Resting state intrinsic EEG impacts on go stimulus-response processes

Neuropsychological research and practice rely on cognitive task performance measures as indicators of brain functioning. The neural activity underlying stimulus-response processes can be assessed with ERPs, but the relations between these cognitive processes and the brain's intrinsic resting state EEG activity are less understood. This study focused on the neurocognitive functioning of 20 healthy young adults in an equiprobable go/no-go task to map the ERP correlates of behavioral responses and examine contributions of the resting state intrinsic EEG to task-related outcomes. Continuous EEG was recorded during pretask eyes-closed (EC) and eyes-open (EO) conditions, and in the subsequent task. Delta, theta, alpha, and beta band amplitudes were assessed for the EC state and also for the reactive change to EO. Go/no-go ERPs were submitted to temporal principal components analysis, where the P2, N2, P3, and slow wave components of interest were extracted. The performance measure of reaction time (RT) variability was positively correlated with no-go and go errors, and also with go P2 amplitude, linking these to stimulus discrimination efforts involved in appropriate response selection. An N2c-P3b pairing was enhanced for shorter mean RTs, supporting their involvement in the decision to execute a response. A stepwise regression model identified EC midline delta as a predictor of P3b positivity, highlighting the relevance of delta in the neural mechanisms of attentional processes. These findings clarify the electrophysiology underlying decision-making processes in executive function, and provide a platform for further research assessing performance outcomes in larger samples and in developmental/clinical contexts.