title: EEG delta oscillations index inhibitory control of contextual novelty to both irrelevant distracters and relevant task-switch cues.
abstract: Delta oscillations contribute to the human P300 event-related potential evoked by oddball targets, although it is unclear whether they index contextual novelty (event oddballness, novelty P3, nP3), or target-related processes (event targetness, target P3b). To examine this question, the electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded during a cued task-switching version of the Wisconsin card-sorting test. Each target card was announced by a tone cueing either to switch or repeat the task. Novel sound distracters were interspersed among trials. Time-frequency EEG analyses revealed bursts of delta (2-4 Hz) power associated with enhanced nP3 amplitudes to both task-switch cues and novel distracters-but no association with target P3b. These findings indicate that the P300-delta response indexes contextual novelty regardless of whether novelty emanates from endogenous (new task rules) or exogenous (novel distracters) sources of information.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuropsychology, University of Illes Balears, Mallorca, Spain; Asociación de Neuropsicología Balear (ANEBA), Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prada
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barceló
authors.forename: Christoph S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Escera
mesh_terms: D003463:Cues; D003700:Delta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D058407:Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognitive control; Novelty P3; Task switching