title: EEG signatures associated with stopping are sensitive to preparation.
abstract: Preparing to stop may "prime" the neural mechanism for stopping and alter brain activity at the time of stopping. Much electroencephalography (EEG) research has studied the N2/P3 complex over frontocentral electrodes during outright stopping. Here, we used differential reward of the stop and go processes in a stop signal task to study the sensitivity of these EEG components to preparation. We found that (a) stopping was faster when it was rewarded; (b) the P3 amplitude was larger for successful versus failed stopping, and this difference was greater when stopping was rewarded over going; (c) the N2 component was observed only on failed stop trials; and (d) there was greater EEG coherence between frontocentral and occipitoparietal electrodes at 12 Hz during the initiation of a go response when stopping was rewarded over going. We propose that frontocentral cortical mechanisms active before and at the time of stopping are sensitive to preparation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-1650, USA. igreenhouse@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Greenhouse
authors.forename: Jan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wessel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognition; Cognitive control; Coherence; EEG/ERP; Response inhibition