title: Alterations in resting-state activity relate to performance in a verbal recognition task.
abstract: In the brain, resting-state activity refers to non-random patterns of intrinsic activity occurring when participants are not actively engaged in a task. We monitored resting-state activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) both before and after a verbal recognition task. We show a strong positive correlation between accuracy in verbal recognition and pre-task resting-state alpha power at posterior sites. We further characterized this effect by examining resting-state post-task activity. We found marked alterations in resting-state alpha power when comparing pre- and post-task periods, with more pronounced alterations in participants that attained higher task accuracy. These findings support a dynamical view of cognitive processes where patterns of ongoing brain activity can facilitate -or interfere- with optimal task performance.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada ; Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. rlope056@ottawa.ca
authors.forename: Rocío A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: López Zunini
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Thivierge
authors.forename: Shanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kousaie
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sheppard
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Taler
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D058256:Brain Waves; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012146:Rest; D013060:Speech; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis