ERP indices for response inhibition are related to anxiety-related personality traits

• Published in: Neuropsychologia Vol. 48; no. 9; pp. 2488 - 2495
• Main Authors: Sehlmeyer, C., Konrad, C., Zwitserlood, P., Arolt, V., Falkenstein, M., Beste, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Affectivity. Emotion; Analysis of Variance; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety sensitivity; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Choice Behavior - physiology; Electroencephalography - methods; Electrophysiology; Event-related potentials (ERPs); Evoked Potentials, Visual - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Inhibition (Psychology); Male; Neuropsychological Tests; Nogo-N2; Nogo-P3; Personality - physiology; Personality. Affectivity; Photic Stimulation - methods; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Response inhibition; Trait anxiety; Young Adult; Nogo-P3; Response inhibition; Trait anxiety; Event-related potentials (ERPs); Anxiety sensitivity; Nogo-N2; Human; Affect affectivity; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Cognition; Personality; Encephalon; Anxiety; Inhibition; Event evoked potential
• ISSN: 0028-3932; 1873-3514; 1873-3514
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.04.022

Anxiety is often associated with impaired cognitive control and avoidance behaviour. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of anxiety-related personality traits, such as anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety, on event-related potentials of response inhibition in a standard Go/Nogo-paradigm. We focused on the Nogo-N2 and Nogo-P3 components, which probably represent different sub-processes of response inhibition. The Nogo-N2 was mainly influenced by trait anxiety, while it was slightly affected by anxiety sensitivity. In contrast, the Nogo-P3 was significantly associated with anxiety sensitivity, but was less affected by trait anxiety. Thus, anxious subjects seem to maintain a higher level of cognitive control to prepare and to monitor the outcome of their actions, which is differentially reflected in Nogo-N2 and Nogo-P3 potentials. Our results show that anxiety-related personality traits modulate electrophysiological responses related to cognitive control processes and should be taken into consideration in studies investigating response inhibition.