The relation between event-related brain potential, heart rate, and blood pressure responses in an S1-S2 paradigm

• Published in: Biological psychology 1995-02, Vol.39 (2-3), p.81-102
• Main Authors: OTTEN, L. J, GAILLARD, A. W. K, WIENTJES, C. J. E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anatomical correlates of behavior; Anxiety - physiopathology; Anxiety - psychology; Arousal - physiology; Attention - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Contingent Negative Variation - physiology; Evoked Potentials, Auditory - physiology; Evoked Potentials, Visual - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Male; Motivation; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Personality Inventory; Pitch Perception - physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Reference Values
• ISSN: 0301-0511; 1873-6246
• DOI: 10.1016/0301-0511(94)00969-5

Event-related brain potential (ERP), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) responses were examined during the 6 s foreperiod of a choice-reaction task. Low and high trait-anxious males were required to make same/different judgements based on the similarity of two successively presented visual patterns. The pitch of a warning tone, presented at the beginning of the foreperiod, indicated whether speed or accuracy was to be emphasized on that trial. In different conditions, subjects received either a monetary reward or aversive noise, depending on their performance. Two clusters of parallel variations were observed in the foreperiod: (1) speed/accuracy instructions affected the amplitude of the CNV and, in interaction with anxiety group, the initial decreases in HR and diastolic BP; (2) type of reward, in interaction with speed/accuracy instructions, affected the amplitude of the P300 and PSW, the mid-interval HR acceleration, and subsequent increases in diastolic and systolic BP. A correlational analysis showed a close relationship between changes in HR and BP, whereas no relationship was evident between changes in ERPs and changes in HR and BP.