The learning-oddball paradigm: data of 24 separate individuals illustrate its potential usefulness as a new clinical tool.
OBJECTIVE
In a previous article reporting group data, we presented event-related potentials (ERPs), which were evoked by randomly presented target stimuli in a 'learning-oddball' task. These ERPs contained a large N2-P3 complex that decreased and a Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) that increased when the targets were presented in a regular fashion. Using the learning-oddball paradigm, the aim of the present paper was to determine ERP effects of introducing regularity in individual participants.


METHODS
The data from the previous study were re-analyzed at the level of the individual participant, extracting individual sigmoid curves by means of wavelet-denoising and focusing on RTs, and CNV, N2, and P3 ERP components.


RESULTS
Most participants displayed significant sigmoid curves with respect to the P3 component (22 of the 24 participants - 22/24), the N2 component (20/24), and/or the CNV (19/24) component. In contrast, reaction times (RTs) appeared less sensitive to incidental learning (15/24). Modest correlations were observed between RTs and N2 component amplitudes.


CONCLUSIONS
It is possible to extract significant ERP changes to introducing regularity in individual participants.


CONCLUSIONS
Tracking ERP changes within the learning-oddball paradigm might be a useful tool to assess pattern detection capacities in individual patients.
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, DCC, Radboud University Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR Nijmegen, The Netherlands. m.jongsma@donders.ru.nl
Marijtje L A
ML
Jongsma
Clementina M
CM
van Rijn
Niels J H M
NJ
Gerrits
Tom
T
Eichele
Bert
B
Steenbergen
Joseph H R
JH
Maes
Rodrigo
R
Quian Quiroga
D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D003265:Contingent Negative Variation / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology