Reliability of event-related potentials: The influence of number of trials and electrodes

Abstract The reliability of event-related potentials (ERPs) is an important factor determining the value of studies relating ERP components to individual differences. However, studies examining the reliability of ERPs are surprisingly scarce. The current study examines the test–retest reliability of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiology & behavior 2014-05, Vol.130, p.13-22
Main Authors: Huffmeijer, Renske, Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J, Alink, Lenneke R.A, van IJzendoorn, Marinus H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - physiology
Electrodes
Electroencephalography - instrumentation
Electroencephalography - methods
Emotional facial expressions
Emotions - physiology
Event-related potentials
Event-Related Potentials, P300
Evoked Potentials
Facial Expression
Feedback
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Neuropsychological Tests
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Photic Stimulation
Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reproducibility of Results
Retest reliability
Time
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract The reliability of event-related potentials (ERPs) is an important factor determining the value of studies relating ERP components to individual differences. However, studies examining the reliability of ERPs are surprisingly scarce. The current study examines the test–retest reliability of ERP components (VPP, N170, MFN, FRN, P3, and LPP) in response to feedback stimuli combining performance feedback with emotional faces in a sample of healthy female adults. In general, ERP amplitudes showed adequate to excellent test-retest reliability across a 4-week interval, depending on the component studied. Averaging ERP amplitudes across several electrodes yielded more reliable measurements than relying on a single electrode. Averaging across multiple trials substantially improved reliability. We recommend including at least 30 trials for early, spatio-temporally narrowly distributed components (such as VPP), but substantially more, at least 60 trials, for later, broadly distributed components such as the P3.
ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.03.008