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

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-para...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuropsychologia 2010-07, Vol.48 (9), p.2488-2495
Main Authors: Sehlmeyer, C., Konrad, C., Zwitserlood, P., Arolt, V., Falkenstein, M., Beste, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
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
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0028-3932
1873-3514
DOI:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.04.022