late (430-600 ms), successively increasing positivity over posterior electrodes. In particular, the size of this latter event-related potential effect highly correlated with and thus predicted participants' performance in a subsequent recognition memory test. It can therefore be interpreted as neural correlate of the creation of a new memory-effective stimulus representation.
Groh-Bordin
Christian
C
Brain and Cognition Unit, Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany.
Busch
Niko A
NA
Herrmann
Christoph S
CS
Zimmer
Hubert D
HD
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology