title: Go and no-go P3 with rare and frequent stimuli in oddball tasks: A study comparing key-pressing with counting.
abstract: The P3 component of event-related potentials (ERPs) is large at posterior scalp sites with rare go stimuli (go-P3) and at anterior sites with rare no-go stimuli (no-go P3). Most hypotheses on P3, including our S-R link reactivation notion, imply that these characteristics are independent of specific response modes. This assumption was here investigated by comparing ERPs between key-pressing and covert counting responses in oddball tasks that required responses to either frequent or rare stimuli. Replicating previous results, topographic differences between parietal rare go-P3 and fronto-central rare no-go P3 were much reduced with counting compared to key-press responses. Besides, while go-P3 was generally more positive than no-go P3 in the key-press tasks (except for fronto-central no-go P3 with rare stimuli) the reverse was true in the counting tasks. Thus, the characteristic posterior and fronto-central go and no-go topographies appear to be specific to hand movements. Moreover, P3s evoked in counting tasks might not simply be P3 proper, uncontaminated by movement-related potentials, but rather the go/no-go logic might differ between counting and key-pressing, with the oddball effects being affected by specific processes implemented for these particular response modes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Germany; Institute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Germany. Electronic address: rolf.verleger@neuro.uni-luebeck.de.
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verleger
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grauhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Kamila
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Śmigasiewicz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Oddball; P3; Response mode