title: Cortical potentials in an auditory oddball task reflect individual differences in working memory capacity.
abstract: This study determined whether auditory cortical responses associated with mechanisms of attention vary with individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) and perceptual load. The operation span test defined subjects with low versus high WMC, who then discriminated target/nontarget tones while EEG was recorded. Infrequent white noise distracters were presented at midline or ±90° locations, and perceptual load was manipulated by varying nontarget frequency. Amplitude of the N100 to distracters was negatively correlated with WMC. Relative to targets, only high WMC subjects showed attenuated N100 amplitudes to nontargets. In the higher WMC group, increased perceptual load was associated with decreased P3a amplitudes to distracters and longer-lasting negative slow wave to nontargets. Results show that auditory cortical processing is associated with multiple facets of attention related to WMC and possibly higher-level cognition.
authors.affiliation: VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, San Diego, California, USA; VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA; Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
authors.forename: Kate A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Yurgil
authors.forename: Edward J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Golob
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attention; EEG; N100; P300; P3a; Perceptual load
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