The influence of age and individual differences in executive function on stimulus processing in the oddball task
Robert West1, Hillary Schwarb, Brandy N Johnson
1Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA. rwest@iastate.edu
Summary
Older adults show an anterior shift in brain activity during the oddball task, potentially due to reduced executive function and habituation to novel stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- The oddball task reveals age-related changes in P3 component topography.
- Younger adults exhibit parietal P3 amplitude, while older adults show a more distributed pattern.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate age effects on event-related brain potentials (ERPs) during the oddball task.
- Examine the influence of executive function on age-related oddball task differences.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis.
- Analyzed the full time course and topography of ERPs in the oddball task.
Main Results:
- Aging had minimal effect on P3b distinguishing oddball from standard stimuli.
- Age-related anterior P3 shift linked to stronger novelty P3 in older adults.
- Executive function interacted with age: novelty P3 elicited differently in low vs. high executive older adults.
Conclusions:
- The age-related anterior P3 shift may stem from impaired habituation to oddball stimuli in older adults with lower executive function.
- Executive function plays a role in how older adults process novelty and oddball stimuli.
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