Effects of different cue positions on evoked potentials in the cerebral cortex during global and local processing of compound stimuli A study of event-related potential

• Published in: Neural regeneration research Vol. 4; no. 11; pp. 941 - 946
• Main Author: Xuemin Zhang Yongna LiO Siyu Bai Yaqin Zheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: School of Psychology, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China%Department of Psychology, New York State University, Albany 12246, New York, USA%School of Psychology, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China 01.11.2009; Department of Educational Psychology, Xuchang University, Xuchang 461000, Henan Province, China
• Subjects: 事件相关电位; 加工过程; 北京师范大学; 国家重点实验室; 复合处理; 大脑皮质; 认知神经科学; 诱发电位; attention; cue; compound stimuli; hemispheric symmetry; event-related potential
• ISSN: 1673-5374
• DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2009.11.025

BACKGROUND： Previous studies of attentional control have focused primarily on pre-cue control of attentional cue and direction. OBJECTIVE： To measure the differences in electrical activity of brain cells while processing pre-cue and post-cue compound stimuli, and to explore brain electrical activity during global and local processing of compound stimuli according to electroencephalogram （EEG） recordings. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A within-subject design study was performed at the School of Psychology, State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, China from March to May 2006. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 30 healthy, undergraduate students, aged 17-24 years, comprising 12 males and 18 females, were voluntarily enrolled from Beijing Normal University. Subjects exhibited normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity. No significant non signal wave drift was detected during testing. METHODS： A total of 30 subjects were subjected to pre-cue and post-cue compound stimulus processing using event-related potential and EEG recordings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Evoked potential was recorded in different brain regions utilizing event-related potential to observe hemispheric symmetry, cue consistency and global-local features. RESULTS： Pre-cue compound stimuli resulted in hemispheric asymmetry for early wave （N1） and late wave （P3） in anterior brain regions. Early- and late-wave induced hemispheric asymmetry for electrode points （O1, 02, P3, P4, Pz, F3, F4, F7, F8, Fz, FP1, FP2, T7, TS, C3, C4, and Cz） during processing of pre-cue compound stimuli （P 〈 0.05）. Post-cue compound stimuli did not induce hemispheric asymmetry of brain waves induced by the above-described electrode points. No significant differences in global and local responses were determined during processing of post-cue compound stimuli. Under pre-cue conditions, significant differences were observed in N1 and P3 in the above-mentioned electrode points （P 〈 0.05）. However, under post-cue conditions, no significant differences were observed in N1 and P3 using the above-mentioned electrode points. Significant differences in early waves （N1 and P1） using the above-mentioned electrode points were detected between anterior and posterior brain regions, regardless of consistent or inconsistent, large or small letters （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Cue location effected mechanisms underlying global and local processing of compound stimuli. Pre- or post-cue conditions resulted in differences in hemispheric symmetry, cue consistency, and global and local features. Under pre-cue conditions, hemispheric dominance was detected in global and local processing following compound stimuli. Under post-cue conditions, hemispheric dominance was not determined.