title: [Conflict processing of the frontal cortex and aging change: event-related potentials study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the working mechanism and age-related change of the conflict processing system of the frontal cortex.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen normal elderly people and 15 youth were performed a modified Eriksen flanker paradigm, while event-related potential (ERPs), which include 32 systerm electroencephalography, reaction time and correct rate were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The elderly group showed a distinct effect of reaction time and effect of conflict in the respond level compared with the youth group. The elderly group had a longer time window of N380 and same amplitude as the youth group. Low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) showed the bilateral temporal lobe and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (especially right) were activated in the youth group, while the left temporal lobe, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left medial frontal gyrus were activated in the elderly group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When conflict stimuli existed in the response level, old people showed frontal interference control hypofunction. N380 reflected the activation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the left temporal lobe during response selection and executive control processing in older people.
authors.forename: Sai-Nan
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lu-Ning
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*