Changes of error-related ERPs with age

Errors in reaction tasks are followed by a negative component of the event-related brain potential (ERP), the error negativity (N-e), which is thought to be a correlate of error detection. In the present study we show that, in tasks that induce different types of errors, the amplitude of the N-e was reduced in elderly (54-65 years old) compared with young subjects (19-25 years old). This reduction was also seen in single trials, as were computed for one of the visual tasks. Moreover, in this data set, the single-trial N-e was also delayed for the elderly compared with the young. These data suggest an alteration of error detection in the elderly, which is only marginally reflected in performance.