Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Brain potentials and self-paced random number generation in humans.

Sabine Schneider1, Gregor Joppich, van der Lugt Arie

  • 1Department of Neuropsychology, Otto von Guericke University, Universitätsplatz 2, Gebäude 24, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany.

Neuroscience Letters
|August 17, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Generating random numbers requires executive control. Brain activity showed reduced motor cortex activation during random number generation compared to ordered number generation, suggesting less preprogramming.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Identification of novel <i>PROS1</i> variants through systematic analysis of patients with suspected hereditary protein S deficiency.

Research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis·2026
Same author

ALKBH1 activity in vitro and human cell lines by isotope dilution mass spectrometry.

PloS one·2026
Same author

A Highly Reactive Cysteine-Targeted Acrylophenone Chemical Probe That Enables Peptide/Protein Bioconjugation and Chemoproteomics Analysis.

JACS Au·2025
Same author

AdiY acts as a cytoplasmic pH sensor via histidine protonation to regulate acid stress adaptation in <i>Escherichia coli</i>.

Journal of bacteriology·2025
Same author

Microengineered alveolar array lung-on-chip with hydrogel membrane and simulated breathing mechanics for anti-fibrotic testing.

Biofabrication·2025
Same author

A novel alveoli-on-chip platform for modeling cyclic stretch in patient-derived alveolar epithelial cells cultured from organoids.

Lab on a chip·2025

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience of Executive Functions

Background:

  • Random number generation (RNG) is a complex cognitive task relying on executive control.
  • Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying RNG is crucial for cognitive science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural correlates of random number generation (RNG) using a novel electronic drum pad paradigm.
  • To compare brain activity during RNG with ordered number generation (ONG).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized an electronic drum set with eight pads as an input device for number generation tasks.
  • Recorded event-related brain potentials time-locked to drum-beat responses in 15 healthy subjects.
  • Applied source analysis to pinpoint the brain regions involved in RNG and ONG.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Brain potentials were more negative during RNG compared to ONG, with a left frontal distribution.
  • Source analysis identified Brodmann area 9 as a key region for RNG, potentially involved in suppressing habitual responses.
  • Smaller lateralized readiness potentials during ONG indicated a greater ability to preprogram sequential responses.

Conclusions:

  • Random number generation engages executive control mechanisms, particularly in the prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 9).
  • The findings highlight the neural differences between spontaneous random generation and preprogrammed sequential output.
  • The novel drum pad paradigm offers a viable method for studying the neuroscience of executive functions.