Dynamic versus static indicators of threat: N2 and LPC modulation index attack intent and biological relevance during an affective Flanker task.

Biological relevance may influence the neural response towards images which depict attack intent. In the present study, images featuring reptiles and firearms were employed as target and flanking stimuli in a modified version of the affective Flanker task. Forty-two participants (21 male) completed the modified Flanker task as EEG was recorded.

Habitual exercise affects inhibitory processing in young and middle age men and women.

Inhibitory processing is an aspect of cognitive control susceptible to cognitive decline due to aging. Engaging in habitual exercise could attenuate these declines in middle age. In the present study, the event-related potential (ERP) activity of 40 middle age adults (21 females) and 42 young adults (24 females) was recorded with electroencephalography (EEG) as participants completed two cognitive tasks that elicit inhibitory processing, one indexing interference control (i.

Deconstructing threat: Rethinking the interplay between biological and social relevance in the emotional salience of unpleasant images.

The type of threat shown in an image influences the emotional salience of unpleasant images. Seventy-four participants (21 male) rated high threat, moderate threat, and neutral images featuring reptiles, firearms, or humans as electroencephalographic activity was recorded. The magnitude of P3b amplitudes coincided with the threat level of firearm and human images, whereas scenes of attacking snakes and aimed handguns evoked more positive late positive component (LPC) activity than non-attacking or neutral versions of these same stimuli.

Contrast sensitivity and motion discrimination in cannabis users.

Rationale: Cannabis use impairs visual attention; however, it is unclear whether cannabis use also impairs low level visual processing or whether low level visual deficits can be related to lower dopaminergic functioning found in cannabis users.

Objectives: To investigate whether spatiotemporal contrast sensitivity and motion discrimination under normal and low luminance conditions differ in cannabis users and non-users.

Methods: Control (n = 20) and cannabis (n = 21) participants completed a visual acuity test, a saliva test and self-report measures.

Spatial attention and reading ability: ERP correlates of flanker and cue-size effects in good and poor adult phonological decoders.

To investigate facilitatory and inhibitory processes during selective attention among adults with good (n=17) and poor (n=14) phonological decoding skills, a go/nogo flanker task was completed while EEG was recorded. Participants responded to a middle target letter flanked by compatible or incompatible flankers. The target was surrounded by a small or large circular cue which was presented simultaneously or 500ms prior.

Musical chords and emotion: major and minor triads are processed for emotion.

Musical chords are arguably the smallest building blocks of music that retain emotional information. Major chords are generally perceived as positive- and minor chords as negative-sounding, but there has been debate concerning how early these emotional connotations may be processed. To investigate this, emotional facial stimuli and musical chord stimuli were simultaneously presented to participants, and facilitation of processing was measured via event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes.

Energy drink ingredients. Contribution of caffeine and taurine to performance outcomes.

While the performance-enhancing effects of energy drinks are commonly attributed to caffeine, recent research has shown greater facilitation of performance post-consumption than typically expected from caffeine content alone. Consequently, the aim of the present study was to investigate the independent and combined effect of taurine and caffeine on behavioural performance, specifically reaction time. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, within-subjects design, female undergraduates (N=19) completed a visual oddball task and a stimulus degradation task 45min post-ingestion of capsules containing: (i) 80mg caffeine, (ii) 1000mg taurine, (iii) caffeine and taurine combined, and (iv) matched placebo.

Speech versus non-speech as irrelevant sound: controlling acoustic variation.

Functional differences between speech and non-speech within the irrelevant sound effect were investigated using repeated and changing formats of irrelevant sounds in the form of intelligible words and unintelligible signal correlated noise (SCN) versions of the words. Event-related potentials were recorded from 25 females aged between 18 and 25 while they completed a serial order recall task in the presence of irrelevant sound or silence. As expected and in line with the changing-state hypothesis both words and SCN produced robust changing-state effects.

Electrophysiological indices of spatial attention during global/local processing in good and poor phonological decoders.

Previous research suggests a relationship between spatial attention and phonological decoding in developmental dyslexia. The aim of this study was to examine differences between good and poor phonological decoders in the allocation of spatial attention to global and local levels of hierarchical stimuli. A further aim was to investigate the relationship between global/local processing and electrophysiological indices (N1, N2) of spatial attention in these groups.

Combined effects of alcohol and caffeine on the late components of the event-related potential and on reaction time.

The effects of .7 ml/kg alcohol and 200 mg caffeine on the P200, N200, P300 and N500 difference wave components of the event-related potential and on reaction time (RT) were examined in 16 females who performed both simple and choice RT tasks. Alcohol slowed the decision time (DT) component of reaction time, lengthened the latency of the P200 and P300 components, reduced N200 amplitude, increased P300 amplitude at parietal sites, and modified the effect of sagittal site on N500 difference wave peak amplitude.

Event-related brain potentials elicited during word recognition by adult good and poor phonological decoders.

Cognitive processing of lexical and sub-lexical stimuli was compared for good and poor adult phonological decoders. Sixteen good decoders and 16 poor decoders, average age 19 years, silently read 150 randomly computer presented sentences ending in incongruous regular, irregular, or nonwords and 100 congruent filler sentences. Electro-encephalographic recordings were made from the final word of each incongruous sentence.

The interactive effects of alcohol and temazepam on P300 and reaction time.

The present research investigated the separate and interactive effects of the minor tranquilizer, temazepam, and a low dose of alcohol on the amplitude and latency of P300 and on reaction time. Twenty-four participants completed four drug treatments in a repeated measures design. The four drug treatments, organised as a fully repeated 2 x 2 design, included a placebo condition, an alcohol only condition, a temazepam only condition, and an alcohol and temazepam combined condition.