Rhythmic Oscillations in Quantitative EEG Measured During a Continuous Performance Task

The objective of the present investigation was to determine if cyclic variations in human performance recorded during a 30 min continuous performance task would parallel cyclic variations in right-hemisphere beta-wave activity. A fast fourier transformation was performed on the quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) and the performance record of each participant (N = 62), producing an individual periodogram for each outcome measure. An average periodogram was then produced for both qEEG and performance by combining (averaging) the amplitudes associated with each periodicity in the 62 original periodograms. Periodicities ranging from 1.00 to 2.00 min and from 4.70 to 5.70 min with amplitudes greater than would be expected due to chance were retained (Smith et al. 2003). The results of the present investigation validate the existence of cyclic variations in human performance that have been identified previously (Smith et al. 2003) and extend those findings by implicating right-hemisphere mediated arousal in the process (Arruda et al. 1996, 1999, 2007). Significant cyclic variations in left-hemisphere beta-wave activity were not observed. Taken together, the findings of the present investigation support a model of sustained attention that predicts cyclic changes in human performance that are the result of cyclic changes in right-hemisphere arousal.

[1]  T. Jung,et al.  Tonic, phasic, and transient EEG correlates of auditory awareness in drowsiness. , 1996, Brain research. Cognitive brain research.

[2]  S. Sara,et al.  Novelty seeking behavior in the rat is dependent upon the integrity of the noradrenergic system. , 1995, Brain research. Cognitive brain research.

[3]  N C Andreasen,et al.  The neuropsychology of the prefrontal cortex. , 1993, Archives of neurology.

[4]  G. Aston-Jones,et al.  Locus coeruleus activity in monkey: Phasic and tonic changes are associated with altered vigilance , 1994, Brain Research Bulletin.

[5]  M. Raichle,et al.  Localization of a human system for sustained attention by positron emission tomography , 1991, Nature.

[6]  P. A. Williamson,et al.  Asymmetric neural control systems in human self-regulation. , 1984, Psychological review.

[7]  H. Persson,et al.  Altered cortical activity in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during attentional load task. , 2002, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[8]  G. Aston-Jones,et al.  Discharge of noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons in behaving rats and monkeys suggests a role in vigilance. , 1991, Progress in brain research.

[9]  T. Jung,et al.  Changes in alertness are a principal component of variance in the EEG spectrum , 1995, Neuroreport.

[10]  I. Radermacher,et al.  Functional anatomy of intrinsic alertness: evidencefor a fronto-parietal-thalamic-brainstem network in theright hemisphere , 1999, Neuropsychologia.

[11]  T. Sejnowski,et al.  Estimating alertness from the EEG power spectrum , 1997, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[12]  G. Rains.  Principles of Human Neuropsychology , 2001 .

[13]  J W Lovett Doust,et al.  An ultradian rhythm of reaction time measurements in man. , 1978, Neuropsychobiology.

[14]  S. Foote,et al.  Noradrenergic modulation of cognitive function: clinical implications of anatomical, electrophysiological and behavioural studies in animal models , 1993, Psychological Medicine.

[15]  E. Soetens,et al.  Psychophysiological investigation of vigilance decrement: Boredom or cognitive fatigue? , 2008, Physiology & Behavior.

[16]  J. Lewin,et al.  Cortical localization of human sustained attention: detection with functional MR using a visual vigilance paradigm. , 1996, Journal of computer assisted tomography.

[17]  S. Makeig,et al.  Lapses in alertness: coherence of fluctuations in performance and EEG spectrum. , 1993, Electroencephalography and clinical neurophysiology.

[18]  Stephen J. Vodanovich,et al.  Predicting cognitive failures from boredom proneness and daytime sleepiness scores: an investigation within military and undergraduate samples , 2003 .

[19]  I..  THE ATTENTION SYSTEM OF THE HUMAN BRAIN , 2002 .

[20]  J. Rossi,et al.  A guide for applying principal-components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to quantitative electroencephalogram data. , 1996, International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology.

[21]  B. Reisberg,et al.  Mild cognitive impairment , 2005, The Lancet.

[22]  S. L. Foote,et al.  Locus coeruleus neuronal activity in awake monkeys: relationship to auditory P300-like potentials and spontaneous EEG , 2004, Experimental Brain Research.

[23]  Joel S. Warm,et al.  The Psychophysics of Vigilance , 1980 .

[24]  R. C. Oldfield.  The assessment and analysis of handedness: the Edinburgh inventory. , 1971, Neuropsychologia.

[25]  F. Bloom,et al.  Nucleus locus ceruleus: new evidence of anatomical and physiological specificity. , 1983, Physiological reviews.

[26]  J. Warm.  Sustained attention in human performance , 1984 .

[27]  K. Coburn,et al.  The value of quantitative electroencephalography in clinical psychiatry: a report by the Committee on Research of the American Neuropsychiatric Association. , 2006, The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences.

[28]  Klaus Willmes,et al.  Network for auditory intrinsic alertness: a PET study , 2004, Neuropsychologia.

[29]  Gary Aston-Jones,et al.  Behavioral functions of locus coeruleus derived from cellular attributes , 1985 .

[30]  J. Arruda,et al.  Rhythmic Oscillations in the Performance of a Sustained Attention Task , 2003, Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology.

[31]  J. Arruda,et al.  Validation of a right hemisphere vigilance system as measured by principal component and factor analyzed quantitative electroencephalogram. , 1999, International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology.

[32]  E. O. Brigham,et al.  The Fast Fourier Transform , 1967, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics.

[33]  David L. Gilden,et al.  Streaks in skilled performance , 1995, Psychonomic bulletin & review.

[34]  Heather A McGee,et al.  A Quantitative Electroencephalographic Correlate of Sustained Attention Processing , 2007, Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback.

[35]  R. C. Oldfield.  THE ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS OF HANDEDNESS , 1971 .

[36]  S. Conte,et al.  Ultradian rhythms of reaction times in performance in vigilance tasks , 1995, Biological Psychology.

[37]  Edward M. Hitchcock,et al.  Automation cueing modulates cerebral blood flow and vigilance in a simulated air traffic control task , 2003 .

[38]  Alan C. Evans,et al.  Time-Related Changes in Neural Systems Underlying Attention and Arousal During the Performance of an Auditory Vigilance Task , 1997, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[39]  G. Aston-Jones,et al.  Locus coeruleus neurons in monkey are selectively activated by attended cues in a vigilance task , 1994, The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.

[40]  J. Arruda,et al.  Comparison of QEEG and response accuracy in good vs poorer performers during a vigilance task. , 1993, International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology.

[41]  J. Arruda,et al.  Measures of Variations in Performance During a Sustained Attention Task , 2002, Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology.

[42]  T. Sejnowski,et al.  Awareness during drowsiness: dynamics and electrophysiological correlates. , 2000, Canadian journal of experimental psychology = Revue canadienne de psychologie experimentale.

[43]  H. Semlitsch,et al.  A solution for reliable and valid reduction of ocular artifacts, applied to the P300 ERP. , 1986, Psychophysiology.

[44]  C. Frith,et al.  Monitoring for target objects: activation of right frontal and parietal cortices with increasing time on task , 1998, Neuropsychologia.