title: Aging effects on ERP correlates of emotional word discrimination.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore age-, and valence specific ERP-characteristics of word-discrimination processes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of young (mean age: 21.26 yrs) and elderly (mean age: 65.73 yrs) individuals participated. The task was to respond to a word (target) with valence (neutral, negative, positive) and disregard others (non-target) with a different valence. Behavioral indices and the N4 and late positive complex (LPC) components were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For words with negative valence performance was better for non-target stimuli in the young. Higher N4 was elicited by negative non-target words in the fronto-central areas. Target words elicited a P3b-like LPC in the young while a P3a-like LPC was observed in the elderly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate that inhibition elicited by aversive events is observed for word stimuli as well, and is most effective in the young.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effect of valence during emotional word discrimination shows age-dependent differences reflected by ERPs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary. molnar.mark@ttk.mta.hu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molnár
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tóth
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boha
authors.forename: Zs A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Gaál
authors.forename: Zs
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kardos
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: File
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Stam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; ERP; Emotions; Word discrimination