title: Alpha-theta effects associated with ageing during the Stroop test.
abstract: The Stroop effect is considered as a standard attentional measure to study conflict resolution in humans. The response of the brain to conflict is supposed to change over time and it is impaired in certain pathological conditions. Neuropsychological Stroop test measures have been complemented with electroencephalography (EEG) techniques to evaluate the mechanisms in the brain that underlie conflict resolution from the age of 20 to 70. To study the changes in EEG activity during life, we recruited a large sample of healthy subjects of different ages that included 90 healthy individuals, divided by age into decade intervals, which performed the Stroop test while recording a 14 channel EEG. The results highlighted an interaction between age and stimulus that was focused on the prefrontal (Alpha and Theta band) and Occipital (Alpha band) areas. We concluded that behavioural Stroop interference is directly influenced by opposing Alpha and Theta activity and evolves across the decades of life.
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (NiCE-CIBERNED), School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Clinical Neuroscience Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nombela
authors.affiliation: Neurophysiology Department, Nuestra Sra. del Rosell Hospital, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nombela
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (NiCE-CIBERNED), School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castell
authors.affiliation: Department of System Engineering and Automation, Technical University of Cartagena, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Teodoro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Department of System Engineering and Automation, Technical University of Cartagena, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López-Coronado
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (NiCE-CIBERNED), School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain; Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience (NiCE-CIBERNED), School of Health Sciences (Medicine), University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: María Trinidad
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Herrero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000513:Alpha Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D057190:Stroop Test; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult